More Meals and Updates

I know, you'd think all we ever do around here is eat. 

It feels like it sometimes. 

I think when they say "A woman's place in the kitchen" isn't some kind of sexist remark. 

It's just generally

the place that a woman always seems to be ;) 

Weekday mornings are cereal. Hot or cold.  On the weekends is hot cooked breakfast.  Here is Elijah's favorite- french toast with maple syrup and powdered sugar, and turkey bacon.

A man who's out to give his wife a break belongs in the kitchen too.  Smile.  Paul fixed breakfast the other morning so I could finish packing for Men's Camp.  I have myself a good man.  Thank you Lord!

Home-made whole wheat croutons.  Cube up some bread.  Toss with butter or olive oil (or both), garlic, maybe some parmesan cheese and other seasonings you like.  Broil for about 10 minutes.

Salad we brought over to friends house. 

Chocolate Chip cookies for the family and the ladies in our program. I try to bring treats when I lead Bible Study. I know I listen better if I have a cookie stuffed in my mouth ;)  I'm going to make brownie bites for tonight.

Always make a double or triple batch of cookie doughs.  Put it in the freezer for fresh cookies anytime.

I am looking forward to moving where the grocery prices are better.  We've really taken a hit living in San Francisco.  That plus private school.  OUCH!!

            Mary watching Daddy shave.

We went to ARC Men's Camp this weekend.  I've never seen so many tattoos in my life!  LOL!  Besides playing around, my favorite part was sitting in on a Bible Study that was encouraging and convicting.  When I see myself in the light of God's holiness, it's no wonder that God would've sent a forgiving Savior even if it was for just only me.  I need one the most. 

Next week is ARC Women's Retreat which I am looking forward too.  The women who come out of their addictions and live a fruitful and productive life are truly my heroines.   God's grace abounds in them and you can see it.  He so loves them.

We have finally met all of our SALT Volunteer hour requirements for the boys' school.  I was calling them "slave" hours towards the end!  Above are more pies I baked.    

The boys are out of school for today, so besides unpacking, catching up on chores, and preparing for Bible Study,  we have a Monoply Game to play....   until victory or death.



Some Typical Meals

I so enjoy my coffee time in the morning.  I'm doing it right now ;)

I've been doing smoothie's for my weekday breakfasts for about 10 years now.  I know that because I started when I was pregnant with Elijah and wanted to get in all my servings of plants.  The base is soymilk, nonfat yogurt, mixed berries and ground flaxseed.  Then I stuff as many fruits and vegetables in as I can.  Tons of spinach, bean sprouts, asparagus, kale, whatever I have.  Finish it with half a banana for sweetness.

Always in my big green cup so I can drink it on the go.

The boys's bring a lunch everyday, except Fridays when they can buy.  On the left is David's:  pita bread and hummus, juicy box, green apples and a go-gurt. On the right Elijah's: ham sandwich, apples, juicy box,  go-gurt.  I usually will pop in an extra treat, like a home-made cookie, or hershey's kiss. 

Meat Dip is a favorite in our home!  My good friend gave me the recipe a few years ago and I think I make it at least once a month. 
1st layer-- 1/3 cooked and seasoned ground beef mixed with 2/3 black beans.  2nd layer-- package of cream cheese, half a container of light sour cream, big jar of thick-n-chunky salsa, all mixed together. 3rd layer shredded cheddar cheese.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips (you can get a huge organic bag at CostCo for about $5)  It's a fun meal to it and so yummy.  Here I served it with a side of peaches and strawberries. 

Oatmeal Fruit Bars for dessert.

I rarely cook a whole meal from start to finish in one time slot.  Having a meal plan, even just 2 or 3 days out allows me to put even just 15 minutes to good use.  In 15 minutes I can get all sorts of chopping done, or mix together some ingredients, or cook up ground beef, rinse and start soaking beans.  Soak beans overnight or simmer ham or chicken bones overnight and voila- I am working in my sleep!!

Just the other day I had a small block of time and in 20 minutes I chopped up the rest of our Easter Ham, threw it in a freezer bag, then added a large chopped up onion, and some shredded carrots.  Put the bag in the freezer.  Tonight I will start a chicken carcass (from my Cost-Co rotisserie chicken that we had with rice and seaweed last night)  simmering on the stove for broth which I will freeze.  Then, on a busy day... all I have to do is put my broth, ham mixture, and dried split peas in the Crockpot and come dinner time, it's ready to go.  You'd think I'd have slaved all day over such a delicious pot of soup, but nope :)

It is so important to me to nourish myself and my family as well as I can.  It saves money, keeps me focused on my family, trains the children to have a taste for home-cooked meals (as opposed to fast "food") and keeps us healthier in the long run.  It can be done! Glean ideas that  will work for you and your family, think creatively, and never waste a spare minute ;) ;) ;)

