Faith-filled Friday: Patience and grilling

Hello Crushers!

Yes, I'm still here. The baby has not decided to pick her birthday yet, so we have reached full term at 40 weeks!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23

We are very fortunate that our baby has made it to full term and we "shouldn't expect" any major developmental problems that preemie babies would have. Other than the gestational diabetes, I have been very blessed to have a relatively uneventful pregnancy. We've been so, so blessed!

Last night, Steve caught me talking to her. I was doing nursery rhymes to see how many I remember. I started joking that I hope she gets Steve's memory for songs and his singing voice. But I hope she gets my skin, arms, hair and ability to remember names. And our love of food and cooking and nature. And Steve's ears. And my grandpa's memory for places. And Steve's grandma's craftiness. And our moms' patience. And so many qualities that I don't even know if you can pass on to another person! 

While we wait for her arrival, Steve is planning on grilling out tonight thanks to the beautiful weather we're having! It's in the 60's today! We can sit out on our back patio and grill up some pork chops, asparagus and maybe even try some hassleback potatoes on the grill. I'll let you know how they turn out!

If you don't hear from me for a little while, it'll be because Baby Girl has finally decided to show up. Otherwise, I'll work on that patience part and catch you on Monday for a Virtual Running Date! Have a great weekend everyone!

Faith-filled Friday (plus French Food)

Good morning crushers,

I don't know about where you live, but we have had nothing but rain since Monday. Some people have snow, some are having tornadoes and some are just soggy like southeastern Wisconsin. I'm hoping that all these April Showers are going to bring some gorgeous May Flowers!

www.weather.com

Fortunately, we do have one day that's only "Mostly Cloudy" that's coming up, and that's Saturday. That also happens to be the day of Gary's Gallop 5K, which is my alma mater's 5K. I've run it every year for the past 4 years. This year will be #5! I love my GG t-shirts so much because they're really comfy and I was even wearing one when we got engaged! (Please ignore the slightly blinded/crazed look. It was dark outside on the trail and that flash is BRIGHT!) I'm hoping for a new PR. I have to beat 29 minutes!

This t-shirt is perfect for camping, lounging, running, getting engaged...

I have two favorite Bible verses that I lean on when I'm either trying to just keep going (half marathon or long runs) or trying to beat a time. The first one is actually on my Road ID as a reminder!

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. The will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint. Isaiah 40:31

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 

So no matter what is thrown at you, God is there whether it is rain, rain and more rain which can drain you emotionally or if it is a physical hardship, He's there. He's right there with you going every mile to keep you and sustain you. As Gary Allen sang, "Every storm runs out of rain." Every hardship has to end. The puddles will dry up. The sun will come out. Hang in there everyone!

Remember how I said that Steve and I tried a fancy French restaurant last week? It was so good. Everything is so fresh, flavorful and French. They have a HUGE pastry case of desserts filled with everything from macaroons to citron tarts to napoleons to chocolate mousse. Sometimes I just like staring at the pastry case. I had a delightful dish of Faisan et Haricots Verts (pheasant breast with green beans served over pappardelle pasta). The au jus had a rich thyme flavor and everything was tender and cooked perfectly!

Yes, my bright camera flash startled a few people in the dimly lit restaurant.

We shared a bowl of asparagus soup as a starter and it was amazing! It was creamy, bright green and had a hint of nutmeg. I would have never thought to put those flavors together. Delicious! Since asparagus is on sale at the grocery, I'm inspired to make some of my own soup. Here is the recipe that I'm going to try from Eating Well. I'll let you know how it goes!

Updated: Going Green (For St. Patrick's Day!)

Good morning Crushers!

Other than Christmastime, I don't decorate our house much for the holidays. The only things I do are set out seasonal kitchen towels, a new front door decoration and update the decorations on top of our TV stand or the coffee table. When the snow is gone, we put out some decorations in the yard and I definitely have planters full of flowers on the front steps to welcome you.

Aren't they cute?

Last night I was feeling kind of "over" my winter decorations, so I thought I'd hit the Dollar Store to see what I could find to "Spring" up the living room. I knew we had a blank vine wreath in our basement, so my goal was to find items that would be removable so I could use this one wreath all year round!

But first, we needed to make dinner!

Chicken legs, rice and asparagus was on the menu. Steve took the chicken that I had prepped at my Wildtree Freezer Meal class and baked that on a greased cookie sheet. Basically, it's chicken pieces (you could use any part of the chicken you like) that marinated in a freezer bag with garlic and herb seasoning and grapeseed oil. While that was baking (45 minutes total at 350 degrees - or until the inside temperature reaches 165 degrees), I made some rice (according to the bag).

Actually, what I did was put the chicken in the oven and set it for 30 minutes. Then we went to go work out in the basement doing some "boot camp" exercises like jumping jacks, push ups, ab work, running in place, and some moves with hand weights. I should have added burpees, but I hate those, so I didn't. Don't judge. Focusing back to the meal, when the timer went off, I stopped the workout and went upstairs to start the rice. When that was going, I reset the timer for both the chicken and the rice to keep cooking for another 15 minutes.

It was time to prep the asparagus! Normally, I just wash the stalks, trim off any woody ends and put them in a pan with a little water, lemon juice (and/or a splash of white wine).

Tip: You can tell how much of the end to cut off by bending the non-pointy end. If it won't snap off, you need to try and snap more of it off. Usually, it's about an inch that breaks off.

However, I have been reading a number of recipes for oven roasted asparagus, so I decided to try that.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients:
As many stalks of asparagus that will fit on a baking sheet without over lapping (about 20)
1 tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, Romano or a blend of Italian cheeses
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. After washing and trimming the stalks, place them on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the oil and lemon juice over the stalks. Roll the stalks around like logs rolling down a hill to coat them. Pop then in the oven for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese over the asparagus and bake for another 2-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned slightly. Serve with your favorite chicken and rice dish! (just kidding on that last part.

Delicious! I just need to work on my food photography...

OK, back to the decorations! Like I said, I went to the Dollar Store to see what I could find and there were these cute foam shamrock cut outs and some shiny shamrock garland. Whoo hoo! I also found a whole bunch of Easter eggs for decorating as soon as we're done with St. Patrick's Day (you know, in just a few days...).

Here is the final product:

Don't you feel all welcome now?