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Are you Stuck in Neutral?

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 5 May, 2014 No comment

Are you left in Neutral searching for the right path to take? Are you waiting for that Message in a Bottle to come find it’s way to you? Are you waiting for that phone call for the perfect job? Are you waiting?

Christ calls us to wait, but in the midst of waiting we must pursue what we know. We will always have enough information to take steps in moving forward rather than sitting in complacently on the couch.

Don’t wait on the couch, wait while being active. Christ calls us to move ahead and press on.

Thanks to: jamespoulter.co.uk

This week at Church our pastor talked about living in a state of complacency forgetting to push forward. Choosing to overlook the obstacles we face on a daily basis and keeping active should be our primary focus. If we remain complacent and focus on the obstacles we will never get around them and begin a full, healthy life in Christ. We forget how often our past controls our present failing to deal with it and move ahead. Jim (our Pastor) said “God loves working with a moving target.” Meaning, the more we are pushing ahead and trusting the Lord to provide direction, the more we move ahead and begin an extraordinary life.

I thought this was the perfect message for me this morning as I can often focus on the obstacles that lie ahead, rather then the bigger issue: “what am I doing to deepen my walk with Christ?” Sometimes I am a big planner and other times, not so much. I can fly by the seat of my pants pretty well, but sometimes I really need a schedule. When it comes to Cooper, I prefer a schedule. When it comes to traveling, I can fly by the seat of my pants. Any planning will be left to my husband as I am content just being on vacation. When it comes to our relationship with Christ, “flying by the seat of our pants” is often a good thing. God wants us to be active and pursuing His plans for our life rather than sitting on the couch hoping we will receive a letter in the mail telling us where to go.

Moment of Truth: These are my thoughts of the day for us all to soak in. Don’t remain stagnant. Christ has called us to go and make disciples. That means go, move, take action and listen for direction! What else matters in life apart from Christ? Nothing!

Quinoa Burgers

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 5 May, 2014 No comment

I forgot about this recipe and was absolutely ecstatic to make them again. They are fabulous, healthy and great twist to your normal go-to quinoa recipes. They are also not your typical burgers. They are bun-less and have about 8 grams of protein per serving.

My family loves this recipe including the little one, except without toppings. :)

Ingredients:

2 cup quinoa, cooked
¾ cup shredded cheese
½ cup cottage cheese
1 cup grated carrots OR zucchini
4 eggs
4 tbsp flour
2 gr onions, chopped
½ + ¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic salt
EVOO

In a large bowl combine all ingredients.

On a headed griddle to 225 degrees, ladle 1/2 cup mixture about 1/2 inch thick. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

You will notice bubbles begin to form as they do with pancakes, this will alert you that it’s time to flip them.

Flip and cook, another 5 minutes.

Once cooked, place on a serving plate and serve warm.

Top with Spinach, tomatoes, olives, avocado and blue cheese dressing!

I served this with pasta salad! Enjoy!

Timeliness

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 4 May, 2014 No comment

Timeliness is everywhere in life. We try and get to work on time, church, bible study, kids sporting activities, dinner dates, play dates, piano recitals, so on and so forth. Everything revolves around time. I’ve come to realize as I have just passed my second anniversary and am coming up on my sons 2nd birthday that life does not slow down. Do I want to be controlled by time or do I want to control the time I have?

How do we feel accomplished in our day? Do we lay our heads on our pillow at night feeling we didn’t quite get everything done that we had hoped or anticipated we would? What was on your list that you wish you could have accomplished? Was it worthwhile? Was it beneficial to your family and your soul, or was is an activity that we make important in our households that may not necessarily be that important?

These are questions that have filled my mind as of recent since the whirlwind began a month ago. The chaos of my day as of recent has been filled with three tiny souls longing to be loved and taught to love. The important things such as making my bed in the morning has taken a backseat. Washing every dish in the sink and vacuuming the floor has become less than an hourly or daily chore. My cleanliness obsession has begun to take a reality check as chasing three kids around doesn’t accomplish this task. Picking what really matters on a daily basis has become the new normal for me. Realizing it’s almost impossible to get anywhere early but roughly right on time or 5 minutes late; I’ve got this down to a science.

Realizing my life has taken a turn of utter chaos not all good and not all bad, has brought to my attention as I can’t believe this year has already brought us to the 5th month of 2014. I feel like we just got through the holidays and found out my mother-in-law was sick. Here we are in May and my son is almost 2 years old. Wondering where the time went and where it continues to still go baffles me beyond belief. The only thing I can stop and do is be thankful for the day I am in. This hasn’t been an easy concept for me, but the older I get, the longer I am married, and the older my son gets makes me realize time only goes faster, not slower. I want to relish in the day I am currently in and find the blessings in the tough days I wish I could sleep away.

