Author: Rachel Boulos

Timing is Everything

| Rachel Boulos

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Sometimes I find it difficult to be patient and wait for God’s timing when I want it now. Your it could be a number of things, but what seems to be universally difficult is continuing to wait while others around me seem to be getting the it that I want. It’s easy to wonder if perhaps God forgot about me when he was passing out hearts’ desires. Enter temptation. It would be easy to bypass God and take matters into my own hands. Easy, but not advisable.

This seems to happen often. A clear picture of this can be seen in the story of Saul. Israel wanted a king. In fact, they felt they needed one. Not only did all the other nations have one, but they were being surrounded by the mighty Philistines and needed a leader to protect them. They were tired of waiting on God to do something, so they took the matter into their own hands. God must have forgotten us, they reasoned, so we should look out for ourselves. Their rejection of God’s timing and their impatience led them to “do what was right in their own eyes”. And scary yet, they probably felt it was the logical, right decision too.

But worst of all was their rejection of God as their King. “The Lord said ‘It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king’” (1 Sam 8:7). God had shown Himself reliable over and over again. He delivered them, yet they forgot Him. He provided, yet they doubted. He led, but they wouldn’t follow. Instead of trusting and waiting on their God who had proven Himself to them time and time again, they rejected Him as leader, provider, protector, and decision-maker.

How often do we do this? How often do we get tired of waiting for God to act, to come through, to provide what we need? How often do we forget all the ways He has already proven that He can be trusted and that He is able?

When we want something we don’t have that we feel we need, we get impatient. We get downright demanding.

Looking over my life, I find there are a few things at play in those critical moments. Continue reading →

Berry Avocado Salad

| Rachel Boulos

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When looking for a refreshing and light meal, this salad is always a crowd pleaser. It’s healthy, brightly colored, and as my husband says, “tastes like candy”.

This salad is easily adaptable and the add-on possibilities are endless. And it’s easy to make as much or as little as you want by controlling the portion of produce (for fodmap, go light on the avocado and dried cranberries). But the best part is the simple, 3-ingredient dressing that literally takes no time to make but tastes so good! Continue reading →

The Butterfly Effect: pain with a purpose

| Rachel Boulos

butterflyFighting for my health day in and day out gets old after awhile. I’m tired of always having to be on my game. Wear a mask in the doctor’s office, avoid friends and family who are sick, carefully watch food preparation, keep the house disinfected, be vigilant about washing and using hand sanitizer until your hands feel raw. This way of living can create a sense of exhaustion, frustration, and loneliness. I hate that my energy gets depleted so quickly and that my ability to fight infection is low enough that it changes the way I live. Though we don’t voice it often, we wonder how long this will last and if it will ever get better. With all the current risks, it’s hard to silence the nagging fear in the back of our minds that we might not get to grow old together. After awhile, living with disease begins to take its toll.

But I am learning a new perspective on what is good. For over a year I have prayed, begged, and pleaded with God to restore me to full health. My husband has also prayed every single day that God would heal me of my autoimmune disease. But I am still sick. Continue reading →

Baking Powder Substitute: a corn-free recipe

| Rachel Boulos

flour-powder-wheat-jarEverything seems to have corn in it these days. Even baking powder. This may be old news, but thankfully there’s an alternative that makes baked goods still possible.

A word of advice: make sure you use cream of tartar and not another alternative for this recipe. I like to make this in large batches because it saves time later. I saved an old glass spice jar and it worked perfectly for storing my corn-free baking powder!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 c arrowroot powder
  • 1/4 c baking soda
  • 1/2 c cream of tartar

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Store in an airtight container in your pantry. 1 tsp substitute is equivalent to 1 tsp baking powder. Use in place of baking powder for recipes like Gluten-free Pancakes.

Gluten-free Pancakes

| Rachel Boulos

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Saturday mornings make me happy. Visions of big morning breakfasts and the aroma of coffee percolating in the kitchen warms my heart. Hubs and I would grab large mugs filled with coffee and move to the front porch where we would rock the time away discussing the news, life, and relationships.

Hey, a girl can dream.

So maybe our Saturdays aren’t always quite like that, but at least pancakes have their rightful place in the regular Saturday program. And gluten-free makes a happy me.

But let’s be honest, not all gluten-free pancake recipes are created equal. Continue reading →

How to pick perfect produce

| Rachel Boulos

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Many find choosing produce to be a tricky endeavor. Just last week I was shopping for groceries and overheard a girl remark, “That is such a great deal on pineapple! I would buy one but I just don’t know how to pick it out!”

Say it ain’t so. I refuse to imagine a world where crisper drawers are left empty and sad.

Produce can be your friend. The day I learned how to pick out produce is still forever etched in my memory. I was standing in the produce aisle, bored out of my mind. Mom had decided Continue reading →

3 Tips for the Sneezing Season

| Rachel Boulos

Spring is finally here, bringing with it flowers, green grass, sunshine…and hay fever.

Allergies have been a familiar friend foe of mine since birth. My childhood was littered with countless respiratory infections and antibiotics. The repeated offender? I had both severe indoor and outdoor allergies. I mean, just my dust allergy alone tested at a whopping 9,000%. For real. It’s a thing.

Darn you, allergies.

After battling colds all winter long, the last thing you want is more sniffles and runny noses. Continue reading →