A Special Meal

I saw this picture go around on Facebook, and thought there is a lot of truth in it.  Hope you enjoy thinking about it as much as I have! :)

Susan

Fruit Ice Cream!

Hi Everyone!

Just thought I would share a picture of one of my favorite summer time suppers--Fruit Ice Cream!  That's right.  You read that correctly.  I eat ice cream for supper.  Not for dessert after eating my vegetables, for supper itself!  Well, first of all, our family usually eats our main meal of the day at lunch time as we are blessed in that most of the time my hubby can come home to eat lunch.  So that is the meal when we really do eat a lot of veggies!    But for supper time--especially in the hot summer days--just give me ice cream!

Alright.  Before you turn me over to the "Unhealthy eating Food Police," I plead my case by saying that the above supper you see in the picture is 100% healthy, because it is 100% fruit.  Not fruit flavored sugar, but just fruit.  The magic little kitchen machine that helps me turn out such suppers is my beloved Champion Jucier.  I'm sorry I do not have a picture of my Champion to show you--if anyone REALLY wants to see what they look like let me know and I'll take a picture--but you would see a picture faster if you just look them up on Amazon.  I do not use my juicer to juice.  I use it sometimes to make almond butter, but I use it ALL the time to make fruit ice cream.

I do not follow a recipe, but the key to fruit ice cream is frozen bananas.  I prefer to just place my ripe bananas in a freezer bag with the peels still on them, and then when I want to use them I have to take a paring knife and peel them kind of like you would an apple.  Other people prefer to peel them ahead of time, break them in chunks, and put those chunks in the freezer bag.  That's fine too.  Only reason I do not do that is my chunks sometimes turn brownish in the freezer when I peel them ahead of time, and I prefer to keep them as white looking as possible.

Anyway, once you have your frozen banana chunks, you can make any flavor you want to depending on what other frozen fruit you add in.  The ice cream in the above picture was a mix of banana chunks and frozen strawberries.  I will put in the juicer a few chunks of frozen bananas, then a few frozen strawberries.  Then frozen bananas, and frozen strawberries.  I just keep this alternating and pushing the frozen fruit through with the tamper until I have as much ice cream as I want in my bowl, depending on how many people are going to be eating it.  Sometimes I will use several different kinds of fruit, first making straight frozen banana ice cream, then making strawberry next to it in the same bowl, and then will make peach ice cream next to the strawberry.  The key is to just always alternate with frozen banana chunks, because it is the bananas that give your ice cream a creaminess.  Without the frozen bananas, it turns out more icy rather than creamy.  For people who think they don't like bananas, just don't tell them and make sure you put in plenty of the other frozen fruit--really--if they don't see the bananas going in or tell tale banana peels, they will never know.  Except for when you are doing straight banana ice cream, you don't even taste the banana in it.

In the photo above, I had some fresh strawberries and fresh blueberries in the fridge, so I threw a couple of those on top of the ice cream, along with a chunk of frozen peaches.  Yum!

For those who do not have a Champion Juicer--and I do realize they are REALLY expensive (I'm hoping mine lasts F-O-R-E-V-E-R!)--you can basically do the same thing in your blender, except that you will need to add some water, juice, or soy milk so it will blend and that will turn it more into a smoothie instead of ice cream.  But it's still yummy!

Hope this helps give some ideas for healthy suppers during summer heat!

Susan

God's Nail

Hi Everyone!

I ran across a really neat poem in a book I was reading when I was at my mom's house.  I loved the thoughts depicted in this poem, so thought I would share it with all of you here.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Susan

God's Nail

Lord, make me a nail upon the wall,

Fastened securely in its place.

Then from this thing so common and so small,

Hang a bright picture of Thy face;

That travelers may pause to look

Upon the loveliness depicted there,

And passing on their weary ways,

Each radiant face may bear--

Stamped so that nothing can efface--

The image of Thy glory and Thy grace.

Lord, let not one soul think of me.

Only let me be a nail upon the wall,

Holding Thy picture in its place.

--Mildred Hill

52 Weeks, 52 Verses--Week 30

Good Morning Everyone!

Sorry it has been a while since I last posted.  Life has been SO very busy!  Vacations are great, but when you come home it seems that you are doubly busy just trying to catch up on everything that you didn't do while you were gone.  Throw into that mix countless appointments/phone calls/e-mails that have happened recently due to our son's disability, and let's just say I am kept busy enough to keep out of trouble! ;)

BUT--

Through it all, and becoming ever more clear at this point in the road, I see God's hand.  And I am humbled.

