Thankful For... Food. A Bounty of Food.

There is something about this time of year that brings food pantries, soup kitchens and the problem of hunger to the forefront. Maybe it's the approach of winter, maybe it's the significance of the holiday feast. I've posted before about the issue of hunger and my passion for it. I support a local food pantry as regularly as I can. Teagan has taken on the mission, too, and often reminds me to pick up something for the food pantry when we are grocery shopping. My church is very involved in supporting the food pantry ministry at our sister church. We have a monthly food theme and that has worked really well. One month is cereal, another is canned fruit, another is pasta and sauce. In November, we did a special drive for donations of Thanksgiving meals- cranberry sauce, canned pumpkin, box of mashed potatoes, stove top, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and so on. I posted recently about making a donation that was a collection of food from just 4 people and about getting to see the inner workings of this small food pantry serving local families. If you didn't read that post, I encourage you to do so. Today, the day before friends and family gather together at a table that will have an ample amount of food, I am thankful for the food being prepared by loving hands. Last week, I was deeply moved by the generosity of the donations coming in at church for that Thanksgiving drive. I arrived at music team practice Thursday evening and Teagan and I jumped in to help take the bags and bags and bags of food from the lobby, into the church, and up to the altar. One of my friends on music team is a teacher at a local school and she shared with us a story. I don't know many details but I knew enough to know that we had to help. Someone who knows someone knows this family- 3 kids. Somehow, someone got invited into the home and discovered that there was no food in the home. None. Nothing. The kids had been surviving on school lunch during the week and been hungry for the weekend. The someone who discovered the situation immediately got them some food. One of the children, a little girl, grabbed a can of condensed chicken noodle soup, popped the top open and drank the entire can. My heart broke- no, my heart opened wide to this family. A friend and I insisted that this teacher take food from these donations to that family. She was already going to share information with them about the food pantry. We went through the bags and pulled out 4 or 5 paper bags worth of food that wouldn't require additional food to prepare- things that would only require water, no milk or butter. The spotlight is turned on bright to show the real face of hunger in America as we approach winter and the holidays. But hunger is a problem that families face every day, no matter the season. I'm thankful that I have a pantry that always has food in it. I'm thankful that my fridge is always full. I'm thankful that my freezer doesn't have any room in it. I'm thankful that I have a snack bin that my kids can access at any time and that the bin is always full. I am so thankful that my children don't know what hunger is, don't know how it feels to go to bed hungry, don't know how it feels to be uncertain about when there will be food in the house. And because I am blessed, I can be passionate about working to help others who are struggling and need a hand in order to feed their children, their families, themselves. In that original post, I said I was going to share the meal kits that this pantry puts together. I would love to focus on collecting food items for these meal kits. Not only do these kits provide food to a family, but I think there is an amazing opportunity for a mom, dad, or child to take pride in preparing an actual meal and not just heating up something from a can. I would encourage you to take this idea to your own local pantry or to your church or school and see if you can't make a positive change in someone's life through a simple gesture. If you are in the Indianapolis area and would like to contribute something from the list below, please e-mail me (gentlemomlc@gmail.com). If you aren't local but want to contribute (and trust me), you can use my PayPal to donate to the cause. Contact me at that given e-mail address for information. And if you take this list, this idea, and you implement it in your area, please share your story. Inspiration has great power when it comes to the positive influence of change. If I've inspired you, I encourage you to be vocal and inspire others. I am thankful for the bounty that awaits us for the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow. I am thankful that I am able to provide some of that bounty and feed the people that I love. I am thankful for food. For each of these, I will print up the recipe card that goes into the bag with the ingredients. One staple for these is gallon sized Ziploc type bags. 1. Chicken, Bean, and Tomato Stew You will need: 1 can of chicken, 1 large can flavored ranch style beans, and 1 can diced tomatoes with jalapenos or onions. Instructions: Drain chicken. Mix with undrained beans and undrained tomatoes in a pot. Heat thoroughly before serving. Liz note: I think this would be awesome over rice... 2. Chicken or Turkey Tacos You will need: 1 package of taco seasoning, 1 jar of salsa OR 1 can of diced tomatoes OR 1 can of tomato sauce, and 1 can of chicken or turkey. Instructions: Combine all ingredients and heat in skillet. Serve with taco shells, soft tortillas, or chips. (Good side dishes include refried beans, Spanish rice, and/or corn.) 3. One Pot Chicken and Minute Rice Casserole You will need: 2 cans of cream soup (any kind), 2 soup cans of milk, 2 soup cans of uncooked minute rice, 1 soup can of water, 1 can of cooked chicken, and salt/pepper/onion (to taste). Instructions: Mix all ingredients together. Place in large, well greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked. After about 15 minutes, add more liquid if needed to keep rice from burning. This can also be made with tuna or any other canned meat. Vegetables may be added near the end of the baking time. Liz note: I think a can of green beans and/or corn and/or peas would be great in this! I'm going to add one that my mom used to make: Mac N Cheese Tuna Casserole 2 boxes of mac n cheese, 1 large can of tuna, 1 can of peas. Prepare mac n cheese as instructed. Drain tuna and peas. Mix into mac n cheese. And one that I've made from time to time: Easy Beef Stroganoff 1 can cream of mushroom soup, egg noodles, 1 can of peas Boil noodles. In separate pot, heat mushroom soup with 1/2 can of milk or water. Drain peas and mix into soup. Brown 1 lb ground beef and add to soup/pease mixture. Serve over egg noodles. Top with parmesan cheese. THANK YOU!!!

