TGIF- Links for Body & Soul

Happy Friday everyone! To get you through your Friday or maybe some fun linkage you can explore on your three-day weekend (if you are fortunate enough to get one--yeah we do!!!)

FOR YOUR BODY:
A couple new foodie blogs I've stumbled upon!

More Than Burnt Toast

The Pioneer Woman


FOR YOUR SOUL:
A good sermon or two for you to soak up!

"Be Transformed" -sermon by Pastor Daniel Montgomery

"Predestination to What? Why the Doctrine of Election is So Hard to Believe." -chapel message by Dr. Russell Moore

Good news!

I was sad at the thought of the nearby Farmer's Market just down the road that I visit often ending at the end of September, but in doing a little web research this morning I discovered that the Bardstown Road Farmer's Market, also a hot spot here in Louisville, is open UNTIL DECEMBER 20TH!!!

I think that just made my day.


Speaking of Farmer's Markets, I also stumbled onto THIS article about Wal-mart and their new goal of providing more "local" produce in their store. I think this quote from the NPR article really sums up the idea you have to come to grips with when buying the sometimes more expensive Farmer's Market goods, which by the way I think is well worth it:

"But farmers who sell at local markets acknowledge their products are usually more expensive than what's stocked in the stores. The price difference is partly due to the additional labor involved. Many of Wal-Mart's local producers are large-scale farmers that can supply in bulk, which generally means cheaper prices."

Texas Bound!

Well, somehow I have been super spoiled this year in getting to go back to Texas not only once for my sister's graduation, but now again for a friend's wedding. Congrats ahead of time Mara & Tom!! Sarah and I will be making a trip to Texas not this weekend but next and I can't wait!! It will be a nice four day weekend and a good getaway, plus we get to celebrate with Mara and Tom and reunite with old friends. Does it get any better than that? I don't think so!

A Look Back and A Look Ahead

Well this past weekend was fun. We hung out with friends from TX on Friday night and had some great burgers. It was fun! We are considering hosting a Texas Thanksgiving at our place this year. That could be a lot of people which means a BIG turkey!! I made a trip to the Farmer's Market, Whole Foods, and Kroger on Saturday morning and stocked up on some good stuff! I took a couple fun pics and I'll try and post them tomorrow. We went to another get together on Saturday night. It's at the bachelor pad of all bachelor pads....nine guys living in one house! We know a couple of the guys, so we went and ate some snacks and played some cornhole. It was fun. The sermon yesterday at church was so good. Daniel did an excellent job at presenting the truths of Romans 12:1-2 so clearly. It was very encouraging!

This week I feel like work will be busy since next week is a short week (due to Labor Day and MARA'S WEDDING!!!). Chapel is back up and running and next month our pastor, Daniel, is preaching in chapel. It's going to be awesome!! The semester is in full swing as far as the hubby being occupied with reading, reading, and more reading. But that's ok. I find things to keep myself busy. We are having our dear friends the Bebee's over for dinner this week. Have I mentioned what a blessing it is to live with them in the duplex? We love them, we love their dog, and it's so great to have friends SO CLOSE. Really. Great.

Well I guess I've officially rambled on in the blogworld again. :) Hope everyone is having a good start to the week!!!

It's Official

I love food. And not in a sit down and eat a pack of Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies kind of way (although I may be able to at least finish off a couple). :) I've decided that I love learning about food, reading foodie blogs on all sorts of fun things. This goes beyond the simple recipe search to reading about types of tomatoes, ways to use different herbs and seasonings, cooking tips, etc. Maybe I missed my calling in life to be a gourmet chef or a food critic or something...ok maybe not, but maybe I can at least give my hubby and some day my kids a healthful meal that has a lot of thought behind it. It may seem strange and maybe a little too Betty Crocker for some, but I really do love reading things about food and looking at beautiful pictures like these.

