Pineapple Pepper Chicken | 8 WW P+

As my kid bro would say, "Just call me butter, 'cause I'm on a roll!"

Seriously, I'm hitting some cooking home runs here with my experiments. I'm working on recipes that are simple to make, freeze well, and tastes as good reheated as it did coming out of the pan. If you have any recipes like this, feel free to share! I've been spending too much money on the pre-made frozen meals. Purchasing the organic, gluten free, dairy free meals - which run an extra $2-$3 over the "standard" frozen meals - is delightfully convenient, but really puts a dent in the budget. I'm mystified how a frozen meal, which uses fresh ingredients, no weird unrecognizable preservatives, could cost so much more. I'm not the only one who thinks that's backwards, right? I appreciate the convenience though, so I'm glad it's there for when I need it. But... I need to really kick my laziness in the backside and just start making my own meals again. Sigh.

This recipe got a thumbs up from my dad. In case you don't know, my family thinks I make "weird food," so to have an endorsement from my day... that's big stuff.

Quick recipe notes: if you don't like quinoa, you could use cooked rice, cous cous, or another grain - whatever floats your boat. Not keen on frozen peppers and frozen pineapple? Use fresh by all means. Frozen is what I had on hand. Want to make this completely gluten free? Use Tamari or coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce.


Pineapple Pepper Chicken 
Serves 4 | 8 Weight Watchers Points+ per serving (1 cup of Pepper Pineapple Chicken over 1/2 cup of prepared quinoa)

2 tsp coconut oil
1lb uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into bite sized pieces
16oz frozen red, green, yellow pepper strips (like Trader Joe's Melange a Trois)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 1/2 cups frozen pineapple bits (like Trader Joe's Frozen Pineapple Tidbits)
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 scallions, thinly sliced


Sauce
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 lime, zest and juice of
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbls water


Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium/high heat. Add chicken and cook until almost cooked through, approximately 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook another 3-4 minutes or until you start to smell the onions cooking. Turn the heat up to high and add the frozen peppers and pineapple tidbits. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the frozen items thaw and the liquid evaporates.

While the chicken, peppers, and pineapple cook, combine all the sauce ingredients from chicken broth to the soy sauce in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Add cornstarch mixture to the rest of the sauce ingredients. Pour over the chicken mixture and stir until thickened and the sauce forms.

Spoon 1 cup of Pepper Pineapple Chicken over 1/2 cup of prepared quinoa. Top with some scallions, and enjoy!

Easy Slow Cooker Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup

I have been in a total food rut lately. Looking back over my grocery bills, I can see that at least one meal each day has consisted of a pre-packaged frozen meal. While they've been organic, healthy meals like Amy's Kitchen and Evol, to do them every single day really puts a dent in the budget. So, I've been kicking myself in the rear and trying to get myself back in the habit of making actual meals again. Cooking for one is hard, but I'm making sure I have plenty of containers on hand so I can take the leftovers and create my own frozen meals. This recipe saved me massive dollars in the pre-packaged food department - even using all organic ingredients.

BTW - I made this and took it in for my coworkers to try. It got total rave reviews. It's one of the finest soups I've ever made!

Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup
5 Weight Watchers Points+ for a 1 cup serving

8 cups beef broth, divided
1lb ground beef (I used 85/15)
28oz diced tomatoes in tomato juice
6oz tomato paste
1 cup frozen chopped onions (or one large onion, chopped)
10oz sliced mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 cup uncooked macaroni noodles

Directions
Place all ingredients in large slow cooker, except for 1 cup of beef broth and the uncooked macaroni noodles. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, stir in uncooked macaroni noodles and reserved beef broth. Stir, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

* No need to cook the beef ahead of time - it cooks in the soup

* Make it gluten free by using gluten free beef broth and gluten free macaroni noodles, like Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta. 

* Fresh is always better, but you can use 2 Tbls dried basil in place of fresh basil.

The Tale of Two Grocery Stores

And now a tale of two grocery stores.

The first store I went in, the clerks carried on conversations with each other, but I was never acknowledged. I passed by several clerks in the aisles, and there was no smile, no eye contact, nothing, even though I looked at them with a smile. When I went to check out, I smiled and said "hello" to the cashier. No response. I smiled again and wished him a good day as I put the last bag of groceries in my cart. No response.

The second store I went in, I was immediately greeted by a clerk who welcomed me to the store. Another clerk asked me if I needed help finding anything. I walked down an aisle and another clerk smiled and said, "Good morning!" brightly when I walked by. When I went to check out, a clerk was proactively called from the back so I didn't have to wait. The clerk invited me over to his register insisted on taking my very full, heavy basket from my hands, and carried it for me to the checkout counter. He even struck up a conversation. The young lady bagging my groceries offered to carry my bag to my car for me.

