Turkey Soup

So many things to be thankful for... including leftovers : )

Tonight I made a really yummy and pretty healthy soup, that we all gobbled up, pun intended!  I was searching for recipes to make with our leftover turkey.   You see there was only 6 of us at our house this year, and I went to Costco to get the turkey... smallest bird I could find was 21 pounds. So we have quite a bit of leftovers.

I found this recipe online and adapted it to what I had and what I knew my family would eat.  Here is my version:

Hearty Turkey with Butternut Squash and Quinoa

Ingredients:
1 medium sized butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil/ or butter
1/2 a large yellow onion or one whole medium onion, chopped up
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
1 can of black beans
1 Cup uncooked Trader Joes Harvest Grains (mix of couscous, orzo, quinoa)
2 cups cooked cut up or shredded turkey
Sprinkle bowl with parsley flakes

Instructions:

1. Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside. Once cool, cut into cubes
2. Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside. 
3. Drain water from pan, re-heat pan and warm oil or butter.
4. Saute onion and garlic until starting to brown, about 8 minutes
5.  Add in salt, and oregano. pieces of squash, and mashed squash, saute for another minute.
6. Add in Chicken Broth and can of black beans, bring to a boil
7. Once soup is boiling, add in Harvest Grains (quinoa/ pasta mix), boil for 10 minutes, then turn to low
8. Add turkey, and cook on low for 10 more minutes
9. Serve up and sprinkle with parsley flakes

Cornbread was the perfect completion of this meal.  What did you do with your thanksgiving leftovers?

"Times"

I can't stop listening to the song "Times" by Tenth Avenue North...my heart has so needed this reminder of God's love.  Below is the lyrics from the second half of the song.  Even if you know this song, slow down and soak it in!

My love is over
It's underneath
It's inside
It's in between

The times that you doubt me
When you can't feel
The times that you question
Is this for real

The times you're broken
The times that you mend
The times you hate me
And the times that you bend

Well my love is over
It's underneath
It's inside
It's in between

The times that you're healing
And when your heart breaks
The times that you feel like you've fallen from grace

The times you're hurting
The times that you heal
The times you go hungry and are tempted to steal

In times of confusion
In chaos and pain
I'm there in your sorrow under the weight of your shame

I'm there through your heart-ache
I'm there in the storm
My love I will keep you by my power alone

I don't care where you've fallen or where you have been
I'll never forsake you
My love never ends
It never ends

 Such incredibly powerful words, such a critical truth that is so easy to loose sight of in this world of striving! I am sincerely praying that you and I grow daily in our desire to know God's love!

trusting God's best...

Today I was blessed to talk to a dear friend from back home.  She is someone that "gets me" because by nature she is a lot like me.  We haven't talked in quite a while, so as we were catching up I asked for some mommy advice.  You see, she has been a mama 2x as long as I have, she has walked this road of having small kiddos at home and I knew she would have a godly perspective for me.

I shared with her how I was struggling with one of my kiddos, always feeling like this child was not listening, getting distracted, not following through (and more), and that it had evoked a lot of emotion for me.  I was nagging this kiddo, raising my voice, and felt like I was continually being negative in my speech toward this kid.

My friend shared with me that when we get frustrated, try to manipulate, raise our voice or get angry, it is actuality like we are telling God that we don't trust that His way is right.  The Bible tells us that we are to gently approach our children, to pursue their hearts, to appeal to their conscience, to be patient and kind when we lovingly discipline them... just to name a few.

Yet when I'm loosing my cool, I'm in fact telling God that His way won't work!  That my kid is too stubborn to learn that way and that I know how to "really get through to him." 

I had never even contemplated before that my negative response was showing God that I not only wasn't living out His Word (by not being self-controlled, patient and kind) but that I didn't trust that His way was best!  Ugh!

 I'm thankful for a friend who speaks the truth even when it is not easy to hear!  I'm thankful for my many friends in the trenches of mommy-hood with me, and I am thankful for friends that are walking a few feet ahead to help give me perspective and encouragement!

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction." 2 Timothy 4:2

"And the Lord's servant (parents) must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone (especially his children) able to teach, not resentful.  Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil..." 2 Timothy 2:24-26

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience..." Colossians 3:12

These three precious hearts have been entrusted to me.  I want to raise them God's way!