So in my Bible Study group at church, we’re reading a book called “Jesus on Leadership” by C. Gene Wilkes. I feel like my mind has been chewing on a few thoughts based on the book lately, and I figured I’d share one:
In the book, Wilkes talks about the importance of establishing our mission and vision in life. He defines your mission as what God has called you to in life. He defines your vision as your unique take on that mission. Can you fill in the following blanks?
Mission: “God has called me to _______________.”
Vision: “When the mission is complete, it will look like this _____________________.”
Wilkes gave the illustration that his wife’s mission as a mother is to raise godly children, even when it means setting aside her personal desires for career and sometimes friendships. He went on to say that her vision is that she will teach her daughters to be witnesses or ministers of God’s love in every area of life.
My first inclination was to turn my nose up at the idea of having a similar vision and mission, with the thought “I don’t just want to be a wife or just be a mom! I want to do more!” Then I thought about it more. God has called us each to various roles in life, and the roles of a wife and hopefully someday a mother are two very important roles I’ve been called to. Why do I choose to devalue these significant tasks I have been blessed with? God has given me an amazing husband who is so much sweeter, gentler, and more patient than I could possibly deserve. Why is it hard for me to view my mission as a wife as important?
God has called me to be a good wife to my husband, and to ensure that I make our marriage a priority. Marriage is such an adventure, but I want to be more intentional about this particular adventure. That may mean that sometimes I will have to sacrifice girl’s nights to help Danny edit a paper for graduate school. It means I want to continue to show Danny my love and appreciation for him by serving him, including making meals and keeping the house tidy. It might even mean that I need to let Danny win an argument…occasionally.
I have this terrible fear that I will get home from work, sit on the couch, turn on a reality show, and wake up 50 years later realizing I’ve wasted my life. Being intentional about carrying out the missions God has called us to is essential to a life of purpose. God has blessed me and entrusted me with so much…I choose to embrace these missions and roles rather than reject them!
And now for what we ate this week:
Meal Plan 2
Sunday—Soup and Sandwich Night
Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Bean Soup)
Total Time: 45-60 minutes
Serving size: 4-6
Ingredients
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, peeled and diced
• 2 cups hard vegetables (such as potatoes, winter squash, parsnips, or turnips), peeled if necessary and cut into smaller than ½-inch dice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
• 1 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato (canned is fine; include the juices)
• 2 cups cooked beans (kidney, white, borlotti, chickpeas, cannellini, or a mixture)
• 1 cup small uncooked pasta
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions
- Put 3 tablespoons of the oil into a large, deep pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
- Add the hard vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two, then add the stock and the tomato; bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the vegetables are fairly soft and the tomato is broken up, about 15 minutes.
- Add the beans, pasta, and the parsley and adjust the heat once again so the mixture simmers. Cook until all the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. About 5 minutes before serving, stir in the teaspoon of minced garlic. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, and serve.
Note from Allison and Danny: This recipe started as a chunky vegetable minestrone soup, but we decided to do one of the variations listed in the recipe and add the pasta and beans. This soup was really good, but the “hard vegetable” we picked was potatoes. It seemed a little like starch overkill to have the potatoes, beans, and pasta. We would suggest choosing a different hard vegetable (such as squash) if you want to keep the pasta and beans. If you want to, you can also trade out the pasta and beans for 2 cups of “soft vegetables”, such as green beans, peas, cooked dried beans, zucchini or summer squash to make it more of the chunky vegetable minestrone soup.
Tuna Melt
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serving size: 4
Ingredients
• Two 6-ounce cans tuna (preferably packed in olive oil), drained
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 small shallot or 3 scallions, minced (we used scallions)
• 1 or 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 slices sourdough bread
• 4 tablespoons butter
• Several slices good melting cheese (we used cheddar)
Directions
- Mix the tuna with the lemon zest and juice, scallions, capers, parsley, and olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Put a small skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. Make a sandwich with the tuna mixture, bread, and cheese
- When the butter melts, put the sandwich on a skillet (one at a time). Cover it with a plate and weigh the plate with whatever is at hand (we just pressed it down with a spatula)
- Cook until the bottom of the bread is browned lightly, 2 or 3 minutes. Turn and repeat.
- Do this with each of the sandwiches, using a new tablespoon of butter each time.
