Menus / Recipes

Fall is Here and The Soup is On

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Fall… The trees changing colors remind me of a painting in a museum.  God’s palatte of colors amuse the eyes and challenge the imagination.  A tree stands tall with it’s summer leaves expressing it’s desire to hold on to summer at the bottom of the tree, while the middle hesitantly relinquishes  it’s leaves to the cooler temperatures and the top willingly submits in excitement over the seasonal change.  From green to an orange hugh to the glaring red with a hint of purple creating a color unknown to the crayola crayon pack.

College Football games, warms coats, turtle necks and gloves.  The flip flops are put away and the shorts hit the storage bins.  As the heat turns on and the air conditioning is turned off, the blankets are pulled out of the basket as we snuggle up on the couch by the fire place.  Once again, the menu choice that takes center stage is soup.  Especially when the fall harvest is bringing in the squash and the last of the winter storage vegetables.

As we drove home last night from another weekend away, I looked forward to the yummy butternut squash soup I had made before we left.  Simple, quick, healthy and full of nutrients.  Butternut squash is a wonderful source of  vitamins A, B6, C, and Potassium.  It is also filled with anti-oxidents and is good for inflammation.

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Start with cutting 2 butter nut squash in half long wise.  Scoop out seeds and place the squash into baking dishes flesh side down with enough water to steam.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, or until flesh is cooked through and soft.

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1/3 stick of real Butter

1 large Onion, chopped

4 Celery sticks  with tops, chopped

3 Garlic cloves, chopped

Melt butter in pan and saute the onion, celery and garlic.  When sauteed to look translucent, add:

2 small or 1 medium Red Pepper, chopped

bunch of Parsley, chopped

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When the squash is done, scoop out the flesh from the shell and add it to the sauteed vegetables above.  Add also the water from the baking dishes.  Do not let it boil.  After cooking for about 10 minutes, add:

1 Pint of home made Chicken broth concentrate, I used my canned broth (recipe on previous post last fall)

2 cans of Organic coconut milk

dash of Red Pepper Flakes, add more if you like really spicy

1/8 tsp Chipotle Pepper

1/8 tsp Turmeric

1/2 TBS Sea Salt

Pepper to taste

Cook until all are tender.  I use an immersion blender right in the pot to blend.  If you don’t have one of those, use a strainer or a slotted spoon to pull out the chunks of vegetables and place them in a blender, blending until smooth.  Add back in to the soup pot and serve warm.  Make sure not to boil or it will burn.

A warm and tasty treat served with a nice warm piece of baked home made bread.  Or, with a grilled cheese sandwich, my kids favorite.  By also making a grilled cheese sandwich on home made gluten free bread and using raw cheddar, the kids are more inclined to enjoy any soup I make.   🙂

Hope you enjoy!

Menus / Recipes

Swedish Pancake Spin

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Breakfast is such an important meal of the day.  It provides the energy boost our body needs after a long evening of rest and repair.  It’s too bad that in our home breakfast is usually eaten between 10-12 a.m.  By the time I wake up, wait an hour after taking my thyroid medicine, then take an hour and a half to ingest all of my Lyme meds, wait another half hour before consuming anything, it ends up being at least 10.  Then if I get creative and decide to make something other than eggs, it can be at least another hour if not more.  Fortunately for us, there is enough to do in those hours we are up so that no time is wasted and everyone enjoys waiting for a little something warm and home made.

One breakfast treat that the kids really enjoy and I rarely remember to make, gives me the warm fuzzies as I am reminded of my youth.  When I was at college, one of my grandmothers came up to visit me and she saw lingonberries in my pantry.  She told me how lingonberries go well with Swedish pancakes and she would show me how to make them.  Well, it just so happened that I had the recipe for Swedish pancakes in my cookbook “Where’s Mom Now That I Need Her”.  So we both went up to the store and bought the other ingredients and made Swedish Pancakes filled with lingonberries.  A warm memory that makes me smile.  🙂

As I pulled out that book this morning, I looked at the recipe and decided to try and make them a bit healthier with the ingredients I had on hand.  I must say, it was the first time the kids said they were like a pastry, very soft, sweet and the best I’ve made yet.  So, that being said I thought I’d share what I did.

