Friday, January 30, 2009

Fruitful Friday - Brown Rice

A request has come in for my recipe for Fried Rice. I thought I would share it with you as a way to introduce one of the world's healthiest foods into your regular diet... Brown Rice. Click here to learn more.

I'll freely admit how much I adore white rice...the Jasmine variety in particular. But after learning the amazing health properties of brown rice, I have tried to incorporate it whenever and wherever I can. (I even add it when I make tuna, egg or chicken salad. It adds bulk and nutrients, without changing the overall flavor!)

Fried Rice was the way I began cooking it for my family. To get the biggest health bang for your buck, be careful not to go overboard on the oil. Olive oil is the best variety and try to keep it at the lowest temperature possible...so as not to "overcook" the oil and release unwanted toxins. I am also not giving exact measurements - I tend to go by my personal tastes and what my family prefers. Have fun with it, but if you need an exact recipe, try this one.

  • Start by pouring Olive Oil into a wok or large skillet. Bring it to a medium high heat.
  • Saute minced fresh garlic and chopped onion (the white part of green onions is best).
  • Add any meat protein (if you choose) and cook thoroughly (i.e. shrimp, chicken, pork).
  • Add cooked and cooled rice and stir, stir, stir!
  • Add fresh or frozen vegetables (I love peas and carrots, maybe spinach, bean sprouts and remaining green onion) continue to stir until cooked.
  • If I want a milder flavor I only season with sea salt and white pepper.
  • If I am looking for soy flavor, I add a good amount of soy sauce and continue to stir until totally blended into the rice.
  • I like to serve this with sliced cucumber and omelets. For my omelet, I whisk a bit of soy sauce and fish sauce into my eggs and cook them in a thin omelet, then cut into strips.
Hope you enjoy...

In some parts of the world, the word "to eat" literally means "to eat rice."

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Precious Girls Club

Hey Moms, since we are always looking for ways to help our children understand things like faith and how precious we are to God, I recently found out about a great resource for girls that I just had to share with you all. 


When my girls were little, we had quite the collection of Precious Moments products. They had the porcelain figurines and dolls. They had the Nativity set. They even learned to read the Bible with their Precious Moments Bibles. I have to admit, I was sad to see that phase of their childhood go. So you can imagine why I was so excited to find out that they now have an older girls version called the Precious Girls Club


There is a series of books and products geared toward elementary age girls. A Little Bit of Faith is the first book in a new series that celebrates the special gifts that make each girl precious “in His sight.” They also have an interactive website www.preciousgirlsclub.com where the girls can set up their own characters and make their way through the town earning charms and  you can also buy products related to the stories. Also, this fall will be the release of the first ever Precious Girls Club DVD. I'll keep you posted on that.


So, if you have elementary age girls you should definitely check it out and let me know what you think.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Fruitful Friday - Parsley

Good Morning Ladies....

Hope the fasting is going well for you! Today our feature item is: Parsley

You might say..."I thought Parsley was only for making dishes look prettier!"Not true mo-na-mie! This article lists Parsley as one of the seven most potent disease-fighting spices. (Click here if you are interested in the other spices.)

Health Benefits: Chief among parsley's beneficial properties is its ability to fight cancer. Animal studies have shown that it can inhibit tumor formation, particularly in the lungs. It's also known to neutralize carcinogens including those found in cigarette smoke and charcoal grill smoke.

Parsley is also a rich source of antioxidants and heart-protective nutrients including vitamin C, beta-carotene and folic acid.

How it's Used: Parsley comes in two popular varieties, curly and flat leaf. Fresh parsley is more flavorful than the dried variety. The curly version tends to have a more intense flavor than the flat-leaf variety. Use it in soups, salads and casseroles, or to top fish, meat, potatoes, vegetables and more.

Interesting Tidbit: Parsley is a great breath freshener at the end of a meal.

One of my favorite ways to add Parsley into my diet is with Tabouli. (Click on it to see a recipe and a video of how to make this great dish!!!)

I love that this recipe can be modified to your individual tastes. I personally can't eat tomatoes (I know, sad me!) and just leave it out for my portion, then add it for everyone elses. I also like to add more of the bulgar wheat to my batches, as well as extra lemon juice!

For a dinner option, I put 5 0r 6 pita breads into the oven and warm them up. Then I set out a large bowl of hummus (mostly store bought, but here's a recipe in case you are interested) and a bowl of tabouli in the middle of the table. I cook up a batch of steamed rice (maybe adding some seasonings to make it more like a pilaf or serving it with just salt, olive oil and lemon/lime juice). Cut the pitas into triangles with my pizza cutter and place them on a platter in the middle of the table also. We pray and tell the kids to just dig in. They love dipping and eating with their hands!

Fun and healthy....great combo!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

A Call To Prayer For Our President

Yesterday was an important day in American history. The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama was sworn into office. A racial barrier has been broken as we now have our first African American President. As we enter into a new chapter in our country’s history, I would like to remind us all that it no longer matters how you voted. What matters, is that as Christians we are called to pray for our leaders. 


1 Timothy 2:1-5 


I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 


If you have never made it a priority in your life to pray for leaders, why not start now. Begin teaching your children while they are young, the importance of praying for those who have authority. Teach them not only to pray for the President and other political leaders, but also teach them to pray for Pastors, Teachers, Coaches and anyone else who has a position of authority in their life.


I believe our prayers do make a difference.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Fruitful Fridays

Hello all!

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Karen Wells and I am attend the Rocky Butte Campus. First of all...kudos go out to Susan for starting and administrating this blog! Such a great way to connect moms!

Susan explained the 40 day fast in the previous post and she mentioned recipes! Well, I love to cook and find really yummy, healthy recipes. Our family is doing a Daniel type fast and trying also to incorporate some specific foods to assist in helping our bodies cleanse excess toxins and waste.

How great is that...the fast works on the outside, while God works on the inside! I love how God's principles can be both spiritual and practical.

Over the next few weeks I am going to contribute on "Fruitful Fridays" and share a little of what our household is eating (or not eating as the case may be, lol). I want to start with a favorite recipe and rather than spending the time typing something that doesn't print well, I'll let you follow the link.
Kerry's Beany Salad
I add in 2-3 stalks of chopped celery and 3/4 cup pinon nuts (pine nuts), use 1/3 cup red wine vinegar instead of 1/4 cup, substitute white pepper for black and use 1/4 cup of olive oil instead of 1/2 cup.

Hope you enjoy...leave your comments on how it went over with the family or any changes you made.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

All Church Fast

Wow. I can't believe a whole month went by without posting. After all the snow days, holidays, the All Church Leadership retreat and Children's Christmas programs in January, I finally feel like my life is returning to some semblance of normalcy. 

And I can't believe we are 2 weeks into a new year. I am excited to be able to say that so far I haven't blown my new years goals. I am organizing my life and I have gotten back to an excercise routine. I'd love to hear how you are all doing on your goals so far. 

One of the things I look forward to each January is the All Church fast we do here at City Bible Church. If you haven't heard, today is Day One of the 40 day fast. Basically how it works is each one of us prays about what it is God wants us to fast. Some fast one meal a day, some fast sweets or media, some eat just fruits and veggies. The point is for each person in our church to fast from something and spend time seeking the Lord.

Since a lot of families choose to do a Daniel style fast we will be posting some great recipes over the next few weeks that our families love. The fast comes from Daniel chapters 1 and 10 when Daniel did not eat anything from the king's table. Basically, It means abstaining from all meat and animal products, sugar, processed foods, caffeine, dairy and foods with any additives. The foods allowed are whole grains, legumes (beans), fruits & veggies, nuts, seeds, fruit & veggie juices, and water. (If you would like a more exhaustive list just let us know and we can email you one.) 

You can go here to read Pastor Frank's post on 'Guidelines for Fasting & Prayer'.

Let's believe together for God to move mightily in our midst!!