The One Who Was Content
*Visit FrugalLivingNW for today’s cooresponding post.
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We’ve been looking at contentment for some time now. We were Camping on Contentment for a week or so, and now here we are, digging around again for this elusive quality we all seek but cannot seem to really grasp. Thankfully, Jesus sums it all up for us and turns our world upside down.
I admit it seems odd to think of Jesus as an example of contentment. I mean, if I was God I’d probably be content too, right? Most of the things that drive me crazy have to do with not being in control, not knowing what’s going on, or not being able to juggle all the crazy busy things in my life all at once. So, things like omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence would really come in handy. I’d be able to turn a glass of water on my nightstand into a Frappucino, know where that missing library book went, and go grocery shopping without ever leaving the house. Seems to me that under those conditions contentment wouldn’t be so tough.
But in all seriousness, the secret to true contentment comes from The One Who is contentment, who is peace, who is joy. In fact, He summed it up for us in a sentence. A mere 67 characters–nothing more than a tweet. Here I’ve been blithering for weeks and Jesus puts an end to it all and simply says,
“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39
See, here’s the problem. We’re all seeking the wrong thing, and it’s painfully counterproductive. We’re all seeking contentment. We’re all seeking life. And specifically, we’re all seeking our best life now.
Now yes, our discontentment often stems from what we discussed in the FrugalLivingNW article: commercials and advertisements, glossy magazine pages, emails alerting us to deals. But what’s at the root of those things? Why are we so tempted by them? Why do they make us long and yearn for what they sell? Why do their advertising gimmicks work so stinkin’ well?
Because we’re seeking our best life now. And as long as we seek our life, our best life now, Jesus says we will lose it. We’ll lose contentment, lose our peace, lose our joy.
The problem is not the magazines, the emails, the billboards, the TV ads. The problem is in our hearts.
Because deep in our hearts we’ve bought the lie that this is what really matters. That this home, this body, this face, this career, this time and place is what really matters. So we’ve given our lives to pursue the perfection of those things, and in the process we’ve forfeited our souls (Matthew 8:36). We’ve forfeited our peace. We’ve forfeited our contentment.
“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39
Then what would it look like to lose our lives? Jesus gave us an example. He left his home in heaven, his perfect communion with the Father, his glory and honor, his rights and divine privileges. He left his comfort, his reputation, his praise. He left perfection to enter our imperfection. In short, He left everything. He didn’t come to earth to seek His life, He came to lose it, that we might find life in Him.
So how are we to lose our lives? Just aimlessly begin giving up stuff and denying ourselves in order to derive some sick pleasure? Religious masochists, is that right? Not at all. The key, again, Jesus sums up in three little words.
For my sake.
Our goal isn’t finding life. Our goal isn’t simply losing life. Our goal isn’t merely contentment. Our goal is Christ. We lose our lives and find them hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). That is where life is found. That is where contentment is found. That is where peace and joy and abundance are found. A new pair of peep-toes are a pitiful substitution for the infinite pleasures of the Savior. As CS Lewis said,
If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at sea. We are far to easily pleased.
Contentment isn’t about not wanting stuff. It’s about wanting infinitely more than any earthly store could ever offer. It isn’t about aimlessly denying ourselves, it’s about letting go of life in a joyful pursuit of something greater. It’s seeking true life, found in Christ. The temptations are rendered powerless because a greater desire trumps them all. On the drive to my favorite Thai restaurant I would never be tempted to stop off and eat a donut from the 7-11. Something far greater is in store.
And something far greater is in store. Not just in eternity, but today. We rise above the earthly lure of wealth and material possessions by living for something greater than our best life now. Christ’s fame, Christ’s mission, Christ’s Kingdom. We seek contentment to glorify God. We save our nickels and dimes so we can spend them wisely, on that which really matters.
More on that tomorrow. Today, remember Jesus’ tweet:
“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39
Frugal Fridays: Fandango for Free!
You know me, I’m a sucker for 1) series and 2) alliteration. So, in honor of both, and my ongoing fondness of frugality (there I did it again), we’ll begin Frugal Fridays, a brief look at ways to cut spending, save money, and invest in what really matters.
