Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

July 8, 2014 049 blueberry muffin2

It’s blueberry season!! My daughters and I love picking blueberries just as much as we love picking strawberries. Blueberry muffins were the first thing the girls wanted to make with our fresh-picked blueberries. While this is not a typical recipe I would post on here (as I do not consider it healthy), it is something we enjoy making occasionally (and it is blueberry season), so I thought I would share it. It is quick and simple to make. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Update 8/16/2014 – These blueberry muffins just won 2nd place in a baking contest at the Marshfield Fair in Marshfield, MA!! 🙂

To come up with this recipe, I started with a long-time favorite blueberry muffin recipe of ours which you can find here. From there, I made a few healthy modifications and came up with this:

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 egg

about 1/3 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

Topping:

½ cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup butter, cubed

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin with muffin liners.
Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ¾ cup sugar, and baking powder.
Place coconut oil into a 1-cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this into the flour mixture.
Fold in blueberries
Fill all 12 muffin cups evenly and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture (directions below.)
Bake for approximately 18 minutes at 400°.

Crumb Topping:

Mix together ½ cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, ¼ cup butter, and 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Yield: 12 muffins

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Strawberries: 10 Ways to Eat Them

Jul7

10 Ways to Eat Strawberries

Nothing says summer like fresh strawberries! In my previous post 9 Reasons To Pick Your Own Strawberries, I mentioned that I had been on 6 fun-filled strawberry-picking excursions with my daughters last month (and I’ve even been again since that post!) One would think we would have more strawberries than we know what to do with, but the truth is I’ve been having trouble keeping the strawberries long enough to make anything out of them. My girls devour them (sometimes even before we get home!) It wasn’t easy, but I did manage to save some strawberries to make a few things. Here are 10 delicious ways to use those fresh-picked, juice-dripping strawberries!

1. Eat them just as they are!

Of course, this is the healthiest (and our favorite) way to eat them, and they don’t last long.

2. Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries!

Who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate and strawberries, right? And truly, they couldn’t be easier to make! It requires 2 ingredients – Fresh picked strawberries & Baker’s Dipping Chocolate (you can find this in the baking aisle of your local grocery store – next to the chocolate chips.)

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Simply melt the chocolate as instructed, dip your strawberries, place on a tray on waxed paper, and enjoy! If you prefer the chocolate a little bit harder (as we do), place in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes.

3. Strawberry Jam

This was our first attempt at making strawberry jam. Although this particular recipe didn’t go over well with my family, I’m including it in here anyway since we spent the time making it. Based on the reviews, it is very popular and it does seem like most people enjoyed it. We halved the recipe since I didn’t know if we would like it and I wasn’t sure how much it would make. It ended up filling 4 mason jars (8oz each). Since I normally try to minimize the amount of sugar I put into recipes (and this time I didn’t), for us it seemed way too sweet. I think next time I would use much less sugar. You can find the recipe we used here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-jam/

4. Strawberry Parfait

This is one of our favorite choices for breakfast. Simply use your favorite yogurt, fresh strawberries (chopped) any other desired fruits, and granola. Layer and enjoy!! 🙂

5. Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Nothing beats a refreshing, fruit-filled smoothie on a hot day! You can use any fruit you have on-hand, but here is one of my favorite combinations:

1 cup milk
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 frozen banana

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Enjoy!! 🙂 Note: Make sure at least one of your ingredients is frozen to make your smoothie cold. In the absence of frozen fruit, you may want to add some ice to make it cold. If this doesn’t appeal to you, try my other Strawberry Banana smoothie recipe, my Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter smoothie, or create your own yummy combination!

6. In a salad

I love strawberries in my salad! I also like to add blueberries, grapes, pineapple, cashews, and chocolate chips in addition to the lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers! 🙂 The fruit adds a wonderful juiciness that practically eliminates the need for salad dressing. YUM!!

7. In your cereal

We love adding fresh berries to our cereal. Yum!!

8. Freeze them.

If you have more strawberries than you know what to do with, you can freeze them for later use. To freeze, begin by removing the stems. Lightly rinse them and allow to dry. Then, place them on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a ziploc freezer bag.

9. Topping for cheesecake, ice cream, or pancakes

My kids absolutely love this stuff!! Here is the recipe we used (next time I’m going to double it!):

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh-picked ripe strawberries
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Wash strawberries and remove stems.
Chop strawberries
Combine sugar, vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups strawberries in a saucepan. (Set aside remaining 1/2 cup strawberries.)
Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat. In a blender, puree mixture. Add in the 1/2 cup strawberries you had previously set aside.
Store in refrigerator.

The original recipe can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Supreme-Strawberry-Topping/Detail.aspx

I was also hoping to make strawberry pie and strawberry shortcake with fresh-picked strawberries this year, but unfortunately strawberry season is now over in my area so I’ll have to try those out next year.

10. Strawberry Pie

Update 7/9/15: I made Strawberry Pie with my daughters this season, and it was delicious! The link to the recipe I used may be found on my blog Stacy Loves here.

11. Strawberry Ice Cream

Update 6/16/16

This strawberry ice cream, made with freshly picked strawberries, is the perfect treat on a hot, summer day! The recipe can be found on Stacy Loves here.

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries? Do you have a favorite use for strawberries that is not included here? Please leave a comment below.

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Strawberries: 9 Reasons to Pick Your Own

Jul2

Nothing says summer like fresh strawberries! After 6 fun-filled strawberry-picking excursions with my daughters last month, the season of strawberry-picking is unfortunately coming to an end in our area.

Here are 9 reasons why we love to pick our own strawberries:

1. It’s fun!

Strawberry picking signals the beginning of summer for me, and it is like a little scavenger hunt finding the perfect strawberries to feed my family.

2. It costs less.

A quart of strawberries at our local farm stands cost about $6.50, but if you pick your own and bring your own containers, you can get considerably more strawberries for the same price. You may be able to get them “on sale” at the grocery store for much less, but the quality is nowhere near that of the strawberries you pick for yourself.

3. They are fresher.

Can’t get any fresher than picked right off the plant!

4. They taste better.

Picked at the peak of ripeness, my girls think strawberries taste better than candy! (LOVE that!) 🙂

5. Great pictures.

I LOVE taking pictures, and strawberry fields are a wonderful location to get some great shots!

6. Support local farmers.

Keeping your money in the community and helping other local families is always a good thing!

7. Healthier – fewer chemicals.

Even if your local farm isn’t “certified” organic, many of them do not spray pesticides directly onto the fruit, especially if they are allowing you to pick your own. Talk to your farmers to find out their exact procedures, but generally in talking with my local farmers I have found that their practices are much safer than that of commercially grown produce. Just being able to talk to the farmer is a benefit in itself. Although strawberries are part of the “dirty dozen” and it is recommended to always buy organic, I would buy local strawberries that are not organic over organic strawberries in the supermarket any day!

8. It’s better for the environment.

Buying local reduces your carbon footprint. Make sure to bring your own containers to save money and eliminate the need for packaging.

9. You get to choose the strawberries you like best!

There’s nothing worse than paying a premium price for strawberries in the grocery store, only to have to throw away half the container because the strawberries are rotten or not suitable for eating. Picking your own ensures that you are only paying for the BEST strawberries.

If you’re wondering what to do with all of the delicious strawberries you have picked, be on the lookout in the next few days for the next post. I will share some ideas of ways to enjoy all of these yummy berries! To make sure you don’t miss it, click on the follow button in the sidebar to follow this blog.

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Healthy Summer Recipe: Watermelon & Fruit “Cake”

Jun26

June 14, 2014 012 crop

Here is a fun and healthy recipe to take to any summer potluck. We’ve already made this for a few occasions, and it was a huge hit! This is a super-easy (and healthy) recipe to make and the kids love to get involved! My 6-year-old daughter designed this watermelon cake for her cousin’s birthday party. You can use any fruit you like in this recipe, but this is what we used:

Ingredients:

1 Whole Watermelon

2 Kiwi, peeled, halved, and cut into ¼ inch slices

½ fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 can (11oz) mandarin orange segments, drained

Fresh strawberries (about 20)

Chocolate chips (about 20)

¼ cup blueberries

Red grapes (about 20)

Green grapes (about 20)

Instructions:

Lay the watermelon on a cutting board. Find the thickest part of the watermelon (the center). Cut a 3½-inch slice of the thickest part of the watermelon. Lay the slice flat on the cutting board and cut the rind off, making it as close to a circle as possible. (Ours ended up being 7 inches in diameter). Place this slice directly on the dish you will be using to serve. (We used a round cake taker because we were transporting it to a party.)
From one of the remaining watermelon halves, cut a 2 ½-inch thick slice. Lay it flat on the cutting board, and cut off the rind, forming a circle (our circle ended up being 4 ½ inches in diameter.) Center this slice on top of the larger slice.
Cut the remaining watermelon into bite-sized pieces to mix in with your other fruit if desired.
Now comes the fun part, where you may want to get the kids involved! Decorate as you wish, using any fruits you like and arranging them into patterns if desired. If you like the way ours came out, just copy the picture. Otherwise, get creative with your designs. The possibilities are endless!!
If you’re transporting the cake to a party, you may need to make additional adjustments when you arrive.
Enjoy!! 🙂

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Getting Organized for Summer Vacation with the Kids

Jun19

Summer vacation starts tomorrow for my girls (ages 11, 9, and 6). I am looking forward to having more time with them (and hopefully sleeping in a little longer), and they’re looking forward to the freedom from school, homework, and tight schedules. We generally try not to schedule too many activities in the summer so we are able to enjoy some downtime and allow for spontaneity.

Without schedules, I am concerned about them spending too much time in front of a screen. To minimize these concerns, I set a few rules and went over them with the girls last night at dinner. They agreed the rules were all fair, so we’ll see how it goes. Here are our rules:

1. Two-hour maximum television time each day (this should allow for one movie)

2. One-hour maximum tablet/computer time each day.

I will make exceptions as necessary. They may also earn additional time in 20-minute increments – I haven’t figured out the details of that yet.

3. No screen time until the following are done:

Eat Breakfast
Brush Teeth
Brush Hair
Get Dressed
Help with Chores
The living room (where they watch TV) is picked up

As an advocate for wellness, I think it is important that they spend time doing the following activities each day, for a minimum of 15 minutes per activity (of course more would be better, but I’ll take 15 minutes to start):

Create something (write, draw, paint, crafts, etc.) I’m hoping to discover lots of fun summer crafts that I can share on here.
Read
Play outside
Exercise
Help mom (with whatever I need help with that day)
Chores

I have put together a booklet (free PDF download) with a page for each day of summer vacation. It is a daily calendar/to-do list that doubles as a journal for each of them. My girls love checklists, so I’m hoping this will work out for us.

My intentions are good, but things are always easier said than done. Wish me luck! 🙂

If your kids enjoy checklist as well, click here to download the Summer Vacation Organizer PDF. When printing, make sure to choose the booklet option in order to save paper (otherwise it will be 74 pages!)

Happy Summer!! 🙂

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Perfect Summer Potato Salad

Jun12

Nothing says summer to me like a cool, refreshing mix of potatoes, eggs, cucumbers, and celery mixed with the perfect blend of spices in creamy mayo.

To make it healthier and minimize my use of processed ingredients, I made my own Italian salad dressing. If you’re running short on time, store-bought dressing will work. But if you have a few minutes, give the homemade dressing a try and you will see how simple it is to make. This delicious substitution is healthier and less expensive than the store-bought, and it gives me peace of mind being able to control the oils I use and to eliminate the high fructose corn syrup that is present in virtually all store-bought dressing.

The following recipe is my idea of a perfect potato salad. Feel free to add or eliminate ingredients to your liking (for example, my family doesn’t like onions, but add them if you like).

Ingredients

4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and cubed into bite-sized pieces

¼ cup Italian Dressing (recipe below)

½ teaspoon salt

pepper, to taste (I just use a few shakes)

½ cup mayonnaise (we use Kraft Real Mayo)

1 medium stalk celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 cup cucumbers, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped into bite-sized pieces

Instructions

Add potatoes to a pot, adding just enough water to cover. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook until tender. Drain and cool.
After potatoes are cool, stir in Italian dressing, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Just before serving, toss with cucumbers, celery, eggs, and mayonnaise until potatoes are well coated. Enjoy!

Italian Dressing recipe (makes 1 1/3 cups)

½ cup white vinegar

½ cup olive oil

2 ½ Tablespoons Grapeseed oil

1 Tablespoon water

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon honey

1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon thyme

¼ teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt (if you don’t have any, just use regular salt)

Pour ingredients into a 2 ½ cup glass measuring cup. Transfer to a glass salad dressing bottle. Cover and shake well. Refrigerate to store.

Recipe modified from http://www.pennilessparenting.com/2010/07/perfect-homemade-italian-dressing.html.

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12 Life Lessons I Learned From our Dog

Jun6

Photo by Donna Bemis Photography

This is our dog, Puddles. After several years of begging for a dog, my husband and kids finally had their wish fulfilled last July. They were so excited to take home their 2-month old puppy and welcome him into our family. Honestly, I wasn’t so excited. With my time already in short supply, the last thing I wanted was to take on all the responsibilities associated with a new life in the house. I had already endured many sleepless nights when the kids were infants, and I wasn’t ready to relive those days.

So, we agreed Puddles would be “their dog” and they would be taking full responsibility for him. For the most part, they have done that. In the early days, my husband would wake up several times each night to take him outside. The girls happily took turns taking him for walks during the day. As time went on, they became less enthusiastic about taking him outside or picking up his messes. Now, they often need a reminder that he is their dog, they asked for the responsibility, and I’m not going to do it for them. With that said, I take him out for walks if my husband isn’t around during the day or if I just feel like going for a walk and taking him with me.

On one of my recent walks with Puddles, I realized he has taught me a lot in the past 11 months. Here are a few things he has reminded me about love and life in general (advice most of us could probably use):

1. Take the time to stop and smell the roses. And the grass. And the pine trees. And anything else you find interesting on your path. Don’t rush through life. Slow down, and fully enjoy each moment.

2. Get outside as often as you can. There are so many fascinating things to enjoy in nature. If you don’t feel like exploring, just lie down and soak up the sun.

3. Greet your family members as if you haven’t seen them in years. Every time. There’s nothing better than a loving welcome.

4. Never pass up an opportunity to play. Play chase, play keep-away, or just chase a ball, the leaves, a bird, the wind, anything that moves, etc. Run around and enjoy life! It’s good exercise, too! Don’t take life so seriously.

5. When life gets too hectic, go into another room by yourself, lie down, and rest. We all need a break sometimes.

6. Never pass up an opportunity to pee.

7. Let your emotions show. Especially the good ones. Let your loved ones know you are happy to be with them.

8. Ask politely for the things you want.

9. One of our fundamental desires in life is to be included and accepted as part of the family. Love and accept your family members, embrace your differences, appreciate the uniqueness of each member, and make everyone feel included as part of the family.

10. Trust your instincts.

11. Forgive easily. We all want to please our loved ones, but we all make mistakes sometimes. We are all doing the best we can.

12. Stay loyal to your family members no matter what. Just be there, listen, and love unconditionally. Do not judge. Just being there can lift someone up when they are having a bad day.

I resisted getting a dog for a long time, but now that Puddles is part of our family, I can’t imagine life without him. I think he has been beneficial to our health — both our physical and mental well-being — and he has brought us closer together as a family. Since he joined our family, we have tried to identify and plan family activities that include Puddles. We spend more time hiking and being out in nature. We enjoy exploring our area and finding new trails and destinations where we can bring him. We plan our vacations with him in mind. Overall, having a dog forces us to get outside more, get more exercise, and discover nature all around us.

Puddles also has the capability to lift our spirits in an instant. This past spring, my oldest daughter didn’t feel well for several weeks. When she would return home from school each day, just seeing and petting Puddles immediately cheered her up and took her mind off her pain and all her worries. She has fully recovered, and I know Puddles played a part in that.

Who wouldn’t enjoy being greeted by this adorable face? He is a blessing! I’m grateful for the reminders he has taught me about life and love, I’m happy he has taught my girls about responsibility, and I’m happy to call him a member of our family. 🙂

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10 “Secrets” to Inner Peace

May30

10-secrets-to-peace

As I was meditating on the 10 Commandments recently, I realized these life guidelines are a wonderful gift to us. In a perfect world, everyone would follow these commandments, suffering would be completely eliminated, and everyone would be full of love and free of worry. We would all be at peace with ourselves and wouldn’t be afraid to “be ourselves.” We would all be loved and accepted just as we are, with no pressure to conform to what society says is “right” and “wrong”, and our uniqueness would be appreciated. We would all know ourselves and be able to identify our gifts, we would know God, and we would know that underneath it all, we are pure LOVE. Everyone would lovingly share their natural God-given gifts and talents with each other to make the world a better place.

But we do not live in a perfect world. We have free will. While free will is generally a wonderful gift (without it, we would not be able to grow), unfortunately it allows for all of us to occasionally take some actions out of fear rather than love. Each action taken out of fear eventually causes suffering, either in our own life or someone else’s. That is exactly what the 10 Commandments are trying to prevent.

The 10 Commandments are not secrets at all. They are widely known and accepted by various religions, but they are not always followed. When reading the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17 of the bible (NIV), initially they seem very harsh and instill fear in me. After spending some time meditating on them, I see the reasons behind them and see that they are all based on LOVE. They are guidelines to help us avoid suffering. Here is my attempt at a “loving” 2014 interpretation of the 10 Commandments:

1. Make God (a.k.a. “LOVE”) the #1 priority in your life.

Having complete faith and trust in God will allow you to let go of all your worries, give them up to God, and live in peace. As one of my favorite sayings goes, “Let Go. Let God.”

God is the one constant in your life. Everything and everyone else will come and go, but your creator will never leave you. During the difficult times in life, trust that everything is happening exactly as it should. I believe that everything happens for a reason and always for the greatest good, even though we may not understand the reasoning right away. I believe that there are no accidents in life, and every experience we encounter each day is a gift. My trust in God is what gets me through the difficult times, and those times have proven to be some of the greatest blessings in my life. Remember that you are not the master planner of your life, and everything will always work out for the best in the end. When you are able to give all your worries up to God and let go of trying to be the master planner of your life, fear will be replaced with LOVE, and you will know peace.

So, how do you make God the #1 priority in your life?

It all starts with loving yourself. When you make the time for self-care and you really take the time to get to know, love, and accept yourself exactly as you are, you will find God within you. When you love yourself, you will respect your life and your body. You will want to feed your body healthy foods and feed your mind only healthy thoughts. You will want to spend more time on your personal growth, trying to better yourself each day so you can be the best person you can be.

Society tells us self-care is selfish. Society tells us to take care of everyone else first and put ourselves last. I believe this commandment is telling us the opposite. It is telling us to put God first. Since God is within you, the more time you focus on loving yourself, the more you will come to know Him. When you take the time to care for yourself, you will be better able to care for others. If you don’t love yourself, it is impossible to love others. God speaks to us in the silence, so if you don’t take time to be still, it is very difficult to hear God. Since God IS love, the more time you spend getting to know yourself and God, the more you will be filled with love. Eventually, you will be so full of love that the love will start to pour out onto others. Your actions will be done out of pure love rather than guilt or obligation, and you will be fulfilling your purpose on this earth.

If anyone or anything besides God is #1 in your life, it will take away your inner peace and cause suffering. This includes money, addictions, power, possessions, etc. Let go of your need for these things, and trust that God will provide whatever is needed in your life.

Do you feel at peace right now? If not, ask yourself what or who is the top priority in your life.

The 1^st Commandment from Exodus 20:3 NIV states:

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

2. Focus your time and energy on relationships rather than possessions.

We all came into this life with no possessions and will leave this life with no possessions. Do not worship or get too attached to your possessions. All possessions come and go, and they don’t really belong to us anyway. Everything we have belongs to God and is a gift from God. Spending too much time and energy consumed with acquiring and maintaining possessions leads to an empty life. Remember, “The best things in life aren’t things.” At the end of your life, the shiny car you drove or the house you owned will not matter. The only things that will matter are the relationships you had: with God, with yourself, and with others. Take the time to nurture your relationships. LOVE comes first.

The 2^nd Commandment from Exodus 20:4-6 NIV states:

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

3. THINK before you speak. Is it: True? Helpful? Inspiring? Necessary? Kind? If not, keep it to yourself. Everything you say should be done out of love.

Speak only kind words about yourself, about God, and about others. Since God is within you and God created you, speaking negatively about yourself is the same as speaking negatively about God.

