Ok, so this isn't going to be some deep, fabulous, in-depth blog. Honestly, though, I don't think anybody reads this, so I guess it doesn't really matter :) IF YOU DO - leave a comment, please! I'm lonely!
Cornflakes and Cranberry Macaroons:
1 cup cornflakes
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup dried cranberries
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Mix in cornflakes, coconut, and cranberries. Drop mounds of the mixture (2 T) onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake 22-25 minutes at 325 - serves 16.
Calories: 59.5
Total Fat: 1.9 g
Low-Fat White Chicken Chili
4oz chopped green chili's
2 C onion
2 ribs celery
1 large leek- white only
6 cloves of garlic
2 Tbs cumin
2 Tbs oregano
2 Tbs basil
1 Tsp rosemary
1 Tbs olive oil
8 C chicken Broth or water
2 C navy beans
2 C great northern beans
16 oz chicken breast
1/2 C cilantro leaves
juice from 2 fresh limes
juice from 2 fresh lemons
In sauce pan place chili's, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, cumin, oregano, basil, rosemary, olive oil and pepper. Cook over medium heat until tender. Add 8 Cups broth/water, beans, and chicken. Simmer for 40 minutes. Add lime and lemon juices and cilantro and serve immediately - serves 10.
Calories: 330.6
Total Fat: 2.9 g
Mexican Crock-Pot Chicken
2-3 chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can mexican chili beans (Do not drain tomatoes or beans)
1 Package Taco Seasoning
1 can black olives
1 can chopped green chiles
Layer chicken in bottom of crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order written. Do not stir. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Serves 6.
Calories: 220.5
Total Fat: 5.0 g
Low Fat Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt, drained
1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 bag frozen spinach, thawed and drained
Black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine yogurt, mayonnaise and cheese in a small bowl. Add onion and artichoke hearts. Transfer to a small casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot, warm or cold with whole grain pita triangles, cut veggies or baked tortilla chips. Serves 8.
Calories: 51
Total Fat: 1.7
Jeweled Grape Terrine
2 envelope(s) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup(s) cold water
1/2 cup(s) sugar
2 1/2 cup(s) late harvest Riesling or other sweet white wine
2 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
2 cup(s) seedless red grapes, chilled
2 cup(s) seedless green grapes, chilled
In cup, evenly sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand 2 minutes to allow gelatin to absorb liquid and soften slightly.
In 2-quart saucepan, heat sugar and 1 cup Riesling on medium-low, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Stir in softened gelatin mixture, and heat 1 to 2 minutes or until gelatin dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in lemon juice and remaining 1 1/2 cups Riesling.
Pour gelatin mixture into 9" by 5" loaf pan. Refrigerate 1 1/2 hours to let it set slightly. Add grapes, distributing evenly; cover and refrigerate overnight, until firm.
To unmold terrine, place loaf pan up to rim in bowl or sink of warm, not hot, water 4 to 5 seconds. Remove pan from water. Insert small metal spatula around edge of pan to release gelatin. Dry outside of pan. Place serving plate on top of loaf pan, and grasping both together, invert terrine onto plate. With serrated knife, cut into slices to serve. Serves 10 (or eat it all - it'll be 4 grams of fat! And there is Riesling!)
Calories: 76.6
Total Fat: 0.4 g
Kale Chips
1 bunch(es) (10-ounce) kale, rinsed and dried well
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. From kale, remove and discard thick stems, and tear leaves into large pieces. Spread leaves in single layer on 2 large cookie sheets. Spray leaves with nonstick cooking spray to coat lightly; sprinkle with salt. Bake kale 12 to 15 minutes or just until kale chips are crisp but not browned. Cool on cookie sheets on wire racks. Serving is 1 cup.
Calories: 15
Fat: 0
If I pick anymore, I'll never do them. But don't these sound good? I really want to try the Kale chips, because I'm ALWAYS craving salt. Yum. So I'll let you know how these go!!
My husband is a sweet, sweet man. He's not romantic or mushy, but sweet. So imagine my surprise when he told me that he had a surprise for me at our wedding. I was excited, but I also cringed... what could it be? No bride really likes surprises at her wedding! I had visions of gigantic fish-lure earrings or smashed cake in my face, but he, once again, showed his sweet side by picking out the song for our last dance. It was The Luckiest by Ben Folds - a song I had on my iPod that I didn't even know he had ever listened to. The song is about being lucky to have your significant other even though you didn't have a perfect past... Here's the beginning of the song:
I don't get many things right the first time
In fact, I am told that a lot
Now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls
Brought me here
And where was I before the day
That I first saw your lovely face?
Now I see it everyday
And I know
That I am ... the luckiest ...
Once I heard the first few piano chords, I knew what the song was, and I immediately got teary eyed. The truth is, I am the luckiest. Not only because I'm married to the best man in the entire world (I know everybody says this, but really, it's true!) but because I have a loving family, caring friends, and an eternity in Heaven to spend with them all.
