I often get asked for recipes for inexpensive cuts of meat. I buy a lot of cheap cuts of meat because it is important to me to buy good meat...meat without hormones, antibiotics and raised humanely. This meat comes at a higher price so I often buy the less desired cut to save on our grocery bill. This was the case this week when I bought a pork roast for $2.99/lb - super cheap!
The key to cooking a tougher and sometimes not as flavorful piece of meat is braising. In reality, I really like to cook this way because once I have it going, I can leave it in the over for a couple of hours and not worry about it. Now, I detest the crock pot for some reason, but love this convenience. Go figure!
Here is what I did to the pork...and wow it was good! This would work well with beef too, but may need a bit more cooking time.
Chopped Pork Tacos
1.25 lb. pork roast, cut into 1 -2 inch chunks
1/2 tsp. each: cumin, coriander, smoked paprika
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 c. onion, diced
1/4 c. green pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 c. white wine or beer
1/2 c. water
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 tsp. oil in large, oven-safe pan. Place pork into a large plastic container. Add all the spices, salt, pepper and 2 tsp. oil. Seal container and shake until all pork is well coated.
When oil is shimmering in pan, place pork into it, careful not to over-crowd the pan. If need be, cook in two batches. Brown the pork on both sides. Add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Stir to mix and pour wine or beer and water over top. Gently scrape bottom of pan to de-glaze. Cover and bring to a simmer.
Place in oven, covered for 1 hour. Remove lid and cook for 30 minutes uncovered. Replace lid and cook additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Once able to handle, remove pork and chop into bite sized pieces. Place back in pan and stir together with juices.
From here, move forward as you would if you were making any other tacos.
Enjoy!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Maybe Ignorance is Bliss...
I just got home from a couple of days at my mother-in-law's home. I am so thankful, that even though it has not always been easy, she and I have a wonderful relationship. I love that going to her house, feels as much like going home as my own parents. Needless to say, our kids love them some "Poofy" (our new name for Omama as the kids love her poofy hair.). As much as they love Poofy, they love her pantry. I decided a while ago that while our own cupboards may be well monitored and stocked with as whole and healthy food as possible, that anything goes at Poofy's house. Of course, this makes trips to her house even more fun for our kids.
It is common knowledge within the family that when opening her refrigerator it is best to stand back a bit as something may fall out and onto you. The pantry is a bounty of different items, but one shelf in particular captivates our kids as it holds the chips, crackers, cookies and cereal. It is probably spot-on the opposite of the second shelf in our pantry. Our kids are most allured by the mini-boxes of cereal...Fruit Loops, Cocoa Puffs...you get the picture. I have to make a concerted effort to just let it go and not think about the amount of sugar, HFCS and artificial colors they are consuming while enjoyed every little bite.
As much as I do not cringe over the things available to our kids that I normally would not allow them to eat, I could not help but to really pay attention to just what is in her refrigerator and pantry. I realized that Poofy is your average grocery shopper. She shops based on what is appealing, sounds appetizing and appears to be healthy because it is low-fat or sugar free.
As I was fixing the kids breakfast drinks and my coffee one morning I grabbed two items: flavored, non-fat, sugar-free creamer and Hershey's chocolate syrup. I read the ingredients on the creamer, put it back and grabbed the milk instead as nothing, not one ingredient was a real food or even dairy. I begrudgingly made the kids' chocolate milk with the syrup. I did not expect it to be wholesome, but was so disappointed to see it contained artificial colors. Why? Because Hershey's, a chocolate maker, puts so little actual chocolate in their syrup they have to add colors to make it a chocolate color. How pathetic!
It has taken me a bit of squawking to get my mother in law off of Splenda, but now she is a Truvia fan because it's all "natural". Ugh! It's not all natural when you factor in the processing chemicals used to make it. If you use artificial sweetners, ask yourself this: is the 16 calories per teaspoon of real sugar in this item that big? If you are consuming so much of something that those few calories really make a difference, I challenge you to limit the item and start using real sugar. Artificial sweetners, with the exception of pure Stevia, wreck havoc on your digestive track and are not easily processed by your body.