As my son reaches his second birthday and we just passed our second anniversary I can humbly say, I’ve learned a lot in 2 full years. This is no understatement. Those of you who know me, know the struggles our family has faced and have been there to love and care for us through the process. Knowing God is doing a mighty work is extremely encouraging even when the hardship seems to cloud the work God is doing. I heard it once said, “It takes failure to bring success!” This caught my attention and made me realize we would never grow if we didn’t face hard circumstances in life forcing uncomfortability. As much as I want the extraordinary life, it also requires trials to bring perseverance which brings about a deeper relationship with Christ. We can’t get there without learning along the way.

My goal is to bring glory to God and be a blessing to my family. I want the world to know there is a happiness and peace that comes from trials knowing God is holding my hand along the way. The world would like to keep us blind to real happiness and often they succeed. It’s easy to get caught up in the mundane of life and allow petty things to dictate our accomplishments of the day. I know there are many times I lay my head to rest running down my mental checklist of what I got done and need to do the following day. These are not important tasks. After losing my mother-in-law, being reminded that all of her accomplishments in her career were nothing that lasted. They fall away but her soul remains. Nothing in her life that was career driven, self driven or for worldly pleasure went with her when she passed. The moment she took her last breath at 60 years old, none of that was important. Her soul, heart and mind is ALL that mattered.

Moment of Truth: What are you striving for in life? Is it worthwhile? Will it last for eternity or is it temporary? Strive to be more than this world has to offer.

Ham & Cheese Bake

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 4 May, 2014 No comment

I enjoy making a quick “fancy” breakfast to send with my husband to work to make it seem like he’s eating a decadent meal while he drinks his coffee and sits at his desk. :) This quick meal is easy and great to send throughout the week with one preparation. This meal is also great for breakfast for dinner!

Ingredients:

10 eggs
1 cup milk
¼ cup green onions, chopped
¾ cup sliced mushrooms
½ ham, diced
½ cup grated cheese
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cumin

In a mixing bowl combine eggs and milk. Whisk well!

In a greased pie plate, sprinkle mushrooms.

In whisked egg mixture, add onions, ham, cheese and seasonings. Mix well.

Pour on top of mushrooms. And bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until fully set. Jiggle the plate to make sure the middle doesn’t wiggle.

Serve warm!

Wonderful Accomplishment

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 3 May, 2014 No comment

Last night I was trying to get my son dinner, bath and bed. As usual we were playing outside for over two hours to have him rudely awakened to coming inside. My son would live out side and be the jungle boy if I let him. He loves outside no matter how long we are out there, he never wants to come back in. It’s a fight every time.

Tonight, was no different than any other night. He cried coming in and didn’t want to eat dinner. In the midst of this the neighborhood cat was stomping around and popped up to our door (it’s a glass door) and Cooper got so excited. So, trying to distract him and make him happy, I held him and out we went. We followed the cat around but this cat unfortunately was not scared of Cooper and wanted to be petted. Trying to scare him away as I did not want my son touching a stray cat, my great idea went south pretty quickly. Down Cooper went, around the house following the cat trying to pet him. Finally, the cat wanders off realizing not pets were being handed out. Crying once again, we head back inside to attempt dinner!

I’m starting to realize the evenings are everything but easy. My intentions are great, but do not work out in my favor most of the time. My husband gets home in the midst of the chaos unfortunately adding to the scene almost every night. Although his intentions are to come home and play with Cooper, his late arrival can be challenging with a tired, hungry boy refusing food. If you are following me, my patience has evaporated by the end of the day. :)

Tonight, after I got Cooper wrangled inside for the second time, Michael walks in the door at 6:40 (20 minutes before his supposed bedtime) to take him back outside….ugg all my hard work defeated once again. While they were out there, Michael took his dinner trying to sneak bites in and be helpful. Although this didn’t work, he started the negotiation process. Cooper is too young to negotiate and truly understand what that means but to my surprise Michael was able to negotiate one round of staying outside a little longer if he took a bite. Not sure if Coop really knew what he was doing, but this was quite the surprise to me. It was pretty cute to see the boys out there negotiating play time over chicken nuggets.

A few minutes later, we get him bathed and on to dinner one more time. I saw Michael had some chocolate chips that he snuck to Cooper without me seeing. He had one left and Michael tried to get him to do the same thing, take a bite of chicken and get the chocolate chip. That did not work and ended quickly. The desire for more chips were an immediate reaction that I was left to conquer.

I decided to test this theory and see if Cooper really knew what was going on and if he simply had me deceived that he was too young or if he simply has me wrapped around his cute little finger. Pulling out five small chocolate chips, I repeated the same thing. “One bite of chicken, one chocolate chip!” Finally, five minutes goes by and he’s just livid. I decide to put the chocolate chips away to not reinforce bad behavior as we have previously done.