Things that I worried about "ahead of time" for years, God is working out before my very eyes.  In His time.  Just in time.  At the right time.

Oh me of little faith!

Which leads me to the verse I chose for this week's verse.  Words of Jesus.  A promise.  And I have seen it fulfilled right before my very eyes.

"Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  Luke 6:38

Pressed down.  Shaken together.  Running over.  More than we can even receive.

NOT because of anything that I did.  But because of everything Jesus did.

It makes me speechless.

52 Weeks, 52 Verses--Week 29

Happy Sabbath Everyone!

Guess what I discovered?  Opps!  I did a big mistake last week when I posted my weekly Bible verse.  I was so excited about the verse our Pastor had talked about, that THAT was all that was on my mind.  I totally forgot that I had started a two part memory verse!  So I left you all hanging--unless, of course, you chose to look up Isaiah 55:10 to see what the next part was. . . 

SO, well, what can I say?  Oh well!  Better late than never?  Or maybe that was just a commercial break?

Anyway, way back at week 27 I told you I would continue with the next part of that really neat verse the following week.  So let's just pretend that this IS the following week! ;)

For week 27 I had chosen Isiah 55:10. . . 

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, "

And here it is--that next verse that you have ALL been waiting for!

"so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."  Isaiah 55:11

Isn't that a beautiful promise? 

Even though we may forget.  We don't do what we are supposed to do.  God's Word ALWAYS does what it is supposed to do.  And any time we spend reading His Word will NOT be for nothing.  It will accomplish the purpose that God has for it.

I'm glad God never makes mistakes!

Have a beautiful week!  And grab that Bible off the shelf and read it! :)

Susan

Summer Fun: At the park!

Our heat continues--not in the triple digits like we were before, but still plenty hot up in the upper 90's.  Where are the summer days in the 70's like my Michigan blood likes???  Ah well.  Guess if we can't have seventy degree days we might as well find a way to beat the heat and bloom where we are planted!  SO--with that in mind, we went to check out a city park we had heard about.  Fortunately, I had some prior information that I had better bring a swimming suit for our little one, as well as a towel.  So we were duly prepared . . .

 She had a BLAST!  Parking for one hour:  75 cents.  Fountain play:  free.  Memories:  made!  Fun:  had!

I loved watching her have fun!  And have to admit that the cool water of the fountain was pretty hard to resist!  Maybe next time I need to bring MY swimming suit!

How to Menu Plan

When menu planning, I am of a firm belief that you should never force your children to eat what they do not want to.  Always, always, ALWAYS have two choices they can pick from.  This is especially important if you have a P-I-C-K-Y eater that lives in your house.  I have one of those.  Well, if we are counting husbands then I have two, but my hubby is MUCH better than he used to be. . . . 

Therefore, in keeping along with the belief that children should have choices, when I saw a sign recently at a store that listed my menu planning philosophy I could not resist purchasing it.  I have since asked my sweet not-as-picky-eater-as-he-used-to-be husband to hang this sign just above the counter where the stools are and we frequently eat meals.  There it is within easy reference, for when I am asked "Do I HAVE to eat this?"  My answer is always "No.  You can chose menu item #1 or menu item #2."  

Of course, if menu item #2 is chosen (sometimes due to continued complaining) then there is no other food or snacking until the next meal time.  At which time the complained about food from the previous meal magically appears to be eaten first, before any other foods.

I know.  I am a mean mother.  But I come by it honestly, as my parents were mean parents.  In fact, we come from a long line of mean grown ups.  I remember my Grandmother making me eat my vegetables as well.

So there you have it.  My menu planning technique.  Remember the key word--choices!

52 Weeks, 52 Verses--Week 28

Happy Sabbath Everyone!

Yesterday and today I have been thinking about what verse I wanted to chose for next week's verse.  I have really been enjoying choosing a new verse each week, because it gives me an opportunity to think about what is going on in my life or the lives of my loved ones--and then see if I can find a verse that sort of "fits" that situation.  Not all of my verses have been on topics of what is going on, but many of them are.  Interesting how many different topics the Bible truly addresses!  I have thought that going back and reading in order the Bible verses I have chosen would be very similar to a journal of my year, topic wise anyway.

Anyway, so the close of each week brings me thinking about what verse I want to chose next.  The verse I am picking for next week is taken from our pastor's sermon at church today.  He has been doing a series of sermons on questions that God asks.  VERY interesting series, I must say!  Well, today the question He preached on was in 1 Kings 19:13.