I had to laugh when I saw Poofy's dairy drawer where she keeps butter and fake butter. I realized that the fake spray butter is used for convenience and the appearance that it save calories because she can just do a couple of sprays into a pan before cooking. I think I will go with the whole butter and keep my scrambled eggs chemical free.
This is by no means a knock to my mother-in-law. I think she is in the majority of how she makes her food choices. I realized that I spend much time researching our food and what is in it. I spend time going to the farmers market to get local produce. I take extra time so I do not have to use prepackaged foods to feed our family. (I should note that my mother-in-law does not either as she cooks wholesome meals...its just complimented with some not so wholesome products through the day.)
All this to say, what are we going to do about this? How are we going to stand up to the USDA and FDA and tell them we want real food on our shelves? How are we going to stop big Ag from being able to buy studies that say pesticide on our produce is just fine? How are we going to make grocery shopping for wholesome foods easy for the average shopper? We must hold the FDA and USDA better accountable to us the consumer and not to their buddies at Big Ag. The average person should be able to trust what is on the shelves and right now, there is much to not trust on grocery store shelves.
Oh, by the way, Poofy...if you are wondering where most of your Oreos went...I might have had a couple.
It is common knowledge within the family that when opening her refrigerator it is best to stand back a bit as something may fall out and onto you. The pantry is a bounty of different items, but one shelf in particular captivates our kids as it holds the chips, crackers, cookies and cereal. It is probably spot-on the opposite of the second shelf in our pantry. Our kids are most allured by the mini-boxes of cereal...Fruit Loops, Cocoa Puffs...you get the picture. I have to make a concerted effort to just let it go and not think about the amount of sugar, HFCS and artificial colors they are consuming while enjoyed every little bite.
As much as I do not cringe over the things available to our kids that I normally would not allow them to eat, I could not help but to really pay attention to just what is in her refrigerator and pantry. I realized that Poofy is your average grocery shopper. She shops based on what is appealing, sounds appetizing and appears to be healthy because it is low-fat or sugar free.
As I was fixing the kids breakfast drinks and my coffee one morning I grabbed two items: flavored, non-fat, sugar-free creamer and Hershey's chocolate syrup. I read the ingredients on the creamer, put it back and grabbed the milk instead as nothing, not one ingredient was a real food or even dairy. I begrudgingly made the kids' chocolate milk with the syrup. I did not expect it to be wholesome, but was so disappointed to see it contained artificial colors. Why? Because Hershey's, a chocolate maker, puts so little actual chocolate in their syrup they have to add colors to make it a chocolate color. How pathetic!
It has taken me a bit of squawking to get my mother in law off of Splenda, but now she is a Truvia fan because it's all "natural". Ugh! It's not all natural when you factor in the processing chemicals used to make it. If you use artificial sweetners, ask yourself this: is the 16 calories per teaspoon of real sugar in this item that big? If you are consuming so much of something that those few calories really make a difference, I challenge you to limit the item and start using real sugar. Artificial sweetners, with the exception of pure Stevia, wreck havoc on your digestive track and are not easily processed by your body.
I had to laugh when I saw Poofy's dairy drawer where she keeps butter and fake butter. I realized that the fake spray butter is used for convenience and the appearance that it save calories because she can just do a couple of sprays into a pan before cooking. I think I will go with the whole butter and keep my scrambled eggs chemical free.
This is by no means a knock to my mother-in-law. I think she is in the majority of how she makes her food choices. I realized that I spend much time researching our food and what is in it. I spend time going to the farmers market to get local produce. I take extra time so I do not have to use prepackaged foods to feed our family. (I should note that my mother-in-law does not either as she cooks wholesome meals...its just complimented with some not so wholesome products through the day.)
