Living In Walnut Grove

The magical land of Walnut Grove was so appealing as a child. I really could picture myself and Laura being good friends. We had a common foe - Nelly Olson. Laura dealt with her at school and so did I. She in person and I was teased on the playground by having my name shorted to Nelly (unfortunate nickname that took me until 4th grade to eradicate) and then linked to the snobby TV/novel personality.

Well, the land that sounded so magical, must have been a nightmare to pick up all those walnut trees. While we only have 5 or 6 mature walnut trees in our yard (more in the woods), the harvest of the green covered nuts has been intense this year. With little rainfall this summer, the trees have put their efforts into producing seeds to ensure their existence/propagation.

This bounty in a large yard cart, comes from just about a 5 days since our last clean up on just one tree. Yup, we got plenty of walnuts. Hundreds of them.

We are lucky to have a 6-year-old who is thoroughly fascinated by the nuts and enjoys picking them up. Out 8-year-old, however, is not. He gets a quota to pick up before he is done. The ironic part of this is I'm allergic to the things so we don't put them to use, just dump them in the woods. Such a shame. I have fond memories of cracking walnuts from my Great Aunt Vi's house as a child. I have saved a few for decorating in vases, but they are starting to rot and need to join their friends in the woods as well.

The wind has stopped for now so hopefully we'll have a few days of respite until we are out collecting again. That's a good thing. We've had several of us down with golds and my little man has his first fever of the season.

I think we are all a bit worn down after months of remodeling, moving, starting school, unpacking, sorting, having a garage sale, and trying to keep up with life. I'm not sure which is more tiring, the physical work or the emotional toll of change and instability.

We've all had to work our way through it, some of us better than others. The joy of returning "home" has been mixed with a homesickness for our friends in ND. But finally being in our own home, we are praying that the stability and normalcy that comes with it will help us put down roots and find our place and calling in this place.

We have been blessed. Now is the time to rest and remember all the ways that we have.... but more about that later.

Summer Living

What I'm loving about living in Michigan again...

* Having a bag packed and ready for the beach at all times
* Trees and rolling hills (that my 5-year-old thinks are mountains)
* Watching my children playing with their cousins
* Lower grocery prices
* Fresh fruit and veggies available along the roadside
* The feeling of sand in between my toes
* Watching my boys fishing off the dock with hotdogs
* Sunsets glistening off the water
* Running into people in the store that I knew from way back when
* Puttering around in my mother-in-laws flower gardens (until we get into our house next month)
* No plains for the wind to come sweeping down...

What I have not missed about Michigan...
* Rude drivers
* Summer road construction & pot-holes
* Earwigs & Mosquitos
* Humidity
* Long drive times

It's a good thing that the first list far outweighs the second.  While it is great to be "home" again, I sure do miss the amazing people of North Dakota that we met. It has been much more of a difficult transition than I imagined, but God has been good to us each and every step of the way. We've made amazing memories this summer already, and there is a lot more left to come.

The challenge is to soak in these moments, to be grateful for each blessing as it flies by, to capture each moment and experience the gift that it is.

Settling In... Sort Of

What a roller coaster the last couple of months have been. We've gone from playing the waiting game for a new job, to hurry up and get there to start a job. Then my husband moved with all of our "stuff" (well, most of it) while the boys and I stayed in ND to finish up the school year (okay, almost the end). After being apart for 3 weeks, we packed up what we had left and packed up the Blazer (most of it fit) and headed east to start a new life in an old place.

Before we left, the boys and I made a "Bucket List" of what we wanted to do before leaving. We managed to check off everything on the list, plus a few. We missed out on seeing a few people we would have loved to see one more time... but know that we will be back to visit.

The trip in our tightly packed/cramped quarters took about 15 hours over some intense conditions.

• Minnesota was rainy and I got stuck behind state police going 5 under the speed limit. Took me almost an hour to work up the courage to pass him (after watching about 5 other vehicles successfully do so).
• Wisconsin was intensely windy and it was a battle to keep the truck on the road. The conditions however did keep me from getting lulled to sleep through a beautiful but very long part of the trip. We toke a break from sitting to stop and see some friends of mine from college. It was great to see them again. I may or may not have stood the whole hour we were there...
• Illinois was equally windy, but just add traffic. As we got closer to Chicago, all the buildings eventually provided some relief from the wind. 
• By time we hit Indiana it was late and my butt was done... 
• I breathed a sigh of relief crossing over the Michigan border, but not as big of a sigh as when I pulled into the driveway and saw my husband and we were all together again. Home really is wherever we are together.

