So many times I have gone through life trying to focus on things but they weren’t clear. God wants to give me focus and clear vision.  Like Adam, I can’t rely on my own eyesight.  I need God’s word to keep the vision in focus.

If I know God’s word then I know what is true.

Psalms 119:10 & 11

¹⁰ With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
¹¹ Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

My second love is my husband Bryan. My responsibilty to Bryan is to submit to him. I am not supposed to nag him or criticize him. God didn’t call me to be Bryan’s Holy Spirit he called me to be a helper to him and a partner. Sometimes I have to be reminded what my function is as a wife. When life gets to me and I am frustrated with a circumstance I need to remember that the unity of the two of us is stronger than me on my own. I have to choose how I am going to react to circumstances and if I go ahead and choose then when things happen I will make the right choice.

My third love is my children. My children are a gift from God that he has entrusted to me.  It is my responsibility to pray over them and teach and train them. My heart is that all my children will serve God all the days of their lives. The Power of a Praying Parent helps me to pray prayers for my children.

Keeping my loves in right order is my responsibility. It is my responsibility to tend to these relationships and protect them. May I be diligent in all things.

My duct tape art piece

Bunnies, chicks and eggs are what you might think of when you hear about Easter. Bunnies and chicks are cute and eggs taste great, but there is more to Easter than a hide and seek game in the grass.

Jesus came to earth as a baby, died on a cross, and came alive after being dead three days. He rescued the world from sin and death and gives us the opportunity to make him the lord of our of lives. He let’s us choose to trust him, worship him, follow him and give everything to him.

This year ROCK Church is expressing what Jesus did through art. Using words SACRIFICE / RESURRECTION / FORGIVENESS / REDEMPTION / LOVE / THE CROSS we will create art pieces, film, and photography. I have started working on my piece, and can’t wait to submit.

March 14th is the last day to enter. There are details at ROCK Church of the festival. Take the time to enter a piece and show your creative gift.

Bringing volunteers has made the experience sweeter. What we’ve seen and heard at Unleash is infectious. Even the youth took away something tangible.

I am thankful that I was able to take this time.

To not crumble when my life feels like it is turning upside down:

• I have to know what God’s word says about who I am.
• Rehearse who I am and what God’s word says about my situation.
• Focus on those things that are pleasant Phillipians 4:18
• Know that joy isn’t a feeling
• God’s love gets rid of fear
• Don’t go it alone- there is power in numbers. Share your situation with someone you can trust that can stand with you.

All the world may feel like it is crashing around you or it may feel like only part of your world is falling apart, but God cares about you. When we are going through difficult circumstances, we have a choice how we will live it out. It’s easy to say what I will do, but when a situation happens I have a choice.

Monday

Dinner (Martha Fry)
Bean Curry and Rice:
2 tbls. Olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
½ c. dry lentils
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbls. Curry powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1 8 oz. can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
½ c. raisins
Salt and pepper to taste
8 c. cooked brown rice

Prepare the brown rice according to package directions so you have enough for 8 servings. Heat
the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the lentils and
garlic, and season with curry powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir
in the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and raisins. Season with salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to low, and simmer at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Tuesday

Dinner (Martha Fry)
Black Bean and Rice Stuffed Peppers:
1 qt. 100% Vegetable or Tomato Juice
2 c. cooked black beans
1 c. cooked brown rice
2 med. green onions (chopped)
¼ c. fresh cilantro (chopped)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
2-3 large bell peppers (cut in half lengthwise and deseed)

Combine all ingredients except juice and bell peppers in bowl and mix well. Place peppers in
glass dish and stuff with mixture. Pour juice over peppers and plenty of excess in the dish.
Cover and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Wednesday

Dinner (Martha Fry)
Leek and Potato Soup:
1 tsp. crushed fennel seeds
1 tsp. ground pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 pints vegetable stock
2 lbs. leeks (trimmed, cleaned, sliced)
2 lbs. potatoes (cleaned, cut into cubes)

Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large pan. Add garlic – heat for a few minutes until golden.
Add fennel seeds and pepper and stir in with garlic. Add leeks and potatoes and mix well with
other ingredients. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Stir quickly. Cover and cook for 5 minutes
further. Add stock. Bring to boil, then cover, turn heat down and simmer for 40 minutes.

