The Mothership

I love new information. I love it even more when it is presented to me in a way that I can clearly understand. Listening to audio books and podcasts are some ways I have found to have knowledge sewn in. My day to day responsibilities can be all consuming but when I listen to these I feel equipped and empowered and productive as I fold laundry/drive. Even with my comprehension dyslexia, my body craves information. Listening gives me an avenue of just enjoying the information and ingesting it without the seriousness of having to take notes as I usually do in a tangible book - fiction or non.  But I stumbled across a podcast by Dr. Aliza named "Raising Good Humans". The content was scientifically explaining how we can grow compassion in yourself and your family (episode 74). She does not speak specifically to the connection of "God creating us this way," but it made think about how HE has made us. God has so intricately designed us, even our stress responses and in our

This dish was inspired from the blog: 40aprons.  This is fairly quick, not a lot of chopping and loads of flavor. The variety of natural occurring color gives notion of the many nutrients in this dish. I enjoy fresh, natural, organic food. And it’s even better if I can cut a corner or two without everything being made from scratch. If you want to make things easier on yourself, purchase some premade items (the bbq chicken, slaw, pickles). I LOVE tangy foods and my local grocer used to have a beet kraut that I loved. But they no offer that item so I came up with an easy slaw recipe. I added ingredients and recipe for slaw below.  Ingredients: 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubes Avocado oil (or your preferred cooking oil) - just enough to coat the cubes of sweet potato maybe a tablespoon or two.  A dash of cinnamon 2tsp chili powder or less if you like less spicy.  Sprinkle of salt.  2-3 chicken breasts 1 cup your choice barbecue sauce 2-3 tablespoons of Italian dressing  Carrot/cabbage s

I hear great things about my  Quiche Recipe  which has Goetta in it - it’s a fan fave, and you can’t go wrong. But I wanted to try and make one that was vegetarian that still tasted meaty.  So here we have my mushroom and spinach quiche. It’s super easy and tasty. Enjoy! Ingredients: 1 pie crust - uncooked 1 (8oz) container of crimmini mushrooms, chopped.  Cooking oil 3garlic cloves, minced Salt 1 (5oz) container of fresh baby spinach, chopped 6 eggs 1/2 cup half and half 1 Tblspn of Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp dried thyme Salt 4 oz jalapeño jack cheese - shredded 1 oz. feta cheese crumbles  1oz shredded Parmesan  Recipe: Heat oven to 375. Place pie crust into pie pan and set aside.  In a skillet on medium low heat cooking oil in pan. Add the mushrooms. Sauté for about 8 minutes stirring every once in a while.  Add more cooking oil if the pan is dry. Add the garlic and sauté for just a minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir.  Add spinach and sauté for about 1-2 minutes. Add more salt and

These were such a crowd pleaser with my family.  They are definitely best warmed up. If you need extra icing the recipe is below or buy an extra can of vanilla icing. These are a little fancier than your normal cinnamon rolls but less work than bougie cinnamon rolls. Just like me they are somewhere inbetween simple and bougie. Two of my kids were not a fan of the “soft apples” so you could just omit them and the milk then as well.  Ingredients: 1 stick of butter 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 large apples, peeled, cored, chopped into bite size 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 3 eggs 1/4 cup milk 2 Tbsp. honey 1 tsp vanilla 2 tubes of 8 count cinnamon rolls with icing ***optional - 1 can of vanilla icing   Recipe: Set oven to 350 Melt 1 stick of butter and brown sugar on medium heat until it bubbles. Stir in apple bits. Let cook until the apples are tender. While apples are cooking, in a separate bowl mix/beat the pumpkin, 3 eggs, milk, honey, and vanilla until well mixed. Take cinnamon rolls and cut into

