Twelve Days of Thanksgiving — H

H is for Healthy Lifestyle

Everyone has heard of the 12 Days of Christmas.  I thought I would do my version of the 12 days of Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving:  the act of giving thanks; a prayer of gratitude to God.

I am far from what you would call the poster child for “healthy”.  I’ve never been a size 6 (it just seems like everyone wants to be a size 6) — maybe in the sixth grade I was but quite frankly I think that if I was a size 6 I would look sickly.  I don’t consider myself fat, but I’m sure the powers that be in Hollywood or the rest of the world would call me just that.  Personally I like to refer to my curves as voluptuous.  When I dug out my winter wardrobe my voluptuous butt cheeks had a hard time squeezing into my voluminous jeans.  It has been a challenge to make a lifestyle change at our eating habits as well as adding exercise into our daily routine.

I can honestly say putting the extra pounds on was a lot easier and enjoyable than it has been trying to take them off.  God’s word tells us that we reap what we sow in due season.  I was a Big Mac, large fry, diet coke, super-size, please, once a week kind of girl.  I remember hitting the salad bar thinking this was a good healthy choice as I loaded up my plate with cheese and ham and macaroni salad and all those other good treats you find on salad bars that are not actually salad items.  While I was hogging it into me I had no idea that the little butt cheeks were growing into bigger butt cheeks, or I should say I refused to acknowledge that they would.

We know when we have that extra helping of mashed potatoes that we need to do a little extra work to burn the calories.  Look at the average kid today.  They are HUGE!  Yeah, you have some parents that will argue and say it’s a thyroid problem.  Most generally it has everything to do with laziness.  We live in a fast food and super sized kind of nation.  If your kid works on a farm and takes care of the animals a Happy Meal once in awhile isn’t going to make him fat — it might clog up his arteries in the long run, but how many kids are working the farm and taking care of animals?  Most kids have their butts plunked on a couch somewhere with a bag of Doritos playing a video game. 

Thanksgiving is definitely not a healthy holiday for me.  Too many temptations to deal with: egg nog, turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, squash soufflé, candied sweet potatoes, oyster casserole, stuffed mushrooms, bacon wrapped scallops, apple pie, pumpkin roll, pecan pie, oh YUM!  Even one bite of each of those goodies is way over a normal 2000 calorie plan.  It will be a struggle for sure and thank God for it only coming once a year.

Our health is important to all of us.  Some people take their health for granted.  I know I did for a long time and I still struggle with certain unhealthy temptations.  Some people do not have their health… they have diseases that cannot be controlled by man.  But then there are the ones that we do have control over and we should do everything in our power to prevent them (overeating, over drinking, sex out of wedlock, smoking, drugs).  When we take advantage of our health and give in to temptation of the bad choices that can harm our health, we are giving in to sin.  Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in us.  When we over-indulge in anything (eating, drinking, even exercise) we sin against the ONE who created us.

We reap what we sow later than when we sow and more than what we have sown.  Eating at fast food restaurants might not seem like a bad idea right now, but eventually all of that grease (yes, all of it) is going to catch up with your butt cheeks.  Smoking will eventually kill you, drugs not taken under the supervision of a doctor is illegal so not only are you sinning against God, but you are also breaking the law.  Fornication is the perfect opportunity for you to come in contact with AIDS and not only that, even though AIDS is treatable in the end, fornication is a one way ticket to hell. 

I don’t write these things because I think I am better than anyone.  I am making a conscience effort to live a healthier lifestyle.  I write these things because I have experienced them all and I am full aware how difficult it is to make changes.  By the grace of God for now I still have my health and my sanity.  Hopefully I have struck a chord within some of my readers and you too, can make a healthy lifestyle change.

1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods.

© Crackerberries 2011

Twelve Days of Thanksgiving — T

T is for thankful

Everyone has heard of the 12 Days of Christmas.  I thought I would do my version of the 12 days of Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving:  the act of giving thanks; a prayer of gratitude to God.

The holiday season is here.  Everything is so festive decorated with pumpkins and turkeys.  I remember in grade school we used to pencil or crayon around our hand and fingers and then create a turkey out of it.  How fun!  This is the time of year when most people get into the giving mode and they are more generous than usual.  It is also the time of year that the non-profit organizations need help and donations as well. 

