Miss Keller 2013

To keep up with me during my new reign, please follow www.misskelleramerica.blogspot.com

I PROMISE I WILL POST ANOTHER RUBIES POST ONCE I FINISH MY COLLEGE APPS :) stay tuned!

Something's fishy...

My dinner!
Thought I'd share this dish I made that I'm rather proud of.
Spicy cod filet with okra, tomato and onion on top of brown rice pilaf.
I baked the cod wrapped in tinfoil with some peppers and onions plus spices.
The okra and tomato topping for the rice was okra, tomatoes, onion and jalapeños sautéed in a pan.

In the spirit and theme of "fishy"....

And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. (Mark 1:17 KJV)

Will you drop everything and follow him?

Respect, Class, and a Chicken Sandwich.

All this talk about chick-fil-a is starting to get really nasty, and honestly I am appalled by the way the national conversation about this has become a national argument. It is arguments like these that have divided our nation.

We live in a broken, sinful, world. While I do have my personal opinion about the situation, in the end I know that I am not of this world, and I am not called to love the sins and temptations of it.
What I AM called to do is: Love God and let his will be done in my life, and share God's love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all.
I believe in the love story that God has written for us.
The bible is a not only a guidebook but a story of God's pursuit of the hearts of the human race. And our constant ignoring of a loving father who sends his son to overcome death so with faith in him we can be saved and transformed.

A lot of people have been offended by Dan Cathy's comments about his beliefs and faith, and opinions.
Others have been offended by the backlash against his statements and business.

I am proud of the rights we have as American citizens to use our freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly (among others).

Both sides of this argument have fully used these rights, and I will fight for the right for any group to protest, voice their opinions, or worship whatever they please, so I can retain my rights to do so as well.

The main things that are lacking in this controversy is RESPECT and CLASS.
Respect for Dan Cathy's RIGHTS of speech and religion.
Respect for the LGBT community's RIGHTS of speech, and to protest or to boycott if they want.

Can we please inject some class into the conversation, and stop name calling? Using derogatory terms toward The LGBT community, or terms like "bigot" and "homophobe" all hurt the same... And only pour salt in wounds.

Words can be healing, or dividing. And right now what our country needs is healing, and something to remind us that our differences don't have to tear us apart. In order to keep America strong, we need to be united as a nation, not divided by economic class, political parties, or gender. Differences don't have to be divisive, instead they can be the very glue that holds us together.







I encourage an intellectual and civil conversation on the issues at hand, because I believe that is the only way this issue can be solved.

Raw goodness

The past few weeks I've been experimenting with raw veganism. No, it's not a cult. My best friend was a vegetarian for a year and chose to cross over to raw veganism. Basically, the diet consists of eating pure, uncooked fruits, veggies and nuts. I was not consistent on this, I tried my hardest to see the benefits that my friend experiences from it with an open mind. As a pageant girl, fruits are something that are kind of demonized when in preparation of a diet regime to get in shape, merely because they are high in sugar, and sugar can be the cause of weight gain in a lot of circumstances. What's so interesting about raw vegan is that over half of your diet relays on fruit in a given day. We'd have fruit smoothies with kale, watermelon, plums, berries, and normally a huge salad for dinner. And dessert was probably the biggest surprise of them all to me. FIG AND DATE PIES. Guilt free. The crust was walnuts, almonds, dates and coconut oil. Filling was purred fresh figs, dates, and agave nectar. Paired with coconut milk, it was probably the most satisfying dessert ever, because I knew exactly what I put in it was fresh.

THE CONSENSUS
this diet is a cleanse diet, and while I can't say that I'm completely a raw veganist now, I definitely have a new understanding that pure food is the best food, and all the added chemicals and preservatives that we consume in a day really do drag us down.

THE CHALLENGE
try one or two raw vegan recipes, or one day eating a fully raw vegan diet, plan out your meals for the day, and if anything, do it for the cleanse, because Your body will thank you for it.

Summer Shares!

Here are some cute must have items for summer: via Modcloth!

I'm loving the wide array of swimsuits were seeing this year from one piece, one shouldered, and high waisted!
Also swingy dresses as well as simple shift dresses with funky assessories!

