Money Monday: Yard Sale Find

(We ended up cashing in the spoons for $25.  Paid for this cabinet +$5!)

Money has certainly been on my mind lately.  I am a substitute teacher, and we are at the end of our summer, so I haven't been paid for eight weeks now.  I have been searching for ways to earn extra money, but no luck yet.  However, I do have a way to save money...shop yard sales!  Actually, this can actually be a way to earn money as well.  My husband is always on the look out for silver items. This weekend, he found several spoons which I will be taking to our local Cash for Gold and Silver store this afternoon.  I'll let you know how that turns out later.
Today I wanted to show you a fun yard sale find.  Until this weekend, we have been keeping our laptop on a little table next to the tv.  Since the laptop is old, it has to stay plugged in all the time so you have to use it where it is, or drag it to the nearest chair.  The battery pack and cord are always out in the open, just waiting for someone to trip over them.  But this weekend, husband found this little cabinet:

What does this have to do with my laptop you ask?

 Well, just watch this:

A nifty compartment to hold the lap top, and a flip-up desk.

I tried to put another picture with the laptop all set up, but it isn't working for some reason.

I digress...The point is, you can find some really cool stuff at yard sales for a fraction of the price.

Yard sale tip: If you wait until later in the day, you could get a really great deal.  Of course, someone could buy what you want as well.  In this case, husband went back to the yard sale and offered $20 for this cabinet.  They were originally asking $50, but accepted his offer.  Did I mention the bottom drawer is a file drawer?  Now I can move my files out of the laundry room!  Woo-hoo!

Dear Lord, Thank you for always meeting all of our needs and then some.  Thank you for a husband who loves to yard sale shop. Thank You for this fun little nook to type this blog. 

 In Jesus name I pray--Amen

Gluten Free Week 2 Plan and Results

Week Two, here we go!  Result are in italics.


Breakfast:
Same as Week 1


Lunch:
Same as Week 1


Dinner:
Sunday: Grill up lots of chicken.  :) Freeze for week.  Veggie packs on grill.  Gluten Free Mac and Cheese - Annie's - from Walmart.  The Mac and Cheese was good, but $2.56 a box.  We ate two boxes!
Monday: Green Spaghetti using leftover grilled chicken.  Broccoli, salad-caesar?, fruit
*Cook gluten-free spaghetti and drain.  Combine one small jar pesto sauce and one small container of shredded parmesan cheese in pot and stir until combined.  Add spaghetti and chicken a little bit at a time and mix to coat.  Put lid on pan until ready to serve-the chicken will heat up in the pot.  We love this!  It is a definite favorite in our house.  No one noticed the change in pasta.
Tuesday: Taco lettuce wraps, refrieds, Spanish rice, ?
*Cook up a double batch of ground beef.  Add taco seasoning to some and set aside the rest.  Set up a buffet type taco bar: olives, avocado, tomatoes, cheese, etc.  Don't forget the lettuce to wrap it up in!  And, probably, corn chips.  Oops!  I defrosted shredded beef on accident.  No worries, just cooked up shredded beef "enchiladas" instead.  Layer corn tortillas, beef, cheese, sauce, repeat.  Cook until bubbly.
Wednesday: Chicken Stir Fry using leftover grilled chicken and Teriyaki sauce.  Snap peas, water chestnuts, and whatever else you like.  Serve with rice and broccoli.  Yummy
Thursday: Indian style ground beef  This was good.  I was surprised...I didn't think I would like the spices, but this will be a keeper.  Similar to Asian Ground Beef Stir Fry, but different seasonings.  Added fresh cucumber from the garden.  Served with rice.
Friday: Hubby is grilling London broil.  He's cutting it thin, and making enough for weekend lunches.  Salad, veggies, fruit  Contemplating more mac and cheese.  :)


Snacks:
Peanut butter balls  I forgot how good these are.  I only had time for a single batch, but will likely make a double batch as soon as they are gone.  Kids have been eating them for breakfast along with a banana.  Peanut butter, oats, raw honey, better than your average cereal!
Z bars (made by Cliff bars)
Lots of fruit and veggies
nachos (with real cheese of course!)
So far, so good.  We've found a lot of snacks/chips that we like.  The real test will come tomorrow if we go out of town.  Will we pack our food or attempt to eat out?  It takes two weeks for the gluten to get out of your system, I would hate to mess that up when we are so close!  My daughter started taking fiber as her body was noticing the difference.  I hope we make it through the weekend.  I would hate for this to be in vain!
Dear Lord, Please give us the strength to keep going.  May it be abundantly clear if this is how we should be eating or if gluten doesn't affect us.  We desire to be healthy and ready to do your work!  In Jesus Name-Amen

Seasoning with Efficiency - Taco Seasoning

Taco seasoning is used in my kitchen quite a bit.  Therefore, I make it in bulk and store it in my cabinet for easy use.  Making it reminds me of the fun I had using colored sand or salt as a kid to make art in little baby food jars.  I don't think I am explaining that correctly... I remember layering the colored sand into little jars and making pictures with it.  Layering all the seasonings in the pint jar is fun and it looks pretty.  :)


Recipe:
1/2 c chili powder
1/3 c + a little bit more paprika
1/4 c + 2 TBSP cumin
1/4 c onion powder
1/4 c salt
3 TBSP + 1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper


Layer in a pint sized jar and admire the beauty.  The shake it up until mixed.


