Ways to Beat the Heat at Living Well Spending Less

It is miserably hot again here so when I decided to make something sweet, it had to be no-bake. I have these two recipes pinned and haven't decided which to make. These No Bake Almond Butter Bars at Living Low Carb or Best Ever No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars at Money Saving Mom.

Of course, I got distracted by all the links to past articles at Money Saving Mom and saw the badge for Living Well Spending Less (I had to check it out because we all want to be able to enjoy life more while spending less, don't we?) and found her Thrifty Thursday link up.

I'm adding my Mom's BBQ to the list of fun summer activities and oven free recipes.

Pepper Steak

When I was in high school, I got home from school around 2:30. At lunch, I would have a pack of those awful orange cheese crackers. (I liked them then.) and wait until I got home to have lunch. There were often leftovers in the fridge which was always a treat since my mom is a great cook. My favorites were pepper steak and shrimp creole.

 This recipe is a 70's home made version of the popular Chinese restaurant dish. I usually make a couple additions to make it more interesting. I add two or three minced cloves of garlic when I brown the meat, and if I have it, a teaspoonful or two of toasted sesame oil just before serving .

Pepper Steak
1-1 ¼ lb round steak
2 cups beef broth (or 2 boullion cubes and 2 cups water)
1 large green pepper, sliced (or half green and half red)
4 Tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium works well)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Cut steak into strips and brown in a little oil.  Add green pepper and sauté a few minutes to begin softening peppers.  Add broth and soy sauce, and simmer 30 minutes.  Mix cornstarch in ¼ cup water, add to pan and stir constantly until thickened.  Serve over rice.

Serves 4-6

Banana Pudding in a jar

When we had friends with kids coming for dinner, I wanted to make a fun dessert. Since I have gotten caught up in the craze for making everything from no-cook oatmeal to salads in Mason jars, banana pudding came to mind. It seemed like a perfect recipe to adapt to individual servings. We have loved Paula Deen's Not Yo' Moma's Banana Pudding since my mom introduced us to it years ago so I started there.


(Our friends' son liked it so much he used two spoons.)


  I did use Trader Joe's Ultimate Vanilla Wafers since the Chessmen cookies wouldn't fit in 8 ounce jars. I also have changed the procedure to dirty fewer bowls.

You could use regular vanilla wafers, but these are really rich and good and have vanilla beans - see the black flecks.

 After gathering the ingredients, I mixed the cream cheese, condensed milk, milk, pudding mix and whipped topping. Then it was time to start layering.The pudding mixture set quicker than I would have liked. It doesn't need to be as firm when it is going in jars as it does in a large pan, so I think I will change things next time. (I didn't need as much filling as this made either.)







 This recipe makes a large dish of banana pudding, so after I filled the ten jars I had pudding left. I layered it in a casserole with strawberries.











 Banana Pudding in a Jar

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened (I use reduced fat)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 

2 cups milk (I use skim)
1 (5-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding

1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed

1 pkg Vanilla Wafers
4 large bananas, sliced

12 8 ounce Mason jars

In a large mixing bowl mix cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth. Add the milk and pudding mix and mix until well blended. Add the whipped topping and mix until just combined. Place one cookie in the bottom of each jar. Add a couple of Tablespoons of the pudding mixture, then top with about half of the bananas. (5 or 6 slices in each jar.) Add a cookie to each jar and press down to remove some of the air space. Add some more of the pudding and the rest of the bananas. Top with pudding almost to the top of the jars and finish with a cookie before putting the lids on. Refrigerate at least several hours before serving.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (gluten free)

I had planned to make these banana oatmeal breakfast muffins, on Debbie Riechert's blog, one morning, but between the time I went to bed the night before and the time I was ready to bake, the ripe bananas had disappeared. That was fine since Jenny had been asking for Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins too. I just made a few changes and they were amazing.

Jenny requested them again today and when I forgot to add the chips to the batter, I decided I needed to rewrite the recipe instead of following the one I had found. Putting the chocolate chips on top just isn't the same. I also have made a significant procedural change.

