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It Takes 47 Seconds To Prepare Broccoli For the Steamer…

June 3, 2014 by Laura 10 Comments

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It’s true. It takes 47 seconds to prepare broccoli for the steamer.

I know this because I timed myself preparing broccoli to be steamed. Why are you looking at me like that? You would do something this geeky too if you heard people say, “making healthy food takes too long to make” as much as I do. I figure, I can keep saying, “does not, huh-uh, does not” or I can actually time myself making healthy food and prove people wrong with a stop watch.

Preparing Broccoli Only Takes 47 Seconds

Yeah, I’m a weirdo.

The good news? Timing myself preparing broccoli didn’t take long because preparing broccoli doesn’t take long. Okay then. Plus my 12 year old thought it was fun to use his stop watch to time me prepping broccoli. He only asked twice, “Wait, why are we doing this?”

I felt this information was worth documenting as sometimes even I don’t feel like I have the time to make healthy food. Sometimes I feel that it would take less effort and time to slap down something less than stellar from the freezer section of the store. Sometimes I don’t want to go to the trouble to put something nourishing on the table. Me. The one who knows the truth that healthy eating doesn’t take extra energy or time. Me, the one who has already proved this truth many times over. Me, the one who loves to cook.

Now that you and I have learned the 47 second truth, neither of us can fall back on “I just don’t have the energy to make anything healthy tonight.” Even if we are compromising by putting something on the table that is less than stellar (hey, I do it sometimes too when I’m in a pinch or when we just want a fun treat). That’s fine. Throw down a take-and-bake pizza or whatever. Just take the additional 47 seconds to steam broccoli or make a salad to go with the meal.

If you really want to save time and energy, prep your broccoli ahead of time, put it in a baggie, then dump it in your steamer at dinner time. Like this:

Get Your Broccoli Ready to Steam Quickly

Once you’ve done that, you can pull it out of the fridge and take the remaining 8 seconds of the 47 seconds total broccoli prep time to pour it into your steamer and turn on the burner. Seriously people. It takes more energy to do all the math on this than it does to actually just go prepare the broccoli.

If you’re wondering the specifics of my 47 second broccoli preparation process, it is as follows:

Get out pot, run water into the pot, place it on the stove.
Set the metal steamer into the pot of water.
Get the broccoli out of the fridge.
Wash the broccoli under running water.
Cut the broccoli off the stem directly into the steamer on the stove.
Put the lid on the pot , turn on the burner, and walk away.

Boom. 47 seconds.

Not that you haven’t already thought of this, but using frozen broccoli is just as good for you and takes even less time. (Skip steps 4 and 5 above. Pour frozen broccoli directly into steamer. You’re welcome.)

I believe we can all agree that preparing broccoli (or other veggies) is incredibly fast and easy and none of us has any excuse to not make them, serve them, and eat them. Now how many of you are going to get out the stop watch tonight as you make your vegetables?

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Gratituesday: Our 2014 Garden

June 2, 2014 by Laura 25 Comments

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gratituesday[2]

It’s that exciting time of year when we start to see little plants popping up in our garden. Want to see how my garden grows? Here, I’ll show you my garden plot(s), then I hope you’ll tell me about your garden if you’re growing one this year too!

We’ve already enjoyed lots of spinach and green leaf lettuce. See the jungle of spinach behind the lettuce? It looks terrible – but we’ve actually let it go on purpose. It will re-seed all by itself this way, then give us another crop in the fall. Then, it will come up again on its own next spring. It’s a pretty nice system. (We do the same with the green leaf lettuce.)

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It doesn’t seem like much to look at yet, but we have several rows of green beans. We see some gaps in there that tell us we’ll need to replant a few.

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This year, we’re trying okra again. It takes a lot of heat and sun for okra to grow well, so it doesn’t always work here in Nebraska. Here’s hoping!

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Here’s a close-up of one okra plant:

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Notice how we have plastic buckets and such around many of our plants? (And by we I mean Matt and the boys. I can take no credit for all this work!) The protection around our plants is an effort to keep the bunnies from getting to them. Those “cute wittle wabbits” are sooooo stinkin’ not cute when they nibble and kill our plants. ;)

Matt uses our raised garden bed area for a variety of sweet peppers. These are his babies. :)

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Here’s a sweet pepper close-up. Surely the rabbits won’t be able to climb up the slippery tin surrounding the plants!

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Our back yard “L” shaped garden plot has all of our tomato plants this year. If we get a good crop, I’ll be able to make a year’s supply of tomato sauce, tomato soup, and some salsa.

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Somewhere in one of those plots, we also have a couple hills of spaghetti squash planted. We never plant cucumbers, summer squash, or zucchini because everyone around here always has plenty to share!

So how about you? Do you have a garden this year? If so, what are you growing? And what else would you like to share about this Gratituesday? What are you thankful for?

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Menu Plan for the Week ~ the Oven-Free Edition

June 1, 2014 by Laura 4 Comments

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The time of year has come that I’m avoiding the oven. In fact, our entire menu this week is ovenless, except for the Dark Chocolate Almond Granola we baked a couple weeks ago and have on hand for a cool breakfast.

One of my very favorite no-oven ideas is to Bake Potatoes in the Crock Pot. There are all kinds of fun toppings for baked potatoes. Since they bake easily in the crock pot, we’ll likely be having different baked potato varieties all summer long.

Here’s what we’ll be eating this week. I love fun summer foods!

Sunday, June 1
Homemade instant oatmeal, raspberries
Baked potatoes in the crock pot (with ham, cheese, and sour cream), peas, strawberries
Small group potluck

Monday, June 2
Green machine milkshakes, scrambled eggs
Chicken salad on lettuce and tomatoes, cantaloupe, sweet peppers
Calico beans in the crock pot, tossed salad, watermelon

Tuesday, June 3
Dark chocolate almond granola, blueberries
Tuna salad on crackers or lettuce and tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers, cool pineapple cream dessert
Grilled burgers, pickles, watermelon, green beans

Wednesday, June 4
Pineapple mango smoothies, fried eggs
Pasta salad bar with chicken and veggies, apples
Salmon patties, tossed salad, grilled asparagus, blackberries

Thursday, June 5
Chocolate whipped cream on strawberries
Grilled hotdogs, baked beans (on the stovetop), sweet peppers, cucumbers and carrots
Italian roast wraps, lettuce and tomato, strawberry creamsicles (recipe coming this week)

Friday, June 6
Creamy orange cooler, toast
Lamburger patties, lettuce and tomato, cheesy cauliflower cakes, sweet peppers
Grilled barbeque chicken, tossed salad, sweet corn, steamed broccoli and carrots

Saturday, June 7
Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, strawberries
Leftovers
Hamburger cream cheese dip with chips, sweet peppers, grapes, cherry tomatoes

Have you been doing much grilling so far this summer?

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Asa’s First Few Days in Ecuador

May 31, 2014 by Laura 5 Comments

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I mentioned a few days ago that our oldest son, Asa, is in Ecuador on a mission trip right now. It’s been fun to check our church Facebook page to see updates of the group’s work in Ecuador. Here are some pictures I grabbed to share…

This is the entire group of teens and sponsors. Asa is on the back row in a purple shirt.

asa ecuador 1

The first day, the men all worked to clear out brush and debris. Here’s Asa all decked out in work gear and eye protection, using what appears to be a machete. :)

asa ecuador 2

They seem to be quite proud of their work:

asa ecuador 4

Ah yes, now this is what I’m used to seeing:

asa ecuador 3

I loved seeing this next picture. Two of the girls are loving on some Ecuador children. If you look in the background, you’ll see Asa playing soccer with other kids. This was one of the activities he was really looking forward to doing while he was there. It was fun to see him in the midst of futbol with Ecuador children!

asa ecuador 5

If you care to pray for Asa and this group while they serve in Ecuador, we appreciate it. It’s great to see God at work in the lives of our teens!

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Cool Pineapple Cream Dessert – Dairy Free, No Sugar Added – 100% Delicious

May 29, 2014 by Laura 22 Comments

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pineapple dessert 3

I found this recipe and decided to make it on Sunday night for our small group. A couple of my friends who were coming can’t eat dairy, so I figured it would be perfect. I had it whipped together and served into cups by the time friends began arriving. And then, it just sat there, looking ever so inviting and refreshing.

Seeing as this is sort of like ice cream, and seeing as the cups of Cool Pineapple Cream Dessert were just sitting there on the counter while my friends and I waited for the burgers to come off the grill so we could eat, and seeing as my stomach was growling as loud as a mack truck – I interrupted our visiting and said something like, “Forget it. I’m not waiting for a burger. I’m going to try one of these. You guys want one?”

And so it was that three of us gals stood in the kitchen, eating our desserts before dinner even began. Hey, the kids were all outside running around. Nobody even knew. Except that I just ratted us out to all of you. But you’ll never tell, right?