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Tonight Jeff and I are having a date night! Yes, a real date night! For our date, we’re heading to see Inception. I think we’re the only people left on the planet who haven’t seen it. The last movie we saw in the theater was Up, about a year and a half ago, so we’re due for a good flick. And, thanks to FrugalLivingNW, I snagged a free movie ticket through Fandango. The process was easy, and after we use our ticket I can cancel our 3-day free trial and not spend a dime! Now that’s a hot date.
Speaking of FrugalLivingNW, I have the huge honor of writing a 4-part series for this phenomenal couponing blog. The series will run Mon-Thur of this coming week. So head on over, check out her great deals, and stay tuned for this special series. Have a great weekend!
Prayer, Fasting, and Sprinkler Systems
Is there anything more exhilarating than those sacred moments when you realize that the God of the universe has just shown up in your life? No matter how mundane the subject matter–when God inserts Himself you’ve got a miracle on your hands. I experienced this today.
First things first: Prayer. I am a relatively new participant, really, in the world of prayer. I’ve always talked to God, but have never really thrived in the world of intercessory prayer. When people talk about praying all night long, I avoid eye contact. If I prayed all night it would have to be in my sleep. Long periods of prayer for me are usually punctuated by an embarrassing amount of mind-wandering. But, I’m growing! As many of you know, we began a women’s prayer meeting every Monday morning at 6am. This has challenged me and helped me so much. It’s like a weekly reset button that reminds me of the power of getting alone with God in prayer. The other women challenge and encourage me, and there’s so much joy in knowing that the current events of the church, and of our lives, have been lifted up to the God of heaven and earth.
If I felt weak in prayer, I felt hopelessly weak in fasting. For years the word “fasting” felt dreaded to me. I used to fast consistently, but for several years–ever since I got pregnant with Dutch and began this 4-year period of being either pregnant or breastfeeding nonstop–I could not do it for the life of me, and every time I tried it was anything but spiritual. Instead it was me, grumpy and more fleshly than ever, frustrated by the process and counting down the hours until it was done. Nothing seemed accomplished. Finally, I gave up, and told God that I was waiting until He gave me a clear green light. Until then, I was tired of failing.
So, just recently, in a clear-as-day moment during the middle of someone else’s crisis, He gave me the green light. I can explain it in no other way than that I knew with 100% clarity what He was asking me to do. And I kid you not–it was 180 degrees different from before. Joy, purpose, strength (yes, still tired, but in a different sort of way) characterized the time. And when I was done, I knew I was done. So much peace. Though I suppose I was technically fasting “for” someone else, I knew deep down this was God graciously giving me another chance to engage in a precious spiritual discipline that would allow me to experience more of Him. He was blessing me.
Because of that experience, Jeff and I decided to fast and pray together, regularly. Please hear me in this–I share this not to toot our horn but to show you that God is so gracious in our weakness! He wants to show up in our lives and He makes it so easy for us! And personal fasting is supposed to be done in secret (as with prayer), so we are wise to be discreet about it. However, I have learned so much by others who share about their experience with spiritual disciplines. Hence, I’m sharing this.
So, we did this recently, and I happened to have a meeting that morning that was extremely challenging, in a good way. It challenged some of my assumptions about how ministry is done, and therefore gave me some good fodder for prayer that day, as I contemplated what I’d heard. The gist of it was how to get more creative in frugality and financial giving, so that more and more true ministry can take place.
So, the day goes on and Jeff and I have our scheduled prayer time over the phone. I’m praying about lofty things, and to my surprise all of a sudden Jeff starts praying for our sprinkler system (which we were to install this next weekend). Um, ok. Yeah, I guess God even cares about helping us install our sprinkler system. That’s cool.
