In the pantry

So today as I was trying to figure out dinner because I failed to meal-plan for the week, I had a moment in the kitchen. I was scavenging for things to make some soup. I knew I wanted something tortilla-soup-ish. So, I googled what would go into that type of soup, and I just hoped I had the ingredients in my pantry/fridge/freezer. When I luckily found "some version" of everything I needed, I was relieved. See, payday is tomorrow...and on our grocery budget, I was not going to the store today.

That's when I decided there really are a few things you should ALWAYS have in your pantry. It makes life so simple to have some "go to" things that you know are handy when dinner is the dilemma of the day - like it ALWAYS IS in our house. I mentioned meal-planning. Oh man, if you can do that a week in advance (some people do it a few weeks or more in advance {i don't know how but they do}) that is the best way to be prepared for what to fix for your family. You may plan out a general idea, and if you're not in the mood for Tuesday's meal on Tuesday, you've got your ingredient's for the other days, just swap the meals around. I have a dry-erase weekly planner on the side of my fridge, and when I'm disciplined, it contains the week's forthcoming meals. The sad reality is, I don't do it enough. SO! TIME TO TALK WHAT SHOULD BE IN OUR PANTRY!

I'm learning more and more that you need to have some meat in your freezer. Even if you're a "fresh is best" kind of person, trust me, frozen beats ordering pizza because you're up a creek for dinner. So, in the freezer: bonesless, skinless chicken breasts and a pound or more of ground meat: turkey, beef, etc. Those are essential. I also say keep a pound or more of ground sausage as well. I always have ground turkey and ground turkey sausage in the freezer. I often combine the two for pasta sauces or taco salads. The sausage adds flavor and consistency since turkey is so lean. I also like having a bag of meatballs in the freezer. So easy to use in a pinch for quick spaghetti or hoagies.

In the fridge: There are a ton of things that I think should always be in the fridge, but when we're talking ingredients to throw things together, I'd say: milk, butter, carrots, eggs, sour cream, fresh garlic, and cheese/shredded cheese are things I use often in recipes. It's good to keep lettuce too for adding a salad when you're stuck for a side.

IN THE PANTRY: Keep your spice cabinet well-stocked: salt, pepper, garlic salt, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, oregano, (you get the drift) - and we aren't talking desserts here but I can't live without cinnamon in my spice cabinet.

Chicken broth is essential in the pantry. Cans of diced tomatoes, and cans of corn, or corn in the freezer (gets thrown into a ton of soups), flour, sugar, enchilada sauce, black olives, green chiles, dried pasta: spaghetti, maceroni, and penne are some we use most often; pasta sauce, rice, your favorite beans- ours is chick peas right now...and that's pretty bottom of the barrel. Also, don't forget basic veggies like onion for example that goes into many soups and stirfry recipes. We have a pretty tight grocery budget, and one thing I've learned is that eggs feeds a lot of people for cheap. So, always always gotta have those. And don't forget, a loaf of bread is CRUCIAL. It can become anything: grilled cheese, BLT, egg sandwich, toast, whatever. When all else fails, eat a sandwich.

SO TO WRAP THIS UP, I definitely don't think I'm Martha Stewart. I have SO FAR TO GO, but today when I realized all I needed for that soup were some basics: chicken breasts, chicken broth, corn, and enchilada sauce, I was thankful for my supply even at the end of the budget, we had a yummy dinner!

WHAT'S THE POINT?

Well this all matters in the grand scheme of things because we are women trying to do things the way God commanded. So, God wants us to have a full pantry?! Nah, that's not it at all.

Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever you do in word or deed do ALL in the name of Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the father through him."

It's a lot easier to throw together a quick dinner when you're stumped for ideas at the end of the budget when there are some staples in your pantry/fridge to choose from right? I can do it all with a better heart and attitude by making it easier on myself and maybe going a step farther and meal planning. Someone planning ahead is going to also be utilizing her budget money better and hence being a better steward of what God has given her too. Also, the Proverbs 31 woman was this kind of example. She worked her little buns off and not only kept her family fed but her maidens also. Girls, we need to be keeping our families fed and doing it with a good heart. So, keep your pantry full and your "cup" too:)

With a heart of pupose,

Andrea

Landri is 9 months old in this video, which feels forever ago. But I LOVE to watch her love for books, especially God's word. She has always treasured her Bible:)

Prayer: It's been a while

“The one concern of the Devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerles religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” –Samuel Chadwick

Do you have a daily holy time with God? Do you pause in the day that God gave to you and spend time quietly with Him? Do you do so consistently? Do you spend your day doing things as usual including facebook, catching your favorite television programs and talking on the phone to friends and yet lie down at night to think, "oh shoot I didn't spend time with God today."? I was reading a piece from a book that someone printed for me, and it asked these questions. It asked “do you even have a prayer life?” If the answer is sometimes, I don’t know, or no, then you need to be convinced of the importance of prayer.

Prayer is supernatural. It gets so overlooked or tossed to the side in the list of things we should do, need to do, claim to do, etc…but really, it is the most AMAZING SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE. You get to talk to God – the one and only true God. Just think: You actually have access to the throne of grace to make your requests known before God. You can worship and praise Him through prayer. You please and honor him simply by pausing in prayer. And guess what, he actually wants to listen. He hears you. He is sitting on the other end, NO MATTER WHEN OR WHERE OR UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES you come. I don’t know a human being alive today who is ready and willing to have conversation with me in an instant, but my Heavenly Father is. And to think, we don’t access that throne of Grace but sometimes, occasionally, sporadically, etc. Why?
We are commanded by God’s word to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
There are so many verses dedicated to prayer: how to pray, why to pray, what to pray. The Bible tells us clearly that we are to pray James 4:2, we are to pray God’s will be done James 4:3, we are to pray without ceasing 1 Thess. 5:17, we are to confess sin before we pray Psalm 66:18, we are to pray fervently James 5:16, and pray in faith Matthew 9:29 to name a few.
I want to be a prayer warrior so badly. It is a goal of mine that people will know they can turn to me when they need prayer because I want to pray the fervent effectual prayers that God hears. I am so far from that, but I am "praying" that I can become such. Let’s not disqualify ourselves by not asking at all, asking amiss that we consume our lusts, asking with a lack of faith, or giving up too soon. Commit to making sure that when asked about your prayer life you can give an answer that is honoring to God. I am sure all of us would see tremendous changes in our lives if we would commit to praying the Biblical way God commands us to. I have already found that in keeping a list of prayer requests (I’m talking about the big things in life…not every daily needs that I should pray for anyway…) and committing to praying through that list each week, I have been BLOWN AWAY at seeing the magnitude of God at work.

Finally, an AMAZING thing to practice along with all of the faithful outpouring you will be doing in your new commitment to a consistent prayer life is the practice of being still and knowing that he is God.
Psalm 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

Ah, it is incredible to pause and be in awe of the Lord. Sometimes, just letting him search your heart and know your thoughts is the best way to pray. The words are not always there to express my heart, but our Heavenly Father, the one true God, he knows my and your life like an open book. Surrender to him in prayer.