HERE

and

HERE

And I am excited about going to the Farmer's Market down the road tomorrow and stocking up on tomatoes. I plan to roast a TON of them and then put them in freezer bags. Great to add to soups or pasta in those dull winter months. I got this idea just the other day and am excited about it! (ok, does that make me lame?)

I have loved trying to incorporate more healthful, natural, non-processed foods into our diet. We have been enjoy a lot of peaches this past week and they really have been so good. Eron was just talking about the one he ate yesterday that was literally the size of a softball. He said it was the juicest peach he's ever had. Doesn't that just make your mouth water? (ok, does that make me lame too?)

Well, we have a fun party to go to tonight with all of the folk from Texas...should be a packed house (I think I am counting at least 12 of us from ASU--or spouse of an ASU grad--and then several others connected somehow through family or Camp Buckner or what have you). WE ARE TAKING OVER! :)

I hope that your weekend holds some fun like ours certainly will, that you have a restful Saturday and Sunday, and that you can enjoy some sort of food just the way it is. Pick up an apple for a snack instead of that Little Debbie, or a fresh tomato with some salt and pepper and a sprinkle of basil. Ok, I'll stop talking about food now. :)

Notice something bright and pink on the right side?

Well that's because I am participating in this SWAP. Allie works at Southern and has a fun blog and I think this SWAP could be totally fun, so I went ahead and signed up. And you should too!

But before next Monday. Click on the button for more info. :)

Scroll Down, But Read This One Too

Scroll down for pictures from our weekend trip to Hubers Orchard. But I am in a blogging mood today, so check these out too:

THIS site makes me want to make delicious food and eat it all up!

THIS site makes me want to make pretty things. She is so creative!

THIS site helps me get through the work day with Getty music and Derek Webb tunes

and

THIS oh-so-cute print makes me want to do laundry....weird I know!

And as long as I'm sharing things, this recipe is so good. I tweaked it this morning and used blueberries instead to make Eron some back-to-school blueberry muffins. Yum, yum!

(they freeze well too)

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

¼ cup vegetable oil

¾ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a muffin pan, or use paper liners. In a small bowl, combine oats and buttermilk, and let stand 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the egg, oil, brown sugar and vanilla. Blend in the oat mixture. Stir in the flour mixture, just until moistened. Fold in strawberries. Fill muffin cups ⅔ to ¾ full.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Yields: 12 muffins

NOTES: Substitute unsweetened applesauce for the oil. Always use 2/3 of the amount of oil when substituting. Use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour to bump up the health factor! I have tried this with blueberries as well. Also very yummy!

Peaches Pictures

Some of the beauty of the day caught on camera:

Us and our blackberries:

Kristin and me picking blackberries:

Eron and I at the Farmer's Market after picking peaches:

Millions of Peaches

I will have to post the pics later, but there definetly were millions of peaches that we gathered from Huber's Orchard this weekend with Kristin. I think around 11 lbs. to be exact. I've already frozen some (I have future plans of using them in recipes like this). We will also be enjoying juicy fresh white and yellow peaches for several days...and beyond...I'm sure! Oh and of course we will be making peach cobbler (by "we" I mean me and Kristin) for the Texas party this Friday. This and this also look promising! Yum!

And on that note I better get back to work but I will leave you with this...

Something that I have taped to the top of my computer screen and is always a refreshing reminder...



"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" Romans 12:12

Falling for Summer

When asked my favorite season I always used to say, "Fall!" and even more so after moving to Louisville and experiencing a true fall with chilly weather, beautiful orange trees, and apple and pumpkin pickin'. But this year I have realized that summer is by far my favorite time of year. Maybe it's because I'm married to a student and summer means (at least when he's not in summer school) a break from classes. But as the mornings grow chillier and the days on the calendar for the month of August slip away I'm realizing Fall is just around the corner. AND classes start on Monday, so I feel like the orange leaves and chilly nights are growing ever nearer. Maybe I dread this too because that means around the next corner are the REALLY chilly nights of winter. I guess this leads me to make a bulleted post of what I absolutely LOVE about summer, and in the spirit of appreciating the glorious beauty of the Lord in creating seasons, what I am looking forward to about Fall.



