Give us this day our daily produce

So how do fruits and vegetables fit into living life on the edge?

A couple weeks ago Chris and I were getting ready to take our final wedding pictures (3 months late...it was awesome). When we put my wedding dress on, horror ensued: the dress no longer fit. After crying myself to sleep, I decided that was the final straw: I wanted to be healthier.

The next morning, we realized that the wedding dress DID in fact fit, and that we had done something wrong the night before. Phew! But I had still become determined to be a healthier me, and for once, not back down at the sight of a Cheesecake Factory gift card (thanks Hot Metal!)

In addition to exercising in a way that my body hates me, and occasionally tracking food calories on Livestrong.com, Chris and I have decided to make farmer's markets and the produce section of grocery stores our home sweet home. Supportive friends started writing and blogging recipes so that we didn't resort to pasta, cheese and crackers. I am currently undergoing a scavenger hunt around Pittsburgh, compiling an Excel spreadsheet comparing prices from Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Superior Produce, PennMac, Giant Eagle, and Farmer's Markets (I've been suspiciously questioned by employees 2x now...)

So how does this change of diet fit into living life on the edge? Intentionality.

As a long time eater, eating has become second nature to me, like breathing: I can do it without thinking. This is a Hindmarsh trait. My dad can consume 9 rolls in 2 seconds. I can eat a whole pie or cashew tin in one sitting. Food is the only thing my grandfather will roll his wheelchair for. The result: I am a tornado and I will consume anything in my path. I will cook from a recipe in my head that takes 15 minutes to prepare, and I will crave more food in about 1 hour.

But I have seen the silver lining. I take time to consider what I am feeding my body. I think about the food item I buy: the vitamin content, the versatility among recipes, etc. I calculate about how many people it will serve (we love having guests). When I make a dish, I can't wait to tell my friend Lena, swap recipes, and share a meal...which inevitably leads to awesome stories and fellowship. I see the creativity of God in food and spices I'd have never imagined together (avacados and cocoa powder????) blend into a melting pot of flavors that melt my face off.

To be intentional is not limited to who you spend time with, what books you're reading, what movies you're watching, what church you're attending. Intentionality can be sought in every aspect of our lives, down to the food we eat. My social justice friends will rant and rave about the ecological benefits of organic farming, vegan diets, fair trade/slave free chocolate. As Christians, we understand that we are part of a greater whole. Our dinner does not just affect our stomach or the dreams we may have. It's why we say grace, to bless the hands that prepared our food...and grew our food...and harvested our food...and sold our food. Jesus can help you make your shopping list.

Once again, He has shown me He is so good. Beyond His creation of food, of course, but in food none the less. How could I ever be satisfied with mud pies (or Hamburger helper) again?

"A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?"
- Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

Amen.