Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

 Yum. This was so good! Perfect for a lazy, rainy morning. I love breakfast and blueberries so I'm really glad I don't have to share this with very many people;) The blueberries were on sale at Fareway for $1.88. I should buy more and freeze them. Blueberries are probably my favorite fruit and definitely my favorite berry! We used to have a blueberry bush at home and picking them was the best chore you could get. Apples took more work and you had to avoid the rotting apples at your feet and hungry bugs everywhere. Anyway, this is easy to make and super tasty!

I've read a few more chapters in John this week and there are the many accounts of Jesus healing people to show that He is who He says He is. In the case of the blind man in chapter 9 and Lazarus in chapter 11, Jesus says that the blindness and death happened so that God's work might be displayed. I believe that is always God's overall purpose in everything. He wants us to see His faithfulness when life stinks and when it's great. I haven't had severe suffering but I've watched others deal with it. Cancer, stroke, death, unemployment, difficult relationships...etc. I'm encouraged when I see others plow through their trial and come out with joy by God's grace. God is my hope and I'm so glad He is faithful!

These guys are so flavorful! I was sad to discover that my last blueberry purchase from Trader Joe's was flavorless. The berries were big but just tasted like water:(

This can be made vegan but I'm not so I used an egg and butter. I'll include the original recipe though. I also think it calls for too much milk because I had about a 1/4 cup left that would not fit in the dish. Might be just right for a 9x9 rather than an 8x8. As you can see below, we were bulging out of the dish!

Recipe:

-Vegan recipe in black, my simpler version in green-

• 2 cups vanilla almond milk (or any non-dairy milk) - 1 3/4 cup almond milk or regular milk

• 2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats - same

• 1 tsp. baking powder - same

• ½ tsp. kosher salt - just salt, the one with the umbrella girl

• 1 tsp. cinnamon - I didn't measure, but I'm sure it was more than 1 tsp!

• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or butter for non-Vegan) - I used butter

• 1 flax egg * (or 1 egg for non-Vegan) - 1 large egg

• 1/3 cup Vegan cane sugar - 1/3 cup coconut sugar

• 2 cups fresh blueberries - almost the full pint, left some for snacking:)

• juice of one lemon - yep, but couldn't taste it much

• *1 flax egg = 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons warm water (stir and set aside 5 min. until gel-like)

Mix oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. In a different bowl, combine milk, egg, butter (oil), sugar, and lemon juice. Oven should be preheated to 375° F and an 8x8 dish greased. Pour half of the oat mixture into the dish and then add half of the blueberries. Pour on the rest of the oat mixture and top with the rest of the blueberries. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the whole dish. Bake for 40 minutes. 

Blog source

Fabulous Salmon

So, remember the maple cream I mentioned last time?! Well, I used it today in my own recipe creation and I was super happy with it! I love when healthy food tastes this good. I will admit that with eating healthy comes a few sacrifices. I do eat junk food periodically and some of it makes me feel gross. Pop is one. I used to love pop but now it's just syrup-y and weird. Ice cream on the other hand is still amazing in small portions:)

Tonight's meal was quite healthy and tasted fabulous!

This isn't so much about what I read today but about one of the songs that keeps popping up on my ipod shuffle. Rend Collective (Experiment) is my favorite group of musicians right now. I got to see them about two years ago along with Tenth Avenue North and then saw them for their own concert back in February. You should give them a listen if you haven't yet!

The song I want to share is "Love Divine". No, this is not a song original with them but I love their version. They are such an authentic group and makes focused worship easy. They have taken other hymns and rewritten them in a modern way. This one keeps the words but switches up the music a bit.

Some of my favorite lines from it are:

"Take away the love of sinning, Alpha and Omega be" - isn't it sad that we do love sinning but we hate it at the same time. Just like Paul talks about in Romans. Our hatred of sin isn't enough to keep us from it, only our love for God.

