My heart on Marriage & My Favorite Maca Granola Bar Recipe

Throughout marriage, I have encountered numerous scenarios and situations that shift me from feeling totally steady to experiencing what it feels like to be completely out of control. I have been greatly humbled in this area because marriage invites another human being into all elements of life. It gives another person the authority to call you to your best when you are feeling your worst.

I feel compelled to share about the topic of marriage because it can be so easily observed in a light of idolatry rather than in the light of truth and vulnerability. No matter what season or stage of life you are in, I feel as though it is so valuable to be content with the portion God has given you. I have wished different seasons of my life away because I thought I desired something different, something seemingly “better” than I had in the present. As humans, this is so easy to fall prey to and in some ways, it is natural because of the fast-paced world we live in where everything is at our fingertips. I have learned much through being married for just a little over one year and I desire to be honest and share my heart about finding contentment in what the Lord has done and the beauty of being surrendered to what He has for us in the present.

Ben and I have had many moments of experiencing challenge, disagreement, and realness. Through these moments we have encountered the beauty in surrender and coming to the end of ourselves so that the Holy Spirit has room to move within our hearts. This refinement process has been one that has shown me the power of grace and forgiveness because without this I become stuck in the cycle of blame and offense. One of the greatest traps that we can fall into is offense because it shifts our focus to ourselves and ensnares us in our own thoughts, feelings, and minds. It is in this trap that we become blinded from choosing the unconditional and genuine love for others; the kind of love that is displayed when you lay down your own desires and expectations for the good of the other. I have experienced this first hand in my relationship with Ben because I’ve chosen at times to be offended rather than seek to love and know his heart. Because of this, I was left with a wall of offense standing between us. I believe that choosing to surrender the offense and pride and instead walk in the power of freedom in all relationships brings a real and genuine love that gives us the ability to experience the Holy Spirit in a fresh and new way.

“For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.” Psalm 138:6

Although this is so new for me I recently was able to put this revelation to practice. As meaningless as this scenario sounds, the other day I was offended when Ben didn’t fill up my water bottle when he took the last sip. Bitterness can quickly take root and fester if these small things aren’t brought to light. When I communicated to him from a place of bitterness, Ben and I were able to see how the heart of the issue went far deeper than the actual filling up of a water bottle. We discovered that because we started to blame the other person, we quickly became offended and irritated by the conversation that was unraveling in front of us. I have experienced many scenarios similar to these; some have been with friends and others have been with my family. Yet at the end of the day I have a choice - the choice to hold onto the offense or to seek reconciliation and walk in freedom. We get to choose which path we will take. There are so many moments in life where this is the question at hand. I am truly learning the value in fighting for freedom and not letting the enemy build a wall of offense in front of those that I care about.

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:29-32

Magical Maca Bars

I always love making new bars because they are the perfect thing to grab on the go. I originally made a granola bar similar to this from the OH SHE GLOWS blog and I loved it so I decided to create my own version using maca and several other ingredients. Maca is an amazing superfood powerhouse that offers so many health benefits such as enhancing energy and helping stabilize your mood. This little superfood can be a great addition to smoothies.

Ingredients:

-2 Tablespoons Maca Powder

-1 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats

-1 1/2 Cup Crispy Rice Cereal or Oh’s cereal (I usually go for the One Degree brand because they are organic and sprouted which is rare to find in cereal)

-1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips

-1/4 Cup Shredded Coconut (Unsweetened)

-1 Tablespoon Chia Seed

-1 Tablespoon Flax Seed

-1/2 Cup Brown Rice Syrup

-1/2 Cup Peanut Butter or Almond Butter

-2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

-1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions:

-Preheat Oven to 325

-In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients: maca, oats, rice cereal, chocolate chips, coconut, chia, and flax seed

-In a small stove top pot mix together all wet ingredients: brown rice syrup, peanut or almond butter, coconut oil, and vanilla. Make sure the burner is on low and slowly whisk the ingredients together until the mixture is thoroughly combined

-Add wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix together until all dry ingredients are fully coated with the wet mixture

-Place the mixture into a rectangular oven safe dish and press the mixture until it is smooth and evenly spread.

-Place the dish in the oven and cook for 7 minutes

-Place the dish into the freezer for at least 20 minutes so that the mixture has time to harden. This part is key because if the mixture does not sit long enough the bars will crumble when you cut them. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the mixture into evenly sized bars and enjoy!

*I usually store my bars in an airtight container in the freezer because I like the firm and crunchy consistency but they also store well in the fridge if preferred.