I love this time of year. It is perfect for cooking pies and cookies and cakes and filling the kitchen with the scents of cinnamon and cloves.  It is the time when Egg Nog is on the store shelves and candy cane coffee creamer and all of that other festive yummy stuff that is only available during this time of year.  It is the time of year to dig out the wool sweaters, polar fleece, flannel P-jammies and big fluffy warm slippers. 

T is for thankful, time to count our blessings and stop and think about some of the things that we complain about.  I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because I find myself grumbling and then when I stop and think about what I’m peevish about I want to kick myself for being so absolutely self absorbed and ridiculous. 

For example, I will sometimes go to the mailbox and if there is nothing but junk mail I am upset that no one answers my letters in a timely fashion.  I have a wonderful pen-pal that I receive a letter from every week.  Bertha is truly a wonderful friend and God bless her.  I should never take her weekly letter for granted and I am thankful for having her as such a good friend and pen pal.

Another example is when I don’t hear from our kids as often as I think we should, I groan that they should call or visit more often.  They are not into drugs, they do not gamble, they are not in trouble with the law… good kids by worldly standards.  They are grown and they have their own adult lives to lead.  Some people don’t have that luxury of their kids still being around.  I am thankful that we do.

Still yet another example is when we go to the grocery store to do our bi-weekly shopping, I am sickened by the prices that we have to pay.  Everything is so wicked expensive and I find us cutting back in so many areas.  Then I realize that we have the means to go do groceries and when I find areas where we can cut back I realize we were more spending money on pleasure items than we don’t need (egg nog and candy cane coffee creamer).  I am thankful that we are able to buy groceries to prepare nutritious and delicious meals.

I remember growing up I hated, absolutely hated mashed potatoes.  My mother would always tell me to quit complaining and eat them and then she would make some comment about how children in Ethiopia were starving.  I had no problem if she wanted to box up the mashed potatoes on my plate and send them to Ethiopia.  I never realized what she meant until I had to purchase the food with my own earned money.  And then to see that food not be eaten and thrown away, finally made me understand what it meant about starving children in Ethiopia.  I think about the waste that gets thrown away everyday and I want to send potatoes to Ethiopia.

This morning when I took my shower I stood under the hot water a little longer than usual because I didn’t want to get out into the cold air. I was convicted while writing this because there are so many countries that have no water and I wasted gallons by letting it run down the drain so I could prolong the inevitable cold air.

I have a feeling the Twelve Days of Thanksgiving will be difficult and convicting.  Fridays I will save for Sweet Potatoes, but tune in the following eleven weekdays for the Twelve Days of Thanksgiving.

T is for thankful and I am very thankful for the time God has given me here on this earth to make a difference and bring glory to Him.

© Crackerberries 2011

Sweet Potatoes - Roasted Veggie Medley

Roasted Veggie Medley

Week #6 of the sweet potato challenge.  Can you believe Thanksgiving is just under three weeks away...that means there are only two more Fridays to see your favorite sweet potato recipe right here!  EMAIL me and we will surely cook it up, photograph it and eat it. 

3 potatoes, peeled and quartered

3 carrots, peeled and quartered

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp crushed rosemary leaves

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375º

Combine all ingredients in lightly greased glass baking dish and cover with aluminum foil, bake 20 minutes at 375º.  Remove aluminum foil from vegetables, toss gently; increase temperature to 400º and bake an additional 20-25 minutes.  Serve with chicken, roast beef, pork… also the leftovers are great for a hash or pot pie.

© Crackerberries 2011

Tip the Scale

Tip the Scale

Two weeks ago when I started this journey I told myself I was not going to blog about it.  But the lesson I learned today about what I could have done and what I did seemed like a good story to share.  I set myself a small goal and I was confident that I would make it today but when I stepped on the scale I was disappointed by the reading.  Let down by the what I saw, I tried leaning a little on the scale and to my happy surprise it registered the goal I had planned to give myself a reward at. 

It has been difficult.  I am not on a diet, not using a diet plan and not changing any of the food that I eat.  What I am changing is my portion size and counting calories.  Do you know how small a single portion is?  This is such a foreign concept to me because we live in a world of “SUPER SIZE” … the bigger the better!

My reward is a small 12 oz can of Diet Pepsi.  Every time I open the refrigerator door it is there on the second shelf staring at me saying “You can do it!”  The first week was really difficult because in so many weight-loss plans a person can lose up to seven pounds in the first week.  I thought it would be effortless with walking three miles every day and eating a normal single portion size.  Not so.  The weight loss is slow.  But then I am reminded that “all good things come to those who wait.”