 Instead of mixing everything in the food processor, I transferred the oat flour to a mixing bowl and added the remaining ingredients. Stirring just until blended.

Without the structure gluten provides, these don't rise as much as they would if made with wheat flour so they can be filled to the top. 

When I changed this recipe to pumpkin, I added some sugar since pumpkin puree isn't as sweet as banana. You might be able to add more honey instead, but that would throw off the ratio of dry to wet ingredients and I don't know how they would turn out.






Pumpkin Oat Muffins with Chocolate Chips - GF


2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
 ¼ cup sugar
½ cup chocolate chips, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor or blender, grind the oats into flour. Pour into a mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Grease 18 muffin cups. Divide batter into pans. (You can fill the cups almost to the top. These don’t rise like muffins made with wheat flour do.) Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Joyful Trials

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, GA

 "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials" (James 1:2)

Other translations say a great joy or pure joy. I have so far to go if maturity is being joyful in my trials. I'm learning to find joy in spite of my trials, but in them? I don't know how to do that.

I know God uses trials to help us grow up, so I grit my teeth and bear it when trials come. That is really exhausting though. There isn't much joy in that either.

James tells us why we can be joyful in our trials:

"knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance (or patience, steadfastness, perseverance). And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Dan and I went through disaster relief training at our church last month. I learned how to work in the feeding unit. Something I hadn't considered was the strength that would be needed to carry pots of food and to get the equipment set up and packed up. I will need to get myself to the gym to work on upper body strength before being deployed. The work I do everyday just doesn't produce the strength that will be required for the work. Muscles require exercise to grow and become strong. Faith works the same way. If there is never anything we are tested in, we don't learn to trust God and rely on Him. Faith requires trials to grow. Some trials are small - a misunderstanding with a friend, rush hour traffic. Others are really difficult - a loved ones death, a cancer diagnosis, living with a chronic illness.

 (I didn't go through the recovery training, which is why I could take pictures. Handling a chainsaw and shoveling mud out of houses didn't seem like a good fit.)

We have a choice when trials come. We can give all of it to God - what is happening, our anger, and hopelessnesss, and the outcome - and grow. The alternative is to grumble and complain and become bitter and let our faith atrophy like unused muscles.

God will never leave you. He is there in all of the trials. Sometimes, we don't hear Him or feel His presences, but He is there.

Greek Bread Salad

 We love this salad. I know bread in a salad? It really works though. You do need a good sturdy bread, one with a dense chewy bite. (We love the roasted garlic bread from the COSTCO here.) This is one of the few recipes that I make as written. It is the Barefoot Contessa's Greek Panzanella. Follow the link for the complete recipe.

Ingredients:

Good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule
Kosher salt
1 hothouse cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1/2 pound feta cheese
1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted

You can adjust the amounts of the vegetables to suit your families taste and what you have on hand. Even though the recipe calls for 6 cups of cubed bread, I always make more.  There is taste testing while they are being toasted, of course - Usually by everyone in the house. It also seems to be the favorite ingredient in the salad, so leftovers have very little bread.

For the vinaigrette:

2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

The dressing is pretty garlicky, which we love. You can use one clove if you don't want it to be so strong. Dijon mustard in the dressing may sound a little odd, but don't leave it out. Mustard helps emulsify the dressing (keeps it from separating).

You do need to plan ahead a little, since the salad should sit at room temperature for about half an hour to blend the flavors.

 This is great with grilled meats.

I did make the salad without the bread at first. I took some of the vegetables (that I cut smaller) and dressing and mixed them with quinoa (a bargain at COSTCO) for our daughter who is on a gluten free diet.

Finishing Well

My dear friend Anne Marie writes about homeschooling, family life, and her love for God on her blog Future Flying Saucers. She also shares the Bible lessons she prepares for her AWANA club.

I wrote about the challenges of homeschooling our strong willed daughter and my thoughts as we approach graduation for a guest post on her site.

Here is the link:
Finishing Well