"Finish, then, Thy new creation, Pure and spotless let us be, Let us see Thy great salvation, Perfectly restored in Thee, Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee

Lost in wonder, love and praise"

Yep, the whole last verse. This is life with an eternal focus. We are His new creation and He is guiding us to live pure lives. Then one day we get to stand before him, "lost in wonder, love, and praise."

I took pics last minute. Actually, I took them after I had already taken a few bites. Just consider it proof that I eat my own food:)

The green beans are from my sister's garden. I decided to pick them for her during the rain. It was really nice though to be out in the cool rain since I had been inside with my nephews most of the day. I love hanging out with them but I need to get outside too.

Now, I must include a fair warning. The glaze has alcohol in it. It's a whopping 2 tablespoons so don't get concerned. It's bourbon whiskey and it will keep for a long time so just find other recipes to help use it up such as bourbon chicken.

Recipe:

2 Salmon filets

salt and pepper

Glaze:

2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey

1/4 cup cranberry juice

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon maple cream (or just use maple syrup)

Green beans:

2 cups fresh green beans

1 tablespoon butter

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine bourbon, cranberry juice and maple syrup in a sauce pan. Stir and let it come to a boil. Turn down heat and let sit until salmon is ready for it.

Turn the broiler on high and season salmon with salt and pepper. Place the salmon under the broiler for 3-4 minutes. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the glaze over each filet and place back under the broiler. Once the glaze has absorbed a bit, use a spoon or knife to spread the maple glaze over the salmon (1/2 tablespoon per filet). Give it one more minute under the broiler and then it should be ready! I don't like salmon over cooked so mine wasn't in the oven any longer than 7 minutes. 

Because multitasking is awesome, you can saute your green beans in a skillet while all this is happening. Just place butter in the pan first, add green beans and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for 7-8 minutes depending on how soft you like your veggies!

http://www.greatrivermaple.com/

This is the source for the maple cream. They have other products you can look at as well!

Vegetable Galette

I love love love wandering around the Des Moines Downtown Farmer's Market. This past Saturday was great for it because it was misty and slightly cool which kept the crowd small! I went for veggies and maybe something unique that I couldn't resist. That unique item this week was pure maple syrup and a small jar of maple cream. The couple selling it was super smart to sample the maple cream and list ways to use it! It sold me. I could eat it by the spoonful. It's rich but not too sweet. They suggested using it on pancakes, waffles, toast, or even on salmon...might have to try that one. But today's recipe is for my vegetables and it's a great way to get a serving or two of veggies in your meal!

Since I moved closer to work this summer, I was also moving further away from my church. I have been visiting churches for almost two months and have heard many great sermons. The whole process is a bit tough though when there are many good things happening in multiple churches. I just keep praying for wisdom in choosing a church.

One message that was pretty convicting to me was from Mark 9 about having a proper attitude toward sin. There were so many good points I could take the whole blog to talk about it. I'll just highlight a few thoughts that struck me the most. 

-Down playing sin is essentially promoting it. When I don't take sin seriously, it creates a bit of freedom to go ahead and do it. 

-What I want most will always win. This is why God gave us the greatest commandment. If I love Him the most, by His grace the things I do will reflect that. 

-Our brains automatically want to repeat what we hear and see. I need to be more aware of how I am being influenced and how I am influencing others.

Bought these lovely heirloom tomatoes and eggplant just for this recipe. The bumps add some character to these guys but don't make slicing easier.

I didn't end up using the yellow one so I'm excited to find another use for him this week!

Even with all this slicing, I didn't slice my fingers! I watched chopped today and one of the contestants caught her finger on her mandolin. I cringed for her. It happens so stinkin' fast and then the pain sets in a few seconds later. Lucky for me, I have no time constraint so I can baby my damaged appendage but they just have to wrap it up and keep going.

I liked this galette a lot but it did need more seasoning. Eggplant and zucchini are not strongly flavored veggies on their own. I'll add a suggested seasoning addition in the recipe. Enjoy!

