FOOD FOR THE BODY

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup (from www.myrecipes.com)

Serves: 8
Points: 4

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds lean top round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons spicy herb blend (such as Mrs. Dash)
2 (16-ounce) packages frozen gumbo vegetables mix
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped onion
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with garlic, undrained
2 (14.5-ounce) cans fat-free beef broth
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
1 tablespoon low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place flour in a large zip-top plastic bag; add steak cubes. Seal and shake to coat. Remove steak from bag; set aside.

Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add steak, and cook until browned on all sides.

Place steak and remaining ingredients in a 4-quart electric slow cooker; stir well. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour.

Reduce heat to low; cook 6 hours or until meat is done and vegetables are tender.

Each serving has 256 calories, 6 grams fiber, and 5.6 grams fat.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

"'. . . The gospel of Jesus Christ has the answers to all of our problems. The gospel is not a secret. It is not complicated or hidden. It can unlock the door to true happiness. It is not someone’s theory or proposition. It does not come from man at all. It springs from the pure and everlasting waters of the Creator of the universe, who knows truths we cannot even begin to comprehend. And with that knowledge, He has given us the gospel—a divine gift, the ultimate formula for happiness and success" (President Dieter F. Uchdorf, "The Way of the Disciple," Liahona, May 2009, 75).

FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT

I cannot remember if I have posted about my FDP principle yet, but I feel the Spirit prompting me to write about it today. When we are working towards a worthy goal, there are three components to achieving success. They are:

Faith
Diligence
Patience

This has become my personal mantra of sorts, in many areas, with one area being weight-loss. When I feel that God has forgotten about me, and forgets to bless me in my efforts to lose weight, or to bless me with the motivation I desire, I say to myself: "FDP, Kristen. FDP. . . " When I cannot find the energy or willpower to go another day, or when going on that run at the end of a crazy week seems like a insurmountable task, I whisper: "FDP, FDP, FDP" with each step I take. When I get frustrated because my progress is so much slower than I'd like, I again remind myself: "FDP."

I first discovered the FDP Principle in Alma 32:42-43:

"And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst."

"Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you."

President Uchdorf also discussed the same idea in the last General Conference:

"Brothers and sisters, we have to stay with it. We don’t acquire eternal life in a sprint—this is a race of endurance. We have to apply and reapply the divine gospel principles. Day after day we need to make them part of our normal life.

Too often we approach the gospel like a farmer who places a seed in the ground in the morning and expects corn on the cob by the afternoon. When Alma compared the word of God to a seed, he explained that the seed grows into a fruit-bearing tree gradually, as a result of our 'faith, and [our] diligence, and patience, and long-suffering'. . . Discipleship is a journey. We need the refining lessons of the journey to craft our character and purify our hearts. By patiently walking in the path of discipleship, we demonstrate to ourselves the measure of our faith and our willingness to accept God’s will rather than ours” (President Dieter F. Uchdorf, "The Way of the Disciple," Liahona, May 2009, 75-78). (Follow this link to read the entire talk. It is exceptional: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=1b37230bac7f0210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD#footnote6

So next time, you are becoming discouraged, remind yourself that living the gospel, and reaching goals for your eventual betterment requires FAITH, DILIGENCE, and PATIENCE. FDP, FDP, FDP. . .