Christmas Baking

See, I have this problem.

I have this little sister Lola.

Oh wait, maybe I've read this book a few too many times in the past week. Ahem. Let me start over.

I have this problem. I REALLY love to bake. You might not think that's a problem, but it is. Because I am afraid it might turn me into a 600-pound woman who can't get through her front door.

Thankfully, I have a whole dorm of high-school boys that I send baked goods down to at least once a week. It's an excellent way to try out recipes.

With all the Christmas decorations coming out, I am just itching to bake. I'm taking suggestions in the comment sections on what I should make (and home addresses, for shipping?!). Here are ten ideas from my readers or recipes that I love!

Hello Dolly bars

Source: homesicktexan.blogspot.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Chocolate Chip Almond Cookie Bars

Source: stolenmomentscooking.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Oreo Truffles

Source: onceamonthmom.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Pumpkin Cookies

Source: vanderbiltwife.com via Meredith on Pinterest

Peanut-Butter Ball Cupcakes with PB Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: vanderbiltwife.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Buckeyes (these are slightly nontraditional, but don't they look ah-mah-zing?)

Source: passthesushi.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Andes Mint Cookies

Source: newlyweds-blog.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Christmas Bark (AKA Saltine Candy or Christmas Crack ... Cannot. Stop. Eating.)

Source: amysfinerthings.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Eggnog Cookies

Source: crumbsandchaos.blogspot.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies

Source: pauladeen.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Do you have a holiday baking list? Or do you break-and-bake or not at all?

Added to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda.

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Pinterest; or, Like I Need Another Thing to Do Online

Have you heard of Pinterest? It seems that, as usual, I'm slightly behind the social-media times. (See: Twitter.) So many of my blogging friends have already joined Pinterest and written tutorials that there would be no reason for me to do the same.

• Pinterest {Top Ten Tuesday} at OhAmanda - I love how she calls the Internet an adorable black hole. So true!
• A Beginner's Guide at Sorta Crunchy
• I'm Lovin' Pinterest at TidyMom

So, if you're on Pinterest, look me up. I am - what else - Vanderbilt Wife.  Something I'm trying to do that might interest you is a visual menu plan. For example, here are all the recipes I had planned for 6/27 to 7/10 (I plan and shop two weeks at a time).

As I cook the recipes, I'm trying to remember to go and leave a little review. If you love cooking, like me, you might find these useful! Just having pictures of all those recipes I had bookmarked in various places on my Yummy in the Tummy and Dips Apps Dessert boards has been wonderful. So much easier for menu-planning purposes. I've already tried several recipes I'd been thinking about for months. Having them stare me in the face with their goodness was enough for me to take the plunge and cook!

Here are some of my favorite things I've discovered through Pinterest:

Source: beeinourbonnet.blogspot.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

So tell me ... do you Pin? 


And P.S. I WILL be back with "Why I Friday" this week! Get your posts ready to link up!

Added to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries.
 
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Cooking with Kids and The Motherhood

You might remember that on June 15, I helped co-host an online cooking class with The Motherhood about cooking with kids. You can find a complete recap on their site. 

Here are some of the highlights if you couldn't make it to the class:

When the school year ends, most kids want to use summer vacation for playtime and forget about “learning” for a while.  But learning doesn’t need to be about sitting still, reading books and doing homework – interacting in the kitchen can make learning FEEL like playtime.

“We use cooking as a teaching opportunity in many aspects,” acknowledged Stacie, The Divine Miss Mommy.

Ways to incorporate learning into fun kitchen time:

Practice reading and comprehension: Ask your child to read the recipe and help you follow it to prepare the dish.

Practice math skills: All recipes use basic math like counting, measuring and following step-by-step instructions.

“I love teaching my daughter about measuring since they are covering that in school. It kind of sticks in your head easier when you understand 1/4 or 1/2 cup, etc,” said Tammy, Tammy’s Two Cents.

“Even my 2-year-old can work on her counting! ‘We need 2 cups of flour...’” added Jessie, Vanderbilt Wife.

Kids can start helping in the kitchen from a very young age – it’s just about assigning age-appropriate tasks.

Toddlers can help by snapping green beans in half, tearing up lettuce or helping you mix batter by hand. Grade-school kids can begin measuring dry and liquid ingredients, cracking eggs, juicing lemons, etc. Work out a progression of skills in the kitchen as your children grow.

“Fruit kabobs, veggie kabobs are great for little hands to assemble, or a good teriyaki chicken kabob can be assembled by the older kids,” noted Vanessa, The Sew*er, The Caker, The Copycat-Maker.

“My toddler loves dumping things into a mixing bowl (coordination!), counting, stirring, placing items (like on a pizza),” suggested Jessica, Vanderbilt Wife.

Jenna, A Mom’s Balancing Act, added, “My 3 year old loves helping wash the vegetables.”

And rounding out the toddler skill set, “When my youngest was two, she could set the table, hand us utensils and we even let her stir. She loved it!” said Stacie, The Divine Miss Mommy.

Going beyond quality time and healthier eating, there are a whole host of benefits to cooking with your kids, and you can find many of them in this article from Web MD: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/cooking-with-your-children

Additional tips for cooking with kids (shared by Jessica, Vanderbilt Wife): http://onceamonthmom.com/top-ten-tuesday-cooking-with-kids/

_____

I would definitely encourage you to attend one of the cooking classes at The Motherhood if you're ever able. I always enjoy chatting about food, everyone gives great suggestions, and the sponsors chip up some fun prizes! There aren't any scheduled right now that I can tell, but keep a lookout.

The Motherhood chat was sponsored by ConAgra, and I was compensated for my time.
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Easter Menu

Just in case you're interested or scurrying around looking for some inspiration, here's what I decided to make for Easter dinner:

Ham with Easter Ham Glaze
Salad
Deviled Eggs (I'm totally buying already-hard-boiled eggs. Because I am incapable of doing it correctly.)
Scalloped Corn
Green Beans
Special Potatoes
Pineapple Casserole
Butterscotch Cake

Have a wonderful weekend and blessed holiday.


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Planning for an Easter Meal

I am kind of disturbed that I don't have a plan for our Easter dinner yet. It's very unlike me! I'm considering just going to the farmer's market tomorrow and seeing what jumps out at me. I always, always make a ham, but we're probably just going to have 4 (and Libbie) to feed so it seems ridiculous to buy a whole big ham.

Here are some suggestions I got on Twitter:

Tara's egg solution? The exact same thing I tried last week when I made hard-boiled eggs for our cross mosaic. For some reason I am incapable of making truly hard-boiled eggs. The ones for our mosaic were 100% soft-boiled. Ew.

Anyway ... what would you make for a nice Easter dinner for 4 + a toddler? 

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Working for the Lord

I am standing in my kitchen wondering what I would make Jesus for dinner.

It's Sunday afternoon, and I don't particularly want to be in the kitchen for hours, as I have been. But prepping several meals at a time saves time during the week ... time I need when my kids are having meltdowns at 4 p.m.

I am starting to get bitter, especially when I ask my husband to watch the baby and he says he doesn't really want to, but he will. I can see the sparks coming out of my ears. I brace myself against the counter and think my own personal mantra:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Col. 3:23).

And my mind wanders, considering doing this very task for Jesus. I certainly wouldn't make Him Chicken and Dressing casserole, which is what I'm currently composing at the counter. I did make the cream of chicken soup from scratch, but boxed cornbread stuffing? Not for my Lord.

I know many cooks have a specialty, but I don't. I often try new recipes on guests, because I'm a little crazy. Baked Ziti is something we often take to friends who need a meal, but I'm not sure Jesus would appreciate the pork products.

Finally, I decide I would make him what my earthly father always asks my mother for: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

I don't really know how to make fried chicken; but for Jesus, I would learn.

I'm not sure this is what Paul meant in Colossians.

Sharing this post on Feels Like Home as my Sunday Best!
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Family Favorite Recipes

Beef
Cheesy Meatloaf
Little League Stew
Pioneer Woman Lasagna

Chicken

Balsamic Chicken and Tortellini

Barbecue Chicken in the Crockpot

Chicken Satay Stir-Fry

Pecan Chicken

Sloppy Chicken Pan Pizza

Pork

D-Hall Feta Pasta

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

Pulled Pork with Lexington Red Sauce

Ziti with Italian Sausage

Vegetarian/Seafood

Creole Shrimp and Grits

Homemade Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust

Mom's Potato Soup

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Are You Ready for Some Football?

Am I the only person who didn't know you couldn't actually use the word Superbowl in advertising? I had no idea until they discussed it in Sunday School this past week (yes, super-spiritual).  Only the OFFICIAL Superbowl sponsors get to use the word. And now you will notice in every commercial you see until Sunday--trust me!

