Couch to 5K Update

Last week I completed Week 4 of the Couch to 5K Plan. I found it to be quite a bit tougher than the previous week. During the last 5 minutes of jogging, I really had to push myself! I am very nervous for this week(Week 5). It looks much more challenging than last week, which I found somewhat tough. The last workout for this week on Friday will have me (maybe) running 2 miles in 20 minutes with no walking. I am very skeptical that I will be able to do it, but I plan on giving it my best shot. I plan on doing the program Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday for this week.

Menu Plan Monday

I followed last week's menu plan pretty closely. The only things that didn't get made were the pasta and pasta sauce because we went out for supper with family and the lemon chicken rice soup because we were away visiting family (and had delicious roast beef supper instead!). Both those recipes got bumped up to this week. Here's this week's plan.

Sunday, February 7
At family's house for supper

Monday, February 8
Whole wheat penne with tomato sauce

Tuesday, February 9
Lemon Chicken Rice Soup (using chicken stock and leftover chicken in freezer), cheese biscuits

Wednesday, February 10
Jo Mama's World Famous Spaghetti Sauce, spaghetti, caesar salad

Thursday, February 11
Sausage, perogies, cooked veggies

Friday, February 12
Leftover spaghetti

Saturday, February 13
Chicken Macaroni Bake (from freezer), tossed salad or cooked veggies

*For more great meal ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday, hosted by orgjunkie.com*

Yesterday's Kitchen Extravaganza

Yesterday I spent most of the day in the kitchen, which is one of my most favourite places to be! In the morning I baked some whole wheat bread, then in the afternoon I baked a batch of banana chip muffins (for my hubby) and mixed up a batch of cottage cheese perogies ("Glums Wareneki" in German). I have been experimenting with different Wareneki recipes, and I was a bit disappointed with the one I tried yesterday. The dough was not that easy to work with, and the perogies tended to come apart when I boiled a few for lunch today. It may have been the cook's problem, not the recipe's problem, but I think I will try a different recipe next time. Here are a few pictures from yesterday.



Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (I'll have to ask my husband how they turned out because I won't be trying them any time soon. I have an *ahem* allergy to them - at least my taste buds do. Ha!

6 Loaves of Whole Wheat Bread (I did use a couple cups of white flour in these this time. Sometimes I make them with all whole wheat flour, sometimes I add a couple cups of white.)



Here are my not-so-purdy Wareneki. Not the healthiest things in the world, but probably one of the tastiest! (at least to me. My hubby won't touch 'em).


Today is Pizza night, so I am thinking about making up some homemade pizza pockets today since I have to get the pizza stuff out anyway. I've never made them before, so I will post about them sometime if I get the chance to make them.

Now...off to do my fourth workout for Week 4 of the couch to 5K plan!

Chicken Macaroni Bake

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I got busy in the kitchen cooking up doubles of nearly everything (casseroles, pizza crust, taco meat, spaghetti sauce, meatballs, chili, muffins, pies etc.). I kept busy cooking and baking to help the days go by during the long last 2 months of my pregnancy (And, let me tell ya, those were long days!). Anytime I cooked something for supper, I would double it and freeze half. I stockpiled our freezer so that right after our daughter was born, I wouldn't have to cook hardly anything if I didn't want to. My stockpile lasted us for almost 6 weeks after she was born! My general philosophy is that if you are going to go to all the work to make something in the first place, you might as well at least double the recipe and freeze half of it. During my crazy pregnant cooking frenzies, I found some really tasty casserole recipes that freeze very well.

As I was going through my fridge yesterday, I found some broccoli and mushrooms that needed to be used up, so in the evening I decided to use them and cook up one of my favourite freezer-friendly casseroles, Chicken Macaroni Bake.

Here's a picture I took of the casseroles before I wrapped them and put them into the freezer.


Here is the recipe:

Chicken Macaroni Bake (This recipe yields 1 casserole that will feed 4-6 people. I double it)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (do not dilute)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 1/4 cups dry macaroni (or any pasta variety)
• 1/4 cup buttered bread crumbs
• 1 cup broccoli florets, fresh or frozen

Directions: Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain pasta and set aside. In a large skillet, brown onion and mushrooms in butter. Stir in soup, chicken, milk, 3/4 cups cheese, and broccoli. Heat until cheese melts. Blend sauce with cooked noodles. Pour into a buttered casserole dish. Mix remaining 1/4 cup cheese with bread crumbs and sprinkle on top. (At this point, BEFORE BAKING, you can wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or foil and then freeze it). Or, if fresh, you can bake it at 350 F for 30 minutes or until hot. If cooking frozen casserole, remove foil or plastic wrap, and bake at 350 F for about 1 hour or until hot.

Gratituesday: Christian Friends

Rewind 2 days ago to this past Sunday.

It had been a long night and I was tired. Our baby is teething and had been up several times during the night. Then in the morning we went to church, came home for lunch, then went back to church for a meeting, and then had our friends over for supper, and then were planning on going to a Bible study after that. The Bible study ended up being canceled, so instead, my husband, myself, and 2 of our friends had an unplanned "informal" Bible Study at our house. We watched Ken Ham's dvd called State of the Nation and discussed it. Then, we prayed for each other. It was wonderful, refreshing, and encouraging Christian fellowship. It had been a busy day, but I felt SO uplifted and encouraged after talking about Christ, fellowshipping with friends, and praying for each other that it was WAY BETTER than a full night's sleep (which I haven't had in a LONG time!). Today, I am very thankful for Christian fellowship and Christian friends.