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Swedish Pancake Spin

3 eggs

3/4 C. Organic whole milk vanilla bean yogurt

1/4 C. purified water

2 TBS Raw Honey

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

2/3 C. Sorghum flour, Sifted

Start with the first 5 ingredients and whisk them together until well blended.  Then add the flour by sifting it into the bowl and mix well.

Heat a cast iron skillet with a little butter and once hot, pour very little of the batter into the pan in a circle.  If need be, lift the pan with the handle gently allowing some of the batter to spill into a larger circle.

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The batter should look like an extremely thin pancake.  Flip it when it begins to look dry on the top.

Place onto a plate and fill with lingonberries if you have them or with fresh cut up peaches, nectarines, strawberries or blueberries.  Roll them up with the seam at the bottom of the plate.  We also like to dust them with an ever so little bit organic powdered sugar just before serving.

Can you say Yum?

Celtic Fun, Menus / Recipes

A Cooler, A Cutting Board, A Bowl and A Crockpot… Not a Crackpot!

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In the two weeks we were traveling we only ate out one time.  What?  How is that possible?

Well, let me tell you how.  A cooler, a crock pot, large bowl, cutting board, some serving utensils and some prep.

Breakfasts:  Hard boiled eggs, GF cereal with raw milk, GF bagels with organic cream cheese or almond butter, home made GF muffins and pre-made home made GF waffles.  I made the waffles and muffins before we left and froze them.  We would put the waffles wrapped in foil into the crock pot over night on warm and by morning we had warm waffles to enjoy with some sliced strawberries and maple syrup.  We also had kefir or yogurt with some strawberries and bananas.

Lunches:  GF organic Turkey sandwiches made as we wanted them.  Sliced GF organic grass fed beef sausages with GF Rice Free Lentil crackers and raw cheese.  Costco also has a wonderful organic GF chicken salad in single serving cups that were delicious.  We also ate leftovers from our dinners the previous night and pre cut veggies with organic hummus.

Dinners:  Prepped before leaving was the marinated chicken I cooked, cut up into cubes and froze.  This was also useful in the cooler acting as another ice pack.   The kids and I were able to wash some lettuce with some paper towel, I cut up tomatoes and we tossed the thawed chicken into the bowl with the lettuce and tomatoes adding in an organic Caeser salad dressing with a little cheese and we had a chicken Caeser Salad.

I also cooked up chicken breasts and shredded them mixing them with a habanero pineapple sauce and some barbecue sauce.  Both were organic without high fructose corn syrup.  I then froze it and when thawed, cooked it in the crock pot serving it on GF buns as pulled chicken sandwiches.  Serve with a few homemade sweet and sour pickles, cut up veggies and gluten free organic chips.

One night we made taco salads.  I had precooked and frozen some ground beef and used it also as an ice pack for the cooler when we first left.  We again washed some lettuce, tomatoes and put all in the metal mixing bowl with fermented salsa, raw cheese, organic avocado, and the organic dressing.   The leftovers we ate for lunch the next day.

We took some precooked chicken brats that were frozen and I put them in the crock pot with some cut up peppers and onions in the afternoon one day in CA and we had dinner ready when we were done with our day.

On the way home, we made a stop at Costco and Whole Foods.  We chose some pre-made salads and chicken dishes that we could put in the cooler.

Snacks:  We had apples, bananas, dried fruits, cut up veggies with organic hummus cups, and of course I allowed the kids some GF chips of various kinds.   Believe it or not, I actually found pretzels that were GF and rice free.  Woo hoo, I actually enjoyed a few pretzels.

Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive when it comes to food as long as you have a few hours of prep, the resources and the want to eat nutritious meals.  I cannot remember the last time we were in a fast food drive through.  Other than coffee it has to have been at least 12 years.  We travel quite often and we rarely eat out when we do.

When we did eat out in CA, it was the first day, in San Francisco at Fisherman’s Wharf.  Of course, who could pass up such a wonderful Ahi Tuna.  🙂

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Following in Faith

Faith or Works

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“But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” Galations 4:22-24

The question in our study asked to record and explain the two images Paul uses to illustrate how the Law functions. The two images were prison and guardian. How could it be both?

