What's new with me...

Well, yesterday I taught Preston to roll over!! Woo hoo!  I have been working with him since I got him on the command.  It took time but it was fun teaching him.  I am so proud... like a proud parent!  Ha!  He is super excited too that I am super excited.  LOL!!

In other news, the artichoke dip that I just posted was for Jennie's Birthday Party.  She lives in my building and had some friends get together on the roof of the building... we all made food and/or brought wine and hung out and ate.  I ate waaaaay too much food yesterday but I had a blast!

Last week we had our Admin Retreat at work.  The entire division went to Browns Bridge Church for 2 days and went thru the book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People."  There were 7 groups and each group presented a habit.  It was a blast.  I even got to work on my fear of microphones.  I did some public speaking!  Next to tackle... my fear of basements...

Last Friday I made dinner for my friend Ryan.  And she brought her dog over so our puppies could meet.  Preston was a little too aggressive... I will have to work on sharing with him.  He didn't want to share his space...  But, we Ryan and I had fun eating dinner, taking our dogs for a walk, and watching Cougar Town.  Jennie even stopped by for a while.

On Saturday, I met up with my Cambodia trip group for some Cambodian food at Phnom Phen in Tucker, GA.  I am even more excited now about the trip as I LOVED the food!!  I also had a blast with the group.  I foresee us getting along really well!

Tomorrow should be ladies night with my friend Lynette, Shannon, and a few other ladies.  We keep planning our meetings but sickness, travel, and miscellaneous issues keep getting in the way of the fun! 

Then on Thursday night Mom comes into town!! Woo hoo!!  I can't wait!

Cheese-Free Hot Artichoke Dip

If you are like me, lactose intolerant, and love artichoke dip you want an alternative that won't leave you hurting.  And the fact that I made it yesterday and no one noticed the missing cheese (I didn't tell them it was made with tofu) and no one even batted an eye!!

Hot Artichoke Dip

Ingredient List

• 1 12-oz. pkg. light silken tofu
• 2 Tbs. reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
• 1/4 cup white onion, diced
  
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
  
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
  
• 1 15.5-oz. can artichoke quarters in water, drained, rinsed, chopped
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• Paprika for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Purée tofu thru red pepper flakes in blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to bowl.
2. Stir artichokes and spinach into tofu mixture. Spoon into 8-inch glass pie dish or casserole. Bake 20 minutes. Dust with paprika; serve.

Slow-Cooker Stew with Beans, Sweet Potatoes and Corn

Woo hoo for the beginning of fall!!!  I love this time of year because I get to create lots and lots of soup.  Whats better than curling up on the couch with a warm bowl of soup while watching Wheel Of Fortune?  The answer is... nothing!

So I needed to do a quick post for the latest creation that I made last night for small group.  I found the slow-cooker recipe here and barely changed it up.  I put it all in the crock pot before going to work Wednesday morning and when I came home it smelled magical!

I also pulled some Ezekiel bread dough out of the freezer (I had put together about a month ago and froze).  When I got home from work I baked the bread and both Teesha and I thought the bread was better after it was frozen then the loaf made without freezing it. 


Slow-Cooker Stew with Beans, Sweet Potatoes and Corn

1-28oz can of unsalted whole tomatoes, including the juice
3 cups sweet potato chunks
2 cups cannelini beans (I used dried that I sat in water overnight)
2 cups lima beans (I used frozen, but thawed them first)
2 cups frozen corn kernels (that I thawed with the lima beans)
1 large onion, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Dump the tomatoes into slow-cooker and crush with your hands or the back of a wooden spoon. Mix in the remaining ingredients, cover, and slow-cook until everything is tender.  (for me it was 9 hours on low and then a few hours on warm - until we were ready to eat).

Quick Update

Hello all!  Just a bit about me.  This past week there wasn't too much new or exciting to report but here is what was the top of the week for me...

