First Freezer Cooking Day of 2013!

Happy New Year! Better late than never ;-)


Last week I had the JOY of taking a week off from my crazy job and actually got to plan some things that I WANTED to do instead of HAVE to do. It was nice. And time flew. But before it was over I got to spend a whole day cooking! I was in heaven! I haven't planned a day of freezer cooking since the beginning of last year and I desperately needed to due to being tired when getting home from work most nights. And nothing better than finding and trying recipes that have so far turned out to be awesome and also the ones that I chose were great to cook in the same day due to ingredients, which made the day flow very well.

Here are the links to the recipes that I made and the number of meals that each turned out for my family of 2:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/05/turkey-burgers-with-zucchini.html (2 dinners with dh eating 2 burgers each night, and me having 1- well I ate one the first night and took my other one for lunch the next day. Recipe says it makes ~5 burgers and I got 6. Yay!)
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/spinach-lasagna-rolls.html (1 dinner for 4 adults, plus 2 extra since I got 10 out of the recipe. Would have been 2 dinners + a lunch if it was just us.)
http://www.amandathevirtuouswife.com/2012/02/orange-chicken-freezer-meal.html (I had a big thing of chicken so I doubled the recipe equaling 2 full dinners and 2 extra packets of just sauce.)
http://www.amandathevirtuouswife.com/2012/05/cajun-red-beans-and-rice-tutorial.html (~3+ dinners w/leftovers.)
http://www.amandathevirtuouswife.com/2012/02/stuffed-bell-peppers-freezer-meal.html (2 dinners, 2 lunches...Also, I subsituted turkey burger - bought large container of burger and used other half for turkey patties above.)
http://www.amandathevirtuouswife.com/2012/10/chicken-quesadillas-tutorial-freezer.html (1 dinner w/dh having 4, me 2, and then 1 for a couple of lunches....Also, I subsituted shredded pork which was still awesome.)

And I was going to make up "Beef Roast Packets" (put a roast with cut up veggies so all I have to do is put the "packet" in the crock-pot and turn it on!), but I ran out of time.

So I ended up getting over 12 dinners and several lunches.

Here is what I did, from the best of my memory:

1. Night before, soaked beans for the Cajun Red Beans crock-pot meal so I could get it on first thing in the morning. After I poured everything in the pot and cut up the sausage. Done! That was our dinner at the end of my day of cooking :-)

2. Get noodles for Spinach Lasagna Rolls boiling. (When done boiling I laid them out on paper towels to dry.)

3. Get pork for the quesadillas in the oven right after step 2.

4. Get red onion diced up for recipes. (I used red onion wherever onion was called for and just guessed on amounts since I cut up a very large one.) And to save time with mincing garlic, I just used jarred garlic from the store!

5. Assemble Spinach Lasagna Rolls, wrap and freeze. Done!

6. Get sauce made up for the Orange Chicken. (One can of orange concentrate makes 4 packets of sauce.)

7. Shred pork and make up mixture for quesadillas, put in fridge until later.

8. Finish up Orange Chicken by cutting chicken into pieces with scissors, assemble bags. Done!

9. Assemble and put quesadillas in oven. Get peppers prepared so I could cook meat and mixture for stuffed peppers (used same pan as quesadilla mixture).

10. Quesadillas were done and cooling while I cooked, assembled, and wrapped the Stuffed Bell Peppers. Done!

11. Wrapped quesadillas. Done!

12. I ended up making the Turkey Burgers w/Zucchini the next morning and finished cleaning up the kitchen. It wasn't too messy though because I was able to reuse pans and cookie sheets.

 

Let me know if you have any freezer cooking recipes and/or tips! Or questions!

Redeeming Love Christmas Collection {a review}

 

“Hope Begins Here”…

How simple, but yet powerful is that phrase?! Hope truly begins with the birth of Jesus Christ in a stable. His first night was spent in a manger. The definition from Merriam-Webster Dictionary says that it is “a trough or open box in a stable designed to hold feed or fodder for livestock”. To think that God humbled Himself to come to earth in the form of a human being and spend his first night in a trough that is meant to hold feed for livestock is very humbling to me. To know that He has gone before me and planned all my tomorrows is a very comforting and hopeful thought!