My answer to the how was to consider a plane in a holding pattern. Number 3 in a line of 6 sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off. As a patron in the plane, likely having sat on that plane for about 1/2 hour already at that time, one could feel as though they are in prison. Not able to get out of the seat, not able to use the phone, not able lay the seat back. It is a requirement that one follows the rules of the plane at this time. However, as the pilot, hearing and knowing that the holding pattern they are in is truly a protection from being hit by other planes and that waiting their turn is worth the safety of the crew and patrons on board.

How wonderful that the fulfillment of Christ’s death on the cross set us free from the imprisonment of the law. If ever you’ve read the law laid out for god’s people of the Old Testament you would realize that it’s quite complicated. One could easily feel imprisoned, especially since the Law did not give them freedom, it only gave them a recognition of their sins and their death to them. Only the coming of Christ and the fulfillment of his death could provide life. I wonder how many people that call themselves Christians understand this? Being a homeschool mom, I have over the years met and observed many groups/people that practice much of the Old Testament Law. I often wonder if they truly know Christ and understand that there is nothing they can do obtain salvation. I wonder if they understand that the covenant made to Abraham in Genesis, came 430 years prior to the law.

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Galations 12:1-3

This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it longer comes by promise, but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. Galations 3:17-18

The understanding that we can do nothing to obtain salvation other than through the freedom in Christ is sometimes twisted by unbelievers so that they feel freedom in sinful behavior as long as they claim to believe in Christ. I’ve even heard it said that if someone is a good person and they do good works and have lived a clean life they are saved. Even if the person outwardly has claimed they don’t believe in God. I would argue and have argued that one is not saved through such criteria.

And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:29-31

So then what freedom does a person claiming to believe in Jesus have? Can he or she knowingly still freely sin? Are the 10 commandments null and void due to the coming of Christ?

NO!

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:9-11

I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. John 17:9

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:14

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. John 6:37

Can someone just say he or she believes in Christ and they are saved? How do we know it’s genuine? What about alter calls? I have to be honest in saying that I myself find it hard to judge the heart of another. Just as one of the two thieves on the cross deserved death, he was not baptized, he did not follow the law, yet he believed in Christ, genuinely, and Christ understood his heart. He was welcomed by the Lord unconditionally other than his proclamation of faith. Consider however, he did not have a life further to live. He was dying alongside our Lord. For healthy humans who say they believe, if they are genuine in their faith there is a change of heart and their lives begin to reflect that change.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. do not marvel that I said to you ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where is wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for this soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels int he glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” Matthew 16:24-27

And again in Mark 8:34-36 the above is again repeated. Ending with: “For what can a man give in return for his soul? for whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in his adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:37-38

Keeping God’s commandments, and doing good works are all a result of saving faith. The requirement of the Law of the Old Testament as atonement for sins is no longer required since Christ died on the cross. Good works by those who love Him however, still exist as a result of one’s faith in Christ.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothes and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:14-17

But someone will say to you, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God , and it was counted to him as righteousness” – and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. James 2:18-26

Why has this subject been swarming in my mind this past week? I’m not sure other than to say it is God’s providence that I have a blog to share with others. To write about my understanding of His words and to share what I know with those who may not understand. For we know not the way the Lord may touch the human soul. Through a song, a friend, a family member, a loss, a tragedy, or maybe through a blog.

I hope you find your week to be blessed and that you can see Him. May your hearts be stirred to know him more completely through His Word.

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1 (The commentary on this verse claims it is addressing a deep spiritual longing to seek the Lord while he may be found. The word Come is all one needs to do in order to find mercy in God. ESV Study Bible Commentary)

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Revelation 22:17

Following in Faith

Faith or Works

Leave a comment

IMG_8154

“But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.  So then the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”         Galations 4:22-24

The question in our study asked to record and explain the two images Paul uses to illustrate how the Law functions.   The two images were prison and guardian.  How could it be both?

My answer to the how was to consider a plane in a holding pattern.  Number 3 in a line of 6 sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off.  As a patron in the plane, likely having sat on that plane for about 1/2 hour already at that time, one could feel as though they are in prison. Not able to get out of the seat, not able to use the phone, not able lay the seat back.  It is a requirement that one follows the rules of the plane at this time.  However, as the pilot, hearing and knowing that the holding pattern they are in is truly a protection from being hit by other planes and that waiting their turn is worth the safety of the crew and patrons on board.

