Green Eggs and Ham

My healthy Seussian approach to breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 whole wheat or whole grain English muffins
2 TBSP plain Greek yogurt
2 TBSP prepared pesto
4 thin slices of ham or prosciutto
1/4 cup sliced jarred roasted red peppers

Poach eggs while toasting the English Muffins. Mix together the yogurt and pesto. Heat ham slices until warmed through. Once muffins are toasted, place ham on one side of each set of English muffins. Layer roasted red pepper and egg. Finish off with a dollop or two of the pesto mixture and top with remaining halves of the muffins. Serves 2.

Become a Rogue Prayer Warrior 4 America

Today our world is being carried on a rushing torrent of history that is sweeping out of control. While the United States is blessed by God is many ways and we do know His favor, many evidences of ruin and the effects of sin still remain: poverty, violence, addiction, crime, injustice, homelessness, gangs, family breakdown, division, strife, broken relationships, fear, isolation, hopelessness, and lives lived separated from God’s ways and His purposes. What was once the most prosperous nation that the world has ever seen has been steadily shrinking and is in a state of decline today.  Today the world’s highest standard of living is not in the United States as it once used to be. Based upon the gross national product, the U.S. isn’t even in the top 12 list of the fastest growing nations of the world. America’s walls both morally and economically are literally crumbling before our eyes.
But this crashing down of walls is not a new 21st century problem. We see it happening throughout the course of history. Look at the example found in the Old Testament in the Book of Nehemiah. Israel was in serious trouble.  The walls of Jerusalem were crumbling.  The gates had been burned by fire.  The gates of ancient cities were where most of the commerce of took place. The gates were also where the seat of government and leadership resided.  With the gates burned with fire and the walls broken down, it was only a matter of time before the nation followed suit.
Nehemiah heard a report about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem which said that, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3). Nehemiah 1:4 recounts Nehemiah’s brokenness at the devastation of Zion.  Jerusalem was not simply his home, the place where his father’s were buried (2:3); it was the footstool of God, the place where God sealed his name and dwelt with his people.  So, when Nehemiah was told of its ruination, he was grieved beyond words.  Nehemiah’s heart grieved for the brokenness of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:4-11). In response to the cry of his heart, the Lord put a desire in Nehemiah to rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem. Nehemiah however wasn’t “just moved” – he was moved to the point of action. He prayed. He wept. He fasted. So many of us shake our head at what is going on in our nation, then carry on reading the newspaper, or turn the tv channel onto something more light, without allowing God to speak to our spirits causing us to respond in prayer and intercession and of course action. We pay lip-service to the thought, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” We post it on Twitter and Facebook, but it needs to be more than just a saying. We have to breathe life into those words by taking action.  Let’s look to Nehemiah’s passion to undertake the restoration and reformation of Jerusalem as a blueprint for how we can restore and reform America. Nehemiah was successful in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem because he didn’t just pray. Nehemiah made prayer a habit.

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Pray for America

A new site for you to visit where you can become part of a movement that will change America. Become a prayer warrior for our country. Visit Prayers4America and become involved in restoring our country to her Judeo-Christian roots.

Excerpt from the welcome message:

Join us in discovering things about America, yourself and your rag-tag army of fellow Americans in this fight for America …and in this ultimate fight of good versus evil.
We want your experience with P4A to be one of inspiration, confirmation and self discovery. Not only is P4A’s main purpose to bring people from all over the country to pray for America and to take action as a result of those prayers, but P4A is also a place for us to rediscover who we are as Americans and who we are as God’s children. The two go hand in hand.

Mostly Guilt-Free Deep Dark Brownies

These are extremely moist- not cakey at all. From watching an episode of Dr. Oz one day, I discovered the idea of substituting pumpkin puree for the butter or oil normally used. Result is super moist, decadent brownies with a lot less calories and guilt. The strawberries baked in also add to the moist quality of these treats. Perfect for a chocolate fix now and then.  

Yield: 15 brownies

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin, I usually grab the canned variety
3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
5 ounces dark chocolate bar(70%), finely chopped
1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp truvia
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 to 1 bag of frozen, sliced strawberries(unsweetened), thawed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray  an 8x8-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, combine butter and espresso powder. Heat on low and stir until butter has melted. Add chocolate, and stir constantly until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in Truvia until combined. Let cool slightly.
4. Whisk eggs and vanilla and keep moving the batter around until combined and no longer grainy-looking. Add flour mixture to batter and stir just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Stir in thawed, sliced strawberries
5. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a greased spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a just a few moist crumbs attached (28 to 30 minutes). Don't over bake! Let cool completely. Cut into pieces and serve or store.