• My boss and friend Rachael had her work baby shower.  It was a lot of fun to watch her open her gifts, the food was amazing and I had a great talk with another Rachael who was also there.
• I went to my mentorship group Tuesday night.  We have read the book 'Spiritual Friendships' by Mindy Caliguire and we are talking about spiritual friends.  Its great to hear others perspectives and to realize we all struggle with so many of the same / similar thing when it comes to close, spiritual, female friendships.
• I just read the book 'Julie and Julia' by Julie Powell.  It was a fun read and I would love to now see the movie so I can see what is the same and what they changed!
• Today I am relaxing and cooking, my favorite kind of day.  Preston is watching me, of course.
• Tomorrow I am going to my mission trip 'retreat' where we will get to do something (not quite sure what, it is a mystery) and it will be for team building and getting to know each other better.  And it will be within the city limits of Atlanta, I think...
• And then tomorrow night I am going to Lynette's birthday party.  Super excited to be able to celebrate with her.

Well, onto life.  My muffins just came out of the oven and I need to do a little house hunting online today too.  Wish me luck, I only have until the end of November to find and purchase a place if I want the first time home buyers tax credit!

Ciao!!

Morning Glory Muffins

So, I decided I wanted to bake something this morning and have it for brunch.  So, I pulled out my trusty cook book (What the Bible Says about Healthy Living Cookbook) and found a recipe.  Of course, like every other recipe, I changed it up a bit.  I used mostly all organic ingredients but use what you have on hand.

A quick hint... I can never eat a full jar of applesauce before it goes bad so to save money, I buy unsweetened applesauce in individual containers when they are on special at the supermarket.  Then I can keep them in the refrigerator until I need them for a recipe or until I want to eat on plain!!  Do unsweetened, you can always sweeten them if you want.

There are a ton of ingredients however its really easy, it smells fabulous, and we will see in about 20 minutes how good they taste!!

Dry Ingredients:
3/4 C walnuts
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C whole smelt flour (or you could just use whole wheat flour again)
1/4 C wheat germ (you could use old fashioned oats instead)
3 Tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C dried unsweetened coconut
1/4 C pumpkin seeds

Wet Ingredients:
1 C unsweetened applesauce
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C maple syrup
2 eggs
3 tsp vanilla

Ingredients to Shed:
3 small unpeeled carrots (or 2 large)
1 unpeeled apple (I used Braeburn)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin tin or line with paper liners.
2. Chop walnuts and combine with other dry ingredients in a large bowl
3. Combine wet ingredients in glass measuring cup and mix well to incorporate.
4. Shread carrots and aples and add them to the dry mixture.  Stir to incorporate.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and combine well.  The batter will be very thick.
6. Use a 1/4 C measure to scoop, divide the batter into the muffin cups and spread into the cup.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into several of the muffins comes out clean and the muffins begin to brown slightly, 25 - 30 minutes.

Instead of baking all of them now, freeze some of the batter for a quick muffin later.  Also, the muffins freeze well, so put them in a freezer bag and eat later!  Yummy!!

It's not all about ME...

Really.  Seriously.

My mom just emailed me a link I think you may all want to check out... its the pictures from my Dad's recent adventure hunting with Dan.  I've only had time to look at a couple but they are amazing.  Dan just got a new camera recently and, I have to say, I think he is mastering it well!

Me!!

We had to take some pictures for our ministry services division retreat that is coming up and here is the one taken of me...

 

I love it!!  I had a lot of fun taking the picture and thanks to Rachael Stanley's amazing camera it made a really good still shot of my jump!  Fun times!!

Chicken and Spinach with Mushrooms

I found this recipe recently and thought I really needed to try it... it sounded great, I mixed it up with the ingredients I had on hand but I still think it was missing something.  So, I am writing the recipe as I think it should be... not as I actually made it.  