How wonderful that the fulfillment of Christ’s death on the cross set us free from the imprisonment of the law.  If ever you’ve read the law laid out for god’s people of the Old Testament you would realize that it’s quit complicated.  One could easily feel imprisoned, especially since the Law did not give them freedom, it only gave them a recognition of their sins and their death to them.  Only the coming of Christ and the fulfillment of his death could provide life.   I wonder how many people that call themselves Christians understand this?  Being a homeschool mom, I have over the years met and observed many groups/people that practice much of the Old Testament Law.  I often wonder if they truly know Christ and understand that there is nothing they can do obtain salvation.  I wonder if they understand that the covenant made to Abraham in Genesis, came 430 years prior to the law.

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  Galations 12:1-3

This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it longer comes by promise, but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.  Galations 3:17-18

The understanding that we can do nothing to obtain salvation other than through the freedom in Christ is sometimes twisted by unbelievers so that they feel freedom in sinful behavior as long as they claim to believe in Christ.  I’ve even heard it said that if someone is a good person and they do good works and have lived a clean life they are saved.  Even if the person outwardly has claimed they don’t believe in  God.  I would argue and have argued that one is not saved through such criteria.

And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.  Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”  Acts 16:29-31

So then what freedom does a person claiming to believe in Jesus have?  Can he or she knowingly still freely sin?  Are the 10 commandments null and void due to the coming of Christ?

NO!  

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”  John 15:9-11

I am praying for them.  I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.  John 17:9

“Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”  Matthew 7:14

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.  John 6:37

Can someone just say he or she believes in Christ and they are saved?  How do we know it’s genuine?  What about alter calls?  I have to be honest in saying that I myself find it hard to judge the heart of another.  Just as one of the two thieves on the cross deserved death, he was not baptized, he did not follow the law, yet he believed in Christ, genuinely, and Christ understood his heart.  He was welcomed by the Lord unconditionally other than his proclamation of faith.  Consider however, he did not have a life further to live.  He was dying alongside our Lord.  For healthy humans who say they believe, if they are genuine in their faith there is a change of heart and their lives begin to reflect that change.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”  Jesus answered, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  do not marvel that I said to you ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where is wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  John 3:3-8

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  Or what shall a man give in return for this soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels int he glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”  Matthew 16:24-27

And again in Mark 8:34-36 the above is again repeated.  Ending with:  “For what can a man give in return for his soul?  for whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in his adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”  Mark 8:37-38

Keeping God’s commandments, and doing good works are all a result of saving faith.  The requirement of the Law of the Old Testament as atonement for sins is no longer required since Christ died on the cross.  Good works by those who love Him however, still exist as a result of one’s faith in Christ.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothes and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?  So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  James 2:14-17

But someone will say to you, “You have faith and I have works.”  Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  You believe that God is one; you do well.  Even the demons believe – and shudder!  Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God , and it was counted to him as righteousness” – and he was called a friend of God.  You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.  And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?  For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.  James 2:18-26

Why has this subject been swarming in my mind this past week?  I’m not sure other than to say it is God’s providence that I have a blog to share with others.  To write about my understanding of His words and to share what I know with those who may not understand.  For we know not the way the Lord may touch the human soul.  Through a song, a friend, a family member, a loss, a tragedy, or maybe through a blog.

I hope you find your week to be blessed and that you can see Him.  May your hearts be stirred to know him more completely through His Word.

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Isaiah 55:1       (The commentary on this verse claims it is  addressing a deep spiritual longing to seek the Lord while he may be found.  The word Come is all one needs to do in order to find mercy in God.  ESV Study Bible Commentary)

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”  And let the one who hears say, “Come.”  And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Revelation 22:17

memories

Where Are My Ruby Slippers?

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“There’s no place like home… There’s no place like home…” A phrase I kept repeating one night on our journey as I thought of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

We made it home safe and sound!  The journey back was long since we added in a visit to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.  I am finding myself exhausted and had a two day migraine I am hoping will scamper away soon enough.  Joyful however that the Lord found favor upon us and brought us home safely.

