Divided We Fall

 

 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand  (Matthew 12:25).

I am sad.  I look around, and all I see is division.  Black divided from white.  Democrat divided from Republican.  Christian divided from Muslim.  Man divided from woman.  This is not right.  It is not healthy.  It is not helpful.  And it is not Christ-like.

There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any:  even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.  

(Colossians 3:11-15)

Brothers and sisters, we are in difficult times.  But so was Paul when he wrote Colossians.  It was during the persecution of the new Christian church by the Jewish authorities.  The verse in Matthew is a quote by Jesus.  He was speaking to the Pharisees, who were accusing him of casting out demons by the power of the devil.  In the same chapter, it states that the pharisees were holding a council to determine how to destroy him.

My family and I attend a very small church in a very small town.  But it is one of the most diverse churches, culturally, that I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of.  We are a family made up of blacks, whites, Hispanics; immigrants and people who have lived here for generations; rich and poor; law enforcement officers and former offenders; democrats, republicans, and independents; old people and little children.  And when we meet together, we are one.  We are family.  It doesn't matter what color you are, or how old, or your job or your political persuasion.  We are all brothers and sisters In Christ Jesus.  

Now I realize that this country is not made up only of Christians.  But that is part of the beauty of it.  There is a poem inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.  It is a poem called "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" 

 This is the America that I love.  Not the one where everyone is trying to get their own way and to make everyone else agree with them.  The one that "Glows world-wide welcome."  The America that was built on freedom.  Not Tyranny.  Not Selfishness.  The America that worked together through tough times to come out stronger.  Not the one that fell apart when the going got tough.

We have to get back to that.   We can't let ourselves be divided and conquered.  We have to band together as ONE nation.  White AND Black.  Republican AND Democrat.  Christian AND Muslim.  Men AND women.  And ALL Americans.  That is our heritage.  And it is the only way we will survive.

 

Whose God is their Belly

 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.

Philippians 3:18-19 

 

 I was reading in Philippians the other day, and this phrase caught me:  "Their god is their belly."  I immediately thought about how obsessed we are with food in this culture.  And I do mean "WE."  I cannot let myself off of this one.  Much of my life revolves around planning, buying, and making food.  It has gotten worse since Rory was diagnosed with food allergies.  And ironically the less money we have available, the more important food seems to be.  

One of my husband's pet peeves is people posting pictures of their dinner on Facebook.  But really, food is everywhere.  And it seems like over the years it has become more important.

Everyone is concerned about their diet.  But it's gotten much more specific than it used to be.  Years ago, if someone said they were "on a diet," you assumed that they were cutting back on food in order to lose weight.  That is no longer the case.  We now have a plethora of diets available, which are all meant to make us healthier in some way or another.  And they all involve a lot of thought about what food you are eating.  Or not eating, as the case may be.

Aside from the health issues, we expect food to be pleasant.  It has gone beyond sustenance to pleasure.  We have multiple versions of everything from coffee to cheese to breakfast cereal to bottled water, and everyone has an opinion about which one is best.  Our small local grocery store has a huge section allocated to pet food!  Even our dogs and cats have somehow acquired "discriminating tastes."  

I am not a historian, but it seems that we have entered a strange era.  We now have so much to eat that we have to manufacture ways to burn off the calories.  We spend money on food that we don't need so that we can spend more money at the gym working it all off.  What would happen if we just ate the right amount for our lifestyles to begin with?

Now here's where the really scary part comes in.  The verse I quoted at the beginning of this post calls people "enemies of Christ" whose "God is their belly."  The passage ends with "who mind earthly things."  I wonder.  In our obsession with food, are we making it an idol?  Has it become our God?  If I think of the amount of time I spend each day doing worrying about food, compared to the amount of time I spend with God, I am ashamed.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"  Yet we do worry.  I confess that I get a little nervous if I don't have a full cupboard.  If I really thought about it, I would realize that I have enough food for quite a while.  It may not be worthy of Pinterest, but I won't starve, and neither will the rest of my family, or even my pets.  

