Thursday, July 30, 2015

Apple Cinnamon Muffins (Grain-Free)


When our oldest son began having some health issues over four years ago, I began to research possible causes.  I began reading about gluten and the ways it can wreak havoc on our health.  So, we committed to do a gluten-free diet for three months and see if there was any difference.  The first few weeks we did not see a huge improvement, but by week 6, we started to see one.  By the end of the three months, it was obvious that gluten was causing the problem.

The more I have researched gluten, it has made me want to severely limit it for our entire family and exclusively for our son.
Gluten, the protein found in wheat, has also been modified into “super gluten” from its original form that has been linked to a whole host of health problems. The amount of gluten has actually been doubled in hybridized wheat. Gluten triggers inflammation system-wide which causes weight gain, diabetes, autoimmune disease, and multiple chronic diseases. In the digestive system,  gluten can actually damage the gut lining, triggering full-body inflammation and susceptibility to other bacteria or viruses crossing gut barrier. This syndrome is called “leaky gut” and can be a trigger for a variety of illnesses, especially autoimmune diseases. (Dr. Axe)
It is obvious that gluten can cause some pretty bad reactions.  In the very least, we should all limit our consumption of it. But it can be challenging to find alternatives when it comes to food like muffins, cookies, etc.  In my quest for a gluten free muffin, I wanted something that tasted good but that was also nutritional.  I have been making these, and we love them! Hope your family enjoys them too!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins (Grain and Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Almond Flour
6 Tbsp. Arrowroot or Tapioca Flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1 large egg
1/4 cup honey or coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 apple, diced
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients first.  Mix in wet ingredients.  Gently stir in diced apples and raisins.  Divide into muffin liners (makes 10-12 large muffins).  Bake for 23 minutes or until lightly browned.

Note: I have tried these with blueberries as well, and they're delicious!

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Starving Sin


Isn't it amazing how God can use our life experiences to speak to us?  Even the ones that seem so random, He can use to teach or remind us of an important life lesson.  Well, I experienced that recently from a bizarre (and slightly gross) experience.

One of Scott's brothers and his wife has an amazing little gift.  They can seek out houses that look awful, buy them at an incredible deal, and then flip them for profit.  By the time they're done, it doesn't even look like the same house. So, they found a house up for auction in the area and we decided to go with them to check it out.  We should have thought twice when the realtor gave us the code to get into the house.

As soon as we opened the door, the worst stench came out of the house.  It smelled like a house full of dogs and urine.  I won't go into more detail, but just filth.  So, we all walk in and glance at the house and walk right out.  We weren't in there for more than one minute.  As soon as we come out, however, I notice that my husband starts picking stuff off of his legs.  Fleas.  There were fleas on all of us.  Now, anyone who knows me well knows that I. Do. Not. Do. Bugs.  My loving husband quickly came over to me and starting picking them off my pants while I tried not to think about what was happening.

It was quite the experience, and one that I would not like to repeat.  Through this experience, I felt God trying to teach me something about sin.  This is kind of a gross analogy, but bear with me.  The fleas in that house were starving.  They were starving for something to eat. If we had visited that house when the dogs were taking up residence, however, we could have walked in there and not noticed the fleas.

Sin is just like this.  If we approach sin with the mentality that we will only indulge a little bit, we are still feeding sin.  We can pretend that it's not taking up residence in our hearts, but it's still there and still living in our hearts.  When the house had residents living in it, we could have walked in there and not noticed the fleas because they would have been on the animals and they were being fed regularly so they wouldn't have pounced on us. But, it didn't mean the fleas weren't there.  They would just be a little more hidden.

When we try to get rid of sin in our lives, we can't just try to hide it.  We need to starve it.  If we just hide sin by only indulging in it some of the time, we are like a house full of fleas.  They may be a little more hidden but they are there.  A house full of fleas is so wasted and so filthy.  It is the same with a life full of sin.  We need Christ to clean our hearts, to show us the sin in our lives and help us starve that sin to death.