The message that this vintage-style wreath displays, reminds us why and shows those who enter our home (or come to our door if you choose to display it there) why we celebrate throughout the Christmas season.

 

The Advent tabletop devotional was another daily reminder throughout the holiday season that brought me back to the heart of the season, as well as God’s heart for us, every day I flipped a page. The calendar is a little large for the amount of writing on each page, but it is a very pretty and “Christmassy” piece to have in your home at this time of year.

I enjoyed adding these items to my decor this Christmas and want to thank DaySpring for providing me with the free product. All opinions expressed are my  own. You can find more information on other items in the Redeeming Love collection by clicking here.

A Book Review: “Love in Disguise” by Carol Cox

 

From the publisher’s website:

Can she solve the crime before they uncover her true identity?

Jobless and down to her last dime, Ellie Moore hears about a position with the Pinkerton Detective Agency and believes it's the perfect chance to put her acting skills and costumes to use. Reluctantly, the agency agrees to give her one assignment, one chance to prove herself. Disguised as Lavinia Stewart, a middle-aged widow, Ellie travels to Arizona to begin her investigation. When the need arises, she also transforms into the dazzling Jessie Monroe, whose vivacious personality encourages people to talk.

Mine owner Steven Pierce is going to lose his business if he can't figure out who's stealing his silver shipments. In his wildest dreams, he never expected to receive help from a gray-haired widow... or to fall in love with her beautiful niece.

Then the thieves come after Lavinia and Jessie. Ellie isn't safe no matter which character she plays! Should she give up and reveal her true identity? What will Steven do when he realizes the woman he's falling in love with doesn't really exist?

Set in 1880s Arizona, Love in Disguise blends romance, humor, and mystery for a can't-put-down read.

I received this book for free as a part of the Bethany House Book Review club. Unfortunately, I am a little on the slow side as a reader and this was a 348 page read! Add in an unexpected move at the end of this summer, I just finished reading this a few weeks ago :-)

I figured it would be easiest to give you 5 things I thought about this book and let you decide if it sounds like something you would pick up and read yourself:

1.     I thought that this Historical Fiction book got off to a bit of a slow start and didn’t really get exciting until around halfway through when Ellie’s first clues start rolling in.

2.     I thought that as a book touted as a Christian Historical Fiction piece, it could have dropped the Christian label as the story was not built around God and the Church. Although there were references and woven in, as Ellie is trying to find her true identity in the Wild West be it through her career or God, it was not the main theme in my opinion and it seemed a bit cheesy at times.

3.     I liked the romance that developed between Steven and Ellie, and would have liked to have seen more story involving it. If you are looking for a Historical Romance book, this is not it. I think a sequel to this book would be fun to read to see how Ellie’s life unfolds after this big win for her, and a new romance developing.

4.     The story got a bit confusing at times with a lot of names being given. If you do read this, take notes so you can refer to it throughout ;-)

5.     It took me a long time to get through in part because I am a slow reader, but also because it was not a book that I just couldn’t put down.

Conclusion, “Love in Disguise” is a nice read, but I would probably only give it a 3/5 star rating.

Sunday Scripture {simplify}

(photo I took in my parent's backyard, 1/10)
 

" 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. ' ”

Matthew 11:28-30

Exercise Your Freedom to Vote!

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."

~ Ronald Reagan

Sunday Scripture {sufficient grace}

 

"Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

 

(Another photo taken in Northern Michigan on a Fall camping trip with my husband - I have lots!)

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Linking up with Diedra's Sunday Community today:



Sunday Scripture {our defender}

 

(Another photo taken in Northern Michigan on a Fall camping trip with my husband.)

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Linking up with Diedra's Sunday Community today:

Sunday Scripture {changes}

 

Matthew 28:20

"And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

 

 

(Photo taken in Northern Michigan on a Fall camping trip with my husband.)

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Linking up with Diedra's Sunday Community today:

Food, Faith & (in)Fertility....and Friday!!!

{food}

This week I made a ginormous pot of soup with an extremely large zucchini that a co-worker gave me (using a lot more than the recipe calls for). And I made 4 loaves of zucchini bread (again using more than called for)...and still have a huge chunk of zucchini left over!!