Recipe:

Crust recipe taken from - 

http://passportsandpancakes.com/blog/2013/10/13/roasted-butternut-squash-galette

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling out dough.

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 teaspoon salt

(1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon thyme) - my suggested addition

3 tablespoons ice-cold water

In a food processor fit with an S-blade, add the flour, butter, and salt. Pulse together a few times to combine. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between each addition. After the third tablespoon the dough should form. Remove from the food processor, gather in a ball, and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. 

Filling-

1 small eggplant

1 medium tomato

1 small zucchini

1 Tablespoon dried basil

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Slice vegetables about a quarter of an inch thick, sprinkle with salt and set eggplant and zucchini in a strainer so excess water can drip off.

Combine the olive oil, tomato paste, and spices. 

Once your crust is rolled out on parchment paper, spread 1/3 of the oil mixture over the crust. Next, layer the vegetables as desired, leaving a two inch edge to fold over once all vegetables are placed. Spread the remainder of the oil mixture over the vegetables. 

Other ingredients-

1 egg yolk

3 Tablespoons water

shredded cheese of choice

Fold the crust over the edge of the vegetables. Use one egg yolk and 3 Tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash around the crust to create a slightly harder edge and give it some color after baking.

Place your galette in the oven for about 30 min. Keep an eye on it and bake longer or shorter if you would like.

I topped mine with a bit of asiago cheese but feta is another good option.

Slice like pizza and serve! Edit the filling as your family likes!

Beef with Broccoli

Chinese food is good stuff. I wish I could say I've been to China for something authentic but I have not. That is one place I've never really had a desire to visit. I'd go of course if the opportunity came and it was paid for;) Until that miraculous event happens, I'll just make and enjoy (american) Chinese. 

Sidenote - after making this, you will not be satisfied with any other beef with broccoli. This is the best I've ever had!

 

I've begun reading Isaiah. I've read parts of it before and remember some if the content of chapters 40-60ish. It will be good to review it all now and have a better knowledge of the whole book. 

Right now it's evident that Jerusalem and Judah are not following God with a sincere heart. They are offering sacrifices but not repenting of the evil in their lives. God offers to wash their sin so they will be "white as snow" but they don't choose repentance with one warning. God loves them and offers them (and us) the best path of life but they (we) are set in our sin  and blind to the benefits of living like He asks us. I pray that I will remember how much better it is to choose the path God designed over my seemingly enjoyable, selfish path.

The sauce and marinade are essential to this dish. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find one of the ingredients in the sauce. I have always been able to find them at Hy-Vee. I live by the biggest Hy-Vee and they didn't have Mirin. So sad...

So I improvised and used some rice vinegar and sesame oil.

I have to laugh after I brag about how great this meal is but then I had to sub a few things out. The other sub being the meat. I know, it's the main thing and I changed it. Again, Hy-Vee usually sells flank steak in a variety of sizes but I could only find it in packages of 1.5 lbs or more which puts the price at $15+. Not happening. I'm usually cooking for 2 not 6. So I went with skirt steak and got about .80 lbs. 

That is quinoa, which I love. Rice is the norm but it has fewer health benefits. 

I'll admit, the sauce keeps this from being truly "clean" but there's not that much of it so...let's call it healthy. 

Even with the substitutes, this is still super tasty!  Hopefully, I can find all the ingredients next time.