But, we have to be prepared to fight the battle when we begin to starve the sin in our lives.  Just as those fleas were ready to pounce on anything that walked in that house, sin wants to do the same thing to us.  We have to be ready and armed.  We must be armed with the Truth (God's Word) and sometimes we have to enlist the help of others.  Once we starve the sin in our life, though, the result is so worth it.

Just as a house without fleas can be inviting, our hearts without sin can reflect the love of Christ.  We have to completely eliminate the sin in our life by starving it and by not making excuses and indulging in sin some of the time.  Only through the power of Christ living in us is this possible.


"A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil."
Ephesians 6:10-11

"Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.  Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God."
Romans 6:12-14



Sunday, March 15, 2015

Healthy Individual Brownie Cakes

I just love chocolate.  It's my downfall when it comes to healthy eating.  I can say no to fried foods and packaged foods, but I'm going to cheat a little if there's a warm, gooey brownie in front of me.  So, in my attempt to find something healthy to satisfy that craving, I experimented today.  I'm really shocked these turned out so good, and the kids ate one and loved it too.  You'd never know there's NO FLOUR, OIL, OR SUGAR IN IT! A-mazing.




Ingredients:
  • 1 Tbsp. Apple Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter or other Nut Butter 
  • 1 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1/2 Tbsp.-1 Tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup (optional)
  • 1/2 Tbsp. Milk of Choice (use 1 Tbsp. if leaving out maple syrup)
  • 1/2 Tbsp.- 1 Tbsp. Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
  • few drops of vanilla
  • Tiny pinch of baking soda
Directions:
  • Mix all of the following in a small microwavable, single serving bowl.  Small ramekins are the perfect size. Heat in microwave for 1 minute and 25 seconds. Viola!  You're done and you have yourself a yummy treat that's not bad for you but is still delicious!  Can you tell I'm excited about this!?
Note: I tried it with Almond Butter and Peanut Butter and thought it was a little dryer with the Almond Butter, but it was still good!

If you've never used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips before, give them a try.  They are gluten, nut, soy and dairy free, but they taste wonderful! Buy them on here for a cheaper price (this is for a 6 pack of them).

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Roasted Vegetables (Beets, Potatoes, Carrots, and Apples)





Beets.  They are one of those vegetables that just don't sound too appealing.  Am I the only one? They just look like a lot of work, and I don't know what to do with them. I tried making something with them once, they didn't taste very good, so I kind of just gave up on them.  Until recently.  My aunt made some roasted vegetables when we went to her house for dinner a few weeks ago.  They were great, and beets were part of the medley.  She said that roasting them is the best way because it caramelizes them and gives them a great flavor.  So today, I roasted some beets!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 Beets, Peeled and chopped small
  • 1 Bag of Baby Carrots, cut into small chunks
  • 3 Large Red Potatoes or 2 Large Sweet Potatoes or combination of both, diced 
  • 2 Apples, diced (I didn't peel them)
  • 2 Tbsp. Oil of Choice (I used Avocado Oil.  Coconut oil or Olive oil would work great too.)
  • Generous sprinkling of a high quality sea salt.  Here is a good choice.

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  • After all of the vegetables have been diced, toss in oil and sprinkle with salt.  Place on the baking sheet and bake for 45-55 minutes, stirring half-way.  


The apples give the vegetables a slightly sweet flavor.  Yummy!


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Natural Beauty Products


It can be frustrating to find beauty products without all of the bad stuff in it.  Many times, it is much more expensive than the stuff you can buy at Walmart and Target and a lot of the time it just doesn't work very well.

But, did you know that companies are allowed to use almost any ingredient that they want?! The U.S. government does not review the safety of products before they are sold!  Toxic ingredients are used in many of the beauty products available today.  These toxic ingredients are endocrine disruptors that can lead to cancer, autoimmune diseases, and other illnesses.  Our skin absorbs 60% of any topical product we use, so that's why it's so important that we are not putting these harmful toxins on our body.