All this to say, what are we going to do about this? How are we going to stand up to the USDA and FDA and tell them we want real food on our shelves? How are we going to stop big Ag from being able to buy studies that say pesticide on our produce is just fine? How are we going to make grocery shopping for wholesome foods easy for the average shopper? We must hold the FDA and USDA better accountable to us the consumer and not to their buddies at Big Ag. The average person should be able to trust what is on the shelves and right now, there is much to not trust on grocery store shelves.
Oh, by the way, Poofy...if you are wondering where most of your Oreos went...I might have had a couple.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Oh My Soul!
Have you ever wondered just what it means to be a stranger in a familiar land? Psalm 119:19 - I remember reading that early in my Christian walk and having no idea what it meant. I loved my earthly life! But, now, the more I die to myself and commit to the Lord's ways, I am truly feeling like a stranger...so much so that my stomach hurts some days...today particularly.
I am doing a Bible study on the conversations we should have with our daughters. Ours is too young for many of these conversations, but I am so thankful to be in this study because it has opened my eyes greatly to just what this world is telling our daughters. It is telling them to have sex, forget marriage, and by no means do you really want to be a mom. And, if you do want to be a mom, do it alone because you have no need for a man to care for you.
This makes me weep!
I LOVE being a wife and mom! If I could turn back time I would not have had sex before marrying. In fact, looking back, nothing, absolutely nothing, good came from those experiences. I am thankful that the Lord did convict us to wait until marriage...at least there was some purity for us.
Right now, our young girls are being assaulted with messages encouraging them to be sexy and sexual. When did we decide we wanted our daughters to be such sexual creatures? When did we decide it was better for them to have sex at a young age than to wait until they are mature enough to understand it all? And, why? Why do we want to even put them in such a position and have that innocence taken?
Marriage is a joke for so many. I can certainly see why, forget about the prospect of "gay marriage", we straight folks are making a mockery of it everyday with a 50% divorce rate.
Being a mom is respected by some, but being a stay-at-home mom is not very well respected. This is not an attack on those who choose to work outside of the home - we all have to make decisions based on what is best for our family unit. But, when did putting our kids as a priority and deciding to stay home to invest in them become so disrespected? When did earning money become more important than them? When did taking care of our own needs become top priority? Why is it so bad to allow a husband to care for you, to love you, to support you?
When did we decide we wanted it all? We cannot have it all, ladies! We may get to experience it as we go along the way, but we cannot have it all at once. It is not what God intended for us. And, you know what, it is okay to depend upon someone else. Depend upon God first; and then your spouse...it's okay. You are not weak because of that. In fact, you are stronger for it!
The best I can figure, as women, we have started to look at ourselves as our number one priority. It's all about us! We do not want a man to limit us...or heaven forbid a child to keep us from doing just what we want. Our culture has become so obsessed with pleasing ourselves. It's okay to do whatever you want as long as it's what you want.
Oh how this must grieve the Lord! Jesus came to serve and yet we still think we come first.
God created woman so that Adam would not be lonely. He created marriage so we could become one together. He created sex for our pleasure and procreation. So...why in today's world is God no longer part of these conversations? Why is He removed from the talk about sex and marriage? Why are we not putting Him first and us second? Why are we allowing our daughters to fall into the hands of a fallen world instead of ushering them towards what the Lord has intended for them?
I am doing a Bible study on the conversations we should have with our daughters. Ours is too young for many of these conversations, but I am so thankful to be in this study because it has opened my eyes greatly to just what this world is telling our daughters. It is telling them to have sex, forget marriage, and by no means do you really want to be a mom. And, if you do want to be a mom, do it alone because you have no need for a man to care for you.
This makes me weep!
I LOVE being a wife and mom! If I could turn back time I would not have had sex before marrying. In fact, looking back, nothing, absolutely nothing, good came from those experiences. I am thankful that the Lord did convict us to wait until marriage...at least there was some purity for us.