**I do not actually measure out the extra TBSP and tsp.  I just eyeball it and it turns out just fine.  When I increased the recipe on allrecipes.com, this is what it came out to be.

School Lunch Emergency!

This picture may not look like much, but it saved my kid's lunches today.  See that big zip lock on the right?  It is stuffed with snack sized bags of sliced leftover chicken.  This brilliant idea comes from my husband.  He packed all these bags so he could take them for his lunch if there were no leftovers. Well, last night that happened.  Hubby got the leftovers, but the kids had nothing.  Never fear!  Leftover grilled chicken is here!  I just reached in, and popped one in each box.  Lunches saved.  That was last night, hopefully they won't still be frozen today.  And the adventure continues...
Dear LORD,  Thank You for ideas like these.  Thank You for my husband.  In Jesus name-- Amen

Early Dinnertime!

Sigh, today is the first day of school, and I am missing my kids!  Many great things have happened this summer.  Our family has settled into a nice routine.  One major thing that will be different this year is dinner.  Usually, the kids and I get home from school and we are HUNGRY!  We kick back and eat, eat, eat.  Then it's time to make dinner.  Do you see the problem here?  I end up rushing around trying to get a million things done and cook dinner at the same time.  My daughter and I usually end up in some sort of passionate argument because I am stressed to the max knowing that when hubby gets home he will be as hungry as we were, and VERY grumpy if he can't eat right away.
Gone are these days!  It is official: dinner time is 4 pm.  We tested this out two days ago, and it was amazing!  The kids and I ate a healthy dinner, and things were cleaned up and stress free when Dad got home.  We don't eat dinner with Dad, but we do relax with him, and have time to play afterward.  I spent the evening marveling at how peaceful and joyful life could be.  I think this is the way to go for us.  How about your family?  Spend some time watching and praying about what would be best in your household.
Dear Father, thank You for this revelation.  I think You have been prompting me for quite some time, and I am thankful that You didn't give up!  In Jesus Name I pray-- Amen

Reminder: Rely on God

Yawnnnn!  School starts tomorrow and I am tired!  Gone are the days of sleeping in and being fully awake throughout the day.  Back are the sleep deprived days requiring me to depend on the Lord.  God has wired my body to need 8-9 hours of sleep in order to fire on all cylinders.  That's not easy in this world!  I love being awake and fully functional, and detest the opposite.  While it's good to know this about myself, it can also make sleep a crutch.  I get so caught up in what time I need to get to bed that I forego all else, including dear hubby.  This can cause big problems.  I need to find that balance between being smart with my time and relying on God to meet all my needs.  If hubby needs to stay up late talking, I should count my blessings that he confides in me, not worry about my lack of sleep!
Dear Father,
Thank You for meeting all of my needs.  May I be open to the Holy Spirit's leading throughout the day, and be wise with my time.  Please lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one.  I give You this upcoming school year, and look forward to what You teach us.  Please show me how I can be a blessing to my children's teachers.  May our faith in You shine through.  I pray that I will remember to rely on You, the God of all creation, and not on myself.
In Jesus name I pray--Amen 

Having Faith, Not Fear

Do you ever fear that things are going too smoothly and a bomb is about to drop?  We just had a glorious Sunday, and it feels like all is right in my little world.  As I told my husband how happy and content I was, I began to think of all the terrible things that could happen.  I have to fight that...the feeling of needing to knock on wood.  The bible says we should not partake in these superstitions.  Our God is controlling the universe, and He is for us, who can be against us?  Satan would love to knock me down off my joyful pedalstol, but God will lift me back up.  The joy of The Lord is my strength.  Therefore, I dare to say, I enjoyed a fantastic day yesterday!
Thank you God for days like these.  May we never let Satan rob us of our joy.  May we always follow you and never be afraid to testify of the great things in our lives.  May we never knock on wood, but always come sit before your throne, and trust in You alone.  In Jesus all powerful name I pray--Amen

Gluten-Free Week 1 Plan and Results

The time has come: Gluten free for four weeks!  The biggest challenge for us will be snacks.  No crackers or tortillas?  What?  Luckily, I have recipes ready to go, I just haven't made them in a while.  Here's the plan: Results are in italics.




