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My Garden

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 18 May, 2014 No comment

I’ve talked about wanting to grow my very own garden but I’ve never had the proper area to do so. Once we moved in to our new house, I was very excited as this was now a possibility. Now that summer is quickly approaching I’ve become quite nervous to begin the process as longing to grow a garden and actually doing so have entirely different outcomes. The beautiful thoughts inside my head of what my garden will look like and the luscious vegetables we will receive is unending. But there is a sudden realness to the cold reality that my mind can dream big and my ‘living garden’ may not be as big and full of unending vegetables.

Thanks to planetden.com

A couple days ago I bought some vegetables to begin the process. Now, the little I know about growing a garden comes from my dad. He always had amazing gardens full of massive zucchinis, cucumbers, never ending cherry tomatoes and extra large, juicy tomatoes. He also had grapes, green beans, pumpkins, peaches and apples. The task it took to bear this garden was never explored. I simply reaped the benefits and thoroughly enjoyed it. But now…..that is a different story. The years of reaping the benefits of my dads luscious garden was all a waste when it comes to beginning mine. I learned nothing from him as I was never interested because I knew weeding would follow my interest. Learning about the process would require me to be outside which would lead to those nasty “weeds that overtake a garden if not tended to.” I can just hear my dad trying to throw excitement into our list of outside chores. :)

Now, I fear the work put into my garden, the thought behind which vegetables to purchase and where to burry them all clouded my mind as I know I have the tendency to kill plants by over watering or under watering. I can’t seem to find the proper amount of every plant; maybe because every plant is ENTIRELY different and I know nothing about them.

Thanks to mikeonafarm.blogspot.com

So tonight I took my fear head on and tossed my little plants into the recently weeded “garden area” and hoped for the best. I planted and watered just as instructions had advised. Now, with great hopes I long to reap some benefit as I tugged away the many weeds the seemed to appear before my eyes.

Now what happens….I wait and wait.

I will water and I will wait. I will water and I will weed. I will water, weed and hope for the best! But most of all, I will update you on my adventure ahead.

Breakfast Nut Cookies

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 17 May, 2014 No comment

While watching the kids today I decided during nap I would try and be somewhat productive and get some snack options in our house. This was one the choices I chose. :)

I believe the two kids I am watching were expecting full sugar and were not big fans of the “healthy” cookie. Cooper on the other hand gets it a lot so this was a treat for him! :) Although they liked the fact that there was brown sugar in this one, this option won over the muffins. :) Funny how those things work!

I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light, First Foods.

Ingredients:

¾ cup brown sugar*
¼ cup butter or coconut oil, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp all spice
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup mixed nuts (I used cashews and soy nuts)
1 tsp sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine first four ingredients and mix well.

Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, all spice and mix well.

Fold in cranberries and nuts.

Scoop a small amount onto baking sheet and sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Bake for 10 minutes.

These litle cookies will be healthier for your kids than your typical cookie.

*Do not substitute honey for the brown sugar as this is the basis of the flavor for the cookie.

Worrying too Much

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 17 May, 2014 No comment

I had a dear friend contacted me this week with a lot of struggle and pain she is battling within her family. I felt the deep urge to reach out and see if things were okay and to my surprise that was the Holy Spirit prompting me to pray for her and her family.

After a long conversation, the questions come up about anxiety, worry and fear. Oh how I know this all to well. The reality is most women probably struggle with this on some level or another. Her and I, are like two peas in a pod with fear and anxiety. We can allow it to consume our body literally paralyzing our souls keeping us from thinking beyond that moment. We go deeper and deeper into the hole of ‘worst case scenarios.’

Telling her and reassuring her that worrying will not change the outcome, it simply will make you feel worse but the outcome remains the same. As I speak this truth to her, I am reminding myself that I need to believe what I say. It’s not always easy. And this is a reality we must choose to remember. Life is hard and painful and when you are not experiencing trials of many kinds, give thanks because we know in life we are either in the middle of the storm, coming out of the storm or getting prepared to head back in. This is the cycle of life.