Recipe:

Source is a fellow Iowan!

http://iowagirleats.com/2012/02/29/the-best-chinese-dish-ive-ever-made-at-home/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+IowaGirlEats+(Iowa+Girl+Eats)&utm_content=Google+Reader

3/4 pound flank steak, sliced very thin and against the grain

4 cups broccoli cut into bite-sized pieces

1-1/2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil like vegetable or canola oil (coconut oil is best)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

cooked white rice (1/2 cup uncooked quinoa)

For the beef marinade:

1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon mirin (sub 1/2 teaspoon of both sesame oil and rice vinegar)

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

For the sauce:

1/4 cup oyster sauce

2 teaspoons mirin (1 teas both sesame oil and rice vinegar)

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. Place the sliced beef in a large ziplock bag. Stir together the marinade ingredients and pour into the bag. Smoosh to coat the beef in the mixture, then let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli for 2 minutes, or until crisp tender. Do not overcook as the broccoli will cook a bit more later in the recipe.
3. Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Heat an electric wok, or very large skillet, to high heat. Add the oil then gently place the beef in the wok and spread into a single layer. Let the beef cook for 1 minute without touching it.
5. Add the garlic and stir continuously for 1 minute, then add in the sauce and broccoli. Bring the sauce to a boil, then add in the cornstarch dissolved in water. Cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Serve over rice, if desired.

Overnight Oats

I just love mornings. I know it's not the norm but they are just so nice. Nothing terrible has happened (usually) and it's quiet and calm. This summer has been great because I get to slowly enjoy the mornings. I get up, workout/run, shower, eat breakfast and drink coffee, read...so lovely. I've been so spoiled but I am looking forward to the school year beginning. Mine doesn't begin for another 3 weeks so I'll just soak up what summer I have left. One breakfast option I like works really well during the school year because you make it the day before! It's also very simple to do.

So, on my run yesterday I tried saying my Colossians 3 verses and struggled to get through them all. I need some review time. I realized that I barely read them last week at camp. Verses 12-14 need work so I'll write them out here to share and review.

"Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. Above all, put on love - the perfect bond of unity."

Just think how wonderful it must be to be around a person who always displays these attributes. Jesus displays these 24/7. He sets the standard and I fall short of it but praise the Lord for the forgiveness part. We all need it and because we receive it, we need to give it too. 

It's great to have a quick, versatile, and healthy breakfast! The base includes oats, milk, and chia seeds. 

I added peanut butter and banana to mine. If I had my own version of "My Favorite Things" peanut butter would be in the list. I love it so much!

I don't know why but I really like this pic. 

Overnight Oats Recipe

for 1 mason jar

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup milk (almond, soy, whatever you like)

1 Tablespoon chia seeds

heaping spoonful of natural peanut butter

right before eating: banana slices

Add all ingredients, except fresh fruit, to the jar and let sit overnight. Add fruit before eating and enjoy!

Other options:

1/4 cup yogurt

1 Tablespoon honey

nuts

chocolate chips

any fresh fruit

...the possibilities are endless!

Perfect Shortbread!

I used to work at Panera Bread in Ankeny for about 3 years. I really enjoyed that job. I had great managers and some good co-workers. I also loved getting to know my customers and being able to get their order ready before they asked for it. I often opened for them which means I had to come in at 5am to get the bakery set up. The baker works overnight to get fresh baked product ready everyday. I love that Panera never sells day old product and donates the previous day's leftovers to food pantries. And one big perk to setting up the bakery is that I get to eat the baker's mistakes! For some reason, one particular baker broke shortbread cookies like once a week. This worked out great for me because I could take them home and munch on them later with some coffee, which is the only way to eat a shortbread cookie;) 

While perusing Pinterest, I found a shortbread cookie recipe that claimed to be very close to a Panera cookie. I tried it and it is super close! I'll give you the base recipe and then share with you a couple variations on it that are also tasty.

Espresso chocolate chip shortbread!

John 3 is a bit of dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus about why Jesus is there. Jesus has come to bring new life to those who will believe in Him. Most of us remember verse 16 as it summarizes how we come to have eternal life. We simply have to believe in Jesus as God's son, sent to die for us and provide a way to God. Jesus' death was how God showed us His love for us even as sinners who had done nothing for Him. Of course, believing in Jesus and choosing to truly follow him means we have to put off the old self with it's worldly nature. (That part isn't in John 3, I'm pulling in my memorized passages in Col. 3) It brings so much joy to replay in my mind what God has done for me! I have the promise of eternal life and so many other promises through Christ, I hope you do as well!

