The End Of Me

I am a person who likes to fix everything and everyone. Lots of us are like that. As soon as one problem comes up I am coming up with different scenarios to fix it.

I have had, in the past, a plan A, B, C… 

Of course, God has always been my plan A, 

BUT if He didn’t come through I always had my other plans in place so I could go to if I needed. I did not rest until it was all settled.

There really hasn’t been many times in my life that I couldn’t fix what was broken

and make it right again.

I was super woman…super mom…

placed on this pedestal for all to be amazed at.

On the outside at least.

But I was so broken on the inside and I didn’t even know it. I thought I was fixing myself.

That is until God brought me to a place where He humbled me. He brought me to a place so broken where I depended on Him for every beat of my heart. 

No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t will my heart to beat. This was something I just could not fix. I had to depend on Him for my life.

I remember telling God,

when my heartbeat was 28 and I could literally feel my life leaving my body; that I couldn’t fix myself this time. That He would have to come through for me. There was no plan B or C, but I knew He could heal me if it was His will. You know what He said to me? All I heard was one word,

“Finally!”

In the Bible it says:

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, 

about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. 

But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And He did rescue us from mortal danger, and He will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in Him, and He will continue to rescue us.

2 Corinthians 1:8-10

I had come to the end of myself.

It is that place where you know God has to intervene.

There is nothing that you can do.

You cannot rely on yourself, you have to rely on God.

He brings us to that place of total dependence and brokenness and that’s when He takes those broken pieces of our lives and redeems them,

to make them something good. It’s when He can come in and change us and then we can go out

and share what God has done in us.

God cannot multiply until something is broken!

He shows up right at that moment of the impossible.

Where we can’t fix it, where we can’t change ourselves,

where we can’t clean up the mess we’ve made and makes it all right. 

This is so He gets the glory. So we realize that it is God who did it, and not anyone else. That place where we aren’t working so hard, striving, begging to make things right in our life. Where we aren’t wrestling every day to change ourselves. It’s when we surrender and say, “God, I can’t do this. I can’t change myself.

I can’t make this happen, but you can. I don’t know where I’m going, but you do!”

In my circumstance I needed God to save my mortal body and my inner self. For you, maybe it’s something you’ve wanted to change but just haven’t been able to overcome. Maybe it’s a promise God has spoken to you that hasn’t come to pass yet.You are trying to figure out how to make it happen.

Maybe you’re trying to figure out what’s the next step to take in your life?

The Bible says:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

Psalm 37:4

The Hebrew meaning for delight actually means 

to be dependent on God and to derive one’s pleasure from Him.

It is at that point, when we depend on God, that He gives us the desires of our heart.

The desire to change, to let it go and let God do it.

Our desire is Him, and it’s what He gives us.

It is He who does the changing. It is He who brings those things in our lives that He has promised.

It is He who guides us and gives us direction.

So, I encourage you today, to come to the end of yourself.

-Teresa

God's Loving Provision

I was having a conversation with my neighbor on the topic of how my husband and I make ends meet. She couldn't understand how we could raise such a large family on one income with the economy like it is. She was having a hard time just feeding herself so she just didn't think it was possible.

I'm actually used to questions like these because we do have such a large family, so my first thought in how to answer her question was a step by step, detailed list of how we do things now, and how we always prepare for tight times. As I opened my mouth to tell her some of those things, God reminded me of the many times He has provided for us.

Like the time I had been praying to be able to quit my job. We couldn't afford to live on just Scott's income so I prayed and prayed. Right before I was due to go back to my job after maternity leave, Scott was offered a 50% raise. Needless to say, I went in and gave my notice.

Another time, a few years later Scott's company had massive layoffs. God had prepared us that entire year for what we knew would be his last there. We didn't even know about the upcoming cuts, but God did!

I could keep going because time and time again God has provided for us. Yes, even through a layoff with seven children at home, God provided.

As I am rattling off my standard answers to my neighbor, that still small voice reminds me of how we have to trust Him first. Scriptures start coming to my mind:

"Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.

