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Thought of the day

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 2 March, 2014 No comment

I heard it once said: If you are running away from something in your life you will be running even more when you get to your eternity.

Which running are you doing; running with good or running with evil? What running do you want to be doing when you hit eternity? Run to the Lord and you won’t have to worry about your eternity. Don’t allow all the opportunities to pass you by for your own pleasure. Flee from evil. If you’re living in the midst of the muck and the mire it is NOT too late to run for the right things; things that make you happy, peaceful, and ultimately leads you to perfection with Christ one day. Your second chances are running out, Lord willing I pray I see you all in eternity in our pure, perfect heaven with Christ.

Thanks to bridgerun.com

Coffee Creamer

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 2 March, 2014 No comment

I love coffee! I am a HUGE coffee fanatic. Many of you probably already know this about me, but I LOVE coffee!

I do like a lot of the fancy flavor coffee creamers but when I try and read the ingredients it simply isn’t in my vocabulary. When you have a number next to an ingredient than I get kind of scared. Red 50. Yellow 102. Blue 24. You get the picture? It’s not good.

I’ve made my own creamer for quite some time but I must humbly admit when Fall and Christmas approached I get very excited for the holiday creamers; pumpkin spice, eggnog, peppermint mocha, and York peppermint paddy. I had succumb to the yellow color 60 for three months and my body is probably filling itself with cancer as we speak. HA okay probably not but my homemade creamer is by far better than these coffee creamers.

I have made peppermint mocha, brown sugar cream, and French vanilla. These are just a couple of the ones I enjoy. But the basis of the creamer is pretty standard and can be used with any flavor you like.

Ingredients:

Brown Sugar Sweet Cream

1 can sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
4 cups milk

In a saucepan over medium heat, add condensed milk and brown sugar. Heat until sugar is completely dissolved, stirring constantly.

Add vanilla and milk and heat until it begins to steam, do not boil.

Store in a glass container in the fridge!

You can simply use sweetened condensed milk and regular milk as a staple base for any other flavor you desire. Here are a couple more options:

Peppermint Mocha

1 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp peppermint extract

Peppermint Patty

2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp peppermint extract

Raspberry Almond

2 tsp raspberry
2 tsp almond

The Juice Detox Begins…

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 1 March, 2014 No comment

Ten days of juicing has officially begun…my husband has decided to take a detox including only fruits and vegetables. Seeing as he is doing this and I am the cook around here, I kind of began the detox as well since that’s what is being eaten and I am his biggest supporter. I don’t want to be mean and cook tasty treats while he’s around. And naturally having a lot of fruit in the house, that’s what I gravitate to. I wasn’t necessarily desiring to do this detox but I pretty much stick to it besides breaking the detox at lunch for some carbs in a sandwich or with eggs and toast. I feed Cooper his usual meals but we all drink the shakes and come dinner we all eat veggies and fruit in some fashion or another.

Drinking smoothies and eating vegetables as well as cooking them and eating them raw seems to get old. You can only make them taste so different without using seasonings that include sodium. The shakes are the best flavor and tend to fill us up pretty well. Although when you cut everything out of your diet that quickly, you begin cravings pretty instantaneously and not only are you cravings a juicy steak but the unhealthy fatty fast food burgers and fries. Trying to fight those temptations while you are eating sautéed Brussels sprouts and mushrooms is not an easy task.

So today I set out to find something tasty for dinner tonight and succeeded. I decided to make homemade black beans for a bean burrito bowl minus the tortilla. Yay for something more filling and not just a typical bowl of sautéed veggies.

We are currently on day three….it’s progressing but there are seven days remaining. How will my husband handle the next few days? Will he cheat on his detox now that the weekend has come? Stay tuned and see what happens….

Who I used to be…

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 28 February, 2014 No comment

I was remembering today of who I used to be. As a child all growing up I held so tightly to my mistakes. When I would get in trouble with my parents for some reason I could not forgive myself afterwards. I held on to the guilt and shame of my selfish desires not finding release even after my parents forgave me, hugged me and told me they loved me. Something deeply rooted in me simply couldn’t move past my worldly sin. It didn’t matter where or what we were doing, I held my attitude so closely it became my best friend. I hated myself for it, but I couldn’t seem to let go. I would ruin the entire day over something so small because “gosh darn-it I messed up so the day is ruined.” These were my thoughts and my actions as a small child.

Yes, this was me as a child!

I was a very determined child and still am very determined. My mother used to say “determination is a very good thing when used in the right way.” I would get so red in the face because clearly I wasn’t using it properly at the time.

