31 Days of Praise: October 8

Day #8 - I praise God for the messes that my kids create.

Today is my major cleaning day of the week. This is the day that I try to get all of the rooms swept, dusted, straightened up, etc. so that they are nice and clean for the weekend, which is generally when we have people over. While trying to vacuum the rugs this morning with a fussy, teething 1 year old clinging tightly to my leg, I was reminded of something that an elderly lady from church shared with me one day.

I had a particularly rough week this spring with the munchkins and happened to bump into this dear lady from church. She mentioned to me how cute the kids were and I commented a bit negatively on the work it takes to raise 3 children that are 3 and under. She replied with a story about a time when she was a newly saved young mother of 3 small children. She was attending a Bible study with another church lady and commented to the hostess on how immaculate the home was and how she wished she could get her home to stay that clean. The hostess thanked her for the compliment and then very graciously replied that she was never able to have children and would love to have a few to clean up after. She reminded me to be thankful for the messes because it means that I have people in my life for which to care.

Your Turn: What will you choose to praise God for today?

Homemade Mushroom & Spinach Soup

I came up with this recipe as a side dish for my soup and sandwich combo (Mediterranean Chicken Wraps).

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2/3 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 a medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 
• 3 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves (about 2 cups)

Directions

1. In saucepan, heat oil, add mushrooms, garlic, onion, and pepper. Sauté until onions are translucent (5-8 minutes). 
2. Add salt, pepper, beef broth, and soy sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add spinach and stir until coated with broth. Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

You can also add carrots and celery if you prefer.

31 Days of Praise: October 7

I love to cook, bake, sew, and many other "domestic" things. Today, I am praising God for a mother who took the time to teach a very inquisitive and pesky little girl how to do these things. She was very patient with me and let me experiment with dinner on many a night.

Your Turn: What are you praising the Lord for today?

Southern Sweet Potato Bread

I was looking for a way to use up some leftover sweet potatoes and decided to attempt some Southern Sweet Potato Bread. I had to put a "northern" girl's spin on it but they still turn out moist and flavorful, which equals delicious in my book!

31 Days of Praise: October 6

Today, I was thinking of and praying for many friends and acquaintances going through major health problems. On this day 6, I praise God for my health and the health of my immediate family. In our almost 6 years of wedded bliss, God has spared us from many major medical issues and for this I am truly thankful.

Your Turn: What are you praising the Lord for today?

31 Days of Praise: October 1-5

I am currently reading the Psalms in my daily devotions and with it being the month before Thanksgiving, I have decided to write down something to praise the Lord for each day of the month. I have been writing them down for my own benefit but thought I would share them with you as an encourage for you to praise the Lord. I will be posting days 1-5 in this post and then individual posts for the rest of the days.

October 1 - God has provided me with home, a roof over my head and a protection from the elements.

October 2 - We both have jobs and a steady income. I know so many families that have been affected by job loss or pay cuts.

October 3 - I am so thankful for a wonderful husband who works hard to support our family so that I can work very limited hours and be home with our children most of the time.

October 4 - I read Psalm 32 today and verse one was such a great reminder to me of something that I am truly thankful for, my salvation. "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."

October 5 - I am so thankful for the children that God has entrusted to my care. They are normal kids and, yes, they frustrate and tire me out, but I am reminded that they are a gift from the Lord. I know so many women who have been unable to carry children of their own and experience the joy of hearing a little one say, "I love you, mom," for the first time. All too often I find myself complaining about these little blessings instead of praising God for them.

Your turn: What will you praise the Lord for today and each day of this month?

