If You Don't Know Beans About Beans

Beans get a bad rap.  But did you know they are a great source of protein, are high in fiber, and low in calories. 



If you cook your own from dried, they will cost you about ½ as much as the canned varieties!  (and have you ever checked out the sodium content in those cans??!! Whew!)



It's easy to do.



Purchase a pound package of dried beans (on the same aisle as the rice and pasta in most grocery stores).  Choose from white, red, pinto, black and many other varieties.



Rinse in a colander and place in a large pot.  Completely cover with water.  Leave over night to soak.  The next morning, bring the temperature of the water to almost boiling, and turn down to a low simmer.  Now, cook for 4-6 hours, or until soft.  (1 lb. dried = approx. 10 cups cooked.)



That's it!



You can even soak them overnight in the crockpot and cook all the next day. Season them now, or later.





At this point they are ready to be used in recipes or stored in the freezer.





I usually place 2 cups in a zip-lock freezer bag, seal, and lay flat in the freezer.



Currently, my freezer has red beans, white beans, black beans and a new supply of pintos.  To use them, I lay the frozen bag into the microwave and heat until thawed. Then, use as you would for canned beans.



Tomorrow, I'll share a few recipes:



White Bean Hummus

Mexican Black Bean Dip

Bean Flautas



C'mon...use your bean and start eating more beans!



 

Do you like beans?  Do you use them in any recipes?  Do share!





Robin

An Aisle, an Altar, and a Hymn

It's wedding time.  Here you are, in all your glorious beauty, ready to walk down the aisle to your knight...the man who chose you, the man of your dreams.

You walk down the aisle, meet your man at the altar, and then everyone sings a hymn.

And that man of your dreams.....he's just perfect!  Well, he's ALMOST perfect.  Except for the back hair, and those goofy jokes, and those silly looking jeans he loves, his sometimes gruff manner, and his lack of Bible reading,  and the_________, and the___________. 

And it begins.  The aisle, altar and hymn, turn into..... "I'll alter him"!  And we work and work at it, sometimes for years!

We have an image in our minds of what we want our husbands to be like...that perfect man that looks and thinks like we think he should look and think. 

Those preconceived ideas can make it really hard on our man.  After all, he's not really supposed to be made in OUR image, nor does he want to be.  (Do we really want him to be like us??)

He was created in God's image, yet still incomplete. God made him to be a man and he is still human. 

Maybe we should start adapting to him and loving him the way he is....not as we want him to be.  And the changes?  I've found that God does a lot better job than I do! 

May all my veiled "suggestions" and "encouragements" be silenced into quiet, uplifting prayers for my knight, the man who chose me, the man of  my dreams.



 

Robin

A Check-Up for Wives

*Does my husband see me smile more often than not?

*Is my home a happy home?

*Am I someone even I would want to come home to?

*Do I enjoy life?  Do I know how to have fun or am I often too intense or dramatic?

*Am I husband-focused, or am I kid-focused, object-focused or even me-focused?

*Am I positive and encouraging?

*Do I allow him to dream without pointing out all the reasons why "that won't work"?

*Do I allow the Holy Spirit to be his conscience?

*What do my children hear from my mouth concerning my husband?

*Am I still someone, today, that my husband would pursue and fall in love with?

*Am I really a submissive wife who shows respect to her husband?

*Do I often show my disapproval of my husband's actions by giving the "silent treatment"?

*Do I pray for my husband?

After almost 35 years of marriage, these are questions I still need to ask myself.  A check-up is good to keep our marriages healthy.  Still working on it here!



 

 

Robin

Hummin'

 

If you've never enjoyed a hummingbird feeder, go purchase one! Now is the time to get one up.   You will so enjoy the flitting and buzzing of those itty-bitty birds. They are FUN to watch!   Buy a feeder that has a large enough container that you won't have to refill it every few days.  Use 4 parts water to 1 part sugar.  The red fool coloring really isn't necessary. 

 

Go ahead and purchase those tomatoes and peppers, but don't set them out until after April 15.  Repot them into larger containers so their roots will have plenty of room. "Harden" them off by putting them outdoors on warm days, starting in filtered sun, and protected from the wind, a couple of hours a day.  Extend the time until they are able to stay in full sun all day.  Think of it as "sunbathing" for vegetable plants J

 

Plant green beans, squash, cucumbers and other tender vegetable seeds when it's warmer....close to April 15, or later if we still have this cold spell. 

 

Still not too late to apply weed-n-feed to mature grass.

 

Still not too late to sow shade grass. 

 

Feed your rose bushes, and cut away anything dead.

 

Clean out your flowerbeds to have ready for new flowers. 

 

Prune your flowering shrubs soon AFTER they bloom.

 

When your daffodils and tulips finish blooming, leave the foliage until it dies back.  Then you can cut it off.  The green leaves give the bulbs their nutrients for next year's blooms.  You can also bend the foliage over and tie in a bundle with twine or one of the bulb's own leaves.   