As I put them on the counter things got worse, but only for a minute. I offered him the same thing “one bite of chicken (or strawberry), one chocolate chip.” He reached for the strawberry and proceeded to place it within his tiny mouth. He rapidly chewed it and received a chocolate chip. His cute little smile and poofy cheeks while trying to eat the strawberry and the chip at the same time was pretty adorable. Pointing his finger asking for one more, he grabbed another strawberry and received another chip. The third time, he reached for the last THREE pieces of strawberry and shoved all three in his mouth before beginning to chew. Super cute and smiling so large while juice dripped down his little chin was a laughing moment we both shared together. This moment made my day and to see him not only take to the negotiation process but to finally shove it all in so he could be done quicker was beyond me.

Showing me all the strawberries were gone!

We laughed together and he received the last three chocolate chips for such amazing behavior! OR….shall I say because he is the cutest child on the face of this earth and we are now sharing jokes together as mommy and son. :)

Moment of Truth: Once realizing my negotiation skills worked, it was a reminder that it wasn’t about negotiating but the simple fact he and I worked together and accomplished a task and it all ended in smiles. :)

Pecan Maple Scones

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 3 May, 2014 No comment

I made these as my carbohydrate radar keeps going off asking for more and more carbs. Succumbing to this evil desire I went for Pecan Maple Scones and was happy I followed my heart!

They are good with the maple drizzle, but honestly I love them without the glaze and warmed up!

Ingredients:

Scones: adapted from the Pioneer Woman

3 cups Flour
½ cup Regular Oats, Ground In A Food Processor Or Blender
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Salt
1 Cup Cold Butter, Cut Into Cubes
½ cup pecans, chopped
¾ cup milk (more If Needed)
1 Egg
3 tsp Pure Maple Syrup

Glaze:

5 cups Powdered Sugar
¼ cup Milk
2 tbsp Butter, melted
2 tsp Pure Maple Syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine, flour, oats, honey, baking powder, and salt.

Add butter and mix in standing Kitchen Aid Mixer to work the butter and dry ingredients together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in the chopped pecans.

Whisk together the milk, egg, and syrup.

Pour into flour mixture, stirring gently, until it all comes together. (Mixture should be crumby) If it is overly crumbly and will not come together at all, add a couple of extra tablespoons of milk.

Divide dough in 2 balls and place dough onto a floured surface and use your hands to press into a circle about 3/4 inch thick.

Cut into 8 equal wedges.

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown, puffy and set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

For the glaze. combine all ingredients. Make sure it’s thick but still pourable. Drizzle a very generous amount on each one. (I only glazed half of them to enjoy both ways) Allow the glaze to set completely.

They store well in a large zip lock bag and freeze well without the glaze.

Enjoy!

Moment of the Day

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 2 May, 2014 No comment

Oh my! Do you ever have those moments you can’t believe just happened? You do not want to tell anyone because you are embarrassed but it’s too funny to keep quiet. This is exactly what happened to me while I was standing over the toilet this morning.

We have begun the slow process of trying to gain interest in potty training with my son. He actually has absolutely no interest in his little skunk potty. I bought him this cute little potty as he thoroughly enjoys saying “ewwww” for anything and everything. I told him that skunks say “eww” when you go potty hoping this would spark a fire in him to want to begin the process. Since that hasn’t worked, I began allowing him in the bathroom when I go. (I know, the things we do as parents) We stand over the potty and say “buh-bye” potty when we flush! He loves to do this so much so, that when I tell him I have to go potty, he runs back there waving buh-bye. He also will try and flush the toilet just to watch it go around and around even when we haven’t used it.

Okay, so now that I already shared more then I would prefer with you, this morning we had the same routine. I told him it’s potty time and we run into the bathroom. As we are standing over the potty waving buh-bye, he throws his hands in the toilet swirling around his little hands yelling with extreme excitement “buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye.” I reacted quickly but not quickly enough. This little man splashed potty water all over the floor and had quite the mess to clean up. Being the germ-a-phob that I am, I was hoping scrubbing his hands was enough to truly clean them.

Sweet baby trying to show me his teeth because he refuses to smile for me. :)

My little stinker really became a stinker today. Loving on him through the blessed moments knowing we’ve had a lot of rough moments this past month. :)

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 2 May, 2014 No comment

Today while I had all three kids, I wasn’t sure how to prepare a meal that was worthwhile while the kids scampered around playing. I resorted to the crockpot as that produces tasty meals while doing the majority of the work. I laid all three kids to sleep and began chopping my veggies and placing them into the pot.

As the kids awoke the smell filled the home and brought smiles to many faces.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 green onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
¼ cup buffalo wing sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp Backyard BBQ (optional)
Blue Cheese dressing (for topping)
Grated Cheese (for topping)
Lettuce (for topping)
Olives (for topping)
Tomatoes (for topping)

In the crockpot, place chicken breasts and mushrooms.