If you're searching for some football fare to share for parties on Sunday night, here are some ideas.

The Magically Delicious Corn Dip is a must for any social occasion, I promise.

You could top these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with a football cupcake topper and they might get eaten up even faster.

Pretzel-Coated Drumsticks are easy to hang onto as you cheer from the couch, and have the same buttery and spicy kick of a wing without being deep-fried.

I like chili, but I like this Turkey and Tortellini Soup more. Pass the Parmesan instead of the Mexican blend cheese!

Personally I decided to make Caramel-Pecan Bars for the party I'm attending. Handheld gooey sweetness and so Southern.

Other ideas:
Pizza Bites
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Homemade Chicken Taquitos
BBQ Bacon Sliders
Homemade Pretzels
Greek Turkey Meatballs
Shrimp Balls with Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce
Cranberry Caramel Chex Mix

Well, I could link things forever, but I have an insanely whiny toddler on my lap and a baby waking up in the crib. Sigh.

Happy Superbowl Game I Never Really Watch But I Like the Snacks and Commercials!

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Recipes I've Tried

It's super easy to find recipes online--blogs, AllRecipes, cooks.com, food magazine sites. (I mean, what magazine doesn't have recipes??)

What it is not easy to find is whether these recipes are any good. Especially on blogs, people rarely come back and give a review after they've made the recipe.

I try a LOT of recipes out. I love to cook new things. So I thought periodically (take that to mean, when I feel like it) I would post reviews of some recipes I've tried. Hopefully you'll have similar success with recipes that I like! (Assuming you follow the directions. Ahem, Mary.)


Tropical Carrot Bread - I substituted in whole wheat flour and coconut oil instead of vegetable or canola oil. I took one loaf to a baby shower in October and froze the other loaf, which we ate a few weeks ago. I think the frozen one was even better than the fresh! I thought it was delicious and moist, and Libbie ate it, too. And since there were carrots in it, I count that as a near-miracle. Would make great muffins if you prefer those!

Lemony Chicken Bake - I find that the lemon slices are a little lemony overkill for me in this, but Mr. V likes it that way. Other than that, you can't get much easier than this simple baked dish that has veggie, starch, and protein!

Chicken Cobbler Casserole - I made this to freeze as part of some batch cooking I did in November pre-baby. I was anxious to try it, so it barely made it in the freezer before it came back out! I subbed chicken broth for the wine (and used ridiculously expensive organic cream of mushroom soup. Need to start making these cream soups from scratch when I use them.), and I thought the casserole was delicious over mashed potatoes. It was a little heavy on the onions for me, though. Mr. V didn't care for it. He doesn't like mushrooms so it's possible that's what turned him off.

Cranberry Vanilla Muffins - Personally, I think the uncooked cranberries are way too tart in these. (Which is probably why I still have an entire gallon bag in my freezer full of muffins...) The rest of the flavors were yummy, but if I were to make them again I would pop the cranberries in a saucepan or let them sit sugar a little while.

Fish en Papillote - I may make my adaptation of this recipe a blog post, but if I never get around to it, here you go! I used yellow onion, put lemon juice in with the veggies instead of lemon slices, used tilapia, omitted the wine, and cooked in brown paper bags coated with Pam instead of in parchment paper. (Creativity: what results when you REALLY don't want to go to the grocery store with two kids.) I thought the fish had a wonderful, delicate flavor and the vegetables were absolutely delicious. Perhaps slightly more appropriate for summer, but you could always sub in seasonal vegetables.

Ham and Potato Frittata - Another meal made because "that's what we had," this egg dish was delicious. The flavorings are just right and I love the ham, potato, and eggs together. Cumin gives it a slight twist. Definitely a simple weeknight dinner I will go back to!

Your turn: have you cooked something recently from the web you'd like to tell me about? I am always ready to hear about new, great recipes!


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Weight Watchers Cheese Review and Giveaway: I Like to Snack.

Congratulations to the winner, #31, Nanette! 

I'm nearly 19 weeks pregnant, which means I am well into the second trimester. And what comes with the second trimester? HUNGER.

I still maintain I was hungrier when I was nursing than I ever was pregnant; but still, the second trimester is when I find myself gnawing away at my arm if I don't make good use of protein and fats during the day.