Thursday

Dinner (Martha Fry)
Southwestern Corn and Black Bean Chowder:
1 ½ quart vegetable stock
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 12 oz. bag frozen whole kernel corn
2 large onions diced
3 stalks celery diced
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
2 chopped carrots
1 12 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
1 red pepper diced
1 green bell pepper
1 bunch of cilantro chopped
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano leaves
2 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2. tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. liquid smoke

Boil black beans with a little kosher salt until tender (do not over cook). Rinse cooked beans
with cool water and set aside.

In soup pot, heat olive oil and sauté onion, celery, carrot and bell peppers until tender and
slightly brown.

Add water and broth and bring to boil. Add all remaining ingredients except cilantro. Simmer
for 10 minutes and then add cilantro. Simmer for additional 10 minutes, uncovered.

Friday

Dinner
Pinto Beans
Spanish Rice

Being alive is a wonderful gift. I have the opportunity to choose how I live each day. Will my day be spent blessing others with my actions or words? Will I allow my thoughts to control what actions I take? Will I be in a bad mood and put everyone around me in a bad mood?

My desire is to be like Paul who gave everything to serve Christ. He “died” every day to serve Christ.  How much easier would it have been for Paul to have done what he wanted when he was falsely accused, thrown in prison, or beaten? Instead he sang and worshipped even in prison. Paul died to his desires, his wants, his thoughts, and gave himself completely to the service of God.

I am not dead yet, but I am working on dying everyday.

Since most of you seem to be coming here for the dinner recipes,I am going to post the dinner menu & recipes only. I hope these have been a help to  you. Hopefully these recipes spark ideas for you to add on. If you need other ideas for breakfast or lunch feel free to leave a comment and I will add them

Sunday

• Hummus recipe
• whole wheat or corn tortillas
• salad

Monday

• Chili
• Blue corn chips
• They make tofutti sour cream-not too bad
• salad

Tuesday

• Potato soup
• piece of sesame seed Ezekiel bread

Wednesday

• “Cheesy” pasta primavera whole wheat pasta ( this is amazing)

Thursday

• Tomato basil soup
• Ezekiel bread peanut butter and jelly

Friday

• Baked portabella (drizzle olive and a little sea salt over bake for 10-15 minutes) mushrooms over polenta
• salad

You could also saute the mushrooms in some olive oil on the stove and then serve over polenta. Yummy too!

Saturday

• Bean burrito
• Spanish rice
  4 cups of rice
  2 cans of diced tomatoes
  sea salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder to taste
  several fresh sprigs of cilantro
  4 cups of water.

  Add all ingredients into rice cooker and stir. Turn on and rice cooker will turn off when done.

In a period of fasting and prayer, I can choose if it will be just a sacrifice of the food I am fasting from or a sacrifice of my will. I want to lay everything at the feet of my Father and say,”It’s all yours, every part of me, everything I have, accomplish in me what you want.”

Whether you are giving up sugar, drinking fruit juices only, giving up meats and processed foods, or going on a media fast ask God “What do you want to wake up in me?” Maybe, he wants to wake up a dream or bring you closer to him. I don’t know what he wants to wake up in me, but I am preparing for it to happen.

Last Sunday, Bryan preached a great message. He gave 7 keys to fasting. I have been pondering them all week. I hope they will be a help to you through this journey.

