Decadent Dates

I didn’t know anything about Medjool dates until about two years ago. Boy, was I missing out! Sweet and semi-soft with a tantalizing texture, Medjool dates make regular old pitted dates seem like an exhausted, old weathered cousin.  

I enjoy them so much I find myself drawn to the pantry to partake in a perfect little afternoon treat to go with my tea. Then again, I might meander over after the girls are in bed fast asleep when my sweet tooth hits an all-time high and I’m at risk of ruining the entire day’s healthy eating history in one fell swoop of a spoon in the leftover frosting in the fridge. Yep…a date (or sometimes a few) usually assumes the risk.

I feel satisfied, fulfilled and the temptations are tamed….momentarily…. by the Medjool dates!

Why is it that FOOD so often serves as a metaphor of something more meaningful in my life? Perhaps it’s because I find pleasure in how food nourishes my mind and body. Maybe it has to do with my passion for finding palate pleasing ways to eat real-whole foods. After all, God gave me a wonderfully tasty, succulently satisfying way to nurture the body He gave me!

Here’s how I see it: Every day, several times, I possess an amazing opportunity to explore ways to bless my body with real food. And, of course, to find exciting ways to healthfully fill the little bodies living with me. For me, that’s fun and exciting! Go ahead, call me a food nerd….I’m fine with that.

Whatever the reason, I so often find sweet and savory lessons in the way I feed myself and my little family. So when I found myself repeatedly tempted to snitch a natural, sweet, chewy date it made me wonder how often I long for the Lord.

Am I being drawn to Him during the day in the same way food calls my name, tempting and taunting me? Or am I shutting His calls out in the name of fitting all my tangible to dos into my time constraints?

Do I naturally turn to Him to fill voids with His soul-valuable words? Do I pray in passing? Or do I remain so focused on work, house, kids…on food.. that I forget to nourish my spiritual side as much as I do my physical? (Ouch…conviction stings a little!)

It’s easy to do, really, because we live in this world where we see everything as tangible, physical and fleeting. But if we build the spiritual into our days, into our habitual ways, this world and the way we nourish ourselves will mean so much more!

So, what did I do? I put a reminder on the side of my Medjool Dates. A sticky note that simply says: Pray. And now those natural little Medjool dates offer me even more!

Now if you decide to give this recipe a try, mentally attach it to a prayer of thanksgiving because God’s blessing your body with simple, sweetly dressed up Decadent Date!