The trip home had one frightening moment in time, when we left Yellowstone only to find ourselves in the mountains once again, in the dark, on a two lane road with 20 mph speed limits and open roaming of cattle.  Yes, we saw two cattle on the side of the road at one point, and no we did not see many cars for over an hour as we climbed a mountain in the dark.  I mistakenly took the wrong exit out of Yellowstone only to find myself in near tears, feeling lost with my kiddos somewhere in and out of Montana and Wyoming.  In all honestly it was another one of those moments when all you can do is keep going even when you didn’t know where you were going nor where you would end up.  I suppose it’s much like Lyme Disease.  For over the last year it’s been a way of life, just keep going, there has to be light at the end of the tunnel.   My prayer as we climbed higher and higher and I was getting more and more tired was that God’s mercy would provide energy to my body, peace of mind, and a stopping point sooner than later.  I asked for safety as we were visibly unable to see what was ahead of us or around us.   When we finally did end up in a town, one hotel was out of rooms and we nearly spent the night in the car.  Fortunately, we checked the bed bug registry to find another hotel nearby and the two hotel stewards graciously gave us a lower cost on our room along with free breakfast the next morning.  Praise Him for giving us all that we needed to make it through that night.

My glass is half full attitude kept telling the kids that if we had not gone out that exit, we would never have seen the moose in Montana next to the road, nor would we have seen the herds of bison that continued to walk in front of our car near the exit.  It was quite exciting and made for more memories in the memory bank.

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I could not help to be struck once again by the beauty of our country.  From the rolling hills, to the plains, to the mountains that stretch high into the skies.  The beauty of the animals roaming freely from one hillside to another while we sat in our cars, driving around their homeland, captivated by the activity of their everyday lives.  Made me think of a song we all once knew:

Original poem (1893)
America. A Poem for July 4.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!
O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife,
When once or twice, for man’s avail,
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain,
The banner of the free!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

 

memories

Are We There Yet?

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Well…we made it!  Across the midwest to California.  Memories that will last a lifetime.

We left on a Monday and by Tuesday we were 1/2 way across the midwest to our destination.  With a stop to see family we also enjoyed the hot springs for detoxing and an open jeep ride in the hills of Colorado.

The things we have seen thus far in the week and a half we’ve been on the road:  Glenwood Hot Springs and Glenwood Canyon, Salt Lake City, Great Salt Lake Desert (Amazing), Tahoe Forest, Lake Tahoe, Half Moon Bay, Napa, Mount Tamalpais, The Red Woods in Muir Forest, Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, the seals off of Pier 39, China Town, Golden Gate Bridge, Grand Teton National Park….

I would say that I am physically tired, however, I am also having the best time with the kids.  Sharing the driving, laughing, listening to loud obnoxious music, and watching the sights through their eyes as well as mine.   I cannot imagine a year ago that I would be doing this.  I remember being too sick to even climb the stairs of our house let alone being able to drive across country.  The blessings of the Lord are abundant and we are most content.

Today we enjoyed seeing the buffalo and a moose in the Tetons.  We have only eaten one meal out and have been creative with a crock pot and coolers to keep our healthy whole food meals cold.  We’ve been checking the bed bug registry so as to stay only places that are “clean”.  One hotel we checked into, we checked back out of 10 minutes later as there was a bug on the sheets.  From then on I checked the registry.  Of course, as all adventures go, we also checked into one motel only to have to ask for a second non smoking room because the first non smoking room they gave us smelled like smoke.  The second room they gave us hadn’t been cleaned yet, so we ended up with a third room that also had a kitchen and eating area.  This of course should have cost us a boat load more, however, they still gave us our discounted price off of booking.com.

I look forward to sharing some of our helpful travel hints that got us through our two weeks (that is what it will be when we get home) however, for now here are some pictures of our fun.  Hope you feel as though you’ve been with us:

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Selfie with the my brother and the kids in the jeep.  This was GREAT!  No doors, top off and riding on the back roads.

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Western CO near Grand Junction.  Crazy beautiful!

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Salt Lake is behind us.  (Salt Lake City Utah)

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Great Salt Desert.  This is amazing.

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Seals off of Pier 39 in San Francisco.  So fun to watch.

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Wine Tasting in Napa. (Silver Oak was our favorite.)