When Weight Watchers^® contacted me to see if I wanted to review their new cheese items, at first I was a little skeptical; obviously, Weight Watchers and pregnancy don't mesh!

Their campaign, however, is about snacking. And I DO like to snack! So I said yes and got to try WW's  new gourmet cheese wedges and reduced-fat cream cheese.

Here's some info on the two products.

• The new Weight Watchers Gourmet Cheese Wedges come in four mouth-watering varieties – Original Swiss, Garlic & Herb, Parmesan Peppercorn and Jalapeño Pepper – and are perfect for spreading onto crackers, apple slices, celery sticks and more for a deliciously fun and easy snack.  Each rich and creamy wedge has only 30 calories, packs more fiber than the leading competitor and comes with a POINTS® value of 1. The wedges have a suggested retail price of $2.99-$3.99.

• The new eight-ounce variety of Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Cream Cheese Spread is ideal for baking and snacking alike with pre-measured servings and the same easy-to-spread goodness that has made Weight Watchers cream cheese products a hit. And in addition to its flavor props, the spread boasts 40 percent less fat than regular cream cheese and a POINTS® value of 1 per serving. The cream cheese spread has a suggested retail price of $1.69-$1.99.

• Look for both products at national retailers such as Wal-Mart and Kroger.

Weight Watchers sent me a great snack basket! I got this Picnic Time collapsible picnic basket, Kashi TLC crackers, Back to Nature nut mix, Emerald dried fruit mix, a Frisbee, a cheese spreader, all 4 kinds of cheese wedges, and one block of the reduced-fat cream cheese.

The original Swiss cheese wedge was definitely my favorite. It makes a great snack on the Kashi crackers. (And occasionally breakfast ... I do have a toddler!) My Bible study group and I tried the other kinds and all were given a thumbs up, although I thought the Parmesan Peppercorn was a little strong for my tastes. I don't love peppercorn flavor anything, but if you do, you might like them.

With the cream cheese, I made Kate's Cream Cheese Noodles. I sauteed some garlic in about 2 tablespoons of butter and mixed in 4 oz. of cream cheese and a little salt and pepper. I then mixed in 1/2 a pound of cooked thin spaghetti. YUM! I couldn't tell at all that the cream cheese was reduced fat; usually I am not a big fan of reduced-fat dairy so that is a good thing.

Would you like to win the exact package I got from Weight Watchers? Leave me a comment with which flavor of the cheese wedges you think would be your favorite. A winner will be drawn Sunday, August 1st at 3pm EST.

If you do not leave your email address in your comment or have it linked to your Blogger account (check "show my email address" under "Edit Profile" at blogger.com) I WILL DELETE YOUR COMMENT. I have had too many issues with this in the past. Please just change your Blogger profile. Then I can respond to all your comments by email.

For an additional entry, Tweet the following and leave me another comment letting me know you did:
Win some delicious #WeightWatchersCheese and other snacks over at @vanderbiltwife until 8/1! http://bit.ly/azzWCe

And since I REALLY like snacking and talking about snacking, here are my top ten favorite snacks ever.

Top Ten Favorite Snacks
{I talk extensively about my relationship with some of these foods in this post.}


1. Bagels with cream cheese, or egg, or cheese. I just love bagels. A lot.

2. FiberOne bars. These actually fill up my hungry baby belly!

3. Tortilla chips or crackers with cheese melted on top. Melted until it's crispy. Yummm!

4. Granny Smith apples with havarti. I think Michelle introduced me to this fine delicacy. The creamy Havarti and bite of the green apple really balance each other out. It's DELISH!

5. Hard sausages and cheese with crackers. I like salt. So kill me! Not something I have a lot, but I will devour it if it's out at parties.

6. Raw veggies, pretzels, and dip. If we were in a musical, I might start singing, "Any dip will do!" I like dips. Speaking of ...

7. Spinach and artichoke dip with chips. We're talking fantasy snacks, right? Cause I've made this homemade maybe once, but I LOVE it. The frozen kind will work if needed.

8. Cherries. While I don't splurge for Raniers, I love my Bing cherries and will happily eat a bowlful for a delicious and fresh snack.

9. Candy. Straight up sugar is my pregnancy weapon of choice. I am not proud of it, but it's true.

10. Ice cream. Lemony, chocolatey, peanut buttery--I'm sort of indifferent. Just bring me a bowl: not melted, and no marshmallows please.

