Sunday Girl: January 29, 2017

By: Gabriela Yareliz

On Sundays, I wake up like Kate, from the movie No Reservations. You know, the chef. She wakes up early to pick out the fish and truffles for her fancy West Village restaurant. I wake up early and pick up the missing ingredients for the dishes I want to make for the week.

COOKING
I wake up early, without an alarm, and I bundle up and march over to the market to get the goods. Trying  new recipes has been so much fun and so therapeutic. I am on a mission to gain some 5-7 lbs., and so it has been great to feed myself and know exactly what is going into my body. I have been experimenting with new recipes for the past 6 months. I stopped buying many soy-based “meats,” and opted for real plant-based foods. Plants. Lots of plants.

I am starting to understand a lot of the philosophy great gourmands share.

These are some of the cookbooks that have inspired me the most in my journey to make plant-based meals (real food):

Usually, what I will do is put on, in the background, an old Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie (you know, where they kiss foreign guys, and the viewer is expected to believe a wonderful international romance will blossom and thrive) or a French reality TV show (hosted by Cristina Cordula) that conjures more tears than cutting onions (the show is so touching, you see people heal as they get makeovers after traumatic life events). Sometimes, I FaceTime with my childhood friend, Liz, and we cook together, while chatting.

I cook for the week, and it makes the week easier, cheaper and healthier. I end up exhausted afterward, I am not going to lie. But it’s satisfying, and I wouldn’t trade it–

Here is to becoming a little master chef in 2017. #inspired

LOVE

Valentine’s Day is coming soon. It got me meditating on how beautiful life is when we take the time to reflect on all of the love we receive from the amazing people around us.

“Being in love is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God.” C.S. Lewis

SPRING HOPES

[Image from Le 21eme]

I know we are still in the dead of winter. Leggings are ubiquitous, and yesterday, I saw thick snowflakes falling. Still, I can’t help but be excited about spring. February is almost upon us, and let’s hope the groundhog brings us some good news.

I want lighter jackets, sunshine, flowers, green and no tights. Spring– I miss you. Come soon.

WEDDING VIBES

[Image from LovethisPic.com]

One of my best friends is getting married this summer. It is going to be grand. I am so happy for her and this new chapter she will be starting. Liz got married last summer, and it was really beautiful to be a part of that. Love is a beautiful thing that should be celebrated, and I am excited I will be celebrating this new union, as well. This will mean a new addition to the family, and we are all delighted. Lots of changes up ahead.

Some thoughts on marriage from the fantastic mind of Gary Thomas:

“A good marriage isn’t something you find; it’s something you make.”

“If you want to be free to serve Jesus, there’s no question– stay single. Marriage takes a lot of time. But if you want to become more like Jesus, I can’t imagine any better thing to do than to get married. Being married forces you to face some character issues you’d never have to face otherwise.”

“Christian love must be chased after, aspired to and practiced.”

HAPPY WEEK

All right, my friends. I am wishing you an inspired start to the week. This Sunday Girl is off to rest.