Longhorn Steakhouse, Oscar Meyer, Menu Plan Monday(A Day Late) 01/25/11

I am a day late on getting my menu plan out there...
After seeing the Longhorn Restaurant commercials I had to have steak last night, I really wanted to have it how the commercial shows they do theirs...

Loaded with cheese and bacon!

YUMMY!

I was good though and did not go that route and my husband was kind enough to grill outside among the melting snow.

The rest of the week is looking like this..

Tuesday: Baked chicken

Wednesday: Breakfast food

Thursday: Tacos

Friday: Chili...I made a pot of chili to take to my mom's on Sunday. I totally heart chili dogs, so I bought some Oscar Meyer turkey dogs..only 50 calories each, they were so good. They get a huge thumbs up!

Saturday: undecided (hoping for a date night with hubby)

Sunday:Dinner at church!

I am trying to use what I have in the freezer, so I am probably skipping a new recipe this week.

My review though for the Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies are a

thumbs down

Ugh..I feel so negative!

As much as I hate to admit it could have been because I was feeling really domesticated (or too lazy to go back to the store) and tried to make my own almond flour.

Or it could be because I am too cheap and thought why buy nectar when I have honey in my pantry.

Or because I decided to cut the recipe in half.

Or because I overcooked them.

Or maybe it just wasn't a good recipe. I'm just sayin'....

Have a great week!

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Free Dads & Daughters Book by Dr. James Dobson

For a limited time you can get a free copy of Dr. Dobson's book Dads & Daughters here !

I am sure it won't last long!

Thanks to Cha Ching on a Shoestring.

Celebration Weekend

This weekend was a celebration of my daughter, my oldest child's birthday.

She turned 12.

She smiles alot...

She makes crazy faces....

She is convinced that she is a 12 year old trapped in a 16 year old's body. oops that doesn't make sense, now does it?
I meant she is convinced that she a 16 year old trapped in a 12 year old's body...ok better.

Sometimes I think the same thing.

It was a wonderful weekend that we pretty much celebtrated all weekend long. We reminisced about the day she was born. We talked reluctantly about the fact that we will have a teenager in the house next year.

Where does the time go?

As I was thinking about her this weekend, remembering all the firsts with her, I realized how much she has taught me.

It was with her that I experienced a true taste of unconditional love..I finally was able to understand in my earthly mind a taste of what our Heavenly Father feels towards us.

I remember how naive I was as a first time soon to be mom. When I was only 12 weeks along, I went to the doctor for a check up, he was trying to listen to the heartbeat.

He couldn't find one.

He retrieved a mobile ultrasound machine to find her and to make sure all was alright..although he never mentioned that all may not be right.

Not. One. Time. did it occur to me that something could be wrong. I was just excited because I was going to see my baby!!

Two miscarriages later, never again would I take a positive pregnancy test for granted or the heartbeat of my unborn child. I understand the fragility of life now.

I grew up a lot with her.

I love her so much!!

Happy Birthday..baby girl!

New Recipe Update & Menu Plan Monday 01/17/2011

The new recipe review will be easy this week..

We didn't get to try a new recipe.

Last week the stomach flu swept through our house half our house.

I, the cook, was a victim.

So there was a whole lot of non cooking going on, with the exception of the turkey. It had to be cooked since it was thawed. Fortunately, I was able to enjoy a little of it by the end of the week.

The line up this week is

Monday: Left over chicken. my mom gave me a whole roasted chicken yesterday, it was really good!

Tuesday: Roast beef w/ potatoes & carrots. Hoping to use leftovers to make some vegetable beef soap for lunch the next day!!!

Wednesday - Grilled pork steaks

Thursday - Turkey burgers

Friday - Spaghetti made with whole wheat pasta

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Dinner at Mom's!

The new recipe this week is a dessert that I found in my Weight Watchers magazine. They are low calorie and gluten free.

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat oven to 350
Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper

1 c. almond flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp amber agave nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c sliced almonds

Mix almond flour, baking soda & salt in medium bowl.
Whisk canola oil, amber agave nectar & vanilla in small bowl
Stir agave mixture into almond flour mixture until well blended.
Stir in chocolate chips & almonds.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto each baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake 1 sheet of cookies until golden, 7-8 minutes.
Let cool on sheet rak 5 minutes.
Transfer cookies to rack & let cool completely.

1 cookie has 41 calories or for those doing Weight Watchers they are 1 point.

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It's the Small Details About Big Things

Have you read or heard a Bible story over and over and you think there is not possibly anything else to learn from it?

I have.

And then God shows me...you will never stop learning.

In our Wednesday night Bible study at church, our pastor has been going through the Bible giving lessons on different individuals. I absolutely love it and more than once, I have learned tidbits that I did not know or probably more accurate to say that I skimmed over.

It happened this evening.

He taught about Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He told things that I knew, like how he was disliked for his teachings, was lied about in order for his enemies to have permission, if you will, to kill him. I knew that he had a kindness about him that is not comparable to most earthly beings, meaning that even as they were stoning him and just before he died, he asked God to forgive them.

Then our pastor read Acts 7:55
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Do you see that?

Jesus was standing at the right hand of God. Everywhere else in the Bible when it refers to Jesus and the right hand of God, it says He is sitting at the right hand of God.

See Stephen stood up for the Truth (Jesus) and the Truth stood up for him.

How awesome is that?

What a comfort for Stephen to see the Heavens open up & to see not only see Jesus....

But see Jesus standing for him.

And what a comfort to know that when we are standing for the Truth, He will stand with us and for us!!

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