Ethical Fashion: Amani Ya Juu "Peace from Above"

Meet Amani Ya Juu: a faith-based sewing, business, and reconciliation project for marginalized women in 5 African countries. These lovely ladies produce fair trade bags, accessories, home goods, and more. Established in Nairobi, Kenya, the main purpose of Amani Ya Juu is to establish a presence of peace in both the lives of the women who sew these pieces together, but also in the communities and countries they inhabit. 

They graciously sent me this necklace to review and share with you a little bit about Amani Ya Juu. I don't wear jewelry often but when an emblem of peace, love, and hope for women is wrapped around your neck, how can I not? The necklace is beautiful, excellent quality, colorful, versatile and unique. I encourage you to ditch the sweatshop-produced jewelry section of Forever 21 and seek ethically-produced options like those found at Amani Ya Juu. 

Follow Amani Ya Juu on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest or sign-up for their e-newsletter here.

Adventures in Thrifting: Too good not to share.

I know I've been taking an extended vacation from blogging. Towards the end of the school year, my exhaustion built up to dangerous levels, requiring me to make an abrupt and unannounced STOP to blogging. It was taking up too much of my time and I had no inspiration to write when all I really needed to be doing was memorizing the etiology and clinical manifestations of Addison's Disease. 

Anyway, today I went to Goodwill and found some goodies that were too good not to share. I decided to start blogging again at my own leisure, whenever I feel like writing or sharing. There is no scheduled posts, no followers to gain, just Rubi sharing stories, pictures, and pretty yellow dresses she finds at the thrift store. 

Finding sweet deals excites me like you have NO IDEA.

Candies sunshine yellow dress for a $8.99!

Floral skinnies for a whopping $2.99! 

Versatile Gap pink cardigan for $6.99! 

 Flowy Mudd floral top for $4.99! 

And for the grand finale: Designer dress with tags still on worth $204 at super clearance for $14.95! 

Was this a successful thrifting day or what?! I feel all prepped for summer! All I need is a Minnesota day where Mr. Sun decides to burst from behind the grey clouds and lavish me with Vitamin D. Then, I will style my new yellow sunshine dress, aviators on, and sandals on my feet with bright pink toe nails. Weatherman, can you make this happen for me, PUH-LEASE?!

Healthy Homemade Chipotle Bowl

I've got a really easy recipe for you today! I call it my homemade Chipotle bowl because I drew my inspiration from the classically delicious Chipotle bowls. I had some leftover black beans from the night before and really didn't want to make white rice again so I created this bowl.

Ingredients:

Cooked brown Couscous

Cooked black beans

Stir-fried onions and mushrooms

Diced fresh tomatos

Alfalfa sprouts

Chopped green onions

Chopped cilantro

Easy as cake? Nahhh! This is EASIER than cake you guys! And so so tasty and healthy! Give it a try the next time you have some extra beans in your fridge. I've realized that eating plant-based has really forced me to think creatively. If I didn't get creative, a lot of my food would go to waste or rot because I wouldn't know how to use it. But thanks to the fact that I don't want my food to go to waste, I've been able to come up with yummy and easy recipes that are plant-based. It's been fun and it can only get funner from here! I'm definitely improving and that makes me so so happy!!!  

Quinoa, Kale, and Apple Recipe

My husband ate dinner out yesterday with some buddies so I took advantage of the opportunity to cook something weird that he probably would not try! Ha! Well, it was AWESOME and so so healthy!  

There were only 6 ingredients: quinoa, kale, apple, salt, cashew, walnut, and ground flax seed.  

I used this recipe from the awesome Jason Wrobel to cook the meal and instead of adding hemp seeds, I grinded a few cashews walnuts with flax seed meal and garnished the dish with it as a sort of "parmesan cheese." This recipe is also abundant in PROTEIN. Both kale and quinoa have tons of protein so no need to worry about that. It was fabulous friends! Try it! I was a little apprehensive of how the kale and apple would taste together but wowzers! It works! Looooved it!  

P.S. Yesterday I made a vlog about my food philosophy and other food-related things to link-up with The Girl Behind the Blog. If you missed that, click here.  

The Girl Behind the Blog: Inner Foodie

I'm so excited to be joining Ashley from 5OhWifey and Chelsea from Taste and See in this fun vlogging link-up, The Girl Behind the Blog. The topic was FOOD so you know I had to join the conversation! One of my favorite things to talk about EVER is FOOD. Enjoy!