Thankful for... Time Away

I love my kids. I am proud of my mothering (most of the time- hey, we all have our "less than" moments). But sometimes, I need a break. Jeff and I are immensely grateful to have Christy and to have Jeff's folks here so that we can take a night out from time to time. We don't do it often. But when we do, it's definitely needed. There is no better peace of mind than knowing that my kids are not only being well cared for by someone I completely trust, but that they are having an insanely good time, too. And sometimes, a single evening out just isn't enough. After Thanksgiving dinner... when bellies are full and kids are playing football in the yard and grown ups are in a tryptofan coma... We will drive back home, leaving our children at Grandma's house. Yes, we will miss them. They will miss us. There might even be tears- on both sides. But the kids need that time with my parents and my brothers. And my husband and I need time for just the two of us. We'll have Friday to enjoy time at home- Jeff might go hit some Black Friday sales. I'll hopefully get some cleaning done to make room for the Christmas tree that we plan to assemble and decorate over the weekend. Friday night, Jeff and I have a special date night planned. Saturday morning, Christy and I will drive over to Cincinnati and make a visit to Jungle Jim's. Then pick up the kids and bring them home. Then we celebrate Thanksgiving with Jeff's family on Sunday afternoon. I'm thankful for people in my life who can give Jeff and I a little break. I'm thankful to have friends and family who love us and support us and understand that time away makes us better parents. I'm thankful for time away to make the time together even better.

Thankful for... Thanksgiving Turkey

I found out yesterday that there won't be turkey at my mom's Thanksgiving meal.

Did you catch that? No turkey. On Thanksgiving Day. No turkey. *big, huge, deep sigh*

One thing I will tell you is that I love turkey at Thanksgiving primarily because of my cranberry sauce. It's the best vehicle for that side dish and I just adore it. A second thing I will tell you is that the main thing my husband loves about Thanksgiving is the turkey. Turkey isn't something you cook on any random night. Cooking a turkey takes time and work. My mom got a ham. No turkey. So I opened my mouth and stepped up to take on a challenge that I'm not sure I'll succeed at but I'm going to try my best.

I'm making the turkey. And taking it on a 2 hour drive to its final destination. I've never made a turkey. I've made a turkey breast- super easy. Stick of butter and a crock pot, done. But I've never roasted an entire turkey. We shopped today. I'll be honest- our first stop was the deli to find out if it was still possible to order a cooked one. No luck. Saw lots of frozen turkeys. But I'm scared of the defrosting time required. Found fresh turkeys on sale. Found a giant bird that will more than feed my family and hopefully provide us plenty of leftovers. 18 pounds. I've been asking questions on Facebook about cooking a turkey. And I found a recipe that seems easy on Food Network- World's Simplest Thanksgiving Turkey. My plan is to do all the cooking on Wednesday evening/night and do the final hour of roasting at my mom's.

EDIT: After research and messages from folks, my plan has changed! Instead of cooking the turkey the night before, I'm going to start cooking in the middle of the night and have it done by the time we head out on the road. Food safety comes first!

I will convert the back of the minivan to a food storage unit. It will haul the cooked turkey, the cranberry sauce, the supplies to make the Sage and Hazelnut Green Beans, and the Pumpkin Crunch. And at least one bottle of wine. Maybe more. Perhaps this is the start of the passing of the torch? Maybe our Thanksgiving tradition will eventually mean that I drive to my mom's the day before to do loads of cooking for her and our family. I'm a little stressed about it and will pull on my very hidden Type A side to make lists and schedules in order to get everything done. I'm also a little excited to have such a big part of our family meal on my shoulders. I'm thankful for the opportunity to bring tradition to the table for our meal. I know it means a lot to Jeff and maybe to others who will gather at the table.

I'm thankful for turkey.

 

Thankful For... Size 10!

First, if you haven't read my posts about shopping for jeans before- go read The Magic Jeans and then come back. All done? Did I make it clear how miserable jeans shopping was before? How much I hated that day of trying on jeans and finding nothing that fit? Stretchy fabric was my nemesis, I couldn't fit into some 16's but some 18's were too big. I even tried on men's jeans to see if that would be better. Then I started losing weight on my Healthier Me quest and my friend Ashli gave me clothes that she was shrinking out of and I found a pair of magic jeans- that fit like they were made for me and looked fantastic. And they eventually started to wear through so I begrdugingly decided to try on jeans at Target one day, found a style I loved, bought the size 14, realized it was too big after 1 day of wearing them, went back and bought the size 12 and have been pleased as punch ever since. Today I am thankful for size 12 magic jeans that are starting to get a bit loose in the comfort fit, no gap waistband. Yep. Loose. Loose enough that I jokingly hid a bottle of wine in them at a friend's house one night. Loose enough that I sometimes break down and wear a belt. Not loose enough to actually be too big- but loose enough that I can feel the continued progress that I'm making. Yesterday, Christy spent the entire day with our family. She and I took the kids to the Indy International Festival (which was awesome!). Swung by a park on the way home so I could meet a new friend (Hi, Missy!!) and take some pics for her. Came home and met up with Jeff and his friend Brian. The guys took the kids out to dinner. Christy and I headed to Target- I had an itch to try on the next size down in pants. I grabbed the size 12 in the casual work pants I buy for work. I currently have a pair of khakis and a pair of black- both size 14. Loose. Last time I tried on the 12's, they didn't quite fit. I could button them but they were a smidge tight and uncomfortable. I grabbed a 10 in the magic jeans. I head for the dressing room. I take the jeans from the hanger. I look them over... seriously doubting I'm actually going to fit into a size 10, no matter how stretchy any part of the fabric or waistband is. I slip out of my size 12's. I put one leg in the 10's, the other leg in and I pull up. I twist and hop a little... ...and then I button them. And I can still breathe. And I look in the mirror and I'm wearing a size 10. Size 10. A size I haven't seen since at least college. Size 10. And I am so thankful. Thankful for my legs, my workout partner, my running, my hard work, my dedication, my pushing through. Thankful for support from my husband in more ways than I can list. Thankful for size 10 magic jeans.

I didn't buy them. I'm not quite there yet- they were a little tight in the butt and thighs. But I'll be there by the New Year, if not sooner. Size 10. Today, I am thankful for being healthier, stronger, faster, more enduring... and for fitting into... Size 10.

Thanksgiving Recipes

My mom makes Thanksgiving dinners. I've been going home to my mom's for Thanksgiving for as many years as I haven't lived at home. As a child, we traveled, I assume. I don't have clear memories of celebrating Thanksgiving, honestly. My mom makes a darn good Thanksgiving dinner. The menu isn't always exactly the same but it's chock full of all the traditional comfort foods- turkey, potatoes in some form, veggies of some sort, Stove Top, and plenty of desserts like cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and if I'm really lucky- maybe even a chocolate cream pie.

I like to make a little something each year. When I was first out on my own, I knew I wanted to add to the celebration but was unsure as to what I could possibly add. There was one thing that was never part of our Thanksgiving meals. Cranberry sauce. Not a can of jellied stuff could be found. No red, round cranberries on our table. I don't know why for certain. It just wasn't part of our tradition. But around the time that I got my first apartment, I discovered (thanks to Boston Market) that I actually really liked cranberry sauce. So I knew that the dish I could add to the family table was cranberry sauce- but I didn't want to just bring a can of jellied stuff. I found a recipe and it was a huge hit! I mean- HUGE. So big... that my college living brother asks me to make him a container of it for him to take back to school. My aunt always asks for it to be there. I make it for Thanksgiving and for Christmas and possibly even Easter. And I'm going to share my recipe with you. I don't mean to not give credit if credit is due- I don't read this recipe and make it anymore. I make it from memory every time.