Breakfast
Crazy Cake - Yes, you can eat this for breakfast!!
Eggs and melted cheese + fruit or veggies This was a hit with Sweet Son.  Daughter still won't try it.  She's been eating Zbars and fruit.  We'll have to work on this next week.


Lunch
Leftovers!  We've been eating everything with taco chips.  Another thing we'll have to work on next week.
Salad with leftover chicken, tuna or canned salmon - Me
Fruit and Veggies


Dinner
Monday: Lasagna type pasta (gluten-free of course)  I may just eat this without the pasta. 
Broccoli or Garlic Green Beans, salad, fruit Side note: I don't do much measuring when I cook.  I try to make things as brainless as possible but still have it taste good.  First I mixed a small tub of Ricotta cheese with a quart sized bag of shredded mozzarella.  Then I layered gluten free penne pasta (Barilla brand which I bought at Walmart), cheese mixture, ground beef, and spaghetti sauce in a glass bowl until full and put the lid on.  Popped it in the small electric "toaster" oven we have on the counter until melted and bubbly.  Hubby really liked this.  He brought it for lunch all week.
*Cook up extra ground beef for Wednesday!
*Cook Crockpot Quinoa in crockpot for Tuesday.


Tuesday: Southwestern Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
                *Cook chicken in the crockpot.  Shred and add celery, onion?, mayo and taco seasoning to
                   taste.  Serve avocado, salsa, etc. on the side.  Cook extra chicken and freeze it for later! 
I ended up using leftover chicken I found in the freezer.  I cut it up into small pieces with my chicken scissors.  Forgot about the lettuce, ate with corn chips.  This is a keeper.
                  *Quinoa mixed with something to make it Southwestern-onions, cilantro, cumin, garlic?   
                       How about green chilies?  This is not a keeper.  Turns out everyone refuses to eat quinoa, including Hubby.  Good thing I have chickens to feed it to.  The crockpot did cook up the quinoa nicely, though.
                  *Veggies and Fruit


Wed: Asian Ground Beef Stir Fry
                 *Use ground beef from Monday.  Sautee onions, green pepper and garlic.  Add meat, teriyaki sauce, woreceshire, red pepper flakes, water chestnuts and whatever else you like.  Just found out soy sauce and teriyaki can contain gluten!  Must look into this and re-read my labels.  This was a hit with Hubby and Son.
                 *Asian salad?, veggie, fruit, quinoa No quinoa for my family!  Served with rice.


Thursday: Summer Chicken "Burgers"
          *Grill or bake chicken breasts to your liking.  Serve with melted provolone, green chilies,  
             sautéed onions, avocado  Ended up crock-potting two large packages of chicken.  Used water and lemon juice, cooked on high 4 hours.  I have a ton left over!  Yeah!  Using the same baking bowl from Monday, layered shredded chicken, sliced provolone and green chilies.  Baked in small oven until melted.  Hubby said this was a keeper.  Daughter, who ate just plain chicken, said it was really good.  Victory!
          *Salad, Green beans or broccoli, refrieds, corn chips 
          *Fruit and Veggies


Friday: Shredded Beef Tacos (crockpot), refrieds, Spanish rice?  Make extra for weekend lunches. Cook in crockpot with water, garlic and salt.  Have green chilies on hand at dinner time for Hubby.


Sat and Sunday:  BBQ, salad, veg, fruit  Sunday, grill extra meat for use in meals next week!!!


Snacks:
Almond Bars This wasn't a big hit this go-round.  Son said it needed chocolate chips.  I agree.  Everything is better with chocolate chips!
Lots of fruit and veggies!  We had a ton of these on hand.
Frozen grape kabobs.  Slide grapes onto BBQ skewers, put in a freezer zip lock bag and keep in the freezer.  The kids love these!




So far, so good.  The kids are the ones really missing bread, crackers, etc.  Especially when we walk past the Subway inside Walmart.  It smells so delicious!  Planning meals ahead of time is such a blessing and something I haven't done in a long time!

Baby Step: Keep the Table Clean!