Right now, our young girls are being assaulted with messages encouraging them to be sexy and sexual. When did we decide we wanted our daughters to be such sexual creatures? When did we decide it was better for them to have sex at a young age than to wait until they are mature enough to understand it all? And, why? Why do we want to even put them in such a position and have that innocence taken?
Marriage is a joke for so many. I can certainly see why, forget about the prospect of "gay marriage", we straight folks are making a mockery of it everyday with a 50% divorce rate.
Being a mom is respected by some, but being a stay-at-home mom is not very well respected. This is not an attack on those who choose to work outside of the home - we all have to make decisions based on what is best for our family unit. But, when did putting our kids as a priority and deciding to stay home to invest in them become so disrespected? When did earning money become more important than them? When did taking care of our own needs become top priority? Why is it so bad to allow a husband to care for you, to love you, to support you?
When did we decide we wanted it all? We cannot have it all, ladies! We may get to experience it as we go along the way, but we cannot have it all at once. It is not what God intended for us. And, you know what, it is okay to depend upon someone else. Depend upon God first; and then your spouse...it's okay. You are not weak because of that. In fact, you are stronger for it!
The best I can figure, as women, we have started to look at ourselves as our number one priority. It's all about us! We do not want a man to limit us...or heaven forbid a child to keep us from doing just what we want. Our culture has become so obsessed with pleasing ourselves. It's okay to do whatever you want as long as it's what you want.
Oh how this must grieve the Lord! Jesus came to serve and yet we still think we come first.
God created woman so that Adam would not be lonely. He created marriage so we could become one together. He created sex for our pleasure and procreation. So...why in today's world is God no longer part of these conversations? Why is He removed from the talk about sex and marriage? Why are we not putting Him first and us second? Why are we allowing our daughters to fall into the hands of a fallen world instead of ushering them towards what the Lord has intended for them?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Pop! Pop! Pop!
You can file this one under the practical, healthier alternative section.
Our kids love popcorn. I have fallen into the easy habit of throwing a bag into the microwave without a second thought. Then, I realized that by doing so, I was serving up some chemicals with the popcorn.(I do not know the details, other than the lining of the bag, when heated lets off some sort of emissions.)
Yesterday I bought a big jar of popcorn kernels. It cost me $4 for 30 oz. compared with the microwave kind that is typically around $3 for three bags. Already I was feeling a bit ahead of the game by saving a good amount of money.
Since I have never actually popped popcorn from scratch I followed the cooking instructions (not something I often do). 2 - 3 tablespoons of oil and 1/2 cup of kernels. Heat the oil, add the corn, cover...and pop. Easy. It advised using at least a 3 quart pot. Next time I will go larger as I had popcorn everywhere by the time it stopped popping.
It was super easy and took about as much time to pop as the microwave bag takes. The added bonus...real melted butter. While it popped I melted about 3 tablespoons of butter and some kosher salt and stirred it into the popcorn. Goodness...it was so much better than the microwave stuff.
So...next time you are up for some popcorn, go the old fashioned way. It's healthier, cheaper and just plain tastes better.
Enjoy!
Our kids love popcorn. I have fallen into the easy habit of throwing a bag into the microwave without a second thought. Then, I realized that by doing so, I was serving up some chemicals with the popcorn.(I do not know the details, other than the lining of the bag, when heated lets off some sort of emissions.)
Yesterday I bought a big jar of popcorn kernels. It cost me $4 for 30 oz. compared with the microwave kind that is typically around $3 for three bags. Already I was feeling a bit ahead of the game by saving a good amount of money.
Since I have never actually popped popcorn from scratch I followed the cooking instructions (not something I often do). 2 - 3 tablespoons of oil and 1/2 cup of kernels. Heat the oil, add the corn, cover...and pop. Easy. It advised using at least a 3 quart pot. Next time I will go larger as I had popcorn everywhere by the time it stopped popping.