Now, I think, what about those people who don't believe in Heaven or that Jesus is the savior? What do they have to look forward to? Well, to be blunt, Hell. It doesn't matter how nice they are or how generous they are to the people in their life, they are going to be judged and sorted like the grain and chaff.
Again, to be blunt - that sucks!
That's partly why I want to be a youth pastor. To bring people to the Lord so that they can spend eternity (eternity = forever. A really long time. Infinity. You get the idea) not only praising God, but spending it with friends, family, and loved ones. With that being my future, it makes the past 25 years I've spent on Earth seem kind of insignificant. The best way to make a difference while on this planet is to bring people to Heaven with me. Then we will get up there and party like it's 1999 ... until forever. (And maybe not to that song. It's really a terrible song!)
But that was really just a totally different direction than I meant to go with this post. I really want to take a minute to remember how lucky I am to have everything and everybody in my life. So here's a look at all the things that make me the luckiest ...
- I'm going to Heaven. (see 1999 song reference above)
- I have a husband who loves me, provides for me, hugs me, and respects me.
- I have parents who love and respect me not only as their child, but as a friend.
- I have a brother and sister in law who are fun to hang out with and accept me for who I am.
- I have a niece who is about the coolest, sweetest, funniest kid in the world.
- I have a nephew who is almost tied for being the coolest, sweetest, funniest kid in the world (he will be tied once he's potty trained!)
- I have a job working with babies that enables me to do my school work, eat my lunch, and occasionally watch Grey's Anatomy while the babies sleep. Awesome.
- I'm getting an Akita. I don't know when, but that's pretty awesome.
- I'm healthy. Not skinny. Not gorgeous. I am healthy, alive, and breathing. God has given me a new day. Again, awesome.
- Cherry Coke Zero. Need I say more??
- Low fat ice cream and popcorn.
So, no, I don't get many things right the first time. I stutter when I'm nervous, or I talk so fast you think I'm crazy (which was Chad's first impression of me). I say stupid things on a pretty regular basis. I procrastinate. I'm not famous, rich, or stunning. But I am the luckiest.
As a final note, I realized I used the word "awesome" a lot in this post. What can I say? This life God has given me is pretty awesome!!!
I used to watch three shows with my grandma when I was a kid - The Price is Right (at 11), the news (at 12) and The Young and the Restless (at 1). Right after Y&R was "As the World Turns..." We never actually watch the show, but we always ended up watching the opening credits with the spinning globes and the title of the show. I remember thinking that it was a stupid name for a show because, DUH!, of course the world turns! I assumed that the show was like Y&R, except that it was about astronauts and scientists, because who else would care that the world was turning?
Now when I look back, the first thing I think is, "why in the world did my grandma let me watch the Young and the Restless?" Probably for the same reason we played poker, blackjack, and drank coffee. The second thing I think is, "wow - wouldn't it be fabulous to be the same girl whose highlight of the day was the Showcase Showdown, who thought the news was boring and irrelevant, knew that the Young and the Restless didn't make any sense, and thought As the World Turns was a show about astronauts? Ah... that was the life.
I'm a grownup now. Lame. Ok, it has its good points - driving is nice (except in the winter and when the tank is on E), I don't have to eat food I hate (mushrooms - yuck!), I can stay up late watching scary movies (though I never do, the option is nice), and I don't have to ask permission to do anything (except from my husband, but it's more like asking for a "blessing" than asking for "permission"). However, there are some not-so-good points, too. Bills, for one. Responsibility. Decision making. Being mature. Did I mention bills? So yeah, sometimes being a grownup sucks.
For example, I'm trying to plan my future. This, of course, requires what career I will have when I'm done with my degree. This might seem like an easy task, but really, it's not. I know I want to be a youth pastor or a children's minister, and maybe even the director of Christian Education if I could find an open position. However, there aren't many of those jobs in Grand Rapids or even within an hour, which means I'll have to move. I say "I" will have to move because Chad would have to stay here until he found a job wherever I was. This could take a couple of weeks of a year, who knows in this economy! I know I am supposed to let go and let God, but goodness, it's hard!!I feel like I'm torn between putting all my faith in God, like I know I should, and wanting to do the human thing - worry, plan, and worry some more. One of my favorite Bible verses is Matthew 6:25-27...
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (NIV)
And Matthew 6:34 ...
"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (NIV)
So I'm really, really, really trying. I'm trying to not to worry, but just ask God to take over. I recently wrote as a Facebook status that I wish God and I were on the same page... somebody wrote back "you are, but you just want to read ahead!" I thought that was a great way to put it. So for now, I'm going to try to go back to the days where the news didn't make sense and As the World Turns was about astronauts. Or, if nothing else, I'm going to try to have the faith of a child and let God be in charge.
One final thought - I know it's a lame song, but I've always loved Garth Brooks' song, "Unanswered Prayers" -
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers...