About a year or so ago I subscribed to the site Mambo Sprouts. I love this site, all the products they promote are natural, organic products. In the past it has been hard to find these type of products but this site really helps in the search.
A few months back I received an e-mail asking if I would be willing to do product reviews; I accepted. The first product sent to me was Equal Exchange Coffee. Equal Exchange is a fair trade, organic coffee. I tried the coffee the other day and was quite pleased. I tend to be very picky about what coffee I drink because, quite frankly, many are just gross.
When I opened the bag I loved the smell which, to me, had a bit of a chocolate overtone. The brewing instructions said 1-2 tablespoons per 6oz of water. I did 1 1/2 tablespoons and would definitely recommend the full 2 tablespoons if you're using milk as mine was a bit weak. I do have a sensitivity to caffeine so I made sure to drink this early in the day. Again, I was pleasantly surprised to find that while I did get caffeine energy I did not get jittery from the caffeine.
All in all, this coffee was a good choice. In taste, it was comparable to the coffee I normally purchase but the fact that it is fair trade and organic definitely bumps it up to one that I would purchase and encourage others to purchase.
**Disclaimer: I received this coffee free from the product review program thru Mambo Sprouts & Equal Exchange. The opinions expressed are soley mine and I was not encouraged to give a positive or negative review.
Friday, July 1, 2011
My new adventure...
I was tapping out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and realized just how much work this will be but I'm looking forward to finally taking on this dream.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Frugality Idea: Meal Planning
When people ask me for ideas on saving money and how I have time for cooking so much from scratch my number one answer is Menu/Meal Planning. This saves so many extra trips to the grocery store, time during the day and lets me have a wide variety of food in our diet.
There are many online resources for meal planning. Some even provide a grocery list once you have chosen all of your meals. I have looked into some of these tools and for our family they just don't work well. The main reasons they don't work well for us is that there are certain common foods we just don't like and we also have some food allergies in the family (to very common foods).
I've done my planning several different ways over the years and I still change it up depending on how much time I have and how motivated I am to sit and make a plan. I have also taken breaks from meal planning but always come back to it because it just makes things so much easier for me.
Sometimes I pull out several cookbooks and just flip thru until recipes catch my eye. At other times I take stock of what we have in the cabinets and freezer and make a plan from those things. If I have a bit more time in the evenings I'll check out some favorite recipe sites and see what I find. I also ask the kids and Matt if there is anything they want on the menu for that week (typical answers from the kids are homemade pizza or pancakes :) ). No matter what method I choose I sit down with two pieces of paper, one for a list of recipes and one for the grocery list. On the list of recipes I'll note what cookbook the recipe is in and what page it is on. For recipes I print I clip them to the menu.
Another tip that I've found helpful is to note in the cookbook if the recipe was something we liked, something I made changes to, or if we didn't care for the recipe. This has saved me time because I can skip over any recipes that I've already noted that we don't like.
Over the past couple of years we have started getting a vegetable share from a local farm. The day before we go to get our share I get an e-mail with a list of what will most likely be in our share. I use this list as a guide for choosing recipes. I also have some basics on hand that I can put together in many different ways.
As you can see, this process is very adaptable but will certainly minimize those times of staring into the fridge or cabinet trying to figure out what to make. Also, if you have a busy day planned you can plan a quick or easy meal for that day, cutting down on a lot of stress.
There are many online resources for meal planning. Some even provide a grocery list once you have chosen all of your meals. I have looked into some of these tools and for our family they just don't work well. The main reasons they don't work well for us is that there are certain common foods we just don't like and we also have some food allergies in the family (to very common foods).
I've done my planning several different ways over the years and I still change it up depending on how much time I have and how motivated I am to sit and make a plan. I have also taken breaks from meal planning but always come back to it because it just makes things so much easier for me.
Sometimes I pull out several cookbooks and just flip thru until recipes catch my eye. At other times I take stock of what we have in the cabinets and freezer and make a plan from those things. If I have a bit more time in the evenings I'll check out some favorite recipe sites and see what I find. I also ask the kids and Matt if there is anything they want on the menu for that week (typical answers from the kids are homemade pizza or pancakes :) ). No matter what method I choose I sit down with two pieces of paper, one for a list of recipes and one for the grocery list. On the list of recipes I'll note what cookbook the recipe is in and what page it is on. For recipes I print I clip them to the menu.
Another tip that I've found helpful is to note in the cookbook if the recipe was something we liked, something I made changes to, or if we didn't care for the recipe. This has saved me time because I can skip over any recipes that I've already noted that we don't like.
Over the past couple of years we have started getting a vegetable share from a local farm. The day before we go to get our share I get an e-mail with a list of what will most likely be in our share. I use this list as a guide for choosing recipes. I also have some basics on hand that I can put together in many different ways.
As you can see, this process is very adaptable but will certainly minimize those times of staring into the fridge or cabinet trying to figure out what to make. Also, if you have a busy day planned you can plan a quick or easy meal for that day, cutting down on a lot of stress.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Frugality Idea: Having Fun (with a Spiritual twist) :)
It's fun to see how seemingly random things are used by God. A few weeks ago some ladies online and I decided to do a Bible study together. We all have children who are 2 1/2 (with many of us having other children also). We settled on the book "The Power of a Positive Mom" by Karol Ladd. I was unfamiliar with this author but liked the summary. We have only done 3 chapters so far but I'm really enjoying this study. Not only has it been a great study on parenting; the author encourages you to focus on a verse or verses from your reading to memorize.
