The table is a place where the practical and the heavenly meet. We saw it all the time wherever Jesus went. It’s good to keep that in mind when it comes time to fill the table. First with the people then with the food. Are you responsible for filling the table in your home? I am. This season I am in in particular has been challenging for me to decide how to go about doing it. Time and energy are scarce. Creativity likewise and my ever changing appetite is unpredictable, thanks to all the stages of pregnancy and postpartum!

I don’t want to lose the beauty of the table because I am too burdened by the task of filling it. For some of you this is extra challenging as there are some or many food restrictions to follow. However lets see if we can break it down and simplify it. Lets keep the vision in the process.

1.) Set aside time that is quiet. Maybe when the kids are asleep!

2.) Find a cozy or clean space. Light a candle, turn on some soothing music. Lets make it as much of an enjoyable experience as we can for what it is.

3.) If we find ourselves thinking thoughts that don’t align with the vision lets get it back on track. Our tables are a sacred place for peace and relationship. A place designed by God for families of all kinds. A place where life is shared with all it’s hopes and disappointments and memories.

With that the work can begin.

4.) Begin by brainstorming your family’s favorite meals.

5.) Decide how frequently you feel comfortable eating these meals. How often can you rotate them and not get sick of them. Every week or every 2 weeks, 3 weeks or 4 weeks. I prefer a four week meal rotation. Although there are always some meals we have more frequently because they are my easy go to meals.

Keep in mind FANCY does not mean better especially when it comes to making the time at the table quality time. Actually the less stressful the meal is to make the better! It means you come to the table with more energy left over to offer to those you love.

6.)Choose any side dishes to go with your meals. You only need to be as specific as you want to be this early on.

7.) Divide these meals up between your weeks. For example if you have a 3 week meal rotation, make a column for Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3. Then assign each week an appropriate number of meals. How many meals you have in total and how many meals you make per week will depend on your family and lifestyle. We are a family of 6 and usually eat at home. I like to have leftovers so I will cook about 4-5 meals a week and that leaves 2-3 evenings for either left overs, visiting family/friends or take out.

Learning your family’s needs regarding how often too cook and how much is a learning curve and one that often is changing so be patient in the trial and error of it all. It is always good to plan for more meals than you think you might need on your list and you can always last minute pick one and plug it in to wherever you need it.

8.) Now that your weekly meal rotation is established the next step happens on your planning day before your week begins. Some people like to do this on Sunday night or the Friday before the upcoming week. I know what week I am on and I just plug in the meals I chose accordingly. I know which days will be long for me and I know I will want something easy. Those are the evenings I plug in the grilled cheese and tomato soup type meal.

As we get more familiar with our meal rotation and recipes, prep becomes easier.

I hope that this brief guide has helped as you plan to fill your table this month. I hope the plan you design takes some of the burden off of you and you are able to sit at the table and take in the wonderful things God has set before you.

Until next time, be well and may God bless you.

Abby

Because life is busy it is more important than ever to have easy meals to make. We often forget though that being able get through those busy seasons also means taking care of our bodies. Any mama’s out there!? You know just what I’m saying. You also know it’s something we all struggle with daily. I know you eat the the left overs off your kids plates just like I do! This recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen. It is one of my absolute fall favorites. The reason I love America’s Test Kitchen is because they test every recipe using food science to get the absolute BEST results! The original recipe is not vegan although it does not use any broth or cream! The only modification you need to make to ensure your soup is vegan is to substitute the butter for your choice of oil. I would recommend something simple like olive oil. If you have another creative idea please share in the comments below! I certainly don’t have time in this season of life to create my own recipes but the least I can do is share the best ones I find here with you!

Here are a few tips:

If you can wash and cut your cauliflower the night before, when it comes time to make the soup it will be so much easier! It’s already easy but lets be honest every little bit helps!  I would also double the recipe to have some leftovers for the next few days or even to freeze for later.

I hope by me sharing my favorite found recipes with you it allows you to get back to the basics of enjoying the little things in life. So that you have more time to enjoy simple yet richly nourishing meals with the people you love the most.

 

Happy Fall!

Well here I am again. After telling myself I know I need to be writing more and that writing is going to be the foundation for all my other creative efforts…this mom of three hasn’t made the time. It’s incredible how life just… happens as they say. People often ask “What’s new?” or “What have you been up to lately?”. To which my response almost always begins with a somewhat long pause. Then a deep breath and exhale. Because the truth of the matter is I rarely slow down long enough to breathe let alone consider what it is I actually do in a day.

Let me throw in my disclaimer here: I am a stay at home mom and I’m thankful. But it is more than I ever considered it would be. Plain and simple. Yes there are the joys. But I’m not here to talk about that. At least not today. I’m here to talk about the “grind”. The day in day out kind of stuff that I have yet to find a logical way of explaining to anyone. It all gets summed up to “We are good. I’m learning patience”. Ain’t that the truth? Anyone who has multiple little ones or has ever stayed with children for more than 1 hour knows this to be true! But if I could elaborate on that it would sound like this…

” Every day is a battle. A battle with myself. Every night before bed I am sure to get my battle strategy laid out. I need a plan. I need a plan or I will sink. I need to remind myself every night before the next day begins that “I AM CAPTAIN” – “I AM CAPTAIN OF THIS SHIP. It is up to ME to ensure the winds of chaos don’t sweep us all off course.” Every morning I repeat to myself ” Love is patient. Love is kind.” “I will be patient. I will be kind today.” Every day I do my very best to see the joy through the inevitable slightly controlled chaos. That takes me to about 8:00 am.  If you’ve been there… you know. Then the real work begins. The plans I so intentionally and strategically laid out the night before are blown out of the water by several poopy diapers, broken toys, bumped heads and the bottomless pits that are my toddlers stomachs. Yet I persevere. I stick to the plan or stick to the plan to just go with the flow. You have to be ready for anything … ya know. By now it’s 10:00 and like I said, I’m learning patience. I’m learning to let go of everything I want in order to have everything I want. I’m learning what true delayed gratification is. It’s the next 20 years of my life perhaps. Maybe longer as I hear you never truly graduate from being a parent. Usually at some point in my day someone says “Wow, you’ve got your hands full.” Which has bothered me lately. Mostly because I feel it requires a response… one I’m too tired to give and can’t think of anything that’s not sarcastic in response. But now I’ve decided I will just say “Yes! I do! And I am so thankful.” I hated hearing those words ” wow, you’ve got your hands full” because it was eluding to the idea that I’m tired, worn out, overwhelmed. Which I am all of those things to be completely honest. Yet I AM MORE THAN THAT. Tired, worn out, overwhelmed is how I FEEL. But I AM thankful. I am fully equipped through Christ to live a Godly life of patience and kindness. And although I have my plan so that our days aren’t total chaos, Jesus guides me when the waters get stormy. He says, “Slow down. See that rock up ahead? If you move slightly to the left, it won’t be a problem.” He reminds me that I am not alone. He too knows how it feels to have someone shouting your name relentlessly, grasping and pulling at your clothes and challenging my every attempt to teach. He met each of those things with the most gracious love known to man. So I’m learning patience and being beckoned closer to the beautiful heart of the Father. I get to see his gentleness, his love, his patience as he deals with me and my shortcomings as a parent. I get to see his love by how he encourages me in the things I’m doing well. I’m getting to experience His faithfulness during the times when I feel my worst. ”

Maybe it would be something like that.

Recently I was listening to a worship song that sang ” where there is new wine, there is new power”. We discussed in our small group how the grapes being crushed produce the wine. Wine is symbolic for power in that it represents the blood of Christ that was sacrificed for us to be free from our debt due to sin. When we are squeezed by our everyday grind good things can come forth and in that is power. So yes. My hands a full. My days are full and I am looking into the eyes of Jesus more than ever. And I am seeing his power. “I”ll keep my eyes above the waves”. I won’t sink.