The next day, my husband had slated us to go look at a house we had our eye on in our online investigations. It had been listed as sold, but had come back on the market. A mere 12 hours after arriving in the state, I found myself putting an offer in on a house. Talk about overwhelming! My husband had been touring houses but was convinced it was the one. Our offer was accepted, and now we are on to inspections. It's a 100+ year old farmhouse. There is room for kids to play and I can plant a garden & fruit trees/bushes. The house will take quite a bit of work, but God blessed me with a handy husband when it comes to those things.

We've the gift/luxury of staying at a family member's house for the summer while they stay at their cottage. We will have time and freedom to make repairs, paint & update much of the house before moving in. What a blessing.

So we are here. Settled in to a place that isn't as familiar as it use to be. We are loving time with family and friends, but missing our far away friends dearly. We keep praying that God will continue to direct our steps as we make a new home in a familiar place. We look forward to reconnecting with friends and family, and forging new relationships. We are blessed with so many amazing people, across so many miles, that we call our friends and family.

Here's to new beginnings, fresh starts, familiar faces, and new places...

Moving Time

Several weeks ago my husband left to return to Michigan. His start date with the new job came too early for the rest of us to leave because of school. So we loaded up almost all of our earthly possessions into a big yellow moving truck and said goodbye for almost a month.

Generous friends have shared their guest bedroom mattresses, pots & pans, lamps, and hospitality with the boys and I to make our stay more comfortable and easy. However, with about 1/20th of my kitchen available, I do have to say that I've missed "cooking." I froze ahead several meals, cooked rice, cooked chicken, and a few other odds and ends that has helped tremendously. I've tried cooking simple meals (tacos, spaghetti, stir fry, etc), but grocery shopping has gotten expensive. Buying ready made foods (and trying to buy quality ones without a lot of junk in them) is FAR more expensive that what I am use to. For the same price of a box of gluten-free frozen waffles (about 2 meals for 1 kid), I can make 4 meals of waffles for the whole family.

We are less than a week away from our departure now. I think the absence has eased our transition from this place and made our heartache of leaving much easier - because our desire to be reunited is so great.

I am so thankful for my family, and the blessing of knowing the value of what we have been blessed with. I'm excited for the adventures that lie ahead.

Thankfully, part of that excitement means being unemployed for the time being, This should help afford more time to experiment with recipes in the kitchen again and to this blog in the days to come.

Update

I'll be updating my blog in a few weeks. I'll need to scroll over to the profile part of the page and update our location from North Dakota to Michigan. Yeah, it's the same spot that I switched from Michigan to North Dakota a little over two years ago.

People keep asking if I am excited to be going "home." The reality is we are thrilled to be near family again. The other reality is I find myself mourning the loss of this place, the place I came to kicking and screaming. This is the place I told God I didn't want to go. Why should we go if we were being effective/helpful/useful right where we were. Oh yeah, we needed a job and they have those in North Dakota.

After God busted through every excuse and road block that I put up, I found myself in my own personal wilderness. I felt like Moses wandering around in the desert (in my case the prairies) without direction, purpose or a place to call home. I combed my Bible looking for some sort of solace, studying the word hope with the intent of finding some again.

The funny thing is I found it... I found hope. I found purpose. I found a home. God blessed us richly in our wilderness with family that we are not related to - a group of like-minded and compassionate people. We've been given occupations and service opportunities that we find a great sense of purpose out of. We've made a home here...

And now I am heartbroken to leave this place. I come to the edge of tears when I think of how long it will be until I see some of these dear people again, or to sing at the top of my lungs with arms open wide at Bethel, or to finish my work/efforts against human trafficking in this community.

It will be a different woman that will make a home in a familiar place. I am not who I was, nor do I wish to be. I am changed. I can't step back into what was, so my thoughts turn to what can be. There is a plan, a purpose, and hope. If I can be found in North Dakota - I can be found anywhere.

So let the adventures begin... again.

In The Waiting

I'm not a free spirit. I enjoy a well laid out plan and order in my life, but not too much. A bit of spontaneity is necessary to ward off routine that becomes confining. As long as I have a destination, I can improvise on the plan to get there. But that doesn't seem to be God's plan for us.