Hebrews 13:5

"Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you."

Deuteronomy 31:8 

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,

yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today

Matthew 6:25-34

While God wants us to be good stewards and prepare for the seasons ahead, He also wants us to know that it is He who really provides for us. It is Him who should get all the glory. Yes, we prepare, but it is Him who is Jehovah Jireh.

That day I was able to give a testimony to my neighbor of the faithfulness of God in how He had taken care of us. I know that in the years many trials have come our way. God has been faithful every single time. Whether it is from Scott getting extra work, people bringing over clothes, or God teaching me how to be frugal, we have always had enough.

So, while we plan and while we learn to be better stewards of the money God has entrusted to us, let us not forget of God's provision. He tells us to trust Him and not worry, but to seek Him first. He demonstrates His love for us time and time again by taking care of us no matter what comes our way.

What are some ways you’ve seen the hand of God’s provision in your life? Let’s share of God’s goodness today because I know there are some that could use the encouragement while they are struggling to trust Him to meet their needs.

-Teresa

Suffering and God's Grace through it all

 

I am reading Ann Voskamp's book, "One Thousand Gifts" with the ladies of my church. You can read our blog here. I was in charge of writing on chapter 5 of the book. It was so good I thought I should share it here.

 To be honest, this was a hard chapter. Reading on grace, suffering in the world, and God’s goodness in all of it reminded me of how I’d struggled with this very thing for so long. I surely don’t have all the answers, but I'd like to discuss a little of what I've learned along the way.

 

As I write this, my mind goes directly to a story in the book of the author's son, Levi, breaking his finger in a fan accident. He needed surgery but would recover. It could have been so much worse, but as her mom said, that by“God’s grace”, it wasn’t. At the same time as Levi’s accident there is a Mennonite family that loses their 13 year old son in a farming accident.

I have my own story, as a nurse, when I worked in the NICU.

Amanda had triplets that were 24 weeks. They tried for ten years to have babies. I am working fervently to save her little boy. She had already lost her only girl earlier in the week, so I prayed and worked for hours only to have him die too. Before she goes to hold him for the last time she throws herself on me and cries out to God in anguish, “God, please, can’t I just have one baby?! Please don’t take them all!”

I look at her one surviving son and pray the same thing myself. At that moment I feel my own baby kicking in my womb. She would be our fourth baby.

What is God’s grace?

Was it God’s grace that Levi was fine and that even though I ended up with 16 weeks of bed-rest, I had a healthy baby girl?

What then of that Mennonite family and Amanda, who had just lost two out of three of her children?

Was God’s grace not on them as well?

Is God’s grace only the good that happens in our lives?

What are the other moments then?

Curses?

Many times people struggle to make sense out of things like this. Many become angry and bitter. As Christians it is tricky because we know God loves us and we love Him, but still the questions are there.

“Why, God, can’t everybody be healed? Why is there so much pain? Why, God, why?”

What if our perspective is wrong?

Ann says perspective is how we see things with our eyes.

On our own, how we see things are very dim. We are in darkness, actually.

The Word of God is a lens that puts our perspective right.

Without God’s Word as a lens, the world warps.

We have to always turn to God and His word to see things how God does.

“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” Matthew 6:22-23

Listen to the words of Job, “…should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” Job 2:10

While everyone can easily ask for and accept the good, can we accept the bad as Job did? While no one is eager to suffer, we as Christians have the promise that, “God works all things together for the good of those who love Him…” Romans 8:28

 

God uses those dark moments of pain to birth something new. Just as we labor in pain and suffering during childbirth to bring forth a new life. Can we trust God, that He loves us so much that he labors with us to birth grief into greater grace?

 

Ann calls this processugly-beautiful. That which is perceived as ugly transfigures into beautiful. The dark can give birth to life; suffering can deliver grace. The God of the Mount of Transfiguration cannot cease His work of transfiguring moments- making all that is dark, evil, and empty into that which is all light, grace, and full.

