Sweet Southern Belle

Oh how I love fresh homemade bread and oh how I love a bread machine that does most of the work for me! Homemade bread is a 100 times better for you than store bought, 100 times better tasting and much cheaper too! I don’t buy bread at the store at all now. I bake a loaf or two each week for my family. This is my favorite wheat recipe from the Amish Mennonite cookbook (with a few changes). It’s got a great taste and is good for slicing for sandwiches.

Whole Wheat Bread

½ cup lukewarm water            ¼ cup oil

½ teaspoon sugar                    1/8 cup of honey

1 tablespoon yeast                   1 cup hot water

½ tablespoon salt                    1 cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup sugar                             1 ½ cups of unbleached bread flour

Bread Machine

Put all liquid ingredients (water, oil and honey) in first, and then add flours, sugar, and salt. Add yeast last. Be careful that yeast does not touch liquid. Set on whole wheat setting, 1 pound loaf.

By hand

Mix 1/2 cup lukewarm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and yeast; set aside. Beat together salt, ¼ cup of sugar, oil and honey, and 1 cups hot water, then add whole wheat flour. Now mix the two mixtures together. Mix well. Then add bread four and mix by hand until it won’t stick to the bowl much anymore. Let the dough sit to rise until double in size and put in pans. Let dough rise in pans until about ½ inch higher than the pan. Bake in 2 greased bread pans at 300 for 30-35 minutes. Brush with butter when baked.

There is much debate in the world of nutrition as to the definition of healthy food. Some believe a low-fat diet is best, some believe a low-carb diet is best, some believe a meat-free diet is best and so on and on it goes. I have tried all of the diets at different points in my life and certainly pass no judgment on what others choose as “healthy” for themselves but my family has been recently making changes towards what we believe is healthy eating. It’s not low-fat, low-carb or meat-free it’s simply “whole” foods. We are trying to cut out as much processed foods as possible. I buy mostly organic food but when I indulge with something processed organic is a must for us. As a part of this we are eating a lot less meat, partly to help even out the cost difference between organic and conventional food costs. There are other reasons we are cutting back on our meat consumption but I’ll save those for another post on another day.

I’m certainly no expert on whole foods or cooking from scratch. I’m learning as I go so I thought as a way to keep myself accountable I’ll try to blog as often as I can with menus, pictures and recipes of what we are eating. Some days I may choose to blog about what I made for breakfast while others it may be lunch or dinner.

Tonight’s dinner was Black Bean Burgers on Whole Wheat buns with homemade French fries. This was an incredibly delicious and filling meal. Even my dear husband who looked at me strangely when I told him we were having veggie burgers instead of the venison burgers he was hoping for enjoyed the meal a great deal. My dinner preparation started in the morning when I made the yummy whole wheat buns for the night’s meal. I got the recipe off of another blog. This was a very easy recipe and the buns tasted 100 times better than store bought buns.

A little closer to dinner I made up the black bean burgers and cut up the fries. All three recipes were a first for me. The black bean burger recipe was one I pieced together after reading several veggie burger recipes and not finding exactly what I was looking for. Here’s a picture of the finished product.

The fries were organic Idaho potatoes cut up with salt, pepper and garlic. I baked them on 450 for 30 mins.

Black Bean Burgers

16 ounces of cooked ( and cooled) black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup mushrooms

½ onion

3 gloves of garlic

1 egg

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon of hot sauce

1 cup of bread crumbs ( I used the homemade wheat loaf I had on hand)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly oil a cookie sheet.
2. In a bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop mushrooms, garlic and onion. Then stir into black beans
4. In another bowl stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and hot sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed bean mixture. Then stir in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together.
6. Divide into 5 patties
7. Place on cookie sheet and bake for about 10 mins on each side

I could go into a big explanation for my blogging absence but I won’t bore you! I could also make promises about how often I will blog but I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep. Anyway, thanks for visiting my blog! You will get to read about all of the random thoughts in my mind that I have no where else to process. J

Over the past few years I have struggled with loving the “skin” I am in. My body doesn’t look like it did when I was 18 or 21 and somehow that makes me feel inadequate. It is however my personal belief that my body is both a gift from God and his temple, therefore it is my responsibility to take care of it to the best of my ability.  I really struggle with the fine line between sheer vanity and self care. I try to take care of my body with regular exercise and conscious eating without being extreme. I think most extreme measures are bad and most things are ok in moderation. I also try to limit the number of sugary snacks I consume in a day (this one is really hard for me).

My two newest improvements are whole foods and natural personal care products. I have been making efforts to buy whole and/or organic foods when possible and I’ve tried to cut out a large amount of processed foods. We eat lots of fresh vegetables, whole grains and lean meat. I still splurge on special outings or parties but I try to make our day to day eating better. Eating healthy is a little more expensive but worth the cost. I try to watch sells and use coupons when possible but when it comes down to cost or health I choose health.

Most recently I’ve been researching the chemicals that are put in lots of personal care products such as make-up, shampoo, deodorant and even toothpaste. I’ve gradually been trying to replace my chemically laced products with natural products. This is a great web-site for reviews on products, http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/.

I have been pleasantly surprised with many of the natural products. They work just as well as or better than the chemical ones. I have also been surprised to find many of these products at Target, Wal-Mart and Kroger. Most stores have a natural products section which I never knew before. Below is a list of a few of my new favorites.

All Natural Face  make-up http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6292094

Burt’s Bee’s orange face wash

Yes to Carrots night- time face cream

Some days I get overwhelmed but I try to remember that the most I can do in any given day is to be the best me I can be by trying to make choices that honor my body.

Lizzie Sue is growing so fast! Here are pictures from our trip to the Atlanta Zoo last May and from this week. It’s amazing to me how much older she looks this year than last.