The sad thing is that there are people starving.  While I worry about my three squares a day, there are people who are lucky to get one bowl of rice.  Maybe this is part of the "enemies of Christ" thing.  Because how can I spend all this time and money and energy on making sure I have enough pleasureable food to be comfortable and full, while ignoring those around me who are neither?

I took one of my kids for bloodwork at a lab this summer.  While we were in the waiting room, there was a television tuned to the Rachel Ray show.  Of course, she was making a delicious looking meal.  There was a man who was also waiting for bloodwork who had to come in fasting.  He commented that he was so hungry he could taste what she was cooking through the TV screen!  And he had only missed breakfast!  How many people do we offend this way every day with our food talk?  And why aren't we ashamed to do it?  

I also wonder what I'm teaching my kids.  I fasted one day - just between supper one day and supper the next - in order to take the time to pray.  Lily was angry at me!  She thought I was going to die!  Really!  Somehow I have given her the impression that if she doesn't eat three meals a day, she will honestly not survive.  I don't really believe this, but I must act that way.  God forgive me!  In trying to make sure my kids have enough food, I have passed down this lifestyle to another generation.  

Next week is Thanksgiving here in the United States.  The food holiday.  Other holidays have gifts, but Thanksgiving is all about the food.  As we spend the day eating with our families and friends, let's remember the real reason for the holiday.  Let's give thanks to God for his care of us.  The God of Life, not the God of our belly.

The Feast

Last month, we had a special feast.  It was called an "Israeli Supper" in the cookbook.  Each person got a hard boiled egg, a bowl, and a paring knife.  We had a bowl on the table filled with raw vegetables, a loaf of bread, a pot of tea, and butter, jam, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  This simple supper was made special with the table settings handed down from my mom, the handmade placemats from my cousin, and the handpainted lazy susan from my mother-in-law, along with vegetables from a nearby farm.

The idea of the supper was that each person assembled his own dinner.  You got a veggie out of the bowl, cut it up with your paring knife, put it in your bowl, and then got a different veggie and repeated until you had a salad.  Then, you cracked open your egg and crumble it over the veggies.  Add some olive oil and salt and pepper, and there you go!  A nice piece of bread with butter and jam and a cup of Constant Comment tea and you had a meal fit for a king.  With fresh fruit for dessert, of course.

The kids thought this was the most fun they'd had in a long time.  If I had asked them to chop vegetables up for a salad, they probably would have grumbled a bit, and then done it.  But this was fun!  And delicious.  The four of us sitting around the table, cutting and talking and eating and laughing, surrounded by items which reminded us of family members who are far away in distance but never far from our hearts.

Today our church celebrated the sacrament of Communion.  We do this the first Sunday of every month.  It is a feast, but not like the one in the picture.  It isn't colorful or abundant or fun.  But it is important.

When we gather at the communion table with our church family, we are joined together with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, from every age, sharing in a feast that began so long ago in Jerusalem.  And the memories aren't in the table settings, but in the joining of our spirits to those of all of the saints who have gone before, and all of those who are to come.  And the food isn't the kind that fills our bellies, but the kind that feeds our souls.

I hear so often that God is everywhere, and you don't have to worship him in a church.  And that is true.  In fact, those who only worship Him in church are missing out on most of their lives.

I hear that you can worship God by yourself, and that is true also.  In fact, those who spend no intimate time with God, by themselves, are missing out on most of God.

But I have tried to worship God on my own, without being joined to the universal church, and it just didn't go well. It was too easy for me to get involved in other things and to forget to spend time with Him.

We have things in our house which remind us of friends and family members.  Gifts or pictures or letters or even e-mails on the computer.  And it's not that we would forget everyone without those reminders, but it's comforting to have them near us.

The church is our reminder of our brother Jesus and our Father God.  Singing together, praying together, hearing the message together, and yes, even eating together, are ways that we can connect.  To each other, and to God.

Communion was given to us by Jesus as a reminder of what He did for us, just as the Jewish holidays were given to the people of Israel as reminders of what God had done for them.