The moral of this story is: people remember how you make them feel. Both stores sell similar items. The first store is cheaper than the second store. But the second store didn't just sell groceries. They took time to acknowledge me as more than the person who was there to buy some lettuce, cashews, and apples. They didn't make me feel like a shopper. They made me feel like a person, and that feeling is priceless.

Refreshing Watermelon Drink

Just about every afternoon, around 3PM, my parents hop in the car and head to the nearest Starbucks for their "afternoon drink." So when they left today, I decided to make one of my own.

It's slightly sweet from the watermelon, bright from the mint, and refreshing from the coconut water. I'd take this any day over a coffee drink. Make sure to serve in a big jar with a straw, and sip away!


Refreshing Watermelon Drink

2 big handfuls of frozen watermelon cubes, divided
2 or 3 mint leaves
1 cup coconut water
2 cups water

Place one big handful of watermelon chunks in a big jar or glass. They'll be like delicious ice cubes. Put everything else in the blender and blend until pulverized. Pour over frozen watermelon chunks in jar and enjoy!

F-O-C-U-S

If you've read the account in the Bible about Jesus walking on water, did it occur to you no one had ever, ever seen someone walk on water before?

It had never, ever been done. And then here comes Jesus, at 3AM in the morning, when it's pitch black except for the stars and moon to light the sky, walking right up to the boat where the disciples were.

The Bible says the disciples were "terrified." I think that's putting it mildly. I'm sure if I was there, I would have let out a girl scream, no doubt about that.

But Peter, the ever fearless one, asked to join in. He climbed out of the boat and began walking on water! Amazing! Peter didn’t know how to walk on water. The fact it had never been done before wasn’t a concern as long as he kept his eyes focused on Jesus. And Peter began walking on water, towards Jesus. But then the waves started crashing and the wind picked up. Peter took his eyes, his focus, off of Jesus and started to look at his surroundings. In a heartbeat, Peter shifted his focus and put more trust in the frightening elements around him and his own inability to conquer the elements, rather than keeping his focus on the creator of the elements and His ability to keep Peter safe. The second Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, he began to sink.

Sometimes it's a gradual shift of focus. Things are going great, and we start to drift but don't realize it. Sometimes it's a sudden circumstance, and we immediately turn to fear - the way Peter did - instead of keeping our focus on Jesus. Whenever we pull our eyes, our focus, off of Jesus, we sink. No two ways about it. But Jesus will do for us what he did for Peter: "Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him." Just be prepared for what Jesus says next: "You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” That's an answer I don't want to give. When the wind picks up, the waters start crashing, remember they're big, fat distractions. Keep your eyes, your focus, on Jesus, the only one who has the power to overcome the distractions and can help you walk right over them.

Loving God & Loving Others

By some grand miracle, I received 100% on my final Liberty University Online BIBL105 essay. When I say, "by some miracle," I mean that this was a tough one for me to write about. The Old Testament prophet books are tough ones to work my way through, and I felt like I was having a hard time answering the question. 

Here was the question I needed to answer in my essay:

"In what manner do the prophets speak to the following 3 issues: idolatry, social injustice, and religious ritualism? Cite examples of the prophets speaking to each of these issues. Knowing what the prophets had to say about these issues, what practical applications can be drawn from those teachings for today?"

I felt like the "key" to those three issues was summed up in Micah 6:8, "the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." I decided to expound upon it from there. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me while I was trying to make this one happen. I had quite a few people express interest in the final product, so here it is.

Loving God and Loving Others
At first glance, it's easy to pass over the prophet books. They aren't “fun” books of the Bible to read, like Esther or Ruth or even Jonah. They're angst filled books. They're about judgement. Frankly, they can be downright depressing. But when one looks deeper within these books, some major themes that are applicable to today become noticeable. The themes of idolatry – who and what we worship, social injustices, and religious ritualism emerge. While we may like to think that these are issues of the past, they are still present and relative in 2013. Another theme emerges too: God's great and deep love for his people and the desire to see them restored.
          Israel wrestled over worshiping a God they couldn't see. No matter how many times God made himself known to them, they still assimilated into the culture and chose to worship man-made gods over the living God. God used the prophets to call Israel out and to give them fair warning to turn back to himself and to uphold their end of their covenantal responsibility. From the outset of his message on behalf of the Lord, the prophet Zephaniah condemned the people of Judah and their worship of false idols saying, "I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship. I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests, so that even the memory of them will disappear. For they go up to their roofs and bow down to the sun, moon, and stars. They claim to follow the LORD, but then they worship Molech, too. And I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the LORD's guidance or seek my blessings."1 God also gave a prophetic vision to Ezekiel so that he could warn the people that the glory of the Lord would depart from the temple because the people were bringing in idols into the temple area.2 And the Lord even had Hosea marry an unfaithful wife so the Lord could use it as a “metaphor of Israel's covenant unfaithfulness toward the Lord.”3
          Because Israel began worshiping other gods, that led to a problem of social injustices. Other gods don't follow God's rule that we are to use God's wealth for his purposes, and that includes taking care of the poor and needy.4 Israel was enjoying economic prosperity during the reign of Jeroboam II. However, during that time, “Israel's accumulation of wealth led to a wide disparity between the upper and lower classes, and a climate of injustice prevailed as the rich used their power and influence to take advantage of the poor. Selfishness, greed, and the pursuit of pleasure characterized Israelite society rather than love for the Lord and one's neighbor.”5 It also brought about “spiritual apathy and moral decline.”6 God sent Amos to tell Israel their days of luxury were over, and God followed through on his promise two years later by sending a great earthquake.7 Micah also reminded Israel that showing love for others shows their love for God. “No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”8
Equally offensive to God is the offering of sacrifices just for the sake of ritualism, not out of love and honor for God. The priests were to set the tone for the people and lead them in the right way to worship God and offer sacrifices, but they had become corrupt. They allowed animals not appropriate for sacrifice and even accepted bribes.9 Because their leaders didn't uphold the standard, the people didn't either, and they made their worship out of duty and not out of love for the Lord.
          As we read through the books of the Old Testament prophets, we can see that not much has changed. We are still a selfish people, and we don't worship as we should because we put other things ahead of our love for the Lord. As we dig through the books of the prophets, it's easy to see that if we as a people, individually and collectively, would simply “humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” God craves obedience from the ones who promise to love him. When we respond out of obedient love for God by worshiping him and him alone with a full and glad heart, that will spill over into us taking care of others so that we can show the love of God to them. He's given us all the tools and resources – namely, himself – to accomplish this. It's up to us to follow through so that we can be a blessed people.

1. Zephaniah 1:4-6
2. Ezekiel 8-11
3. Hindson, Ed: The Essence of the Old Testament: A Survey (Pg. 371). B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee: 2012.
4. Isaiah 1:7; Jeremiah 22:3; Proverbs 31:9
5. Hindson, Ed: The Essence of the Old Testament: A Survey (Pg. 370). B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee: 2012.
6. Ibid
7. Amos 1:1; Zechariah 14:5
8. Micah 6:8
9. Micah 3:9-12

I Eat Dirt

Dirt is pretty much the world's easiest dessert at only 5 ingredients. Shoot, you could buy pre-made chocolate pudding and knock it down to 4 ingredients.

My mom's yearbook class is having their big bake sale today, and this is the big request. We package them into individual servings and sell for $1 each. They're always the first to go. It's something about the way they look, combined with the unmistakable taste of chocolate pudding, Cool Whip, and crushed Oreos. So simple, familiar, and good. If you've never tried it, just do it once for your kids...or yourself!


DIRT

2 cups cold milk
1 pkg (4 serving size) Jello Instant Pudding, chocolate flavor
8oz container Cool Whip, thawed
1 pkg Oreo Cookies
1 pkg gummy worms

1. Dump Oreo Cookies into the food processor and pulse until finely ground, resembling sand or...dirt. Alternatively, you can place the cookies in a Ziploc bag and beat the tar out of them.

2. Pour the milk into a large bowl. Add the chocolate instant pudding, and whisk to mix the pudding for two minutes or until thickened. Let chocolate pudding stand 5 minutes to turn into pudding consistency. When thickened, add in half of the crushed cookies until evenly distributed. Fold in the thawed Cool Whip.

3. I like to make three layers of dirt and cookies. Drop a spoonful of pudding in mixture into the bottom of a cup (an ice cream scoop makes this part easy), add a thin layer of cookie crumbs. Drop in a gummy worm. Drop another spoonful of pudding mixture on top and finish with a layer of cookie crumbs. Top with another gummy worm.


*Note: we double this recipe and package them in clear, 8oz party cups. We get 12 servings out of the double recipe using this method. You could go with a smaller cup and increase your servings. We also cut the gummy worms in half to make them more manageable.