7am, downtown Salem
I can’t believe how much I’m looking forward to this. I hated putting my shorts and running shoes on this morning but after a couple cups of Starbuck’s Pike’s Place I’m feeling pretty chipper
I think I’ll run over the bridge into West Salem where there is more space.
Argh! How do THEY get up the nerve to build this cool bridge then shut it down just when I need it. Oh well, I guess I’ll do mile laps in Riverfront Park. How disappointing.
Maybe not so disappointing. I love this park when there aren’t so many people here – the wild parts along the river butting right up against downtown. The flowers and the water are beautiful. God is so amazing!
God obviously cared about his creation to make it so complex and beautiful, and countless times in the Bible, He says that we (humans) are so much more important. Still, He strikes down hundreds and thousands of people at a time in the Old Testament. In the past I’ve tried to skip over the death, destruction, and wrath parts of the Bible. But if I skip over these parts, then I’m skipping aspects of God.
I believe that God is more concerned with our spiritual life and condition of the heart, than physical struggle. If hunger is what it takes for me to draw close to Him, then hunger it will be. If pain, suffering, or losing a loved one is what it takes, then so be it. We are not supposed to be living for this world, but for eternity, which is spirit.
But how? I believe so strongly in healthy living – exercise, nutrition, etc. I appreciate so much the physical world that God created. And even now while I run, I thank God for my ability to breathe deep and put one foot in front of the other.
Still, this world is not suppose to be my focus, but a bonus. Just like food’s number one job is to nourish and taste is just a bonus. Sometime the physical world offers suffering and pain just like food sometimes tastes horrible.
Lord, teach me to live in this body and appreciate Your creation without letting it distract me. Even my life is a tool for You to use in Your plan to draw all people to You.
Time to go home and make breakfast for the fam. I’m thinking eggs on toast.
*Wow, this no iPod thing is deep!
LEMON PENNE
This simple, sunny pasta is a no-recipe, recipe and perfect for easy entertaining, summer evenings on the patio, and nights when you just really don’t want to cook! Lemon Penne is also a great pre or post race/performance meal complete with complex carbohydrates for energy, protein and vitamin C for muscles, and less heavy fat than meaty marinara or cream sauce.
No-Recipe Recipe definition: You get to wing it! Taste as you go and use quantities that seem to match the group you’re feeding. You can do it!
1. Cook whole-wheat penne in salted boiling water just until al dente (not completely soft).
2. Drain, reserving about a cup of cooking water. Immediately replace noodle in the pot with a generous drizzle of olive oil, pats of butter (you don’t have to use butter but it really enhances the flavors in this simple recipe), a bit of reserved cooking water just until a little sauce develops.
3. Zest a bit of lemon over noodles and toss in diced green onions. Season with salt and generous amounts of pepper.
4. Turn heat to medium/low. Pour a beaten egg (usually one for every one or two people you’re serving) over hot noodles. Mix into noodles as it cooks.
5. Toss in some finely chopped parsley if you have it and a squeeze of lemon just before serving. If you’re not opposed to cheese, a sprinkle of Parm is always welcome!
Tips: Less is more! Always put in less salt and lemon than you think you need. These are strong flavors and can ruin a dish if you put too much in. Taste as you go – you can always add more salt and/or lemon if you need it.
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