 

Amanda did take that last baby home. His name was Jonathon which means “God has given” or “Gift of God”. How fitting as God took her pain and began to birth a new beginning with that sweet, baby boy.

 

Suffering nourishes grace, and pain and joy are arteries of the same heart.

 

We need to give thanks for all things at all times because

All is grace

 

- Teresa

Battle Scars

 

Another extra thump in my chest, again, and again.

Pins and needles shoot through my body and I start to feel dizzy. Fear paralyzes me as I crumple to the ground.

“Not more of them, God! Why can’t you just take them away? I hate this, this feeling that my heart could just stop beating at any moment! I just want to move on and forget what happened to me.” I yell at God, alone in my bathroom that morning.

I say this as my thoughts travel once again to that day. My body so swollen that I am almost unrecognizable. My one week old baby lying next to me asleep. My husband sitting next to my hospital bed, his face ashen, his eyes filled with the fear he would never express in words, as we watch the monitor.

My heart rate is slowly dropping 35………………32………………….28.

I know I am close to death. I can feel it. I can feel the life slowly draining from my body. I try, but I cannot will my heart to beat. I have no choice, with each long pause between beats, to depend on God. To trust Him that He will keep my heart beating. To trust that He will take care of my family should it stop.

It is at that moment of remembering, yet again, that God speaks to me. “Those palpitations are battle scars. You have done battle and were wounded, but you are healed. What’s left are just the scars and they will fade over time. The scars you bear help you remember where you have been, what I have done and brought you through.”

You see, I was looking at my palpitations the wrong way. I thought they were a curse, but they were a blessing. My doctor had even told me they were benign, that my heart was just sensitive from the insult to it. They were evidence that I was alive and healed.

I am a nurse so God will often show me spiritual truths using our physical bodies as an example. This is a little of what He showed me about wounds. The physical healing of a wound is a process. It heals from the inside out and forms a scab. Once that scab falls off it leaves a scar. It is a process that takes time.

Spiritually and emotionally our healing is a process too, a process that truthfully, many of us don’t want to walk through, but God wants us to walk through it with Him. We have all done battle. For some of us it is a physical battle, for others it is inside where no one can see, but God can. He wants us to turn to Him, broken, but completely dependent on Him.

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

He wants us to learn to trust Him as He walks with us, as He heals our wounds. It is all a part of the process.

 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. Psalm 9:10

Last night, at our  church's women event, Night Of Pink, as we were honoring those who had battled breast cancer, my mind once again went back to my own scars and what God had shown me. Once the wound has healed and all that’s left is the scar, the skin where the scar is, is sensitive to the touch but eventually becomes stronger than before. Stronger, but never the same.

Spiritually I was walking defeated, paralyzed with fear and anxiety, but all along God had set me free. I just had the scar. The scar that I thought brought me down and kept me in that wounded place, but really brought me power.

Power to live fully, knowing that death did not claim me. Thankful for God’s mercy and faithfulness!

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing, you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. Psalm 30:11

 I’ll end by sharing a piece of a song by Point of Grace.

“Heal the wound, but leave the scar

A reminder of how merciful you are

I am broken, torn apart,

Take the pieces of my heart and

Heal the wound but leave the scar”

 

-Teresa

So I Don't Forget

I have so much to write about the many things God has been showing me. I want to get it all written down before I start to forget. Don't we do that? God shows us something amazing and we end up forgetting. How many times do I wish I could remember everything He has shown me. I know sometimes something will remind me of a truth I was shown in the past, but as a whole I forget most of the things. Really, I was only encouraged in that moment instead of being able to read back and have my faith built up again and again.

At my family BBQ this weekend my brother-in-law and I were talking about this very thing. He had a little book that he started keeping to jott things down that he needed to do. What really struck me is that the cover said "Field Journal."