P.S. Pardon the pimple, it's been a stressful week! Eeeek! But we're half way there!

The Simple Veganista  |  Black Bean Burger Recipe  |  Forks Over Knives  

The Style Diaries: Belly-aching Laughs!

Oh boy, yesterday was definitely up on the list of weirdest days ever and funnest day ever! The day started off incredibly awkward when I chose to wear a gorgeous navy blue lace skirt with this top. It was lovely. Until I arrived at my church parking lot, that is. Guess what happened the instant I stepped out of the car? My skirt literally split in two. Right where the little slit is on the back, it just split all the way till it reached the zipper. What in the world?! Needless to say, I could not enter the church that way and had to drive ALL the way back home to change into this pretty dress and go back. Ridiculous I tell ya! I feel like this kind of stuff only happens to me. 

On a really bright note, the rest of the day went by wonderfully! I got to play with my favorite baby. We snuggled, I kissed him A LOT, he laughed and tried to blow me kisses TWICE. Ah! He is too precious.

Then we went on to play telephone pictionary. This was my first time ever playing this game and OH MA GAWD, THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE GAME! If you are in need of laughing therapy or an ab workout, DO THIS. Most hilarious game EVER. I feel so blessed for such an amazing group of friends to laugh with, talk with, and experience God with. 

dress: tjmaxx, blouse: vintage thrifted, belt: liz claiborne thrifted, heels: tjmaxx

Ashley loves me so much.

Now, how am I suppose to draw "scary cat farts"? By drawing a dude ambushing another guy, scaring him, and causing the scared guy to fart, of course. 

Love this girl and this handsome guy. 

Linking up with: WWIW, Plane Pretty, Monday Bloom, Visible Monday, YOLO Mondays, Style Elixir

Plant-Based Sources of Protein

Hello friends! This week has gone by way too fast! It's already Thursday and my Spring Break is nearly over! Too sad. Now I'm just looking forward to summer! In other news, we're going to talk about non-animal sources of protein today. Last week I wrote about how we were uniquely designed as biological herbivores. If you haven't read that post you can read it here. I got a few comments about alternative sources of protein--"What about if I'm allergic to soy?" "What if I can't eat beans?" Have no fear, protein is everywhere! 

I found this fun chart at Mercy for Animals that contains different sources of protein and how many grams are in each. Nuts, leafy, greens, beans, grains (quinoa & couscous), and even some vegetables contain protein. If you eat a well-balanced and varied plant-based diet, it if nearly impossible to be protein deficient! Leafy greens like kale and spinach are packed with protein. Bet you never thought you'd associate spinach with protein! ;) The best thing about eating plant-based protein is that you're not only supplying your body with necessary protein but you're also nourishing it with essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs to thrive. On the contrary, when you use animal products as your main protein source, you ARE getting protein, but you're also ingesting unnecessary fats, carcinogens, and cholesterol that is directly related to the development of heart disease. As I was watching the documentary Hungry for Change, David Vitalis said "People are overfed, but they are also starving to death." That struck me. In general, American culture trains us to eat eat and eat until we're full all while promoting the WRONG foods to eat. We continue eating because, although our stomachs might feel food, our cells are dying. They are not receiving the life-giving, nutrient-supplying vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that make our cells happy and healthy. And as a result, we reap diseases like coronary heart disease, hypertension, cancer and so much more. 

Dr. Alona Pulde & Dr. Matthew Lederman who speak in the documentary Forks Over Knives said this, "We've never treated a single patient with protein deficiency; yet the majority of patients we see are suffering from heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses directly resulting from trying to get enough protein." 

Have I answered the age-old question of, "You're a vegetarian?! Where do you get your protein?!" ;) 

Tell me your thoughts! Do you think you would ever consider a plant-based diet? Have you discovered that you naturally eat plant-based sources of protein that you didn't know about? 

I'm getting a hair cut on Friday!

So, I'm getting a hair cut on Friday morning to celebrate what looks to be the onset of warmer temperatures and melting snow. If the weatherman doesn't disappoint, it should be 38 F this Saturday and 39 F on Sunday. That calls for a celebration, folks! I found these 5 hair styles that I really like but I can't make up my mind. I need something that is functional and easy to maintain because I do not have a lot of time on my hands. 

Help me, friends! Vote for your favorite!

