Broccoli

While being asked to eat his vegetables...


Sam: Daddy, remember that time I ate that BIG HUGE broccoli and I threw up a BIG green throw-up?

Daddy: No, I don't, buddy.

Sam: Me either.

Crafty Art Attack!

If you have a creative bone in your body then you can relate to going through phases of obsessive "I must create" bouts. It's seriously hard to get anything else accomplished. The past few weeks have been like this for me. I have been perusing craft blogs, flipping through DIY magazines and gathering more project ideas than I know what to do with.  Most of this energy has been channeled into painting walls in our soon-to-be-finished shop/garage/crafty studio sort of place (before and after photos coming soon). I've also been working on a few other little projects pictured below.

I got the idea from a DIY magazine. I just used some scrap material that I had laying around and mod podged it to canvas. The pattern is freehand.

The hanger is drawn on with graphite. The fabric is mod podged underneath and on top. I chose not to glue the top of the ribbon on this one.  There are so many options with embellishing these as well. Anything from buttons to feathers to sequins...just about anything that can be glued to canvas! ha! I chose to keep it simple....this time. :0)

These were so easy and fun to make for cute decor in Libby's room!

Let me know if any of you are interested in seeing a tutorial.

Happy Crafting!

Missy

A big fat Nevermind

...'cause I got this. More posts coming soon!

Blogger help, anyone?

If I knew the correct terminology it might help....but here goes anyway. I have successfully changed the background in my blog, but the middle doesn't change. What gives? Can anyone help?

Many thanks....and stuff.
:0)
Missy

Sweet Treat

Here's a recipe that I heard about through a friend.

Blend the following:

1/2 cup almond milk
1/8 cup peanut butter (all natural)
1 banana


If you want it colder throw in some ice!

Vegetarian Chili and Ethiopian Chickpea Wat

These two recipes have been a couple of my favorites so far. A word to the wise....if you are a weenie when it comes to spice you may want to back off of the cayenne pepper a bit in the Chickpea Wat. 


Again, both recipes are from the Daniel Fast Cookbook, by Susan Gregory.


Happy Eating!

Vegetarian Chili

I have been making this recipe for more than 15 years. It was a family favorite when my now

adult children were young. Make a big pot and serve it for a couple meals! So, so easy!

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized green peppers, chopped

1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped

1 zucchini, sliced

1 yellow squash, sliced

2 tablespoons salad oil

2 tablespoons chili powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red peppers

2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

2 16 oz. cans tomatoes (juice and all)

2 16 oz. cans pinto beans (juice and all)

2 16 oz. cans black beans (juice and all)

1 4 oz. can mild green chilies

1 4 oz. can of tomato paste

[When I make this during non-fasting times, I also add 1 tablespoon of sugar with the other

spices.]

Preparation:

1. Chop and sauté in oil the peppers and onions.

2. Add the sliced squashes, chili powder, salt, ground red peppers, and corn.

3. When all the vegetables are soft but still firm, add the tomatoes, all the beans, the

green chilies, and the tomato paste. Stir until just blended.

4. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Let simmer for 20 minutes stirring

occasionally to prevent sticking.

Yield: six generous servings

I featured this recipe in my book titled Out of the Rat Race published in 1994 by Servant Publications

Ethiopian Chickpea Wat

My youngest son, now 24 years old, is one of my greatest life-treasures. God gave him to me

when he was just seven-years-old, an Ethiopian orphan whom I met while I was on a mission

trip to Addis Ababa. Since then, I have grown very fond of Ethiopia and the people of that

intriguing land. In 2005, my son returned there for a one-year visit and married a lovely

woman. They now live in Seattle and are getting settled in their new life together.

One of the mainstays in the Ethiopian meal is “wat.” It’s like a thick stew and made in many

different ways. It’s served with injera, the pancake-like bread used to eat the various Ethiopian

dishes. Injera is traditionally made of teff, but now most is made of wheat flour. Injera is not

available in my little college town, so I serve this wat over brown rice and it’s delicious.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large red onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 potato, peeled and chopped

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 16 ounce can chickpeas, drained

and rinsed

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup frozen peas, thawed under

warm running water

3-4 cups brown rice

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until

softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and potato, cover and cook 10 minutes

longer.

2. Remove the cover and stir in cayenne, paprika, ginger, salt, pepper, cumin, cardamom

and tomato paste. Add chickpeas and water and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender and the flavor is

developed, about 30 minutes, adding a bit more water if needed.

4. About 10 minutes before the stew is ready, stir in green peas and taste to adjust

seasonings.

Yield: six servings

Easy Breakfast Fruit Smoothie

Hi All,

I'm going to be posting some of my favorite Daniel Fast recipes. I'll try to post daily.  I made the smoothies this morning and the family loved it! I used Silk Vanilla Soy Milk. 

If you are in the Tulsa area I have found Reasor's to be an excellent store to find lots of organic and weird stuff that I've never purchased in the past. 

Easy Breakfast Fruit Smoothie

Breakfast smoothies are perfect for the Daniel Diet because of the protein in the soy milk. If you

are not accustomed to soy milk, fruit smoothies are great for your introduction. Although, the

soy milk of today is so near cow’s milk that it’s hard to tell the difference. I am a big fan of

Pacific Natural Soy Milk. The difference in the flavor is so minimal that I find it very usable,

and this is coming from a gal who used to milk her own cow!

1/2 cup soy milk

1 banana

1/2 cup frozen berries

Preparation:

1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Yield: 1 serving

Tip: You can also add silken tofu to boost the protein.

(The Daniel Fast Cookbook, Volume 1 by Susan Gregory)

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Ingredients:

2  cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 cup warm water

Preparation:

1.    Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

2.    Add olive oil and stir until well combined.

3.    Add warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the

bowl.

4.    Knead dough on floured board for about 3 minutes (20 folds).

5.    Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes (this is called resting).

6.    Roll dough into sausage-shape and then cut into 12 equal parts (cut in half, then in half again, then each part into thirds) and shape into little balls. 

7.    With a rolling pin, roll each little ball into a tortilla (for best results, roll out from the center and outward)

8.    Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Fry the tortillas for about 30 seconds on each side for soft tortillas or longer for crisp tortillas. 

9.    Keep tortillas warm by placing in a tortilla holder or wrap in a kitchen towel.

My kids loved these as chips. (which says a lot) I can't wait to fix a boat load and have them around for their lunches, etc! Way better for them than Doritos!

over and out-

Missy