Later that night, fasting is done, we treat the kids to ice cream and go to Lowe’s to buy all the materials for installing the sprinkler system. Of course nothing’s as it’s supposed to be–they’re missing a bunch of pieces, Heidi cracks her head on the concrete floor, you know the routine–house projects never look quite like the pictures you see on the ad. They should show DIY-manuals with pictures of people crying or punching holes in walls. Anyway…
We buy all the materials–$168–and get in the car. I quickly do all the addition in my head–renting the trencher, buying the materials, the hours of labor. It reached at least $350 and several summer weekends. I get the kids some ice water–they’re hot and tired; it’s past their bedtime. We pull away and for some reason I begin to think of Africa (one of the things we’d been praying for all day).
“What a funny culture we live in. We’re spending almost $400 and hours and hours of labor so that we don’t have to walk outside and turn on a hose-sprinkler. Does that strike you as odd?” Jeff looked at me like I’d just said the most profound thing in the world.
He frowned slightly, in thought. “I guess we don’t have to have a sprinkler system.” I thought about this. We’d figured we had to, since our neighborhood is pretty nice and all the other homes do. It’s an investment, of course, because you supposedly get your money back when you sell. Then I thought of John Piper’s statement about his house, when he was criticized for buying in a poor neighborhood: “I didn’t buy my house as an investment,” he said, “I bought it to live in.” His investment, I suppose, is in heaven. Yes, I’m all for wise investments, but how much better to forget about my personal investment, and instead invest that money in something far greater.
Then, of course, my morning’s meeting came back front and center in my mind. That was it. If we all made little choices, like skipping ridiculous things like sprinkler systems, we could fund God’s kingdom work no problem! I shared this with Jeff and the decision was done. Jeff and I were jumping out of our seats with excitement. We’d heard from God! We’d fasted and prayed and Jeff had specifically prayed about our sprinkler system, even though it seemed odd at the time, and God had a plan that wove it all together–in a way that would leave no doubt that He, the King of Kings, was leading our lives. How exciting is that! And, we now had a chunk of change, to give to that special cause, that we hadn’t had before. Woohoo!
We came home giddy. All of a sudden we realized that our project would now be easy–could probably be finished in a weekend. Topsoil and grass–that’s all we needed. Which also meant we could spend the rest of our summer playing, rather than toting our kids back and forth to Home Depot. As we pulled onto our street we actually rolled down the windows and starting shouting praises out the window. Even Heidi joined in. I’m sure the neighbors thought we were crazy, but we have reason to celebrate. God actually cares about our lives–every mundane detail. Prayer, fasting, and sprinkler systems: that’s exhilarating to me.
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*Of course my point is not that sprinkler systems are evil :), but rather how getting with God transforms our thinking, helping us to be spiritually minded rather than mindlessly going with the flow of the world. In what ways has God challenged you to do things different? I’d love to hear.
Rotting and Hoarding
I am an obsessively vigilant leftover-eater and refrigerator cleaner. Today my husband asked what I was doing when I pulled out a sharpie and was writing on a bag of frozen chicken. “Use me!” with a smiley face is that I wrote. It’s the oldest bag so we need to eat it next, I explained. He smiled. I’m so glad he loves me as I am.
During my fridge inventory I was very disappointed to find that some of the bargain cheese I’d scored a month back, which was unopened and dated August 28th, had already molded. Gross. More than gross–wrong. A tragedy. Food that rots before it is eaten just seems so wrong to me! That means that we have way too much and that we’re misusing our resources somehow, right? If we buy more food than we can eat something is wrong and the solution is certainly not that we need to eat more. My poor mother patiently endures my lectures every time I’m at her house and I pull out all the expired bottles of half-used salad dressing from the fridge. I know she must shake her head and wonder how her grand lessons on stewardship and frugality have been reduced to my ranting and raving over a wasted pint of ranch.
Ok, I know the cheese thing is not a big deal, but I was studying James 5 today, and it made me think about rotting. Check out the first three verses of this chapter. How’s this for a happy little devotional thought? I’ve never seen this one on a coffee mug:
1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
Now, after studying and reading up on some commentaries, it is likely that he is addressing rich unbelievers who are exploiting the poor, glutting themselves with pleasure, abusing their employees, etc. But isn’t the warning applicable to all who are rich? That is the ONE percent of the world who make more than $40,000. Yup, that’s right. We’re all rich.