30 Random Facts About Me

30 Random Facts About Me

1. I hail from sunny Florida and I miss it. A lot. 
2. I wear baby cologne on the daily.
3. I'm obsessed with babies. 
4. I'm a soon-to-be senior in nursing school. Ah!
5. I married my best friend when I was 19. Some people think that's crazy.
6. On that note, we fell in love when I was 14 and he was 15.
7. I've never broken any bone. 
8. I wore braces for 2 years and 9 months. Eeeek.
9. I want to adopt a baby someday. 
10. I absolutely hate chocolate. The taste literally induces nausea for me.
11. I've never had meat (including fish) EVER.
12. When I was in 1st grade, my teacher's only complaint about me to my momma was that I often appeared to be in another world. Borderline ADD much? I don't know but I'm easily distracted!
13. I love to hang from the monkey bars upside down.
14. Playing dress-up is one of my favorite things. I love to dress up for any and every occasion. Costume party anyone?
15. I once rode a small boat around my neighborhood after a hurricane dumped a couple feet of water on our streets.
16. I'm the Mad Hatter's long-lost sister, cousin, or something! I LOVE HATS!
17. I could live off a diet of only mango. Drooling as we speak. Just kidding, that's pretty gross. 
18. Not a fan of coffee, but pass me a cup of tea. 
19. Between the hours of 12-1 AM, I sink-in to delirium and either get really hyperactive or enter non-stop giggle phase. 
20. I love Jesus. 
21. As a child, I had a pet fish (Toti), bunny (Tommy), rooster (Chiki), and two cats (Blacky and Chichi). Not all at the same time though! ;)
22. About that rooster, he was HILARIOUS! I can write an entire post about Him but for now let's just say he had a vendetta against big dogs and made sure they got a piece of him.
23. I can't sleep without socks on. 
24. My all-time favorite movie is probably The Little Mermaid. "Look at this stuff isn't it neat, wouldn't you think my collection's complete...Go on and Kiss ze girl! Shalalalalala my oh my...."
25. Speaking of movies, I REALLY love High School Musical. Don't judge me. 
26. Sometimes I can't believe I'm past my teens. My inner child is alive and well.
27. I have little hands and feet.
28. When I was a kid, I used to cry when people said I was "getting so tall." My life goal was to be small and I've achieved that. :)
29. I twitch. A lot. I think I have a mild case of myoclonic seizures. I discovered this in class one day as we spoke about this condition. I twitch my self to sleep. Weird, I know, but I can't help it! :( 
30. This is strange, but I type everything. Not physically type everything but I have this sort of compulsory typing thing where I type what people are saying or what I'm thinking. Go figure.   

The Style Diaries: Hues of Blue

Good morning friends! 

It is still winter in this side of the country and we are expected to get 12 inches of snow starting tonight. I'm trying to not even think about that right now lest I sink into an immediate seasonal depression. Last night must've been around 10 degrees F, SO COLD! My body is just aching for Spring. 

On another note, I had such a wonderful Sabbath! Started out teaching the youth about witnessing and how we can be more effective witnesses of Christ and for Christ. Then, I was challenged and flabbergasted by our Pastor's sermon on the spirituality of the Law. BLEW MY MIND. But that happens most days anyway. I learned that God's Law (Exodus 20) is but a minimal requirement, a basic guideline, but no where NEAR what God's ideals are for us! As we grow and mature in Christ, we begin to understand the complexity of it like what Jesus meant when speaking of divorce in Matthew 5 or His words in the Sermon on the Mount. More so, as Christians, we must respect where other people are at in their spiritual walk. If we are helping someone come to Jesus, we cannot give them a prescription of Christian living applicable to all. Instead, we need to affirm their steps in the right direction, encouraging them in love to continue their quest to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Can we just embrace the fact that God's law is a joy, a will, a plan from God for our happiness? It is not a boring Law School book, it is a manual for abundant life and goes far beyond than the basic requirement of "do not kill." Cue in other 9. 

After that, we ate a delicious potluck with our church family, watched Louie Giglio describe the immensity of the Universe, felt really really small and so so loved by God, confirmed God's constancy through prophecy, cuddled with an adorable baby, and then went out with friends for some late-night belly filling. I had the hottest black bean burger, EVER. But it was delicious. 

I feel like I haven't updated you all in such a long time. It's been exhausting, folks! School has been ridiculous, but I have good news for ME,

I AM ON SPRING BREAK! YES!

