Some Quick recipes.

Lately I haven't been feeling my best so I've been depending on some quick recipes I have. I thought I would share a few of these.  They are quick to throw together and really good.

CHICKEN ARTICHOKE CASSEROLE

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch cubes

4 TBS butter, divided

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 can (14 oz) water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and halved

¼ cup flour

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup dry bread crumbs

1 tsp dried savory

1 tsp thyme

Hot cooked noodles or rice

In a skillet, saute chicken in 1 TBS butter until no longer pink.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place chicken and artichokes in a greased 9 x 13 pan, set aside.  In a saucepan, melt remaining butter; stir in flour and nutmeg until smooth.  Gradually add broth.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.  Stir in cheese until melted, spoon over chicken.  Combine bread crumbs, savory and thyme; sprinkle over chicken.   Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve over noodles or rice.  Yield: 4-6 servings.

TACO SALAD MADE OVER

4 Tortillas

1 lb ground turkey

1 TBS chili powder OR 1 envelope taco seasoning

½ cup salsa

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups salad greens

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 lg tomato, chopped

Ranch dressing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place tortillas over balls of foil.  Bake for 6 – 8 minutes until tortillas are lightly brown and crisp.  Brown meat in skillet.  Add chili powder (or seasoning), salsa and beans.  Cook until heated thru.  Serve over greens in tortilla bowls  Top with cheese, tomato and dressing. Yield: 4

CHICKEN & STUFFING BAKE

1 ¼ cup boiling water

4 TBS melted butter

4 cups stuffing

4 – 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Paprika

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix water and butter.  Add stuffing, mix lightly.  Spoon stuffing along center of 9 x 13 pan.  Arrange chicken on each side of stuffing and sprinkle with paprika.  Mix soup, milk and parsley.  Pour over chicken.  Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done.  Yield 4 – 6 

PICANTE BROCCOLI CHICKEN SALAD

½ cup mayo

¼ cup picante sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

½ – 1 tsp chili powder

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup chopped tomato

½ cup shredded cheddar

½ cup chopped green onion

½ cup julienned green pepper

½ cup julienned red bell pepper

Tortillas, warmed

In large bowl combine mayo, picante, garlic and chili powder.  Mix well.  Add chicken, broccoli, tomato, cheese, onion and peppers.  Toss to coat.  Chill for at least 30 minutes.  Serve wrapped in tortillas. Yield: 4 – 6

RAVIOLI WITH PESTO AND ARTICHOKES

2 (10oz) pkgs ravioli

1 (7oz) pkg pesto

1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts, chopped

Chopped black olives

Parmesan cheese

Cook ravioli according to package.  Add remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Serve with grated Parmesan. Yield: 4 (You can throw in some cooked chicken or other meat to make this a meal).

Some other things I've done lately is to make a big pan of something (for example I made stuffed shells the other night) and then just have leftovers for a day or two (thankfully my husband likes leftovers).  Also, we had a "breakfast for dinner" night.  I made a large batch of pancakes and cooked up some bacon.  The leftover pancakes provided quick breakfast for a few days too (just popped them in the toaster to reheat).  

My appointment

I just wanted to update on how things are going so far.  I had my appointment today with my midwife.  When I had my ultrasound they said my due date was Oct. 18th (so I would be 14 wks now) but when they sent the report to my midwives they said that my due date was Oct. 6th (making me a little over 15 wks) so we're not really sure.  I told my midwife I'm sticking with the Oct. 18th date since Hailey was late.  That way if I'm late it won't seem it (as long as I have this baby by the 18th).  

Anyway, my appointment today went well.  My B/P was 98/52 so she was happy with that.  The babies heartrate was 152 and the baby was pretty active again today.  I have my next appointment on May 12th.  I also have my ultrasound appointment that day.  One reason for the ultrasound is to follow-up because there was a spot of blood in my uterus on the 1st ultrasound.  Apparently, this is very common and usually clears up quickly.  I've had no complications so I'm sure this will be fine.  We will also find out if this baby is a boy or girl (which we're all looking forward to knowing). :)  

My dollar store finds.

Today I took a trip to the Dollar Tree down the street.  I'm always amazed at the things they carry there.  I had seen that they carry party goods so I decided to look for the supplies for my daughter's birthday party (she has decided she wants a pink birthday).  

I was able to get pink cups, plates, plastic ware, tablecover and napkins.  I also found some adorable invitations.  She also requested a castle cake.  I had been pricing the Disney princess cake figurines online and the cheapest I had seen was $10 for a set of 4.  The Dollar Store had 3 of the figurines for a dollar each (since she's going to be 3yrs old I figured this would work perfect).  The store also has chips, pretzels, pickles and other foods which will work perfect for the cookout we're planning to have (didn't pick these up today).  

I was so pleased to find all the supplies for so much less than I would have paid at the party store or even Target.  I often don't think of going to the dollar store but I'm definitely going to try to be better about checking here (they also had organic green tea bags & 100% Apple juice).  I'm always pleased when I find deals like this. 

God's purpose for me...

A while back I was reading an article about God's purpose for women.  The author focused on how we are to help our husbands and care for our homes and children.  I knew this but was reminded of this today.

I won't go into a lot of detail, so I apologize in advance if this is a bit confusing.  Today a situation occured in our family where I was not able to be the helper.  It was beyond my control (but certainly not God's) and I had to give the situation completely over to God.  While this was a great reminder that God is in control I was amazed at the feeling I had of being displaced.  Someone else was taking on my role of helper (granted for a very short and necessary time).  