"The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life..."

"For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

I'll brag a bit, these are just great. I can't take much credit though as I am not the recipe inventor. I'd give the source but the site is no longer up:( I'm so glad I printed it off rather than just saving it on Pinterest!

Oh, these were an exciting creation! Imagine a Dutch letter meeting a shortbread cookie. Yep, that's what happened here and I love the combo!

There must be a way to include chocolate right?! These marry chocolate and espresso which makes perfect sense. They are soo good together!

-I'm just a little excited about all these cookies-

Basic Shortbread Recipe

makes 1 dozen

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk flour and salt together and set aside. 

Beat butter for a few minutes until it is light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat. Add the flour and and salt mix until the ingredients are combined. The dough will come together when pressed.

Place the dough on a floured surface and shape into a log. Set in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Preheat the oven to 325° F once the hour is up. 

Take dough out of the fridge and make slices about a quarter of an inch. Place circles onto an ungreased baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes. The tops will remain fairly light in color but you will see a golden brown on the bottom when done. 

Enjoy with coffee or alone!

For the Dutch Letter variety I simply added the almond filling on top of the cookie. My roommate had made some Dutch letters and had a lot of extra almond filling leftover and I thought this would be a good way to use it up. The almond filling is made of almond paste, sugar and egg whites. Here is a link for Dutch letters that explain how to make the filling http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Jaarsma-Dutch-Letters. 

Here is the recipe for the espresso chocolate chip option! http://www.mychocolatetherapy.com/2012/01/espresso-chocolate-chip-shortbread.html 

I have a little espresso maker so I simply pulled a shot of espresso for them but you could also just brew some strong coffee if you don't want to buy the espresso powder. 

Pasta-free Spaghetti

Spaghetti used to be my favorite dish. It's easy to make and tastes wonderful. So why did I change it? Why no pasta? Once I started eating healthy a couple of years ago I ate almost zero pasta because it is a carb with few nutrients. I have seen many pinterest recipes substituting veggies as noodles or ribbons so I gave it a try and was really happy with it! I sliced zucchini into ribbons and added them to my meat spaghetti sauce.

I spent the last week at my church camp on Clear Lake as a counselor for high school girls. It was a fun week. I love this camp and have been up there for at least a week every summer since I was in 5th grade! That's 14 years in a row which seems like ages ago. God has changed my life and so many others through the ministry of the camp. This week was a little different as they had only one speaker and one main topic for the chapel sessions. We listened to Carl Kerby talk about critically thinking in regards to evolution vs. creation. It was an understandable set of messages that will hopefully give Christian teens the knowledge to support what they believe. 

It was helpful to me as well in pointing out flaws in evolution that actually support creation. I was also just encouraged to see the girls I was with get along so well with four other girls from another church. They shared a cabin well and had fun together. 

So tasty with zero guilt!

One thing I love about this recipe is that I had everything on hand. It took 3 main ingredients and cooks faster than pasta! 

I cut the zucchini in 4ths length-wise and then sliced them on my mandolin. They make a cool noodle spiral tool thing to make real noodles from your veggies but I don't own one. 

I let the zucchini cook in the sauce for 5 minutes or so and topped it with some asiago cheese before chowing down!

Zucchini Spaghetti

1 medium zucchini

16 oz marinara sauce - I used Francesco Rinaldi brand

1/2 pound ground beef

optional seasonings for ground beef:

1 garlic clove

1 teas. ground oregano

1.5 teas. dried basil

Saute garlic clove for a minute and then add ground beef. Add in seasonings as the meat begins to brown. 

Slice zucchini in 4th lengthwise and slice thinly on mandolin into ribbons. 

Add spaghetti/marinara sauce to the meat and then add the zucchini ribbons. Cook on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes. 

Serve in bowl and top with parmesan or asiago cheese!