In my post on frugality I had mentioned one of my priorities was to Have fun! Some of the ways I had listed to achieve this was to do crafts, etc. Well, this week in "The Power of a Positive Mom" we were encouraged to foster our children's natural, God-given gifts. Showing that their talents come from God and all they have is to be used for God's glory. Chapter 3 focused on speaking encouragement to our children. One quote that caught my eye was "We can use Scripture to encourage our children as well. We can compliment them on demonstrating the same kind of loyalty that Ruth showed toward Naomi or on being a good friend like Jonathan was to David" (pg 46). The author also asked us to look for those things that really capture our children's interest. What they love to do!
I had an idea in mind but wanted to see if the kids would really be interested. As soon as I told them my idea they loved it and off we went. Here is what we did. I let them choose a Bible story for us to read together. They both chose the story of Zaccheaus. So I pulled out my Bible and read, then I asked them the following questions:
1) Why didn't people like Zaccheaus? He had cheated them, been unkind.
2) What example did Jesus show to the crowds? He showed love for someone who wasn't very loveable..He lived out "love your enemies"
3) What happened when Jesus went to Zaccheaus' house? He believed and was saved.
4) What can we learn from Jesus? That no matter how unkind someone is we still need to be kind and to show them God's love. We don't know what is in their heart and they may just be waiting for someone to show them God's love before they will believe.
5) What can we learn from Zaccheaus? When we realize we have sinned we need to repent and turn from our sin. Zaccheaus didn't just say he was sorry he actively showed the change in his heart.
While we were discussing these questions Ethan was drawing and coloring a storyboard/background of what happened (he did two, one of when Jesus saw Zaccheaus in the tree and one of Zaccheaus' house). Ethan loves to draw and is very artistic. He also decided to build two Lego figures to place in front of the background (to act out the story). Hailey loves anything musical and will often write little songs so her task was to write a song about what happened. She was very excited to do this.
Not only did this activity give the opportunity for spiritual discussion but it also highlighted their talents, was a lot of fun for them and was free! I'm certainly planning to do this again in the near future.
In my post on frugality I had mentioned one of my priorities was to Have fun! Some of the ways I had listed to achieve this was to do crafts, etc. Well, this week in "The Power of a Positive Mom" we were encouraged to foster our children's natural, God-given gifts. Showing that their talents come from God and all they have is to be used for God's glory. Chapter 3 focused on speaking encouragement to our children. One quote that caught my eye was "We can use Scripture to encourage our children as well. We can compliment them on demonstrating the same kind of loyalty that Ruth showed toward Naomi or on being a good friend like Jonathan was to David" (pg 46). The author also asked us to look for those things that really capture our children's interest. What they love to do!
I had an idea in mind but wanted to see if the kids would really be interested. As soon as I told them my idea they loved it and off we went. Here is what we did. I let them choose a Bible story for us to read together. They both chose the story of Zaccheaus. So I pulled out my Bible and read, then I asked them the following questions:
1) Why didn't people like Zaccheaus? He had cheated them, been unkind.
2) What example did Jesus show to the crowds? He showed love for someone who wasn't very loveable..He lived out "love your enemies"
3) What happened when Jesus went to Zaccheaus' house? He believed and was saved.
4) What can we learn from Jesus? That no matter how unkind someone is we still need to be kind and to show them God's love. We don't know what is in their heart and they may just be waiting for someone to show them God's love before they will believe.
5) What can we learn from Zaccheaus? When we realize we have sinned we need to repent and turn from our sin. Zaccheaus didn't just say he was sorry he actively showed the change in his heart.
While we were discussing these questions Ethan was drawing and coloring a storyboard/background of what happened (he did two, one of when Jesus saw Zaccheaus in the tree and one of Zaccheaus' house). Ethan loves to draw and is very artistic. He also decided to build two Lego figures to place in front of the background (to act out the story). Hailey loves anything musical and will often write little songs so her task was to write a song about what happened. She was very excited to do this.
Not only did this activity give the opportunity for spiritual discussion but it also highlighted their talents, was a lot of fun for them and was free! I'm certainly planning to do this again in the near future.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
One Thousand Gifts
Isn't it amazing that the most simple of ideas can be the most profound and life-altering. The book "One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are" by Ann Voskamp is just such a thing. A dear friend of mine gave me a copy of this book one day at church with a note saying how much she had been encouraged by it's message. On the ride home I decided to flip thru the first few pages. I was immediately pulled in by her style of writing and by her open and honest journey to discover what gratitude really is all about.
What does gratitude look like in our daily lives? Are we truly thankful for what God has given us? Do we even see all that He has blessed us with? The author is challenged to write out 1000 gifts that God has given her. As she moves thru the process of listing these gifts her perspective on the things around her, even the most minute things, is changed.
I know many people who have started gratitude journals. I've never been one to keep up with a journal but am definitely a list keeper so I loved the idea of a simple list. I have started this list and have been finding myself looking for those gifts. Looking for those things that I take for granted or overlook in the busyness of life; and when I see one...slowing down to truly appreciate and thank God for his love and care. It's amazing how when you are focused on nourishing an "attitude of gratitude" so many other areas of your life are affected. I am reminded over and over of how limited my sight is, how skewed my perspective is and how perfect God's plans are.
Another of the challenges, which the author echoes from Scripture, is to give thanks in all circumstances ("in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18). God's deep desire is for us to give thanks no matter what we face because our thanksgiving shows that we are trusting Him, that we truly believe He is good and His plans are good, that we can see beyond the temporal, to His eternal purposes. Whether or not we understand the "whys" we can thank Him that everything he allows into our lives He will work for good (Romans 8:28) and that each circumstance we face is leading us further along in the perfect plans that God has for each one of us (Jeremiah 29:11).
What does gratitude look like in our daily lives? Are we truly thankful for what God has given us? Do we even see all that He has blessed us with? The author is challenged to write out 1000 gifts that God has given her. As she moves thru the process of listing these gifts her perspective on the things around her, even the most minute things, is changed.
I know many people who have started gratitude journals. I've never been one to keep up with a journal but am definitely a list keeper so I loved the idea of a simple list. I have started this list and have been finding myself looking for those gifts. Looking for those things that I take for granted or overlook in the busyness of life; and when I see one...slowing down to truly appreciate and thank God for his love and care. It's amazing how when you are focused on nourishing an "attitude of gratitude" so many other areas of your life are affected. I am reminded over and over of how limited my sight is, how skewed my perspective is and how perfect God's plans are.
Another of the challenges, which the author echoes from Scripture, is to give thanks in all circumstances ("in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18). God's deep desire is for us to give thanks no matter what we face because our thanksgiving shows that we are trusting Him, that we truly believe He is good and His plans are good, that we can see beyond the temporal, to His eternal purposes. Whether or not we understand the "whys" we can thank Him that everything he allows into our lives He will work for good (Romans 8:28) and that each circumstance we face is leading us further along in the perfect plans that God has for each one of us (Jeremiah 29:11).
Jesus, our greatest example, showed this attitude at His darkest hour:
I Corinthians 11:23-25 "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you:
that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and
when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is
broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took
the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood."
"Facing the abandonment of God Himself (does it get any worse than this?), Jesus offers thanksgiving for even that which will break Him and crush Him and wound Him and yield a bounty of joy." (pg 36)
There are countless blessings that God gives each day, we must simply slow down, be still and truly see.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Figuring out frugality
I know, I know it seems like every blogger in the universe is posting about ways to be frugal. So why do a post on frugality? Well, I've read many of those blog posts and have tried many of their suggestions only to get discouraged when I don't save 90% on my grocery bill by using coupons or because I don't have a chest freezer full of meals all ready to just heat & eat. I would find myself questioning if I was just not being a good steward of the resources God has provided or if I really was just too dense to figure it all out. Then I had a lightbulb moment. The problem was that I was trying all these great ideas that worked for their families. That were based on the priorities they had for their homes. I wanted to be a good steward but had never taken the time to figure out what the priorities for our home were.
I began figuring out these priorities by thinking back over conversations with my husband and trips to the grocery store where he tagged along. Some questions I considered were:
What did he choose to buy? Why?
What things did he have me choose differently?
What do I desire for my family?
What do my kids prefer?
What is our schedule like?
How much time can I dedicate to being frugal (let's face it clipping coupons, cooking meals for a month, even just checking the latest ads can take a huge chunk of time)?
Most important of all, how could I use frugality to show God's love to my family?
After answering these questions, these are the priorities that I've determined. Again, your answers will be different but here are mine (I'm hoping to do blog posts, in the near future, for each of these ideas):
Priority:
Spending time with my family.
Frugal ideas to achieve this:
Meal plan
Cleaning schedule/plan
Cook with the kids.
Use natural cleaners such as vinegar & baking soda so the kids can help clean without being exposed to chemicals.
Priority:
Use high quality foods, organic if possible.
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Join CSA
Buy in bulk
Use rewards programs or coupons.
Stock up on marked down meats.
Eat less meat.
Priority:
Teach our kids the joy of a job well done & service to others.
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Make family favorites. Think about what family members like and surprise them with a treat.
Make homemade versions of favorite store bought treats.
Make cleaning fun!!
Make surprises for family members (cards, pictures, etc.) or surprise them by serving them in some way.
Priority:
Have fun!
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Crafts
Puppet shows
Acting out Bible stories
Playing in our own private "park" (backyard)
So those are my frugality priorities and some ideas to achieve those goals. What are yours?
I began figuring out these priorities by thinking back over conversations with my husband and trips to the grocery store where he tagged along. Some questions I considered were:
What did he choose to buy? Why?
What things did he have me choose differently?
What do I desire for my family?
What do my kids prefer?
What is our schedule like?
How much time can I dedicate to being frugal (let's face it clipping coupons, cooking meals for a month, even just checking the latest ads can take a huge chunk of time)?
Most important of all, how could I use frugality to show God's love to my family?
After answering these questions, these are the priorities that I've determined. Again, your answers will be different but here are mine (I'm hoping to do blog posts, in the near future, for each of these ideas):
Priority:
Spending time with my family.
Frugal ideas to achieve this:
Meal plan
Cleaning schedule/plan
Cook with the kids.
Use natural cleaners such as vinegar & baking soda so the kids can help clean without being exposed to chemicals.
Priority:
Use high quality foods, organic if possible.
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Join CSA
Buy in bulk
Use rewards programs or coupons.
Stock up on marked down meats.
Eat less meat.
Priority:
Teach our kids the joy of a job well done & service to others.
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Make family favorites. Think about what family members like and surprise them with a treat.
Make homemade versions of favorite store bought treats.
Make cleaning fun!!
Make surprises for family members (cards, pictures, etc.) or surprise them by serving them in some way.
Priority:
Have fun!
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Crafts
Puppet shows
Acting out Bible stories
Playing in our own private "park" (backyard)
So those are my frugality priorities and some ideas to achieve those goals. What are yours?
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Lemon, Lemon, Lemon...
This seems to be the theme for many blogs lately. I love anything lemon and I noticed that a lot of the blogs I frequent had posts about lemons. Of course, this meant that I had to make something lemon. But what to make....
I love the lemon loaf that Starbucks sells so I decided to do a google search for Lemon pound cake recipes. I found one titled Starbucks Lemon Pound Cake; a very promising start. Now, the pound cake is typically served with a lemon glaze (which is also delicious, and the recipe is included at the bottom of the cake recipe) but I wanted to do something a little different.
Mrs. T over at Across My Kitchen Table had recently blogged about a lemon curd that is made in the microwave. Now, let me pause here to say that I'm a cooking snob when it comes to the microwave. The idea of using my microwave for anything other than melting butter or reheating something is just not appealing to me. However, after reading Mrs. T's praise for this recipe (and knowing first hand that Mrs. T. is an excellent cook and would not give high marks to any recipe that didn't measure up) I decided to try the recipe she linked to titled Microwave Lemon Curd. I followed the recipe exactly and it is incredible. Seriously addicting and so easy to make (it took 3 min to cook in my microwave).
So, now that I had this incredible lemon curd I decided to slice the pound cake horizontally into 3 layers and slather a generous layer of curd between each layer. I chose to serve the cake without any further additions but you certainly could dust the cake generously with powdered sugar or even use the glaze as well.
This cake came out so moist and full of lemon flavor, definitely recipes that will be added to my recipe binder (another great idea from Mrs. T. that I'll blog more about later). If you love lemon this is a great combination. Enjoy! :)
I love the lemon loaf that Starbucks sells so I decided to do a google search for Lemon pound cake recipes. I found one titled Starbucks Lemon Pound Cake; a very promising start. Now, the pound cake is typically served with a lemon glaze (which is also delicious, and the recipe is included at the bottom of the cake recipe) but I wanted to do something a little different.
Mrs. T over at Across My Kitchen Table had recently blogged about a lemon curd that is made in the microwave. Now, let me pause here to say that I'm a cooking snob when it comes to the microwave. The idea of using my microwave for anything other than melting butter or reheating something is just not appealing to me. However, after reading Mrs. T's praise for this recipe (and knowing first hand that Mrs. T. is an excellent cook and would not give high marks to any recipe that didn't measure up) I decided to try the recipe she linked to titled Microwave Lemon Curd. I followed the recipe exactly and it is incredible. Seriously addicting and so easy to make (it took 3 min to cook in my microwave).
So, now that I had this incredible lemon curd I decided to slice the pound cake horizontally into 3 layers and slather a generous layer of curd between each layer. I chose to serve the cake without any further additions but you certainly could dust the cake generously with powdered sugar or even use the glaze as well.
This cake came out so moist and full of lemon flavor, definitely recipes that will be added to my recipe binder (another great idea from Mrs. T. that I'll blog more about later). If you love lemon this is a great combination. Enjoy! :)
Sunday, April 3, 2011
No I have not forgotten...
...about my blog. The past several weeks have been somewhat of a soul-searching time for me. I still don't have the answers but I do have a few blog posts swimming around in my head. My problem is that I don't type nearly as fast as I talk or think so I tend to lose track of my thoughts before getting them down. After telling Matt of my dilemma he has given me some suggestions for organizing my thoughts so I'm hoping to get those posts written and some posted soon. In the mean time here's a yummy sandwich that I came up with this week.
It all started with a craving for a Turkey Artichoke panini from Panera bread. Since it's rather inconvenient to go to the closest Panera bread I decided to try and come up with something similar at home. While not the same it was nevertheless very tasty.
Turkey, Artichoke & Tomato-Pesto sandwich:
1TB sun dried tomato pesto
1TB mayo
3-4 canned artichoke hearts drained and smooshed
1 slice cheese of choice*
2 slices turkey breast
1 foccacia roll sliced in half
Mix together pesto, mayo and artichoke hearts. Divide evenly between pieces of foccacia and spread. top with 1/2 slice cheese, turkey, 1/2 slice cheese and other side of bread. Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat, place in skillet and weight down with another skillet (I also added a large, heavy can on top for added weight/pressure). Cook until toasted, turn and cook until second side is toasted.
Simple, easy and very yummy. The basic technique can be used for any type of sandwich.
*I used American cheese since that is what I had on hand. Also feel free to use more cheese, I need to limit my dairy intake so one slice was fine for me.
It all started with a craving for a Turkey Artichoke panini from Panera bread. Since it's rather inconvenient to go to the closest Panera bread I decided to try and come up with something similar at home. While not the same it was nevertheless very tasty.
Turkey, Artichoke & Tomato-Pesto sandwich:
1TB sun dried tomato pesto
1TB mayo
3-4 canned artichoke hearts drained and smooshed
1 slice cheese of choice*
2 slices turkey breast
1 foccacia roll sliced in half
Mix together pesto, mayo and artichoke hearts. Divide evenly between pieces of foccacia and spread. top with 1/2 slice cheese, turkey, 1/2 slice cheese and other side of bread. Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat, place in skillet and weight down with another skillet (I also added a large, heavy can on top for added weight/pressure). Cook until toasted, turn and cook until second side is toasted.
Simple, easy and very yummy. The basic technique can be used for any type of sandwich.
*I used American cheese since that is what I had on hand. Also feel free to use more cheese, I need to limit my dairy intake so one slice was fine for me.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A bit of craftiness
I wanted to share some of the crafts I have made recently. I was waiting a bit to share since two of these were birthday gifts. :)
A scarf for my niece
Yoda that I made for Ethan
These were fun projects to make. The animals were made using the amigurumi technique. All of these patterns can be found for free on Crochet Pattern Central
A scarf for my niece
Monkey for my nephew
Elephant that I crocheted for a Valentine's Day exchange
Yoda that I made for Ethan
These were fun projects to make. The animals were made using the amigurumi technique. All of these patterns can be found for free on Crochet Pattern Central
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A very important PSA: "They" have changed the calendar
I have a very important Public Service Announcement. I was first alerted thru the mail that someone has changed the calendar. Let me explain.
I recently received a re-registration form for the school where my children attend. On this form, they stated that in the next school year I would have one child in 2nd grade and one in 1st grade. That immediately raised a red flag, there is no way that could be possible.
If the year were really 2011 that would mean the following, this year:
- I have been out of high school for 15 years
- I have been out of college 13 years
- Matt & I have been married for almost 9 years (which we all know is ridiculous since we are obviously still newlyweds, I mean come on, who is still having this much fun after being married for 9 years)
- Our children are 7 years (again ridiculous, we were just in CO telling friends that we had just found out the previous day we were expecting our first child), almost 6 (again, crazy), 2 1/2 and almost 1 year old.
So you see, in light of this overwhelming evidence I have concluded that someone has changed the calendar and am requesting that it immediately be reset to the proper year. Thank you!
I recently received a re-registration form for the school where my children attend. On this form, they stated that in the next school year I would have one child in 2nd grade and one in 1st grade. That immediately raised a red flag, there is no way that could be possible.
If the year were really 2011 that would mean the following, this year:
- I have been out of high school for 15 years
- I have been out of college 13 years
- Matt & I have been married for almost 9 years (which we all know is ridiculous since we are obviously still newlyweds, I mean come on, who is still having this much fun after being married for 9 years)
- Our children are 7 years (again ridiculous, we were just in CO telling friends that we had just found out the previous day we were expecting our first child), almost 6 (again, crazy), 2 1/2 and almost 1 year old.
So you see, in light of this overwhelming evidence I have concluded that someone has changed the calendar and am requesting that it immediately be reset to the proper year. Thank you!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Books!
I love books! Recently I've been trying to go thru and read all of those random books on my shelves that I just haven't gotten to before now. I really wanted to share quickly about the two most recent books I've read. While the theme was almost the same the books were quite different.
The first book I read was "Heaven at Home: Establishing and Enjoying a Peaceful Home" by Ginger Plowman. I had never heard of Ginger Plowman before finding this book; I am definitely looking forward to reading more of her work. Her style is very comfortable, like you are sitting with a good friend, but also filled with much wisdom and practical application. Each chapter in this book is dedicated to one aspect of a home, starting with your relationship with God. She then goes thru topics such as your marriage, in-laws, children and then to household tasks such as organization, housekeeping and hospitality.
I tend to underline while reading books and this book definitely has a lot of underlining. She had many Biblical principles and also many simple, practical ways that can help daily routines to run more smoothly. One big thing that I really appreciated was when there was a topic (such as how she schedules her day) that doesn't have scriptural basis she always stressed that these ideas are what has worked for her but that it was not God's Word so not to feel bad if it was something that just would not work in the readers life/home.
The book also included some great ideas for encouraging unity with your children. One idea that I have since implemented (and has seemed to at least make my kids stop and think) is the truth that they are each others best friends. When they are not being kind I'll ask if they are treating each other as a friend? Would they treat their other friends the same way? In many cases (not all ;) ) just asking those questions helps them to realize their own attitude and change their behavior.
The second book I recently read was an easy fun read "The Duggars: 20 and Counting" . It was fun to read how they have adapted their home to meet the very different needs of running such a large household. I really appreciated them sharing how they try to focus on character qualities no matter what the task.
One example shared is how that they focus on teaching about self-control while potty training and using the fact that God designed our bodies to give us warnings so that we know when to head to the bathroom, avoiding an "accident". They went on to share how that as their kids get older they refer back to that illustration when their children are tempted to exhibit a lack of self-control and how that God has given us a warning system (our conscience) and also a way of escape (I Corinthians 10:13) and that self-control heeds those warnings and makes the escape, avoiding "accidents".
The first book I read was "Heaven at Home: Establishing and Enjoying a Peaceful Home" by Ginger Plowman. I had never heard of Ginger Plowman before finding this book; I am definitely looking forward to reading more of her work. Her style is very comfortable, like you are sitting with a good friend, but also filled with much wisdom and practical application. Each chapter in this book is dedicated to one aspect of a home, starting with your relationship with God. She then goes thru topics such as your marriage, in-laws, children and then to household tasks such as organization, housekeeping and hospitality.
I tend to underline while reading books and this book definitely has a lot of underlining. She had many Biblical principles and also many simple, practical ways that can help daily routines to run more smoothly. One big thing that I really appreciated was when there was a topic (such as how she schedules her day) that doesn't have scriptural basis she always stressed that these ideas are what has worked for her but that it was not God's Word so not to feel bad if it was something that just would not work in the readers life/home.
The book also included some great ideas for encouraging unity with your children. One idea that I have since implemented (and has seemed to at least make my kids stop and think) is the truth that they are each others best friends. When they are not being kind I'll ask if they are treating each other as a friend? Would they treat their other friends the same way? In many cases (not all ;) ) just asking those questions helps them to realize their own attitude and change their behavior.
The second book I recently read was an easy fun read "The Duggars: 20 and Counting" . It was fun to read how they have adapted their home to meet the very different needs of running such a large household. I really appreciated them sharing how they try to focus on character qualities no matter what the task.
One example shared is how that they focus on teaching about self-control while potty training and using the fact that God designed our bodies to give us warnings so that we know when to head to the bathroom, avoiding an "accident". They went on to share how that as their kids get older they refer back to that illustration when their children are tempted to exhibit a lack of self-control and how that God has given us a warning system (our conscience) and also a way of escape (I Corinthians 10:13) and that self-control heeds those warnings and makes the escape, avoiding "accidents".
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Evolution of a recipe... UPDATE (and another yummy treat)
First, I wanted to say a huge Thank you to everyone who responded with their thoughts and ideas. I think I've finally gotten the recipe figured out and wanted to share. I made a batch of the Healthy Hermits the other day. While not exactly the same the texture is very close to the store bought ones. Here is the updated recipe with some more details at the end.
Healthy Hermits:
1 1/2 cup raisin paste (I soak raisins in hot water and then puree them)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (or sucanat)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 eggs
1 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole grain flour *
1 cup oats
1/4 cup almonds or walnuts chopped fine
2 TB sunflower seeds
2 TB poppy seeds
1/4 cup flax seed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves OR nutmeg
Mix all wet ingredients. In separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into greased 15 X 10 inch pan. Bake at 350 until done 15-17 minutes. (start checking at 15 minutes!!) Cool, cut into bars. Approx. 3 dozen (depending on how big you cut them).
