BRANDING

I don't think hippies in the late 60's--early 70's wore branded clothing except for jeans. Everywhere I look I see kids wearing shirts that promote a particular brand. And they paid good money for that brand name. I've seen some $25 t-shirts that would sell for $10 otherwise.

"He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding." Daniel 2:21

Whatever wisdom you have, you got from God....Furthermore, whatever knowledge you are able to take in and assimilate into your life is made possible because of the ability God has given you to discern, perceive, and understand....Ideas may seem to come out of nowhere, but in truth, they have a source--either God or the enemy of our souls working in the imagination and lustful desires. Feelings may seem to erupt spontaneously, but in truth, they have a source--the heart, which is turned toward or away from God.

April 29

"God's Way Day by Day" by Charles F. Stanley

FREEBIRD'S AND CHIPOTLE

Freebird's and Chipotle are my heroes. They are miniature cafeterias that happen to use tortillas and salad bases instead of china dishes. In Fort Worth my parent's used to take me to Finley's Cafeteria on Camp Bowie when I was a kid. Unlike the other cafeterias like Colonial and Luby's in Fort Worth, Finley's was small, almost tiny. I remember the food came through one window between the kitchen and the serving line. Everything was made from scratch, and it was excellent. So I knew even when I was eight years old that cafeterias did not have to be giant industrial complexes--they could be small neighborhood feeding stations serving quality food. That's what I want The Simple Cafe to be--a small neighborhood feeding station serving natural foods in a fun vibrant atmosphere.

MANNA MUFFINS

I told my friend John Boswell that I was not going to get stressed about how the natural food rebirth was going to play out, that I was instead going to trust God to work out all the details in His good timing. The latest example of how this works has come with the humble and generally under-appreciated muffin.

Doing THE SIMPLE CAFE from the ground up is too hard without research, and tested recipes, so we are going to use the extra production capacity of one of our Orlando's Restaurants to make muffins, once I develop the recipes at my home kitchen. Monday through Friday the delivery kitchen sits idle, waiting for something to do. The plan is to make a line of both sweet and savory muffins, based on a common base recipe of organic whole wheat flour, local honey, sea salt, and sometimes a dash of melted butter or light olive oil. Then we twist things by adding things like pepperoni and mozzarella, or cheddar and bacon. In the future, I hope that people can special order dozens of their favorite muffins for their office or freezer.

I registered the domain name that I think covers this concept--MannaMuffins. No site up there yet, in fact it takes you to the old Orlando's site now, but I am working on that soon.

All in God's perfect timing. Like Solomon asked God, please pray for me to have wisdom.

THE SIMPLE CAFE RESTARTS

Now that the second Caprock Cafe is open, I have started work on The Simple Cafe again. It is an idea borne out of necessity, as even with four restaurants at which I can eat for free, I find it hard to figure out what to eat for dinner. My latest emergency food is one that I have used in the past--stir fry some vegetables in just a little bit of olive oil, then when they are done, toss in some cooked brown rice. It is a meal that, for lack of a better description, just feels right.

LOSING WEIGHT

I figured out today that the rest of my life will start when I lose some more weight. Being smaller is such a visual indicator that I have enough self-control to effect a real change in my physical body that it translates into all sorts of opportunities opening up. Not to mention I can walk around much easier.

The key for me is avoiding like the plague any form of refined carbohydrate, and focusing on eating lots of protein and lots of non-starchy vegetables--broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, spinach, romaine, greens, etc.

When I eat simple carbs my brain gets fuzzy and I get bone-tired.

"THE NEW TAMALE"

Toasted Nori seaweed sheets filled with short grain brown rice and...almost infinite choices!

I am talking about making a new "tamale", a "Renegade Wrap" (John Boswell's label), something portable to eat on the move that won't kill you.

Imagine this one--toasted nori sheets filled with organic short grain brown rice, pinto beans, sharp cheddar cheese, and sliced jalapenos. Some bits of umeboshi salted plum for those who favor the sour and salty taste.

I don't see any sushi tuna swimming around the Lubbock area, but pinto beans are plentiful. This combination has a lot of what current science is saying to eat--whole grains, complex carbs, spicy food, trace minerals.

Portable, replicable, tasty, easy to make, understandable, simple.

Menu item Number One--NORIMAKI SUSHI--West Texas style.

Sushi means "rice sandwich" in Japanese. The filling doesn't need to include raw fish.

This is fun. Keep on rolling...