We have added holidays over the years like Christmas and Easter to help us remember Jesus, and to help us remember to teach our children about Him, but the sacrament of Communion was the only celebration that Jesus actually asked us to remember him by.

 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.  Luke 22:19-20

The body given for us on the cross, and the new testament, or covenant, in His blood, shed for us.  Do this in remembrance!

Without the cross, and without the resurrection, Communion is just a snack.  A bite of bread and a sip of juice can hardly be called a meal.  But Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35) and the living water (John 4:14).  He promises that anyone who comes to him will never hunger or thirst, and will have eternal life.  What other meal can promise that?

Have you been trying to go it alone?  Maybe you've had a bad experience in church, or maybe, like happened to me, life has just pulled you away.  I encourage you to try again.  See if there's a church near you that you can become comfortable with.  Pray for God to show you where he wants you to be.  The early Christians lived in community, meeting together daily!  I think we can manage to put up with each other once a week!

Recipe: Rory-Safe "Oreos" (Gluten, dairy, soy, chocolate, and artificial-junk -free)

Since Rory's allergy diagnosis, a multitude of normal, everyday foods have become completely taboo.  We went to a birthday party yesterday, with the usual array of sweets, and he was stuck with fruit, and a few marshmallows that I let him have, even though they most likely had blue food coloring in them (Really!  Check the labels).  We will be spending tomorrow with Hubby's family to celebrate Memorial Day, so I wanted to have something special that Rory could actually eat.  So I found a recipe in "Cooking for Isaiah," one of my favorite cookbooks since starting this bewildering food journey, and tweaked it a little.  The result?  Allergy-free "Oreo"-type cookies, and one happy little boy!

Rory-Safe "Oreos"

gluten, dairy, soy, chocolate, and artificial junk - free

Ingredients:

Cookies:

1 cup Namaste Perfect Flour Blend

3 tbsp. carob powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup shortening (I use Spectrum Palm Oil Shortening, as Crisco has soybean oil)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and carob powder
• In a large bowl, beat shortening and sugars until fluffy, then add egg and vanilla.
• Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture.
• Drop onto cookie sheets - use about a rounded half-teaspoon per cookie.  Bake for 7 minutes or until crinkled on the top.  Let cool on the sheet for about two minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix together filling ingredients.  Put a small amount on the bottom of a cookie, and squish down with the bottom of another cookie that more or less matches.

That's it!  Yields about 30 cookies and 1 happy boy!

Spaghetti, part II

So here's the scoop on the homemade spaghetti.  It tasted good!  The only issue was that it was in small pieces by the time we ate it.  Mike was a bit disappointed that he couldn't twirl it.  I can't twirl it anyway and usually end up cutting it into little pieces, so it worked perfectly for me!  Lily ate about three servings, so I think she approved.  She was very excited that we were eating the spaghetti that "she made!"  So, all in all, it was a good experience.  I think next time I'll try the fettuccine cutter, though.  Or maybe some ravioli.  Hmmm...

Spaghetti!

Homemade spaghetti

I received a slew of kitchen things for Christmas this year.  In the picture, you see a cookbook and stand from my sister.  It is such a cool book - Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects by Karen Solomon.  The front of the book also says "make your own bacon, cheese, marshmallows, and more".  Now, I can almost imagine those three things together...but anyway, I decided to start in the pasta section.

One reason for this, is that my mother-in-law gave me her gently used pasta roller.  Heeheehee!  My ultimate idea is to try to make gluten-free pasta, but I thought I should try to make the regular stuff, first.  So, here is the result!  I think I finally figured it out by the end.  We will be eating it later tonight, and I'll let you know how it tastes!  I did find out that Lily is a cracker-jack pasta roller operator.  Rory was a bit jealous, but unfortunately was still working on his math and couldn't help (mean mom!)  Maybe he'll have more incentive to get his work done next time?

Now, a small confession - I planned to make pasta when I made out my weekly menu, but bought a box at the grocery store, anyway, in case it didn't work.  I am sure that this shows a lack of faith in some way, but I choose to believe that I am just being a good boy scout.

