We've been working our way to a more plant based diet in the last couple months,
and I've found that one of the easiest meals to prepare within those parameters are "Soup and Salad!"
Recently, I found this recipe in my newest Taste of Home magazine and knew immediately that I had to try it.
It did NOT disappoint.
In fact, my husband and I are crazy in love with it!!
My children....not so much.
But then they don't like anything that isn't a carbohydrate....specifically vegetables, casseroles, and salads!!
This dish is so fragrant and comforting and hearty.
It's perfect for frosty cold afternoons and evenings!!
Comforting Tomato Lentil Soup
The recipe is onlinehereat the Taste of Home website!!
My goodness.
Yes....we have been so busy since Thanksgiving.
It's time for an update.
My children are involved in many things at our wonderful church,
and the first two Sundays in December are their different choir Christmas programs.
This last Sunday {being the first in December}was designated for the primary choir.
This group is comprised of 3, 4, 5, and 6 year olds.
Always full of fun and giggles.
Just watching them in front of a big group of people is fun!
Our 3-year old was on the second row, on the far left, wearing a long bright yellow head covering.
Perfect for her bright, cheery personality.
My husband had to get involved in getting this video posted because it all had to be reformatted and trimmed down to upload!! As you're watching, you'll be wondering what the delay is, and it was because our 3-year-old was
not paying attention and didn't hear the 24 different people trying to remind her it was her turn!!
Consider watching the song after she says her verse....so full of joy!!!
Much has been going around our house in the last two weeks!!
It has been difficult to stay on top of just the normal, everyday, regular responsibilities, much less the unplanned interruptions!
I've had an unexpected visit to the doctor for what turned out to be a HERNIA! {say what?}
It's not serious or requiring surgery right away, but I just couldn't figure out what the enormous lump
was under my skin way down in a weird place.
My children were excited that I had something in common with our local favorite baseball player, Josh Hamilton!!
Thank you, Heavenly Father, that it wasn't what I feared it might be and really isn't a big deal.
Homeschooling has been enormously stressful in the last two weeks as well.
So much so that I called a school that deals ONLY with ADHD and Dyslexic children right here in our town that I never knew existed!!
After talking with the school administrator about what goes on every single day around here, she very discerningly suggested that my son may need his medication {to help him have better control of his ADHD}
adjusted.
After considering this, I think she is probably right.
So I've made an appointment to see his doctor this next week!!
Thank you, Lord God, for putting that brand new billboard right in my path to find that school, and for the lovely lady I spoke to who spoke to me with such wisdom and grace and compassion!
I also had the most delightful opportunity to take my second born daughter on her overnight "Girls night out with Mom."
The one where we discuss all about marriage and what God has designed for us within the bounds of marriage.
I will talk about this more in detail in another blog.
Thank you, Jehovah Jireh, for my precious daughter and that we enjoyed each other's company so much!!
I even took a huge risk and hosted a friend's "31" party.
When I had only 2 or 3 children, I did those kind of parties ALL the time.
That was back when Mary Kay, and Pampered Chef, and Tupperware, and Premiere Jewelry, and Home Interiors were the popular home-based businesses.
Anyway, space in our home has become slowly squeezed down to almost nothing, so I haven't hosted a party like that in years!!
It was a lot of work to make enough space for 7 ladies, plus snacks, and room for product display.
{Not to mention figuring out a plan for the husband and 4 of the children!}
But it was just so much fun, and I really enjoyed the time all my lady friends!!
Thank you, Jesus, for the lovely, lovely friends you have brought into my life and have enriched my life in so many ways!!
So here we are at Thanksgiving Day!
I have so very much to be thankful for!!
I hope you feel that way too.
Even if everything is a struggle for you right now, God is good.
Every year, in the fall, I like to pull out one of my favorite, all-time recipes.
I love anything with pumpkin in it.
I have lots of amazing recipes with pumpkin in them.
Desserts, breakfast dishes, but this bread recipe is the BEST.
I have made these little gems and given them as gifts.
Most of the time though, I can hardly make enough of them before my children vacuum them up!!
They are lovely for breakfast.....especially on a crisp, Sunday morning.
Or even with your Christmas breakfast.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup of margarine, softened
3 eggs
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
In a mixing bowl, cream sugars, butter and eggs.
Add flour, pumpkin, water, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves.
Mix thoroughly. Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour into 4 greased and floured 6x3x2 inch loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until breads test done.
Yield: 4 mini- loaves.
Here is how I have embellished this recipe to make it healthier (and oh, so. d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s!) for my family:
2 cups of organic cane juice crystals
2/3 cup of margarine, softened
3 eggs
2 1/3 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
Several scoops of cold-milled flax seed
The entire 15 oz. can of pumpkin
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. of baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
Dash of salt
1/2 of a 12 oz. bag of mini-chocolate chips
(Not as sickly sweet with chocolate that way...unless of course....)