What I Love About Summertime:

• Warm weather is welcoming after a long winter



• Fresh berries ripe for the picking





• Farmers Markets reappear
  



• Yard Sales a plenty



• Eron gets a break from classes



• A break from classes means more time with my hubby



• Opening the windows



• Enjoying the parks again



• Flip flops and all things of the summer wardrobe



• Long days where the sun doesn't set until after 9 o'clock!



• Did I mention fresh fruit and veggies?

What I am Looking Forward To This Fall:

• Chilly nights means a reason to make warm things like chili!



• Bright yellow and orange leaves on our huge maple in our backyard



• Enjoying the parks in a whole new way



• Layers



• My hubby's great "line up" of classes



• Community Groups start back up



• Picking apples at Hubers



• Carving a pumpkin



• Snuggling up with a blanket to avoid turning on the gas heat



• Farmers markets boast beautiful sqaush and pumpkins galore!



• Christmas time is just around the corner!

Smoothie Recipe

Ok, I am actually NOT going to give you a smoothie recipe, but I have had my share of smoothies, strawberry applesauce cups, and ice cream over the past few days. Hopefully only a few more days of soft food before I will get the ok from the doc to try something a little more exciting. I have branched out with grits and scrambled eggs, but I'm ready for at least some soft veggies or tomatoes or something not so sugary and "liquidy". All that to say though, that I have recovered/am recovering well from the wisdom teeth removal. I sure was nervous, but after some nitrous oxide (sp?) and the IV going in pretty quickly, the rest was pretty good! The pain has been manageable (thanks to Hyrdrocodone!!) and Eron has been a good caretaker. I've been able to do a lot, but that first day he was helpful at making me smoothies and getting me icepacks for my puffy face. :) Thank you all for your prayers and sweet comments as well. The Lord was gracious as the pain was minimal.

I am enjoying a banana, strawberry, and peanut butter smoothie as I type this. But, I'll offer you an even better recipe for Bruschetta Chicken. Yum! I made some for Eron and I actually haven't been able to eat it myself but he said it was really good. So try it out...it's really easy!

RECIPE FOR BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN BAKE

Weekend Review and Low-Fat Pesto

Eron and I had a good weekend. Friday night we welcomed Kristin Booth to the wonderful city of Louisville and took her and her dad to Shiraz for dinner. Saturday morning we got up bright and early to help unload her moving truck. Eron headed off to work, and I stuck around to help unload, organize, and unpack...well sort of, by the time we got to unpacking I was wiped out. I took a nap on Kristin's bed. Although I did help put the bed together!

Saturday night Eron and I just chilled and enjoyed our fabulous Julio's chips and salsa (thanks Kristin!!!). Sunday we enjoyed a good sermon on Romans 11 and a relaxing afternoon that included my first trip to Whole Foods. So I've never been there before, weird I know, but I loved it. Granted, it can be pretty pricey, but I just love fresh food and it's a store full of it! Well-made, preservative-free, fresh food! We got the greek yogurt that we came in for and a couple other random items including some freshly ground peanut butter! Yum!!

Oh and TODAY, yes TODAY it's Kristin Booth's birthday!!! Happy Birthday Kristin!

Also, I made some of this homemade pesto sauce last night for a pizza we threw together. Check out the recipe HERE.

TGIF- Sort of

So I am only sort of happy that it's Friday, which is weird because usually this day means two days or rest, relaxation, sleeping in, and no work. But this day also means I'm just one day closer to next Wednesday...the day I get my wisdom teeth pulled.

Wednesday, 9:00am....say a prayer for me. It may seem dumb, but seriously, I get anxious about this stuff, so just pray I am calm and everything goes as smoothly as possible. I'll leave you with this: