monday menu for this beautiful first full week of march in 2013

• ribs, rice, and corn
• BLTs w/ a side salad
• chicken tortilla soup
• chicken enchilladas w/ rice, and refried beans
• beef stew (new recipe) with rolls
• sloppy joes with oven fried potato-wedges

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31

shepherd's pie recipe spelled correctly

Shepherds Pie

recipe from Lori Gammon, thanks Lori!

2 1/2 lbs. of pototoes, peeled and cooked(we leave the skins on and just boil them and mash them. This is especially okay if you use red potatoes or yellow yukon ones)

1 to 1 1/2 cups (8 to 12 ounces) sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

2 lbs. ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion (we use a large whole onion, chopped)

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped (we love red pepper, so we use a really big one or two med. ones)

1 tsp. garlic salt (we use garlic powder or fresh minced garlic)

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 can (16 oz.) whole kernal corn, drained (you can use frozen as well. I would just cook before adding it to the casserole)

1/2 cup milk

2 Tab. butter, melted

chopped fresh parsley, optional (we don't use this)

Mash potatoes with sour cream. Add salt and pepper; set aside. In a skillet, cook beef, onion and red pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir garlic salt into meat mixture. Add soup, corn and milk; mix well. Spread meat mixture in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. top with mashed potatoes in a ring formation around the edge of the baking dish...so that meat mixture can still be seen in the middle; drizzle potatoes with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. For additional browning, place under the broiler for a few minutes....keep watch so it doesn't burn or brown too much. Sprinkle with parsley if desired. Yield 8 to 10 servings.

i had to google how to correctly spell shepherd... it just doesn't look right to me.  :)

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31

monday menu on sunday in february

shepard's pie (recipe to follow)
chinese food night:  orange chicken, fried rice, and egg drop soup
cp pork chops, mashed tatoes, and asparagus
hamburger stroganoff, cottage cheese, and peas
fried chicken, tator tots, and salad
baked potato soup w/ fresh baked bread

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31

do NOT trust your heart...

a common misconception taught especially to teenagers is "trust your heart, it won't mislead you."  when in a dilemma of what to do, especially an emotional one... or one involving relationships... you know, "where my head is telling me one thing and my heart is telling me something else..."
i'm sure you've heard it.  maybe you've even given the advice to others.
well, it's not true.  where do i base this disagreement?  on the Truth... Jesus says, "i am the way, the truth, and the life..." (john 14:6)  i base my disagreement on what the Bible says about our heart.

over and over in the bible, God warns us about our deceptive heart.  since the fall of man, we have to struggle through life fighting our sinful nature.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  ~Matthew 15: 19

For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.  ~Mark 7: 21-22

all the way back in genesis (6:5) The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.   (and then in 8:21), The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. (emphasis is mine)

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ~Jerimiah 17:9

 

when we are conflicted, the answer isn't "trust your heart".  when we are conflicted, the answer is "trust in GOD."

2 Cor. 10:3-4 gives us a great promise even though our inclinations are evil. 

For though we walk in the flesh, we ar not waging war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our wrafare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." 

we need to obey God's word and have confidence in it.  believe it, memorize it, read it, and pray it.  agressively pray!!! 

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ~1 John 4:4

 

 

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31

lots of thoughts in my head

there are lots of different ways to educate your young ones.  public, private, home, and unschooled are the popular choices in america.  -not necessarily in that order.  we have the choice of which we will educate our children.
i want to point out though, that they are just that --a choice.  they are DIFFERENT.  you may think that one choice may be better than another choice... and that's one thing that helps in our decision making.  however, please don't teach your kids that they are better than other kids because of that choice you make.  please don't teach your kids that they are smarter than other kids whose parents choose a different education option.  also, please don't think that because of your choice that you are a better parent than parents that choose a different option.
i am part of a group of ladies that gather together for encouragement in godly womanhood.  we study and glean from God's word.  a large majority of women in this group choose to home school their children.  sometimes i get the feeling that they think they are better women and/or better moms because of this.  sometimes i get the feeling that others that choose something different than homeschooling are lazy, uncaring parents.  just because i get these feelings, do i believe this?  well, a part of me believes that they do feel so empowered by controlling every choice their child makes, that they are the most caring parents out there.  a part of me believes that this control they have, makes them feel "higher" than other parents. 
i understand the different decisions though.  i truly believe that every decision has positives and negatives to it. 
i don't like to hear kids say things like, "i know this, that, and the other... 'cause i'm home schooled."  i don't like to hear, "you're weird, 'cause you're home schooled!" either.  i hate the saying, "well, you'll have to excuse my stupidity, i went to public school." 
the truth is, there are lots of different education choices just like there are lots of different learning styles.  some things that work for some people, don't work for others.  God made us all unique.  we are ALL different from each other! 

i have had an emotional last couple weeks.  maybe month.  my children's education spurs a lot of this emotion.  i'm posting this post to no one in particular and everyone, all at the same time.  please think about how your words influence your children's thoughts.  sometimes we, as adults, say something in jest --sarcastically.  our children hear those things and don't understand the humor.  a wise young lady once told me, "in every dose of sarcasm, there's 90% truth, with 10% smile trying to cover it up..."

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31

African Bean Soup

from my sweet, pregnant, darling sister Telcia.  thanks telch!

Makes 8 servings

Sweet potatoes and peanuts are familiar ingredients in many African cuisines. In this colorful soup they are combined with garbanzo beans and other vegetables and served over cooked rice.

¹/₂ cup water
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 onion, sliced
2 small sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
4 cups Vegetable Broth (see recipe) or water
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, undrained
¹/₂ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 - 2 teaspoon curry powder
4 cups cooked brown rice 

Heat water and soy sauce in a large pot. Add onion and sweet potatoes or yams and cook over high heat, stirring often, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add carrot, celery, and bell pepper. Cover and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add tomatoes, broth or water, beans and their liquid, cilantro, peanut butter, and curry powder. Stir to mix, then cover and simmer until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.

To serve, place 1/2 cup of cooked rice in a bowl and top it with a generous ladle of soup.

Per serving (1 cup soup over 1/2 cup rice)

• Calories: 279
• Fat: 5.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Calories from Fat: 18%
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Protein: 10.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 48.9 g
• Sugar: 6.2 g
• Fiber: 9 g
• Sodium: 472 mg
• Calcium: 80 mg
• Iron: 3.3 mg
• Vitamin C: 35.7 mg
• Beta Carotene: 3251 mcg
• Vitamin E: 1.8 mg

Source: Healthy Eating for Life for Women by Kristine Kieswer; recipe by Jennifer Raymond, M.S., R.D.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31

monday menu - on saturday this week

• homemade pizza - using my recipe-finding-place's recipe for the dough and the sauce.
• adobe chicken stew - a recipe i used a lot a few winters ago and forgot to put it back on my menu the next "soup season".
• baked potatoes with steamed broccoli and chili
• hamburger divan skillet - (hamburger cook book pg. 68)
• open-faced hamburger phillies - (hamburger cook book pg. 23)  *NEW*
• cheddar busicuit bbq
• Telcia's soup aka African Bean Soup - it's amazing!  i wasn't even very hungry when i tried it and i STILL loved it.  and... it's healthy.  (i'll post the recipe she gave me, 'cause i know you're all curious what african bean soup would consist of.  you're welcome.)

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31