Baked Zucchini Fries

Oh pinterest!
I modified a recipe for Zucchini fries because I REFUSE to eat breadcrumbs.
So here's a heart healthy recipe for your fry fix:

1/2 cup oatmeal ( quick, old fashioned or rolled)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated ( or substitute wheat germ/ crushed almonds)
1beaten egg with water
Spices of your choosing ( I used crushed red pepper and Italian seasoning)

Turn your oven onto 425
Throw your oatmeal into a food processor and process until it looks like a coarse flour. Add cheese ( or substitute ), and spices and process untill dispersed.
Lightly coat a cookie sheet with olive oil .
Set up your coat station with strips of your zucchini and two separate bowls for your beaten egg and oatmeal crumbs. Dip zucchini in egg, then coating, and place on pan. When done bake 10-15 mins , flip, then another 10-15. Enjoy with marinara sauce or tzatziki sauce. ( a cucumber yogurt sauce)


Hope y'all enjoy this, I LOVE baking things coated in oatmeal.

the R- Word

The events I'm invited to as Miss Tarrant County's Outstanding Teen vary from charity events, sporting events, Galas and formal benefits. And I enjoy every event I attend, because whether I interact with adults or children, I learn so much from each appearance I make.

But not until this month have I attended any events that have touched me like the Little Miss Sweetheart Special Needs pageant and the Special Olympics have. They have not only humbled me to no end, but they've given me a new understanding for an often overlooked group of our worlds population. The disabled.

The Special Needs pageant I attended  had an organization there who were getting attendants to take a pledge, and sign a banner. This organization was called The R-Word. After hearing what they had to say, and seeing what the organization was all about, I too pledged not to use the r-word.

My platform "Revaluating Rubies: Building Self Esteem" describes the four needs to build healthy self esteem.

1. Strong Foundation-
You are a valuable human being, wonderfully made.

2. Ample Support-. Everybody needs at least one mentor and role model who can encourage them.

3. Quality Materials- When you know that you are valuable, that is when any "self improvement" can occur. if you attempt to hide low self value or attempt self improvement in a negative mental state, it's destructive.

 4. Finally, the fourth element is an Open Door- Get involved!

That's my platform in a nutshell and my door is opening wider and wider as I volunteer and experience life with so many people, now including those with disabilities. Bullying or tearing down somebody is not acceptable. Indirectly insulting someone or putting "no offense" before or "just kidding" after a statement does not justify saying it. Attacking self value is attacking a person who feels and thinks the same way you do. So with all this being said, using an originally medical term in a derogatory and demeaning way is not acceptable either. I urge you to take the pledge to not use the r-word.

http://www.r-word.org/

Motivation

Well well well,

I'm back!

Recently (approximately one month ago) I made a HUGE lifestyle change.
I began going to the gym. One of my pageant directors told me that physical fitness is the one thing you can control come Teen Texas. I totally agree. While it has been a rocky road, with ups and downs, I am quite satisfied with the results so far, and I feel amazing... the other day I did 100 squats. ONE HUNDRED! I could hardly do 10 a month ago without being beat. After the intial shock of the sweating and pain, I kind of look forward to my workouts!

I encourage everyone to get active this week. I promise, you will feel great after. Nothing like the feeling of acheivement!

1 Corinthians 9:27     

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
 

Kony 2012.... Some perspective.

Just watched the invisible children's video for Kony 2012, and finished wiping the tears off my face. First I, d like to say it was a very well produced video. Got its point across, and very impactful. It made me want to take a flight out to Uganda and take out the bad man myself. But before buying that plane ticket, I did some research on the trusty google.
So a whole lot of people are criticizing invisible children about not including in their video that all of their statistics are from 8 years ago, Kony's army has declined, and the LRA has moved out of Uganda ( which it tormented for a decade or so before) into the surrounding countries. I have not done much with invisible children, so I can't really judge them on their motives on making the video. If you read my blog regularly, you'll know that I am very supportive of Falling Whistles, trade as one, and Hello Somebody, who arê retailers who help make our purchases count by keeping them fair and helpful, and using the motto " every little bit counts".

I actually went on the falling whistles website as well to see if maybe Joseph Kony was involved in the deadliest war in the country in the DRC that ALSO uses child soldiers. ( don't know what I'm talking about? Fallingwhistles.com)
He definitely has a presence in the Congo. No doubt about it. However, I read on the fw website that the major war in the Congo will still rage on, even after Kony is brought to justice because it's a structure and warlord problem, and is not fueled by the LRA.

All this said, let me tell you where I stand, looking at the well being of the whole continent of Africa, and our earth. Capturing Joseph Kony will not solve all of Africa's issues. There are extremist Muslim brotherhood organizations in the north, warlords in the DRC, anarchy and total devastation in Somalia, terrible HIV/ AiDs outbreaks, And the LRA causing chaos as well.
Yes. Kony 2012, go get him, let's make sure we can bring justice to Jacob, and all the innocents Kony has violated and killed . But in the Kony craziness, remember that there are so many other things going on in Africa, just capturing one man, whos influence seems to be decreasing, will not stop all war. My one fear is that so much time, money and effort is going into finding one man, when that time money and effort could feed children, build churches, build infrastructure, security! I care about my fellow earthlings. Terrible things are happening in Africa. Start with Kony, but let's not end with Kony. There is so much more that we can help with. One true statement I am sure of in the Kony 2012 video is difference is made as soon as people who care take action. For there to be peace in Africa takes relentless action, and it also takes, I believe, an act of God. But nothing's impossible for him, especially when he works through his people.
So mini message to the church.... Let's let God use us to help mend the broken lives in the chaos of war and disaster that is in Africa. Whether that means buying an "action pack", a falling whistle, our own hands, or using what invisible children took advantage of: the Internet and the power of our words.
I don't hate Joseph Kony. He is a fallen, broken human like us all. But he has chose to commit evil against himself, God, and others, and is a danger.

"No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us-perfect love! If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both. (1 John 4:12, 20, 21 MSG)"

Chicken chili

This can be made into a vegan/ vegetarian recipe by leaving out the canned chicken!
You've probably noticed that I've been posting a bunch about food recently.., well... I'm gearing up for Miss Texas, so I've been experimenting with easy healthy alternatives that will help me become the best me I can be by July, along with working out alongside Cassey Ho, one of the best trainers on YouTube!! Check her out at YouTube.com/blogilates


Anyways... Here's the recipe! It can be added to/ subtracted from depending on your fridge and tastes

Chili:
Beans of your choice:
I used 1 can each of
Chick peas
Black beans
(drained)
Red beans ( in chili sauce)
3/4 can tomato paste
1/4 cup water
Drizzle olive oil
Drizzle red wine vinegar
About 1/2 -1 cup each of
Chopped onion, jalapeño, parsley, celery, tomato
3-5 cloves smashed garlic
1 can chicken( optional)
Combine all In a pot and cook until onions are tender

I cannot stress how important eating right is, I just recently began keeping a food journal, and it's so surprising how much unnecessary food you eat through the day that could be causing weight gain, as well as energy loss.
What does the bible say about food?

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. (Romans 12:1 MSG)

We need to honor the Lord with not only what we wear, and our actions, but the food we eat. It sure will be a challenge for me, because I tend to over eat... So using moderation is something I need to work on! What do you need work on? Pray for strength to overcome whatever is binding you from being happy and healthy!

Veggies...not just for vegetarians anymore

Here's a delicious recipe for an easy vegetarian dish... Adapted from Cassey Ho of blogilates tv's version of this recipe!
What you need:
Angel hair spaghetti (I prefer whole wheat)
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
Basil ( fresh or dry)
Tbs of water
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 cup onion ( red or white)
2-3 cloves garlic
Beans! ( I used edamame, but black would work)
1 diced tomato
Jalapeño (optional, but recommended )

Alright. 1st you want to cook your spaghetti, it shouldn't take long, you can do everything else while waiting for your water to boil.
Put your avocado, lemon, water, and basil in a food processor and blend until smooth, season with salt and pepper.
In a frying pan,drizzle olive oil, and sauté garlic ( crushed) onion, beans, jalapeño and any other vegetables you like. Red bell peppers would be good in this as well! Once it's all sizzling and pretty much cooked, add chopped tomato.
By now your spaghetti should be done, just mix everything together, and enjoy!

Health: Avocados are high in fat, but it's a natural fat that is really good for your hair, and keeping skin supple!
Beans are protein and will keep you full longer, And whole wheat pasta will give your body complex carbs for a healthy energy. Add the mixed benefit of your veggies, and you've got an extremely nutritious meal!!

Fulfillment

Are you truly happy? I can answer that for you. Nope. Happiness is a lot like a bad friend. It comes and goes. But when you have a relationship with Christ, Joy becomes your best friend.
Here is the difference between somebody who is after Gods heart and a poser. Somebody with the joy of the Lord inside of them is fulfilled. Satisfied. Confident in who they are. On the other hand, posers use anything to make themselves feel and look better than they are, such as tearing others down, doing illegal things to fit in or look cool, or using drugs or alcohol to feel good.
"Don’t destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life. "(Ephesians 5:18 CEV)
"It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. "(Ephesians 5:12 MSG)
If they curse or use the Lords name in vain...
"Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. "(Ephesians 4:29 MSG)
All these things show that somebody is not living a good life, the temporary pleasures in life may bring small bursts of happiness but never joy. Drinking, using drugs, bullying somebody, even hurting yourself may seem like the right thing to do at the time. They're not. "Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ." (Ephesians 5:13 MSG)
Need fulfillment? Look to Christ.