MPM 9/21/09

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, pinto beans, corn bread

Spaghetti, salad

Pork Chop Stuffing Bake, Peas, Fried Okra

BBQ Sandwiches, baked beans, cole slaw

Two meals were rolled over from last week. We went out to dinner with my parents Friday night and one night I just made tuna salad. It was one of those days where I just didn't want was too busy to cook.. so I just did easy!! And I'm seriously making the BBQ this week. I actually was going to do it yesterday but it was still hard as a rock yesterday morning. Not to mention the fact that we had to take Eli to the Dr. He had an ear infection 2 weeks ago and ran a fever Fri night and was up crying, so I knew it hadn't gone away. Sure enough one ear was still infected. His recheck wasn't until this coming Wed (which totally doesn't make sense to me.. when the meds are for 10 days, why would you make a recheck 3 weeks away.. doesn't it make more sense to do it say, 2 wks later? If the infection isn't gone you're going to know it before that 3 wk mark! Ok, enough rambling about that!) and there was no way we were waiting until then! Back to the BBQ... it's almost thawed as of a little while ago. It will be ready for the crock pot in the morning.

In thinking that the BBQ was going to be a no-go for Sat, I laid out some chicken for this soup. I had been looking for a good chicken tortilla soup recipe and this one had good reviews, so I was planning on it for the next week but just decided to go ahead and make it! So, I got up this morning and put the soup on. It was really easy to put together. I did add one thing to the soup and that was a drained can of black beans. And you know I didn't make my own tortilla chips! I'm glad I added the beans though because Eli loved them! It was sooo good and healthy too (as long as you don't add a huge spoonful of sour cream and tons of cheese... like someone I know.. ) This will definitely be on rotation this fall/winter. My only problem now is what in the world am I going to do with the rest of that bunch of cilantro?? I'm thinking about this:

Authentic Mexican Restaurant Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:

1 28oz can of Crushed Tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of Garlic Powder

10 +/- Pickled Jalapeno Rings and juice (Add more to increase heat)

10 or more leaves of cilantro

Directions:

1) Food process everything. (or shove it all in a blender)

2) Check Hotness, and add more of what you want.

3) Store in airtight container in the fridge. Eat within 2-3 days.

I've made it before but used fresh tomatoes, garlic and jalapenos. If you do use fresh jalapenos/tomatoes I suggest boiling them to help remove the skin. Also add a little vinegar if you use fresh jalapenos. I'm all outta fresh, except garlic, though!

Seriously, I have a whole lotta cilantro.. anyone want any??

Check out Orgjunkie for more menu and recipe ideas!

My Helper

Sometimes I feel like I'm forgetting to see the wonderfulness of Luke being three. What I mean by that is that it's a tough age for both Mommy and Luke!! It's a daily struggle for us both. Sometimes I tend to focus so much on the negative side of him being three that I forget to look at the new things he's learning or just the fun side of him being this age. Yesterday I had one of those days... We're doing great potty training as far as peeing goes. But poop, well, that's another story. I had to change two poop filled pairs of underwear. And I'll be honest I was annoyed. That was just the start of my annoyances though. He's gotten to where he constantly wants a snack. Not because he's hungry (well, most of the time anyway) but because he doesn't want to eat real food. He will look at me and in his little demanding tone say, "Yes, I can have _____, right now!" He doesn't win of course. I am the mother. (I'm reminding myself, which I do often throughout the day) Our rule is, you can have a snack after you eat your meal, whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner. And mommy (or daddy) makes the decision as to what kind of snack that is, otherwise Luke would be eating fruit snacks and Popsicles all day long. I think I'm pretty fair when it comes to this though. I typically offer him 3 different snacks he can choose from. He usually gets one 'junk' snack a day and several healthy snacks. And he sometimes gets cookies after dinner if he's eaten good. He has no concept of fair though, Luke just wants his way or the highway. It's a battle of the wills.