Have you ever used the Environmental Working Group database? You'll want to check out this website if you haven't already.  Their mission is to protect human health and the environment by creating online safety profiles for cosmetics and personal care products. You can search for a brand of make up and it will tell you the ratings (as far as safety goes) for your beauty product.

For example, if you searched for Burt's Bees Baby Nourishing Lotion, you would see a rating of a 5, which is a moderate hazard. You want your rating to be as close to 0 as possible.  I was pretty upset to see that the expensive lotion I was buying and that I thought was healthy for my baby, was actually full of bad things that are toxic for my baby.  I might as well buy the cheapest brand possible.

So, yes, it does take a little extra work to find products that are not toxic. But, I definitely don't want to be putting harmful things into my body.  Here is a list of products that have worked for me, and I hope they'll help you too.

Note: I am not a sales rep for any of these products, but some affiliate links are below.  If you purchase through an affiliate link, your costs will be the same, but I will receive a very small commission.  Thanks for your support!

Body Wash: 
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps -Peppermint
This body wash contains organic certified ingredients and can be used for cleaning the body as well as used to make natural household cleaners.  I like the peppermint oil because it creates a tingly-cool and increases vitality and clarity.
Dr. Bronner's Baby-mild Liquid Soap  (no essential oil scent)

To make it last longer, you can also dilute with water.  We usually add 1/2 water to it and the 32 oz bottles lasts a LONG time!

Tear-free wash for Kids:
Nature's Baby Organics Shampoo & Body Wash
This is a tear-free formula without all the bad stuff.  It has a calming scent from essential oils.

Face:
Derma e, Soothing Cleanser 
I like this face wash.  It's gentle and fragrance free.

Toner:
Heritage Rosewater & Glycerin With Atomizer 
I LOVE this stuff.  See this article to learn more about it.  It's a great price and it can bring benefit to all skin types.

Eye Gel:
derma e Pycnogenol Eye Gel with Green Tea Extract
This eye gel helps diminish the look of undereye puffiness...not that that ever happens to my eyes ;)

Make-up Remover:
Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
I use coconut oil.  I love this brand, and we use it for cooking all the time too! I put some in a small container and just dip a cotton ball in it to remove my make-up each day.

Face Lotion:
Aim 2 Health Face and Neck Cream
For dry spots or when you need something extra moisturizing, I love using this.  The aloe is very soothing.

Make-up:
Elegant Minerals
I found a new make-up that I really like.  It's similar to Bare Minerals, but the prices are a little better. You can also order samples on most of their products for only $1.  I love their clay masks as well.  From their site:
Elegant Minerals Makeup is free of all potentially harmful ingredients found in many commercial brands, such as: preservatives, talc, synthetic chemicals, carmine, parabens, artificial dyes, fragrances, bismuth, cornstarch, and various fillers. We do not use micronized minerals. We are confident you will love our mineral makeup and offer a 30 money-back guarantee.
Mascara:
My favorite non-toxic mascara is actually from Target and it is the Boots No. 7 Brand.  It gets a lower rating of 2 on EWG, although it is not a 0. I like that it costs under $10!

Epsom salt:
Epsoak Epsom Salt 
In thinking about toxins, an epsom salt bath is excellent at removing toxins from the body.  See this article here.  This is, by far, my favorite brand, and it's well worth it to buy the 20 lb. bag, because you'll need to use 1-2 cups per bath.  This has become a treat for me, and I try to take an epsom salt bath several times a week.

Skin Brush:
Yerba Prima Tampico Skin Brush
Read about the importance of skin brushing and how to do it here.

What are your favorite non-toxic beauty products?



The Key to Your Life



This morning, I read Deuteronomy 30.  The title for the chapter was A Call to Return to the Lord.  Moses is speaking to the Israelites and imploring them to return to the Lord.  He urges them to make the right choice.  He presents them with two options: choose life or choose death.  Even after the Israelites had turned away from God so many times, God still extends His mercy and grace to them.  God wants them to have life and He knew that they could not have true life without Him.