A field journal, in case you didn't know, is a diary of sorts that scientists write down and even sketch their observations in the field. It is for accurate record keeping. When I was researching field journals, one place said that used over the years and you will be able to see patterns in nature. That got me thinking. I wonder if we did that in our own lives if we would be able to see patterns too. If we accurately recorded everything God has shown us if we would be able to see a pattern of who God is, His very nature. If we would see a pattern of feeling and seeing God all around us, speaking to us in the good times and especially the hard times. If we would see the pattern of God gently leading us down the paths of our life.

I have kept a journal of sorts for many years, but it has really been for noting my feelings as I walk through something. I now carry a small "field journal" with me to capture even the smallest details God shows me. Including my feelings as I think about Him and His creation. I stand in awe of God and who He is.

Already I can see how much of an impact it is making and who knows where it may lead. I might have a small inkling though. Try it and see if it doesn't encourage you!

Make your own laundry detergent in less than 10 minutes

I originally posted this in 2008, but thought that I would revisit this little gem since it is time for me to make more detergent. This is a tutorial on how to make the powdered version of laundry soap. I hope to be able to put up pictures of how to make the liquid kind later on today. I prefer the liquid since it lasts longer in this house, but I will whip up a small batch of powdered if I'm in a pinch. No more running to the store just to pick up detergent so I can conquer Mt. Laundry.

This is another one of those things that I would have never thought I could do until I saw it on a website I visited. It looked really easy and inexpensive. If it's easy and cheap and works well, then I'm all for it.

I have seen a few laundry detergent tutorials out there, but none for the powdered version. My girls are the one who really wanted to do this tutorial. This was their first time making detergent. They were 14 and 12 at the time. So, as you can see, it is so simple that even a child could do it.

To start with you'll need 3 ingredients:

• Borax - 1 cup
  


• Washing Soda - 1 cup
  


• A laundry soap bar--->Fels Naptha or Zote - 1 cup
  

Many people have said that they have had a hard time finding the washing soda or the Fels Naptha. The easiest way to find Fels Naptha is to go to this website. Under brand you click on laundry care and under item click on Fels Naptha. Then you can type in your zip code. It will tell you all of the stores around you that carry it.

To find the washing soda call this number. 1-800-524-1328. It is a recording that will give you a list of stores that carry washing soda in your area.

What to do:

1. Measure out 1 cup of Borax and put into a bowl

2. Measure out 1 cup of washing soda and put into a bowl

3. Grate 1 cup of the soap bar. Add to bowl with Borax and washing soda. I am using Zote this time. I usually use Fels Naptha, but found this at my Super Target and thought I would try it.











4. Mix well

5. Put in storage container---> In this case we are using an old cool whip container

6. Use 1 Tbsp per load.

That's it. It's as easy as that. It only cost me pennies per load. A very frugal alternative to store bought detergent. It works well too. If I have a really dirty load I will up the amount I use by a small amount. I know that people use Oxyclean also. Have you made your own laundry detergent? What did you think?

Pictures of making this version later!

Liquid Detergent:
Washing soda 1/2 cup
Borax 1/2 cup
Bar of laundry soap 1/2 bar (Fels Naptha or Zote)
Bucket
4 cups of hot water in large bowl

Directions:
Grate soap and put in a large saucepan. Add 6 cups water and heat until soap melts. About 15-20 minutes. Add washing soda and borax. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour the 4 cups of really hot water into your bucket. Add soap mixture and stir. Next, add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let soap sit for 24 hours before using so that it gels. Use 1/2 cup per load. If you are using a front loader use less than this.

Now, sometimes I add just a tad more soda and borax than the recipe calls for. In the summer is when I do this more as the children get dirtier. I put mine in a 2 gallon bucket with a lid. It fits on my shelf better. One more thing. As the detergent is gelling overnight, we take a hand immersion blender or my husband takes his drill with a paint stirrer attachment and will mix it up a few times. I find it just holds together better. Now, it will separate sometimes, but just mix it up before you use it!

Baking Day (part 2)

After a quick cleanup of the morning mess and a nice lunch we got back to work making our sweeter items. Mainly things that didn't need time to rise. I didn't get nearly the amount of pictures in the afternoon because my photographer wanted to cook instead, but here are a few we managed to get.