 

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups (1 lb) diced chicken
1 small onion, chopped
4 oz baby portabello mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 tsp kosher salt
6 oz baby spinach
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2-1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp coarsely chopped rosemary
1 tbsp basil
1/2 tsp chilli powder

Directions

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. 
• In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and diced chicken.  Cook until almost all pink is gone, then add onions. Cook, stirring until just soft, about 4 min. 
• Add mushrooms and 1/2 tsp salt and continue stirring until softened, about 4 min. 
• Gradually add spinach and stir until completely wilted, about 2 min. Transfer to a large bowl and add chicken; wipe skillet clean.
• Whisk together flour, broth, lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt and add to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk until mixture is boiling and simmer until just thick, about 2 min. Add to chicken mixture with spices, then transfer to a 2-qt baking dish. 
• Bake until golden, 25 to 30 min.
  

You could add something as a top... maybe rice, biscuits, or phillo dough.  Enjoy!!

Mango Chicken Stir-Fry Wraps

I found a recipe for beef wraps but thought it would taste just as good with the chicken sausage (since I already had that at home).  I had this recipe in the back of my mind for a while and when Miranda decided to come over for dinner on Wednesday I knew just what to make.  We had a lot of fun getting dinner ready (I made this and she made a yummy salad). 

 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
 2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
8 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
3 mango chicken sausages, cut into pieces
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup bean sprouts
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
whole wheat flour tortillas


Directions:

• In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. (Do not let oil smoke.) 
• Add chicken sausage and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
  
• Add red peppers and scallions.  Cook for 1 minutes.
• Add mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes. 
• Add soy sauce and cook for 1 more minute. 
• Place bean sprouts in center of tortilla.  Top with chicken-vegetable mixture.
  
  

Enjoy!!

September All Staff Note - Joshua

I wanted to take notes of our staff meeting.  And I thought the talk that Andy Stanley gave was so amazing that it needed to be shared.  I probably won't do it justice here but here is my take away:

• None of us know in the moment when we are making our mark.  We only realize the significance of the moment when we look back.
• God's greatest concern for us is that we will become so successful that we will forget the Lord.
• When Jesus prayed 'give us our daily bread' he was referring back to the time God fed the Israelites daily manna from heaven. 
• What do you do when you don't know?  When I am waiting for God to decide how He is going to use me? How do I position myself to be used for God's glory?

Joshua was 110 years old and reflecting on his life when he said the following statements :
Joshua 23:8 - 'Cling' to the Lord your God...
Joshua 23:11 - Take diligent heed to 'love' the Lord your God...
Joshua 24:15 - As for me and my household we will 'serve' the Lord.

What set Joshua up to say this at the end of his life?  Joshua 5:13-15

¹³ Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"

• There were usually guards & laws preventing someone armed in the presence of Joshua.  This man would have been considered an assassin.
• Essentially Joshua asked "are you for ME or against ME"
  

 ¹⁴ "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord ^[a] have for his servant?"

• The literal translation of 'neither' is 'no.'  Joshua asked the wrong question.  The question was not big enough. 
• When he said commander - that was actually Joshua's title.
• Joshua had authority over the Israelites & he was considered their greatest authority.  Joshua realized the angel had more authority than he did.
• There are 2 question you can ask:  

1. Do I have authority?
• are you for me or against me?
2. Am I under authority?
• Who am I for?
• What side am I on?

• Joshua demonstrates he is uner authority by bowing down.
  

 ¹⁵ The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

• The angel didn't answer any big question or give any big instruction.  He didn't tell him the future or how to handle any major issue.
• Instead, Joshua was tested to see if he would surrender/submit to God.  It was more about making God's name great.

My takeaways:

• Live as a women who is under authority.
• Obey God, trust him with the outcome.
• God takes responsibility to the life that is fully submitted to Him.
• It doesn't matter who is for me or against me.  It's about who I am for.
• It's not about who is on my side but who's side I am on.
• If I win I win.  And if I lose I win.  Because I trust God with the outcome.

We never know our defining moments until they are long gone.  Position yourself so God will make his mark thru you.