I considered writing down the reading that would get me my Diet Pepsi reward, you know, tip the scale a little… but it wouldn’t be honest.  Not that I am in a plan where I have to do a weigh in and be accountable to anyone.  I am doing this for myself.  I thought about that and how many times I have tipped the scale in the past.  Not being completely honest:  showing up late to work but writing down that I was there on time, writing out bills and not signing my name to the check (I don’t think that works anymore), mailing the bills out without stamps, using stamps that have already been used once but without the cancelled mark; my list is endless. 

God wants us to be honest.  He doesn’t want us to tip the scale and He knows even when we do it and then try to justify it to ourselves.  I contemplated the reward.  I could have the Diet Pepsi and make up for it this week by eating a little less and maybe losing an extra pound.  But what good is a reward that isn’t earned honestly? 

That is how God looks at charitable deeds and everything thing we do.  If a person does something for recognition or some other compensation his heart is not right.  I am not referencing a job where one goes to work and collects a paycheck at the end of the week.  I am suggesting things that we do out of the kindness of our hearts should not be done because we think we deserve an incentive.  God knows our heart and He knows if we are doing it out of compassion or if we are doing it for accolades.

This was a hard lesson for me to learn but I revert to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 is the perfect Scripture that helps me and guides me and makes things right.  Maybe next weeks weigh-in will be rewarding and I will enjoy that Diet Pepsi.  But until then I will trust in the Lord and although it seems slow and hard, I think perhaps this is also a lesson for me in patience.

© Crackerberries 2011

Simple Things

Simple Things

It was a dark and stormy night…and then it became the wee hours of the morning.  Suddenly I was aware how important sleep was to me.  The value of it was never appreciated until it was interrupted. 

2:18 AM Chow Maine thinks she is in combat and starts doing laps around the perimeter of the bed to make sure the hatches are closed. 

2:37 AM Tall Cool ☺ne has had enough after the fourth lap pouncing on his pillow across the headboard to my pillow and then leaping to the floor with a loud plop as if she weighed 40 pounds.  He gets up and she runs out of the bedroom; he closes the door saying something about that’s enough of her.

3:01 AM I can’t take her scratching and clawing at the door any longer — it sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.  I get up with the flash light, open the door and she peaks around the corner of the couch as if to say, “Want to play?”  I walk over to her dish and say, “Come here,” which she thinks she is going to get a treat.  I scoop her up and climb back under the covers.  Chow Maine does a little kneading with her claws and settles in under the covers, purring.  I am just about to go to the land of “La-La” when she is out from under the covers, across the bed over to the desk.  She commences to clawing the paperwork that awaits my attention.

3:32 AM Grrrrrr, she is driving me crazy!  I get up and she immediately runs out of the bedroom.  I toss a sweatshirt on the floor in front of the door hoping to dissuade her from digging at it.  Tall Cool ☺ne snickers and says, “She is just going to yawl”.  I get settled back under the covers and start that deep breathing that comes just before sleep and …

3:55 AM Bow Wow, Wow, Wow; it is Foxtrot.  He has a deep southern drawl type bark that almost makes me think that he is saying, “I really don’t want to put too much effort into this barking thing but I feel like I should bark.”  He has the Sam Elliot of dog barks.

4:09 AM I lay there thinking, he won’t bark that long, he’s not real loud.  He will quiet down in a minute and he does and I’m back in that mode of falling asleep when suddenly his brother, Charlie starts:  Ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff, and ruff!  He has that high pitched beagle in a big dog bark that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.  He has the Pee Wee Herman of dog barks.

4:28 AM I drag myself out of the bed and open the window and yell for the two meatheads to be quiet, not in such a nice tone either.  Charlie, the daring one, tests me and barks a couple more times.  This time I yell just at him.  Again I am back under the covers and I am wondering why bother because the alarm is going to go off very soon.  Sleep seems to come easy and just as I am sauntering off, plunk right in the center of my stomach.  Chow Maine is back… How the heck?

Sleep is one of those things that the value cannot be truly appreciated unless it is interrupted.  As I thought about that through the wee hours of sleeplessness, I am convicted by how many things that I cannot place a value on because I have not been without them.  Food, water, shelter, clothing; all things I take for granted every day;  simple things like being able to take a shower and wash my hair, a washer and dryer so that I can clean my clothes.  It is very simple for me to look at other people and see some of the things that they have and don’t need.  Isn’t that always the way?  It is so easy to pick out the faults of others but to see our own faults, well that is a different story:  Matthew 7:3 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” 

I am going to think really hard about this during the holiday season.  There are so many people that don’t have the simple things that I take for granted every day. Maybe my deprivation from sleep was a wake up call.  What else is there that I can give up?

