mealtime! and a recipe :)

mon-steak fajitas
tues-chili
wed-ham and bean soup
thurs-tacos
fri-chicken and veggie soup



my fav ranch dressing recipe comes from here and it's a hit with everyone!!! try it!
sign up for katie's newsletter while you're there!!

Homemade Ranch Dressing



3/4 c. mayo (when I make my own, I use this recipe with a blend of olive and sesame oil)
1/2 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 tsp cilantro or chives
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Mix and enjoy! Lasts at least 2 weeks, ultimately as long as your mayo and sour cream or yogurt would last. It’s the dill weed that makes it excellent, in my opinion.

Another Winner

ok the first winner didn't respond! so the names went back into the hat and another name was drawn. 4 yr old Jamison had the "duty" of picking a name :)

the winner of the Tropical Tradition Shortening is:

ELIZABETH OF A PICTURE OF GRACE is the winner.
email me your full name and address with the addy on my sidebar and i'll get the info to Tropical Traditions.

CONGRATS!

Purplemom where are you?

Purplemom is the winner of the shortening!!! she was chosen at random using the name in the hat method lol.
however she didn't leave me a email addy so Purplemom email me your name and address and i'll get the info to tropical traditions. i need to hear from you buy sunday afternoon :)

$1 PER MEAL

TAKEN FROM HERE

don't be too excited at the $1 billion for child nutrition. Cooper noted that the money will most likely be split between National School Lunch Program and WIC [Women, Infants and Children]. If it is split evenly, $500 million would only amount to an extra 10 cents per lunch for the estimated 5.4 billion lunches NSLP serves annually.

"A Colorado apple on the plate costs me 25 cents," said Cooper. "We can't fix the system on what amounts to half an apple." Cooper thinks funding needs to go much further. She's asking everyone to join her on a national letter-writing tear for one more dollar for healthy school food. "So if the First Lady has this big plan ... and the people with the purse strings only have a dime, then what is that?" said Cooper. "It's not okay."

GO HERE TO SIGN AN EMAIL TO YOUR CONGRESSMEN TO GIVE $1 PER MEAL

it's a tropical time!

even tho i am doing a giveaway myself i don't want you to miss out on other giveaways and here is a great one!
enter HERE to win a 32 oz jar of coconut cream concentrate from tropical traditions!

AND don't forget! enter my giveaway for Tropical Tradition's palm shortening HERE

I'm in Love!

i am in love! with a shortening! yes with a shortening!



before you say "shortening is bad for you" (like i did) then read THIS!

i asked the kind people at Tropical Traditions if this time around i could review the organic palm shortening and they said YES! i am so glad cuz like i said i am in love with it!

first i baked brownies with it. i found a recipe that used shortening and made it. hmmmmmm!
then my dd made spicy refrigerated cookies AND butterscotch bars. hmmmmmmm!
BUT i thought, the palm shortening got baked in (by the way it did NOT add any coconut taste to anything.) so so was this a true test?

SOOOO i fried eggs in it! NOW HERE IS WHERE I FELL IN LOVE!!
no coconut taste, fluffier eggs (really!),a lighter color to the edges that makes the kids happier(tho i cooked them the same as always) and an all around softer taste. yes softer! creamier, tastier,puffier (does butter weigh things down i wonder? )

so now i have a new product (that i was given a free bucket of to review but was not paid for in any way)that i love and plan to keep buying :)

you can buy it too- just go to tropical traditions and get some :)

OR OR OR OR OR OR
you can win some!!!!

simply sign up for the tropical tradition newsletter HERE and you are entered !

for another chance at winning tell me i'm pretty! lol lol lol lol lol lol
i'm just kidding you don't have to !
giveaway ends saturday morning :)

beautiful!

i don't share every giveaway i enter but aprons i do! many of you have commented on how you appreciate a chance to win one so i am posting this!



go HERE to enter

Another Coconut Peanut Butter Giveaway

i found another giveaway for Tropical Tradition's coconut peanut butter!
i happen to love the blog too- A City On A Hill and that is where i found the giveaway- in my mailbox!! so go enter HERE and sign up for the newsletter too :)

letters and boycotts

WARNING! THIS IS OFFENSIVE TO GODLY WOMEN AND FEATURES SCANTILY CLAD WOMEN (IF YOU CLICK THE LINKS)

start writing letters and start boycotting! make your voices heard!