Here is the soup recipe. I am not sure what cookbook my MIL got it out of. I tweak it to my own liking a little (ex: I didn't have enough beef broth on hand, so I added water instead - lots of it due to adding extra veggies; I also used refrigerated tortellini so I don't simmer nearly as long; 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes instead of cut up tomatoes and tomato paste.)

{faith}

Love this article by Deidra at Jumping Tandem :   Rebranded

{(in)Fertility}

The past couple weeks there have been a barrage of pregnancy announcements. In the moments of questioning yet again, "Why can't we have just one?" "Why does it have to be this way?" "Why does everything have to be so difficult?", I received this devotion from Joni Eareckson Tada:

Living Under the Curse

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 It is true that disease flows from the curse God pronounced on us after Adam's rebellion. It is also true that Jesus came to reverse this curse. But does this mean Christians shouldn't have to put up with cancer, Down syndrome, Lyme disease or Alzheimer's? We'd like to think that since Jesus came to take up our diseases, there should be healing for everything from migraines to menopausal sweats. But that's akin to saying: "There's an oak in every acorn - so take this acorn and start sawing planks for picnic tables." Or it's like saying, "Congress just passed a Clean Water Act, so tomorrow morning Manhattan residents can start drinking from the East River." Forty years will pass before that oak is ready for lumbering. Purging industrial ooze out of a river will take decades. And so it is with Jesus' reversal of sin's curse (and the suffering that goes with it). What Jesus began doing to sin and its results won't be complete until the Second Coming. The purchase of salvation was complete and the outcome was settled with certainty. But the application of salvation to God's people was anything but finished. God "has saved" us, yet we are still "being saved" (I Corinthians 1:18). We are still on earth... this means we're still going to feel the influence of that old curse. At least until heaven! First Corinthians 15:45 calls Jesus "the last Adam" who came to undo the curse triggered in the Garden of Eden - but this summer you'll still be wrestling with weeds in your backyard, as well as a backache from all that hoeing. Only in Paradise will it be said, "No longer will there be any curse." (Revelation 22:3). Jesus, thank you that you saved me... and that I am still being saved. I look to that day in heaven when there will be no more sorrow, sickness, disease or death!   Taken from Pearls of Great Price. Copyright © 2006 by Joni Eareckson Tada. Used by permission. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530        I hope everyone has a great weekend! Happy Friday!!

Politics and the Childless Woman

 

I know who I'm voting for and nothing said by the man's wife last night will change my mind, but it just goes to show how uneducated people still are about childless/child-free women and it's upsetting to me. The idea that if a woman is not a mom she is second rate. She doesn't love as "deeply", or struggle with things in life. Somehow life is easier because she doesn't have kids! I couldn't even finish watching and had to leave the room. So I was happy this morning when I had an email with a blog post update that spelled out exactly how I felt (so I didn't have to) while watching what I did of the speech.

Link --->  Enough With the Mom Pandering...

Sunday Scripture {never wasted...}

 

*So embarrassed by my misspelling on the link up! If you are visiting from there, thank you for checking into what a "waster" is, lol!

 

 

 

(on the shore of Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior)

 

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Linking up with Diedra's Sunday Community today:

Changes

My living room is beginning to fill up with boxes, representative of the "what ifs" finding their way into my mind. In just a couple weeks we are leaving our home of the past almost 8 years. Not because we sold it and have to move. Not because we are being forced out or can't afford it. No, we don't fit the norm in this area either. We are leaving with an unpaid mortgage. And we hate that. We have struggled with it, and talked to many "advisers", but we both feel in our hearts that it is time to surrender, and move on. To step out in faith and take the next step.

It is our first home. I am definitely fine with moving out of our neighborhood, which is why we are leaving. It has become more and more unsafe over the years, to the point that dh doesn't even walk the dog anymore. We are prisoners in our own home.

This house, this city, our "imprisonment" (due to such an upside down mortgage) have been very big tools that God has used in my life (and dh's) to teach so many lessons, which make for future blog posts. And for that I am so thankful. But it's also the home that we now know, for certain, we will never have little feet walking around in. It was not meant to happen here. Something we didn't know 8 years ago when we moved in. So with moving, there are some twinges of sadness that accompany it.

