In search of healthy snacks



 When I asked my lovely, sweet friend, Diana Savage--who looks a decade younger than her birth certificate says--what her favorite healthy snacks were, her response was varied:

~ air-popped popcorn, drizzled with a little extra-virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese

~ a small handful of mixed nuts

~ an un-skinned apple, cored and cut into wedges, then sprinkled with cinnamon

~ one toasted slice of homemade whole-grain bread with peanut butter and raisins or dried cranberries on top

~ a small bowl of plain Greek yogurt with honey (or Splenda, for those fighting Candida), topped with sliced fresh fruit and homemade granola

Then I called on my Facebook friends to ask what they reached for when a munchy moment snuck up on them. Here are a few of their comments: 

• Apple slices spread with peanut butter
• Cruskit biscuits topped with low-fat cottage cheese, smoked salmon (or roast chicken breast) and avocado.
• Garlic hummus and pita bread.
• Sugar snap peas. And organic dark chocolate. But not with the peas. Usually.
• Plain popcorn... altho' I prefer it salted and buttered, which isn't so healthy.

•  Raisins and walnuts. Beyond that my eating habits say I shouldn't have lived past twelve.
•  Frozen banana chunks blended with peanut butter, vanilla. cocoa and a little milk. Really thick  chocolate shake. all healthy!
•  Almonds. And I like mozzarella cheese sticks, too
•  Does dark chocolate count? Okay, fresh raspberries then!

No way Adam and Eve ate forbidden fruit. It was chocolate, cookies, ice cream, and ding dongs, I'm sure of it.

My favorites? 

• Apricots, 
• muenster cheese, 
• popcorn, 
• dark chocolate sweetened with stevia or honeyIn , and 
• almonds 

And what is your favorite healthy snack?

P.S. Because I am in Rye, New York this week at the Guidepost Writers Workshop. I may be late in responding to your comments. I thank you very much for your prayers that I retain all I'm learning and be a blessing to the other participants. 

Searching for Healthy Snacks?

Searching for Healthy Snacks



 When I asked my lovely, sweet friend, Diana Savage--who looks a decade younger than her birth certificate says--what her favorite healthy snacks were, her response was varied:

~ air-popped popcorn, drizzled with a little extra-virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese

~ a small handful of mixed nuts

~ an un-skinned apple, cored and cut into wedges, then sprinkled with cinnamon

~ one toasted slice of homemade whole-grain bread with peanut butter and raisins or dried cranberries on top

~ a small bowl of plain Greek yogurt with honey (or Splenda, for those fighting Candida), topped with sliced fresh fruit and homemade granola

Then I called on my Facebook friends to ask what they reached for when a munchy moment snuck up on them. Here are a few of their comments: 

• Apples and peanut butter
• Cruskit biscuits topped with low-fat cottage cheese, smoked salmon (or roast chicken breast) and avocado.
• Garlic hummus and pita bread.
• Sugar snap peas. And organic dark chocolate. But not with the peas. Usually.
• Plain popcorn... altho' I prefer it salted and buttered, which isn't so healthy.

•  Raisins and walnuts. Beyond that my eating habits say I shouldn't have lived past twelve.
•  Frozen banana chunks blended with peanut butter, vanilla. cocoa and a little milk. Really thick  chocolate shake. all healthy!
•  Almonds. And I like mozzarella cheese sticks, too
•  Does dark chocolate count? Okay, fresh raspberries then!

No way Adam and Eve ate forbidden fruit. It was chocolate, cookies, ice cream, and ding dongs, I'm sure of it.

My favorites? 

• Apricots, 
• muenster cheese, 
• popcorn, 
• dark chocolate, and 
• almonds 

And what is your favorite healthy snack?

Three Ways Blogging Helps You Become a Better Friend

If you've blogged for awhile, you may have

noticed three important factors in a good blog that will help you become a better friend.

1.      1. The more concise your post, the more readers you attract.  Most bloggers visit dozens of blogs. They don't have time to read and comment on long posts.

As you exercise self-control in writing tight, short posts, this discipline slips into your conversations. You find yourself getting to the point in fewer words, leaving room for others to chat, showing them the respect they need.

2.      2. Asking questions at the end of each post engages your reader, and makes them feel important. You can blather on about your vacation to Colorado and bore your reader for 500 words, or give us a 200-word run-down, then ask, “Where have you vacationed that you’d love to return to?”

If you ask questions of friends while talking with them, you make them feel important. They are important. But now they want to hang out with you because you showed an interest in them.

     3. You learn more by listening than talking. When you visit others’ blogs, you pick up trends and tips that help you, whether it’s a new recipe for chicken chests, a better way to parent, or a link to help you market your book.

So it is with conversations. You already know everything you know. So, the more you listen, the more you learn. And grow. And become a more interesting person. 

Did I leave anything out? How has blogging helped you become a better friend?

P.S. The winner of Diana Savage’s devotional 52 Heart Lifters for Difficult Times is Quiet Spirit of Following My King. Congratulations, Quiet—I know you will love this book; it is one of my all-time favorites! 

A Secret for Increasing Understanding in Relationships

   Most everyone—including you, I believe—longs to increase understanding in their relationships. I recently discovered a secret that has helped tremendously: asking questions instead of making statements. 

It works like this:

           I could say to my husband, “You never left clothes on the floor for the first thirty years of our marriage. Now all of a sudden you’ve become a slob.” Or I could ask, “Would it help you if I moved the hamper to your side of the bedroom, so it’s easier for you to toss your clothes in there at night, when you’re tired?”

I’ve gone from critical to helpful.

             I could tell one of my grandchildren, “Don’t act so selfish! Think of others sometimes, not just what benefits you.” Or I could ask, “Do you feel like you’re  sometimes not getting your fair share of things?”

Or, “Have you noticed that the kids who willingly share their things have a lot more friends?”

I’ve gone from off-putting to empathetic.

              I could scold my mom with, “I’ve told you a hundred times that your continual sniffling during church distracts me. I think you’re purposely doing that to exert your will over mine.” Or I could ask, “Are you feeling okay today?” Or simply, “Will you please blow your nose?”

I’ve gone from offensive to considerate.

When we ask questions, it shows another that we care about them, we want to know them better, and we’re striving to increase our understanding of them. We don’t use questions as a magic formula for making people cooperate with us, but as a doorway into their hearts, to show them our love and respect.  

So. . . Are you having a good day today? How is your life in general going? Anything concerning you that I can pray about? I care about you.

P.S. If you haven’t already, please enter the drawing to win an autographed copy of the uplifting and humorous devotional, 52 Heart Lifters for Difficult Times. The deadline is Thursday, July 9 at 11:59 p.m. 

Broken Sheep

Are you broken? If you said 'yes,' good for you. You realize your'e not perfect, and need help. We're all broken in one place or another. That's why we have a Good Shepherd, Jesus, to heal and restore us.

And why He gave us each other. Working, loving, and sharing together, we can help each other heal in all those broken places we may not even be aware of.

I collect sheep. Recently I noticed one of them had a broken leg. I don't even know how it happened, and never found the missing piece. You can see in the photo above that next to the other sheep, it's hardly noticable. He stands as straight as his brother.



But when he's alone, you can spot the broken part right away. He seems smaller and more vulnerable. You want to pick him up and help him along  his journey.

We need each other. Let's come alongside a broken sister or brother today and say, "I love you. I'm here for you. It doesn't matter how you got broken. Jesus and me are gonna help you heal."

P.S. One of my favorite new sites for healing brokenness is Diana Savage's Hope for Wounded Christians. I believe you'll find it nourishing to your broken soul, too.