Menu: October 4-10

I'm not sure if anyone has noticed but I have started planning my menus from Monday-Sunday vs. Sunday-Monday. I am finding it harder to write menus on Friday or Saturday than on Sunday or Monday mornings. Also, our church's Missions Conference begins on Wednesday and goes through Sunday so I will be making a few dishes that can be transported for consumption away from home. Here is my menu for the week:

• Monday - Aussie chicken, onion rice, and glazed carrots
• Tuesday - Roast chicken, roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli, and dinner rolls
• Wednesday - Hot beef sandwiches, fresh veggies, and pasta salad at my MIL & FIL's house. Yummy!
• Thursday - Mediterranean chicken wraps and either a hot spinach salad or a homemade mushroom soup
• Friday - chicken salad wraps
• Saturday - Spinach Feta Pizza 
• Sunday - chicken noodle soup and dinner rolls (I am considering making this in the crock pot and with orzo instead of the traditional egg noodles, and I'm still looking at recipes trying to decide which one to use or if I just want to make up my own.)**

**I ended up making Chicken Tortellini Soup instead.

Mediterranean Chicken Wraps

A friend and I went out to lunch today (yes, I took the kids with us). We decided to eat at Noodles & Company as neither of us had been there in quite some time (it is also fairly kid friendly food-wise). I had their Med Duo (a Mediterranean chicken flat-bread with choice of soup or salad - I did the tomato bisque, YUM). I want to attempt this dish so bad because you can make it fairly healthy and it is so delicious. Here is the list of ingredients:

• 1 batch flatbread (10-12)
• spinach
• spicy Greek yogurt sauce (Tzatziki)
• grilled/baked chicken strips (just a few)
• sauted red peppers, mushrooms and purple onions
• cilantro
• feta cheese

Layer the ingredients on the center of the flatbread or wrap in this order:

1. 8-10 Spinach leaves
2. 3-4 Chicken strips
3. Yogurt sauce (no more than a Tablespoon)
4. Pepper, mushroom, and onion mix (about 1/4 cup)
5. Cilantro, minced and sprinkled sparingly
6. Feta (no more than a Tablespoon) 

The Unnamed Pork Roast

I decided to play around with some contrasting flavors for this pork loin roast. It has such an interesting combination of ingredients that I haven't decided on a name for it. If you think of a good one, let me know.

• 1 - 4 pound pork loin roast (or a couple of 2 pound ones)
• 1/3 cup Koops Honey Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Koops Spicy Brown Mustard
• 1/2 cup Jalapeño Berry Sauce*
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon McCormick's Grill Mates Roasted Garlic & Herb seasoning 
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (except the pork loin, cornstarch, and water).
2. Place pork loin into a roasting pan and preheat oven to 300 degrees.
3. Coat pork roast completely with the sauce. Cover pan and place in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Remove from oven, baste with juices. Place back into oven uncovered for another hour, basting every 20 minutes.
5. Take meat out of the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
6. While meat is resting, pour juices into a small saucepan and add the cornstarch and water mixture. Cook over medium-high heat until it starts to bubble and thicken. Remove from heat and pour over sliced pork roast.

* Jalapeño Berry Sauce was my failed attempt at Jalapeño Cherry Jam. First off, the kids ate too many of my cherries so I had to add other fruits (raspberries and strawberries). Then, it just never thicken up like my plain cherry jam does. Third, it didn't have as much spice as I was hoping for in a jalapeño jam. I canned it and swore I'd find a way to use it some day, and now I have. I do have about 5-6 jars (8 oz.) if anyone wants to try it for $2 (to cover the cost of my jars and ingredients).

Here is a picture of the sliced roast, sauce, steamed broccoli, and maple roasted sweet potatoes.

Menu: September 27-October 3

After not posting a menu last week and doing lots of leftovers and spur-of-the-moment meals, here is the beginning of this week's menu. I will add meal to it as I get time and motivation to do so. Yes, motivation is really the key for me...

• Chili, Jalapeño Cheddar Bread, and Summer Squash Brownies
• Roast pork loin (pick your favorite recipe - herb crusted, sweet & spicy, cranberry, etc.), steamed broccoli, and maple roasted sweet potatoes
• Jambalaya
• Chicken-n-Stuffing Bake (chicken breast pounded thin and topped with cream soup and stuffing before baking), mixed veggies, and dinner rolls

Here are a few things we had last week in case you'd like some inspiration:

• Chicken Pot Pie - I've learned that less is more where pot pie is concerned. You really don't need to doll this up a lot, it's good just the standard way.
• Chicken Cordon Bleu, roasted red potatoes (salt, pepper, olive oil, water, garlic, and herbs in a covered pan for 1 hour @ 400 degrees), and a side salad.
• Tacos
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and fruit salad