Léré's Barn: Awaken Our Plates and Our Hearts
Spring arrives like a gentle invitation. The days grow longer, the air softens, and something stirs within us as the heaviness of winter subsides. As warmer months arrive, we beg for small, sustainable shifts in how we eat and how we care for ourselves.
Winter naturally slows us down. We lean into warm ovens, comfort foods, hearty soups, and slow-cooked meals.There is goodness in those. But as the seasons change, so do our bodies. We crave lighter food that feels fresher and more alive. This reflects that daily renewal built into God’s design.
Eat More Living Foods
Fresh fruits and vegetables contain living enzymes that support nearly every metabolic process in the body from digestion and energy production to cellular renewal. When we eat foods closer to how they were created, we work with the body instead of asking it to work harder.
Here in the South, we’re known for cooking our food and then cooking it a little more. While cooked meals can be comforting and nourishing, overcooking often diminishes vitality. This time of year offers a beautiful opportunity to rebalance by eating more raw fruits and vegetables, crisp salads, fresh herbs, and lightly prepared meals that gently awaken the body.
Eating Well Leads to Living Well
At Alive Again, I teach that nourishment goes far beyond our dinner plates. It’s also about slowing down, gathering together, and truly connecting with one another. One of my favorite ways to do this comes from my South African upbringing: baking a simple, beautiful cake, putting the kettle on, and inviting a few of my dear friends over for tea. No rushing, no performing. Just enjoying one another’s presence.
There’s just something sacred and simple about sitting around a table, sharing food made with purpose,
and connecting heart to heart. Whether we eat, drink or gather around the table, do it all for the glory of God
(1 Corinthians 10:31).
Accept the Invitation to Lighten Up
As we move from winter to spring and spring to summer, may we accept the invitation to lighten things up—
on our plate and in our life. Eat more living whole foods. Get outside more. Go for walks. Sit under the
night sky and gaze at the stars with your loved ones. Add more foods which the Lord has made and make intentional time for connecting with Him and others. Don’t forget to bake something beautiful, just because.
Allow the Creator of all things to awaken what He’s already placed within us. Rediscover what it feels like to be alive again!
Summer Vacation Breakfast Board
Celebrate summer mornings with a festive breakfast board filled with seasonal fruits, yogurt, homemade granola, nuts, and seeds, and create delicious parfaits … or add those fluffy pancakes drenched in maple syrup if you are craving them.
Suggested Items:
A selection of summer berries — raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries
Raw honey
Fresh sprigs of mint
Fill small bowls with the following:
Walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, or chopped almonds
Chia seed pudding
Plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt of choice
Fresh peach compote
Granola or muesli
Summer Taco Night
Turn taco night into a vibrant, shareable feast with a build-your-own taco board packed with fresh toppings, zesty salsas, and warm bowls of brown rice and/or tortillas.
Suggested Items:
Lettuce, sliced
Mango, diced
Orange pepper, finely chopped
Black beans, cooked
Northern beans or pinto beans, cooked
Salsa
Avocado slices or guacamole
Mini round wraps or taco shells
Fresh lime, cut and quartered
Red cabbage, pickled
Spring onion, sliced
Corn, cooked, cut off the cob
Chicken breast, cooked, shredded
Brown or wild rice, cooked