The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live! Deuteronomy 30:6

This verse is so encouraging because it shows that God wants to change our hearts...He wants to replace our desires with His desires and help us love Him with all our heart and soul.  And the result is so that we may live!  He knows that to truly live is to live only for Him.  When we live for ourselves, we are not living at all.  We are taking...taking from others, taking from this world to try and satisfy a longing that will never truly be satisfied.  

Sometimes we can get a distorted view of God.  We can feel like He is so out of reach, so intangible, a standard that we can never attain.  We can feel like since we know we'll never measure up, we shouldn't even try...that He is going to be disappointed no matter what happens.  But this is so untrue.  Deuteronomy 30 reminds us that His commands are not too difficult for us to understand:

This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach...No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it  (vs. 11, 14).

Yes, we are all sinners and we will not always make the right choice.  But, His Word is there to guide us and bring us back to Him.  God doesn't want us to fail.  He wants us to cling to Him, to forsake everything else and to choose life.  When we are tempted to think that His standards are too high for us to ever attain, may we remember that it is not too difficult for us to understand.

God wants to give us a new heart to obey Him in place of our former stubbornness. This new heart will teach us how to love the Lord wholeheartedly.  Thank God that He can replace our sinful hearts with a new one so that we may have life.  But, are we willing to let Him have control of our lives, to surrender our old heart's desires for His new heart?  It may be hard to let go of our pursuits, our dreams and our goals.  This world has a way of making our desires look so attractive.  The enemy wants nothing more than to see us choose our own way of living instead of His way of living.  But the sad part is that when we choose our way of living, we really are not living at all.  Because He is the key to our life. 

You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him.  This is they key to your life...(vs. 20). 

This whole chapter is so full of verses that remind us to forsake our old way of living. Take time to read Deuteronomy 30.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Discipline is Not Enough



Psalm 73:25-26
I don't have anyone in heaven but you.
I don't want anything on earth besides you. 
My body and my heart may grow weak.
God, you give strength to my heart.
You are everything I will ever need.   

I've always been somewhat of a disciplined person.  If I feel convicted to do something, then I intentionally think of ways that I can accomplish the task and I set about accomplishing it. Of course there are times that I may cheat (ex. eating something unhealthy, not going to the gym, etc), but I know that in order to accomplish a task, it takes self-control and discipline. While it's good to be self-controlled and disciplined, God is showing me that I can't just make a "check list" and expect my heart to magically be in the right place.

Recently I have noticed that my attitude has been a little less than stellar (to put it nicely).  So, I began to think of ways I could fix this.  I started developing my check list:

  • I'll get up earlier and spend more time reading my Bible
  • I'll post Bible verses everywhere 
  • I'll try to do thing for others throughout the day
  • And the list goes on...

Of course, none of the things on this list is bad.  It's good to spend more time reading my Bible and memorizing other verses.  But, a check list cannot change my heart.  I so wish it could. I wish that I could just write "love Jesus with all my heart" on a list and it would be taken care of.   I can't just make a list of things I need to work on without first asking God to search my heart and forgive me for the sinful way that it is.  God is showing me that I need to repent more often.  Repentance is not fun. It takes time and it can get messy.  If I'm really being honest, sometimes I don't want to take time to really look at my heart because I don't want to know what all is there.  It's a lot easier to not deal with it and just pretend that my heart is in pretty good condition. But, if I sit still before the Lord and ask Him to reveal to me sin that is in my heart, He might show me some stuff that I didn't know was there (or tried to pretend wasn't there).  He might remind me of some bitterness in my life or reveal to me my pride, my fear, my insecurities.