In the wake of this, I also read an interesting article in the Oregonian. They cited the staggering amount of food waste in our country today. This was interesting: From 1973-2003, the average weight of an American adult went up 20 lbs. TWENTY lbs. In only 30 years. They averaged that out and figured that that equals an extra 300 calories per person, per day, that is in excess. However, check this out. The amount of food purchased in this country increased an average of 800 calories per person per day. That means that we’re eating more than we need and buying WAY more than we need. That means 500 calories a day are thrown in the garbage. Yes, I say that’s better than being thrown onto our waistlines, but still–why do we buy so much?
Because we can. Because we can’t imagine having to go without. Because we love the comfort of well-stocked pantries. And because–hitting closer to home–we love a good deal. And it’s cheaper per unit to buy 100 packages of popcorn. Cheap food is much easier to eat, and much easier to throw away. And now we live in a country where food is cheap and plentiful. Eat until your stomach hurts then throw the rest away!
But back to James. He says, “your wealth has rotted.” Things rot when they sit around unused. Could it be that the cheese in my fridge is just a tiny picture of what our culture is doing on an epidemic scale? I am the first to raise a guilty hand. I never say no to something, especially if it’s cheap, or free. Of course I want it. The more the better, right? And I love a deal. Today I bought 4 packets of salad dressing mix instead of one because it “saved” me a bunch of money, right? But if that mentality rules my thinking, I will simply buy in more and more bulk (imagine Mega-Costco) then the next thing you know we’ll suffocate under our mounds of Kirkland Signature goods, never to surface again. Meanwhile, 24,000 children die every single day, due to poverty. What do we do? I know it isn’t simple, and I know we’ve probably heard this message so much we’re probably deaf to it.
Let’s look back briefly at James. The bottom line indictment is this: “You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” Hoarding is the sin, and it is especially heinous because it is in the last days. A the very time that we should be looking to heaven, anticipating Christ’s return, gearing up and spreading the gospel with all that we have, instead we sit around and buy bigger freezers, bigger garages, bigger closets, and now, it seems, bigger clothes. Not pointing fingers here–I’ve got a garage freezer, a 3-car garage, and a huge walk-in closet. I’m asking myself these questions, first and foremost.
Perhaps let’s start with a simple prayer, “Lord, show me where I’m hoarding.” We do want to be good stewards, and chances are we will use all that cheese and toilet paper and I’m glad to have it on hand. But perhaps there are areas where we are unwittingly allowing our resources to rot, so to speak, because we pile them up around us to insulate us from the world of need and pain and hunger.
Let’s just ask God. I don’t know what it looks like for each of us, and it might be as simple as not grocery shopping until your fridge is actually empty. Maybe it’s stepping up and giving away a larger portion of your income. Maybe it’s just sharing more. Maybe it’s taking a teeny tiny step of going without, just to remember that millions of people do so, by necessity, every single day.
Ok, rant over. Let’s pray. Lord, where am I allowing your resources to rot? Where am I hoarding? Where does my lifestyle not reflect that these are indeed the last days? Show us how to grow in this, God. We need you to show us how, and more importantly, give us the grace to obey.
Home-Grown, Hand-Made
Not sure how this post will take form because I am so tired I cannot even form a coherent thought. Jeff’s so deliriously tired he inadvertently brought me a sippy cup of milk in bed. I directed him down the hall to try the other little blond person in our house.
Why so tired? Because in the midst of church activities this weekend we embarked on a yard-work marathon. Last weekend we built a 50-foot retaining wall in our yard. We carried every last stone (4 1/2 TONS of them), leveled it all, wheelbarrow-ed all the gravel. Jeff spent hours installing a special drainage system because we live on a hill. I had no idea the extent of this project. So. Much. Work.
This weekend we trenched our our sprinkler system (above), roto-tilled our entire back yard to grade it out for lawn, and then built a cedar deck onto the back of our house. My dad tilled and hauled and drove nails until his back about gave out and his right palm was one big blister. Dutch toted tools. Heidi ate dirt. We all enjoyed messy BBQ’d hamburgers and my first (and fabulously successful, I might add) attempt at homemade baked beans.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought, “If only we would’ve just hired someone to do this whole stupid yard. I’m so tired I never want to lift another retaining wall stone or 2×6 or haul another load of gravel in my life.” But, tonight as I sat on that freshly laid cedar decking, inhaling its amazing scent, and looked out over our project, I had to admit that there’s something special about doing it all ourselves.