Cool Pineapple Cream Dessert. It’s a dessert, it’s a snack, it’s breakfast, it’s lunch, it’s a cool treat in the evening while you’re sitting outside on the porch. This recipe can be whatever you want or need it to be. Why? Because it’s sweet enough to be a dessert, but it’s healthy enough to be a part of your meal. With only three, whole food ingredients, and no added sugar – this recipe is perfect.

My friends and I decided it tasted a bit like pineapple sherbet from the store. If you want this to taste a little sweeter, simply add a few drops of real maple syrup. I thought it was great without any added sugar. In fact, after I was a good girl and ate my dinner, I went ahead and ate two more cups of this goodness, guilt free. I just couldn’t help myself.

Cool Pineapple Cream DessertYum

4 cups (give or take) frozen pineapple chunks
1 can (13.5 ounces) chilled coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. Serve right away. Makes 6-10 servings.

Cool Pineapple Cream Dessert

Can other milk options work in this recipe? I don’t see why not. Regular cow milk should work just fine (1 1/2 cups), and I’m guessing almond or rice milk would work – although I don’t have much experience with either of those. Coconut milk gives this extra great nutrients, plus a mixture of pineapple and coconut will help you make believe you are vacationing in Hawaii. Especially if you are eating dessert before dinner, right? Ah the beauty of being a grown up. :)

Ever snuck dessert before dinner when the kids weren’t around to catch you?

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Don’t Forget ~ Last Day to Get Your Free $5 Lowe’s Gift Card!

May 29, 2014 by Laura 4 Comments

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My free Lowe’s gift card came in the mail today! I am so excited to surprise Matt with this. We’ll use it the next time we head to the big city. :)

If you haven’t grabbed yours yet, here’s one last reminder…

Every single one of us can get a free $5.00 gift card to Lowe’s right now. We can pick from 22 designs, including those with Father’s Day themes if we want to use this as a gift this June. AND they’ll ship the gift card for free. Don’t want to use it as a gift? Just grab it and use it for yourself on whatever you need at Lowe’s. It’s a free five bucks!

Free Lowes Gift Card

Here’s how this works:

Both new and existing members to TopCashBack are eligible. That means that if you already have a TopCashBack account, just click through this link, read the details, and grab your free gift card. TopCashBack will refund your account with $5 within 30-90 days (usually sooner in my experience).

If you aren’t a member of TopCashBack yet, simply click through this link to sign up. Once you have an account, click through to this page to read details about getting your free gift card. You’ll click on the orange ”Get Cashback” button on that page to be redirected to Lowes.com. <— That part is super important. You won’t get the cash back if you don’t click through the orange button. That’s how it records your visit and you get credit. :)

I definitely took advantage of this deal. I clicked through, chose a fun card, bought it for $5.00, and am watching for it to come in the mail within just a few days. (I can’t wait to surprise Matt, if in fact he doesn’t see this post first.) TopCashBack will replace my $5.00 into my account in 1-3 months. Easy as that!

Give me a shout if you have questions.

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I Give Up. I’m Just Going to Sit Here and Cry.

May 28, 2014 by Laura 26 Comments

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I love my kids so fiercely, sometimes I can’t inhale air.

Parenting our four boys is the most difficult, gut-wrenching, frustrating, exhausting, awesome, joyful, incredible, amazing gift. Watching our boys create music and movies together, play pick-up games of soccer or basketball together, laugh at inside jokes together, work outside with their dad together – really. I fear that I might explode with love and happiness right here in my chair.

There’s all the other stuff too, so don’t think that I don’t hate every minute of puke and sibling arguments and disobedience. Daily I have to get on my knees, giving my boys’ future over to God, knowing that as a human parent, I alone do not have what it takes – not even a little bit – to create in their hearts an attitude of Christ. I hang onto the promise that God has a plan for our kids, and He will work out in them His perfect plan. In spite of me, with me, without me, on behalf of me – God is working in our kids’ hearts.

I’ll take every bit of the “did I not just tell you three times to put your shoes in the closet?” and endure all the rounds of “mom he keeps touching me but he touched me first please make him stop touching me” and persevere through the “he said this to me I was just kidding no you weren’t” stuff. If only they would always be magically perfect and work outside with their dad so that watching their precious actions would steal away my breath and overtake my heart with joy. There’s all that and then there’s all the mud smeared into the rug that nobody claims. But I’ll take it. I’ll take it all, and I’ll even appreciate being right here, right now, doing this thing with its grass stains and question marks.

