Last week, I posted a photo of my new favorite tropical drink: Mango + Banana + Guava Smoothie. I enjoyed that drink so much because it had a unique, tangy flavor and it was full of vitamin C!
Mango Banana Guava Smoothie
When I shared that photo online, one of my highschool batchmates, Frances Caluya, commented and shared an interesting tip. She said: “Try blending in leafy greens for an added nutrient boost! If you add malunggay/kangkong, the taste hardly changes.” It was a brilliant idea! I’ve been hearing a lot about the health benefits of malunggay leaves, but, I never paid attention to it. And so, during my next visit to the grocery store, I bought a pack of Malunggay leaves and stored it in our refrigerator.
A few days later, I got into a fight with a cat (Long story. haha. But, you can read more about it here: https://encouragingtreats.com/cat-attack-steady-heart/ ) and I ended up having a lot of deep cat scratches. :| It was so painful that I had to stay at home that day. After treating the wounds, I wanted to make a refreshing drink to cool myself down. So, I thought of making the usual. I got one ripe mango, some ice cubes, a tablespoon of sugar and our very efficient, Oster blender. While I was about to blend the ingredients, I remembered the Malunggay leaves in the refrigerator and Frances’ suggestion.
Immediately, I washed the leaves and added them to the rest of the ingredients. At first, I was nervous because it was my first time to make a fruit shake with leaves. But, surprisingly, it was a delightful treat! Also, I found out later on, that both mangoes and malunggay leaves aid in healing wounds and are full of vitamins! Cool! It was perfect for my situation.
While I was drinking the shake, I realized that I’ve been taking for granted one of the best and healthiest vegetables on earth! According to http://kerlynb.hubpages.com, Malunggay leaves have the ff. benefits:
7x the Vitamin C in Oranges
4x the Calcium in Milk
4x the Vitamin A in Carrots
3x the Potassium in Bananas
3x the Iron of Spinach
2x the Protein in Milk
2x the Protein in Yogurt, and many more.
The sad truth about this is that even though it’s very convenient for me to buy and eat Malunggay, I still rarely do so. Maybe it’s because I feel that other vegetables seem more appetizing and interesting. But by not eating this unique vegetable, I miss out on certain benefits that are good for my health.
In the same way, God reminded me of the times when I also take His Word, the Bible, for granted. To be honest, there are times when I feel like doing something else more than spending time with His Word, especially if those things seem to be more exciting and fun! I realized that if I let this kind of behavior take over me, I’ll miss out on the spiritual health benefits found in the Bible (e.g. wisdom, protection, promises of God, plans, hope, encouragement, guidance, strength, peace, etc.). But more importantly, I’ll miss out on knowing and experiencing God more radically through His Word.
It says in Psalm 73:25-26,
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
After discovering the benefits of the refreshing Mango-Malunggay shake, I made it again for some of my siblings a few days later. I wanted them to experience the Malunggay goodness and have the same vitamins that I had last time. Likewise, I pray that as we continue to spend more time with God, we will also be encouraged to share Him and His Word to others too. :)
Chilled milk tea with chewy, black tapioca pearls is definitely one of the most refreshing drinks I’ve had in my life. Interestingly, there are numerous milk tea stores in Metro Manila, which makes it more convenient for me to acquire such comforting beverages. However, last weekend, instead of buying from a milk tea store, I decided to make a couple of milk teas at home. I knew that it was the perfect and simple treat for me because I was sick and feeling physically weak at that time.
God sure does speak to us in different ways and last weekend, He reminded me of how we can be a blessing to others. :)
1. We become a blessing to others when we respond to them in a way that pleases God… no matter what.
I went to a supermarket to buy wintermelon, uncooked black tapioca pearls, and strawberries. Unfortunately, when I got there, I found out that they weren’t selling the tapioca pearls. To make things worse, when I asked one of the staff members in the fruit section if they had wintermelons, he rudely told me “Wala kaming wintermelons!” (In English: “We don’t have wintermelons!”)
Stunned by his response, I was tempted to talk back because it was his duty to respectfully assist the customers in the supermarket and his attitude was unacceptable. But before I could even say a word, God stopped me and helped me to realize that maybe that guy was just having a hard day at work and he unintentionally poured out his stress on me. The last thing he needed was a rude response from me too.
I was reminded of Ephesians 4:29, where it says:
“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
By God’s grace, I smiled instead, told him “Ohh, okay. Thank you!”, and left the supermarket with peace in my heart. I realized that it brings much joy to God when we choose to honor Him in the way we respond to others. It makes our hearts so much peaceful too!