Happy Sunday, y'all! :)

dress: forever 21 gift, blouse: goodwill, leggings: target, boots: kenneth cole via marshalls

Linking up with: WWIW, Plane Pretty, Monday Bloom, YOLO Mondays, Thrifters Anonymous, The GFC Collective, Style Sessions, Monday Mingle

Bye Bye Google Reader...Hello Bloglovin'

So, it's true. Time to say goodbye to Google Reader and Google Friend Connect. In just a couple of months they'll be gone!

If you want to continue to receive updates from Lily Among Thorns, there are a few ways you can stay posted!

I so appreciate your readership and heart-warming comments so I'd love it if you stuck around through other social media sites like...

Facebook

Twitter

Bloglovin'

Thank you darlings! 

While we're at it...why not meet a ton of new blog peeps via Bloglovin' and follow each other! Join the Bloglovin' blog hop y'all! 

Herbivores by Design

Hello friends from the blogosphere! I am so psyched to be back here for another round of Abundant Life. I would LOVE to get some of your feedback in the comments section about what you think of this new segment on the blog. Food and health is something I am very passionate about. I know I can go on and on and on about food, but I'd so appreciate hearing from YOU. What would you like to talk about? Do you have any questions we can explore together or experiences you'd like to share? Share your thoughts... :)

On to today's topic: Herbivores. Oh yeah.  

So the question of the day is: Are humans herbivores or carnivores?

Before we start discussing the differences between those three terms let's take a trip back to high school biology. In its most basic form, here are the definitions of those terms: 

Herbivore: animal that feeds on plants. 

Carnivore: animal that feeds on flesh.

The words "herbivore" and "carnivore" refer to the animal's biological need to consume such a diet in order to survive. With that said, carnivores, for example, cannot live on a diet based on plants alone. Their organism needs flesh to function. SO what are humans?! I've heard many a people call themselves "carnivores" because they love meat, or "omnivores" because they consume plants and meat, but what do our bodies say we are? Here are some physiological differences between carnivores and herbivores:

source

• Intestinal tract length. Carnivorous animals have intestinal tracts that are 3-6x their body length, while herbivores have intestinal tracts 10-12x their body length. Human beings have the same intestinal tract ratio as herbivores.
• Stomach acidity. Carnivores’ stomachs are 20x more acidic than the stomachs of herbivores. Human stomach acidity matches that of herbivores.
• Saliva. The saliva of carnivores is acidic. The saliva of herbivores is alkaline, which helps pre-digest plant foods. Human saliva is alkaline.
• Shape of intestines. Carnivore bowels are smooth, shaped like a pipe, so meat passes through quickly — they don’t have bumps or pockets. Herbivore bowels are bumpy and pouch-like with lots of pockets, like a windy mountain road, so plant foods pass through slowly for optimal nutrient absorption. Human bowels have the same characteristics as those of herbivores.
• Fiber. Carnivores don’t require fiber to help move food through their short and smooth digestive tracts. Herbivores require dietary fiber to move food through their long and bumpy digestive tracts, to prevent the bowels from becoming clogged with rotting food. Humans have the same requirement as herbivores.
• Cholesterol. Cholesterol is not a problem for a carnivore’s digestive system. A carnivore such as a cat can handle a high-cholesterol diet without negative health consequences. A human cannot. Humans have zero dietary need for cholesterol because our bodies manufacture all we need. Cholesterol is only found in animal foods, never in plant foods. A plant-based diet is by definition cholesterol-free.
• Claws and teeth. Carnivores have claws, sharp front teeth capable of subduing prey, and no flat molars for chewing. Herbivores have no claws or sharp front teeth capable of subduing prey, but they have flat molars for chewing. Humans have the same characteristics as herbivores.

[source]

Pretty neat eh? I was reading a research commentary by Dr. William Roberts of Baylor University recently that talked about the cause of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the build-up of cholesterol in the walls of the arteries causing them to harden and decrease in diameter. This leads to coronary heart disease which is the #1 killer in the United States. Dr. Roberts went on to explain how atherosclerosis can only develop in herbivores because they are intaking animal products which by nature, contain cholesterol. Cholesterol is not necessary in a herbivore diet and is directly related to the development of atherosclerosis. 

So to answer the original question, are humans herbivores or carnivores?

By design, humans are herbivores. Our bodies were uniquely designed to ingest plant foods and when we deviate from that, we reep disease. How does this change the way you view your diet?

I understand this is a tough pill to swallow. All sorts of questions might be popping up in your mind like the infamous, "Where do you get your protein?!" See Mr. Elephant over here? He doesn't eat meat, yet He is the biggest, strongest herbivore I know! ;) We'll be talking about this very thing next week so come back! You might just discover a ton of new sources of protein you never thought existed. 