We find ourselves in the landing of waiting. Life change may becoming, but answers don't seem to come. So we don't plan, don't act, and don't seem to live. We exist. We accomplish what needs to be done, and I feel a bit suffocated. I want to breathe easy and live. I long for stability.

I'm at one of those points in life that I don't know what to say or what to do. I hurry up and wait. Long for answers that don't come. Try to beg patience our of a heart that wants to race ahead and plan away.

I know my weakness is a need for control. The reality is that control is an illusion, a mirage in the desert that melts away the closer you get to it. In my quest to gain this control I only find myself tired and frustrated.

Then comes the simple words of hope and refreshment leaping from the words in the devotional book I am reading (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young). My need for answers and my longing heart such beautiful illustrations of God's provision in my life. Answers are coming, but the timing is my hang up. What would it take for me to understand and trust that the God of the universe has a perfect plan for me... faith... and that is a gift, not something I can produce.

My faith is weak and fragile. The faith that He gives is strong and unshakeable. I attempt to plan and earn. He gives and provides. I long for answers and security. He holds his arms open wide to hold me and protect me...even from myself.

For as neglectful as I've been to this blog, I'm not sure if there will even be anyone to read these words, and I'm not really writing for any response. Somehow as I sit here in the quiet the words needed to be spoken, or written to be measured and understood. The rambling thoughts in my heart and mind needed to escape to an outlet to find their freedom and voice. The reality in writing is that it helps me release the racing thoughts that bind me so that I can take hold of what is true rather than the fears that consume me.

The truth is that wherever God leads, God provides. He's proven that every step of the way.

"Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This...

...there'd be days like this my mama said..."
Some days are just kind of like this.

Not every cooking adventures is a good one.

Applesauce Time

One thing I love about North Dakota, lots of people have their own apple trees and are more than willing to share them. Unfortunately most of my favorite varieties of apples do not tolerant the winter temps this far north. So I'm left with a tart apple called a Haralson (or varieties there of). I've processed probably about 2 bushels so far.

So a new apple variety has made my saucing a bit different this year. I haven't added sugar to my applesauce in years. I typically use a combination of gala, golden delicious, jonagolds, or other sweeter apples. Using those, I've had a sweet sauce requiring nothing but a touch of cinnamon, but that's just my taste. My boys and I aren't a fan of tart, so in goes the sugar. A trade off for free apples I guess.

While in Michigan I had the luxury of a wonderful friend Martha who taught me how to make and can applesauce. We always did it together and I used her equipment. Boy did I miss that when I moved to the northern plains. I've been using my apple-peeler-corer-slicer to prep my apples, then cook them down and mash them with a potato masher. It has worked effectively, but it's quite a bit of work. I do however love the chunkier texture of the applesauce.

So I gave in and got one of these beauties part way through this canning season.

Photo Credit

My Norpro Sauce Master a new friend. I'm inspired to try all sorts of new things with it... Tomato sauce is coming next, followed by mashed potatoes, pureed pumpkin, and all sort of veggie purees for enhancing recipes (like my loaded tomato sauce). The only issue is running out of freezer space and canning jars. It's a great problem to have.

I've gotten quite a few questions about canning lately.  I wish I was an expert on this. What I know is hot food, hot jars, hot lids, and a hot water bath. Keep everything hot to avoid bacteria. I use this website for most of my canning questions. I'm hoping to learn more about using a pressure cooker for canning so that I can put up my own meat sauces (marinara, alfredo, etc) and soups. Most of that is going to have to wait for winter for time to experiment.

For now I have all the goods from our CSA share to enjoy. The corn was amazing. I have 120+ ear of corn cooked and cut off the cob, 10 gallons of green beans, and 5 gallons of broccoli waiting in the freezer. The apples are sauced. Now to get a few more to make apple pie filling to can and some great desserts just to enjoy. Then bring on tomatoes, potatoes, and pumpkin.

We are going to eat well and healthy this winter!

Catching Up

It's been a while since I've posted here, mostly because there has been nothing new to share. I've joined the sports mom world and work full-time. That means we eat a lot of very quick foods on the fly. I get why so many people down massive amounts of fast food in their trek around town due to the time crunch.

I too have fallen pray to quick meals out a few times, but we've mostly managed to avoid that. However I've had my fill of sandwiches, spaghetti, leftovers, etc. The good news is football wraps up this week and that only leaves one evening every week on the fly.