2. We become a blessing to others when we consider their interests too.
Hoping that I could still find tapioca pearls in our area, I went to another supermarket the next day. However, they also did not have the pearls. I was already thinking of my Plan B for the treat when I found myself walking near the fruit section. Since I was already there, out of curiosity, I asked one of the staff members if they were selling wintermelons and he replied “Ah, yes, Ma’am! Please follow me.”
My eyes beamed as we slowly approached the pile of fruits. “Wow! Thank you!” I told the employee who assisted me. Before I left, he even gave me instructions on how to slice it properly and warned me that the juice of the fruit may feel sticky too.
Later on, I found out that the fruit he handed me wasn’t wintermelon… it was yellow watermelon. Haha. But nonetheless, I was blessed by the employee’s response and I was inspired to be an encouragement to others too. He could have just led me to the fruit section and continued to do his own thing. But, I saw how he selflessly took the time and effort to try his best to assist me with my concerns about the fruit (as compared to the other supermarket guy :) ).
Do I intentionally reach out to others? Do I sincerely spend time with them and help them out with their concerns/struggles? Or do I just stay in my comfort zone and hope that they won’t ask help from me? Do I pray for others?
It says in Hebrews 10:24:
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
3. We become a blessing to others when we help them draw closer to God and give Him the glory.
Desperate times indeed call for desperate measures!
After buying the watermelon and strawberries, I knew that I still needed to get the black, tapioca pearls. Surprisingly, there was a milk tea store (Chatime) nearby and I thought of buying the cooked pearls instead. I asked the person at the cashier if I could buy tapioca pearls and she slightly laughed and smiled at me. But, when she realized that I was serious about buying only the pearls, she eventually assisted me and happily gave me my order.
I couldn’t be happier! :) I thanked God that the cashier lady helped me out because I really thought she wouldn’t allow me to buy only pearls from the store (since it wasn’t allowed in other stores). She was a blessing!
Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Do we encourage others to know God more or do we cause others to go farther away from God?
I went home that day smiling because I saw how God was in control of my situation. After preparing and drinking these two drinks: Watermelon Milk Tea and Strawberry Milk Tea, I was pleasantly refreshed. But more importantly, I realized that in spite of my weak body, the hassles I experienced as I looked for the ingredients, and even the “rude” employee that I encountered; I still praise God because through these, He reminded me of how I can honor Him by being a blessing to others. By God’s grace and strength and with His guidance through His word and the Holy Spirit, I know that we can be blessings to others. We can bless His Name. :)
An avocado smoothie has always been a sweet, creamy, and refreshing treat at home. My mom usually prepares the dessert and we love it! Recently, I decided to make the yummy smoothie to beat the Summer heat.
avocado smoothie
A few days after buying the avocados, I noticed that they were already a bit soft. When my fingers gently pressed the fruit, it created a small dent and so I figured it was time to cut them open. As I was preparing the dessert, I was having a hard time removing the avocado meat from the skin. I told myself: “That’s weird. Usually, the meat would easily come off. Oh well. I’ll be blending them anyway.”
scooping out avocado meat
To my dismay, I ended up with a bitter avocado smoothie. Once I tasted it, I immediately spat it out of my mouth because of its awful, bitter taste. Even if I added more sugar, it still tasted bitter. So, I decided to throw the batch that I made and pretended as if nothing happened. I didn’t even tell my mom (who bought the avocados) that I used and threw them away.
I was so frustrated because I made a mistake even if the avocado smoothie recipe that I used at that time was also the one I used before (when I made successful smoothies). I found myself thinking of thoughts like: “Your mom’s money was wasted. It was a simple dessert yet you still made a mistake. You’re such a failure.” And it was crazy!
adding milk to the avocados
I decided to pause and talk to God. I shared to Him what happened and what went wrong. I knew that even before I made the mistake, He already knew it would happen. And because I know that He is sovereign, it was really easy for me to talk and listen to Him. After doing so, I decided to tell mom the truth and admit my mistake. I told her how I failed to use the avocados well and that I wanted to pay for the avocados that I wasted. I knew I had to learn from my mistake. What happened next caused my heart to melt. Mom said “It’s okay, anak. You don’t have to pay for the avocados.”