I am a planner. I love making lists and I LOVE a good spreadsheet with colors and attributes. I love order. Until I don’t.  The order helps bring the peace. But does it really? I think it helps me compartmentalize my day and my skills of organization are fantastic tools to be utilized. But at some point, even the most organized feel distracted and out of control. While my organizing is a gift from the lord, it can also be a crutch. My need to organize leaves me crooked, in pain and in despair, whilst distracted. My need to organize can sweep out the peace from an otherwise lovely spontaneous moment. It can look overbearing. It can make people feel as if I see them as inferior even though I didn’t come with that intent. My need to be organized can make me not organized. And when I am feeling stuck in the muck I have made, I have a choice:  I can look to where God is leading me or  I can look to where I am leading myself.   More than likely one scenario is more fruitful than

We have been evaluating our family dynamics from morning routines, to evening routines, and seeing where we may have taken a turn from our initial intent. Tim asked me to read the book 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family by Patrick Lencioni. I highly recommend this easy to read tool. We are at the beginning stages of putting it into practice. In one of the activations, you are to strategize about your family values. One of my family values would be for my children to know the Bible and understand God in a real, living, way that can imprint their identity and also help guide them to where God can use them in the world.  But who's got time for that?!?! We are all out here trying to do our best. Our family during many months of the year can run ragged and maybe only all sit down to eat together twice a week. The values and focus we want to impress upon our children can get lost in the daily shuffle of “doings” if we are not careful and intentional with our time. I want to prioritize

A lot of people ask for this recipe so I thought I would add it here... *remember, everything is approximate *you really need to have ripe avocados, slightly firm and slightly smushy *if you don't have enough after you have mixed everything, you can always add sour cream to make it go farther. Ingredients: 4 avocados 1/4 medium red onion, chopped 1 Tablespoon or more of diced jalapenos 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, minced  1 tablespoon lime juice 1 teaspoon or more of salt chips Cut and open the avocados.  Add everything to a bowl, except chips, and mush together with your hands.  EVERYTHING should be added to your liking.

I looooove me some lemon. Nothing really screams spring to me than lemons and blueberries together in a gooey cake. So here is a simple recipe using a cake box! I am a fan of cake boxes. I love going all the way scratch when I can - but if I am limited on time and want a little flair then sometimes I use a box instead. If you want to do it from scratch - the recipe for my yellow cake is listed below the main recipe. Enjoy! Ingredients: 1 yellow cake mix 1 vanilla instant pudding mix (3.4oz) 4 eggs 1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice Zest from one lemon plus more for garnish (I would buy two lemons and use 1.5)  1/4 cup of warm water 1/3 cup of cooking oil 1tsp vanilla 1&1/4 cup sour cream (or Greek style yogurt) 1 cup of white chocolate chips 1 cup of blueberries For icing/garnish 1 container of cream cheese icing 1/2 a lemon zested A few more white chocolate chips for sprinkling on top.  Recipe: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan Mix all ingredients toge

After an emotional week - both ups and downs comfort food on a crisp spring day sounded like it was needed. I used a plant based “cream cheese” this time because of my daughter’s dietary needs. But I have made this with regular cream cheese and it is also great. You can make your pie crust or buy Pillsbury - I will die on the hill that there is no ready made crust that is any better. We prefer chunkier veggies and more of them so there is less “cream” in the pot pie. This only took 20 minutes to prepare - including the chopping. It was on the dinner table within the hour. We served this with biscuits. My next challenge is to create this in a vegetarian version.  INGREDIENTS: Sauté oil (olive oil, avocado oil, or veggie broth).  3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks or bite size.  Salt Pepper Garlic powder Onion powder 4 celery stalks, chopped into bite size 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced bite size 1 brick of cream cheese 2 heaping tablespoons of flour 1/2 cup of vegetable broth or chi

I walk in to the kitchen and find myself in the middle of a conversation between Tim and Carolyn. Even though the boys are loud, and honestly myself too, Tim and Carolyn seem to be having a very intimate conversation before school. As I'm running through all the tasks at hand that need to be accomplished before they each walk out the door, Tim finds the space between the minutes to make them count. The boys are jabbering on and on about bodily functions and nonsense words whilst tying shoes. Meanwhile Tim and Carolyn could be in their own booth at a cute diner fully engrossed in their discussion. I'm fortunate enough that this is not the first time this scene has played. He loves talking with her...with all the kids. His time is limited and his words are few. But something the kids and I have no doubt about is that most words he speaks are weighed. Tim doesn't say much without first thinking it over. Here is what I hear between the chaos: T: Do you know how much I love your