a sacred calling has this about the swimsuit issue of sports illustrated HERE

and this link is about the carl's jr burger ad- HERE
and this one for more -HERE

how to protest carl jr's HERE

BOTH ARE PORN IN MY BOOK AND THEY SHOULD BE STOPPED! IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT YOUR SONS AND HUSBANDS TO BE LOOKING AT? IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT YOUR DAUGHTERS TO THINK THEY HAVE TO BE?

draw your own conclusions

WE HAVE A WINNER

CAROLINE WON THE $25 GIFT CARD TO ECOSTORE!! I'VE EMAILED YOU ALREADY :)

i can only imagine

should i wear a headcovering?
should i celebrate christmas?
should i wear only dresses?
should i eat pork?
should i work outside the home?
can i still be "saved" if i got a divorce and am remarried?
what type of baptism?
and so many more!

these are all important questions that you need to ask God and obey Him, even if you don't like His answer! this is our "working out our salvation"

BUT these are not "dealbreakers" in getting to heaven, inheriting the new earth.
what we need to focus on is our relationship with Jehovah.

can you imagine when you first see Jesus? can you imagine when you see the One who died for you? who took all the sin YOU did and took the punishment YOU deserved?
to look in His eyes and see the love?

all else melts away doesn't it?

cream of chicken soup recipe

i made this and everyone loved it!!!

taken from Tammy's Recipes

A flavorful condensed cream of chicken soup base recipe for use in dishes that call for canned creamed soups
Yield:

3 cups (about 2 cans)
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth*
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder**
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder***
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)
1/4 teaspoon parsley
dash of paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour
Instructions:

1. In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two (longer if using fresh onions or garlic).

2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.
Additional Notes:

*I use the broth from my oven-roasted chicken. Refrigerate broth and then take fat off the top. If you're using chicken bouillon + water for your broth, you may want to add a little extra seasonings, such as lemon pepper, extra garlic, or seasoned salt, since my broth normally has bits of those in it. You can also add bits of chicken, but if you have good rich chicken broth, you probably won't need any chicken in it.

**Or, diced onions (boil with broth for a few minutes)

***Or, fresh minced garlic (boil with broth for a few minutes)
Preparation Time:

5 minutes
Cooking Time:

10-15 minutes

always

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Ecostore Review and Giveaway

i am doing a giveaway/review becuz i love to try new products and talk about them (i.e share them with you thru my blog ) and i pick items that i feel homemakers can really appreciate. i don't get paid to do this other than receiving the 2 products listed and i am telling you my experience.







if you know me at all you know i like a clean house. and to me dishes and laundry are all a part of a clean house.
so i was thrilled when Ecostore USA allowed me to pick 2 products from their line and try them out. so since i feel as i do about dishes and laundry guess what i chose? that's right! auto dishpowder and laundry detergent!

first i'll tell you about the auto dish powder. first thing i noticed was that i didn't notice anything! yep that's right- what was missing was the best part! no burst of scent when i opened the dishwasher. now that's a good thing cuz the chemicals that cause that scent are cancer causing. (no ecostore didn't tell me to say that, i've known it for years.) so i was impressed with that but not surprised. after all the description for this product says
* Palm and coconut based non-ionic surfactants
* Silicates and carbonates including sodium meta silicate (simple mineral salts)
* Citrates and natural citrus oil
* Cellulose (plant based)
* Fatty acid derivative

no where do you see phosphates listed!!!

my dishes came out clean and there was no smell ! good to go!!!

next i used the laundry detergent. again no scent. which again is good but so many people are bothered by scented products that they need something without one and this fits the bill!
here are the ingredients
* Palm and coconut based non-ionic and anionic surfactants
* Silicates and carbonates (simple mineral salts)
* Citrates (from citrus)
* Cellulose (plant based)
* Sodium percarbonate (oxygen producing whitener)
* Natural lemon verbena oil
the natural verbena oil doesn't irritate your skin ! all you get is clean laundry with no scent to bother you.
and it works too! my kids get dirty with the best of them - yes my girls wear only dresses but they can still climb trees lol- and i had clean clothes every time regardless of what they did!
so there ya have it- my opinion on 2 ecostore products. if you are interested in their products check them out yourself at www.ecostoreusa.com they have housecleaning products, baby products, haircare and bath and body products. so they have plenty to choose from. and what i love- FREE Shipping for ALL Orders of $25 or more!!

BUT IF YOU WANT TO WIN
A $25 GC to use on their site then ENTER HERE!
mandatory: simply look around the ecostore website and come pick out what you would choose to get with your gift card.

for a second chance at winning sign up for their No Nasty Chemicals newsletter HERE

you can get a third chance by following ecostore usa on twitter leave the link here please

and for a 4th chance you can fan ecostore usa on facebook. leave the link here please

4 chances to win! whew!!
contest ends wed nite!