Fortunately, what I know now is that I constantly mess up, say the wrong thing and put my wants above anyone else. Selfishness is rooted deep within all of us. I couldn’t grasp this concept when I was younger.

I’m not quite sure when I learned to let go of my sin, what’s been done is done and to let go and not ruin the rest of the day. Asking for forgiveness is the first step. To be honest I may have dealt with this since I was 26 years old. I’m not sure if getting pregnant or giving my life to Christ was that magical point in time. I do know they probably are correlated.

This previous memory had been forgotten, tucked away in one of the many boxes of life that was to be dealt with, moved on and left behind. Today it really hit me hard how deep our sin takes us and the choices that come from our sin. I’ve learned being married and having a child that I sin throughout the day as that is part of our “makeup.” The joy within this is the great peace and forgiveness Christ has lavished upon us. We are His children and He is ours. He is our Father! He forgives and forgets unlike us.

As I look back pondering these moments from my childhood, I am beyond thankful and blessed that when I lay my head on my pillow at night regretting the little battles I picked with Cooper or the attitude I struck up with my husband, I know I can forgive myself and allow a new day to come. Letting go of my shame and guilt and most of all reminding myself that God forgives me and continue to learn how to accept this great gift. The joy of remembering this distance challenge that at one point controlled my life is now but a memory.

Moment of Truth: Take a piece of your past that you continue to struggle with and allow God to come in and wash it away. Forgive yourself knowing Christ has already forgiven you! Now that’s a blessing within itself.

Egg Casserole Comfort Food

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 27 February, 2014 No comment

This recipe is the ultimate comfort food recipe out there. It makes a very full 9×13 pan leaving you with plenty of leftovers and trust me, you will want the leftovers. I made this the other night for dinner although it is a breakfast treat. My husband was questioning the “casserole” look as I was plopping it into the oven. Once serving this hot dish he came back for seconds leaving him in a food coma as well as a food baby. :)

This is the best breakfast brunch casserole for guests and works fabulously for dinner as well.

Ingredients:

1 lb bag of hash browns, uncooked
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
12 eggs, scrambled
4 tbsp cream cheese
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can green chilies (optional)
1 ½ cups sour cream
1-2 cups cheese, shredded

In a greased 9×13 casserole pan, spread hash browns evenly throughout.

Scramble eggs and cream cheese together to add a creamy texture to the eggs. Mmmm good! :) Layer on top of hash browns.

Meanwhile, cook the meat and onions until done. (Season to your liking)

Once the meat is cooked, spread on top of the hash browns.

In a small bowl combine the cream of mushroom soup and sour cream, mix well. Spread on top of the sausage layer. (If using green chilies, add now)

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle cheese on top and broil for 1-2 minutes.

May serve with fruit or eat alone! :)

This meal is great to serve guests or take to a brunch. This dish can be made in advance or placed in the freezer for a later date. If freezing, compile all ingredients together as listed above and freeze before baking. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw completely before cooking.

Carrot Ink

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 26 February, 2014 No comment

I ran out of printer ink this morning and was very disappointed as I have a few things that need printing. First, my printer is expensive to refill the cartridge and most places can’t refill them for me. I have to buy the cartridges brand new. Due to this, I hate buying ink because it seems to be a waste of money and something I’m constantly doing. Its the stupid task of remembering the ink ran out and I need to refill it. Its one of those lame errands you choose to avoid as long as humanly possible.

So, after much time hunting for the best deal, I found a website that I want to share with you all as they are 30-70% less than any other place. I found my cartridge on sale through their site for $8. This my friends is a steal. My printer holds 4 cartridges yes 4! That adds up within itself. I got free shipping and got my cartridge for $8. Can’t beat it!

Their shipping is fast and efficient.

The other benefit is they are a green service using remanufactured ink cartridges. Their motto “Print Green…With Carrot Ink”

Use the link below and see for yourself.

Carrot-Ink

Thanks to re-inks.com

Great news- I will receive my cartridge within 3 days. Woohoo!!!!

Weekly Look

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 25 February, 2014 No comment

Here’s my look of the week. I tend to gravitate more towards stripes as they are very chic, not too flashy and anyone and everyone tends to comment on them. They grab your attention without saying “too much!”

Grey and silver horizontal stripes

For more information check out my store or go to www.delightfullydoable.jamberrynails.net

Chicken Quesadilla

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 25 February, 2014 No comment

Okay so this is NOT your ordinary quesadilla. It’s down right delicious and we couldn’t stop eating them. They are SO delightful and filled our hungry tummies last night when we got home from “shopping.” I use that word lightly as when shopping with a toddler and a husband who hates malls is never an enjoyable experience. Shopping to me is beyond enjoyable and I could shop most everyday. But lets be honest, I rarely shop these days as Cooper becomes quite the terror running all around, pulling hangers from the rack, and hiding below so I get that panicked feeling that those 2 seconds I blinked, he disappeared. He is quite the runner now-a-days that I can’t even blink while out and about with him.