Sometimes it's just easier to keep going through the motions, keep reading my Bible and singing the praise songs but not dealing with the state of my heart.  When we do this, it's so easy to compare ourselves to others. We feel a nudge that God wants us to come before Him and search our heart, but we begin to become filled with pride as we look at others. We begin to list off all of the things we are doing for God, trying to justify the fact that we are doing so much for Him.  But that's the most tragic part of all because I'll never do enough...I can never make a good enough to do list.  Why? Because I'm a sinner and because my heart is deceitful and because each day I am facing a battle against my flesh.  And, I need Jesus.  I need Him to reveal to me where I am weak and I need His help to show me where I am not like Him. If I don't take time to come before Him and repent of my sins, then I am only relying on my own strength to cross items off of my to do list.  See what Paul has to say about the power of sin in our lives:
But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7:23-25
I want to rely on Christ's strength and be filled with a new heart as I see a new sin surfaces in my life.  I don't want to rely on my own strength because then I will never really overcome it.  And, as easy as it is to do sometimes, I don't want to just pretend sin is not in my life.  In order to become more like Christ, I must repent and ask Him to help me turn from my sinful ways with His strength.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139: 23-24
Instead of making a to-do-list, my prayer is that I will ask God to search my heart first and help me rely on His strength.  Then, I will rely on His power instead of my power.  I love this quote by Matt Chandler about how we can be a great wife and mom:
You don't have to be a perfect wife to be a great wife. You don't have to be a perfect mom to be a great mom. 'Where's that line?' That line is confession, repentance, and getting back up and staying moving. We take on the perfection made available to us in Jesus Christ, his righteousness, not my righteousness, not a false veneer righteousness of my own. Not my strength, his strength. Not my perfection, his perfection. We rest in that. Then we walk as best we can every day.
Repentance takes time. It will probably be messy because it's when we see how evil our heart's desires truly are.  But, when we repent of these sins, we are agreeing with God that we hate them, that we want to turn from them. And, when we come before Him with a humble heart, He. will. hear. us.  So, why would I not repent?
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

Sunday, February 1, 2015

2-Week Menu Plan


I am putting together our family's menu for the next few weeks and thought I would post it here for my own reference and in case anyone else wanted some meal ideas.  Some of these recipes are mine and many of them came from other healthy blogs. I have made all of them and they have turned out great!  I have included the links to them if I got it elsewhere. To print your own weekly planner, see here.

WEEK ONE

Notes: For the roasted potatoes, I just chop potatoes and combine them with a little olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and paprika.  I put them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and lightly sprayed and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Notes: I used a spiralizer to make the zucchini pasta.  After I spiralize it, I put it in a skillet over high heat with some oil and salt and whatever spices I have on hand.  I let it cook for about 5 minutes and then serve the meatballs over it.  I love my spiralizer!  See it here.
Notes: For the apple muffins, instead of grating my apples, I just diced them.  I also added 1/4 cup of raisins.
Notes: I have several substitutions/additions for this recipe. I use 3 sweet potatoes, but I bake them instead of boiling them.  I also add 3 cooked chicken breasts to this.  I use a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh ones. I also add sauted fresh spinach to this as well.  You can't even taste it and it's a great way to get in some extra veggies.  I use 6 peppers for this recipe.
Notes: I actually have not made these rolls yet, but everything I have made from this site is delicious, so I can't wait to try these!

WEEK TWO

Notes: I make a homemade salad dressing that consists of 2 oz. balsalmic vinegar, 6 oz. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. Honey
Notes: I used a gf flour for the heatlhy sweet potato casserole, or you can just leave it out altogether.  
Notes: I added 1 Tbsp of Almond Flour to the pizza crust to make it hold together a little better. I like to top my "pizza" with lots of veggies and some fruit: spinach, peppers, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, pineapple, etc.

SWEET TREATS:

Grain Free Cobbler (made with Coconut Flour)
Notes: This cobbler is so good!  I used 2 1/2 cups of frozen berries (raspberry, strawberry and blueberry blend with two chopped apples). It did take a lot longer for mine to cook- about 55 mintues instead of the 35 minutes that the recipe says.  This makes a great breakfast for the kids too!