It's a battle within myself as well. I get so annoyed and frustrated with him demanding things.... his tone of voice... pushing Eli after I've told him a million times to stop... it's often outright defiance, knowingly and willingly on his part. (oh and not to mention the POOP) I can just feel the frustration raising up inside me. I find that I must be in constant communion with the Holy Spirit! If not, I'd fly off the handle. Often though, I do look back at my day and see so many mistakes I made. How did I react? What was my tone of voice in dealing with him? Was I firm, yet loving? Or did I act out in anger? Did I choose to ignore the situation just to avoid having to deal with him? And ashamedly many days the answer to some of those questions is not the right one. Oh how I'm thankful for His grace and mercy in my life!

It's hard raising your own kids! My job as a mother is to point them to Christ in the way I deal with them on a daily basis, minute by minute, really. Staying at home is hard. But it is a blessing because I have the opportunity to constantly pour Jesus into my kids. The question is, am I taking the opportunity for granted or am I making the most of every moment? I will never, ever be perfect this side of heaven. Ha, I laugh at the thought. I know me. And I am beyond imperfect. I disgust myself most days. But I know the Perfect One. And when He went to be with the Father I was not left alone. Praise God for the Holy Spirit! My Counselor, my Advocate. May I not take for granted that He dwells in me.

John 14: 16-17 ~ "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."

MPM 9/14/09

BBQ Sandwiches (crock pot), baked beans, slaw

Potato Soup, biscuits

Meat loaf, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, corn bread

Chicken Enchilada Casserole, rice (didn't make it last week because I forgot Enchilada sauce.. kind of important!)

I'm only planning 4 meals this week because all of them are BIG meals. So we'll have lots of left overs for lunches and even dinners. I cannot stand to waste food! So, if we have enough for supper the next night, we're eating it! Sometimes I'll make 2 large dinners two nights in a row and on the third night we'll have a leftover 'buffet'. My mom and I were talking about leftovers the other day so this is something I'd like some input on. I only keep leftovers 3 days. For instance, if I cook a meal on Monday night, I'll keep it through Wed night to be eaten. Thursday morning if it's still in the fridge, it's thrown away. What is your rule?? My dad will eat stuff that's been in the fridge for like 5 and 6 days. He always reminds me that he's never gotten sick off of anything but I still can't bring myself to do that! Sometimes I'll cook a large casserole and I'll save some out for lunch the next day and then freeze the rest in lunch/dinner size portions, just to avoid it ruining. In fact last week for dinner we had baked spaghetti from about a month ago. It was really good too! To freeze I just allow the casserole to cool in the fridge, that way you can cut it in smaller portions easier. It kind of solidifies. Then I cut the casserole into single portion sizes, sometimes larger, and wrap tightly in foil. I put the wrapped casserole in freezer bags and squeeze all the air out. Write what's in the bag on the outside and the date and stick in the freezer. Then I can either take one out for lunch or take it all out to have for dinner. You can let it thaw in the fridge but I usually don't think ahead that far! So I just unwrap the casserole (making sure get remove all the foil, you don't want that in the microwave!!) and pop in a glass dish with a tiny bit water in the bottom and cover it with a paper towel. Heat and it turns out yummy!

What are some of your 'go to' meals that you almost always have on hand? We don't do Hamburger Helper that much but I do usually have a box in the cabinet. I always have a couple cans of tuna for tuna salad. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is a good one too. Sometimes we have that just because we like it! And I always have some kind of pasta and the ingredients to make spaghetti sauce. Those are the kind of meals I do on a week when we don't have leftovers or I forget to lay out frozen meat! And occasionally it's been a busy day or the kids have been particularly cranky and I just don't want to cook! Those days I call on Papa John. :)

I'll leave you with a (non) recipe from last week:

Super Easy BBQ Chicken Pizza

Shredded Chicken
Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
BBQ Sauce
Red Onion, thinly sliced

There are no measurements, but here is what I did:
I made my pizzas on split English muffins. I baked a whole large package of chicken breast for various recipes earlier in the day. I shredded 1/2 of a chicken breast and then mixed it with a good amount of BBQ sauce. Add chicken to 'crust' & top with sliced onion and cheese. Bake until melted and bubbly! 1/2 of a chicken breast was perfect for 4 mini pizzas. The other four I just did mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. I think for a regular 10-12 in pizza 2 chicken breast would work perfectly! I plan on making this again soon because it was SO good and the Hubs liked it too! He's usually a cheese only type of guy! :)

Have a great week!