Last night we were at Nordstrom shopping for some new clothing for my husband and definitely new shoes as his are letting water in and getting his little tootsies soaked to the bone. I couldn’t figure out if this statement was actually true as we waded through puddles to get indoors or if it was an excuse for new kicks. :) (If you live in Portland, you know we are far from a drought!)

We scored fabulous deals and he got lots of goodies for a reasonable price. He hates shopping and decided to get anything and everything at once so he could be done. He didn’t try on anything as for the most part, we are good at guess-timating his size. We returned home around 7:30 and had to feed Coop real quick and get the sick boy off to bed.

I premade the vegetable mix knowing we were going to be out later. This helped the dinner progress a lot faster. I pulled out our griddle and was able to make 5-6 halves at a time in the midst of all the chaos.

We ate quickly as by 8pm our tummies were grumbling beyond belief.

Ingredients:

6 tortillas
1 ½ cup cooked chicken, diced
½ can diced chilies
1 can black beans
1 cup shredded cheese
½ cup chicken broth
1 tbsp flour, cornstarch (for thickening)
1 red pepper, chopped (I use the mini peppers and do a combination of red, yellow and orange)
1 small onion, chopped

Cook chicken until no longer pink. Season as desired. Set aside.

Chop peppers and onions and begin to sauté over medium-low heat. Once tender, add in cooked chicken and chilies.

Add 1 tbsp flour and mix well to coat all the vegetables and chicken.

Add in chicken broth and let simmer until it thickens. Roughly 3 minutes.

Add in black beans and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

On a griddle fill each tortilla with mixture and hold over. Let cook until light brown and crispy. Rotate sides and crisp up both sides.

Serve with salsa, sour cream and avocados.

Enjoy! Probably the best quesadillas I’ve ever made!

Amish white bread

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 24 February, 2014 No comment

My sister gave me this recipe for burger buns.

Amish White Bread:

2 cups warm water (110 degrees) separated
1/3 cup granulated sugar, separated
1 ½ T active dry yeast
1 ½ t salt
¼ cup canola or veggie oil
5-6 cups white flour, separated

Microwave water for about 2 minutes until it reaches 110 degrees. Put yeast into a separate small bowl; add about 1 t of the sugar to the yeast and about 1/4 cup of the warm water. Stir well and let sit for about 10 minutes or until yeast foams up and doubles.

Attach the dough hook to your mixer and add 4 cups of the flour to the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer on speed 1. Add the salt and the remaining sugar and mix together. Add the remaining warm water, the yeast mixture and the oil, mix.

Scrape the sides of the bowl, turn to speed 2 and begin to add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough cleans the sides of the mixer bowl and clings to the hook. It is possible that you may not use all of the flour. Continue kneading on speed 2 for about 2 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic but still slightly sticky.

Spray top of dough and sides of mixing bowl with a light coat of non stick spray, turn the dough over and spray the top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place into a warm, draft free spot for an hour, or until doubled.

Spray two loaf pans (or baking sheets if you want to do buns) and place the loaves into the pans (or shape into flattened circles and lay on baking sheet. I usually get 12-15 buns out of a batch of dough. They won’t rise a lot but they do kind of spread out so they will get bigger as you wait.) Cover loaf pans (or buns), put in a warm spot and allow to rise for 30 minutes or until dough has reached desired size at 350 for 30-40 minutes (20-23 minutes for the buns.)

Recipe for Veggie Burgers click here

Jamberry Paint

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 23 February, 2014 No comment

Calling all women! Jamberry Nails are by far the best product you could possibly use on your nails. They help with ruined nail beds from the nail salon. Weak and brittle nails. Nails that bend and have no strength. If you are a nail biter these are for you. They of course are great for nails that are in great shape although I don’t know many people whose nails haven’t been ruined some how some way!

As you all know I am an independent consultant for Jamberry nails. My team manager Lisa was painting our kitchen cabinets when we first moved into our home and had amazing results from painting with these nail wraps on.

No need to explain further, the pictures are pretty self explanatory. Take a peek and see.

Yes that’s right, they scrubbed completely clean. She was using an oil based paint as well which if any of you know anything about oil based paint, it’s impossible to get off ANYTHING!

Tried and true these nails continue to surprise me in many ways and this is yet another.

Try them out at www.delightfullydoable.jamberrynails.net