Chop onions and celery. Place on top of chicken.

In a small bowl mix together: wing sauce, soy sauce, garlic, cumin, paprika and Backyard BBQ seasoning.

Drizzle on top of chicken and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours.

Once cooked, shred chicken and mix well with veggies and sauce. Scoop into flour tortilla with spinach, tomatoes, olives and blue cheese dressing. Enjoy!

Garlic Infused Pot Roast

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 30 April, 2014 No comment

When we have pot roast in our family, we infuse the roast with garlic and season it well with a nice rub and let it sit over night. Than we continue to keep this precious roast flavorful and slow cook it all day in the crockpot with some parsnips and other vegetables. Topping off the meal with homemade gravy and potatoes to make this a great Sunday dinner.

We had Marlin (Cathy’s husband) over for dinner as we want to try and keep this relationship growing even though my mother-in-law has passed. Not sure how to refer to him as he is technically Michael’s stepdad, but since we’ve only known him for three months it’s not necessarily the term we grab on to! We call him a good friend! :) He’s a very nice man who has our best interests in mind and has a great bond with Cooper. We want to continue this growth and keep the family connections growing.

Although we enjoy spending time with him, Cooper really enjoys spending time with him and has a special bond that is so cute. It was good conversation and good food to be had.

Now for the pot roast… :)

Ingredients:

In the Crockpot:

1 large roast
2 parsnips
6 medium potatoes
2 medium carrots
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
Garlic salt
Beef Better than Boullion

For the Rub:

1 Garlic bulb
Sea salt
Black pepper
Montreal Seasoning
Celery salt
Sugar
Italian seasoning
Onion powder
Dill weed

For the Gravy:

Beef Better than Bouillon
Milk
Flour
Cornstarch (optional)
Drippings from Roast

The night before (if time permitted) cut slits into the roast and stuff garlic cloves all throughout.

For the rub: top roast with rosemary, thyme, and EVOO and place in crockpot.

Meanwhile begin cutting potatoes in cubes.

Sprinkle potatoes on roast and shove down between the sides of the crockpot and roast to help fill space.

Chop carrots in large chunks

Sprinkle throughout the potatoes.

A little trick to cutting onions without crying: Chop in half, slices ends off and then peel. For some reason this always works. I don’t know why, but it does! :)

Quarter the onion and leave chunks large

Sprinkle on top of roast

And lastly, chop parsnips and celery.

Chop celery in large chunks as well. This helps keep them from shrinking too much and getting mushy.

Add to crockpot

Sprinkle with rosemary, thyme, and garlic salt. Prepare the beef bouillon in hot water to lay upon the roast and veggies.

Heat 2 cups hot water with two bouillon cubes. This will help add additional flavor while the veggies cook all day long.

Mix bouillon until there are no longer chunks and cover the veggies with broth.

Allow to cook on low all day for 8 hours.

For the gravy:

Take a ladle and scoop out as much broth as you wish. Sift out the seasonings and place in a saucepan.

In a small bowl add 1/2 cup flour and water, keeping the mixture thick. Whish well until there are no lumps. (Keep mix thick but soft enough to pour.

Pour into saucepan with juice and bring to a boil. Whisk continuously until the gravy begins to form and thicken up. Boil for 1-2 minutes on a low boil.

Turn down heat. At this point if your gravy is too thick add more juice or water to bring your batch to the proper amount. If gravy is too running at this point, mix a 1-2 tbsp. of cornstarch together with a little water creating a paste. Slowly pour into NON boiling gravy and whisk well. (This can be tricky. Adding cornstarch at this point can create lumps. If this happens simply sift out the lumps yet again.

Once you’ve reached the desired amount of gravy and proper thickness, add 1 tbsp. of Beef Better than Bouillon. Mix well. Add about 3/4-1 cup milk and salt and pepper and bring to med-high heat, keeping the boil at bay. Whisk well. Taste test to make sure you have proper flavor! :)

Enjoy! It’s tasty! Great for guests! And…you can relax all day!

Moment of the Day

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 30 April, 2014 No comment

Moment of the Day:

Wishing I could blame the two chunks of Macaroni and Cheese I found entangled in my hair on my son, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible. He was resting his precious little eyes while I was cleaning and eating at the same time attempting to get as much housework done in as little time as possible. I grabbed a piece of my hair to run my fingers through the ends of it out of habit, and found something wet…two pieces of mac n’ cheese had been resting themselves in my hair for approximately an hour after eating. Yuck…this hopefully eludes to the chaos of my life and the exhaustion I have been feeling. Falling asleep consistently around 8:30 at night has been my M.O. lately.