"When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'"

What are you doing here, Elijah?

God knew what Elijah was doing--he was running away!  He was depressed.  He was focusing on him, and not on God.  Even though this was the prophet who had JUST had such a success up on Mount Carmel, and God had answered his prayer with fire in front of everyone--that did not make him immune to falling into sin and taking his eyes off of God and putting those eyes on himself.

God knew the answer before He even asked the question.  But asking that question helped Elijah think about what he was doing.

But the part that I thought was really the neatest part, was the point our pastor made about how even though Elijah went a way that God did not tell him to go--even though he ran away from God--God followed him.

THAT is what I thought was the most significant.

Because we humans do go the wrong way.  We do take our eyes off Him and put our gaze wrongly on ourselves.  But even when we sin--

God is following us.

He is still there.  Ready to guide us back onto the path we never should have left in the first place.  Lovingly.  Kindly.

Because--for reasons we can never ever fully understand--He loves us.

Sizzlin' Summer Salads: Asian Rice Salad

Hi Everyone!

Sorry it has taken me a while to get another salad recipe posted on here for you all, but life keeps me really busy!  Let's just say that I ALWAYS have a reason to get up out of bed in the morning! ;)    As promised, I wanted to share another of our new favorites.  This one is definitely going to be a "regular" in our menus.  My picture does not show it as yummy as it really is.  Hope you enjoy!

Susan


Asian Rice Salad

2 cups cooked brown rice
4 green onions, chopped
5 cups loosely packed chopped spinach
1 11-ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/4 c. fat free Kraft French dressing  (or fat free favorite of your choice)
1 T. soy sauce
1/2 cup avocado chunks

Place the rice in a large bowl.  Add the green onions and spinach.  Mix well.  Add the orange segments and water chestnuts.  Toss gently to mix.

Mix the dressing and soy sauce.  Pour over the salad.  Stir in the avocado.  Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving.  Do not make too far ahead as the salad will be come soggy.  Serves 4

Sizzlin' Summer Salads: Mexican Corn Salad

Hi Everyone!

You all already know it's been SUPER hot around here--well, who feels like cooking or baking and heating the house up even more?  Our poor air conditioner is already having trouble keeping the house cool during the heat of the day. . . 

Thus, my recent quest for finding more salad recipes!  I found a few new ones that we really like, and added them to some old favorites, and we have been eating salad almost every day this week!  Salad, and fruit ice cream!

Anyway, thought I would share one of the new salads I ran across in a cook book I bought at a thrift store--love finding great books at thrift stores, because the price usually fits my budget! :)

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have been!

Susan

Mexican Corn Salad

serves 4

4 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed (I just pour the corn into my colander and then run some water over)

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 c. chopped green onions

1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1 c. salsa

Combine vegetables in a bowl.  Place the salsa in a blender and process until smooth.  Pour over vegetables and mix well.  Refrigerate to blend the flavors.

52 Weeks, 52 Verses--Week 27

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to a new week!  I don't know what is going on in your neck of the woods, but in MY neck of the woods there is only one word that can be used to describe the current conditions--HOT.  In fact, it is SO hot, that I feel like I am still living in Texas!  Actually, the place where I used to live in Texas is around 10+ degrees cooler than we are currently--hard to believe but true!  Yesterday I heard the official count was 107 degrees.  The day before that it was 104, and the day before that I think 106.  Either way, it's just plain too hot!  I am praying for a nice little summer rain, which our grass, gardens, trees, and water wells could surely use.  Oh yes, and let's not forget a break in the heat as well!  I am actually looking forward to later in the week when it is predicted to be 94.  Maybe I should prepare my coats and sweaters now, just to be ready! ;)

ANYWAY, with all the heat going on, as I leafed through my Bible looking for a verse to concentrate on for this week, the one that jumped out at me had to do with water!  Very logical, right?  Actually what I really wanted to pick the whole entire chapter because there are lots of treasures in it, but since I can't exactly do that I decided to pick one verse for this week and a continuing verse for next week.  So this week's verse is not complete--it is only part 1.  Come back next week--or look it up in your Bible--to see what the second part of this verse is! :)

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, . . . "  Isaiah 55:10

Rain and snow.  Nice, cool sounding words to me!  But the NEXT verse that I will post for next week completes this thought.

Have a wonderful week!  And stay COOL!

Susan