Crockpot Taco Soup

image credit

I'm taking ya'll with me as I seek to expand our regular menu selections. Last time it was Garlic Cheddar Chicken, which my husband declared a restaurant-quality meal.

Last night we tried Taco Soup, which I loved and even had for lunch today. But let me warn you...it's mighty spicy! Try decreasing the cumin to make it more child-friendly.

There are a couple packaged-food items included in this, but below the recipe I'll give you whole-food friendly substitutions for those.

Crockpot Taco Soup

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey (93/7 lean; or ground beef)

1 packet ranch dressing mix (I will substitute for you below)

1 packet of taco seasoning (substitution below)

1 can corn (I used a whole bag of steamed corn)

1 can of diced tomatoes, not drained

1 can of tomato sauce

1 can of Rotel (a salsa-like tomato and onion mixture found in the mexican section)

1 can of water

2 cans of beans, not drained (I used 1 can black beans, 1 can pinto beans)

1 T cumin

2 tsp. minced garlic

Procedure

1. Brown the meat a little, and then add the garlic and cumin to blend the flavors.

2. Dump meat mixture in the crockpot with all the other ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours (or simmer in soup pot for one hour). It will look like chili to you, but really, it comes out as a unique soup.

Yeah, it's that easy!

I had never used Rotel and it took time for me to find it in the store, but Walmart did have it. I don't know if that made it so fiery, or the cumin, but if you find it too spicy, you can reduce one or the other.

I served with grated cheese to cut the spiciness, and with honey cornbread. You could serve with cheese quesadillas, or homemade bread, or tortilla chips.

I suggest vanilla ice cream with berries on top for dessert, to wash away the spiciness, too.

Okay, now for the substitutions:

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix (Store it and use for every recipe calling for taco seasoning mix. Use 2 T per 1 pound of meat. I usually triple the batch for greater convenience, but these measurements are for a single batch.)

2 T chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. paprika

1 T cumin

2 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

Ranch Dressing Mix (Makes 1 T; use for recipes calling for 1 packet of Ranch dressing mix)

1 tsp. dried parsley

3/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. dried thyme


Honey Wheat Cornbread (the wheat and honey make this delicious)

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup white sugar

1 T baking powder

1 cup milk (I use the kids' 2% milk, but I've seen similar recipes written with 1 cup heavy cream instead of milk)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.

2. In large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the center, and add the milk, oil, honey, and eggs; stir to combine. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.


* Image credit given above is for a good picture of taco soup, and shows ideal garnishes, but I didn't get this recipe at that sight. The recipe shown at that sight sounds equally good, though, and is for a larger batch.
 

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

I'm not a good cook.

I was single for far too long, and back then I would just as soon eat a bowl of cereal and read a good book, then make a full dinner.

Having admitted that, let me add that three years ago I decided to start cooking from scratch, for both health and financial reasons.

I don't know what the term scratch means to you, but to me it means buying no boxed foods or spice packs or anything containing suspicious chemicals. I purchase whole foods and prepare them myself; I want to know where our food comes from.

This doesn't mean I always bake my own bread, make my own yogurt, sprout grains, and buy steel-cut oats, for heaven's sake.

I don't even know what a steel-cut oat is, to be honest.

I also don't can produce. For one thing, I still lack the equipment, and secondly, I'd feel better watching someone do it first. My mother wasn't domestic and only did the minimum in the kitchen, though she wasn't a bad cook, just basic.

About now I'm looking for a domestic-goddess role model with time on her hands.

Though I don't can, I do check labels carefully on canned tomato products, and I only use canned beans when there's no time to soak beans overnight.

I don't buy organic produce unless it's fairly cheap, and although pesticides scare me, I only have so much money to spend on food, and by golly, the Lord is just going to have to protect us.

I tend to cook the same things week after week, unfortunately, because when I do start hunting for new recipes, I find ingredients lists that are full of spice packets and canned soups and the like.

It's discouraging and I give up too soon, instead of hunting for ways to modify the recipes. Time is never on my side.

But. I prayed and the Lord is helping! Recently I've had better luck hunting for whole-foods recipes, so our menus will find variety in the coming weeks, and as I use the oven more I'll stop shivering, thank goodness.

Today I have an easy, tasty recipe to share, which everyone liked and some of us really loved.

photo credit

Garlic Cheddar Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

4 cloves garlic

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs* (Italian style or plain)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ( I used colby jack successfully)

1/4 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Procedure:

Melt butter over low heat, then cook garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.

In shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper and salt.

Dip chicken breasts in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9 X 13 baking dish. Top with remaining bread crumb mixture.

Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees in preheated oven, or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink.

*Making your own bread crumbs: Place whole pieces of bread, or torn bread, on a cookie sheet, single-layered. Bake at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Let dried bread cool, and then place in plastic bag. Crush with rolling pin (kids can crush them for you). 4 slices of bread make about 1 cup of crumbs. Boxed versions are salty, have chemicals, and taste processed.

Recipe originally found here. It says to pour the remaining melted butter/garlic over the chicken breasts before baking. I skipped that step to lower the fat grams and calories, and just discarded the butter mixture.

The recipe also calls for thin breasts. Mine were rather thick in parts but they were fully done and deliciously juicy at 30 minutes.

I served with plain brown rice and steamed veggies. Enjoy!

Bright Spot in our Homeschooling Today

Today in our Writing With Ease Level 4 resource, I read a passage from The Siege of Washington, D.C., by Captain E. Colburn Adams. This is a very old book, not readily available, but the writing is superb and exactly what I want my children to emulate. Susan Wise Bauer chose only the best as she penned this resource, and I'm indebted to her.

Following the reading (just a passage, not the whole book), the boys were required to narrate orally why the Civil War started, using 3 or 4 sentences. Specifically, what did the South want, what did the North and West do to provoke the South, and what was the result?

After they narrated and we discussed it together, the boys began writing their narration. I have them write all their narrations after we discuss the passage, which is a modified use of the resource. In Level 4, I'm supposed to write down my student's narration as they speak, and then they are to memorize the first two sentences only, and then write just those down. My boys are capable of more, since this resource is for grades 4-5.

I always say, boss the curriculum, don't let it boss you. Modify it to work for your child.

Shortly I will probably purchase Writing With Skill, the next resource in the series, and move the boys into that.

I am so proud of my Peter!

Regular, long-time readers might remember that he has always struggled with spelling, and that organizing his thoughts on paper was difficult too. He has a little dysgraphia, which is difficulty with handwriting, spelling, and organizing thoughts on paper. You would be shocked at his handwriting, which is large for his age, though neat enough as long as he uses 2nd-grade lined paper. He's no where near ready for college-ruled paper, for example, which is very unusual for a sixth grader. And cursive is very difficult for him.

But his spelling and writing organization! They are so much improved, and no tears or fits! I was so excited at his work today!

Peter, age 11 (first draft, with his spelling and punctuation)

The people of the south wanted 3 things: slavery, a president who agreed with them, and independence. The people of the north and west offended the south by electing Abraham Lincoln as president. Becasue of this the Civil War started.

What shining spot did you experience in your school today?
 

Homeschool and Mother's Journal Oct. 25

In my life this week…

Some day I hope to sit down here on a Thursday night or Friday afternoon and write that it was an uneventful, routine week.

But not this time.

On Thursday I developed a migraine headache that landed me in bed for most of the school day. About 14 days a month I get migraines, though not all land me in bed, depending on how fast I take a med. They used to be daily rebound migraine headaches, but I ended that cycle last spring, and now it's just a hormonally-fueled problem mixed with stress.

Imitrex is available to me now, but I'm only approved for 9 pills a month, and since I can get up to 14 headaches a month, Imitrex is not the best remedy because it definitely causes rebound headaches. I decided not to take anything this morning, hoping the headache wouldn't progress.

I went to the doctor last month for a daily preventative medicine, so that over-the-counter medicines and Imitrex would not land me back in the daily rebound headache cycle. I was given Elavil, which is an older antidepressant given off-label for migraines and chronic insomnia. While very effective for migraines, it can cause weight gain (not a good side effect for a 47-year-old woman whose metabolism is slowing anyway). If you must come off it, you may have to learn how to sleep again, which frightened me.

I took it for one day and hated the way it made me feel...tired and like a zombie emotionally, for the next two days. I gave up on it after that first dose. Of course I should have given it more time, but the sleep thing, again, frightened me. I researched the med and so many users commented that they had a horrible time getting to sleep and staying asleep after stopping this drug. If my headaches stop after menopause, which may be about 3-4 years away, I want to be able to stop this drug without problems.

If you have any experience with Elavil (amitriptyline), please share how it has helped you? Thank you! I still have it in the medicine cabinet and I'm praying about trying it again.