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Half Moon Bay where the waves were the biggest I had ever seen.  People were seriously being toppled over.  My husband went to get his feet wet on the sand when a wave came rushing in and nearly took him down.  He was soaked from waist down.  It was a priceless picture that was not taken due to all of us being so surprised over the event as it unfolded.

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Mount Tamalpais overlooking San Francisco.

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Red woods in Muir Forest.

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Snake River in Idaho before heading into Wyoming.

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Buffalo in Teton National Park.

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Yes, two days it hit 96 and 97 degrees while we were driving.

We still have more of our adventure to report on so we will share more when we get back to the home front.   Thanks for looking.

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Back in the Kitchen…

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This week has been spent putting up more vegetables for winter.  From green beans to tomatoes to even more fermented vegetables.  I’m so excited to be back in the kitchen, at times too excited as my legs and feet don’t hold up the way they used to before Lymes.  I do however, take breaks to rest between projects so getting it all done plus making dinner actually gets accomplished…most nights!   🙂

Tonights dinner was one of our son’s favorites.  Ahi Tuna with a wasabi sauce.  Easy to make and very tasty.  I found a great recipe out of Make It Paleo, however, didn’t have all of the ingredients as they listed, so I improvised a slight bit.

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Ahi Tuna

Mix the following ingredients together in a bowl and pour in a bag over 4 Tuna Steaks:

1/4 C. Coconut Aminos

1/8 C. Fish Sauce

1 TBS. Chopped Garlic

1 TBS. Garlic Tea Tree Oil

2 tsp. Ginger (if you have, fresh even better)

1 tsp. Sea Salt

Let marinate 2 hours prior to cooking.  Before placing on the grill, dip each side in a bowl with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sea salt and ginger.  Lightly coating.  Cook each steak on the grill or in a grill pan for about 2-3 minutes per side depending upon how rare you can handle it.  It’s far better the rarer it is.  One of our children does not like it rare so I compromised and did the 3.  It was slightly over cooked for my taste, however, all ate dinner so that was an accomplishment.

Wasabi Dressing

Homemade mayonnaise (see previous post on recipe) with some wasabi powder.  Wasabi is strong and it’s taste gathers steam to the palate the longer it’s in the dressing so be careful when using.  Start small and gradually increase quantity to your personal taste.

Served along side the cucumber, tomato, olive and basil salad.  Yumm!

 

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Complaining, Venting or Whining…Cannot decide!

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In Psychology Today, complaining, venting and whining are described this way:  “Complaining and whining can be distinguished by the nature of the dissatisfaction and by our motivation for expressing it.  Complaining involves voicing fair and legitimate dissatisfactions with the goal of attaining a resolution or remedy.  When we voice legitimate dissatisfactions but do so without the goal of attaining a resolution we are merely venting.  And when the dissatisfactions we voice are trivial or inconsequential and not worthy of special attention, we are whining.”  I guess I am slightly complaining in this post about what took place last night.  Or, I guess you could consider it venting as it’s over and done with so there is no goal of resolution at this time and to some it could seem like whining since the first part of this post is inconsequential since it was yesterdays issues.  Either way, here we go…

It’s been a year since being diagnosed with Lymes Disease and all of the wonderful          co-infections that come along with.  I am pleased to have come so far in my healing and really have nothing to complain about.  That being said, I would very much enjoy getting through a day without a headache.  For the last few weeks I have been getting these mild headaches that hit in the afternoons.  Most of the time I get through them with a little peppermint oil on the temples and back of the neck, however, last night was very different.  I was beginning to wonder if my husband should take me in to urgent care it was so bad.  Usually laying down with my eyes closed helps, yet last nights migraine actually got worse as I lied down.  Not sure what triggered it other than I was once again on my feet getting things done in the kitchen.   It took 2 Aleve (which I hate taking unless absolutely necessary), 1/4 of a melatonin and 2 TBS of liquid Magnesium over an hours time frame before I could lay down and fall asleep without the continual throb that was keeping me wrapped up in the fetal position.  Praise God I slept all night and woke up refreshed and surprisingly not tired.

Hence the reason I was unable to share what I accomplished yesterday as far as canning and fermenting.  Well, we tried something new and I am excited to taste the end result.