So, this is an odd time for me to be writing, but if I have a chance I will follow up tonight with a post either extolling the wonderfulness of my pasta-making skills or lamenting the pile of mush I was forced to throw away in favor of the cheap, dry, boxed stuff.  Until then, Bon Appetit!

Look here for the results...Spaghetti part II

Tired!

Too tired.  Exhausted, really.  I can feel myself walking around with a drawn expression on my face.  My mind is wandering around somewhere else.

Rory's blood tests came back this week, and the results were not particularly good.  He has allergies to dairy and gluten, borderline vitamin D levels, and low adrenal function.  That last one is the worst.  And because of it, we now have to keep him away from not only dairy and gluten, but chocolate, caffeine, soy, artificial sweeteners, and artificial coloring.  It seems that his adrenal glands are taxed beyond their abilities, and we have to try to get all of the toxins out of him, while putting only good stuff in.

This is a little difficult, as it involves a really hard food switch, but more than that, I'm a worried mom!  I find myself watching him for any little sign that he's getting better, or worse.  I read labels, and find out there's all sorts of junk in so many foods I thought were healthy.  Innocuous things like milk and wheat are now the enemy, and soy is in everything!  It is incredibly difficult to find foods that don't have at least one of the things he's not supposed to have.  I'm even having trouble finding the vitamins he should have - why in the world do vitamin C pills need yellow artificial coloring ?!

So right now I should either be doing dishes, or be in bed, but I'm writing because I have to get this mess out of my head somehow.  I'm not sure it's helping, but hopefully I can make some sense of things.

Rory is also tired, and hungry.  I think he's been tired for a while, and just didn't realize what it was, because it was just normal to him.  I'm trying to get him to pay attention to how he's feeling, and take it easy when he needs to so that his body can start to heal.  I'm not sure why he's hungry.  Maybe it's psychological, because he knows there are things he can't eat.  Maybe it's his body going into some sort of withdrawal from the dairy and gluten, like trying to give up cigarettes or coffee.  Maybe he's growing.  Maybe his body needs more food to heal itself.  Whatever it is, it seems to be real, because he gets really tired, and then perks up after he's eaten something.

The good thing is, there are plenty of things he can eat;  vegetables, fruit, meat, rice and some other grains.  He's not allergic to goat or sheep's milk, so he can have some cheeses.  He can have nuts.  I guess it's not a terrible thing to avoid candy, cookies, ice cream and chocolate.  Well, I'd have a pretty hard time with that last one!

So right now, I'm trying to find alternatives for the things he really likes, and to figure out how to bake without wheat or dairy.  Other than that, we will all be eating a whole lot more "meat and potatoes" type meals, and a lot less pasta and pizza.

I just pray that he will heal.  That this will be enough.  Even if he has to watch his diet for the rest of his life, it will be much better than medications and surgery.  And I thank God that we switched doctors when we did, because his former doctor didn't catch on to any of the signs that he was having problems, and I didn't realize what was going on, either.

Okay, now I will try to catch up on my dishes and get to bed, because we have baseball practice tomorrow!

The Blessing of Adversity

It's been a little while since I've written, partly because I've been a little obsessed (who, me?) trying to find milk-free food.  In fact, the kids and I were all milk-free for a few days, me more in support of poor Rory, and Lily because she had been having a few tummy issues, herself, and I wanted her to feel better.  Actually, I am now wondering if I don't react well to milk, either.  I'm not sure I ever tried going without it before, but as I look into it, some of the things that I deal with regularly could be a reaction to milk.  In fact, I went a few days without and then had yogurt for breakfast one morning.  I felt terrible that day - all stuffed up and tired.  I didn't have any dairy again the next day, and felt much better.  So, I think I'll try to go the month too, and see if I see any changes in my own health.

Anyway, this whole non-dairy thing has also proven to be a blessing in disguise.  I realized as I was planning my menu for the next couple weeks that I had gotten in a bit of a rut with our food choices.  I realized that the easiest thing to do at this point was not to make the usual food without dairy, but to find new recipes that didn't include milk products to begin with.  That way I don't have to modify things, and we can all eat the same food at the same time.  So, we have had lamb stew (yesterday for St. Patrick's Day), chili, bean and beef burritos, and a bacon and spinach omelet (or scrambled eggs, as that is what all my omelets look like in the end), and Matzo ball soup.  Tonight, we are having Thai rolls, Spring rolls, and cucumber wheels, all from a cookbook I got from the library called "Allergy Proof Recipes for Kids" by Leslie Hammond and Lynne Marie Rominger.  The recipes are actually wheat-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free and gluten-free, but the recipes look pretty yummy!  So the final blessing is that we are able to eat a more varied and exciting menu than we were eating before.  Go figure!



I've actually noticed this blessing thing before.  I had a very bad case of Lyme disease years ago, and found that I was drawn closer to God at that time than I had been before I was sick.  I know people who have lost jobs and found that the new job they got was so much better than the old one.  It's like the verse that says "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.

And sometimes our blessings are the result of our own request to God, though we had something different in mind.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"  


Did your children ever ask you for some gooey dessert that you knew they shouldn't have?  Or want to do something you thought was too dangerous for them to do?  Did they ever do it first and ask later?  Or maybe it's just my kids?  Well, I think God's kids are the same way.  We see things, we think of things, and they seem like a really good idea.  And sometimes we go ahead and do them without asking first.  And sometimes we don't believe that the answer is "no."  But just as we know better than our children sometimes, God knows better than we do.  A friend of mine likens it to a beautiful tapestry.  God is looking at the beautiful picture on the front, while we're looking at the mess of strings on the back.  And if you've ever embroidered anything, you know exactly what I mean!  Many times we can't understand what He's doing.  We start to think he's ignoring us, or maybe even that he's being unreasonable or downright mean in not letting us have what we want.

Our pastor spoke today about that crossroads we all come to in life.  We have to decide whether to take the broad, popular road, or the narrow, difficult-looking one.  And in between those two roads stands the cross.  He said that we may get more than one chance to make that choice.  But then, we never know when that last chance may be.  The narrow road is hard to choose.  It looks difficult, and maybe lonely.  But it leads to life.  And the only way to get on it is to finally allow God to lead us.  Completely.

Honestly, that's a little bit scary.  I can relate to my 3-year-old who didn't want to ride on anything at the amusement park until she found a "train" that had handles so that she could drive it herself.

But if we don't get out of "safe mode," and give over the control to God, we will never be able to enjoy the ride.

http://www.simplylivingforhim.com/2012/03/its-time-for-some-moms-to-encourage.html 

Not-So-Simple Food...For Rory

Okay, you are going to laugh.  My last two posts had to do with how we simplify our food and making ice cream.  So, we go to the doctor yesterday for Rory's yearly check-up.  He's been generally healthy, but we had a few minor concerns.  The doctor checks him over and said he had symptoms of being intolerant of dairy products.  Not an allergy, but maybe a sensitivity.  So, he recommended that Rory not be given any dairy products for a month to see if it helps.

So Sorry, Cows!

My stupendous menu includes for the next week or so...chicken parmesan, quiche, quesadillas, burritos, pizza, and cheese ravioli.  Hah!  Also, leftover pancakes (made from milk) and yogurt with granola.  Do you realize how many times a week we use dairy products?  Plus, the kids drink milk for most meals.  And, Rory reminded me, we have ice cream cones, which is a rare treat.

I stopped at a health food store on the way home, and bought some almond milk, almond milk yogurt, and rice milk ice cream (for the cones, of course).  It would probably be simpler just to not have Rory eat these types of food for a month, but I couldn't imagine trying to make him go "cold turkey" without some sort of substitute!  Besides, if this turns into a permanent thing, it will be good to know what some of the options are.

So, welcome to the world of recipe modification, label-reading (there are dairy-based ingredients in our favorite bread, and - gasp - chocolate chips, for example), and asking everyone at Sunday's pot-luck what is in their dishes.  Blah!  But, as I told Rory, if it makes him feel better, it will be worth it.

Ice Cream Recipe

So - Rory was up shortly after 6:00 this morning, because he remembered that we were going to make ice cream today!  I have an old-fashioned ice cream freezer, complete with hand crank (though it also has an electric  motor we can use if we get too tired!)  We haven't used it for a while, especially as it works best with snow, and we have had very little snow in our area this winter.  We actually had a tiny storm Wednesday night, and though there wasn't enough to really build a snowman or sled, there was enough to make ice cream!  Anyway, the ice cream turned out so yummy - okay, I confess that we were eating ice cream at 10:00 this morning - that I thought I'd post the recipe.  It's actually a variation of a recipe that came with the freezer, but it's just so easy!  When I was a girl - many moons ago - I remember my Mom making a kind of custard ice cream that was cooked on the stove first.  This one does not have to be cooked, so you don't have to wait for the mixture to cool before you can freeze it - good for impatient 9-year-old boys!

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 quarts half and half
2 cups sugar
1 quart whipping (or heavy) cream
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1 bag mini chocolate chips

Mix the half and half, sugar, and whipping cream together, transfer to ice cream freezer and churn until almost done (about when your arms fall off).  Add the vanilla and chocolate chips (quickly so the bottom of the ice cream doesn't harden) and continue churning.  Transfer to freezer containers (it filled up 4 quart-sized yogurt containers), spooning a bit into separate bowls for all of the workers to try (don't forget this part!) and put into freezer until hard.


Voila!  We will be having ice cream for dessert tonight!

Simple Food...For Me

As I mentioned in my introductory post of this series, simple living really means different things to different people.  This definitely applies to food!  On the one hand, we all have to eat.  On the other, there are a vast array of choices involved in obtaining, storing, and preparing our food.

My Criteria
When it comes to providing food for my family, I have a few basic criteria.  It has to be nutritious, inexpensive, easy to store, and not too difficult.  Everything we eat does not fit all of these criteria, but I've gotten pretty good at balancing them so that most of the food fits most of the time.

Because our family lives on one income, we don't have unlimited amounts of money to spend on food.  The upside of this is that I have more time to cook from scratch, because I am home during the day.  This is one way we keep the costs down.  It is much cheaper to buy flour than a loaf of bread, and a whole chicken to roast than prepared chicken dinners.  This also helps to keep the food more nutritious, as we are not buying things that are loaded with additives and preservatives to extend their shelf life.  I also know exactly what is going into the food, and am not surprised when I read the label.

However, there are those days that we're out all day and need something to cook that's quick!  That's when the box of spaghetti with a jar of sauce can save us from a trip to McDonald's or the local pizza place.  Not that we never frequent those places, but we try to save them for special occasions, or true "emergencies."

I'm going to say a little about storing up food, here.  I know that there are families who stockpile enough food for a year or more.  I also have friends who shop much less frequently than I do, and that works for them.  I usually shop once a week, and I usually use the basic grocery store that is in our town.  My reasons for this are that I don't have room to store a lot of extra food, I don't have a lot of time to go travelling from store to store to get the best deals, and I like to take advantage of sales, which change weekly.

My Process
The first thing I do when deciding what to buy, is to make a menu.  I've found that this helps me to keep costs down and provide a better variety of meals.  I usually do this after the weekly sale paper comes out, so that I can include those items on my list.  I figure out what we will eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the week, adding items to my grocery list as I go along.  I use a blank monthly calendar to write the menu on,  so that I can also see the things I've had for the past few weeks.  At this time, I also check for any leftovers we have that need to be used up.  In fact, I usually schedule a few "leftover" lunches or dinners, to force me to clean out that fridge!  Another advantage to making the menu is that I don't have to think each day what to do about dinner.  I try to think ahead when I write the menu, planning quick things on days we will be out, and putting longer tasks like baking bread or making stock on those days that I plan to be home.