Such grace! At that time, I actually did not have extra money to pay for it and it was really just God’s grace that mom decided to pay for the avocados still.
mixing the avocado
When I asked God why He allowed me to fail at that moment, I heard an answer from Him that I did not expect. “You ask me why, Nic? Because it’s cool to fail.” He said.
“WHAT? Lord? How can it be cool to fail?” I said. Then, throughout our conversation, He made me realize the following:
1. He uses our “fail moments” to bring us closer to Him.
The moment that I had with God after failing with my avocado smoothie was really a blessing to me. I got to know Him more as I read His word again and listened to some Christian Contemporary songs that helped me focus more on Him than on my mistake.
It says in Lamentations 3:22-23:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.”
“They are new every morning. New every morning. New every morning…” I decided to replace those negative thoughts in my head with His Word and it was really encouraging.
avocado mixture
2. He uses our “fail moments” to help us improve ourselves for His glory.
“You failed! It was awesome!”
“A toast for his brilliant failure, may it lead to success in the future.”
“From failing, you learn. From success, not so much.”
Are these quotes familiar? These were taken from one of my favorite movies: MEET THE ROBINSONS! :) It was encouraging to see in the movie how it was okay to fail as long as you learn from your past mistakes, make improvements, and keep on doing your best as you move forward.
Meet the Robinsons (taken from Google Images)
It’s cool to improve ourselves, but personally, more than that, I’m learning to improve for God and not for my own glory. :)
1 Corinthians 10:31
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”
-Henry Ford
Because I failed while I was making my avocado smoothie, I now know how crucial it is to cut the avocados only when it is the right time. I also learned how it is important to ask others who are more skilled in that area before I experiment because they can definitely help me be more efficient and effective. Lastly, I learned to honor God even in the way I use the money, time, energy, and other resources that He has given me.
blending the avocado smoothie
3. He uses our “fail moments” to humble us and show us that He is God.
When I was making the avocado smoothie, I remember thinking that I knew what I was doing since I was able to make it before. God showed me the hint of pride in my heart that He did not want to see. Truly, it was a humbling experience. But, I am so grateful that despite my pride, God still is God. God is gracious, faithful, sovereign, and He will continue to love us just the same.
Matthew 23:12
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.”
avocado smoothie
4. He uses our “fail moments” to encourage us to persevere and focus on Him… even if we may fail again and again.
Last night, I decided to try making the avocado smoothie again, but this time, I waited longer than I did before. I cut them only when they were ripe and ready. There were also moments when the taste of the bland, avocado fruit “haunted my tongue”. I didn’t feel like continuing the process because I was afraid to fail again. I didn’t want to make another bitter dessert.
However, by God’s grace, I was able to make a yummy avocado smoothie! Last night, it was really sweet, creamy, and refreshing. I loved it!
avocado smoothie
1 Chronicles 16:11
“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.”
“Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
-Mary Pickford
“Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
-Samuel Beckett
avocado smoothie
While I was enjoying my yummy, chilled, creamy avocado smoothie, I remember telling God: “Wow Lord! It definitely is COOL to FAIL! Thank You for encouraging me to just keep on doing my best for You! Even when I experience failure in making an avocado smoothie, in cooking/baking, in my career, in relationships, in my personal walk with You, or in other things, I am reminded to get back up and try again. Your mercies are new every morning. You will forever be faithful and gracious. Thank You.” :)
Mom and the avocado popsicle
RECIPE:
2 ripe avocados
1/4 cup fresh milk
3-4 tablespoons of white sugar/honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
10 pcs. ice cubes (size: 2×1)
*You can adjust the amounts of milk and sugar (depending on your preferred taste)
HOW TO MAKE THE SMOOTHIE:
1. Cut each avocado in half and remove the seed. Carefully scoop out the avocado meat and cut into large cubes.
2. Using a blender, combine the avocados, sugar/honey, milk and vanilla extract until well-mixed and creamy. Add the ice cubes and blend.
3. Serve in a glass. Enjoy!
NOTES:
1. Ripe avocado meat can EASILY be removed from the skin.
2. Unripe avocados are really bitter. You will know if an avocado is ripe if you gently press on the shoulder part (top part) of the avocado and feel dents (after pressing) or feel that it is soft. Of course, the whole avocado must also have the same feel. It must not be firm or too mushy.
3. Try to remove brown spots or veins in your avocados. These contribute to the bitter taste.
My name is Nicole Obligacion and I started this blog because I was inspired by Hebrews 10:24 and Hebrews 3:13. I love to eat, cook, bake, read the Bible, and encourage. :)