 

Not eloquently written or even grammatically correct but it’s written. Someday I’ll be glad for it I’m sure.

 

The Autumn season needs no introduction it makes its entrance beautifully on its own. It’s bold, yet ever so graceful! It isn’t long after the first few fall crops are ready for harvest that almost overnight we see the bold reds, oranges and yellows emerge on the trees around us! This season beckons us back to the simplicity of life; to take time to savor the beauty happening around us. Some of us are also being beckoned back to simple meals of warmth and comfort! These three fall soups provide all the warmth and comfort you could hope, for without truly crossing that line into the high calorie “comfort food” zone.

What fall recipes have you tried so far!? Share your favorites in the comments! I love testing new recipes and sharing all the good ones!

1. One-Pot Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup

NOTES: For this Recipe I made a few adjustments of my own either by necessity or because I felt it would improve the recipe. I did not have fresh basil so I used dry basil; 4 tsp. I also added about 1 Tbs of each oregano and Thyme. Start with less and increase as needed as you taste test! I use white pepper – personal preference. I used a different pasta sauce than the recipe called for; a tomato and basil blend. I used whole milk and skipped the half and half simply because that’s what we had on hand. I think this recipe would still taste great with a 1-2% milk and no cream. If dairy isn’t a part of your diet I also think it would taste fine just as is; with just the broth and sauce. I also didn’t have “chicken broth” and used vegetable broth instead- works well if you’re vegetarian or vegan!

COOKING TIP: If you’re using dried basil use 4tsp. 1 tsp dried basil = 3 tsp fresh basil This recipe calls for 1/4 cup of fresh basil which is 4 Tbs. There are 3 tsp in each Tbs which would give you 12 tsp of FRESH BASIL. If you’re using dried basil this would mean you only need 4 tsp! ( 12 tsp fresh basil divided by 3 tsp = 4 tsp DRIED BASIL) Hope that is helpful!

2. Thai Curry Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup

NOTES: If you’re watching your calories you can use lite coconut milk in place of the full fat. I didn’t mind buying the special ingredients since I will definitely be making it again in the future!

3. Creamy Cauliflower Soup

NOTES: This soup has a SECRET… There is NO CREAM. This soup is incredibly healthy and you’ll never even know the cream isn’t there! America’s Test Kitchen is one of the best places to get your recipes from since they do all the hard work for you! They literally use the kitchen as a science lab testing recipes until the best methods with the best flavor and the least amount of effort is found! I highly recommend checking them out!  A final note about this soup, don’t skimp on the cauliflower for garnish on top! It makes the soup look good and taste even better!

 

Happy Harvest dears! I hope you enjoy even one of these as much as I did!

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One of the biggest obstacles to eating healthy at home is the prep work and clean up! Even the easiest meals require some prep work and clean up. Glamorous cooking shows and food demo’s make it all look so effortless, while the rest of us are still trying to multitask and learn the art of “clean as you go”!

These 5 tips are require little to no extra effort on your part but have a big impact on simplifying your meal prep process and clean up!Read More »

Part of living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight is planning healthy meals for yourself and your family.

The Pro’s of Meal Planning:

• Meal time can become a time to relax, talk with loved ones and enjoy real food
• No last minute panic over what to make for dinner
• Less time wasted trying to decide what to make for dinner every night
• Works well with a busy schedule and still can be healthy
• Allows you to track your food intake easily and stay on track with your healthy lifestyle
• Reduces stress so you can focus your energy in other areas

The end result of meal planning can absolutely make life easier, the problem is that creating a meal plan can seem overwhelming and complicated. There are a number of reasons why people throw in the towel when it comes to meal planning. Here are a few of them: Read More »

Earlier this month I shared 3 Keys to Keeping Your New Year Resolutions

• Determine your why
• Make it manageable
• When bite size goals turn into a heaping plate, remember that each individual success impacts the next

I hope you are finding those tips helpful! Today I’d like to briefly discuss the topic of setting goals and being successful at achieving them. Setting a goal is simple but it’s the fine tuning that leads to success! Read More »