After thinking this over and praying about it I am very thankful that God allowed this situation into my life.  Oftentimes I can take for granted, and dare I admit, resent the helping position God has placed me in (Selfishness can crowd so much joy from our lives).  This situation has made me so grateful for the family and home that God has given to me and the privilege that I have to serve and help them each day.  I was reminded of just how much they mean to me and how I must guard my heart from selfishness and ungratefulness.  

When I mentioned this to my husband he described it as "protective".  After thinking over several verses that speak of being the keep of the home.  I agree with him.  How protective we as mothers & wives need to be of our families and the things we allow to enter our homes.  While I could not (and it wouldn't have been wise to) prevent the situation today it was a good reminder to me to truly be the keeper (some devotionals I've read have said this is akin to a gate-keeper) of my home.

Cord blood donation

I've been wanting to write this blog for a while but as usual time & the energy to write rarely coincide. When I was pregnant with Ethan I received many brochures, mailings and information on banking/storing the cord blood for later use. The stem cells in cord blood are being successfully used to treat over 70 diseases (such as leukemia, non-hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer, renal cell carcinoma and many others). After looking over the information it was clear that the cost of storing the blood was way out of our reach financially and because we are very low risk for inherited disorders (also being successfully treated) we opted against storing the blood. When I was pregnant with Hailey I saw a special on Discovery Health Channel about a boy who was successfully treated for leukemia with cord blood stem cells. By the end of the special I was so in awe of how valuable this blood (the stem cells) are. At the end of the special they discussed how you can now donate the blood if you do not want to store it. What a great idea! I mentioned it to Matt when he got home and decided that I definitely wanted to donate. I contacted a company called Cryobanks International (based in Florida and a reputable company) that has an international database for hospitals to use. I filled out a quick health questionnaire online and requested an information packet. I received a more extensive health questionnaire in the mail, filled it out and mailed it back. Then I received the packet of materials that would be needed. I had discussed this with my midwife and she was willing to do the extra collection step. When Hailey was born my midwife followed the detailed instructions and collected the valuable blood. It was packaged in a postage paid fed-ex package and the nurse called to let them know it was ready to be picked up. That's it! It was such a simple process to give someone the chance at a new life. Plus it's great to know that if my children ever had one of these conditions there is a place we can go to to receive these life-giving cells, one where no human life has been destroyed. By the way, none of these diseases that are being successfully treated with cord blood stem cells can be successfully treated with embryonic stem cells. So if you are pregnant, or know someone who is I would strongly encourage you to consider donating the cord blood. I know I will be going thru this process again and will be donating this baby's cord blood also.

How willing are we to change?

Once again, I've had this blog floating around in my mind but finding the time to sit down and put my thoughts together has been a challenge lately.  Usually by the time the kids go to bed I'm too exhausted to put thoughts together. :)

I've been attending a Bible Study at church and we have been studying the book by June Kimmel entitled "That I may Know Him".  It's a wonderful book teaching the truths of God and showing how He worked in individual lives.  She takes you thru how God worked in Hagar's life, the woman at the well, and Hannah's life.  Right now we are going thru the chapters dealing with the woman at the well.

One of the things we were discussing was how Jesus broke the social "rules" and went thru Samaria.  He showed by His example that we are not to judge or neglect people based on race, history or our social perceptions of them.  In John 4:1-42 this event is relayed and not only did the woman marvel that he spoke to her (Jews did not like the Samaritans and avoided even passing thru Samaria) but his disciples also were suprised that he talked to her.

Jesus saw this woman's great need to believe.  She was a an outcast from the Jews because she was Samaritan and an outcast among her own people (she had been married & divorced 5 times and was now with a man that she was not married to).  How often do we look at someone and think "they would never come to Christ" or not even think of speaking to them because of some sin we know of in their life or because of how we might be perceived among our own friends/social group.  

Not only did Jesus minister to this woman and reveal that he was indeed the Messiah she was waiting for (which was an enormous privilege, seeing as he didn't admit this to many) but He also challenged his disciples to look and see the Samaritans that needed him that needed to be told the good news, that Jesus is the Savior they have been waiting for.  

Many times the Holy Spirit convicts us of something in our life and we may admit it needs to be changed but how many times do we just continue on our comfortable path. One of the most encouraging things to me thru studying this is the realization that the disciples took to heart what Jesus had said and done (Jesus stayed with the Samaritans for two days ministering to them).  In Acts chapter 8 the account is given of how Peter and John returned to Samaria to minister to the Samaritans.  How wonderful for them to minister to and fellowship with these believers, think of how much they would have missed out on if they had not followed Jesus' example to overcome the social barriers and see these men and women as lost souls needing Jesus and then as fellow believers.

I think one of the reasons this truth really spoke to me is that I have recently read a book entitled "Light Force" written by Brother Andrew (the author of "God's Smuggler").  In this book he shares his dealings with the Christian church in Palestine.  Many times we see this region of the world as being all Muslim (who, by the way desperately need Christ and should be in our prayers also) and don't realize that we have brothers & sisters in Christ desperately trying to reach out to those around them with the Gospel.  In one particular chapter it discusses a camp that they have set up where Jewish believers and Arab believers are sent into the desert together to labor and worship together, to break down those social barriers and predisposed ideas and to see each other as brothers and sisters.  What a powerful picture of what Jesus was doing when he went to Samaria!  May we all see each person for the truth of what they are, a soul that Jesus loves and longs for them to come to Him.  What a powerful reminder to always be aware that nothing is impossible with God and that only He knows where a person's heart is!  May we be diligent in sowing the seeds that God has called us to, regardless of who that person may be.