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Fermented Fennel, Onion, and Carrots – Taking the fennel and trimming it up, I then placed it in the food processor using the mandoline tool to slice it thinly.  Doing the same with the onion and mixing together in a large bowl.  I then switched out the food processor tool to the shredder and shredded the carrots.  After mixing all together I added sea salt and mixed thoroughly once more.  Gathering up some clean sterilized jelly jars I began spooning in the fennel salad mixture pounding each spoonful down into the jar with a wooden mallet.  Leaving 1 inch at the top I then added 1 TBS fresh whey and filtered spring water.  I will again leave these out for 3-7 days to ferment prior to putting them in the fridge.  Burping daily of course.  🙂

The second recipe I made was supposed to be a fennel jelly.  I thought maybe I could use the trimmings of the fennel to make a pepper jelly like sauce.  Well, after boiling it down all it smelled  and tasted like was apple cider vinegar.  So, rather than throwing it all out, I went out to the freezer to find something to resurrect the ingredients.  Well, it worked.  It is really yummy too!

Cranberry, Fennel Chutney Sauce

1 – 1/2 Cups Fennel bulb and fennel trimmings

1 – 1/2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar

5 to 6 Cups sugar (because I cannot do the sugar, I used birch tree Xylitol.  Next time I      would likely use only 4 cups as it was quite sweet.)

4 – 5 Cups cranberries, finely chopped

2 small onions, finely chopped

1 tsp. Cinnamon

I boiled down the Fennel, Apple Cider Vinegar and Sugar until it came to a rolling boil for about 5-10 minutes.  Then I strained out the liquid and placed it back on the stove adding in the cranberries, onion and cinnamon.  I again brought it back to a boil.  Turning off the burner I added natural pectin.  Unfortunately I hadn’t followed the pectin recipe and it clumped up, so for future I would have kept the fruit and onions in the final product.  This time however, because of the pectin clumping, I strained out the fruit pouring it into clean sterilized jars and put them into the hot water bath to seal.  Serving it over some cheese with some crushed walnuts will be a yummy winters treat for the family.

Still have to do something with the beets and the cabbage.  Maybe today!

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!  1Chronicles 16:11

 

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Why bother…?

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(This painting hangs in my kitchen… It’s so me!)

Why fermentation?  Why canning?  Why grow your own food when you have grocery stores on every corner?  Why go through the work?

Oh my, so many questions.  I’ve heard it all.  I’ve even heard, “Sherry you are too sick to be doing all of that”, or “I did all that when I was younger and see no need to keep doing it.  I hated doing it then with my mother why would I do it now.”  Well, the primary answer to everyones “why” about this topic is this:

Neighbor, “Yeah we have so many tomatoes this year that Sally (name changed) is thinking we should make some pasta sauce.  We just aren’t sure what to do with so many.”

MY husband, “Oh yeah.  Can the sauces so you have them this winter.  It was great this last winter when Sherry was so sick and I prepared the meals, those canned sauces really helped out when I needed them.”

Neighbor, “Maybe they can help one another and do the canning together.”

Said and done!   Two verses come to mind when I consider this conversation exchange.  The first is from Proverbs 31:10- 18  “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.  The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.  She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.  She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.  She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.  She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.  She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.  She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.  Her lamp does not go out at night.”  Keep in mind that as I type this I am aware that it sounds boldly prideful on my part to consider this verse and my husbands conversation.  However, when you realize that the title of this portion of Proverbs is titled “A Woman Who Fears The Lord” you understand that all that I do is pleasing to the Lord.   I understand who the Lord is and why I am here.

Now, I also must admit that the human side of my being, living in a self indulgent world also realizes that homemaking has become a taboo word for women.  The thought amongst our peers is that we were either too stupid to make it doing anything else (and yes I’ve even heard of one persons interpretation of my being a stay at home mom described as “not being highly educated”) or we have an overbearing husband who chains us to the house without allowing us to have a mind of our own.  That being said, I have to also admit that worldly thinking can and does creep in sometimes.  My worldly thought on the conversation was this, “Thank you Lord that my husband appreciates the sacrifices I have made.  I was not at the pool, tennis courts, golfing at the club, sitting down watching soap operas (are those still running?) or going out spending money with friends buying designer clothes and enjoying lavish expensive lunches (as many of my friends did at our last place of residence).   I will consider this my paycheck… A wonderful compliment from my husband.”  Now, being that I started it out as a sort of thanksgiving prayer, one would assume this was not worldly, however, I would argue with you that it was very selfish on my part to look to myself with pride expecting praise from someone for something I’ve done and sacrifices I made.  Really?  I’ve made no sacrifices, this is my JOB as a wife and mother.  Going to the Word of God you see that Proverbs 31 has much more to say past verse 18.  And, it’s all to please the Lord.    Does that mean there is no laughter and fun?  Of course not.  There is great joy when you all sit down together for a meal, or when the aroma of dinner tantalizes your husbands nose when he walks in the door, and the pleasing look in his eyes when he knows that he doesn’t have to worry about one more thing after a full day of work away from those he loves.