When we are in a healthy spot, heading into the storm helps prepare us to better handle the situation. The storm itself will also help teach us something new that we hadn’t learned previously. Take the opportunity to look at the positive while in the middle of pain, hurt, tragedy, and heartache. Prepare yourself to learn the truth in the middle of messes. This will help keep you focused and grounded.

My girlfriend mentioned how she thought she had it all together and boy did God open her eyes to realize she didn’t have it all together let alone how desperately she did need Him. What a blessing! God is working in ALL of our lives. We can tend to put our heads down in the sand when problems arise and be blinded to the hurt our dear friends are going through as well. When you pull your head up and allow yourself to be vulnerable, you will find you are not alone. We all have our own stuff to work through and some is more challenging than others. But we will come through! When you are not currently in the midst of the storm, be that shoulder for those who are hurting deeply. You will be surprised what others are dealing with and you will feel a sense of relief to be able to be there with them.

Night time can be our worst hurdle. Laying our sleepy heads to rest and letting your mind wander can be a deadly trap. Waking up from cold sweats to only find you worrying yet again. Laying awake for hours hoping and praying to fall back asleep but you can’t seem to do anything but let your mind take over! These are deadly traps from the enemy. He is out to destroy you and “our minds our the last bastion of rebellion!” The power our mind holds is vast, yet God is even bigger than that!

Thanks to: keithmcadamscoachingtips.blogspot.com

Moment of Truth: We all long for comfort and security. This must come from the Lord and Him alone. But we all need to provide that love and prayer for one another. Be vulnerable! Be compassionate! Be wise! And be loving! I heard it once said, “we are only in the storm for as long as it takes to learn what God has in store.” Take advantage of where you are currently and choose to learn, don’t allow self pity to consume you!

Chicken Casserole

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 16 May, 2014 No comment

Chicken Casserole in less than 30 minutes. From mixing to baking you can serve your family incredibly quick and with delicious flavor the WHOLE family will love!

I made this in one of my rushed evenings lately and was thoroughly happy with the outcome. My whole family loved it and we all enjoyed the leftovers as well!

Ingredients:

2 cans of Pillsbury Biscuits
2 cans Chicken (or 2 chicken breasts)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayo
2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 cup milk
1 can diced olives
1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 and split biscuits in half as shown below.

In a greased 9×13 baking pan, lay the biscuits close together, covering the entire bottom of dish. (reserve left overs)

Meanwhile, mix together all remaining ingredients and lay on top of the biscuits.

Top casserole with the reserve biscuits and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until biscuits are fully cooked.

Since this recipe is comfort food, I choose to steam some vegetables and get some yummy nutrients that way. :) It is actually an incredible recipe, my husband and I ate as usual, almost half the pan. Cooper, being the picky eater that he is, also loved this recipe. He usually hates his food mixed together and prefers plain food without cream sauce but tonight, he was loving this recipe and made his mama proud!

Don’t judge by the look of it, it has amazing flavor and is a really easy recipe to conquer!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 14 May, 2014 No comment

I found this recipe as it’s nearing that time of the month where sweets are anywhere and everywhere in my house. Right now, I currently have peanut butter twix bars, mountain bars, and now these cheesecake bars. I recently just finished the homemade twix bars that I made as well as a chocolate cake. There’s no need to explain why I am craving it all as you as a woman can relate 100%.

It actually is really annoying how much sweets come to my radar and it varies every month. Some months I really could care less and others (like currently) I live my diet by sweets. Okay not literally, but pretty close! :)

Ingredients:

Curst

1 cup flour + 2 tbsp
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup coconut oil (softened)

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Cookie Dough

1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup unbleached flour
¾-1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix together the crust and place in a greased 8×8 baking pan. Use a spactula and smooth in the bottom of the dish.

Bake at 325 for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the filling. In a stand mixer combine all ingredients and cream well. Spoon on top of warm crust.