1. Set an objective

• Declare complete dependence on God
• Asking forgiveness
• Completion of the Great Commission
• Inviting the presence of the Lord
• Believe God for specific needs

2. Make a commitment- if you are fasting caffeine stick with it

3. Prepare yourself spiritually

4. Prepare yourself physically

5. Put yourself on a schedule

6. End gradually

7. Expect results

In Ezra 8:21 Ezra proclaimed the people fasted and humbled themselves before God. Today, I come and humble myself before the God who created the universe. Thank you God for loving me even when I am unlovely. I lay aside my desires and ask you to use me how you choose. Awake in me your plans for me.

Please don’t get overwhelmed by these recipes. Please email me if you are not sure about an ingredient or a technique.

Tuesday

• Oatmeal with honey and blueberries (see previous post)

• Tomato Basil Soup and a slice of Ezekiel Bread (found in the freezer section) with Smuckers all natural peanut butter

Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
* 3 pounds tomatoes – cored, peeled, and quartered ( you can use canned)
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
* sea salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste
* 1 quart vegetable broth
* 1 cup rice milk, soy milk or almond milk
* 8 sprigs fresh basil for garnish

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Mix in tomatoes and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the vegetable broth, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking 15 minutes.
2. Transfer soup to a blender (or use an immersible hand blender), and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and gradually mix in the your choice of milk. Pour soup through a strainer before serving. Garnish each serving with a sprig of basil.

• Corn chowder (this is Yummy) and a salad

Wednesday

• Banana muffins
• Curried vegetables with brown rice
• Tomato sauce w/ mushrooms and peppers over Polenta (make a double batch of tomato sauce for “lasagna”)

Add portabella and button mushrooms along with red, yellow and green peppers to tomato sauce.

Polenta

1 cup polenta
1 quart water
1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, water and salt in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir together, and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, and use a fork or a spatula to stir the polenta well, and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir again. Carefully taste a little bit of the polenta; if the grains are not completely soft, return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Thursday

• Breakfast tortilla- Chop up some extra veggies the night before. Saute mushrooms, broccoli, green beans and with olive oil. Roll up in a tortilla. You could add some soy cheese or some soft tofu.
• Leftover Tomato sauce over polenta
• Chili and Garden of Eatin corn chips (My 9 yr old son asks for this even when we are not on a Daniel Fast)

Chili (make sure you make enough because you will use this on your Baked potatoes tomorrow night)

Vegetarian Chili
2 medium-sized green peppers, chopped
1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground red peppers
2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 16 oz. cans tomatoes (juice and all)
2 16 oz. cans pinto beans (juice and all)
2 16 oz. cans black beans (juice and all)
1 4 oz. can mild green chilies
1 4 oz. can of tomato paste
Chop and sauté in oil the peppers and onions. Add the chili powder, salt, ground red
peppers, and corn. When all the vegetables are soft but still firm, add the tomatoes, all the beans, the
green chilies and the tomato paste. Stir until just blended. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Let
simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Friday

• Ezekiel bread w/ honey
• Thai carrot soup w/ salad (Make enough at the beginning of the week)
• Baked potatoes with leftover chili (Bake large potatoes in oven and use leftover chili from Thursday)

Saturday

• Blueberry Banana muffins
• Portabella wrap – in a grill pan or a saute pan drizzle a sliced portabella mushroom with olive oil. Saute turning in the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Roll up in a tortilla with lettuce, shredded carrots, and balsamic vinegarette dressing.
• “Lasagna”

Lasagana

• 1/2 pound whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 pound soft tofu
• 1 pound firm tofu
• 1/4 cup soymilk
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp minced fresh basil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 32-ounce jar of tomato sauce (or homemade sauce) If using jar sauce check ingredients for sugar.

Prepare the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain carefully and set aside on a towel.Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.Squeeze the spinach as dry as possible and set aside. Place the tofu,  soymilk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil and salt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.Cover the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles. Follow that with a layer of half the tofu and half the spinach. Continue in the same order, using half the remaining tomato sauce and noodles and the rest of the tofu mixture and spinach. End with the remaining noodles covered by the remaining tomato sauce.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tomato sauce bubbles.

Enjoy these recipes! Please come back and share.