Stewarding a Holy Temple.

During the summertime it is easy to lose track of what we eat. Road trips, visiting friends, trying new restaurants, making new recipes, and ice cream cones are just a few of the ways that I notice myself falling behind. I’ve never been one to exercise consistently and eat salad/veggies…you can think AGAIN! I’ve never liked eating vegetables and salad is definitely not on my list (unless it is spinach). There are a few types of vegetables I do like: lima beans, broccoli, and sometimes green beans. In an effort to be a little healthier this summer, I’ve come up with a few easy ways (and there is no better time to try new things than the summer when I’m on a break from school)! Before I jump into the tips, I wanted to first talk about honoring the bodies that God has blessed us with. 

Paul discusses our bodies being temples of the Holy Spirit that are not ours, but God’s. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) I’m no theologian, but I would assume that this would encompass what we put into our bodies alongside what we do with them. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a good steward of the body God has given me and if I can do a few small things to honor the blessing he has given me I will. 

Let’s jump in with the first tip!

Prepared Lunches.

Most days I am home for lunch, and rather than eating grilled cheeses or leftovers everyday, I borrowed an idea from my favorite YouTuber (Rachel Earls). She prepared chicken breasts and broccoli for her lunches each day and I thought that was a great idea! First I bought organic boneless skinless chicken breasts and sliced them in half length-wise to make them thinner. Then I used my favorite rub, Grill Mates Sweet & Smoky Cinnamon Chipotle, to brown my chicken with olive oil on the stove. Once the chicken is cooked through, I cut each breast into small pieces. 

After the chicken was cooked, I took 1lb of broccoli and cut it into florets. Then I boiled it for 4-6 minutes until it turned bright green. After everything was prepared, I divided the chicken and broccoli evenly amongst the 5 containers I laid out for each weekday. So far I’ve enjoyed my chicken and broccoli for lunch this week along with my next tip. 

Summer Sips.

One of my go to drinks this summer is ice water with lemon slices (or lime). Whether I’m working outside, eating lunch, running errands, or hanging out on the front porch, I love having a cup/bottle of ice water with me.

My last foodie tip is…SMOOTHIES! 

I love making smoothies and the new blender I just got is awesome! I’ve tried lots of combinations of berries and fruits and even spinach (I don’t know if I’ll do that again). I’m not a health-freak so I probably won’t get into drinking green smoothies or adding all of those weird seeds and such. For this smoothie I used frozen strawberries and bananas, vanilla yogurt, and a little spot of milk to moisten things up. I threw it all into the blender and blended it up until it was smooth and poured it into a mason jar. One of my other favorite fruit combos is strawberry, banana, peach, and pineapple.

Now to the exercise part…

I’m not one to go out and exercise like I mentioned before. However, I have found a YouTube channel that has easy workouts that are only about 5-7 minutes each and the trainer is really positive and encouraging! If you’re looking for a quick workout, I highly recommend Love, Sweat, Fitness.  

Thanks for reading my tips on healthy eating and honoring the bodies God has given us. I hope you have a great rest of your week and continue to acknowledge His glory in the everyday and live a transformed life!

Weekly Truth:

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

Stewarding a Holy Temple.

During the summertime it is easy to lose track of what we eat. Road trips, visiting friends, trying new restaurants, making new recipes, and ice cream cones are just a few of the ways that I notice myself falling behind. I’ve never been one to exercise consistently and eat salad/veggies…you can think AGAIN! I’ve never liked eating vegetables and salad is definitely not on my list (unless it is spinach). There are a few types of vegetables I do like: lima beans, broccoli, and sometimes green beans. In an effort to be a little healthier this summer, I’ve come up with a few easy ways (and there is no better time to try new things than the summer when I’m on a break from school)! Before I jump into the tips, I wanted to first talk about honoring the bodies that God has blessed us with. 

Paul discusses our bodies being temples of the Holy Spirit that are not ours, but God’s. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) I’m no theologian, but I would assume that this would encompass what we put into our bodies alongside what we do with them. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a good steward of the body God has given me and if I can do a few small things to honor the blessing he has given me I will. 

Let’s jump in with the first tip!

Prepared Lunches.

Most days I am home for lunch, and rather than eating grilled cheeses or leftovers everyday, I borrowed an idea from my favorite YouTuber (Rachel Earls). She prepared chicken breasts and broccoli for her lunches each day and I thought that was a great idea! First I bought organic boneless skinless chicken breasts and sliced them in half length-wise to make them thinner. Then I used my favorite rub, Grill Mates Sweet & Smoky Cinnamon Chipotle, to brown my chicken with olive oil on the stove. Once the chicken is cooked through, I cut each breast into small pieces. 