I know we’ll look back on this summer with amazing memories. I can already imagine the conversations when we’re old and decrepit: “Remember when we were two young crazies that we built that cotton-pickin’ wall? Remember how the kids played in the dirt while we drove nails and shoveled dirt?” We’ll laugh. We’ll reminisce. And, at this rate, we’ll likely still be getting chiropractic work done on our backs. There really is something special about hand-made things.
And home-grown. That might be my very favorite thing about summer. I planted my very own garden this year. First ever. Well, first since the ground has been mine–growing up mom always let my brother and I have our own little plot of land in her big garden. I loved working in the dirt and still remember picking the fresh beans and carrots, the rhubarb and strawberries. In my garden we’re just harvesting the delicious sugar-snap peas (left). Dutch loves to stand out there and pick peas, popping them in his mouth like candy. Today during our work party we had a huge salad with baby gourmet salad greens fresh from my parents’ garden. We had had homemade baked beans–real ones that you soak overnight and cook with bacon. So good!
Earlier this week a dear woman from church dropped off 3 containers of fresh still-warm-from-the-sun, hand-picked strawberries (right: aren’t they beautiful?!). She and her kids had just picked them and she generous shared. They were AMAZING! I’d forgotten what real strawberries tasted like. I’ll admit I “picked” mine at Costco, but these were the real deal. Dutch and I polished of all three containers before the afternoon was over. We sat on the counter, next to the sink, rinsing and popping them in our mouths, gobbling and savoring the sweet perfection.
One thing I noticed. Hand-made and home-grown might not look as impressive. Check out these strawberries. One is from Costco. One is from some field out in rural Clackamas county. These were the average size of their bunch. Interesting. But, one was also infinitely tastier. A lot more work, perhaps, but so tasty!
So I’m learning to appreciate homemade and homegrown. I suppose there’s no inherent virtue in doing things yourself, and I have done a fair share of homemade attempts that have convinced me that I have some significant skill-limitations, so some things are better simply bought at a store (knitting and sewing to name a few). But I’m sure learning a lot through all of this, and I think Dutch might be too. He’s learning about gardening, building, working hard. I suppose Heidi is learning about dirt. We’re all learning the blessing of a couple advil, and when to sit down and take a rest. We’re loving family bathtime every evening, and I’m learning to ignore the brown ring in the tub. It’s a sign of a job well done.
So Happy 4th to all. This tired girl is off to bed. What do you enjoy that is homemade or homegrown? I’d love to hear as we celebrate this glorious season called Summer.
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*Here’s also to my dad, our hero, who has labored to no end to help us in this endeavor. I started building decks with my dad when I was 15-years-old, and this is the first one we’ve done that I get to keep! I love you, daddy–thanks for being the best dad a girl could ever imagine.
Running Back and Forth: The Balancing Act of a Ministry-Mommy
Ahhhh…it’ s 7:30pm, that perfect time of day. We’re out at RiverSong for the weekend, and I just tucked my two little wonders into bed. It’s been a long and wonderfully exhausting day, the end of a long and wonderfully exhausting week. Prepping to lead an all-day women’s leadership retreat today, hosting out of town family, celebrating Jeff’s birthday, studying/preparing/teaching the High Schoolers, toting the kids to a rehearsal dinner, finishing up doing some pre-marital counseling, juggling several doctor’s apppointments, braving my monthly grocery run with kids in tow, and preparing all the food myself for the retreat (so I wouldn’t break my silly grocery budget that I made the mistake of telling all of you about!), this week was full of both ministry and mommy commitments. Now before you start commenting on how I need margin and boundaries in my life, I promise that I do. This is not the norm for us; we really don’t overbook, but sometimes things just all happen to fall on the same week and there’s nothing you can do about it, you know? What was I going to do, cancel Jeff’s birthday? No, I did cut out some other things and it was actually a fabulous faith-building week as I watched God organize, arrange, and re-arrange my schedule so that everything fit into place. The divine juggle. (And my calendar this week is virtually empty, I promise.)