It was super easy and took about as much time to pop as the microwave bag takes. The added bonus...real melted butter. While it popped I melted about 3 tablespoons of butter and some kosher salt and stirred it into the popcorn. Goodness...it was so much better than the microwave stuff.
So...next time you are up for some popcorn, go the old fashioned way. It's healthier, cheaper and just plain tastes better.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
If Grandma Lived on the Third Tee
I changed the name of the blog this morning. With some encouragement and advice from Grant, I realized the original title really did not preview just what is in my heart for the purpose of this blog.
The original title does, however, give you an idea of just who I am.
My maternal grandparents lived in the middle of the country. They had a beautiful piece of land with plenty of room for a pond, large garden, hen house, duck house, bunny pen, cows and horses at one point...a kids dream place with a ton of running around room, plenty of go-kart space (did you know if you are not paying attention you can actually run a go-kart UP a tree!?!) and great lessons on how to live simply.
Grandma cooked with bacon grease, butter, fresh eggs, catfish from the pond, vegetables grown a hundred yards away and a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Processed food was not in her pantry. Granddaddy was growing organic produce well before organic was "in". Clothes were dried on a line in the back yard. Water came from a well out back (the best tasting water with no bottle required). Grandma sewed many of our clothes. At one point I resented it, but then came to greatly appreciate the fact that I got to pick out the pattern and fabric of what I wore and have it hand-tailored to fit me. When we got to their home we knew without a doubt we were loved. Grandma often expressed that love through her food. I am very much the same. Our kitchen is the source of just how I care for our family, friends and strangers.
As a wife and mother, I am finding that day-by-day, I want to live like Grandma - cooking fresh food, avoiding processed junk, drinking water straight from the tap. I just have to it all while living in the middle of a golf course.
From the outside looking in, I imagine our life looks very different than how it is actually lived. When folks learn of where we live they assume we are "country club people". I am not really sure what that means, but it usually is said with a disparaging look. Funny thing is, we are "country club people". We overlook the third tee of a golf course; we splash around in a club pool; we exercise in the club's fitness center; we dine in its club house. We have been given a tremendous blessing in being part of this club, but also feel a tremendous burden to be the Lord's Light to those with whom we interact when we are there. You see, people that feel they have it all, are often the ones that really have nothing. Their "all" is not Jesus. Our mission field may be a bit prettier than others, but it's still a mission field.
By the way, if you are on the third tee and are greeted by two very friendly children waving and yelling, "HI!" please ignore the fact that they may have on nothing more than undies and just say "hi!" back.
The original title does, however, give you an idea of just who I am.
My maternal grandparents lived in the middle of the country. They had a beautiful piece of land with plenty of room for a pond, large garden, hen house, duck house, bunny pen, cows and horses at one point...a kids dream place with a ton of running around room, plenty of go-kart space (did you know if you are not paying attention you can actually run a go-kart UP a tree!?!) and great lessons on how to live simply.
Grandma cooked with bacon grease, butter, fresh eggs, catfish from the pond, vegetables grown a hundred yards away and a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Processed food was not in her pantry. Granddaddy was growing organic produce well before organic was "in". Clothes were dried on a line in the back yard. Water came from a well out back (the best tasting water with no bottle required). Grandma sewed many of our clothes. At one point I resented it, but then came to greatly appreciate the fact that I got to pick out the pattern and fabric of what I wore and have it hand-tailored to fit me. When we got to their home we knew without a doubt we were loved. Grandma often expressed that love through her food. I am very much the same. Our kitchen is the source of just how I care for our family, friends and strangers.
As a wife and mother, I am finding that day-by-day, I want to live like Grandma - cooking fresh food, avoiding processed junk, drinking water straight from the tap. I just have to it all while living in the middle of a golf course.