After the chicken was cooked, I took 1lb of broccoli and cut it into florets. Then I boiled it for 4-6 minutes until it turned bright green. After everything was prepared, I divided the chicken and broccoli evenly amongst the 5 containers I laid out for each weekday. So far I’ve enjoyed my chicken and broccoli for lunch this week along with my next tip. 

One of my go to drinks this summer is ice water with lemon slices (or lime). Whether I’m working outside, eating lunch, running errands, or hanging out on the front porch, I love having a cup/bottle of ice water with me.

My last foodie tip is…SMOOTHIES! 

I love making smoothies and the new blender I just got is awesome! I’ve tried lots of combinations of berries and fruits and even spinach (I don’t know if I’ll do that again). I’m not a health-freak so I probably won’t get into drinking green smoothies or adding all of those weird seeds and such. For this smoothie I used frozen strawberries and bananas, vanilla yogurt, and a little spot of milk to moisten things up. I threw it all into the blender and blended it up until it was smooth and poured it into a mason jar. One of my other favorite fruit combos is strawberry, banana, peach, and pineapple. 

Now to the exercise part…

I’m not one to go out and exercise like I mentioned before. However, I have found a YouTube channel that has easy workouts that are only about 5-7 minutes each and the trainer is really positive and encouraging! If you’re looking for a quick workout, I highly recommend Love, Sweat, Fitness.  

Thanks for reading my tips on healthy eating and honoring the bodies God has given us. I hope you have a great rest of your week and continue to acknowledge His glory in the everyday and live a transformed life!

Weekly Truth:

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)


***UPDATE: I really enjoy taking my dog for walks around my neighborhood and seeing how far I walk and how many steps I've gotten. I use the Pacer App and it works well for me. I think there is a way to create a group to see how many steps your friends and family are getting... sort of a friendly competition. I hope you'll try the app! (and it's free!)

Acknowledge His Glory.

The other night as I sat in bed doing my devotions, I was struck by a line from my devotional book and the meaning of a popular worship song (Break Every Chain by Will Reagan). I love “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young because it has a devotion for each day of the year. Each one is written as if God is speaking to you and includes scripture references at the bottom of each. The one for June 15 was about coming to meet Christ in stillness and letting everything fade away while talking to Him through prayer. The second part of the devotion talked about God’s glory. The part that stuck out to me was this, “The tangible world still reflects My Glory, to those who have eyes that see and ears that hear.” What an awesome thought that our awesome God reveals His glory to us in the everyday. We can see Him in the flowers, the contrast of colors in the sky and on the ground, hearing a bird sing, a dog bark at the mailman, or seeing the joy of the Lord in someone’s smile. I love the part where it says that the best way to notice and acknowledge His glory and develop “seeing eyes and hearing ears” in the everyday is to spend time alone with Him. I can definitely tell a difference in myself when I spend time alone with God compared to not taking that time out of my day. I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to spend time with Christ and to reflect on His goodness in my life while also talking about everything, surrendering, and expressing praise to Him through prayer. God is so good y’all! My prayer is that each one of you will encounter God in a special way and be able to acknowledge His great glory and awesomeness in the everyday. 

Weekly Truth:

“They were calling out to each other, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!’”                       -Isaiah 6:3

Top 5 in San Antonio.

As a military child, I’ve moved several times. Although I have favorite things about each place I’ve lived, I don’t have a favorite per say. I have lived in the great state of Texas for the longest amount of time out of all of the places I’ve lived. In the spirit of summer and the possibility of road trips, I thought I would do a little blog series on fun things to do in some of the places I’ve lived. I hope that these little posts are helpful for those of y’all who are traveling this summer and might stop at these places and are looking for fun places to shop, eat, and explore. First up, SAN ANTONIO!

I lived in San Antonio, TX, during my junior and senior of high school and was able to explore a lot while living there. My house was on Fort Sam Houston and close to the downtown area, which was nice for exploring. I’ve narrowed the list down to just a few things, so without further ado, here are my top five things (in no particular order) to see & do in San Antonio!

1. Historic Pearl Brewery

The Historic Pearl Brewery is such a cool place! It‘s on the end of the famous river walk and has so many fun things to do. There are cute restaurants and cafes, gift stores, specialty stores, the culinary institute, Aveda hair school, a yoga studio and so much more. On Saturdays during the summer, there is a quaint farmer’s market with lots of foods, flowers, and other vendors (and pets are welcome). When I was a senior in high school, I actually took my prom pictures at the Pearl.