Part dos...

First let me ask you, do the dots on the background of my blog bother you when you're reading the post? The Hubs says it bothers his eyes. It doesn't bother mine but I could see where it might. Let me know if it does so I can change it!

For those of you who read my blog you know that these kinds of post are not my typical thing. I would love to post more on the deeper things of Christ and my walk with Him but I just don't have the time. It's much easier to type up a menu or jabber about the kids. These types of posts take time and deeper thinking.. two of while I am limited on!! I'm sure you Mommies out there can relate!

I would like start off by saying (as I know I've said before) that I base ALL my beliefs on God's Word. I don't know everything. Can I say that again.... I don't know everything!!! So, if you ever read anything that is contradicting to His Word, tell me and we'll look at what Scripture says about it. I ask that when you present your opinions and beliefs to me that you'll use Scripture to defend them as well. Our opinions and beliefs don't mean anything if they don't line up with Scripture. Also, do they line up with the whole counsel of God's word and the meaning of the particular text. I find that it's sometimes easy to find a verse or phrase to back up your beliefs but that verse or phrase may be taken out of context. Sadly this goes on from the pulpit. So, we must ask, when compared to the entire Word and taken contextually, what does that verse or phrase really mean?

I really learned all of that the hard way. Often times, especially if we've grown up in church, things are ingrained in us. And we 100% believe them with all our hearts. Those beliefs are a part of us. So, to find out that we are misreading Scripture is a shock. Sometimes to just find out what Scripture really says is a shock! Often, even for me in the beginning, we just dismiss it because we don't want to deal with it. It's one of those hard things. It's much easier to just say, but this is what I've been taught and I'm sure this is what the Bible says/means. Are we really sure?? Is it not better to lay aside some false truths that we've clung to, even earnestly and wholeheartedly, and follow Scripture? Because those truths, those real biblical truths are life. They make things new. I can't even express the clarity that God brought me in the past few years. I was thankful for my salvation before, no doubt, but as I continue to learn more of the doctrines of grace, Christ becomes more precious and God's Sovereignty in salvation becomes more majestic and glorious to me!

So, now for part 2.. haha! Just kidding. I think.

I really feel that so many people are being misled, sadly, from the pulpit of many churches. Many churches ignore the truth. And the shallow teachings in these churches are what lead people to merely make decisions for Christ. It's turned into a numbers game, a competition even.
And yes, I've heard numbers = people. And that is exactly right. But what does it matter if the majority of them are mislead?? Oh, but you still have those few who really 'decided' to follow Christ. I agree that God can call those even in those situations but what about those who are mislead? Whose fault is it? Guilt filled messages, shallow on gospel truths, are preached. Men and women are asked, "Does this make sense to you? Do you want to invite Jesus into your heart?". Then they are immediately given a prayer to recite. What is missing? The Holy Spirit? Godly sorrow? Repentance? Don't miss what I'm saying. God saves when and how He chooses. My fear is that so many are so quick to see emotionalism as real conviction. And I believe many genuinely have a desire to see the those who are lost, saved. But should we not use that zeal to be sure of the truths that we are teaching, proclaiming it boldly and allowing God to do His work?Maybe it would just be better if I allowed someone to share a story that explains what I'm talking about. Please watch it. I feel that this will make much more sense than anything I've said.




Again, facebookers, this post is being imported from my blog, which you can read here.