From the outside looking in, I imagine our life looks very different than how it is actually lived. When folks learn of where we live they assume we are "country club people". I am not really sure what that means, but it usually is said with a disparaging look. Funny thing is, we are "country club people". We overlook the third tee of a golf course; we splash around in a club pool; we exercise in the club's fitness center; we dine in its club house. We have been given a tremendous blessing in being part of this club, but also feel a tremendous burden to be the Lord's Light to those with whom we interact when we are there. You see, people that feel they have it all, are often the ones that really have nothing. Their "all" is not Jesus. Our mission field may be a bit prettier than others, but it's still a mission field.
By the way, if you are on the third tee and are greeted by two very friendly children waving and yelling, "HI!" please ignore the fact that they may have on nothing more than undies and just say "hi!" back.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Well...here goes.
For a while now, a few folks have suggested I start a blog. I am pretty open about our family...things we are praying for, praises for those answered prayers, where we may be struggling etc. I have found that by being honest and letting friends see just what the Lord is doing in our life, we serve as encouragement to others.
The Lord is certainly working within us and has refined us greatly over the last few years. Right now, He has put two things on our hearts. One, to adopt a child. Two, the get our financial house in order. We feel greatly that until we do two, we will not have one.
Yesterday, we took bold steps to get our finances in order. We finally cut up our credit cards and put them in a jar (I'll tell you why a jar in a moment...). We prayed over them and set up Dave Ramsey's "snowball" plan to get them paid. It was encouraging to see how quickly they will get paid if we commit to the sacrifice of it all. It was sickening to see just how much money will go towards these bills! Oh, how thankful I am that the Lord has provided a way out of such slavery! I am converting to a cash system of sorts - not quite ol' Dave's plan - but a good first step for us.
A second jar was placed in our car that is for sale. To back up a bit, I have been greatly convicted that there is no reason to drive the "nicer" car if it carries a high monthly payment. So, we are selling it and I am now driving our older car (funny enough, it was the first car I ever bought and drove it the entire time we dated....even brought Cate home from the hospital in it). The beauty of this conviction is that it will allow us to pay off our debts. But...we need it to sell. So, we placed a jar in the front seat and prayed for the Lord to sell it for a bit of profit so we may enjoy our vacation to see family next month, and provide for some Kingdom building at CGM.
Oh - why the jars you ask. That came from our teaching at church Sunday and Grant wanted to put it into play in our lives. 2 Kings 4:1 - 7. And, some think the OT does not apply to us today!
The Lord is certainly working within us and has refined us greatly over the last few years. Right now, He has put two things on our hearts. One, to adopt a child. Two, the get our financial house in order. We feel greatly that until we do two, we will not have one.
Yesterday, we took bold steps to get our finances in order. We finally cut up our credit cards and put them in a jar (I'll tell you why a jar in a moment...). We prayed over them and set up Dave Ramsey's "snowball" plan to get them paid. It was encouraging to see how quickly they will get paid if we commit to the sacrifice of it all. It was sickening to see just how much money will go towards these bills! Oh, how thankful I am that the Lord has provided a way out of such slavery! I am converting to a cash system of sorts - not quite ol' Dave's plan - but a good first step for us.
A second jar was placed in our car that is for sale. To back up a bit, I have been greatly convicted that there is no reason to drive the "nicer" car if it carries a high monthly payment. So, we are selling it and I am now driving our older car (funny enough, it was the first car I ever bought and drove it the entire time we dated....even brought Cate home from the hospital in it). The beauty of this conviction is that it will allow us to pay off our debts. But...we need it to sell. So, we placed a jar in the front seat and prayed for the Lord to sell it for a bit of profit so we may enjoy our vacation to see family next month, and provide for some Kingdom building at CGM.
Oh - why the jars you ask. That came from our teaching at church Sunday and Grant wanted to put it into play in our lives. 2 Kings 4:1 - 7. And, some think the OT does not apply to us today!
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