When these baked up there was some air trapped under under the batter so mine had some "mountains" but I just poked them with a knife to release the steam and it worked fine (they fell correctly and once cooled you couldn't tell). I also ran out of ground cloves so I substituted nutmeg. The flavor was still really great.
...and now for another treat :)
Right before Valentine's day I was trying to decide what to make for the kids to bring in for their classmates. My sister in law posted on Facebook a link to a recipe for Red Velvet whoopie pies. I thought they would work great for a Valentine's treat. After looking over the recipe (found here) I decided that I wanted to change things up a bit.
I generally don't like making whoopie pies because the idea of using that much shortening just bothers me and I just find it gross :) I really liked this recipe because it used butter rather than shortening and only used 1/2 cup in the cakes and 1/2 cup in the filling (much better than the full cup of shortening, just in the filling, that I'd seen in other recipes).
My only real issue with the McCormick recipe was that the recipe called for a whole bottle of red food coloring. I don't like using artificial ingredients when I cook and so the idea of dumping a whole bottle (yes, I realize it's only 1 oz) into perfectly good cake batter bothered me. I was sure I could find a better alternative.
While thinking over my options (and doing some searching on Google) I remembered that I had a bag of frozen raspberries. YAY! I ended up making two minor changes to this recipe that really worked well.
First, I thawed the raspberries and drained them (saving the juice). Then I used 2 TB (1 oz) of the juice in place of the red food coloring (please note: this did not color the batter red but I needed to replace the fluid in the recipe and the raspberry juice worked for that). For the filling I left out the vanilla and added 2 TB (I started with 1 but really needed the second one) of the raspberries to the filling. I whisked it all together in the mixer and filled them as normal. While the cakes were not red, the filling was a great shade of pink and still fit the bill for a Valentine treat.
These really were the best whoopie pies I'd ever had. The raspberry flavor is strong enough and really goes well with the chocolate. I'll definitely be making these again and will probably try some other variations in the future.
Why share all these recipe adventures? I want to encourage you to not be afraid to change things up. I rarely follow a recipe exactly. Once you begin changing recipes and substituting ingredients you'll learn what does and doesn't work. This knowledge has saved me a lot of last minute trips out for one or two ingredients, has been very useful now that I have two children with food allergies to very common foods (apples and tomatoes), and it's fun! Just one note of "caution" make sure to note (either mentally or on paper) what changes you make so that you can recreate the dishes that you really love. Happy Baking!
Healthy Hermits:
1 1/2 cup raisin paste (I soak raisins in hot water and then puree them)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (or sucanat)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 eggs
1 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole grain flour *
1 cup oats
1/4 cup almonds or walnuts chopped fine
2 TB sunflower seeds
2 TB poppy seeds
1/4 cup flax seed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves OR nutmeg
Mix all wet ingredients. In separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into greased 15 X 10 inch pan. Bake at 350 until done 15-17 minutes. (start checking at 15 minutes!!) Cool, cut into bars. Approx. 3 dozen (depending on how big you cut them).
When these baked up there was some air trapped under under the batter so mine had some "mountains" but I just poked them with a knife to release the steam and it worked fine (they fell correctly and once cooled you couldn't tell). I also ran out of ground cloves so I substituted nutmeg. The flavor was still really great.
...and now for another treat :)
Right before Valentine's day I was trying to decide what to make for the kids to bring in for their classmates. My sister in law posted on Facebook a link to a recipe for Red Velvet whoopie pies. I thought they would work great for a Valentine's treat. After looking over the recipe (found here) I decided that I wanted to change things up a bit.
I generally don't like making whoopie pies because the idea of using that much shortening just bothers me and I just find it gross :) I really liked this recipe because it used butter rather than shortening and only used 1/2 cup in the cakes and 1/2 cup in the filling (much better than the full cup of shortening, just in the filling, that I'd seen in other recipes).
My only real issue with the McCormick recipe was that the recipe called for a whole bottle of red food coloring. I don't like using artificial ingredients when I cook and so the idea of dumping a whole bottle (yes, I realize it's only 1 oz) into perfectly good cake batter bothered me. I was sure I could find a better alternative.
While thinking over my options (and doing some searching on Google) I remembered that I had a bag of frozen raspberries. YAY! I ended up making two minor changes to this recipe that really worked well.
First, I thawed the raspberries and drained them (saving the juice). Then I used 2 TB (1 oz) of the juice in place of the red food coloring (please note: this did not color the batter red but I needed to replace the fluid in the recipe and the raspberry juice worked for that). For the filling I left out the vanilla and added 2 TB (I started with 1 but really needed the second one) of the raspberries to the filling. I whisked it all together in the mixer and filled them as normal. While the cakes were not red, the filling was a great shade of pink and still fit the bill for a Valentine treat.
These really were the best whoopie pies I'd ever had. The raspberry flavor is strong enough and really goes well with the chocolate. I'll definitely be making these again and will probably try some other variations in the future.
Why share all these recipe adventures? I want to encourage you to not be afraid to change things up. I rarely follow a recipe exactly. Once you begin changing recipes and substituting ingredients you'll learn what does and doesn't work. This knowledge has saved me a lot of last minute trips out for one or two ingredients, has been very useful now that I have two children with food allergies to very common foods (apples and tomatoes), and it's fun! Just one note of "caution" make sure to note (either mentally or on paper) what changes you make so that you can recreate the dishes that you really love. Happy Baking!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Evolution of a recipe..and some input needed
I've been trying to recreate a store bought cookie bar and have almost succeeded. I'll explain below and am also hoping for some tips from you all to help me achieve the consistency I'm looking for.