Take a can of jellied cranberry sauce and dump it into a sauce pan. Start heating it up. Add it a small jar of Simply Fruit orange marmalade. Let it heat up and simmer while you chop (or use a food processor) a bag of fresh cranberries (you find them in your grocery's produce section). Add the cranberries and let them simmer until the bright white meat isn't so white anymore. When you first notice some of that color change, add in a small bag of chopped walnuts (I like to run the chopped walnuts through my food processor to make them finer). Let it all simmer, stir and stir. Then put it in a container, let it cool, and refrigerate.

Although it is tasty warm, too.

Another recipe I started bring is a dessert my friend Collette turned me onto. It's called Pumpkin Crunch and it is mighty tasty. I've also heard it called Pumpkin Dump Cake. But it's a great little twist on that same old pumpkin pie.

This year, I've come across a lot of veggie side dishes that I am very, very intrigued about.

Green Beans with Blackened Sage and Hazelnuts

Butternut Squash with Pepita Dressing

Cider-Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Almonds

Or maybe I will take a salad...

Spinach Salad with Apples and Pomegranate Seeds

Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges, Gorgonzola, and Balsamic Reduction

Or maybe just my personal favorite salad- broccoli slaw with a tahini dressing and slivered almonds. I bet I could dress that up a bit.

And I'm not a huge stuffing kind of gal... but this is a very intriguing recipe: Pear, Prosciutto & Hazelnut Stuffing

Do you have fantastic Thanksgiving recipes that you pull out just for big family dinners and holiday meals? I would love for you to share them! I don't know what all I will make to take to my mom's. I know I will be making a dish or two (or three) to take to my in-law's on Sunday for that Thanksgiving gathering, too. So I need plenty of options to choose from! Oh! And if you use one of those recipe I linked or shared above, let me know how it turns out!!

Happy Thanksgiving cooking!!

 

TGIFGF!

Thank Goodness It's Feel Good Friday!

The Girl Next Door Grows Up (link at the bottom of the page) does a weekly Feel Good Friday link up- I like the idea of ending the work week by focusing on feel good things. Mrs4444 of Half Past Kissin' Time (again, link at bottom) does a weekly Friday Fragments link up. I'm pretty fragmented. I think they go together nicely so here we go!

**~**~**~**

Thanksgiving is next week!! I posted last week about my love of Thanksgiving and how important it is for me to have Thanksgiving be the focus before the Christmas stuff starts. Next week, I plan to focus on Thanksgiving here on the blog. Recipes I've found and want to try, gratitude and blessings, and who knows what else.

**~**~**~**

In case you missed them before, I just have to share my videos of my funny little boy from last weekend. I'm sharing my favorite one below and you can click the link above to go to my YouTube channel and see his songs.

**~**~**~**

Teagan has had a solid week of beyond awesome reports at school! We talked about stopping the daily check in... I talked to Teagan about it last night. She says she likes that I check in every day so I'm going to keep doing it for at least another week. I just love how much she has so totally turned her behavior around!!

**~**~**~**

Anyone a Droid user? I'm looking for a great FM Radio app. I loaded TuneIn but get annoyed because it buffers every few minutes and I miss most of what I'm listening to anyway!

**~**~**~**

Weekend plans? Ours is relatively open- just trying to figure out how to put the pieces together. We are hoping to: Go to the Indy International Festival, attend Jeff's nephew's basketball game, and I get to meet up with a friend to take pictures (hopefully)! What's on your schedule this weekend?

I Challenge You!

Christy and I did an unplanned workout at the gym yesterday. We had intended to hit the treadmill and run. Instead, we took the fitness endurance challenge. Almost a year ago, Christy and I started going back to the gym after a few months of total slacking. On Dec 1, 2009, one of our first days back, we saw a spreadsheet on the wall- an endurance challenge. There were a series of exercises and the idea was to do as many reps of each one in the time allotted. Standing Ball Push Up- as many as you can in 60 seconds. Sit to stand on workout bench- as many as you can in 60 seconds. This is basically a squat but you lower your rear to actually touch the workout bench and then stand up. No resting on the bench- just touch and go. Plank - hold a plank for as long as you can. Hammer curls with 10 lb dumbbells - as many as you can in 60 seconds. 2 miles on stationary bike at level 6 resistance. 1/4 mile run. I have to say- we blew away our results from last year. Now I want to challenge YOU! I want you to go do those exercises at your gym or at home. Time yourself, count your reps, etc. Report back how you did- I will add you to the sheet. I'll make a new sheet to track our progress. I say we do this again in 2 or 3 months and see if we've improved! Next Challenge date will be January 19, 2011. Who's in?? Don't make me double dog dare you!!