I have been pondering what is truly important in life.  I am tired of stinking thinking...worrying what I look like, what others think of me, getting overwhelmed by all the little things that need to be done.  I know someone who fighting just to be alive one more day.  She is still preparing to go to work when school begins, and desires to see her first grandchild be born and her youngest son graduate high school.  Life is truly this fragile, but we all to often forget.  With this reminder, my musings now are often about "What is truly important?".
I was recently reminded of a quote that goes something like this, "We are not raising children, but adults."  Which begs the question, what kind of adults are we raising our kids to be?  The habits I help my kids form now, are the habits they will take with them into adulthood.  Therefore, keeping the house clean, and teaching them to be responsible stewards of their belongings is truly important.  Plus, as a bonus, by taking care of things as we go, and not letting them pile up, we should have more time to enjoy life.
I have decided we need a baby step: KEEP THE TABLE CLEAN.  Baby steps are like battles in the war.  My war is against people who don't clean up their messes when they are done.  I am SO tired of seeing dishes in our living room.  Not to mention that tv is not truly important.  Guess what?  We are going to start eating at the table.  What a unique idea.  Our table is over 100 years old.  It stretches out to seat over 12 people, and I love to think of the families that have sat around this table in the past.  I want our family to be a part of that history.
School is starting for us next week, and I have been plagued with a sadness as I realize how little time I have left with my children living at home.  My daughter is entering seventh grade.  I just want to grab her and spend every moment I have with her.  My son is going into fourth grade.  I love the stories and conversations that come about while we are eating together around the table.  I think a question I have been pondering may have just been answered.  Maybe now is not the time to be thinking of opening an ETSY shop.  Maybe now is the time to be focused on my family and what they love to do.  For when they are gone, I will have plenty of time to pursue my dreams.  Hmmm.
Dear Lord,
Please open my eyes to what is truly important, and to Your will.  May I have no regrets.  In Jesus Name I pray--Amen. 

Life Changer: What's Truly Important in Life?

I just had a phone conversation with a neighbor that brought life back into perspective. She had lunch last week with a friend, that I know as well, and informed me today that her friend is now at the end of her fight with cancer.  This woman has been fighting for years.  So many treatments, and now she is finished.  The cancer is throughout her body, and she is done.  And yet she still goes on.  She is fighting to see her youngest son graduate high school and her first grandchild be born.  But, reality is, she might not make it that long.
My neighbor and I talked about how we hear news like this, and we feel terrible for spending so much time dwelling on all the little things in life.  Things like, wrinkles, belly fat, and clutter.  We vow to enjoy life and not worry about the superficial, but then we slide right back into stinking thinking.  What will it take to truly change our outlook on life?  How do we balance enjoying the here and now with life's demands?
Dear Lord,
I seek the answers to these questions.  I want to enjoy and treasure life now.  Please save me from having to experience a traumatic, life-altering experience in order for me to truly understand what is important in life.  Please show me what is important to You.  Bless me with your perspective.  May I not waste time on superficial, worldly goals and thoughts.  May I follow you, and live life to the fullest.  In Jesus all powerful name I pray--Amen

Crockpot Quinoa

If you are going to cook something, make it as easy as possible and double it!


Crockpot Quinoa (this recipe has been tripled)


4.5 c quinoa
9 c chicken broth/liquid (Adjust liquid to your liking.  This will make soft quinoa.)
3 T olive oil
1.5 tsp salt


1. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear!  THIS STEP IS A MUST!!  QUINOA WILL BE BITTER IF YOU SKIP THIS STEP.
2. Dump quinoa into the crockpot.
3. Add oil and mix it around.
4. Add broth and salt.
5. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-4. 
The quinoa is done when you can fluff it with a fork and it is tender.
Freeze extra for use later.

Gluten Free Day 0

We have been going through quite a lot the past few weeks...literally.  We have gone through our house de-cluttering, and today I went through my recipe binder preparing for the upcoming four weeks.  This next month, we will be going through an experiment...gluten-free eating.  The purpose of this is to stop wondering if it would help our health.  Hubby and I have digestive issues, Daughter has skin issues, and Son gets to go along for the ride - much to his dismay.  :)  He has skin issues as well, but gluten was ruled out as the culprit when he was little.  His skin is just sensitive to external irritants like chlorine.


My sister-in-law has recently gone the way of a gluten-free diet.  She had digestive issues and skin issues that have cleared up to the point that she claims she will not eat gluten again.  She feels too good to go back.  Honestly, I don't know if I want this to be the case for us or not.  I like bread, but I also would love to feel good on a regular basis.  It would be great to figure out this mystery on the first try.


According to my sister-in-law, gluten stays in your system for two weeks.  Therefore, the one month trial.  If gluten is a problem, we should be feeling better by Week 3.  There have been blessings already...I am planning ahead and have finally gone through my recipes.  This has been on my to do list for weeks.  Maybe months.  I haven't planned a weeks worth of meals in months.  How embarrassing!  If I don't plan, life is just a crap shoot.  Planning keeps me on my toes, even if I don't completely follow the plan.  Hopefully, I will post plans and recipes on this site.  No promises, you never know what life will bring. 


Dear Lord-
I give this month to You.  Please make us strong and I ask that we not mess up.  We don't want to add any unnecessary extra time to discovering if gluten is the culprit in our health issues.  I pray for clarity and wisdom.  In Jesus Name--Amen