Book Review: The Coming Revolution by Dr. Richard G. Lee

Author of several books, Dr. Richard G Lee writes with authority, based on extensive research. He proves that our nation's founders were Christians who knew the importance of God's leading. Re-constructionist historians say our country was not founded on Christian principles, but Lee refutes that decisively. He relates early US history and the paths of our country's growth. The causes of the Revolutionary war were similar to conditions in the USA today-- loss of freedoms and excessive government controls.


Dr Lee begins  with an introduction that briefly explains the downward spiral our country seems to be headed in and hence the beginning of discontent that many Americans are feeling with the present Administration in Washington which has resulted in the rising up of the Tea Party movement.He then describes our country's founding and the fight the Colonists engaged in against the King of England in order to become a free and independent people in their new land of America. That fight resulted in the Constitution of The United States and the Declaration Of Independence which guaranteed the people the freedom of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" that people were endowed with by God, rights that cannot be taken away.

He explains that especially during the 60s and 70s, the social, religious, and moral values this country once new began to slip away until, today, America is hardly recognizable.Dr Lee goes on to explain the disastrous left-wing, socialist policies of our current president, Barrack Obama, and how, unless stopped, they will destroy what America was intended to be. In the last chapter he lists what he believes we as citizens can, and must, do to effect the changes that will right the wrongs done and put America on the right track. He says there is still hope for the country but we need to act soon or it will be too late.

Dr. Lee credits American spirit as what made us a productive and creative nation. He wonders if liberal and left-wing influence in our schools and on our young people have killed that spirit. But he has hopes common people will work together and return us to independence and creativity.

The author lists ten ways to peacefully regain our country, number one, by praying, second by voting and third urging others to vote. As Dr. Lee encourages, it's time we the people stood together and reclaimed our nation.

With just 212 pages, Dr. Lee speaks volumes and I highly recommend this book to all Americans who want to help return America to her Judeo-Christian roots.


I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Seeing With Our Hearts

I wrote this some time ago, but on our daughter's fourth birthday I thought it would be appropriate to post here:

Like most little girls, I loved to play house.  I would spend hours upon hours clicking clumsily across the hardwood floors of our home in my mother’s heels busy with the tasks of caring for my baby doll’s needs.  I lovingly fed them, diapered them, and rocked them to sleep.  I dressed them in adorable baby clothes and brushed their synthetic locks lovingly.  I LOVED pretending to be a mommy.  Anyone who asked me then what I most wanted to be when I grew up would have heard me state without any hesitation that I wanted to be a mommy.  And I longed to have a beautiful baby girl most of all.

Fast forward a few decades or so and you can imagine my excitement that hot summer day in 2007 when the ultrasound technician told me she was certain we were expecting a little girl as our fourth child.  Don’t get me wrong; our three older children – all boys were very much wanted,very much loved and very much so blessings, but it was a moment I had wished, dreamed, and prayed about for a long time.  I was bursting with excitement!  I wanted to call my husband, Tim immediately, but I decided to stop at the store and pick up a “Congratulations on your baby girl” card to break the good news to him.  I felt so blessed!  Thoughts of little pink dresses, hair bows and ribbons, and doll babies danced through my head for the next couple of months.  Visions of a beautiful little girl with big, bright eyes and a smile that would melt hearts intoxicated my mind.

Those wonderful dreams were shattered the day we found out Tessa would be born with a birth defect – bilateral cleft lip and palate.  My heart broke thinking that she would struggle in this world because people wouldn’t see her as beautiful.  My heart raced as I recalled my own struggles with my looks and self-esteem as I grew up.  I ached remembering those moments and trembled with fear at the thought of my precious child having to deal with how cruel people can be.

As I took my husband’s advice to heart and turned my cares over to God, I realized something.  To quote Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.”  Tessa is a blessing and a gift just as she is.  Every child is a blessing just as they are.  God has used her to teach me so many important lessons and through her life God has given me more than I ever dreamed. In fact, her birth inspired me to write about one of those lessons – rediscovering that true comfort comes only from God. That inspiration birthed my first book, Strength in a Smile.

By having Tessa in our lives, I have also learned another invaluable lesson.  I have learned that what really matters are our hearts; our souls.  Our worth is not what we do or what we look like, but that we are.  We bring something special into the world.  We bear God’s image. All of us have dignity, value, and purpose.