Yesterday marked the seventh year since I was married to my husband. There are many things I could say about the past seven years however, I’m not very poetic so I think I’ll not try. My thoughts on marriage are summed up into a phrase a friend recently said.

“Marriage is hard work but anything worth having is”

A good marriage does not just happen. It takes effort on the part of both people to make time for one another, compromise on issues, and to apologize when you are wrong.

I had a wonderful Mother’s Day with my family! I am so grateful for my grandmothers, mother, and my sweet child. Here is a fun link to determine what your monetary value as a mother should be. It allows you to add the money you make in a paying job as well. After entering my “real pay” I should be making over 200,000 per year for my services. If only………..

Being a mama is the hardest job I’ve ever had but it’s the best!

My family has been in a particularly busy season the past few weeks as we bring all our “school-year” activities to a close Little Belle’s preschool (and my job in her class), church preschool choir, Run4missions, and hand bells. So, Lizzie Sue and I have been in the road more than we’ve been home. I was excited to just “stay-home” today so I asked Lizzie Sue what she wanted to do with mama today after she woke. Her answer was “yets make a princess cake, mama”. My first thought was no, we’ll do that for your birthday. Then I thought……why not? Life’s short you don’t have to wait for your birthday to make a fun cake. So, Lizzie Sue and I whipped up a cake and pulled out the princess cake toppers. It was a fun morning….I’d say “fit for a princess”. J

I just thought I would let all of my readers (all three of you ;0) ) know that I’ve decided to include Little Belle’s pictures on my blog. I still have my fears about her picture being on the world wide web but have decided that the risk is minimal and being on this blog is really no different than face book, e-mail or other “protected” web sites.

I’m sure my blog will be better by including my precious Little Belle’s pictures! So, come back and look for pictures of a cute little girl!

My dear friend, Queen Kelley, wrote a beautiful post on her blog about life at home with small children. Kelley’s post about her appreciation of life reminded me of another one of my “favorite” Kyle Matthews songs, Let the Ordinary Make You Happy.
Big shot, yes you are
Big dreams got you this far
Never let the small stuff slow you down
Time wasted’s money spent
Fun is for retirement
There’s no time to think about that now
But even though you’re running late
Your two-year-old wants patty cake
And if you’ll stop to play
It just might make your day
All the joy you’ve missed
Comes in moments just like this
Let the ordinary make you happy
Let the little things cheer your heart
When the search for something special
Makes you miss the things that are
Let the ordinary make you happy
Be amazed by this life we live
And you’ll start to see each day
As the gift it is
Browsing fancy stores
All you need is just one more
Something to make others envy you
But parts and warrantees
Storage and accessories
Make you wonder who is buying who
And all this trouble’s such a waste
Of this lovely summer’s day
Brought to you for free
With everything you need
Take the money you have saved
Buy a stranger lemonade
Rich kid on a plane
Used to being entertained
There’s no Playstation at this altitude
Making matters worse
An old grandmother and her nurse
Sit down in the seats right next to you
She says she hasn’t flown in years
And talking sometimes calms her fears
And to your great surprise
Her story’s quite a ride
And before the journey ends
You’ve somehow made a friend

This song speaks to me on many levels because by nature I’m a “fast” person. I thrive on being busy and always seem to take on more than is necessary or healthy. I also tend to look ahead to the next phase……when I get married, have a child, get a bigger house, finish school, and on and on and on….I’ll be happy. The truth is my gift is now! The “happy” moments are the ones I sometimes miss while racing around.

I also relate to the verse that begins with “Browsing fancy stores”. I admit I like nice clothes and accessories though I can’t afford them much anymore. I sometimes browse stores I used to shop in and long for the items on the rack. It really does make me wonder who is buying who!?!?!? The truth is however that in this day that is free to me, but bought for a high price I have everything I need and much more!

Not long ago my church had a Kyle Matthews concert which was fantastic! The whole concert was Kyle singing while he played the piano. I fell in love with his music so I bought a few cds. The lyrics to Kyle’s songs are heartfelt and honest and the music is grand. I have three favorite songs that really speak to me on the album, The Main Event. All three of the songs speak to my heart on different levels so I’m going to share the words here. My next three posts will be the words to each song.
Every Little Thing I Have
When I feel selfish, I tell myself this
Every little thing I have is a gift from you
The taste of ice cream, the breath I’m breathing
Every little thing I have is a gift from you
Though I ignore it, my planet orbits
Every little thing I have is a gift from you
And though I’m sleeping, my heart keeps beating
Every little thing I have is a gift from you
Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!
I have to thank you for…
New understanding, music for dancing,
Every little thing I have is a gift from you
The way a hug feels, the way my hurts heal
Every little thing I have is a gift
I know that life can be sad, even tragic
Frightening and unfair
But it’s because we’ve become so accustomed
To the goodness around us everywhere
Forgive me each time, I’m slow to realize
Every little thing I have is a gift from you
This kind of reverence makes all the difference
Every little thing I have is a gift from you
Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!
I have to thank you for…
A word to guide me, loved ones beside me
Every little thing I have is a gift from you
Help in disaster, the sound of laughter
Every little thing I have is a gift
I never asked for my friends or my family
The peace a prayer can bring
How could I pay what it’s all worth to me?
Why on earth would you give me everything?
Freedom to leave you, wisdom to need you
Every little thing I have is a gift from you
Courage to trust you, privilege to love you
All of this is a gift! All of this is a gift!
All of this is a great big gift!

I love this song because it is a reminder that many small treasures in life I take for granted are gifts from God! Just like the lyrics say…when I’m feeling selfish I try to listen to this song to remind myself just how many gifts I have. And, after my previous post I thought it fitting to start with this song first!