My ADHD son needs routine and this headache episode caused stressful behavior problems for the rest of the day. Still, the boys are old enough to resume several subjects without me, which is a blessing. I didn't teach my 6 year old a single lesson, so it felt like a totally wasted day, leaving me more stressed and behind on laundry and school.

If you homeschool with a chronic medical problem, my heart goes out to you. Give the word and I'll pray for you.

What finally worked was when my 4yo came to see me in my bed for the tenth time. She doesn't like it when Mommy is down, so she seeks my attention frequently. I told her I was still unavailable, and could she please pray for Mommy?

I heard her pray as she left the room and walked down the hall. About 20 minutes later, I felt improvement and was up after another hour!

In Our Homeschool This Week...

I read Torches of Joy this week, previewing it before the boys started it as part of our Sonlight Core F curriculum. I was amazed at God's miracles amidst these Stone Age tribes in New Guinea. It reminded me of Bruchko, which I read last semester, and of the Book of Acts. God moved in miraculous ways to further the Gospel: miracle healings such as Jesus performed, and husband and wife Dani tribe members sent as missionaries to other unreached people, equipped with faith that moved mountains. You must read this book. It's that powerful.



In the first world we don't often do brave things for the Lord. We get saved, only to keep the joy to ourselves. We forget we were saved for a purpose...a purpose larger than us. As soon as the Dani people came to Christ, they wanted to help others know the same joy. Where is that fire in our hearts, that gratitude, here in the western world? 

When I read missionary books, I'm reminded that we don't see God's full and miraculous power because we're too comfortable relying on ourselves. Would we have the faith to take off into an unreached area, risking our lives and that of our children, for the sake of the Gospel? Some missionaries die at the hands of unreached tribes, and yet their wives say "You called us here, God, and we obeyed. This is hard, but I trust you. I love you. We knew this might happen, and we were ready."

They said the same when their children died in the field.

They lived boldly like the Apostle Paul...to live is Christ, to die is gain.

I compare their experiences to my own, in my neighborhood, and I'm ashamed. In January of 2013 we started a neighborhood Bible study for children, hoping to reach the children for the Gospel, and through them, the adults. It's been hard, but nothing like the Dani missionaries experienced.

Discouragement set in right away, as three families we were praying for moved a month before we began. Didn't we hear God right, we wondered?

Other issues arose too, which took the wind from our sails, if only temporarily.

For example, a month ago I decided I had too many children's picture books, especially given that my children prefer library books with their more attractive bindings. Most of my books are paperback, purchased from Scholastic book clubs. The shelves were overstuffed and underused, and it was time to bless someone with them. I considered carefully which child in the neighborhood would most appreciate them, and decided on Anessa, 7 years old, who looks at books every time she comes here. We sent two medium-sized storage boxes full of books.

Fast forward a month. This week Anessa told my daughter that her father burned her books; she has none left. I had no reason to think she would make up such a thing, so I was devastated, angry, and disgusted. I told my husband I thought this man was dangerous, and perhaps we'd better write the family off (and just pray)?

This father lost his job about a year ago, and judging by the missing teeth, he probably has a drug background. Still, a Baptist church near us goes through this neighborhood asking if anyone wants a ride to their church. This family began going to the church, and evidently the parents got baptized a few weeks ago, which is why the daughter's admission was so disheartening. Is theirs a cult-like church? Was he a poor reader and felt jealous of his daughter's new reading skill? The books weren't controversial in the least, so I don't know what to think. But this man disgusts me, I'll say that.

Many times the Dani missionaries were disgusted by the people they went to live among and evangelize. Some were cannibals and most were dirty, not paying attention to where they left their excrement. Some were completely naked.

The Dekkers, John and Helen, were at first disgusted by the Dani people, with whom they spent 21 years.

It was as though God had me open this book at precisely the right time. I learned that I can't write this neighborhood family off. I can't let my disgust discourage my attempts to reach out and behave like Jesus would. Wasn't Jesus himself disgusted by our behavior, before he died for us?

In my wildest dreams, I'd like to be a missionary and share my joy and faith without bounds. I'd like to feel and witness the Lord's might and power as I work for his glory. I'd like to fall in love with Jesus, over and over again, with each miracle.

Maybe, just maybe, I can do it here in my neighborhood first, if I will only trust God more and get over myself? Maybe I can truly learn how to love?

We've been low-income since I quit working in 2005, and often I've wondered if I'm being forced to give up comfort for a reason, beyond just my own spiritual advancement. Yes, I'm growing spiritually by not living like everyone else. Where is this leading? Will it serve me in a mission field someday, where they certainly give up comforts for the sake of the Gospel?