To be honest, I've kind of lost my love of cooking for a while. I've been tired, busy, and had no imagination left for cooking. I find this happens to me about 2-3 times a year and it lasts a few weeks to a month each time. Then somehow inspiration returns. I think somehow it comes with the change of seasons. This time it came in the form of surgery. I've had my sinuses rearranged (deviated septum fixed and turbinate reduction) leaving me with a week of recovery to read food magazines, watch the food network, and think of how good food will taste once I can smell again!

Fall is here and so is inspiration. Fall really encompasses many of my favorite flavors. So I'm glad to get my kitchen mojo back. So here is to a whole bunch of great new soups, chowders, slow cooker meals, and apple concoctions coming soon. Glad to be back.

What Real Food Tastes Like

People said it would happen. I didn't believe them. They were right... About what you ask? That someday I would be able to taste the difference between "real"/whole foods and processed/artificial foods.

I thought that food was food. It either tastes good or it doesn't. I didn't get what it was to taste the "artificial." It's been almost a year since we significantly reduced our use of processed foods in exchange for whole/unprocessed foods. We did it out of necessity for my son's health/allergies but we have all benefited from the transition.

Today (and a few other times lately), in a hurry, I made a fast food choice to get by on for lunch. It tasted off, flavorless, with a residual flavor on the tongue afterwards. I missed the satisfied feeling when I was done. The difference is hard to explain, but "something" is missing and "something else" is in it's place that isn't quite right.

In that same way, I want to help kids learn early on about what real food tastes like. Join me over at Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution to speak up for students.

"The USDA is taking comments from the public on the new, healthier school meal guideline, and Jamie is speaking out in support of them. Will you join us and submit a comment to help get healthier school food standards put in place across the nation?" -- add your voice here

I'm Alive...

...but barely. It's been a VERY long week. I've been finishing up a freelance project the last could of weeks and almost every spare moment has gone to that, work, and keeping kiddos fed and in bed. I'm happy with how the project is turning out, but I feel like I've just missed a couple weeks of life.

We had our first snow day of the year today. Unfortunately, that no longer means sleeping in. That means arranging childcare. I was blessed by a friend that had my boys come for an extended play date this morning until our babysitter could get here. I switched childcare at lunch time and tried to come up with something quick to eat. We were out of most everything quick.

So what's a girl to do? Improvise. My boys love pizza. Not uncommon. I had some of my loaded tomato sauce left over from dinner earlier in the week and some cheese. So I took the rolling pin to bread and flattened it for pizza crust and wa-la... you have pizza. I took some bread and cut it into strips, sprayed them with cooking spray, sprinkled them with garlic salt, and popped them into 425 oven for 6 or 7 minutes and we had breadsticks.

Weekend Batch Cooking

My new role as full-time working mom has really gone very well so far. I have an amazing husband, adaptable kids, and a great babysitter that are really all making this adventure work. The main kink in our life has been eating. I've been working on planning and utilizing the crock pot, but there is only so far that will take you. Allergen-free cooking and crockpots are a bit of a tough match (on a budget). I need to do some more experimenting in that area.

Until I get some experiments going, I'm relying on weekend batch cooking. I've been devoting part of each weekend to cook a whole bunch of a couple of things to freeze for the weeks to come. Hopefully the results of that in a few weeks will be a better stocked freezer.

Last weekend I made a couple of soups. This weekend waffles, chicken stock, and spaghetti sauce were on the to do list. The best part of the last two items is once you get them going you can forget about them for an couple of hours.

Next weekend I think I'll get some meat pre-cooked/shredded/browned, freeze pancakes, and try freezing pre-cooked rice.

The Unused Celery

There are just certain habits you pick up from tradition, from the modeling of whoever taught you how to cook. You do those things simply because that's the way things "aught" to be.  I have them and so you do. However, it's difficult to pinpoint them because they come so naturally.

I worked at a greenhouse a couple of summers ago and LOVED the herb selection there. As the season moved on the selection diminished and most the usual suspects were sold out (oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, etc). One that there was plenty left of was Celery Leaf. I watered them but didn't pay much attention.

One day a customer questioned me about the taste and use of the herb. I claimed ignorance, but offer to taste the herb and give my opinion. To my surprise, it had a pleasant taste, that of celery. Imagine that.  I would come to realize later that it was the same taste as that leafy top of the celery that I had been chopping off and throwing in the compost.