So, this all started when I tasted a bar cookie during refreshment time at church. They were delicious and I could tell had some healthier ingredients in them. I could see sunflower and poppy seeds throughout the bars and was intrigued. I'm always looking for healthier, easy snacks to send in the kids lunchboxes.
I asked the lady who brings in and organizes the refreshments what they were. They are called "Healthy Hermits" and she had bought them from a local grocery store. She explained that all the ingredients were "normal" and ones that I probably had on hand. I tore off the ingredient list from the package (with permission of course :) ) and set out to recreate these at home. Side note: the stores version is almost $5 for a plastic tub container and I knew that I could make them for much less.
My first batch came out more like a cake. We all thought it tasted good but I had cooked the batter in a 9 X 13 pan, which turned out to be much too small and thus created a thick cake. The texture was also much drier than I wanted and a bit too light. The ones I had had at church were very moist and dense.
I made some changes to the second batch and cooked it in a jelly roll pan. These came out better but still weren't quite as moist and dense as I was hoping. So, now I'm getting ready to make a third batch (they really are quite tasty :) and have worked well as snacks) but am somewhat at a loss as to what changes to make.
I'll post the recipe and then my thoughts of what might work to achieve the desired texture, again, any input would be really appreciated.
Healthy Hermits:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole grain flour *
1 cup raisin paste (I soak raisins in hot water and then puree them)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (or sucanat)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup oats
1/4 cup almonds or walnuts chopped fine
2 TB sunflower seeds
2 TB poppy seeds
1/4 cup flax seed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
Cream sugars with oil. Add in eggs, raisin paste and vanilla. Mix. In separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into greased 15 X 10 inch pan. Bake at 350 until done 15-20 minutes.
*the original recipe called for malted barley flour, I had 6-grain flour on hand so that is what I used.
Here are my thoughts on getting a more dense, moist texture.
Increasing the raisin paste to 1 1/2 cups
Decreasing the eggs to 1
Decreasing the all purpose flour to 1 cup
Heating the sugars, oil and raisin paste to dissolve the sugars & honey before adding in the dry ingredients.
So, this all started when I tasted a bar cookie during refreshment time at church. They were delicious and I could tell had some healthier ingredients in them. I could see sunflower and poppy seeds throughout the bars and was intrigued. I'm always looking for healthier, easy snacks to send in the kids lunchboxes.
I asked the lady who brings in and organizes the refreshments what they were. They are called "Healthy Hermits" and she had bought them from a local grocery store. She explained that all the ingredients were "normal" and ones that I probably had on hand. I tore off the ingredient list from the package (with permission of course :) ) and set out to recreate these at home. Side note: the stores version is almost $5 for a plastic tub container and I knew that I could make them for much less.
My first batch came out more like a cake. We all thought it tasted good but I had cooked the batter in a 9 X 13 pan, which turned out to be much too small and thus created a thick cake. The texture was also much drier than I wanted and a bit too light. The ones I had had at church were very moist and dense.
I made some changes to the second batch and cooked it in a jelly roll pan. These came out better but still weren't quite as moist and dense as I was hoping. So, now I'm getting ready to make a third batch (they really are quite tasty :) and have worked well as snacks) but am somewhat at a loss as to what changes to make.
I'll post the recipe and then my thoughts of what might work to achieve the desired texture, again, any input would be really appreciated.
Healthy Hermits:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole grain flour *
1 cup raisin paste (I soak raisins in hot water and then puree them)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (or sucanat)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup oats
1/4 cup almonds or walnuts chopped fine
2 TB sunflower seeds
2 TB poppy seeds
1/4 cup flax seed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
Cream sugars with oil. Add in eggs, raisin paste and vanilla. Mix. In separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into greased 15 X 10 inch pan. Bake at 350 until done 15-20 minutes.
*the original recipe called for malted barley flour, I had 6-grain flour on hand so that is what I used.
Here are my thoughts on getting a more dense, moist texture.
Increasing the raisin paste to 1 1/2 cups
Decreasing the eggs to 1
Decreasing the all purpose flour to 1 cup
Heating the sugars, oil and raisin paste to dissolve the sugars & honey before adding in the dry ingredients.
Monday, January 24, 2011
What it's REALLY all about...
I'm actually doing 3 studies consecutively right now. Two on my own and one as part of a group Bible study. They are on three completely different topics yet it is a blessing to see many of the same Truths from God's Word applied in each one of these.
One Truth that I have been challenged by is the fact that while Jesus died for us on the cross, and we can receive the gift of eternal life thru His sacrifice, His ultimate purpose was to glorify His Father. The cross (and everything else in this world) is not ultimately about us; it is all for the glory of God. Is this how I'm living my life? Is my focus in all that I do (including even the basics of housecleaning) to glorify God? Or am I living my life focusing mainly on myself?
This thought reminded me of the song "Much of you" by Stephen Curtis Chapman here are the lyrics....
One Truth that I have been challenged by is the fact that while Jesus died for us on the cross, and we can receive the gift of eternal life thru His sacrifice, His ultimate purpose was to glorify His Father. The cross (and everything else in this world) is not ultimately about us; it is all for the glory of God. Is this how I'm living my life? Is my focus in all that I do (including even the basics of housecleaning) to glorify God? Or am I living my life focusing mainly on myself?
This thought reminded me of the song "Much of you" by Stephen Curtis Chapman here are the lyrics....