Follow the same instructions above, except drop into greased mini-muffin pans
and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until muffins test done.
YUM!!!
** Repost from the archives.
I've been making these many mornings here lately
because they are so comforting on chilly mornings.
Even without the chocolate chips they are delightful!!
On Wednesdays, I'm journaling about this new leg of my journey to better health.
Last week, I talked about these things called "xenoestrogens" that I had NEVER heard of,
but apparently are wreaking HAVOC on my health and well-being!!
You can read about that here: What ARE xenoestrogens?
Now that I'm more familiar with what they are and what they do {estrogen mimicers, endocrine disrupters},
I've been trying to figure out how to avoid them.
It's pretty simple to avoid them.....just don't use the products that contain them.
The tricky part is finding a good alternative....that WORKS and doesn't break the bank!!
Here's what I've found so far:
These products are AH-mazing!!
The Dessert Essence brand is dedicated to producing all-natural products and they are just fantastic!
I've ditched all my regular shampoos, conditioners, soap, and body lotion and switched to this brand.
I LOVE the Coconut body wash and lotion.
It's as good as or better than anything at Bath and Body Works, and is safer for you if you have
and estrogen dominance issue, such as myself.
I started buying them on sale at Sprout's so I could try them,
but will probably be buying them online at Vitacost.com for a way better price.
I've also ditched my store-bought antiperspirant/deodorant.
This one was tough for me.
I'm a confessed profuse sweater.
My feet and hands sweat....and the sweat RUNS down my face and back in the summers
around here!!
I was nervous about switching to something that doesn't have the aluminum and other parabens
that are normally in antiperspirants, but I knew I didn't want to keep using these potentially
harmful ingredients.
I tried this:
But didn't like that I had to apply it several times a day and I still smelled of rotten onions!
So I tried this:
But I had virtually the same problem as I did with the previous product.
Plus, I found out that tea tree oil is also an estrogen mimicer {phytoestrogen - plant based estrogen}
and that using this too much can cause issues with estrogen dominance as well!!!
SO.....I decided to try my hand at making my own!!
It was super easy to make, and I was able to fill up one 4.6 oz. empty deodorant tube
that I had on hand.
When I use it....there is no odor.
I did not use any essential oil to fragrance it, but it has a gentle coconut smell from the coconut oil.
It has a super low melting point though, and melts instantly when it touches your skin.
It broke the twist up function on the deodorant container because it gets so hard when you put it in the frig initially, so I had to scoop it out into a small
covered plastic bowl and keep it in the frig.
I've just been popping it out of the bowl when I feel I need it and storing it in the frig.
The next thing to go?
Commercial laundry detergent.
Yep.
I was NOT going to do this.
I had dug in my heels and was not going to let anybody or anything drag me into
being this "crunchy!"
But when I found out that xenoestrogens are found in laundry detergent AND fabric softener,
and that they don't come off your clothes and get into your system....
It was so cheap to make.
And so easy.
Will post pictures later.
It seems to work just fine.
It doesn't have a fancy fragrance that our American culture seems to think we need for happiness
and cleanliness......
but it gets the clothes clean!!
Did you know that November is Diabetes Awareness Month?
I didn't either. {blush}
But now that I do, I'm wondering if you know the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?
Since my 2nd daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 in February of 2009, I've learned a LOT about the differences.
I get that the vast majority of people who don't have any experience at all with either one have absolutely no idea what the differences are or how to deal with living with either type.
So I'm becoming more passionate about educating people!!
It's hard sometimes as a mom of a child with this disease not to get frustrated about the confusion.
When you have Type 1:
You will never "get better."
You will never be cured of this until you get a new pancreas.
You CAN eat whatever you want.....yes...she CAN have that ice cream cone {as long as she has her insulin with her!!}
You can't take pills or eat a special diet to "control" your diabetes.
You have to count the carbohydrates of every morsel that slips into your mouth and take enough insulin from an outside source {whether shots or an insulin pump} to cover the carbs you're eating.
You have to take a life-saving syringe of glucagon with you WHEREVER you go in the event your blood sugar crashes and you fall into a coma with seizures!!
You can play sports or whatever strenuous activity you want, BUT you must keep checking your blood sugar to make sure you're blood sugars are staying in a good range and not dropping too low.
You have an increased risk for developing other auto-immune disorders such as celiac disease, or thyroid disease, or eye problems.
You have blood sugars that continually spike up {high} and down {low} all day long. It's almost impossible to stay on top of them!!
You won't find anything in any magazine especially for "Diabetics" that will apply to your lifestyle, because all of those magazines are designed for Type 2 diabetics!!