I started to imagine what I would use it for. Soups was as far as I made it. I had heard of people using the leaves of celery in that. Life moved on and I really had not thought much of celery leaf until this weekend when I was trimming up celery and preparing to dump those greens down the disposal (man I miss my compost pile). It seemed like such a waste.

Upon remembering my adventure at the greenhouse I decided to take a walk on the wild side and use those greens. I chopped them up and added them along with the lettuce of my salad and I LOVED IT. It's a mild taste (using from the celery heart) but added a light taste. Much of the small diced leaves fell to the bottom of the plate along with actual celery heart, chopped carrots, and pine nuts - all coated in a light layer of Caesar dressing. It tasted wonderful. Next time I might skip the lettuce all together and just go toppings only. I'm kind of crazy with salads that way.

Yes, I know I need to get out more often.

Now I'm on a quest to discover other traditions that have made me miss out on good stuff. Do you have one?

The Big 7

I now have a 7-year-old. I don 't know why, but that sounds so much older to me than 6. If I blink, he might be 10, and then he'll be driving, dating, going to college, moving out, getting married, having kids, etc. Okay, take a big breath, we are still at 7. One day at a time and one year at a time.

I'm so proud of my "R." He's a good kid. He has a tender spirit and a strong sense of justice. He's not afraid to stand up for others or to speak up at inequality. In fact, it's hard to get him to stop talking at all. He is my social butterfly who genuinely believes that everyone he meets is his friend. I love his confidence and perspective.

Yes, he's a great kid, but far from perfect. Please don't read the above and think oh, she's blind to reality. Trust me, reality is vivid enough that I can't miss it. The awkward, goofy stage is sometimes more than I can bear. Every stage has its benefits and draw backs.

R has struggled with allergies for most of his life. The poor kid was born with an odd rash that had the pediatricians all guessing and it's been that way ever since. Yet it is that challenge that spawned my love of cooking and creating in the kitchen. My passion was born out of necessity. So if you have found a recipe that you love here, you really owe it to my son.

We celebrated #7 with a MYTHBUSTERS themed birthday party with some of his friends this weekend (and lots of loved ones over the phone/mail). The big deal was the appearance of a Wii.
We promised the boys back before Christmas that if they could save half of the money, that we would chip in the other half to buy a Wii. R's birthday money put the Wii fund over the top.

They have been begging for a LONG time for video games. We've postponed the gaming world purposely because we didn't want our boys (including the grown up one) to be anymore drawn/addicted to the TV than they already were.

We wanted their childhood to be about imagination and play. However, we've hit the point were our house is no longer where our kids wanted to be because they could go to someone else's house and play video games. We've always wanted our home to be open to kids/friends, so that we could supervise and have the influence in their lives. We figured a game console was just part of that equation.

Now comes the fun task of enforcing limits on usage and the type of games played which is another "discussion/battle" to be had. Lord give us discernment and wisdom to make choices which are best for our boys. Help us raise them to be men of integrity, that love God and love others. May they have hearts that seek to be generous and serve. Help them to work hard and enjoy time to play.

Happy Birthday big guy. We love you and are excited to see God's plan for your life unfolding.

Lack of Menu

As you can probably tell, there is no menu this week. It's been a crazy, hit and miss, on the road kind of week. My in-laws took my boys on a vacation and all of our energies were poured into getting them there. My oldest had a long weekend off of school so it was the perfect chance to spend time with very much missed grandparents.


We drove to the cities Tuesday night to meet family at the airport Wednesday morning. Then we said goodbye as they flew off for some fun in the sun. What an amazing treat for my boys. I'm sure that they will be enjoying all sorts of experiences and making special memories.

I have to admit that I'm a bit jealous as it is snowy and blowing outside right now. It was hard to leave the airport without them, to put them on a plane without me... They are in loving hands, but as a mom I have a hard time letting go.

I was really excited for some time to myself and time with my husband too. Both are rare and precious. And as always, there's a hitch.

My husband spent a bunch of time in the ER today to find out that he has cellulitis, a bacterial infection in the skin. So he's on high power antibiotics and sleeping off the discomfort of it all. Here's hoping the medicine kicks in quickly.

So between all the travels, power outages, and running around, this hasn't been our healthiest week of eating. I can completely feel the difference between this and when we are eating healthy/whole food diet. So tonight I made a batch of fried couscous and boy was it good to eat at home.