How could I stand here
And watch the sun rise
Follow the mountains
Where they touch the sky
Ponder the vastness
And the depths of the sea
And think for a moment
The point of it all was to make much of me
Cause I'm just a whisper
And You are the thunder and
I want to make much of You, Jesus
I want to make much of Your love
I want to live today to give You the praise
That You alone are so worthy of
I want to make much of Your mercy
I want to make much of Your cross
I give You my life
Take it and let it be used
To make much of You
And how can I kneel here
And think of the cross
The thorns and the whip and the nails and the spear
The infinite cost
To purchase my pardon
And bear all my shame
To think I have anything worth boasting in except for Your name
Cause I am a sinner
And You are the Savior
I want to make much of You, Jesus
I want to make much of Your love
I want to live today to give You the praise
That You alone are so worthy of
I want to make much of Your mercy
I want to make much of Your cross
I give You my life
Take it and let it be used
To make much of You
This is Your love, oh God
Not to make much of me
But to send Your own son
So that we could make much of You
For all eternity
I want to make much of You Jesus
I want to make much of Your love
I want to live today to give You the praise
That You alone are so worthy of
I want to make much of Your mercy
I want to make much of Your cross
I give You my life
Take it and let it be used
To make much of You
I want to make much of You
Much of You Jesus
Monday, January 17, 2011
Thoughts for 2011
As I think of what I want for this year there are some things from last year that I want to continue and others that I want to ammend. Here is a short list of my goals for this year.
Blogging - While I loved the idea of using my blog to keep accountable in my Bible study I think I was a bit too ambitious on just what I wanted from those posts. This year I would like to once again use this for accountability but on a smaller scale. My goal is to post once a week; however rather than doing a long overview post I will post one or two simple truths, quotes or verses that God has used that week in my life.
Crafting - I do want to keep the same goal as last year of at least one homemade gift (or useful item for our family/home) per month. This month, I have already crocheted a Yoda for my son and a birthday gift for one of our nieces.
Bible Study - My goal is to always have something going. I tend to get off track when I finish one study and am not quite sure where to go from there. I want to have a new study lined up before finishing the one I am working thru.
Family - My goal here is to be more engaged with my children. Many days I tend to get caught up in other things and not be intentional about spending time down on their level interacting in games, crafts, etc.
So there it is, my goals for 2011. There are many other areas that I could list but I'll just keep it to those four ;)
Blogging - While I loved the idea of using my blog to keep accountable in my Bible study I think I was a bit too ambitious on just what I wanted from those posts. This year I would like to once again use this for accountability but on a smaller scale. My goal is to post once a week; however rather than doing a long overview post I will post one or two simple truths, quotes or verses that God has used that week in my life.
Crafting - I do want to keep the same goal as last year of at least one homemade gift (or useful item for our family/home) per month. This month, I have already crocheted a Yoda for my son and a birthday gift for one of our nieces.
Bible Study - My goal is to always have something going. I tend to get off track when I finish one study and am not quite sure where to go from there. I want to have a new study lined up before finishing the one I am working thru.
Family - My goal here is to be more engaged with my children. Many days I tend to get caught up in other things and not be intentional about spending time down on their level interacting in games, crafts, etc.
So there it is, my goals for 2011. There are many other areas that I could list but I'll just keep it to those four ;)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
2010 In review
Wow, it's hard to believe that it has been over two months since I've posted on here. Time sure does get away from me. I wanted to give a quick review of 2010 in relation to how I did on my goals.
First, it's pretty clear to see that I didn't make the "once a week" blogging goal. I had good intentions with this but unfortunately those intentions didn't translate into actions.
As for my Bible study goals. I did pretty well with this. I read several books and did a few studies. I admit that towards the end of the year I did slack and I am prayerfully looking to improve on this in 2011.
For crafting goals. I didn't make my "project a month" goal but I have to say I'm quite pleased with all that I did accomplish. I made 3 crocheted dolls (for my nieces that were born in 2010) and one for Keira (since she kept trying to steal the other dolls I was making) :) I also made a couple birthday gifts and 7 pairs of slippers (4 as Christmas gifts and 2 for my own girls). Below are a couple pictures showing 3 of the slippers and all of the dolls I made:
While I didn't make all my goals I have to say that 2010 was a year of much growth for me. I learned so much about God, His mercy, grace & comfort as well as His perfect timing. I'm certainly hoping to experience much more growth this year and have already seen & experienced God working in my life this year. I have set some goals for 2011 and will try to post those either later today or tomorrow.
In closing, Carrie, over at Life on a Back Road asked what word her readers would use to describe their goals for 2011. My word would be diligence. Diligence in seeking after and learning about God, diligence in teaching my children, praying for them and enjoying them. Diligence in caring for my husband, family and home.
First, it's pretty clear to see that I didn't make the "once a week" blogging goal. I had good intentions with this but unfortunately those intentions didn't translate into actions.
As for my Bible study goals. I did pretty well with this. I read several books and did a few studies. I admit that towards the end of the year I did slack and I am prayerfully looking to improve on this in 2011.
For crafting goals. I didn't make my "project a month" goal but I have to say I'm quite pleased with all that I did accomplish. I made 3 crocheted dolls (for my nieces that were born in 2010) and one for Keira (since she kept trying to steal the other dolls I was making) :) I also made a couple birthday gifts and 7 pairs of slippers (4 as Christmas gifts and 2 for my own girls). Below are a couple pictures showing 3 of the slippers and all of the dolls I made:
While I didn't make all my goals I have to say that 2010 was a year of much growth for me. I learned so much about God, His mercy, grace & comfort as well as His perfect timing. I'm certainly hoping to experience much more growth this year and have already seen & experienced God working in my life this year. I have set some goals for 2011 and will try to post those either later today or tomorrow.
In closing, Carrie, over at Life on a Back Road asked what word her readers would use to describe their goals for 2011. My word would be diligence. Diligence in seeking after and learning about God, diligence in teaching my children, praying for them and enjoying them. Diligence in caring for my husband, family and home.
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