 

It's still not too late to plant some lettuce, spinach or swiss chard....even in your flower bed or a pot.

 

If you planted asparagus recently, don't be discouraged if you haven't seen any baby spears.  We just need warmer weather here in OK!

 

Have you ever had a hummingbird feeder?

 

What's going on this weekend?  We'll be cheering on Ali, Anna, Cody Light, Abbi, and  others who are running the 10K (6.1 miles)  Sunday at the Redbud Classic.



 

Robin

Double-Dog Dare: 30 Meals in 30 Days

Last year I had a free subscription to Cookie magazine. It's technically for parents, but the articles are really cool and artsy, so I read it. One story in particular spoke to me, especially since Andrew's daughters have become increasingly interested in cooking and "weird" foods. The article opens like this:

"I started making a list on the train home from work one night last fall. I was sitting there, racking my brain, in a mild panic, trying to decide what to cook for dinner that night. Here's what came to mind: nothing.

So I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down all the meals I could make for my husband and two kids that didn't involve the toaster oven, or customizing plate after plate, or Gitmo-style negotiations before every microscopic bite ("If you don't try that pork/pea/basmati grain, no dessert! Okay. I'm counting to three...!"). The exercise didn't take very long. I stared in disbelief at the sad, sorry lot that was my culinary repertoire:

The sad, sorry lot:
Breaded chicken cutlets
Hamburgers
Pizza
Sautéed shrimp

Four meals. How was this possible? How had my mammoth archive of prekid dinners devolved into this grim little lineup?"

After making her list, the author made a pact with herself to get more creative in the kitchen and expose her kids to new things. I know this is an issue many parents can relate to. It seems that so many of us (especially us self-proclaimed BUSY folks) struggle to break out of culinary ruts sometimes...or we don't know how our families will respond if we attempt to do so.

For those of you with picky eaters in your house (whether it's your kids or your spouse!), I encourage you...no, I DARE YOU, to do a similar experiment in your household, maybe even making it a game if you must.

Read the full article here (make sure you see all of it...it's a few pages, including tips and suggested menus) and get 30-days' worth of recipes here.

Bon Appétit!

Are there picky eaters in your household? What's your favorite "weird" food? Are you going to accept my dare? :)

ABBI

First, Second, Third....

The Differences in  Your Third Pregnancy Compared to Your First



With your first suspected pregnancy you take a test before you actually miss your period and take a billion just to confirm that it's positive.



With your third you remember a week after that you're late and that you better take a test (maybe that will be a good excuse for how cranky and tired you are lately).



With your first . . . you plan each and every meal with organic and safe ingredients to make sure your new unborn little one is getting proper nutrition.



With your third . . . you're just glad if you manage to get food on the table for your family and scarf down whatever leftover PB & J's or mac n' cheese your kids left for you.



With your first . . . you read every pregnancy book you can get your hands on, spending every waking moment  thinking about being pregnant and having a new baby.



With your third . . . you forget you're pregnant amidst the wiping runny noses and dirty bottoms, cleaning, laundry, playing, schooling, cuddling just until you have time to run to the toilet and puke up that last food you managed to scarf down and then get right back to the hard business of being a wife and Mommy.



TheFirst . . . you call the Dr. and schedule an appointment the day you find out you're pregnant and wait in anxiety until that day because it seems so far away.



Third . . . you forget to schedule an appointment, and when you finally call they want to see you that week, "Can you come tomorrow?"



First . . . you take your time getting properly groomed and arrive at your appointment early in time to sit down and relax before you go into the examination room.



Third . . . shower?  I had one of those last week when I decided not to nap during my kids' naptime.  I'm clean enough.  Relax?  I'm just trying to keep my kids from jumping off the walls in the waiting room.



First . . . you try not to get uncomfortable and nauseated and pass out during your exam and lab work.



Third . . . you're just trying to keep your kids at the head of the exam bed and tell them you'll explain later why Mommy has to wear a sheet only.  In the lab you're just trying to keep them away from playing with the needles while keeping one arm totally still - that takes major skills!



Though the differences are vast.  I still treasure each one of my little ones just the same.  It's just nice to know I can relax a little more with my third.  I feel I've stepped into the veteran mom status just a bit more.   Guess I'll just have to wait and see.



What else can you think of that changes with each consecutive pregnancy or childbirth?





Erin

(who is expecting Baby Simms #3 around Nov. 6, 2009)

Dear Robin

Dear Robin,

What do I say, instruct, teach a child who is insistent that his siblings are "ruining his life"?  Suggestions?  Ideas?  How do I show compassion but also get the point across that he is NOT a victim? That having siblings is part of life.

 

(This child is seven and the oldest of four children.) 

 

OK - help this mom out. Have some suggestions for her?

 

 Be sure to tell us your own birth-order...it will be interesting to hear your different perspectives.



 

Robin