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Banana Bites

Grain-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (made with coconut oil)





Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (made with Coconut Oil)



This fudge is so yummy, it's hard to believe there is almost no sugar in it!  It's great to satisfy a craving without feeling guilty!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil (softened)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup

Directions:
Place all ingredients in an electric mixer and mix on low-medium speed until well combined. Line a small pan or baking dish with parchment paper (this step is important)! Pour into the lined pan and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.  Cut into small pieces and put in a sealed container and store in fridge.  So yummy!

Oven-Baked Green Beans



We eat green beans a lot.  It is one of the vegetables our kids enjoy, so I try to take advantage of that. This is a great way to change up the taste a bit. My husband and I can almost eat a whole pan by ourselves because they taste so good!

Ingredients:
  • One Bag of Fresh Green Beans (washed and trimmed)
  • 2-4 Tbsp Oil of Choice (avocado, olive, or coconut are great)
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
Directions:
  • Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Combine oil and spices in a large bowl.  
  • Add green beans to bowl and toss to coat.  
  • Arrange green beans on a baking sheet that is covered in parchment paper or foil.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on how well-done you want them to be.  

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Banana Bites (made with coconut oil)

I keep seeing recipes for chocolate covered banana bites and they look so good.  But, I wanted to find some that didn't have added sugar in them, and all of the recipes I saw called for chocolate bars or chips (which are full of sugar).  So, I decided to make my own "chocolate" with coconut oil and cocoa powder.  I love how unique coconut oil is-- it can be all melty and then harden right up, which makes it great for making fudge, etc.  

So, here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 2 Large Bananas
  • Almond or Peanut Butter (or any nut butter)
  • 1/4 cup Coconut Oil
  • 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla
  • 1-2 tsp. Maple Syrup (optional)


Directions:

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Slice the bananas thinly and line the baking sheet with them. You should get about 40 banana slices total. Place your nut butter on top of the banana slices and make them into sandwiches.  Now you have 20 banana bites.  


  • Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour.  If you are short on time, you can just put them in for 10-15 minutes, but you want them to be chilled a little so that the coconut oil will harden on them.  
  • While the bananas are chilling, melt your coconut oil.  Then, stir in the cocoa powder, vanilla, and maple syrup until well incorporated.  
  • Take your banana bites out of the freezer and dip in the chocolate sauce.  It should harden around the bananas.  You can eat them immediately or put them in the freezer to get the bananas completely frozen (about 3 hours).  Store in freezer.  

So, my picture is NOT so pretty.  I basically just dumped the remaining chocolate sauce over the top of all of my banana bites, so they don't look so pretty.  But, you could spend a little extra time and make the chocolate smooth and even drizzle it with some peanut butter on top.  These make an awesome snack or dessert :)  