Because here’s the deal. The six of us? Matt and me and our four boys in this house? We’ve spent so many years of our lives together working and schooling and living and laughing and arguing and learning and problem solving and crying and traveling and reading and tripping over shoes that still didn’t get put into the closet. Our oldest turns 17 in one week. In the fall? He will be a senior in high school.

I am full of joy, excitement, and hope for what God has for Asa and all of our family after next year. I realize life doesn’t end when our oldest graduates. But the truth is that life as the six of us – the way it is now – changes. It’ll never be the same, because it’s not supposed to be. This is all part of the journey.

Today, that makes me cry. The recent graduation parties we’ve attended for friends has put into perspective that this will be us next year. Then this morning, I got up at 3:30 to see Asa and 14 others off at the airport as they head to Ecuador to do 10 days of mission work. Watching his grown up self smile and wave as he went through that gate pretty much did me in.

Here’s our 4:45 am picture, right before he went inside to check on his luggage. Yes, he does keep getting taller. No, I did not brush my hair this morning.

asa leaving for ecuador

I’m so proud of that kid, I could cry. Oh wait. I am crying. I decided to give up on holding it in, and just sit here and feel it for a while. Feel the pride, love, wonder, amazement, excitement, joy…and sadness. At the same time.

Tears. They are good. God. He is very good. Because of that, I truly can feel peace about the future of my kids and our family, however it looks.

But when I need to cry, I’m going to cry. Praise God for tears. And Kleenex.

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Pasta Salad Bar – Easy, Inexpensive, Nutritious, and Cool

May 27, 2014 by Laura 19 Comments

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Yum

Here you will find one of the coolest (literally) meal ideas for summer. Here you will see a great way to feed your whole family – even the picky ones. Here you will experience deliciousness that isn’t expensive, offers lots of nourishment, and is super easy to put together. Yes, here is a great idea given to me by several readers last summer that I finally tried last week. Again, I must ask: Why did I wait so long to try this?

Welcome to our lives, oh lovely Pasta Salad Bar. We’re sorry we never met before now. You’ll be a regular visitor at our house this summer. We will load our bowls full of your goodness, based on what sounds good to each of us at that moment. You are deliciously fun.

How do you put together a Pasta Salad Bar? Simple. Just set out everything you have on hand that might taste good in a pasta salad. This is a great way to eat up leftovers or odds and ends from your fridge. Here are some Pasta Salad Bar food suggestions:

Cooked and cooled whole wheat or brown rice pasta – any shape
Chopped sweet peppers
Chopped carrots
Chopped tomatoes
Cooked chicken, tuna, steak, roast beef, or other meat that sounds good
Chickpeas or other cooked beans
Corn
Olives
Shredded cheese
Favorite salad dressings – we prefer homemade Italian Salad Dressing and Ranch Salad Dressing

Once your food items are set out, simply let everyone fill their bowls with whatever they like. Stir in favorite salad dressings to make a creamy pasta salad, a tangy pasta salad – or a mixture of both! (Yep, I like both Italian and Ranch in my pasta salad.)

This meal is extremely filling and hearty. Oh, and a side of fresh pineapple or chilled watermelon goes great with this.

Ever done something like this before? What other ingredients do you think you would add to this Pasta Salad Bar?

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Gratituesday: Fun Picture Memories!

May 26, 2014 by Laura 5 Comments

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With Facebook, email, and other quick forms of communication, none of us spend much time anymore writing cards and sending them through the mail. It’s kind of sad, and yet I’m super thankful for the ability to quickly text someone when they are on my heart. I can check up on loved ones through Facebook, seeing pictures of their kids, praying for their needs. I can sit down and send a thoughtful email to someone, and they can receive it within seconds. I am always encouraged when I received these types of online or phone correspondence.

Still, handwritten cards from a dear one are always wonderful. My aunt and uncle (my mom’s sister) came all the way from Arkansas to visit us this weekend. Look what my aunt brought me:

Kevin and Laura

Know who that is? My kids couldn’t figure it out at first.

Those are two Christmas cards my mom had sent out when my brother and I were little. Yep, that’s my brother and me, back in the 70’s.

Fun as those were to see again, the real treasure is found on the back of those cards. From top to bottom, she filled the space giving an update on our family at the time – all hand written in my mom’s lovely handwriting.

I love these. I’m supposed to share them with my brother. Hopefully I will “remember” to take them down to Kansas sometime when we visit. ;)

What are you thankful for? It’s Gratituesday….please share what God is doing in your life!

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