Dinner... An Event

"And indeed... this woman is now turning a dinner into a kind of love affair-into a love affair of the noble and romantic category in which one no longer distinguishes between bodily and spiritual appetite or satiety!"
-From Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen

It really doesn't take much to turn meal time into an "event".  Most nights it is for us and I swear I don't spend every minute of the day in the kitchen.  I just plan and prep ahead a lot.  I have responsibility outside the home too, and I just love my crockpot for days like those or make ahead freezer meals.
For dinner, I always light candles on the table.  Easy peasy!  Also, using fancy dishes, we have to use dishes anyways, might as well use maybe fancy glasses, or dessert plates or something "special".  How about a tablecloth (saves times washing down the table anyways) or send the children out to pick some flowers or pinecombs for the middle of the table.  The possibilities are endless really. 
Lately, I've been trying to put interesting things as a centerpeice.  Right now you would find a spring toned placemat with 2 Ceramic birds perched in the middle, 3 candles and a Lily the girls and I picked from the park.  Makes me sing "He's the Lily of the Valley" everytime I pass by!

My goal in all of this is to keep my family at the table for at least 30 minutes, to make dinnertime an event to be looked forward too, and to give everyone the opportunity to be satisfied:  physically, emotionally, and spiritually.    And on a spiritual note... early on in Genesis, God walked in the Garden of Eden in the "cool of the day" (Genesis 3:8).  Most commentaries agree that this the time before dusk.  When do most people eat dinner? Before dusk.  God is present at our table when we break bread together (or mac-n-cheese, or whatever ;)  And how about the signifigance of all of the celebrations that God instituted... feasts.  And even when our Lord Jesus came, He ministered in meals many times, especially His last Passover.  

The Family Meal Table is an excellent video that I bought a few years ago.  I would suggest it to anyone who needs a boost in their family meal time.  I've even used this video in Women's and Family Ministries too. 

Veggie Potstickers

                                                    Brown Fried Rice

                                    Dipping sauce for Potstickers

                                      Rice Krispie Treats


"There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves."
~ Thomas Wolfe

  

What's For Dinner?

I remember when Paul and I were first married, every night I would pack our lunches for the next day that we would share together at our first Corps (Church). Around Noon, we would steal away into a Sunday School room, and eat our lunch, talking about our day, our people, and making plans. At home, I studied my recipe books to make meals that we would both enjoy. All too often, I'd cook way to much of it.  We still laugh over the humungous pots of Spaghetti I'd make.  Or cooking an entire Roast Beast for just the two of us, leaving us ample amounts of leftovers.   I guess it was always in me to feed an Army!

We would sit (and stay!) at our dining room table and conversation flowed uninterrupted for an hour +.

Then, our firstborn, David, came along.  The very night we brought him home from the hospital, I remember the reality setting in that I may never get to sit through a meal again.  The second I would sit down with my mom and Paul to eat, David would start wailing, and of course, being my first babe and all, I just had to respond to his every little whimper.   (I'm over that now LOL!)

But dinnertime didn't go out the window, we just had to adjust it.

We have always shared at least our dinnertime meals together.  We just do.  We're Chouinards. 

I learned it from my family.  Paul learned it from his.

We don't answer the phone, we don't get up from the table, we don't bring toys, or books or whatever. 

We just eat and enjoy each other. (Well, most of the time on the latter ;) There comes much restoration from sharing a meal with family members you don't enjoy too.  

Now, the quiet dinners that Paul and I used to have are a faded memory.  But I smile as I type this, because we feel so bigly blessed!  Around our table you will hear "quit interrupting", "keep all four legs of your chair on the floor", "use your napkin", "it's gonna SPIIIIILLLL!!", "who is smacking their lips?" and more.

But you will also hear laughter, stories, thank yous, prayers, Bible reading, dreams, realities, and lots of heart-checks.  Praise God!

The older my older children get, the more I'm so glad that we have established the habit of sharing our meals together.

"Dinnertime

is part of the family's daily rhythm and balance,

something to be longed for and looked forward to." 

-Kelly Morris

 

     

Cheesy-Bacon-Noodle Delight

with crunchy bread topping.

Darn-Good Deviled Eggs

CoolSlaw

                 Grand Finale Chocolate Pudding

We are all busy... noone seems to have enough time in the day...

family members all going in different directions are hard to herd up for a dinnertime meal.

BUT

I encourage you to give it a go and make it a habit.  Noone's going to do it for you.  It won't just "happen".  Like so many important things in life, you really do have to be intentional about it.

Even if it's as simple as paper plates and a frozen pizza,

there is nourishing done at the family meal table that goes beyond our hungry stomachs.

Remember... when you are building up your family, you are building up the Kingdom!