In the same mixer (rinsed) make the cookie dough. Combine brown sugar, sugar, salt, butter and vanilla together. Cream well. Add flour and mix until well incorporated. Add chocolate chips.

Sprinkle on top of cream cheese and drop until all dough is evenly dispersed.

Bake at 325 degrees for roughly 30-40 minutes. (every oven varies in accuracy of heat, if the dough is fully cooked and golden brown you are “golden”)

Whole Wheat Pancake Mix

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 13 May, 2014 No comment

My husband “says” he doesn’t like pancakes, but every time I make them, he loves them. He also will crave them from time to time and ask me to make them. With that in mind, I’m choosing to believe he is not a pancake hater.

Although my son and I love our carbs, I’ve found my husband thoroughly enjoys them as well but chooses to “not” like them because they hurt his tummy. So although he does enjoy them very much, he tries to trick me ahead of time to not make something. :) I found if I make what I want he gladly eats it and does not complain! :)

Anyway, I have a current pancake mix (recipe here) that I have been using but wanted to switch it up a bit. Here is my new found love for whole wheat pancakes.

Ingredients:

6 cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 ½ tbsp baking powder
2 ½ tbsp baking soda
1 ½ tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp salt

In a large bowl mix together ingredients and store in glass container.

When cooking pancakes, add milk (or water) to mixture.

Delicious

Twix Bars

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 12 May, 2014 No comment

Homemade Twix bar? Yup! And they ARE delicious!

I found a recipe and improvised it ALOT to make it what I wanted. This is a quick go to recipe if you have a family who loves caramel such as myself, or even a good cookie base with a thick layer of chocolate on top. I love a good cookie that melts in your mouth and something about the sugar and butter in this cookie keeps you begging for more.

Ingredients:

Crust:

3 cups flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick)

Filling:

½ cup butter
3 tbsp corn syrup (OR pure maple syrup)
¼ cup canned coconut milk
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk

Top Layer:

1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tbsp butter

For the crust, mix together all ingredients until mixture is crumbly.

In an 8×8 greased pan, press crust mixture into pan until evenly distributed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 15-20 minutes or until light/golden brown.

Prebaked

Crust after baked-Golden Brown

Meanwhile, while the crust is baking begin the filling. In a small sauce pan, compile all ingredients and being to boil. Stir constantly.

Use canned Coconut milk for this recipe. It’s thicker and helps add consistency to the filling. If you do not have canned coconut milk, substitute this portion with more sweetened condensed milk. (Equal parts for substituting)

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and stir constantly for 5 minutes. Set the timer, you must stir for a solid five minutes.

Once your five minutes is up and crust is warm out of the oven, pour filling on top. Refrigerate until solid.

Once cooled down, heat chocolate chips and butter together until melted. Pour on top!

Let chocolate harden and than cut and ENJOY!!!!!

I’m a BIG Caramel gal along with a great cookie! This is fabulous and is beyond description!

Be careful not to eat half the pan in your first sitting! :)

Store in the refrigerator to keep firm!

Mother’s Day

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 11 May, 2014 No comment

Happy Mother’s Day to all your wonderful mother’s out there! It is not an easy task but a very rewarding task. You have and will be blessed for your hard work in loving and training your little munchkins even once they are all grown up.

Thank you to my mama, who has been the best mother I could ask for and my best friend! I love the relationship we have and am excited for years to come!

I’m thankful for the knowledge I’ve received in how to be a mama myself and to love unconditionally!

Thank you for being the most amazing Grammy (grandparent) a grandchild could ask for. You spoil, love and care for their tender little souls!

~Thank you!

Happy Mother’s Day and I love you dearly!

Who Does the World Say You Are???

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 8 May, 2014 No comment

Yesterday I was struck with the simple fact that we place our worth and value on how the world perceives us. This thought stuck with me all day and made me contemplate how God views me verses how the world views me. I figured it would be important to actually put it into words and compare and contrast the two.

I think we forget the promises of God a lot quicker than we forget the hurt and betrayal we receive from our loved ones, friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and colleagues.