© Crackerberries 2011

Tartarmingus

Tartarmingus

Ever heard of Tartarmingus?  Me either.  I did a web search to see if I could come up with anything but I could not.  I am going to apply my own definition to it because this morning when I woke up it was in my head.  Right when I woke up I knew what it meant, I knew everything about it.  I knew so much about it, that when I made my sleepy-eyed way out to the coffee pot to pour myself a fresh hot cup of homemade apple pie spiced coffee, I scratched T-A-R-T-A-R-M-I-N-G-U-S across the white board my husband graciously installed in my office for me.  Like so many times before I thought if I wrote it down, when it came time for me to actually sit down and write about it, the memories I had when I first woke up would come back to me.  Not so; not this time.

Tartarmingus means absolutely nothing.  I cannot even begin to remember the thoughts that were on the tip of my mind when I woke up.  Isn’t that the way it goes when we wake up in the morning?  That dream we are having is so vivid and real be it good or bad, but when we wake up it is just below the subconscious, gone, never to return.  Tartarmingus: the thought that is the last thing on ones mind right before waking up.

God’s word sometimes can be like that for me.  I read something or something comes up in a Bible study and it is so fresh and vibrant right then while I am studying it.  But sometimes I loose sight of what I was taught and I experience Tartarmingus. 

For example the other day some Jehovah’s Witnesses came to my door.  Now I have nothing against them.  They are very nice people, misguided, but very nice people.  They were showing me and telling me all about this book they wanted me to read (The Watchtower) and how the Bible is inspired by God.  I knew exactly how I wanted to respond and it was right on the tip of my tongue but for some reason I was hit with Tartarmingus and I drew a blank.  Later that evening as I was reading and pondering over God’s word everything I wanted to share with them came back to me.  Then I realized that my Tartarmingus was God telling me to be quiet.  Sometimes we jump on things too soon and then we loose the opportunity to really show God’s love.

Deuteronomy 12:26-28 Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse; the blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.

Whether we want to believe it or not God uses us in mysterious ways.  I wanted to blast those JW’s with everything I knew that was wrong with their faith and belief.  I had all the Scripture I was going to use (John 1:1-5, 14) and I wanted to make them see how they were wrong.   Although my heart was right and I had good intentions, it would not have been done out of love and God said, “No, that is not the way I want you to do it.”  Maybe there will be another opportunity and maybe there will not… I do not know.  I do know that God is in control of everything.   I pray for Him to work in me and use me to bring glory to Him and if Tartarmingus is necessary so be it.

© Crackerberries 2011

Apple Tarts

Apple Tarts

6-8 apples peeled, cored and sliced

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup brown sugar

¼ tsp mace

½ tsp nutmeg

Combine apples, water and lemon juice in large sauce pan and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, just until apples start to soften.  Stir in sugar and spices and remove from heat.  Let cool while preparing pie crust.

Preheat oven to 375º

Pastry for two crust pie:

2¼ cups flour

½ tsp salt

2/3 cup shortening

¼ cup ice water

In medium bowl stir together flour and salt.  Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter or fork until pieces are pea size.  Sprinkle water over top stirring to moisten.  Divide dough in half and then in quarters; on lightly floured surface roll out each quarter into a 8x6 inch rectangle.  Fill with 2-3 tablespoons of apple filling.  Fold pastry over and crimp the edges with a fork.  Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375º 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

© Crackerberries 2011

Sweet Potato Muffins

Sweet Potato Muffins

It is week #5 of my sweet potato challenge.  Not as sweet and delectable as the sweet potato cheese cake but very healthy for you.  If you have a sweet potato recipe you want to share or any comments, please email me. 

2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

¾ cup milk

¼ cup canola oil

1 egg, beaten

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes

Preheat oven to 400º.  Grease bottoms of 12 muffin cups.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in medium bowl and mix well.  In large measuring cup or another medium bowl, blend together milk, egg, oil and sweet potatoes.  Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.  Spoon into muffin tins, sprinkle with a little sugar if desired and bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown; let cool slightly before removing from tins.