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

It's Hard to Love


"Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  It does not demand its own way.  It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
-1 Corinthians 13:4-7 
Every day I say the words, “I love you.”  I dearly love my children and my husband.  Of course it is a little bit more challenging to show love to those who are more un-loveable and with whom I don’t have a close relationship, but I know we should always seek to do that because the Scriptures tell us to.  Today, however, as I was reading the familiar “love chapter” in 1 Corinthians, it made me realize how bad I am at showing love to others, even those I do love dearly.  If I have trouble really loving those closest to me, I know I am struggling with loving those who are harder to love.  Look at 1 Corinthians with me, and ask yourself if you are struggling with loving others too. 
Love is patient
  • Ouch.  The first definition of love is convicting for me.  As Americans, we are known for our less-than-patient attitude.  I get impatient at my three year old for taking so long to get out of the car.  I can feel my blood boiling as he takes his precious time unbuckling his seat belt and stopping to admire a toy he found, and tripping over his shoe laces as he climbs out the door.  No joke-this happens multiple times a day.  And, I get the same exasperated look on my face and make the same sigh and tell him to “hurry up, please.” This is definitely not loving patiently.
And kind
  • Do I display kindness throughout my day?  Am I looking for opportunities where people could be in need of a helping hand?  Or, do I see someone in need and pretend that I don’t notice because I don’t want to be inconvenienced?
Love is not jealous
  • This one can come out when you least expect it.  I try not to look at others and want things that they have. I try to be content with what I have.  But, what about when someone else gets acknowledged for something in which I don’t get acknowledged?  Someone else gets praise for spending a lot of time on an event that I spent even more time planning, but I didn't get the praise for it?  Do I sulk and get mad that I didn't get credit, or do I participate in praising the person for their hard efforts as well?  Or, have you ever been around people who just always seem to get it right?  They must be overflowing with compliments all the time.  So, you don’t compliment them because you think they already get enough of those.  I’m learning that this is usually rooted in jealousy.  Because I’m jealous that I’m not the one who is good at everything, I’m hesitant to compliment the person who is.  What a sad way to live. I want to celebrate with others when they accomplish something, even if they seem to always get it right.  By celebrating with them, I get to share in their excitement instead of wallowing in jealousy. 
Or boastful or proud
  • The other day I was talking with someone about why women gossip. It’s easy to say we just want to vent or get advice, but I think the main reason we gossip is so that we can feel better about ourselves.  By bashing someone else, we feel better about ourselves. By putting down others and their decisions, we puff ourselves up.  This is not love.  This is pride…at the expense of others.
Or rude
  • When we’re having a bad day, sometimes it just all comes to a head right when our husbands walk in the door from work.  Instead of greeting him with a smile and asking him how his date went, it’s easy to offer a rude remark and give him a list of things in which you need his help.  This is not showing love towards my husband. 
It does not demand its own way
  • I am a bit of a planner.  When I take the time to plan something, I have expectations that it will happen, and when things don’t go as planned, it’s really hard for me to accept.  While some people never make plans and never have expectations, this can be harder for those of us who do make plans.  When things get thrown off course, how will I react?  Will I pitch a fit because things did not go the way I envisioned, or will I make the best of the change in plans?  God is really growing me in this area right now because it seems like none of my plans are turning out the way I expected.  Sometimes it’s just out of our control, and we can learn to accept that or we can choose to be a person no one likes to be around (and NOT display love because love does not demand its own way). 

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Homemade Chicken Salad (made with Greek Yogurt)



I've always loved chicken salad...it's so good on a sandwich or atop a green salad.  But, then I learned how fattening it is and that it is loaded with lots of unnecessary ingredients.  Just look at the list of ingredients from Chick-fil-A's site for their chicken salad:

Chicken (seasoning [salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, spices, paprika]), chicken tenderloins (seasoning [salt, autolyzed yeast, maltodextrin, spice, natural flavor, chicken fat, garlic powder, sugar cane syrup, onion powder, paprika, molasses, sodium diacetate, tomato powder, silicon dioxide {anticaking agent}, sugar, oleoresin paprika {color}, citric acid, smoke flavor, caramel color]), seasoned coater (enriched bleached flour [with malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate, nonfat milk, leavening [baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate], spice, soybean oil, color [paprika]), milk wash (water, egg, nonfat milk), peanut oil (fully refined peanut oil with Dimethylpolysiloxane an anti-foaming agent added), mayonnaise (soybean oil, water, egg yolk, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, salt, spice, calcium disodium EDTA to protect flavor), diced cooked eggs, celery, pickle relish (cucumbers, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, vinegar, salt, xanthan gum, mustard seed, calcium chloride, alum, potassium sorbate [preservative], natural flavors, polysorbate 80, dehydrated red bell pepper, turmeric), 

 And, this list is just for the chicken...it's not including the bread!  Now, I do love me some Chick-fil-A, but I can't understand why so many ingredients have to be used!

So, tonight I made a recipe for some chicken salad that only has a few ingredients, and the ingredients are actually good for you!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:
  • 2 Large Cooked Chicken Breasts or the cooked white meat from a small rotisserie chicken
  • 1/8 Cup Crushed Pecans
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries
  • 3-4 Tbsp. Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt 

Directions:
Cut the chicken into smaller pieces and place all ingredients into a mixer and mix on low speed until combined.  If you do not have a mixer, you could do this by hand, but the chicken won't be as shredded.