But speaking of the juggle, today was a very clear picture to me of what that juggle looks like. My shift as mommy started this morning at 6:30am–bright and early since we’re away from home–when Dutch shuffled out of his room in his dinosaur jammies with a big smile and “Good morning!” I had been up since 5am finishing up last minute prep for our leadership retreat today, so he snuggled next to me while I finished my studying, then I got dressed and ready while he had conversations with his lizards in the bathtub. Then toweling off, getting dressed, and downstairs for the day.
While oatmeal cooked on the stove, I turned to the other side of the kitchen and tossed the salad for our retreat lunch. Back and forth I went: Stir the oatmeal … scurry across the kitchen … chop carrots … dish up the oatmeal … sprinkle feta … blow on the oatmeal that’s too hot mommy it’s burning my tongue… slice the bread for the lunch … fill up the sippy cup … load up all the food in the cooler for the leadership retreat. Answer the phone (we’re staying at my parent’s house while Jeff’s back home with his own ministry commitments), hold the phone in the crook of my neck while rinsing salad bowls. My sweet Jeff is sharing grand and godly advice about leadership and I’m chuckling to myself because he is talking about being filled with the Spirit and I tell him I am up to my elbows in dishwater while Heidi hangs on my legs. Don’t get me wrong–I agreed with what he was saying, I just had to laugh because in the moment being Spirit-filled means letting God give me the grace to still give Heidi blow-bellies on the floor even though I know I have a ton to do and exactly 13 minutes before the retreat ladies arrive at the cabin next door. Of course it all worked out. In fact, it was fun to hear from other moms who came to the retreat–they all had tales of hurrying home for sports tournaments, overnight birthday party sleepovers, hosting ministry events in their homes, preparing for family vacations. When it was time to calendar out the 2010-2011 mininstry year schedule, iphones popped out and eyes narrowed at the screens as we juggled ministry meetings and swim lessons and husbands’ work schedules. I’m certainly not alone in this balancing act.
But a little nugget of scripture wowed me afresh this morning, as I finished my prep for the retreat, and as I thought of this balancing act that is the life of a ministry-mommy. Like I said, we all do it. That’s why God gave us hips. We hold a baby on a hip while counseling someone over the phone, stirring dinner, mouthing “no” to a toddler sneaking a cookie, and then somehow picking up dirty laundry with our toes (or am I the only one who does that?). We often occupy two worlds. In my closet I have my “magic” jacket. It’s long and cute so no matter what I’m wearing at home–filthy t-shirt, covered in snot and spaghetti sauce–I can throw on that coat, pull back the hair in a power pony-tail and walk into the church office in some semblance of a sane woman. I love that coat… The coat is this really beautiful blue and the sleeves are puff… oops, sorry, enough about the coat. The Scripture–that’s what wowed me this morning. This is what it says of David. David was the shepherd boy, tending his father’s flocks, but he was then anointed and proclaimed to be the future king of Israel. He is then called into the service of Saul, the current king of Israel, so he serves Saul there in the king’s service, and stands with the army who is facing the Philistines in the valley of Elah. But this is what is said of him, during that season:
“David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.” 1 Samuel 17:15
I know, not the live-changing prayer-of-Jabez verse of the century, but this just struck me this morning. David has been anointed the future king of Israel, he’s been called into the current king’s service. But, you know, somebody still has to take care of dad’s sheep! And David remains faithful to that responsibility, tending his father’s sheep. And he runs back and forth, balancing both worlds.
Now I’ve been to the Valley of Elah, where this is taking place, and I’ve been to Bethlehem. We drove a bus between the two places. We’re not talking a quick 2 minute zip in my Pilot over to the church office. This is a long run. And he did this, day after day, remaining faithful to both responsibilities. He must have gotten tired too.