- Eat immediately.
Note from Allison and Danny: Allison LOVES tuna. Danny doesn’t like tuna unless it’s cooked. Perfect solution=tuna melt! Allison swears she will never eat tuna salad any other way again. This tuna salad tastes so good and fresh and zingy! As a matter of fact, Allison ate a whole sandwich worth of the tuna salad fresh by itself before the tuna melts could be made. Whoops! Danny really enjoyed the tuna too, after it was cooked!
Monday—Crockpot Night
Hearty Hash Brown Dinner (Slow Cooker Recipe)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 ½ hours
Serving size: 4
Ingredients
• 3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• ½ cup chopped onions
• 1 package (16 ounces) frozen California-blend vegetables
• 1 can (10.75 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 cup milk
• 12 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1 can (2.8 ounces) French-fried onions
Directions
- Place potatoes in a lightly greased 5-qt. slow cooker; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is now longer pink. Drain and spoon over potatoes. Top with vegetables.
- Combine soup and milk; pour over vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 4 ½ hours.
- Top with Velveeta cheese; cover and cook 30 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
- Just before serving, sprinkle with French-fried onions.
Note from Allison and Danny: This recipe is an old standby. We like it because it’s yummy, easy, filling, and a meal in one (meat, potatoes, and veggies, all in one dish). Danny says that the meal may start to look a little like “mush”, but it tastes delicious!
Tuesday—Danny Super Chef Night
Chicken Alfredo Pesto Pasta
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serving size: 4
Ingredients
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups milk
• ½ cup (1/2 of 8 oz pkg.) cream cheese
• 2 cups red bell pepper strips (about 1 large pepper)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. pesto
• 8 oz. linguine or angel hair pasta, cooked, drained
Directions
- Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook until cooked through, stirring occasionally.
- At the same time, heat a pot of water and cook pasta, drain.
- Stir in milk and cream cheese; cook 3 minutes or until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well-blended.
- Add peppers, Parmesan cheese, and pesto; stir. Cook 3 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
- Add pasta to sauce; mix lightly.
Note from Allison and Danny: Danny is a SUPER chef! This meal was delicious! We loved the combination of the cream cheese with the pesto. We use a sun-dried tomato pesto blend that we really like. Perfecto!
Steamed Broccoli
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serving size: 4
Ingredients
• 1 head broccoli, divided into florets
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
- Place a steaming basket in a pot, fill with water to just below the steamer base.
- Put broccoli in steamer basket, cover, and turn the heat to high.
- Once the water starts boiling, lower the heat so that it bubbles steadily.
- Check the broccoli frequently so it doesn’t overcook, and check the pot to make sure it doesn’t run dry, adding more water if necessary.
- Toss broccoli in melted butter and season with salt and pepper; serve.
Wednesday—Chicken Night
Chicken Teriyaki
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serving size: 4
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup sake or slightly sweet white wine
• 1/3 cup mirin (we used 3 tablespoons honey mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breasts (we cut ours into strips)
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (optional)
Directions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, then add the chicken. Brown quickly on both sides, no more than 2 minutes per side.
- Transfer chicken to a plate and turn the skillet heat to medium. Add 2 tablespoons water, followed by the sake/wine, mirin, sugar, and finally soy sauce. Stir to blend and, when the sauce produces lively bubbles and starts to thicken, add the chicken.
- Cook, turning the chicken in the sauce, until it becomes more of a glaze than a liquid, a couple of minutes tops. By that time the chicken should be cooked; if not, keep cooking, adding a tablespoon of water if necessary to keep the glaze from burning.
Note from Allison and Danny: There are lots of different ways to do chicken teriyaki, but we decided to do ours in a skillet. The meal was really yummy! We would advise doubling the sauce recipe so that you have plenty extra to drizzle over the rice.
White Rice and Steamed Broccoli
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serving size: 4
We don’t really have a recipe for this to give you. We have a rice cooker and used a steaming basket to put the broccoli over the rice. If you don’t have a rice cooker, you can cook the rice in a saucepan and see the recipe from Tuesday for cooking steamed broccoli. We served the chicken teriyaki over the rice and broccoli. Yum!