We have seen the comfort of God's hand in this new chapter as it begins unfolding. From a "random" phone call dh received one morning from someone we go to church with wondering if we, out of all people, wanted to rent his family's house because he thought we rented ours (which dh originally turned down even investigating the offer due to the fact that we own ours), to the timing of this possibility even coming about (a home invasion had just happened on our block where the homeowner was robbed and seriously injured - just one of the regular occurrences of crime around here anymore). I had just prayed that morning that God would provide an opportunity for us to be able to move.

So, are we excited? Yes. Nervous? Yes. Wanting to get the paperwork and legal "stuff" out of the way super fast? Most definitely! So please pray for us if you think of it. This "move" doesn't end when the last box is unloaded. It will likely be months, but we are praying that it's not and that this process is over quickly.

(A double rainbow over our house this Spring.)

Sunday Scripture {but if not...}

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Linking up with Diedra's Sunday Community today:

Flashback 10 years!

I woke up yesterday and looked at my phone realizing that it was one of dh's good friend's 10 year wedding anniversary. My first thought was, "Has 10 years really gone by since they got married?!" It always gets me thinking about their wedding as dh and I were still dating (2 months away from our engagement date!), and I got to wear my favorite ever formal dress :) He was the best man and I remember just being so proud to be his girlfriend (which seems weird to write "girlfriend") and what fun we had. We got to ride in the limo back to our friend's house where we were dropped off and then they grabbed their bags and off they went on their honeymoon. I also remember being so excited and hopeful that we would be doing the same in the future (sooner I hoped rather than later!).

It just gets me thinking about our dating days and what brought us together and how we are the same people today, just changed people. But we have changed together and grown together. Anyways, I will save more for an anniversary post next month :)

Ice cream

Kind of a random post, but I am an ice cream fanatic and love trying new flavors :) This summer there have been so many new ones to try! Below are my 2 favorite new ones as of now (which also happen to be very close to a couple of DQ Blizzards I love, but at a much lower cost considering you get more than one sitting out of a carton). And although it would be nice, I am not receiving an advertising fee for this post. These are just some simple joys I have found this season:

source
(Bryer's Cookies & Cream Mint)


source

(Stroh's Blueberry Cream Pie)

It's Been a Month....

...since I posted last. Crazy. This summer has been flying by! So I decided to do a list of the highlights:

1. The garden: What a crazy weather summer we've been having here. We go from drought-like conditions with scorching heat, setting records, to torrential downpours the end of this previous week. So, that added to my dig a hole, put the plant in, water, approach to gardening again this year (I occasionally have used some organic methods of pest control)....my zucchinis have yet to produce anything besides beautiful, gigantic flowers. The leaves are not much bigger than when I planted them. I have never seen a zucchini plant do that! Weird. As for the pickling cukes, I bought a different brand this year and they are producing but the 4 plants are not producing as many as my 1 plant did last year! And they got pelted with the rain are are looking very sad right now. This brings me to my cherry tomatoes which are doing great! I had such good luck last year with them I wanted to try again. At least that makes me happy :) The plants are gigantic and the majority of tomatoes are golf ball size!

The garden about a month ago.



2.  The vacation: It was awesome! We went camping in the U.P. (Upper Peninsula of Michigan). We went with my parents and stayed right on the Tahquamenon River. We did a lot of sightseeing and a bit of kayaking as we all have kayaks. Here are a few pictures:

Heading to the U.P. via the Mackinaw Bridge, looking at Mackinaw Island.

(The big white blob is the famous Grand Hotel.)

 The Mighty Mac

 The view out our back window!

 Sunset over the river, at our campsite.

On the shore of Whitefish Point. 17 miles from where the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975.

(That is Canada off in the distance.) 

 Behind our campsite.

 The Lower Tahquamenon Falls

 The Upper Tahquamenon Falls

Me and my best friend ;-)

 At the black bear farm we visited.

 Adorable cub. 7 months old.

 Me and dh taking a break from kayaking out into Whitefish Bay.

 I love history. And I love the story behind this area. Literally it has become "beauty from ashes" (you may need to click on the picture to enlarge it so you can read what I mean).