Giveaway Winner!

Altered by me is the winner of the coconut peanut butter!!!
arlene-please send me your addy and i'll get the info out so you get your peanut butter!!

Let's Eat!

mon-bean burritos with chips and salsa
tues-chicken and noodles
wed-mushroom burgers
thur-chicken and spinach salad (yes again!)
fri-ham and corn

don't forget to enter my giveaway HERE

Coconut Peanut Butter Giveaway

CLOSED!




Taken from Tropical Traditions website: Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter is made from organic peanuts and organic coconut. Two ingredients: nothing else! No fillers, no binders, no sweeteners, and no preservatives. The peanuts are 100% organic Valencia peanuts grown organically by family farmers in New Mexico and Texas. Grown in the dry climate of the southwestern United States, these peanuts are certified organic and free from aflatoxins. The dried coconut is certified organic coconut meat from the Philippines from coconuts that are grown with no fertilizers or pesticides. This premium dried coconut contains no additives or preservatives, and is not sweetened. Unlike most dried coconut on the market, our dried coconut products are not treated with sulfites to keep them white. Together, these premium organic roasted peanuts and the premium organic dried coconut are ground together to make a delicious and nutritious spread!


My take: While I found this product okay tasting when in a sandwich I much preferred it by the spoonful LOL and I preferred it even more when I used it in baked goods. The reason I say this is because it does have a definite coconut taste and I'm not used to that in my PB&J but as a treat by the spoon or baked into a goody - especially brownies - it gives a delightful taste that I really enjoyed!

so I wholeheartedly recommend this if you want to use it for extra flavor in baking or just eating but if you are looking for a replacement for peanut butter I wouldn't suggest it.

BUT that all said and done- I received this coconut peanut butter in exchange for my review and I plan to buy more cuz it makes baked goods soooo good!

so what about you? want to try it? here's your chance!!

leave me a comment telling me why you want to win this. that's it!!

for a second chance to win sub to Tropical Tradition's newsletter HERE

for a third chance to win tweet this giveaway and come back with the link to that tweet :)

this giveaway ends WED nite!! so hurry!

blessings!!

Shortcuts

lots removed


i write this blog , telling you all sorts of great things and then i often fail to follow thru with those things!
i thought maybe this happened to you too (if not my hat are off to you!)

what matters the most and what i am concentrating on is my relationship to God. that is where i must remain constant.
and teaching my children about God takes precedence over teaching them math (tho they are doing fine in that area too thank you)





i bought bread this week - and last week- instead of baking it cuz i was having a hard week. i bought the most expensive loaves and they didn't have any bad stuff added to them but of course the good stuff was removed but i prayed and we ate it.

i served leftovers 3x instead of using the meal plan i showed you! at least it was good food!

i let the toys stay on the floor longer than they should have.

baking? who baked ? not me!



i bribed my kids with twizzlers so i could sit QUIETLY with daddy and not have them around for just a little while (how horrible but i did!)

i have faithfully read several pages a night to my girls from their God's princess bibles.

Check it Out!

Gleaning the Harvest is a ministry-oriented site helping you to minister to the needs of widowed and single home school moms. How do they do that? They present the families to you, and you give directly to them!

James 1:27
“The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world.”

I can tell you , I have been blessed by knowing about this great group of people who are truly living God's Word.

win this halter style apron! it's easy peasy to enter so go HERE and do so!

brit hume and tiger woods

am i the only one who didn't know about this?

Preparedness Pantry

have you ever wanted to sit down and figure out a basic plan for emergency preparedness? well i have found a way for you to do that with less work on your part. :)
preparedness pantry is the place to do that. with their Food Storage Analyzer you can fill in the number of people you have to plan for and they will calculate the nutritional needs you must fulfill. they will give you lists based on that to calculate how much you have and how much you need.
if you have purchased your own items , say at walmart, they have a place for you to fill that in. if you are purchasing items from them they have a place to fill that in. they even keep track of what you have and what you need at all times so you can go back and fill in more info and never lose a thing!

one neat thing- preparedness pantry calculates how long the food you have will last your family! no guesswork on your part!

you'll want to try it for yourself.
play around, get the hang of it (it's easy) and you can start to put together a plan for emergencies for your family. remember you can purchase your items from preparedness pantry (dontcha love that name?!) and you can add purchases from elsewhere. either way it all gets kept track of!
how handy!!
note the red button below!!