Thursday—Leftovers Night
Leftovers
Danny and I have a rule that we always eat the “oldest” thing in our fridge first. So, for example, if this week we had soup and Hearty Hash Brown Dinner left over, we would eat the soup first since it was made first. It helps us “clean out” our fridge each week and avoid any later unpleasant surprises!
Friday—Out to Eat Night
Out to Eat
Danny’s brother is in town for the weekend, and on Friday we went to Tasia for dinner. Springfield friends, if you haven’t been you should try it! It’s one of our favorite Asian restaurants. We always order the eggrolls as an appetizer and this time we both ordered Pad Thai for our main dish (Danny gets the spicy sauce, Allison gets the NON spicy sauce!). It’s delicious!
Saturday—Mainly Meat Night
Beef Kebabs
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serving size: 4-6
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice or vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or cilantro, 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or rosemary leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried herb of your choice (we did cilantro)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 6 medium onions, quartered
• 2 bell peppers (any color but green), cored, seeded, and cut into 1 ½-inch chunks
• 12 medium button mushrooms, trimmed and halved
• 2 to 3 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 1 ½ to 2 inch chunks
• Chopped fresh parsley leaves or cilantro leaves for garnish
Directions
- Heat a broiler until very hot and put the rack about 4 inches from the heat source.
- Meanwhile, combine the oil, lime juice, soy, salt and pepper, parsley, and garlic in a small bowl. Thread the vegetables and meat on separate skewers (the vegetables need a little more time to cook), leaving a little space between pieces. Brush with most of the marinade and let sit while the oven is heating.
- Start the vegetables first, cooking them on a relatively cook part of the oven. Brush them with a little of the marinade from time to time and turn them until they begin to brown and become tender, after 10 or 15 minutes. Then start the meat, on the hottest part of the oven; grill it for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, until each of the 4 sides browns. Do not overcook (cut a chunk in half after 5 minutes of cooking to judge its stage of doneness. Everything should be done at around the same time, in a total of 20 minutes or so.
- Give everything a final baste with the marinade if any remains, put the skewers on a platter, garnish with parsley, and serve. Remove the skewers at the table, serve with fresh tomato salsa (see recipe below) and white rice.
Note from Allison and Danny: We adore beef kebabs! These are phenomenal over a grill in the summer time, but this recipe in the winter on the broiler is quite the treat! It ALMOST feels like summer when we eat these kebabs. Love them! One tiny suggestion—double the marinade for extra delicious flavor! P.S. You need skewers to make this recipe. We purchased metal ones we can re-use.
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Total Time: 15 minutes
Serving size: 4 servings
Ingredients
• 2 large ripe fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped
• ½ large white onion or 3 to 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic, or to taste
• Minced fresh chile pepper (we used a jalapeno pepper) or hot red pepper flakes or cayenne, to taste
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Combine everything but the salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
- If possible, let the flavors develop for 15 minutes or so before serving, but by all means serve within a couple of hours.
Note from Allison and Danny: This salsa is fresh, spicy, and DELICOUS!
Dessert of the Week
Pumpkin Bars
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Serving size: 24 bars
Ingredients
Bars
• 1 yellow cake mix (reserve one cup for topping)
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 15 oz. can pumpkin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp ginger
Topping
• 1 cup reserved cake mix
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine all of the ingredients for the bar mix. Mix well by hand if you want more dense bars, or by electric mixer if you want more cake-like bars. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Mix topping ingredients together until crumbly. After bars are baked for 30 minutes, sprinkle topping over partially baked bars. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Appetizer of the Week
Allison’s FAVORITE Black Bean, Avocado, and Corn Dip
Ingredients
• 2 cans black beans, drained
• 2-3 cups frozen corn
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 red onion, chopped small
• 2 tomatoes, cut small
• ½ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 avocadoes, peeled and cut small
Directions
- Open beans, drain, and rinse if desired
- Add corn
- Chop cilantro, tomatoes, and red onion and add to mixture
- Measure and add lime juice, garlic powder, cumin, and salt. Mix well.
- Refrigerate a couple of hours to overnight.
- Do NOT put avocadoes in until right before serving (so they don’t turn brown)
- Will keep in refrigerator (after avocadoes are added) for a couple of days
- Serve with tortilla chips
Note from Allison and Danny: You don’t even KNOW how good this dip is! Unless, of course, you’ve had it. Then you know.