Unfortunately, people confuse Tessa’s birth defect for who she is. They end up not seeing the beautiful girl she is and instead just see a label.  Satan has convinced us that we need to label each other. Satan knows that we are created in God’s image – all of us whether tall, short, fat, thin, wide-smiled, or carrying an extra chromosome.  He knows that beauty allows us to offer love from the heart and draw others into the love Christ has for us.  The devil knows that God has these plans for you and he sets out to destroy them.  Jesus said in John 10:10: “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.”(John 10:10, NIV)  He tries to form your beauty and value in the world based on a warped sense of how self-worth should be defined.

Satan seems to be winning this battle in our lives.  He convinces us we are all different.  He gets us to believe that our differences are what make us somehow less-worthy.  We label each other with these differences. Yes, Satan has convinced us to live in a world of labels ; a world of division.  We live in a world that only sees the label and dismisses the value of the person beyond it.  We don’t take the time to see the person that the label is distorting and covering up.  Satan has enticed us to admire and seek to attain impossible standards of physical perfection and wordly success.  In our culture’s view our daughter Tessa has less value because she is less than perfect physically. We no longer value people, because we don’t see their hearts.  Evidence of this can be seen in the 90% abortion rate for babies who have Down Syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and other conditions.  Late-term abortions are even being offered for cosmetic birth defects like cleft lip and palate.

How much are we missing out on when we seek to destroy those who are deemed different?  Who makes the determination of what differences are acceptable? Will the world soon allow murder in the womb based on something that isn’t a birth defect like the parent’s ideal choice of gender for their child?  What lengths will we go to when attempting to cull those who don’t fit into our twisted view of worthiness?

Truly only God can make the determination as to who should be born. God has a plan for each our lives.  Before we were born He had plans for us.  In Jeremiah we read “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…”  (Jeremiah 1:5, NIV)  Fulfilling God’s destiny for us is our purpose on earth. Every single person has purpose and value.  Special needs children are not a mistake. It is not Divine punishment to give birth to a child who has a disability like blindness, a cleft lip and palate, or an extra chromosome.  Special needs children are a part of God’s plan. In Exodus 4:11 it states, “The LORD said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ?’”

 I am reminded of what Alaska’s Governor, Sarah Palin stated in her speech on July 3, 2009 when she spoke of her son Trig, who was born with Down Syndrome.  She mentioned that there is much to be learned from someone like Trig.  However, we will never get to learn the wonderful things God has intended us to learn from each other if we continue to treat the Tessa’s and Trig’s of this world as less than worthy, even disposable.

Very few artists, musicians, or authors can look at their masterpieces, compositions, or novels and say that it’s exactly the way they had envisioned it, but God can.  Trig Palin’s extra chromosome is no mistake.  Tessa’s imperfect smile is no mistake.   The way you are is no mistake.  How can we know that?  Simple put; we can because God doesn’t create garbage or junk.  God cannot make something ugly or unworthy because there is no ugliness or unworthiness in Him – only perfect beauty and value.  God creates us in His image, so we too are beautiful and valuable.  We are all beautiful and valuable in God’s eyes.  He measures value much differently than the world does.  In God’s eyes value lies within a person’s heart.  When Samuel was sent to Jesse to pick a king from his sons God told him “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” ( 1 Samuel 16:7b, NIV)

I compel all of us to work on learning to see with our hearts as God does and reject the labels Satan has helped us develop to define each other’s value.  Open your eyes to all of the beauty and value of God that is within all of us and set your heart on God’s heart.

What's Cooking? Maple-Cider Pork Roast, Sweet Potato & Parsnip Mash and Maple-Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Making something new for Sunday dinner tonight, I am choosing this delicious Maple-Cider Pork Roast via Licking the Plate. I am substituting sweet potatoes for the Yukon potatoes and chicken broth to mash them in place of the butter and cream. I am pairing it with a recipe from Forks Over Knives for Maple-Glazed Brussels Sprouts.

Recipes:
Maple-Glazed Brussels Sprouts

1 1/2 lbs Brussels Sprouts
1/4 cup finely minced shallots
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 TBSP arrowroot powder
Finely diced red bell pepper, optional
Chopped Pecans, optional

1. Bring saucepan of water to boil. Cut the stems off the Brussels sprouts and discard. Cut the sprouts in half. Cook the sprouts in the boiling water for 2 minutes, drain. Rinse with cold water.

2. In a heavy nonstick sauce pan, saute the shallots in a small amount of water or vegetable broth for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the boiled Brussels sprouts and saute for 4 more minutes. Whisk together maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and arrowroot powder in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the Brussels sprouts and cook for about 2 minutes until the sauce thickens. Garnish with bell pepper or nuts if desired.

Maple-Cider Pork Roast