We made a double batch of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, a double batch of apple cinnamon muffins, a loaf of banana bread (that was part of Faith's 4-H project book), packed 10 cups of homemade chicken broth that I had simmering all night in the crock pot, cooked up some ground beef and packaged it, fed my sourdough starter, started another 2 jars of buttermilk, and finally started a batch of crock pot yogurt.

Here are the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. My daughters made them for the first time, (usually I do it). They were great!



Here I am feeding my sourdough starter. It is 6 months old now and is really healthy.


Finally, the finished result. We did not get a picture of the apple cinnamon muffins in here because they were still in the oven and the beef which was browning at the time. Also missing are the 2 jars of buttermilk, which were put away in the cabinet to do their thing overnight.


One final picture of most of what we did.

Baking day (part 1)

Well, baking day was a success! We are some tired gals I tell ya. We took lots of pictures, but they will have to wait till tomorrow because we are going to put our feet up and have a big glass of sweet tea.

Here are the promised pictures of what we did in the morning before lunch. We made 2 loaves of honey wheat bread, one loaf of sourdough bread, a double batch of waffles and a triple batch of pancakes.

I first started making by making 2 loaves of honey wheat bread.



I do it all by hand. For a long time i've wanted a Bosch mixer, but God showed me something. Every time I knead my bread I am either praying or singing worship songs. It is just one of the ways I take moments to spend with the Lord in my day. So now I love kneading my bread by hand. It is very calming and satisfying to me.



My daughter loves this picture that she took of me adding more flour while kneading.



The final product, after kneading and ready to rise.



After the first rise.



Here is me kneading my sourdough bread. It is a quick rise white sourdough. I don't usually do a white sourdough, but we wanted something like a hearty french bread to eat with our stew. It was delicious!



As you can see, it's not a true white since my starter is made with wheat and spelt flour.



Isn't it pretty when it's risen?



Second rise done and ready to be put into the oven. We didn't get pictures of the final breads until the shot of all that we did.



Here are two of my lovely helpers that are making the whole wheat buttermilk pancakes. That is my own cultured buttermilk that I make.



Starting the whole wheat buttermilk waffles.


Part two will come this afternoon. It's time for our school day to begin. Hope you enjoy a glimpse into our kitchen.

Weekly Menu:

Weekly Menu Plan:

Back in the day when I used to blog pretty regularly I participated in Menu Planning Monday. I have actually had quite a few people over the last year or so ask if I would ever put my menus with the cost up again. So, here is my menu that was right at $95.00. (Lisa, if you see this, this is for you!)

Breakfast:
Monday: Waffles and fruit
Tuesday: Baked oatmeal
Wednesday: Muffins and sausage
Thursday: Eggs and biscuits or Baked french toast made with homemade whole wheat sourdough
Friday: Pancakes and fruit
Saturday: Eggs, hash browns, and a meat
Sunday: Country ham and gravy over biscuits

Lunch:
Monday: Homemade piggies in a blanket and a veggie
Tuesday: Sandwiches and a veggie
Wednesday: Homemade macaroni and cheese, carrots sticks and sliced apples
Thursday: sandwiches and fruit
Friday: Baked sweet potatoes and broccoli cheese soup
Sat and Sun: We either eat leftovers, or a salad, or sandwiches

Snacks:
Monday: Banana bread
Tuesday: Fruit
Wednesday: Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
Thursday: Veggie and cheese tray
Friday: Tortilla wraps---> Filled with peanut butter, banana, and/or honey

Monday:
Crockpot chicken
Carrots, celery, onions
Sweet potato casserole
Garlic bread

Tuesday:
Beef stew
Homemade sourdough bread

Wednesday:
3-cheese baked spaghetti
Salad
Garlic bread

Thursday:
Chicken and stuffing
Corn
Salad
Pumpkin rolls

Friday:
Homemade pepperoni and cheese pizza
Homemade bread sticks

Saturday:
Tatertot casserole
Green Beans
Salad

Sunday:
Baked ham
Mashed potatoes
Broccoli and cheese sauce
Dinner rolls

Tomorrow we are having a baking day. The schools are out for Mardi Gras, so I figured the kids could have a day off too. Hopefully we'll get lots of pictures up. My oldest is begging to put her new camera to good use.