Helping people is kinda my jam. I love helping people. Probably to the level of helicopterish. I am sure some have felt as if I have interfered with their space and taken over. Maybe even offended at the thought that they needed help. But, I can say it comes from the best part of me and I am a work in progress. If you are my friend or in my vicinity...you will be helped...whether you like it or not. JK - I have better boundaries now at my ripe old age of 38. But sometimes I CANNOT help myself at helping others and if you love me you'll take this trait and utilize it. If you aren't my friend, yet, then so sorry, steer clear. All joking aside, I really do love helping others with the best of intentions and from the bottom of my heart, without trying to be weird about it. God has knit this trait so deeply in my being that he made the Acts of Service Love Language my least favorite of all the five. Just like any trait if it is stewarded well with boundaries it can be a release of c

Tim’s family is gracious enough to be guinea pigs on some of my recipes. I wanted to make a vegetarian option of Skyline. The Bengals are going to the Super Bowl so, there has been a shortage of packets of the seasonings for making your own. So I thought I’d give it a try. This recipe was inspired from The Chunky Chef. ***this had a kick, so depending on how much heat you like and how fantastic your chili powder is, I would do more or less of the chili powder.  *** if you use this with ground beef, sauté the beef before adding it to the sauce.  4 cups of water 1 oz. Unsweetened baking chocolate 1 (6oz.) can of tomato paste 2 Tbsp of chili powder 2 tsp cinnamon  2 tsp garlic powder  1 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp allspice  1/4 tsp ground cloves  1/8tsp black pepper 1 tsp salt  1tsp sugar 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar  2 (12oz) packages of meatless crumbles ** we served this over potatoes but you can also serve over spaghetti  Recipe: In a pot, add the water and turn heat to medium high.  After the wa

I have been heavy on the vegetarian or healthier sides of my recipes. However, this cold weather makes me think of my mom’s pressure cooker pot roast and my mouth waters. We don’t do a lot of red meat in the house but when we do, we like it to fall apart and be super tender. I used to make mine in the crockpot and I just don’t like it that way - it seems to dry out. So I tried a few different recipes. And this is what I combined. DON’T be intimidated by the 3 hour cook time. It takes very little preparation and you can do many other things while it does it’s beautiful thing in the pot!  Ingredients : Cooking oil Carrots (2 cups) chopped into chunks 1/2 red Onion, chopped into bite size 3 celery stalks, rough chopped  Salt Pepper Garlic cloves (2-3) minced 3-5 lb chuck roast Red wine (1 cup) Beef broth (enough to cover chuck halfway) about 2- 15oz. Cans 1 can of diced tomatoes Oregano Rosemary Thyme Directions :  Pour some oil into a pot and heat over medium hig

  I love any meal that is ONE pot and everyone loves to eat. While this is not vegetarian, I have made with veggie crumbles and it was very tasty too.  RECIPE: 1.5 lbs of ground beef (or 1.5 bags of meatless crumbles) Saute oil 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 white onion, chopped 3-4 large carrots, peeled & sliced ***Optional*** 1/2 container of crimini mushrooms, diced 1 (10.5oz) can of diced tomatoes in chilies  1 container of cherry tomatoes, sliced in crosections ( to save time you could add two cans of diced tomatoes instead of chopping fresh tomatoes) 30 oz. Of tomato sauce 3 cups of beef or vegetable broth (or water) 2Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 packet of dry Italian dressing mix 16oz. Macaroni pasta (I used Banza chickpea pasta noodles) ***Optional Toopings*** Cheddar cheese, chopped parsley, chopped, basil, oyster crackers, sour cream Turn instapot to saute mode. Add a bit of cooking oil to pot. Place ground beef In and sauté till no longer pink, mixing and stirring periodicall