Speaking poorly about yourself, God, or others will destroy your inner peace, so do your best to keep your thoughts and words positive. Philippians 4:8 states: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

There are many proverbs and verses in the bible that promote the idea of thinking before you speak.

Proverbs 29:20 states: “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. “

Proverbs 10:19 states: “The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words.”

James 1:19 states: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…”

Ecclesiastes 5:2 states: “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.”

The 3^rd Commandment from Exodus 20:7 NIV states:

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”

4. Each week, take a full day off to recharge.

This is my favorite tip, and the one practice that has made the greatest impact in my life! Since following this advice, I have come to know myself better, I feel like I know God much better, I feel like I know what my true priorities are in life, and I feel relaxed, happier, less-stressed, and much more at peace.

Each week, set a day aside to rest. Do your best to plan all your work around that day each week. Spend the day enjoying your family and friends, and take the time to stop and truly appreciate all the blessings surrounding you. Allow spontaneity, especially if you follow a strict schedule the other 6 days of the week. Allow yourself to get bored once in a while and really get to know your true self. Be fully present wherever you are, and focus completely on what you are doing. Notice the little things, and try to spend the day in a state of gratitude. You may be surprised what a positive impact this will make on your life, and may find that allowing yourself the time to relax and recharge actually makes you more productive.

The 4^th commandment is a blessing, and if more people followed this commandment and took the time to relax and recharge each week, I think people would have much less stress in their lives, much more peace, and families would be much stronger. It is personally my favorite day of the week!

The 4^th Commandment from Exodus 20:8-11 NIV states:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

5. Respect your elders, and take advice from those you admire.

When you are a child, those who care for you generally have your best interest at heart. If you listen to them, you will be safe, protected, and live a long life. If you ignore their advice, you will be putting yourself and your life in danger. Take advantage of the wisdom your elders have gained, and listen to them so you don’t have to learn things for yourself the hard way.

The 5^th Commandment from Exodus 20:12 NIV states:

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

6. Respect each other. Respect the environment and all the creatures of the earth. Do not intentionally harm anyone.

We are all one big family inhabiting this earth together. We need to love, respect, and accept each other. Every person and every thing we encounter each day is a gift. We need to recognize, appreciate, and respect all the gifts we have been given and treat them all with love.

The 6^th Commandment from Exodus 20:13 NIV states:

“You shall not murder.”

7. Keep your promises. Help others to keep their promises.

Broken promises cause suffering. If you aren’t positive you can keep a promise, don’t make it. Select your words carefully. Instead of saying, “I will…” get into the habit of saying “I will try…” or “I might…” or “I’m planning to…” Sometimes unforeseen circumstances prevent you from doing what you say and promises are broken, causing disappointment. I rarely make promises, but when I do, I take them seriously and make sure I can fulfill the promise I made.

Also, do not interfere with a promise someone else has made, especially if it is a vow in marriage. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly. When two people love each other and take the vows of marriage, it is a promise they make to each other and to God. Everyone needs to respect this promise.

The 7^th Commandment from Exodus 20:14 NIV states:

“You shall not commit adultery.”

8. Respect the belongings of others.

Recognize that people work hard to earn everything they have. If you want something, you must also work hard to earn it. Do not take what doesn’t belong to you. Also, do not be afraid to ask if you need something. Matthew 7:7 NIV states: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” If you want something, work for it. If you need something, simply ask, but do not steal.

The 8^th Commandment from Exodus 20:15 NIV states:

“You shall not steal.”

9. Be honest with yourself and others, and treat everyone with love and respect.

Be completely honest with yourself and others. Don’t say yes when you mean no. Doing things just to impress or please others doesn’t help anyone, and it will only cause you resentment in the long run. Make sure EVERYTHING you do is done out of love. Doing anything out of guilt or obligation is not an act of love.

Speak only kind words about others. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say it at all. Do not gossip, spread rumors, or consume your precious time with the way others are living their lives. Rather, put your time and energy into improving your own life and helping others to do the same.

The 9^th Commandment from Exodus 20:16 NIV states:

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”

10. Be grateful for what you have.

I believe the attitude of gratitude will always bring happiness and peace. Focus on your blessings and give thanks rather than focusing on your wants. When you focus on your wants, you are focusing on the things you are lacking in your life, and that just puts you into a state of fear. On the other hand, being grateful puts the focus on love and abundance. Instead of always going after the latest model car, phone, etc., learn to be content with what you have. According to Buddha, craving and desire are two of the biggest causes of suffering.

The 10^th Commandment from Exodus 20:17 NIV states:

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Conclusion

If everyone followed these 10 commandments all the time, I believe suffering would be nearly, if not completely eliminated, and we would all be at peace. But the reality is, we are all human. We all make mistakes and break some of these commandments from time to time. When that happens, we can guarantee that someone will pay the price for our mistakes. We may cause our own suffering, or we may cause the suffering of someone else. But the good news is, it is not the end of the world and we can be forgiven if we just ask for it. We can wake up the next morning, thank God for a brand new day, and start new.

Overall, I think Jesus summed up the 10 commandments perfectly in Mark 12:30-31 NIV

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Also, you can never go wrong if you follow the golden rule: “Treat others the way you would like to be treated.”

May your days be filled with love, peace and blessings!

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Recipe: Butter Chicken

May21

Here is a chicken recipe that all 3 of my kids love (and believe me, it’s not easy to get all 3 of them to agree on ANYTHING!)

Before my kids tried it, they were complaining that we were having chicken AGAIN. After trying it, they were raving about it and even went back for seconds and thirds. They even gobbled up the cold leftovers the next day!

In an effort to minimize waste and make clean-up easier, I prepared it entirely in the baking dish. Previously when I would make chicken with egg or crackers, I would use a separate bowl for the egg and a separate bowl for the crackers, and then I would end up with a sink full of dishes after preparation.

Except for the Ritz Crackers, this recipe uses all REAL food ingredients. I often struggle with finding a good balance between healthy foods and foods my kids will actually eat. If anyone has any suggestions on a healthier, kid-friendly replacement for the Ritz Crackers, I would love to hear them!

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Rinse chicken, then place in a 9″ x 13″ glass baking dish.

3. Pour egg evenly over chicken.

4. Sprinkle crackers evenly over chicken.

5. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over chicken.

6. Spread out pieces of garlic and butter throughout the dish.

7. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through.

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Recipe: Roasted Broccoli

May16

I am always trying to get more vegetables and Superfoods into my diet. Broccoli is a Superfood and cancer-fighting food.

I’ll admit, I’m not very motivated when it comes to washing, cutting, preparing, and cooking vegetables. Especially since I’m usually the only one in my family who will eat them. Unfortunately, more vegetables rot in my refrigerator than I would like. I have good intentions when I’m at the grocery store, but unless I buy them for a specific purpose, I usually forget about them and they sit there until I get the motivation to do something with them. Or they rot. And it really bothers me when I have to throw food away.

So, I was really excited when I found this super-easy recipe for roasted broccoli. I made it with dinner last night, and I had to stop myself from eating the entire thing in one sitting. I easily could have!

I found this recipe on Facebook in January and tried it for the first time then. Here is the link to the original post on Instagram: http://instagram.com/p/i6oZ17zgvm/#

Here is my recipe, just slightly different:

Ingredients

1 head of broccoli, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 lemon (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°

2. Place broccoli, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper in a ziploc bag and shake. Alternatively, place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

3. Spread out on baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Bake about 30 minutes.

Broccoli will be crunchy and delicious! If desired, squeeze lemon over broccoli. This is optional, but I do this because I love anything with lemon. Enjoy!

For lunch today, I served the leftovers with rice and a little bit of shredded cheese. The broccoli wasn’t as crunchy as it was when I first cooked it, but it was still delicious! I plan to make this again VERY soon!! I think I could eat this every day. Now if I could just get the rest of my family to try it! 🙂

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1. Eat them just as they are!

2. Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries!

3. Strawberry Jam

4. Strawberry Parfait

5. Strawberry Banana Smoothie

6. In a salad

7. In your cereal

8. Freeze them.

9. Topping for cheesecake, ice cream, or pancakes

10. Strawberry Pie

11. Strawberry Ice Cream

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Italian Dressing recipe (makes 1 1/3 cups)

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Conclusion

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