I’ve had the hurt of words stab my soul at the innermost part. I’ve had to deal with the pain and still have to deal with the pain words cause. The saying “words are sharper than any two edged sword” is beyond accurate and only those who have been inflicted with such pain (all of us) know how deeply our words kill.

In our household we call them ‘death words’ as they literally can kill a family and destroy the hope of true love. We jokingly say, “that was a put down, you owe me five put ups.” Unfortunately, this doesn’t take away the hurt our words cause, but it does stop to remind you how hurtful words can be and how finding positive things to say is not always easy. What a good reminder!

Words bring life or death and how do you want people to receive your words? If we aren’t out to kill one another, than we do we have to be so destructive to “make ourselves feel better?”

Who the World Says You Are:

You are worthless, prideful, and arrogant. You are fat and overweight. You are underweight. You are controlling, manipulative and weak. You will die someday, you are ugly and have too many flaws.

You are a low life, you are a burden to society and you are stupid. You will never accomplish anything in life. You are selfish; extremely narcissistic. You are a liar and a failure. You are mean, hurtful and not a good friend.

You are evil, only care about yourself and insignificant.

Who God Says You Are:

You are being remade, you are new, chosen, Holy, redeemed, blameless and loved! Blessed, faithful, a child of God, justified, no longer a slave to sin. You are not condemned. (Eph 1:7; Gal 4:7; 1 Cor 1:30; 2 Cor 5:21;

You are accepted by Christ; His friend. In Christ you have wisdom, righteousness and sanctification. Your body is a temple and the Holy Spirit dwells within you. God brings about triumphal knowledge in Him. You have Christ’s power and every spiritual blessing provided to you in the heavenly realms. (2 Cor 2:14; 2 Cor 5:17; 1 Cor 6:19; 1 Cor 1:2; Rom 8:1; Rom 15:7)

You are forgiven. God predestined you. You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. He has seated us in the heavenly realms with Christ Jesus. You are Christ’s workmanship, created to do go out and produce good works. You have boldness and 100% access to Christ within you. (Eph 1:3; Eph 1:11; Eph 2:4-6; Eph 2:10; Eph 3:6)

You are made new, full of righteousness and called holy. God’s peace guards your heart and mind. You are a citizen of heaven. God supplies all your needs and has made you complete. (Col 2:10, Col 3: 4, 12; philp 3:20)

God loves you and chose you to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. (1 Thes 1:4)

This is how we need to treat one another. God calls us to “love our neighbor as ourselves!” What a contradictory to lay our lives down for each other but to treat one another just as we LOVE ourselves. We are so self-focused and that God even knew these things back in the very beginning. He clarifies in the Bible how to love our neighbors- as we love ourselves. Because He knew we are self driven and self focused that the only way we want to be loved is how we need to love others. This shows our depravity as humans that we need to take the love we have for ourselves and gift that to one another! So challenging but also kind of sick that we are that self involved.

Moment of Truth: Friends, God has so much in store for us but we must take our eyes off ourselves and others. Keep your eyes on the Lord and he WILL direct your path!

Thought of the Day

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 7 May, 2014 No comment

I read this today and I felt like I got punched in the stomach. What a sad reality that our security is so wrapped up in this world. Our motivation, encouragement, excitement, goals, dreams, family and much more are all dependent on the worlds acceptance of us.

Read this and rethink what really matters!!!

Do not search for security in the world you inhabit. You tend to make mental checklists of things you need to to do in order to gain control of your life. If only you could check everything off your list, you could relax and be at peace. But the more you work to accomplish that goal, the more things crop up on your list. The harder you try, the more frustrated you become.

There is a better way to find security in this life. Instead of scrutinizing your checklist, focus your attention on My Presence with you. This continual contact with Me will keep you in My Peace. Moreover, I will help you sort out what is important and what is not, what needs to be done now and what does not. Fix your eyes not on what is seen (your circumstances), but on what is unseen (My Presence).

Sarah Young- May 6

Moment of Truth: Do not let the world be your motivation, let Christ!