What are you going to do this upcoming week to be plant-strong? What's your favorite fruit or veggie? Start by eating more of your favorite plant foods!

 

My Very First Nutriblast, Oh yes!

 

So yesterday I stopped by Bed, Bath, and Beyond and grabbed the incredible Nutribullet courtesy of my amazing mother-in-law. Ah! I am in love! I made my very first Nutriblast this morning with spinach, grapes, blueberries, orange, flax seed, and cashews. It was divine. My body felt so so good afterwards and full of energy. I cannot wait to experiment with all sorts of veggie/fruit/nut variations and make amazing nutrient-dense smoothies! The best thing about smoothies is that you don't waste the fiber in the foods. Fiber is essential for healthy guts! Yeah, I said guts. Your GI needs to be smooth and functioning. I can't tell you much more about the machine since this is the only time I used it, but I can tell you that since 7:45 AM, I have had to go pee pee twice. (TMI, sorry!) Something is working!!!

Do you have a Nutribullet?

What are some of your favorite recipes?

 

*This is not a sponsored post but smoothies excite me!

Couscous Recipe & A Health Tip

I hope you all enjoyed last week's Abundant Life Blog Hop! If you haven't seen my first post click here to read it. Today I have a simple recipe and a quick health tip for you! My mom shared this yummy recipe with me last week after she discovered this simple grain called couscous. Ever heard of it?  Yes, no, maybe so? It's in the pasta family, but it's tiny and delicious. It contains a good amount of protein and the trace mineral selenium which the body uses to gear up the immune system and produce antioxidants that fight to keep your body healthy and free of toxic substances. Couscous is such a versatile grain and it's SO easy to make! It's a great alternative to white rice which is full of empty carbs that provide little nutrition and an unsatisfied tummy. With couscous, as is the case with quinoa, you can eat to your heart's content and not worry about the weight gain. 

What have you done this past week to stay healthy? Any tips you can share with the rest of us? How are the foods you eat helping you live an abundant life? Make sure to link-up your posts and share your thoughts in the comments below!

Making this couscous dish is so easy, you'll be all done in less than 15 minutes! Seriously...

-Cook couscous by using equal parts of couscous and water. One cup makes enough for two people with extras! Three cups makes enough for a good 20 people! It's THAT awesome, yup! Let water boil then turn off heat and pour in the dry couscous. Stir constantly with a fork for about 3 minutes until the couscous fully expands, soaks in all the water, and has a grainy texture. Serve the couscous on a bowl and let it rest while you cook the rest of the ingredients.
-Use your food processor to lightly chop onions, peppers, and garlic (and anything else you want, really!). 
-Warm pan (oil-free if you want a fat-free recipe!) and throw in chopped veggies when hot. Season with salt and your favorite spices. Cover and let soften for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
-When veggies are ready, throw them in your bowl and mix with the couscous. Throw in the craisins and your'e ready to dig in and savor this simple dish!

I used pineapple chopped into little pieces then shaken or smashed in the closed container to bring out the delicious juices, green grapes, and honeydew melons. It was a tad bit sour, but I love sour fruits so I LOVED my salad. I found myself eating bowls of it daily. So great! 

Come to the Well

"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." Psalm 63:1

This morning, the Lord refreshed my soul and whispered to my ear that He is the only one that can satisfy my thirst for more. My soul ached with fear and worry over the future, my body tired from long nights of studying and activities of daily living, but GOD, you are my GOD. This is a dry and weary land we live in. It is a land that satisfies appetites, fills up homes with unnecessary luxuries, urges you to work, work, work and then begs you to buy more, more, more, but never offers you a fix for an empty, unsatisfied heart. "What does a man get for all the foil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless." Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 Our efforts, our labors, our long work hours and sleepless nights of homework, those days at the mall or movie nights with friends, everything is meaningless. That is, unless we infuse life with an overdose of Jesus. Like the epinephrine pumped into the veins of a patient in cardiac arrest to infuse them with life, JESUS is the only truth that can infuse purpose and satisfaction into our meaningless existence. Without the ONE, we are simply wanderers in a dry and weary land where there is no water. But there is ONE, the Living Water who can satisfy our souls so that we never thirst again, "but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him wil become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14 

A well. Jesus is a well with no bottom. Permanent, constant, ever-full. That place where our thirst is quenched and our souls refreshed. Jesus. All.  

O fill it up, fill my cup and let it overflow. Let it overflow with love.