Cinnamon Fruit Oatmeal

Serves 2. From Dr. Furhman's  Nutritarian Handbook and ANDI Food Scoring Guide. 

Ingredients
1 C water
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 C blueberries
2 apples, chopped
2 T chopped walnuts (I used pecan)
1 T ground flax seeds
1/4 C raisins (craisins)

Directions
Combine water with vanilla and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Stir in the oats, reduce the heat to simmer.

When it starts to simmer - add blueberries. Heat until fruit is heated through.

Cover and let stand for 15 min until thick and creamy.

Mix in apples, nuts, flax seeds and craisins.

Note - I used a bit more vanilla. You could use different fruits. I used 1/2 the apple called for and I did add a bit of almond milk. 

Per serving: Calories 241, protein 13 g, Carb 41g, Total Fat 8.1 g, saturated fat 0.8g, sodium 7g

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Monday

I trust the camera to jog my memory at the end of the day for the blog...evidently all we did today was E*A*T! ::snort:: 

Hmmm.....SCHOOL - that took quite a bit of time. The younger ones and I finished The Samurai's Tale.  This is our last week on this time period. Zander and I continue to read The Hobbit.  

Nolan and I spent some time working on I John and have the first two verses "fairly well" memorized. I did nine word studies on the first two verses of I John. Around the table tonight we decided "he who has translated I John from Greek to English should be disqualified." ::snort:: We also realized that Michael's NASB was published in 1977 and ours were published in 1995...and you can tell in I John. 

The kids played outside. I did some PCOC prep. 

I made Tamale Casserole from The Happy Herbivore - a VEGAN meal which FOUR of us liked.  

We topped the night off with a chapter from The Secret of the Desert Stone, (a chance for me to grab a non-food photo).  I folded a bit of laundry as Michael read....I threw Arielle's snow things on the floor. This was a golden opportunity for Yuuki. 

She likes to burrow in to blankets and such until she totally wrapped.....the multi-colored blanket is Arielle.

 Not sure how much Arielle caught of the plot line. LOL 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Family Project

We have a Family Verse and a Family Vision....

I have wrestled with my laziness in memorizing the Word. I used to have whole chapters memorized...then Google and search engines in Bible aps on ipads entered my world....and I became lazy. 

Memorizing is hard for me. I spent all of 2012 thinking about joining Ann Voskamp as her family memorized the Sermon on the Mount. 

I've spent weeks  trying to decide which passage I would tackle and KNOWING  I needed to commit to worshiping Abba with my mind through memorizing. I  considered attempting one chapter - Romans 12. I thought of Sermon on the Mount or James (both books I've taught so often I have chunks sort of memorized).  I contemplated memorizing a Pauline epistle or I John. 

With a growing awareness that I needed accountability or I would spend the rest of the 2013 debating  which passage would be most meaningful  to hide in my heart/head, I tossed my dilemma out to the family on the way to Sunday School. 

Michael's all time favorite book of the Bible is I John - I think -  he is pretty partial to Romans too. Anyway -  he jumped on  I John....and I slyly asked, "Will you join me if I do I John?" 

I first fell in love with Michael as he helped me memorize Acts 2 for Church History all those years ago....HE memorizes EASILY. . . He agreed....

105 verses.....2 -3 verses a week....this is doable. Arielle and Nolan are joining Michael and I. Zander and Stacia will continue to focus on their AWANA verses. 

The birth of a Family Project! ::snort:: I planned on making all the little helps Ann has for whatever passage I memorized. Michael admonished me to spend my time memorizing rather than organizing this project....and so I got out a little notebook which I can carry with me for review and began writing I John...a few verses at a time...a week at a time....we can do this.

I couldn't fit all 3 of this week's verses on the board in the living room - I may finally erase Arielle's "Wall" in the kitchen. She is o.k. with that if she gets a real Facebook account.

How about you? Is memorizing easy or hard? Do you have tricks which help you? Will you keep me accountable to this project? 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

A Clear Sign

When the lawn nativity migrates to the living room it may be a sign it's time to take down Christmas decorations? 

A goal for the upcoming week.  

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Chick N Salad (Vegan)

This day began at 0345 with an international conference call....and then I had another conference meeting via Skype with the presidents of PWOC in Japan and Guam.  I fell asleep and woke up just in time to fix an early dinner of soup and sandwiches... I decided it would be a good time to try Mock Tuna Salad from Happy Herbivore. I've heard rave reports...but I didn't have kelp...and discovered I really like other seasonings she didn't use....so this morphed...it DID work well in a wrap for me while the others had pastrami sandwiches with their soup. The wrap didn't photo as well. ::snort:: 

15 oz can of chick peas - drained and rinsed
2 celery stalks
2 T pickle relish
1 T onion flakes - or chop a small onion
1 T nutritional yeast 
1T soy sauce
3 T vegan mayo
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 T Dijon mustard
Curry powder  - whatever
Old Bay seasoning - I go by sight
Pepper to taste

Mash chick peas or pulse a few times in a processor (don't want hummus so don't puree). 

Chop or shred celery and add to chick peas. 

Add remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste. 

Note Lindsay's Mock Tuna adds 1/2 tsp kelp, omits mustard, curry and Old Bay. I've been missing Halibut and Chicken Salad so I now have an idea of how to make a cholesterol free substitute. 

Today's lunch - 1 1/2 C Romaine; 1/2 Chick N Salad - wrap! Yum.

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Daniel's Delight

This has become my go to meal. I often eat it alone...but if I want more than veggies I put it  over rice, pasta or tonight a 1/2 a baked potato. I often sprinkle cashews on top and nutritional yeast. Tonight I added  pinto beans from my newly defrosted freezer.  This recipe comes from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook and was originally titled Buddha's Delight. I LOVE this cookbook.

Says it serves 4 - serves 1 or 2 around here as written! 

Ingredients: 
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C thinly sliced carrots
1 C finely cut/shredded cabbage
1/2 C Cauliflower florets
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 T soy sauce
2 T raw sugar
2 C cooked rice

Directions:
Cook onion and garlic over high heat in 1/4 C water (water saute).

When onion is translucent, add remaining veggies.

Reduce heat to medium and cook until veggies are cooked but still crisp - 10 - 15 min.

Mix soy sauce and sugar together, pour over veggies, stir to coat.

Cook another 5 min and serve over rice, pasta, potato or plain.

As you can tell - I  use the veggies I have on hand...Mushrooms, broccoli, snap peas...yummy. Double the sauce if you have way more veggies than listed above.  

Nutritional info: Calories 179; Calories from Fat 10; Total Fat 1.1 g; Cholesterol 0; Total Carbohydrate 38.5; Dietary Fiber 4.5 g, Sugars 11.2g; Protein 4.2g.

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

A Word for the New Year

Every year, in schools across Japan, students are encouraged to pick a "word" for the year. This would be their hope, wish, prayer for the upcoming year. 

They also learn calligraphy from kindergarten....sometime early in a New Year the two concepts merge...and they calligraphy their word for the year on a little plaque to frame. 

 The kids picked a word and then we practiced, practiced, practiced and painted our words.....

Hero

Love

I mostly experienced the equivalent of "red ink." ::grin::  I quickly learned that an individual writing style is not appreciated....I loved the practice of looking for balance, relaxing, calming yourself and going for it....but I had so much fun creating that much of my writing doesn't look like real words.....this was one of my best shots....which I insisted I wanted to keep to remind me of Akikosan!

Dream - sort of ::snort:: 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...