As I was throwing stuff in the crockpot just now I thought I'd share a couple of easy meal ideas on those days you don't want to have to do much prep work at night.
I usually serve both of these meals over brown rice. I prefer short grain brown rice because it has a creamier texture. I buy trader joe's already cooked in the freezer section and it's ready in 3 minutes! I also have a rice cooker and will prepare that way if I have time. I gre up eating brown rice my whole life and find that it has much more flavor than your average white rice. If I do eat white rice it would be jasmine rice (Thai rice).
Apricot chicken
3-4 chicken breasts
1 package of drakes onion soup
2 small cans of apricot halves
Just put chicken on bottom of crock, sprinkle dried soup, and place apricots on top of the bird, dump juices all over and cook all day! Serve with steamed green beans or broccoli. I have yet to find a msg free dried soup mix. If you know of one please pass on.
Salsa chicken
Layer ingredients in crock
3-4 chicken breasts
Jar of salsa, whole thing
Can black beans
Frozen corn as much as you like
You could add some jalapenos for extra kick if preferred
Cook all day and shred chicken near end, blend with all I ingredients
I sever leftovers on whole wheat burritos, avocado and sprinkle of cheese, yum!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Heavy
My heart feels heavy and burdened for others around me. Most of these people are a part of my church family. It's been a hard summer and fall with the loss of young human life. And in all of the situations it could have been any of us. It could be my child, my spouse, my friend, my mentor, or a friend of a friend and your common thread of motherhood has knit your heart to empathize for the families loss.
My church's school has experienced two beautiful young families both loose young mothers to cancer. The most recent loss just happened this weekend. I knew her. I didn't know her well, but our lives crossed friends, church, the gym, bible study etc. This week her three children and dear husband will celebrate her life with saddened hearts to have to say goodbye what seems this side of heaven too early. Another young mom from the same school just passed away a month ago. I never knew this young woman but had prayed for her over the past two years when friends of hers were sharing her battle with cancer. She sounded like a lovely person, and she too leaves behind, I think, three young children and a grieving husband. Earlier in the summer a family I've known for ten years lost one of their five children, a young 15 year old man, to a pure accident. My boys knew him, my kids had his older sisters babysit them, and my boys have played with their youngest child.
And so it is...my heart is heavy. As I live longer it seems to get harder. This reality of having to live with the fact that we aren't mortal. That from the day we are conceived in our mother's womb we will have life and that life will end one day here on earth. I'm not scared of dying. I look forward to heaven. I delight in knowing I will have a new body, that there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more depression, no more insecurities, no more battling with earthly desires.
Yet friends I have hope. I often ask myself what would I be like if I was walking in their shoes. And then I follow up with a prayer of "Lord please spare me from ever such a day.". And yet he will choose my coming into this world and my going out of this world. I. Am no different than any of these families. That is what scares me. So, I choose to believe in what truth comforts me when I doubt. I don't have a great memory for quoting scripture but I remember the ideas in my heart...."For I know the plans I have for you Katherine, the Lord is my shepherd..even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.". These are the words I cling to when I can't make sense of this world.
I don't know why these saints had to leave us so early. But I do know that that ecclisiastes 3 1-8"for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted, a time to kill, and a time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to seek and a tome to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away, a time to tear and a time to sew, a time to keep silence and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace"
Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that real life here on earth? Take the time. God created it and we never know when he will say "well done good and faithful servant." I love you my dear friends and family.
My church's school has experienced two beautiful young families both loose young mothers to cancer. The most recent loss just happened this weekend. I knew her. I didn't know her well, but our lives crossed friends, church, the gym, bible study etc. This week her three children and dear husband will celebrate her life with saddened hearts to have to say goodbye what seems this side of heaven too early. Another young mom from the same school just passed away a month ago. I never knew this young woman but had prayed for her over the past two years when friends of hers were sharing her battle with cancer. She sounded like a lovely person, and she too leaves behind, I think, three young children and a grieving husband. Earlier in the summer a family I've known for ten years lost one of their five children, a young 15 year old man, to a pure accident. My boys knew him, my kids had his older sisters babysit them, and my boys have played with their youngest child.
And so it is...my heart is heavy. As I live longer it seems to get harder. This reality of having to live with the fact that we aren't mortal. That from the day we are conceived in our mother's womb we will have life and that life will end one day here on earth. I'm not scared of dying. I look forward to heaven. I delight in knowing I will have a new body, that there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more depression, no more insecurities, no more battling with earthly desires.
Yet friends I have hope. I often ask myself what would I be like if I was walking in their shoes. And then I follow up with a prayer of "Lord please spare me from ever such a day.". And yet he will choose my coming into this world and my going out of this world. I. Am no different than any of these families. That is what scares me. So, I choose to believe in what truth comforts me when I doubt. I don't have a great memory for quoting scripture but I remember the ideas in my heart...."For I know the plans I have for you Katherine, the Lord is my shepherd..even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.". These are the words I cling to when I can't make sense of this world.
I don't know why these saints had to leave us so early. But I do know that that ecclisiastes 3 1-8"for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted, a time to kill, and a time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to seek and a tome to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away, a time to tear and a time to sew, a time to keep silence and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace"
Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that real life here on earth? Take the time. God created it and we never know when he will say "well done good and faithful servant." I love you my dear friends and family.
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