Brussel Sprouts + Broccoli

Today I have been craving roasted veggies.  I know that sounds weird and very unlike me.  Maybe my body is just crying out for some real food after Cadbury eggs and other various treats.

Of course, its not like I have a bunch of veggies waiting to be eaten.   So I just had to work with what I’ve got, which is broccoli and brussel sprouts. I actually googled “roasted broccoli” because I have never heard of anyone doing this, but apparently they do. I came upon this recipe and thought it sounded good.  Of course I didn’t have any lemon juice/zest, but that’s okay. I also had some frozen brussel sprouts, so I thawed them in the microwave, chopped them, and added them to the mix.

I preheated the oven to 425, put the broccoli + brussel sprouts in a bowl, and coated with 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.  I know it sounds like a lot, but not as much as the recipe called for!  This is definitely more than 2 servings, though. I added some minced garlic (just sprinkled randomly), pepper, basil, oregano, and rosemary.  I put in the oven for about 15 – 20 minutes.  Look at how pretty it turned out!

I prepared a serving a couscous, added a large serving of veggies to my bowl, and sprinkled with parmesan cheese + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil.  SO GOOD.  I cannot believe I waited so long before giving the brussel sprouts a try.  They are wonderful - cute and so chewy!

As far as veggies go, it is all about how you prepare them.  It is amazing what a little spice + oil or butter can do!

Today would be a nice day for a nap. :)

Reading!!!

Reading is my favorite pastime.  I love books, magazines, blogs, pharmacy journals, websites, etc. etc.   Basically anything. Although I do love fiction, lately I have just not been as interested in it.  Like my grandfather, I am a schizophrenic reader – at any one time I will be in the middle of about 3-4 books. The bad thing about this is that it obviously takes longer to complete the books this way.

Here’s what is going on right now:

• So Long, Insecurity (Beth Moore) – While I’m not crazy about the title (it sounds like a self-help book), I love Beth Moore. I love the underlying message in all of her work.  So far, so good on this book.  I am about 3 chapters in and following along with the study on her website.  It is deeper than I expected.
• Radical Womanhood (Carolyn McCulley) – This is a fascinating book!  I ordered it from half.com and just got it yesterday and am already 100 pages in.  I love the way she writes.  The book is about feminism vs. God’s design and purpose for women.  I find feminism’s historical roots interesting and am shocked at how it has completely changed our culture.  I am also shocked at some of the beliefs/ideas from the early feminist leaders -- definitely some sinister aspects.  It is surprising – even with my conservative upbringing – how radical the Biblical ideas of womanhood are to me in light of our culture.
• Food Rules and In Defense of Food (Michael Pollan) – This is the same guy from Food, Inc.  I have heard lots of great reviews of his work and I liked The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

I finally finished the Experiencing God Bible study (which was great!) and am holding off on Beth Moore’s Daniel study for now.  Since it is the Lenten season, I decided to study through this book I found last year at the thrift store – A Call to Die  by David Nasser.  It is a 40-day devotional that (from what I can tell so far) explores what it means to take up our cross and follow Christ.  I am on day #2 and it is very good so far!

Hoping to get a lot of reading done today!