 Me and my mom on our "Tour of Paradise". We did our own sightseeing one afternoon. Fun times :-)

 One of our favorite camp dinners. Hamburger/Veggies/Montreal Steak Seasoning in a foil packet, cooked over the fire.

The sun setting on the last night there.

3. The changes: There are some big changes happening right now (not children related) that are stretching us. Bittersweet changes I will share more about in the coming days. I often find myself asking why can't things JUST "just happen" for us, just once! Why can't we just be "normal"? To which dh will remind me by asking, "What's normal?". Good question!

But as we forge ahead, I am so thankful for such a great vacation behind us, and I am trying ever so hard to remind myself that God has an infinite storehouse to supply all our needs in the days to come, even when we aren't sure how it is going to happen sometimes. Just seeing the waterfalls up close on our vacation and feeling the power of them, and basking in the beauty of God's creation, it reminds me that we serve a very mighty God. He is powerful. And we have Him on our side as we face the many challenges in the coming days and months ahead.  “Some people think that going through the losses or crises of life are the exceptional times,” says Dr. H. Norman Wright.  “I see it differently. I see the times of calm as the exceptions.  Life is really going through one loss after another, one crisis after another.” And that is something I am beginning to think might not be so far off from the truth!

(A sign of Fall that we saw on our vacation! Our favorite season!)







Sunday Scripture {be still}

Whitefish Bay-Lake Superior

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Linking up with Diedra's Sunday Community today:

Food, Faith & (in)Fertility....and Friday!!

{food}

I haven't made any new recipes this week, but when I was looking through some pictures this evening, I remembered that I forgot to post about the Girl's Lunch I recently was a part of :) Grandma treated us to lunch a few Saturday's back, at an Italian restaurant she loves and we had a great time laughing and eating good food:

Mom and Me

 Grandma and My Sister

 My awesome Chicken Penne Gorgonzola Pasta and Smoked Turkey & Bacon Panini (turkey, applewood smoked bacon, gorgonzola, mozzarella and roma tomatoes)!

Baked Potato Soup

Hungary anyone??? :-)-

{faith}

An awesome article I read this week about the "caves" of our lives and how they prepare us to fulfill God's purposes for our lives....click to read "Caves".

{(in)Fertility}

I am very excited to read this book this summer. I will post a review of it when I finish the current book that I am reading for a book review program I'm in. This book is motivation for finishing my current one.

But in just skimming through this book, I am very much looking forward to it.

"Falling for Eli: How I Lost Heart, Then Gained Hope Through the Love of a Singular Horse"

A true story (categorized as "memoir/pets") written by Nancy Shulins about her healing journey that began with a special horse named Eli.

 

Happy Friday!!! Have a blessed weekend!

Eagles

Today as I was sitting in my Jeep after I got out of work, I was enjoying the sunshine and comfortable temperatures, eating some cool watermelon that was leftover from my lunch, and just generally basking in my freedom. It's the simple things that I find myself gravitating towards and appreciating so much more in the past few years as I alluded to when I began my Joy Journal page (I know, I know, it needs to be updated).

Anyways, where I park my vehicle in the lot most days (my unofficial parking spot as we all seem to have), I have a surprisingly good view for birdwatching, even though I don't work in the middle of a forest, there are many younger trees planted in our newish business park and birds that have decided to make their homes there. So, I love watching them when I am sitting outside on my break or after work when I'm not rushing off somewhere. They peck at the ground or chase bugs. They swoop low to the ground and back up in the air, or just hop along. I have found lately that it's amazing when you take a moment to slow down and observe the world around you, what you'll see.

But today there was a very large bird, probably just a big hawk, but it was so beautiful as it had outstretched wings and glided high above the buildings, the dark blue sky and sunshine as a picture perfect backdrop. I watched the large bird for several minutes as it flew in a circle, once in a while flapping its wings and then gliding again. Sometimes I think it would be so cool to be a bird and just fly away (Psalm 55:6), high above the cares and worries of this world. To just glide though the air enjoying the breeze, what a thrill that would be! The beauty of the moment brought a few tears to my eyes and I was reminded of how God used the Eagle as a metaphor in Isaiah 40:31:

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

source

So, until I can truly fly through the heavens, I will cling to that verse and thank God for the beautiful reminders of his love that he places in my path daily.