So I wish you well. I hope and pray that you are having a good week with friends and family.

Irony of the Kid Label

When I started a new Kids category of recipes last year, I did it for myself. I was tired of staring into the refrigerator or at the menu planner and trying to think of "what can I cook that I don't have to fight my kids to eat?" I wanted a list of go-to recipes that we could rotate in and still try a few new things now and then. A meal without a headache is a beautiful thing.

This didn't use to be an issue for us. I had toddlers who ate almost everything. Somewhere along the line, my oldest son (maybe when he was 5 or so) started to get picky about what he would eat. We instituted the one bite rule that they had to try one bite of everything served to get some exposure without too big of a battle.

Over time he has gotten a bit more vocal about it, and introducing food allergies into the mix only made it more complicated. Over the past year I have served him some pretty disgusting stuff (many he did not have to eat because the only place it deserved to go was in the trash can).  And of course if big brother doesn't like something, that little brother tends to pick up on it. So now I have two more picky eaters (yes, they could be far worse than they are...)

This morning we hit a new low in the food adventure category that made me want to take the kid label off of every recipe. I felt like my son didn't like any of the foods that I gave him. This morning he refused to try a new popcorn chip. Yes a chip (and they are amazing and the bag is now empty). No, I don't normally feed my children chips for breakfast, but this morning I wanted him to sample them before I put them in his lunch. He had an all out fit over my audacity to ask him to try something new (even if it was a chip).

At 7:15, I really wasn't in the mood to discuss the benefits of a varied diet, the multiple taste exposure principle, etc. In fact, I was tired, emotional, and a lot frustrated. I had a bad attitude. I was quiet and snippy after that as we rushed to get to the bus stop on time. As he ran out the door, he popped his head back in and told me he was sorry for whatever it was that he had done to upset me, and darted off to the bus. It's amazing how conviction can come wrapped in such a simple act.

I was left in silence and near tears at his tender little heart. All I wanted to do was chase down the bus and pull him off so I could hug him and apologize, but that would have cause a lot of embarrassment for him and I'd have to apologize for that as well. So I sat there in silence and thanked God for my boy.

As I type this now, some 16 hours later, we've had time to talk through things and I got to apologize to him. I see how limited his food world is and his need to control what parts of it that he can. I understand that he is naturally fearful and hesitant. That's just who he is. I see that I was tired and at the end of my patience, and a 7:15 AM time slot is not the best time to experiment with him and new foods.

All that being said, I decided to keep the KIDS category. However, it comes with this disclaimer.
*All recipes labeled as kid friendly were enjoyed at one time by my children or someone else's child(ren). However, there is no guarantee that the next time I make it that they will enjoy it again, change their mind, or even want to try a bite of it.

Good night and good luck with your kids at the next meal time.

Relaxation

I've had a wonderful weekend so far. I spent last night and most of today with a friend, scrapbooking! I haven't been able to devote any time to that in almost a year. I forgot how much I enjoyed it and how frustrating it can be. Last night I was in my zone and knocking out pages (unfortunately I'm still working on 2006). Today, not so much. Oh well. It was fun, regardless of what I accomplished.

So here's the new menu for the week.

SuperBowl Sunday:
B - Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes
L - Sandwiches, hot dogs
D (Party) - Meat Balls, Salsa, Bacon & Tomato Cups

Monday:
B - Pancakes & Sausage
L - Leftovers
D - BBQ Pork Roast, Rice, Green Beans

Tuesday:
B - Cereal & Cereal Bars
L - Turkey Sandwiches, fruit
D - Potato Starch Chicken Strips, Pasta, Loaded Spaghetti Sauce


Wednesday:
B - Waffles & Sausage
L - Quesadillas
D - Out

Thursday:
B - Waffles
L - Grilled Cheese & Soup, fruit
D - Ham Bits, Rice, Corn, Carrots, Peaches

Friday:
B - Smoothies & Sausage
L - Fried CousCous, Hot dogs, fruit
D - Pizza, Carrot Sticks, Peaches

Saturday:
B - Apple Juice Oatmeal, Sausage, Eggs
L - Grilled Cheese, Soup, fruit
D - Fried Rice, Applesauce

I've Been Published (Pt 2)

Part 2 of my article about Frugal Allergen-Free Shopping is now available over at FM Cheapskate. If you want to catch Part 1 - here's the link for the first 5 tips on frugal allergen-free shopping .