Added to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. 

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Some Days It's Good to Be a Blogger

A few weeks ago a PR rep e-mailed me and asked if I'd like to be involved in a campaign promoting Chili's new and improved menu. They gave me a nice gift card and told me to take my family out!

Like I said, it's good to be a blogger some days! I don't participate in a lot of campaigns, but I am pretty open when it comes to free food. Especially since we don't eat out very much.

So one Friday night Mr. V, Libbie, and I, drove the four minutes to our local Chili's for an early dinner. Since I am trying to watch what I eat, I printed out a PDF of their menu with nutritional information before we left and studied it a little bit. (I was horrified to find out my beloved Quesadilla Explosion Salad has 1400 calories--but over 400 calories and 24 grams of fat come from the cheese quesadilla, not the salad part. The dressing is another 250.)

Mr. V and I sampled several items off the new menu. We both decided to get one of the new $9.99 Fresh Pairings. I got the (old standard and oh-so-delicious) chips and salsa with smoked chicken mini-tacos. I am going to have to be completely honest and say: the tacos tasted good at first. Then they started to taste funny to me. I am not a big fan of very pungent cheeses, such as bleus, unless they are paired with fruit; and I think the Cojita cheese was a little much for my tastebuds. The beans and rice that came with the tacos were interesting, mixed with corn and other veggies, but nothing special in my eyes.

Mr. V got the Crispy Onion Fries and Jalapeno Stack as his appetizer. It came with a ranch dipping sauce and was yummy and HUGE. We barely made a dent in it (or the chips). He also got a half rack of ribs with their new Shiner Bock BBQ sauce. They were quickly devoured. The sauce was lovely and sweet.

We ordered Libbie a cheeseburger and rice off the Pepper Pals Kids' Menu. The waitress thought I said fries, and she offered to get rice, but we let Libbie keep the fries, which she enjoyed very much. She wasn't a fan of the burger--but she also rarely eats any meat, so that means pretty much nothing.

Other than one very memorable occasion, I've always had excellent service and good food at Chili's, and I am happy to promote them as a good family restaurant that we'd go to no matter what. I almost always get the Quesadilla Explosion Salad, Southwestern Cobb (which has left the menu--sad!), or fajitas.

 

Sadly, we used the rest of our gift card ordering from the new Chili's To Go online service and were not pleased. They have a guarantee that your food will be ready at a certain time, and my husband waited over 20 minutes for ours past when it said it would be ready. I ordered the new Asian Chicken Salad, and I am pretty sure it was missing two parts of the salad. The rest of the food was good, though.

All that said, I won't give up on Chili's. They really do have good food at reasonable prices. The manager offered to send us coupons when my husband had to wait for his order.

Right now, Chili's is running a campaign called Shout Out to Eat Out! You can upload a 10- to 30-second video telling them why you don't want to cook tonight and be entered to win a $50 gift card. They're giving away one a day until August 30. There are a lot of nights I don't want to cook. How about you?

What's your favorite thing on the Chili's menu?

I received a $50 gift card from Chili's in order to do this review. I was not compensated in any other way.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Recipes

Megan emailed me last week and suggested I have some sort of post with recipes I've linked to. Dear friends, that would be NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE! I have linked to so many recipes over the years that it's not even funny. 

I want to start working on something similar, though, at least containing the links to recipes I really love from others' sites. Would that be helpful to y'all?

For today, here's my ten very favorite recipes from around the blogosphere.

1. Homemade Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (Musings of a Housewife)

2. Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns (Heavenly Homemakers)

3. Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich (Pioneer Woman Cooks)

4. Mini Meatball and Arugula Soup (Cooking During Stolen Moments)

5. The Best Lasagna, Ever (Pioneer Woman Cooks)

6. Chicken Stock (Musings of a Housewife)

7. John McCain's Ribs in the Crockpot (A Year of Slow Cooking)

8. Caprisio Tortellini Salad (The MawMaw)

9. Cheddar Garlic Bread (Cooking During Stolen Moments)

10. Ham and Potato Pockets (Once a Month Mom)


And just so you know, while trying to find these recipes I came across approximately 600,000 other recipes I am dying to try that I have bookmarked or starred in Google Reader! 

For more Top Ten Tuesday, visit OhAmanda.

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With a Toddler, Everything's a Saga.

Near-daily, I try to convince myself that my daughter is not a tyrant, she is just a toddler. I've never parented a toddler before, so I have difficulty in knowing whether this is true or not. But as we wade through the challenges I have to think it's normal and not that I should be preparing for 17 more years of extreme strong will and tantrums.

One of the biggest issues we have is food. When Libbie was starting solids, she would eat just about anything—green beans, peaches, cantaloupe, watermelon, apricots, mango, sweet potatoes—no fruit or vegetable was safe from her eager mouth. Then, as we tried to start some other foods, Libbie began showing preference--also known as, she would not open her stubborn little mouth for anything she didn't want.

Gradually, Libbie began to detest all foods, until she would pretty much only eat bread, bananas, applesauce, and cheese. Fun, huh? I felt like I needed to buy stock in Chiquita and Kraft.

Every once in awhile, we'd have a break-through. She'd eat tortellini and chicken sausage with gusto, and I'd feel hopeful that soon she'd eat anything! Everything! Brussels sprouts! Caprese salad! I get a little carried away.

I am of the firm opinion that we shouldn't have to cook different meals for our kids. So I keep trying. I put in front of her whatever we're eating for dinner. Some days she won't even try it. (That's what infuriates me. I would be OK if she didn't like it, but not trying it...grrrr.) Some days she'll eat off a plate or only with a spoon. Some days she'll eat from her daddy's plate but not from mine.

I don't mind not being scheduled or orderly, but this going back-and-forth, no predictable eating pattern whatsoever drives me MAD!!

A couple weeks ago I thought we were making good progress. She was sampling much of what we ate and liking it! And then, a week ago, it seemed like we were back to square one. Only with no bananas.

Please tell me, is this normal? And do you have any suggestions for making sure she eats something nutritious every once in awhile?
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Losing It: Week 5

I'm doing this Bible study on Esther. (The same one I had this personal dilemma about a year ago. And then went for two weeks, realized the group wasn't talking about it, just watching the video, and stopped going.) Tonight the Holy Spirit slapped me in the face while I was studying, and I knew I needed to share it with you.

I went out by myself tonight to go to CVS and found myself in the Krystal drive-through, coerced by a tummy that still felt hungry and the excuse, "I've already flopped today, why not?"

That is the worst excuse in the book. I am ashamed. And the milkshake I got wasn't even good--the ultimate punishment.

Chocolate slush still settling unhappily in my stomach, I sat down and started to read Beth Moore's words about Mordecai refusing to bow to Haman. She eventually got to both Mordecai and Joseph (the Genesis Joseph) being pursued by temptation day after day after day. And yet, Beth writes, "Each responded out of his mind-set rather than his mood."

The last few paragraphs of the day boiled in my heart until they spilled out on the page into a fervent prayer.

If I had agreed with Your lessons to not be gluttonous as I have agreed with You on not having premarital sex, not cursing, not getting drunk … wouldn't I follow through like I did on those? The temptation of food is stronger for me only because I have not fully agreed with You against gluttony. 

My heart is heavy with sin. I cannot piecemeal what I want from the Bible. But God is good, and He forgives. After I finished Esther, I just flipped open the Bible and read in Isaiah:

Your anger has turned away,
and You have had compassion on me.
Indeed, God is my salvation.
I will trust Him and not be afraid.
Because Yah, the LORD,
is my strength and my song,
He has become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:1-2, HCSB

Amen and amen. I'm traveling into this week with a brand-new mindset. One that I want to be stronger than my mood.

How did you do this week? Link up your post at Giving Up on Perfect, and don't forget to visit Ashleigh at Heart and Home, too! If you have no clue what I'm talking about, read about the Losing It competition here.

I feel that I need to add, I don't think having a milkshake is a sin. It was this time for me, because I KNEW that I shouldn't. For you, it may be buying a fourth pair of black heels or spending 10 more minutes on Twitter. When you feel guilty about something like this, it's a good idea to step back and see if you're agreeing with God on this topic in your life.

This post includes Amazon affiliate links. Read more in my disclosure policy.
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Friday Favorites: Recipes to Try

I don't usually post more than once a day (well, unless I feel like it!) but my good friend Hillary at The Other Mama is starting a carnival this week and I want to support her! 

With all the once-a-month cooking craziness, I've been able to try many a new recipe and found some hits! I wanted to share these awesome recipes with you in case you're wondering what to cook this weekend.

I am in love with the pizza pockets, whole wheat hamburger buns, apricot breakfast bars, and sloppy joes--all from Heavenly Homemakers. Laura is obviously a genius in the kitchen AND makes everything from scratch (she even grinds her own wheat).

Jo-Lynne's tutorial for making homemade chicken stock has helped push me to do it. It's a great way to make use of a whole chicken. I enjoy having the shredded chicken meat in the fridge for pizza (I love the crust recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks), casseroles, and chicken salad. (Or more Chicken Burgers. MMMM.)

I haven't tried this yet, but I keep having fantasies of eating Kate's Spinach and Artichoke Dip Casserole for dinner. (In case I haven't mentioned it, Mr. V does not like cooked spinach, artichoke hearts, mayo, or sour cream. Wahhhh.) Maybe along with the Beet & Heat Salad I made for dinner last night (that he refused to eat). Seriously, who wants to come over so I can make this??!

Have you cooked something delicious lately you'd like to share? Leave me a link or recipe in the comments! And make sure to visit The Other Mama for more Friday Favorites.

Chicken stock photo courtesy of Flickr user Librarianguish via Flickr Creative Commons. Click on photo for source.


Amazon affiliate link uses in this post.

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Still Not Sure What to Make for Christmas Dinner?

My mother-in-law will be doing all the cooking this year, so I won't get to experiment with any holiday recipes. But maybe you will! Here's a menu that will satisfy many tummies.

Turkey
Easiest Way to Cook a Turkey -- Heavenly Homemakers

Bread
Holiday Dinner Rolls -- The Finer Things in Life
Grandma Ruth's Stuffing -- AllRecipes (the picture is awful, but I've made this and it was delicious!)

Salad
Cornbread Salad -- The MawMaw (or)
Layered Salad -- VW

Side Dishes
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese and Sour Cream -- A Year of Slow Cooking
Bacon-Wrapped Green Bean Bundles -- The Finer Things in Life
Broccoli and Rice Casserole -- Giving Up on Perfect
Simple Sweet Potato Casserole -- Happy Housewife
Scalloped Corn -- VW

Cranberry Sauce
Crockpot Homemade Cranberry Sauce -- A Year of Slow Cooking (or)
Cranberry, Cherry, and Walnut Chutney -- VW

Dessert
Molasses Cut-out Cookies -- Musings of a Housewife
Cake Balls -- Busy Girl Blog
Cherry Cheesecake Pie -- VW


For more delicious recipes, visit Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

[P.S. For a while, the most-searched for phrase on this blog was "broccoli cheese dip." I do NOT have a recipe for that on the blog, but I ran across this one on Kraft foods the other day: Hot Broccoli Dip. So there ya go. Now all those who are dying for some broccoli cheese dip can make it!]

Two Labors

On Monday night, my friend Jess and I both labored.

I pushed. I pulled. I strained, sweated, got angry, and wanted to quit.

Here is the fruit of my labor:



I think Jess got a better deal.



Congratulations, Jess, on the birth of precious Sydney Claire. I got the honor of meeting her and sniffing her sweet little head yesterday. I could have rocked her forever. I loooove tiny babies.

(My "fruit" is two loaves of Heavenly Homemaker's Honey Whole Wheat bread. Her recipe makes two loaves, so I made one regular--with a little added oat bran--and one cinnamon swirl bread.)

12 Days of Libbie: Day 10

I've been waiting for the right time to share this story, and this is it!

In the end of August, at the very end of Libbie's 10th month, we rented a UHaul and moved all of the furniture from our storage unit into our rental house in Chattanooga. One of my friends at work offered to drive the UHaul down for us since neither Mr. V nor I was comfortable doing it. So he and his wife were in the UHaul and we caravanned across the mountains.

We stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch and Libbie was seated in her high chair at the end of the table next to me and my coworker's wife, Cheryl.

After we got our food, we bowed our heads to pray. When we looked up, my child was gnawing on the piece of toast that had previously topped Cheryl's BLT. She snatched that thing right off while we were IN PRAYER.

Can't close your eyes for a second around Miss Libbie. She's a ravenous beast.



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If you'd like to help celebrate Libbie's birthday, please write a post loving on your kid(s) and link to it here. You're welcome to use something you've already written, I just ask that you link back to my site. We all get so wrapped up in the everyday of parenting that I think it's important to remember the special moments. I'm excited to share these moments with you and to read yours! Code for the button is in the sidebar.