The blessings of teens

I just want to take a little time to give some props to my two oldest daughters.They are such blessings to me. Not just because they help around the house, because truth be told, with one of them I have get a cattle prod after her to get her to help at times. It is the relationship that we have that is a blessing. It is watching them blossoming into the young ladies that they are now that is a blessing. It is the honor that they bring to our family that is the blessing.

Many times over the years i'd get nervous thinking about parenting during the teenage years. I didn't exactly have the best relationship with my own parents as a teen. They still claim that I am the one that gave them gray hairs. Now I wasn't THAT bad, but it was rough for quite a few years.

With our own children, we have always been told that we have great kids in one sentence, just to be warned in the next that one day they'd be teenagers. Of course every teenager rebels and gives their parents trouble, right? At least it seems that many people think this way.

Scott and I have stayed up many a night talking about this, praying for our children and the wisdom to do what was right in raising them. We wanted it to be different in our family, (what family doesn't)? Not that we don't ever expect them to make a mistake. We just want to maintain a strong enough relationship to guide them through these years that lead to adulthood.

Although we are not all the way through the teen years and we still have many teens left to raise, I just wanted to say that I am really enjoying these years. All the years of training and teaching are really starting to show through.

One of the greatest moments was when I heard one of them repeating something that i'd taught them years ago to the little ones. I immediately thought, "Thankyou, Jesus. They actually were listening!" I am blessed indeed.

I just wanted to share a picture of my family. It is from Mother's day. I am hugely pregnant with Anna still in this picture, but it is all of us.

Menu Planning Monday

I'm a little late in getting this posted, but better late than never! This menu cost me right at about $80.00. My weekly budget is $75.00 for our family of 9. Remember though, I was had to completely buy all new meat due to the hurricane that came through. It's ok though since I still had leftover money from my previous budgets.

Breakfast:

Monday: Waffles and fruit

Tuesday: Baked oatmeal

Wednesday: Muffins and sausage

Thursday: Eggs and biscuits

Friday: Pancakes and fruit

Saturday: Eggs, hashbrowns, and a meat

Sunday: Country ham and gravy over biscuits

Lunch:

Monday: Grilled hot dogs, homemade mac & cheese, and a veggie

Tuesday: Sandwiches and a veggie

Wednesday: Soup and crackers

Thursday: Fried ham, mashed potatoes, and a veggie

Friday: Baked potatoes and vegetable plate

Sat and Sun: We either eat leftovers, or a salad, or sandwiches

Snacks:

Monday: Banana bread

Tuesday: Fruit

Wednesday: Homemade cookies

Thursday: Veggie and cheese tray

Friday: Tortilla wraps---> Filled with peanut butter, banana, and/or honey

Dinner:

Monday:

Teriyaki chicken

Eggrolls

Fried rice

Tuesday:

Mini meatloaf patties
Braised radishes

Cheesy cauliflower casserole

Wednesday:--->It's supposed to be cooler, I can't wait!

Homemade chili

Cornbread

Thursday:

Crockpot ribs

Mashed potatoes

Corn

Friday:
Homemade pizza

Breadsticks

Saturday:

Smothered pork chops

Rice and gravy

Green beans

Yeast rolls

Sunday:--->Olive Garden night! I got the recipes from copycat recipes. It tastes exactly like the real thing!

Blackened chicken alfredo

Tuscana soup

Breadsticks

Olive Garden alfredo sauce:

Ingredients:

1 pint of Heavy Cream

1 stick of butter

2 Tbsp. Cream Cheese

1/2 - 3/4 C. Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Garlic powder

Directions:

In a saucepan combine butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Simmer this until all is melted, and mixed well. Add the Parmesan cheese and Garlic powder. Simmer this for 15 - 20 minutes on low. You may wish to season with a little salt and pepper. I have done this with half and half, but we prefer the heavy cream. But I wouldn't try it with plain milk.

Olive Garden zuppa tuscana soup:

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian Sausage

2 large Russet Baking Potatoes sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices

1 large Onion, chopped

1/2 package Oscar Meyer Real Bacon Bits or 6 slices bacon, crumbled

2 cloves garlic minced

2 C. Kale or Swiss chard chopped

2 cans Chicken Broth

1 qt. Water

1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 tsp fennel seed

Directions:

Brown sausage in large pot. Place in bowl and put off to side after done cooking. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage, bacon, salt, and pepper to taste, and fennel seed and simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn to low heat, add kale and cream. Heat through and serve. Please don't skip the fennel seed. It is what really makes the dish turn out just like the real thing!

For more great menu ideas, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Planning Mondays.

Menu Planning Monday:

I actually planned a menu this week! I don't know if the motivation for it is because I have a class to teach on menu planning and budgeting this week, or if it's because i'm just so ready to get back to normal life again. I normally have a budget of $75.00 per week for my family of 9. This weeks menu cost $100.00 since I was out of so many things.

So maybe this week isn't as frugal as usual but don't worry, i'm still on budget since I had leftover money from previous weeks. I am also still stockpiling a few things that I have coupons for. I have enough bottles of salad dressing to last the rest of the year or more. I was out of anything that wasn't perishable because of the hurricane so that's why it's a bit more this time.

I do have to say that it is so nice to eat cooked food again. We are all so tired of sandwiches here. You just have no clue.

Breakfast:
Monday: Waffles and fruit
Tuesday: Baked oatmeal
Wednesday: Muffins and sausage
Thursday: Eggs and biscuits
Friday: Pancakes and fruit
Saturday: Eggs, hashbrowns, and a meat
Sunday: Country ham and gravy over biscuits

Lunch:
Monday: Grilled hot dogs, homemade mac & cheese, and a veggie
Tuesday: Sandwiches and a veggie--->sorry kids!
Wednesday: Soup and crackers
Thursday: Fried ham, mashed potatoes, and a veggie
Friday: Baked potatoes and vegetable plate
Sat and Sun: We either eat leftovers, or a salad, or sandwiches

Snacks:
Monday: Banana bread
Tuesday: Fruit
Wednesday: Homemade cookies
Thursday: Veggie and cheese tray
Friday: Tortilla wraps---> Filled with peanut butter, banana, and/or honey

Dinner:
Monday:
Crockpot chicken--->recipe below!

Rice pilaf

Corn on the cob

Tuesday:
Baked tilapia

Butter and garlic green beans

Salad

Wednesday:
Mexican bar night--->we have tacos, burritos, enchiladas, mexican rice, refried beans. Everyone just chooses what they want.

Thursday:
Family syle chicken

Roasted squash and zucchini

Yeast rolls

Friday:

Baked italian sausage and peppers

Green beans

Twisted breadsticks

Saturday:
BLT's

French fries

Sunday:--->one of our favorites! I can give recipes if you'd like.
Mini meatloaf patties with mushroom gravy

Braised radishes

Cheesy cauliflower casserole

One of my easiest recipes that I cook on a busy day is crockpot chicken. It only takes about 5 minutes to get started and everyone here loves it. I used to make it without the thyme and rosemary, but it has made it so much better since we started adding these herbs. We use dried herbs out of our garden, but you can use fresh also if you'd like.

Crockpot Chicken:

1 whole chicken 3-4 lbs

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can of water

salt and pepper

garlic powder

Thyme

Rosemary

Directions:

Put chicken in crockpot. Add canned soups and water, mix as well as you can. Season top of chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and rosemary. I just eye it. I might use about 1 tsp of each. Cook on high for about 6 hours or until done. I usually debone it after it's done cooking since I have little ones.

For more great menu ideas, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Planning Mondays.