Gardening, canning, fermenting, and housework is done to please the Lord.  Not to please anyone else.  Now, in pleasing the Lord, I am also pleasing the family.  It’s a win win.

The second verse was from Titus 2:3, “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.  They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”  Again, God honoring to teach the younger women (Sally) how to please the Lord by also pleasing, preparing, saving money and working for the good of the family.

Now, that I’ve shared what’s been on my mind the last two days, I need to share why it’s been on my mind.  Yesterday began canning day.  With the harvest coming in from our own garden and the local CSA it’s time to begin preparing for winter.  Oh we enjoy enough of our harvest now, however, we also enjoy it all winter long.  The first comment of my being too sick actually came to reality when I was on my feet all afternoon without sitting down for a break and by dinner time my right leg was numb and I felt like I was again dragging my right foot.  Oh swizzle sticks!  (as the little girl next door says)  Today is a new day and we will try again.  Taking breaks this time so as not to overdo.

Yesterday I canned the two day project I was working on.  Chicken Stock.  Yes, I canned it.  I did some reading and educated myself so as not to ruin anyones day with illness. I made my chicken stock the day before, cooking it in the Nesco all day.  Then I poured it into jars, refrigerated it and skimmed off the fat the next morning.  I then put it back into a stock pot (2 – 3/4 gallons of it) just to the boiling point, poured it into clean hot pint jars, added a tsp. of salt and placed on the lids and began the canning process.  Because water baths are not sufficient enough for chicken stock, I used two of my pressure canners at 10 lbs. of pressure for 20 minutes.  I made 23 pints of stock.  (See previous post last fall on making the chicken stock.)  Disclaimer:  I would NOT can any chicken that comes from the traditional conventional marketplace.  I would only can organic, non-GMO fed chicken stock that was homemade with all organic ingredients using pure unadulterated water sources.  

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After the chicken stock I moved on to making fermented salsa.  I took the beautiful ripe organic tomatoes from the CSA (mine are not done yet), one very large onion, a large bunch of cilantro and about 10-15 garlic.  I put them all in the food processor and gently processed them down to a mildly chunky state and poured it all into a bowl.  I took clean jelly jars and a few pints placing 1 tsp. salt and 1 TBS fresh whey in each.  Then I scooped the salsa into each jar leaving 1 inch space at the top.  Wiped each clean and put on the lids.  I then shook the jars to mix in the whey and the salt.  Placing them on the counter on top of a towel I then unscrewed the lid of the jar so the air would be able to flow.  I will leave them on the counter from 3-7 days, burping the jars each day to release the fermented gases before putting them into the refrigerator.

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Fermented foods have been a long tradition in many cultures and is wonderful to help aid in digestion.  We see the importance of eating yogurt, this is the same only using fresh organic vegetables.   Each month my doctor wants to know if I am continuing to eat my fermented veggies, juicing, kefir and kombuccha of which the answer is always yes.  We both agree it helps tremendously.

Today, I will be creating and making fermented beats, fennel, cabbage recipes which I will share at the end of the week.

 

P.S.  I am college educated with a 4 year degree. 🙂

 

Thank you Lord for the blessing of a family to care for.  Thank you for the knowledge you have provided regarding health, nutrition, foods, and the human bodies response to unnatural man made resources.  Thank you Lord for the daily strength that can only come from you as I open my eyes each day feeling weary.  It is only through your almighty grace that I continue on.  Lord I pray that I can honor you through all that I do, say and think.  Help me to keep my focus on you and you alone so that all I do on this earth will be glorifying to you.  Amen…

 

Proverbs 31:10-31