© Crackerberries 2011

Chicken Corn Enchiladas

Chicken Corn Enchiladas

1 cup great northern beans

4 cups water

½ cup maple syrup

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp celery seed

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dry mustard

1 bay leaf

Combine above ingredients in slow cooker on low for 8-9 hours. Remove bay leaf.

1½ cups diced cooked chicken

3 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 onion, chopped (reserve ¼ for topping)

½ red bell pepper, chopped

1 tbsp oil

8 corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 375º.  Sauté onion and pepper in skillet for 3-5 minutes, add chicken and bacon and cook a few minutes longer.  Add to beans and stir to combine.  Spoon onto corn tortillas and carefully roll and place in lightly greased baking dish seam side down.  Bake at 375º for 20 minutes until slightly crispy.

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium high heat; add flour and stir, pour in chicken broth slowly, stirring constantly until thickened, add cheese and stir to combine.  Pour over top of baked enchiladas and sprinkle with chopped jalapeño and onion.  Bake 10-15 minutes longer at 375º.  Cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

2½ tbsp butter

2½ tbsp flour

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 jalapeño pepper, diced

 Crackerberries 2011

Shrimp & Ravioli with Hot Pepper Cheese Sauce

Shrimp Ravioli with

Hot Pepper Cheese Sauce

18 frozen cheese filled raviolis

26 medium shrimp

1¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

¼ cup shredded cheddar

1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

2 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup milk

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

Cook ravioli according to package directions.  Peel and devein shrimp.  Sauté garlic and peppers in hot olive oil for about 2 minutes then add shrimp and sauté another 3-5 minutes until shrimp turns pink and opaque. 

In medium sauce pan melt butter and stir in flour, add milk and heat until thick and bubbly.  Stir in Monterey Jack cheese until melted.  Add shrimp and peppers to cheese sauce stir to blend. 

Place nine raviolis each on oven safe plates; pour sauce over and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Place under broiler for 1-2 minutes just until cheese bubbles.  Serve immediately.

Note:  This is not for those who are watching their weight.  This is an 825 calorie meal.

© Crackerberries 2011

Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits

Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

¾ cup corn meal

1 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

¾ tsp cream of tartar

½ cup butter flavored Crisco

¼ cup half & half

¾ cup milk

½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400º.  Combine flour, baking powder, cornmeal, cream of tartar, sugar and salt in bowl.  Cut in Crisco until crumbly and create well in center of mixture.  Add cheese and pour milk and half & half in all at once.  Stir with fork just to moisten and combine.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and pat into ½ inch thickness.  Using cookie cutter or glass, cut into circles.  Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 400º 15-18 minutes until golden brown.  Serve with homemade chili or great with pea soup.

© Crackerberries 2011

Pork Loin Chops

Red Pepper + Chipotle Stuffed Pork Loin Chops

2 Pork Loin Chops (½-¾ lb)

1 red bell pepper, julienned

¼ cup chipotle in adobo sauce

¼ cup pear butter (or applesauce)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Finely chop the chipotle peppers and combine sauce and peppers in a small bowl with pear butter or applesauce.  Butterfly the chops by slicing horizontally through the meat leaving ½ inch in the center; gently pound the chops to ¼” thickness.  Spread with the sauce and roll up chops.  Secure with toothpicks.  Heat oil in large cast iron skillet; season pork rolls with fresh ground pepper.  Sauté the pork rolls on all sides until golden and browned.  Transfer to lightly greased baking dish and pour remaining sauce over top.  Bake at 350º for 20-30 minutes.  Slice and serve.

© Crackerberries 2011

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

It is week #4 of my sweet potato challenge.  Last week we had cheesecake bars and they were so yummy I thought, why not try sweet potato cheesecake...even more delectable.  If you have a sweet potato recipe you want to share or any comments, please email me. 

1½ cup graham cracker crumbs 

6 Tbsp butter or margarine

2 Tbsp sugar

16 oz cream cheese softened

¾ cup sugar

2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes

¼ tsp salt

1¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp nutmeg

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350º

Graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tbsp sugar and melted margarine and mix well.  Press into 9 inch spring form pan and bake in 350º oven for 8 minutes.

In large bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until well combined.  Add sweet potato and spices and mix well.  Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition.  Mix until smooth.

Pour into prepared crust and bake at 350º for 50-55 minutes until center is set.  Turn oven off and crack oven door, let cool in oven for one hour.  Using butter knife, loosen sides before opening spring. 

© Crackerberries 2011