Christmas time...revisited.

Time...Time...We never seem to have enough. I seem to always have many things that never get done. I am restless and stressed. Has this become the new normal for those who seek the American dream? It certainly seems that it has become a dream. In light of the fact that it will soon be a brand new year, I thought I could spend some time trying to figure out how to refocus and try to find out what really is important in my life. I often consider the inconsistencies in my life.


I tell everyone that my family is the number one priority..but do my actions really show that?


I tell everyone I love to write, but do I blog enough to improve my writing skills?


I make it clear that my faith is important, but from the outside looking in, is my life any different than those with no faith at all?







The portion above is the beginning of a blog I wrote before Christmas. I was feeling really discouraged. I was overwhelmed by the fact that we would not see our family over the holiday, and what it was going to "feel" like not to be in Georgia during Christmas. I was also struggling with the fact that so many around us have nothing, yet we complain or feel guilty when we don't feel like we have enough toys for our kids to open on Christmas morning. It is strange considering that in my life, I complain more about their toys being all scattered around the house than anything else.



Do we ever think of our children's spiritual well being?



Do we ever consider what makes the holidays truly significant?



As a person of faith, it is hard to reconcile many of the things we hear and read in the Bible with our daily lives in the USA. We should all consider what we are willing to do with these truths. For me it always leads back to all the "things" that I have around me in my home. I have so many items, objects, and collections around that it is hard to find a clean spot for one more thing. We must ask ourselves what we are willing to do with these things, but most importantly, we should consider what we are willing to live without.



I challenge you this year to ask the hard questions of yourself, and as you seek to provide for your family in all your shopping, cooking, and cleaning. Remember,we work as unto the Lord, not ourselves.

Pizza Muffins

Basically, I love looking at cookbooks. Occasionally, the internet becomes my source of great inspiration and ideas. I am a recipe junkie. I love trying new foods and eating them in unconventional ways. I love Greek food and the Meditteranean style of food preparation. I recently found this recipe at http://www.eatingwell.com

It is a great and simple recipe that is yummy. These can be great little snacks, a fantastic side dish, or even as a go along with a hearty soup..I bet you could even make them into a savory pancake..

They are called Mini Greek Pizza Muffins. Search for them, and many more great healthy recipes, at www.eatingwell.com

Goodbye to a New Friend

This week I will have to say my first good bye since moving here..Jessi a friend of mine who is an incredible mother, blogger, writer, wife, and Christ follower is leaving. She is going to visit her family before God takes her to her final destination as Church Planters in the Northeast..
Here is a link to her Blog..

www.naptimediaries.com

Check it out. Support her and her husband if you can..

Coupons are not for me, (whatever)

Coupons are not for me. This is what I used to think. I actually used to be one of those people who kind of thought that coupons were not worth it...Now I am a believer in using coupons as much as possible. In the last week, I have saved over $90.00 bucks with coupons.

I have one rule that I do go by though, I seldom use a coupon for something that I either do not need or that I do not already usually buy. I do not believe in using them for items that I do not usually buy. I do occasionally use coupons to try new things, but this is not the norm, and if I do use the coupon in this way, it is usually just to try a different brand of a particular item.

These are some of my favorite sites. Check them out, print the coupons, and save money...

http://www.gogrocery.com/

http://www.couponmom.com/

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

For online coupons:

http://www.couponcabin.com/

http://www.mycoupons.com/

Also each store or manufacturer usually has websites or discount programs that you can print or access. Some stores like QFC, Fred Meyer, and Safeway allow you to download coupons directly to their in store discount card that you may already have in your purse.

I always check out the store websites. Many times you can make grocery lists straight from their weekly sale papers.

My personal strategy:

I usually do a big shopping trip once every two weeks, then I replenish my fresh veggies and fruit weekly. Sometimes I will go back and do a weekly shopping trip..it is really whatever works out best with that months pay schedule. It is always a work in progress. I try to be flexible and stick with what is working. I plan out the lunches and dinners for two weeks. I try to include unforeseen things that might come up in this process. So some days have more than one choice for that particular day. I sign up for every discount card and plan that I can especially if it is a store that I go to frequently.

There are a million websites out there for coupons and meal planning. I will continue to share with you the ones that I think are the best. Saving money is fun. Happy shopping.

I met a Hungry Girl.

I got to meet one of my heros this past week. Her name is Lisa Lillien..she is better known as the Hungry Girl. She has a great blog and website at http://www.hungrygirl.com/ that I have followed for years. She has several cookbooks that teach you all about great food swaps, and learning to eat in a more healthy way while not depriving yourself of treats you like to eat. I went to a party and book signing in her honor last week. In fact, I won the big door prize of the night. The prize was a years supply of POP chips. (To learn more about these popped, not fried, potatoes you can go to http://www.popchips.com/) I will let you know when the POP chips start arriving.. : )

Check out Lisa's website and her cookbooks..she is a great inspiration.

There is nothing better than.....

On a day like today that is sort of cool, cloudy, and rainy. I simply cannot think of anything better than vegetable soup. I love soups. They are simple and easy. Plus, you can pretty much take whatever you have in the fridge and make a soup out of it.

Today, I made a soup that had red pepper, onions, carrots, celery, three small potatoes, chicken breast meat (left over from lunch), zucchini, canned tomatoes, chicken stock, and parmesean cheese...saute the veggies, add the tomatoes and the stock, add in the chicken, salt, pepper, let it all cook for a while....and then I added some orzo pasta....it was fantastic..really hit the spot..It was hardy, low in calories, high in flavor, and just plain yummy.

Biscuits and Syrup

Growing up we always ate cane syrup at home. In fact, I did not even know what maple syrup was at all. Biscuits with cane syrup was a great treat. Even if we just had canned biscuits, this delectable southern treat was hard to walk away from..Last night, I got to share this treat with some of my new friends here...I forgot how good butter, flour, milk, and syrup could be...it was great..And the fellowship with the food made it even better.

Food Blogs for moms

I like find great ideas for all sorts of stuff online. I love food blogs for moms. There are some really good ones out there...These are some of my faves.


http://www.momcooks.net/


http://www.thehappyhousewife.com/

Awesome Last Minute Meals

I had a great recipe for easy Paella. I love Paella. There are some recipes for Paella that take a long time to prepare. I found a quick version of this classic using chicken sausage. I was intrigued so I decided to give it a try. As I set out to prepare this dish, I discovered that I did not have all of the ingredients that the recipe said I needed. I never let this predicament stop me. I always use what I have. This strategy will save you time and money. The recipe called for fresh peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, zucchini, yellow rice, and chicken sausage. I had onions, zucchini, yellow rice, and chicken sausage. I thought for a moment about how I was going to get the pepper taste with no peppers. I then remembered that I had some tomatoes with green chillies in the pantry and I decided that it might work. I sauteed the onions, zucchini, chicken sausage,and added the tomatoes. I cooked the rice and added it to the mixture. Let it simmer a while, so all the flavors could combine. Then we devoured it. My hubby even took the leftovers to work for lunch..It was delicious.

Foodie TV

Food, Family, Fun

I love to cook. I am passionate about food. I like food that is fresh, unprocessed, and easy to prepare. I face a struggle daily providing for my family food that they will like and that is easy to prepare on a budget. I think cooking should be fun and not stressful. It is a big stress reliever for me.
I hope to share recipes and ideas that will make your life easier and provide you with great recipes. I will also provide links to some of my favorite websites and other bloggers that I have found helpful.