Every good and perfect gift comes from above. This includes the cold weather, right? Freezing temps, blowing snow, amazingly cold wind chill, frozen nose hairs – it’s all a part of living in a state that has long, cold, windy winters.
It’s so easy to complain when we’re too hot or too cold. As for me, I struggle to be content with cold weather by the time March rolls around. I’ve been cold since September, my wool socks now have holes in them, and I’m so ready for sunshine I tear up a little when I think about the rays beaming down on my (pale) face. I know that if I’m complaining about the weather, I’m grumbling against God, because He’s pretty much the one in control of what falls from the sky and blows across the plains. So I’m trying very hard to keep a good attitude and enjoy the fact that I live in an area that has four beautiful seasons. Spring really is coming. Sometime. Really. I know it’s true.
Well, all that to say that I’m doing everything I can to give my attitude a lift. This week, that’s going to include making Strawberry Shortcake. It is definitely not strawberry season here yet. But I found a decent deal on them at the store this weekend. They look nice, and have more flavor than those we get shipped to Nebraska in January. In a desperate effort to believe that spring really is coming, I bought two big containers. For breakfast tomorrow morning, we are going to have shortcake (made from whole wheat and honey). We’ll heap on the strawberries and whipped cream. We’ll pretend like it’s summertime. And we’ll drink hot tea, because clearly, it isn’t summertime and our toes will still be frozen. Fake it till you make it, right?
I’d also like to pretend it’s summertime by grilling burgers and eating watermelon. Seeing as turning on the grill when it’s below zero is impossible, I’m going to have to stick with eating soup and being patient.
Here’s our menu for this week:
Sunday, March 2
Instant oatmeal packets, fruit
Clean out the fridge
Small group fellowship – I’m making baked potatoes and everyone else is bringing toppings
Monday, March 3
Strawberry shortcake and hot tea
Potato soup, sliced cucumbers and carrot sticks with homemade ranch dip
Sweet and sour meatballs (recipe found in lesson 5 of Let’s Do This! eCourse), rice, tossed salad, roasted broccoli and carrots
Tuesday, March 4
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Grilled cheese sandwiches, homemade tomato soup, blackberries, sweet peppers
Orange chicken, tossed salad, peas
Wednesday, March 5
Snickerdoodle muffins, applesauce
Easy noodle stir fry with broccoli, carrots, and zucchini
One dish meat and potato casserole, tossed salad
Thursday, March 6
Fried eggs on toast, oranges
Pigs in a blanket, fruit salad, cucumbers and carrots
Pizza casserole, tossed salad, green beans
Friday and Saturday – traveling for boys’ basketball tournament. Packing some food/eating out some.
We had summertime foods last week for the same sort of reason except we are in SC and it has not been near as cold as there. We had ribs with baked beans and coleslaw and we had strawberry shortcake twice. I am so ready for warmer weather but even here they are hinting at some sort of frozen precip the end of the week.
I have been having sliced strawberries in my homemade granola and yogurt each morning. They aren’t as flavorful as the ones from my garden, but they are still pretty good!
Laura, I totally understand as I live in Minnesota. I will crank up the heat to host an indoor luau in two weeks to remind us that it will indeed be warm again!
As far as grilling in winter, when we moved to the frozen North 7 years ago, we decided to implement an annual GRILL AND CHILL where my husband and children brave the cold to grill us burgers sometime in January. It is fun; at least watching them from the inside is as I only brave the cold by standing at the door and handing things out!
I’ve been buying pineapples and blueberries here in the Northeast. Not exactly in season, but they make it a little easier to keep waiting for spring…
Try getting a bag of frozen peaches, drizzle with honey and cinnamon, maybe put a struesel/crumb topping and bake in a 375 degree oven until peaches are cooked through and topping is golden brown. About an hour. If topping browns too quickly, cover with foil.
Thank you for the reassuring words that spring is on its way. I normally don’t mind winter, even when it’s in the negatives, but this year has been a hard one. Weeks on end of anywhere from -15 to -40 degrees wears a person down! However, whenever I start feeling sorry for myself and start grumbling, I think about how our faithful milk cow keeps giving milk in this kind of cold. I have to say that I probably would have gone on strike! I do thank the Lord for the snow as it brings moisture, and as I tell our boys, the extreme cold cuts down on mosquitos!! :)