Thanks to Sheila for sharing my article and encouraging me along the way.

One Year In The Making

This week we are celebrating 1 year since we arrived in North Dakota. Our moving truck/car caravan crossed over the state line to our "new home" on Tuesday afternoon, February 2, 2010. We were weary from our long adventure to get here, but had stuff to unpack and kiddos to get acclimated.

In some ways, that day seems so long ago and in other ways it seems like we just arrived. I'm not the same person who made a new home in ND a year ago. The roaring waters of change and challenge have streamed over my rough edges and resistance. I've emerged a bit smoother along the edges. My clouded eyes have begun to seem some of God's reasoning for bringing us to what I thought was wilderness. I now see these great plains as fertile soil for growing as God has for me once my hardened heart let go of what I thought was the best plan for my life.

It has been a year of ups and downs. I've had plenty of tears and laughter, joy and pain. I've learned what it feels like to feel utterly alone and isolated, an outsider. I've made some wonderful friends that are a true gift. I've experienced true friendship from those who still care even though some 1000 miles separate us. I've experienced generosity and what it means to be pursued.

So what do I think of North Dakota now?

• That dang Red River of the North keeps flooding. However, there are hard working people who genuinely care about others - ready to sandbag and save each other's homes. Glad we didn't move into the flood plain. 
• The winters are long and cold. I'm from Michigan. I grew up on cold, long winters... but this is a whole new level. I can't say that I'll be sad to see winter go. However, that 20' snow drift that the plow guys created is going to take a while to melt.
• Summers are warm (and sometimes downright HOT) and sunny. The really clean air here and cloudless skins means our fair skinned family works hard not to be lobsters.
• This is the flattest place I've ever been. My boys think traveling the overpass on the interstate is a big hill. Lord help us. I can't wait to show them what a mountain is.
• We now talk a little funny. I don't say dollar as DAH-LAR anymore, it's DOE-LAR. Things aren't expensive they are "spendy" and you say "ish" for gross stuff. Uffda really is a word, and you use it to say "really?" or "I'm sorry" or "I can't imagine" or if you don't know what to say.
• Life is a little slower here and people seem to have more time for you. It's not a "how are you?" as a greeting to pass on by without waiting for a reply.
• We love our church and small group. That has really made this place livable and enjoyable for us.
• My husband loves and thrives in his job that brought us here. I haven't seen him this content professionally in the 11+ years we've been married.

There are little pieces of the "Why ND?" puzzle starting to come together. Yet we still don't know for how long God has us here. All I know is that for now, we are staying put until he shows us otherwise...

Ham & Cheese Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast has become a struggle in our world. Getting all of us ready and out the door in time to get the bus and to work on time AND eat a decent breakfast is a stretch. I manage to get the kids fed, but I've been surviving on granola bars. BUT NO LONGER.

I spent the night cooking breakfast for all of us for the next week. I have pumpkin pancakes, millet Belgian waffles (more like waffle shreds - but that's an epic failure story for later), chopped up ham bits, along with ham & cheese burritos in the fridge and freezer.

I've posted before about the breakfast burritos I made for my husband, but those were egg based. I am NOT a fan eggs. So I had to find another filling to keep me happy for breakfast. I had a whole bunch of leftovers and odds and ends around to use up so in they go. Think of it as a breakfast skillet in a tortilla. Eat it on your way (safely of course), for a quick snack, or just because.

4 med Potatoes, diced *
1/2 c Bell pepper, diced
1 c Ham, diced
1/3 c Cheese, shredded (omit if dairy free, but you might need to increase oil to 3 T)
2 T Oil (Olive, Sunflower, or Safflower)
1 t Salt
1/4 t Garlic powder
1/4 t Black pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add potatoes and cook over medium-high heat until slightly softened and browned. Add peppers and continue to cook 2-3 minutes. Add spices and ham and continue to saute for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat (if freezing allow to cool completely and then) and add cheese and portion out onto slightly warmed tortillas. Fold tortillas burrito style and wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer bags for later use.

WARNING: if you add hot contents to the tortilla and wrap them up, the steam will cause your burrito to become very soggy in the storage process. Only fill with warm contents if eating immediately.

* You could substitute southern-style frozen hashbrowns (the square cut) for potatoes for a short cut. I prefer the larger potato chunks and organic potatoes are far less expensive than organic frozen hashbrowns.