Monday, January 19, 2015

Tomato and Feta Cheese Chicken Bake


Chicken covered in a homemade tomato sauce with feta cheese, garlic and herbs.  So good!  And, it's made with fresh ingredients that are actually good for you!

I made up a recipe for some chicken tonight and the kids loved it.  They called it pizza chicken because it smelled like pizza.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
5-6 boneless chicken breasts.  I used 5 large chicken breasts.

For the marinade:
  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. Oil of Choice (I used avocado oil)
  • 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic

Topping:
  • 10-12 small tomatoes, quartered 
  • 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
  • 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
  • Oil of choice for pan (I used avocado oil)
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (I used the garlic and herb blend)

Combine marinade and pour over chicken. Put marinated chicken in fridge.  If you're in a hurry, you can just let it soak for a few minutes.  If you have the time, let it soak all day.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Quarter tomatoes.  Heat skillet over medium heat and add oil and minced garlic.  Once oil is nice and hot, add tomatoes and seasonings.  Cook for about 5 minutes, until tomatoes are nice and soft.  Remove from heat and stir in feta cheese.

Remove chicken from fridge and pour tomato and feta cheese sauce over chicken.  Bake, uncovered for 45-50 minutes.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Booklist of 2014


It can be hard to carve out time to read a book when life is constantly busy with little ones. But, I've come to realize that books greatly influence my spiritual life.  By reading from others about what God has taught them, it can motivate us, inspire us, and challenge us to get out of our comfort zones.

I've also discovered that is is so important to make sure and read from Christian authors when it comes to topics where we are wanting advice or counsel.  When we are trying to learn and apply something, we want to make sure that we learn from someone who is pointing us to Christ.  When we hear from non-Christians on topics such as parenting, marriage, etc., we have to be very careful because their chief concern is not pointing us to Christ. They are just giving us their opinion and opinions come and go, but the "Word of Christ endures forever" (1 Peter 1:25).

Disclaimer: it can be tempting to put great books ahead of God's Word and this is a huge mistake that we should guard against.  NOTHING can replace God's Word and it has to be top priority.  If I try to replace His Word with a book, it will always fall short and I will not be able to grow in my walk with Christ as much.  If, however, we use books in conjunction with God's Word, we get the best of both worlds.  We get the infallible truth from Scripture and the personal insight from others that can help us live for Christ.

Here are some challenging books that I've read this past year.  I hope these books challenge and encourage your walk with the Lord as they have mine.  Blessings!

Bible:
I got a new Bible for Christmas that I'm really excited about.  It's set up with a devotional for each day along with a passage out of the Bible. Though it does not contain every chapter and verse from the Bible, it offers a complete view of Scripture without being overwhelming.  It skips material that appears more than once, giving a stream-lined look at the entire Bible.

It's called the Women's Sanctuary Devotional Bible

Spiritual Growth:
The Church Planting Wife by Christine Hoover
Seven by Jen Hatmaker
Makeover: Revitalizing the Many Roles you Fill by Jen Hatmaker
Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst
Follow Me by David Platt
Mindset for Moms by Jamie Martin
Mom Enough (FREE on John Pipers site)
Radical by David Platt
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi and Lee Strobel

Raising Children:
Hands-Free Mama by Rachel Stafford
Shepherding a Child's Heart  by Tedd Tripp
The Strong-Willed Child by James Dobson
Am I Messing Up My Kids? by Lysa Terkeurst
Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Hubbard
The Mommy Manual by Barbara Curtis
Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper

Marriage:
Sheet Music (only for married couples ;) by Kevin Leman
What's it like to be Married to Me? by Linda Dillow

Misc:
The Grain-Free Family Table by Carrie Vitt
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (this is a fiction, non-religious book, but it was kind of an eye-opener for me to remember to love your family and not get caught up in worldly things)