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2. Original Donut (& Taco) Shop

Hidden on Fredericksburg Road, only the lucky know where this gem is! This place has the best glazed yeast donuts in San Antonio hands down. Being a good Texan, I love a good breakfast taco. I’ve had my fair share of good and bad ones in SATX. I love the Original Donut shop because it is also home to some of the BEST breakfast tacos I’ve ever had. The tortillas are homemade right in front of you and are soooo good. Definitely a must try!

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3. Bird Bakery and Alamo Heights

Alamo Heights and the Olmos Basin area of San Antonio are some of the wealthier areas. The houses in each of those areas are so beautiful and fun to drive past. Alamo Heights is on the outskirts of Fort Sam Houston where I used to live. My family used to frequent that area for shopping and eating out. There are several cute boutiques and specialty shops in Alamo Heights. One of my favorites is the Bird Bakery on Broadway St. Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers (bother actors) own it. This bakery is the definition of cute and offers delicious baked goods, sandwiches, drinks, and many other things. They’ve recently expanded their space to offer more seating and a place for small bridal or baby showers. Two of my favorite places to shop in Alamo Heights are Bless Your Heart Giftique and the Sunset Ridge Hardware Store. There is another shopping area with more options (i.e. Ann Taylor, Nordstrom Rack, Restoration Hardware, James Avery, Francesca’s) and restaurants (P.F. Chang’s, Fire Bowl, Urban Taco, Chili’s, Canyon Café, etc.) called The Quarry.

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(The mini cupcakes, when ordered to-go come in a little egg carton)

4. Riverwalk, Downtown, and the Mercado

Without a doubt, the Riverwalk is the most touristy area of San Antonio (and so are the prices). Nonetheless, it is still fun to take a boat ride down the river and see some popular filming locations from Miss Congeniality, Selena, and Spy Kids. Near to the Riverwalk is the Mercado and other dining options. The Mercado has so many options of Spanish tiles to purchase. My house has Spanish tile switch plates over the light switches and we have various serving bowls and pots for plants. Next to the Mercado is a fun selection of stores and restaurants, my favorite being Mi Tierra. This gem has so many beautiful decorations and delicious foods and treats inside of its bakery. It is open 24/7 and has the most delicious homemade tortillas and chicken quesadillas. The fried ice cream is also delicious J Another spot of interest downtown is of course the Alamo. [Sidenote for teachers: There

are free lesson plans on the Alamo’s website for both 4^th & 7^th grade and ideas for field trips] If you’re up for something quirky, yet fun, head down to the Historic King William District and eat at the Guenther House or go for tea at Madhatters Tea House & Café. Madhatters offers a very casual and quirky atmosphere (just like the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland) and is pet friendly. There are more cafes around that area that I have heard are good, but have not tried.

EXTRA: There is an adorable cookie store downtown that sells cookies decorated for just about every holiday and celebration, even Fiesta! It’s called Lily’s Cookies and is located on McCullough Avenue.

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Lily's Cookies Storefront

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Fiesta Cookies

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5. Tubing and Buc-ee’s

The last thing is about 35-40 minutes from San Antonio. Tubing is a favorite pastime of a good Texan. There are many places around Texas to go tubing, but my family’s favorite is on the Comal River in New Braunfels, TX. The Comal is much cleaner and nicer compared to the Guadalupe River. There are many places to rent tubes from, but my family uses TexasTubes. The company is very nice and offers onsite parking by the river and a shuttle back to your car after tubing. Going down the river takes about 3ish hours and is very relaxing. My favorite part is going through the tube shoots! Once you’re done with tubing, you have to stop at Buc-ee’s. What is Buc-ee’s you ask? A gas station! Why would anyone want to go to a gas station? Because it’s more than a gas station! Buc-ee’s offers a wide variety of things such as homemade meat jerky, tubes, shirts, home décor, Texas memorabilia, trail mix, candy, delicious made-to-order foods, desserts, and the cleanest bathrooms this side of the Mississippi. You can even have you’re picture taken with Buc-ee the Beaver! Take my word for it and don’t knock it til you try it.

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These are my top five things to do in San Antonio and I hope that you get to try some of them if you are visiting or passing through this summer. If you want more suggestions, just shoot me an email or leave me a comment!

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll join me next week for another post!