My Food
My preference when buying food is to buy basic ingredients that can be used for a variety of things.  If I have flour, I can make bread, pizza crust, biscuits, tortillas, muffins, cake, pie, cookies, etc.  In fact, the pizza crust recipe can be used for pizza, breadsticks, or stromboli.  A whole chicken can be roasted one day, and the leftovers used for sandwiches, quesadillas, a casserole, and soup.  Oatmeal can be breakfast, or used to make granola, bread, or meatloaf.  Bags of frozen vegetables can be used a little at a time as side dishes or soup ingredients.

I've learned a few tricks for using up those dreaded leftovers.  The first is courtesy of my Mom - basically take all of the bits of things that might go together, heat them up together and call them "Conglomeration."  I think my kids think this is a real dish.  If I have bits of meat, I can put them on pizzas, wrap them up in strombolis, quesadillas, tacos, empanadas or burritos, or throw them into a casserole or soup.  I use leftover spaghetti sauce for pizza sauce, and dried-out bread for croutons.  A great way to use up tiny bits of leftovers, is to start a "freezer soup."  I have a Rubbermaid container that I keep in the freezer.  When there are only a couple tablespoons of something left over, whether it's cooked veggies, meat, spaghetti sauce, pasta, or chopped fresh veggies like onions or broccoli stalks, I throw it all in this container with any water it was cooked with.  When the container is full, I empty it into a pot with some water or broth, and cook it up.  You never know what you'll get, but it's always good!

Home-Grown Food
Something we just started a couple years ago was raising chickens.  It is definitely more work than picking up eggs at the store, but I like knowing that the chickens are taken care of, and that we will have something to eat even if we can't get to the store!  Anyway, the chickens are fun!  We've also been able to exchange the eggs at the local milk farm for fresh milk.  I try to garden, though I wouldn't say it's a money-saving effort at this point.  We also like to pick wild raspberries when they're in season, and can or freeze them for the winter.

Storing Food
I've been learning to can foods, and have so far done jams, cooked dried beans, chicken stock, applesauce, pumpkin, and rhubarb.   I like that the food can be preserved without relying on electricity (i.e. a freezer) to keep it good.  In fact, I just read a blog post on how to can ground meat which I am going to have to try!  I have to say, the beans have been really great.  I think it's cheaper than buying cans of beans, plus they have a lot less salt in them.  They're already cooked, so they're ready for soup, quesadillas, or salads right out of the jar.  I try to keep a couple varieties on hand all the time.

How About You?
So these are some of the things I do to simply provide good food for my family.  I would love to hear your ideas, too, so please leave a response in the comments section so we can all learn from each other!

Other Posts in this Series:
Living Simply...For Me
Simple Homeschool...For Me

Cooking with Kids

Rolling in the dough!

Cooking with kids is always an adventure.  I am blessed with two kids who really love to cook.  Lily's favorite thing to make is tortillas, seconded by bread.  She really loves to help me cook anything, and will pull a chair up to the counter any time she sees me getting food out.  She loves the processes of kneading, rolling, and shaping dough.  She also loves eating the results!

Artistic Presentation

Rory is the resident presentation expert.  While most of us would simply put the food on a plate, Rory's is always arranged.  This is his version of a fruit salad, shaped like a face!  As you can see, he also likes to be stylish while cooking, wearing Dad's apron and chef's hat.

Mix it up!

Rory is also the family chemist.  He loves mixing things together to see what they will become.  This has produced some interesting recipes, including "Italian Cereal," which basically includes every kind of cereal in the cupboard mixed together, as well as various other ingredients such as nuts and crackers.  In the recipe section of this blog, you can find Rory's recipes for Black Bean Soup and Liquid Ice, both developed by Rory, himself.


Cooking with kids is not always easy.  It is generally time consuming and messy, but it is definitely worth all of the trouble.  The sense of accomplishment they feel when they can tell Dad "I made this!" is worth all of the clean houses in the world.  As parents, we are required to train our children.  We should really be working ourselves out of a job!  Time spent teaching our kids to feed themselves will never be wasted, and the time we get to spend side by side with our kids, working together, is priceless.