*This post is linked to Gratituesday hosted by Heavenly Homemakers*

Make a JOYful Noise Unto the Lord

I have often been told that a wife and mother sets the tone in her home. I have found this to be very true. For example, if a wife greets her husband with a scowl when he comes home from work and she immediately begins complaining about what a terrible day she has had, her husband is NOT likely to respond with a "Hi Honey, I'm so happy to be home!" On the other hand, if the wife decides to greet her husband with a smile and a kiss and takes the focus off of herself and her problems and instead puts her focus on her husband and asks him about HIS day, the husband is much more likely to enjoy coming home after a hard day's work. Those first few minutes when your husband walks in the door can often set the tone for the rest of the evening. I know this from personal experience.

In the same way, the mother sets the tone at home with her children. For example, if the mother goes about her household tasks with grumbling and complaining, she can expect her children to do their chores with grumbling and complaining. But, if the mother is whistling and singing while she does household chores, her children will more than likely whistle and sing when they do theirs. My daughter is still a baby, but I see how my attitude already sets the tone in the home. If I am excited and cheerful, my daughter will usually start smiling and get excited. If I am grumpy, she tends to get upset more easily.

Although I fail at times, I try my best to set a joyful and pleasant tone in my home. I try to greet my husband with a kiss and smile when he gets home from work, no matter how hard my day was. When I go about my daily household tasks, I like to put on some Christian music and sing out the words with a spring in my step. Not only does this keep my spirits lifted, but it also keeps my heart and mind focused on Christ and what He has done for me. It cultivates thankfulness in my heart when I sing melodies about what Christ has done for me. It helps me take the focus off of myself and my problems. Now, I am an alto and struggle to hit the "high notes" sometimes, but when I sing in my home with my family, I often belt out the words like there's no tomorrow! Sometimes I hit the high notes, sometimes I don't! But you know what? I don't care! I am making a joyful noise unto the Lord. Sometimes in the evening, my husband and I will sit at the piano together and just sing hymns unto the Lord. We do not always sing on key, but we are making a joyful noise unto the Lord.

Living out the Christian faith daily in the so-called "mundane" things of life is so important in raising our children to follow the Lord. Christ has paid the price for our sin! Our Saviour lives! He is good! He is faithful! He is mighty to save! This is where our JOY comes from. It is the joy of our salvation! Let this joy be evident in your home. Let's follow Jesus' instruction in Matthew 5:16 to "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven." As a homemaker, the only people you might encounter today may be your husband and children. Don't forget to let your light shine before them, too!

Choose to make a JOYful noise unto the Lord today.

Menu Plan Monday

It's my 2nd week participating in Menu Plan Monday hosted by orgjunkie.com. This week is a busy week for us, so the meals are super quick and simple. Last week's crockpot teriyaki steak and rice was SO good. Definitely a great way to use steak in the winter when you can't bbq. I ended up serving it with stir-fry veggies (onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery, broccoli, and snap peas - all were on hand in the fridge already) instead of the tossed salad. We also had a quick change of plans, which happens pretty often around here :-) and had company over on short notice for Sunday supper, so I pulled a casserole out of the freezer to use instead of making the scheduled whole wheat pasta penne. I am really looking forward to Friday Night Pizza Night this week! Here are my supper plans for the week.

Monday - Lemon Dill Salmon Fillets, Potato Wedges, Carrot Sticks (this was on the menu last week Monday but didn't get made because we were invited over for supper :-) )

Tuesday - Taco Salad (using leftover taco meat from freezer)

Wednesday - Easy Homemade Cream-of-Tomato Soup (recipe below), grilled cheese
sandwiches

Thursday - Whole wheat penne pasta, tomato sauce (just sauteed mushrooms and onions mixed with a jar of pasta sauce), caesar salad (on the menu last week, but didn't get made)

Friday - Pizza Night! I'm making a Tuscan Pizza (see below) and BBQ Ranch Chicken Pizza

Saturday - Leftover pizza

Sunday - Lemon Chicken Rice Soup (using homemade chicken stock and leftover chicken from last week's roasted chicken) and Cheese Biscuits

Recipes

Easy Homemade Cream-of-Tomato Soup Ingredients 2 Tbsp butter 1 small onion, chopped 1 large 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 cup of chicken stock (I usually use 1 cup water and 1 tsp chicken-in-a-mug)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

Instructions: Melt butter in a medium-large soup pot. Add onion and saute until soft and clear. Add can of tomatoes, chicken stock, baking soda, and sugar. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Heat cream in the microwave just until hot (not boiling). Add hot cream to soup. Blend with hand-held blender until almost smooth. Serves 4.

Tuscan Pizza


Use your favourite pizza crust recipe and then add the following:
Mix a little mayonnaise (about 2 tsp) and 1 tsp garlic powder or minced garlic with your favourite pizza sauce for one pizza. Top with crumbled or cubed feta cheese, sundried tomatoes, red onions, sliced black olives, and lots of spinach. Top with a mix of cheddar, mozzarella, and feta cheese.

* For more great meal ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at orgjunkie.com *