Lord, build my faith and my husband's faith. Take us to greater heights of obedience to your Word. Equip us to serve you bravely.

Learning update for the children: Mary enjoyed learning about volcanoes and typhoons in her Sonlight A science curriculum. The boys are enjoying Torches of Joy, Silkworms, Born in the Year of Courage (Sonlight Core F, Eastern Hemisphere), and the final chapters of Jenny Wren. They still love their Sonlight F science curriculum, learning in depth about the human body, and this week they add in Food and Nutrition for Every Kid. I keep a tight reign on their nutrition, and I appreciate them learning precisely why it's so important.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
Pray, pray, and pray again, everyday. Amen.

It's easy to homeschool when you have a quick learner working ahead of other kids. I have one of those, so I know how it feels. There's a variety here in my home, so I know what the other side feels like too. When you run into a child the same age as yours who can do more, it's easy to feel envious or insecure about your methods or your skill as a teacher.

Don't.

Recognize that God created each child unique, and ease of learning is part of their uniqueness. You didn't do anything wrong. Don't beat yourself up or begrudge your child for the slower pace. Learning pace has nothing to do with how well a person serves the Lord, and isn't that our ultimate goal? Raising children who will make serving Him and loving Him their reason for living? 

My favorite thing this week was…
I'm teaching from the Book of Matthew right now at morning devotions, and the children are learning much, along with me. The Gospels never get old and something entirely new jumps out for every believer.

My kiddos favorite thing this week was…
 ..seeing a hint of snow on Thursday morning. I heard that some parts of Ohio received nearly a foot. It seems fall, my favorite season, was here for a week, and now winter. Don't you love it when the seasons behave?

The leaves are still beautiful though, so praise God!

Things I’m working on…

Getting crockpot recipes printed out so I can make shopping lists for them.

Greater and greater obedience. Less and less of me, more and more of Him.

I’m cooking…

baked ziti, crockpot beef stew, turkey burgers, crockpot navy bean soup with ham, bowtie pasta with sausage marinara, cheesy eggs, cafe potatoes and fruit, and for the 7th thing...I don't know yet.

I’m grateful for…

~ fascinating curriculum

~ being spurred on in the faith by missionaries who relied on God for their very lives

~ children who will pray for me

~ the Word of God

~ spending all day with my children, never losing an opportunity to disciple

~ full days at home

~ serving the Lord

~ hot cocoa

~ working water heater, furnace, and washer and dryer

~ children who pray readily for our Compassion children, thinking of them as adopted siblings

~ a loving husband

~ fun time picking apples and riding a haywagon last week

A quote to share...

Luke 22:27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

 

Thank you for reading. How was your week?

 

 

 

Does God Like Princesses?

"Does God like princesses?"

That's what she asked as we rocked together, cuddling a Sunday afternoon away. She wants to know all about God, this one. I don't remember the others trying so hard at the tender age of 4, to figure God out.

She wants to know where he is, if he's really and truly real, where exactly he is in her heart, where heaven is located, and does he like girls to play with their dollies all day?

She begins her prayers like this: "I love God and he's always with me. I love my dollies. Please God, help my dollies to be good. I love my family and they love me and we're always together."

She changes the rest, but this beginning stands, day after day, and we don't try to change it.

I'm so grateful she's interested. I'm so grateful she already knows this: He's always with me.

But like the rest of us, my four year old has much to learn.

We tend to focus on our performance, more than on who God is and what he's done.

Does he like princesses? Or does he prefer down-to-earth types? Does he like how much I'm giving to the church? Does he like the books I read, and the movies I borrow? What does he think of my daily schedule?

See, these are concerns about us.

Instead of wondering to what extent we're pleasing God, we need to marvel at who He is.

We need to wake up every morning and gaze at Him, not at ourselves.

It's when we get quiet and gaze at Him that we feel the full beauty and miracle of the Gospel. We feel the full weight of His love, and we love him right back...because being in His presence is the best.

The very best.

Our lives, our hearts, are His work, not ours. We're in the way, aren't we, when we look inward instead of at Him?

Let it be about relationship, not about performance.

And as parents trying to train and correct children, let's make sure grace is prevailing in our home. We want to be like Jesus to them...but sometimes we're more like performance evaluators, instead?

Their hearts need the same message: It's not about what you've done, but who He is.

Let's really feast on this verse today:

Ephesians 3:16-21 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen


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