Wheatley Family Egg Drop Soup

I was going to call this "Robin's Egg Drop Soup," but I thought some people may get the wrong idea!


Ingredients - for 2-3 servings

1 quart of chicken broth, stock, or prepared bouillon
1/8 cup thin sliced onion
1 cup Ditalini or other small pasta
2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork

Combine chicken broth and onion.  Heat to boiling.
Add pasta.  Bring back to boiling and cook until done, stirring occasionally.
Take soup off the burner, lower temperature, and slowly pour the eggs into the soup in a thin stream.
Put soup back on burner, and cook at low heat until eggs are set, stirring occasionally.

Variations:  Instead of sliced onion, use 2 cloves minced garlic, or wait until soup is done and add chopped chives or scallions.

This is a very quick and easy soup, and my kids love it.  The measurements are actually approximate - I just usually throw in some onion and a few handfuls of pasta.  This is a good amount for the kids and I.  If hubby is eating too, we would need about double.  Enjoy!

It's Beginning to Look...

I just had an interesting conversation with a friend.  Where we live, in the northeastern United States, Christmas looks like snow, Santa Clause in a red coat and hat and boots, decorations with snowman themes, and "icicle" lights hanging from houses (I guess insulation has eliminated most "legitimate" icicles these days).  We were wondering what Christmas looks like in other parts of the world - especially places where it is warm right now, or even summertime!  I imagine snowmen are not in such a demand in those areas.

A couple of days ago, our family took a ride after dark to see the Christmas lights.  People have some really elaborate displays, even in our little town.  As we were looking at the Grinch popping out of a chimney with a Santa hat on, and a carousel that actually went around, I began to wonder what Jesus thought about his birthday celebration.  Here we all are, focusing on decorating our houses, picking out presents, and baking cookies.  We go to concerts, go to parties, and go to the mall.  We watch movies about Santa Clause, snowmen, and Grinches (!)  It becomes a frenzied whirlwind of activity, all in the name of...What?

I had a wonderful birthday, this year.  My family took me out to eat, and we went shopping.  My husband even stayed with the kids in the children's section of Barnes and Noble while I browsed the whole store by myself.  This has been unheard of in the past almost eight years!  Miraculously, the children were angels all day.  Basically, it was a day all for me!  My family did everything they could to give me a nice day on my birthday.

Now, back to Jesus.  What is He doing on His birthday?  Okay, I know that we are not sure exactly what day his birthday is, and it may not have been this time of year at all, but this is the day we have chosen to celebrate it.  So, are we spending this season doing the things that Jesus most enjoys?  Let's see.

• Decorating the house - Jesus didn't have a house.  He was born in a stable, and as an adult he went from town to town.  "And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Matthew 8:20  So, I bet he is not too concerned about painted nutcrackers and icicle lights.
• Buying presents - okay, why do we give each other presents?  It's not our birthdays.  Maybe because we can't give Jesus presents, since he's not here?  Or is he?  "Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and clothed thee?  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:37 - 40.  How much of our shopping is focusing on the hungry and sick, and how much focuses on people who already have everything they need?  Face it.  Some of us are extremely hard to buy presents for, because we already have everything!
• Baking cookies - it's hard to say what Jesus thinks about cookies, but I think he would like to see some of them go to the aforementioned hungry!
• Entertainment - Jesus celebrated holidays, and he attended weddings and dinner parties.  He enjoyed spending time with his friends.  But, let's remember - we are supposed to be celebrating JESUS' birthday - we have to remember to invite him to the party!
• Activity - "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen." Matthew 28: 18 - 20  This is the activity Jesus expects of us.  So, while we are getting ready for our Christmas celebration in one week, let's try to remember who's birthday this is, and give him a birthday celebration that will please him.

Just so you know, I am as guilty of all the hoopla as everyone else.  I am stressing over getting the presents wrapped and the house cleaned and the cards sent out.  This is a thought in progress sort of thing, and I'm not very good about following my own advice, but I know I at least have a start.  I hope this helps you think about it, too.  Merry Christmas!