Of course that was just for a season … just like being the mom of young children. I love this season, and although in some ways I’d love to just snuggle up with them and do nothing but read shark books and give blow bellies, I also know that for this season God has called me to do some juggling, just as so many of you moms are doing as well. And I get tired. And you do too. But David did too. And while I do struggle with knowing whether or not I’m doing the right thing–taking time to lead and study and teach–God’s revealed that these are my marching orders for this year, and his marching orders are always the best. Besides, I’m trusting that as I study and steep myself in God’s Word and ministry, and do so with joy and grace and balance, that Lord willing my children might just see and want to know what’s so captivating about this God of the Bible. When I was little my mom led Bible study. Because I watched her, I always had pretend Bible studies, lining up my dolls around me and reading them the Bible, which I held upside down as I babbled make-believe verses. I think I even wore pretend glasses.
So I will continue to run back and forth. At least for this season. My family is absolutely first, but I’m thankful also for the privilege of serving God in ministry to women as well. And for all of you, who juggle kids and wear numerous hats and perhaps have your own “magic coat” for those needed quick transitions, I pray for grace and strength, to run back and forth with joy.
Zucchini Linguine & Yummy Yammy Dip
So I promise this won’t turn into a recipe blog, but in keeping with the foundational truth that all of life is sacred, and that we eat and drink for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), here are a few more fun ways to enjoy healthful eating and fuel our bodies for His service!
Basil, Zucchini, and Pea Linguine
A few weeks back I found a goldmine: whole wheat, organic linguine on sale at Safeway for $.69/lb! I bought 15 boxes. So… I’ve been experimenting with healthy, easy pasta recipes. This one’s vegetarian but you could easily add chicken or those sweet basil chicken sausages from Trader Joe’s (I would have if I’d had them). This was so good Jeff actually asked me to make it two nights in a row. Plus, we’re entering the season when people are giving away zucchini left and right, so I’m always looking for ways to make a meal out of it.
BTW, the reason I’m not very good recipe-sharer is that I don’t measure anything and rarely follow recipes, so bear with me on the amounts, do what feels, looks, and tastes right. Follow your tongue!
- 1 lb. whole wheat pasta
- a TON of garlic (20 cloves?)
- Olive oil (a few TB) and 2 TB butter
- Lemon juice (a TB ?)
- Zucchini (2-3)
- Basil (a bunch, 10-15 big leaves?)
- 1/4-1/2 cup or so of Parmesan (supplies were low so I was conservative, but more would up the taste to be sure)
- 1-2 cups steamed, pureed peas
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Saute garlic in the olive oil and butter until golden, add zucchini and some water to saute/steam a bit and cook until tender. Add pea puree, and salt and pepper, and some of the Parmesan. Mix with cooked pasta, then add all the basil and mix, add rest of Parmesan. Devour. Adding pine nuts would be fabulous as well. You could toast them in the olive oil/butter along with the garlic. Or, short on time? Use pesto instead and cook the zucchini in it then add the peas. Possibilities galore.
Cheesy Yammy Nacho Dip
This is just so easy and yummy. Yam puree: Peel yams, chop, boil, then puree them with the water they were cooked in (just dump the whole pot in the blender). Freeze in baggies (after it’s cooled!).
Dip:
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup yam puree
Amounts don’t matter. Just 1:1 ratio, in a bowl, microwave until hot, stir. Then dip your Juanita’s chips into this heavenly goodness and tell me you are not happy as a clam. You could also add salsa, black beans, whatever other healthful dip additions you so desire.
Enjoy!
Bean Recipes
A few of you have inquired about my love for legumes. They’re inexpensive, packed with fiber and protein, all natural, an
d can live for a long time in the pantry. What could be better? Here are a few of my favorite recipes. Enjoy! Hope to post something a little more significant later. For now, it’s a hill of beans. (Sorry, really stupid joke.) Enjoy!
1. Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Cassoulet
2. Poblano, Mango, and Black Bean Quesadillas
3. Bacon, Onion, and Brown Lentil Skillet (Sometimes I add spinach too)
4. Chipotle Corn and Two-Bean Chili
5. Tuscan Vegetable and Bean Soup with Cheese Croutons
6. Red Lentil Mulligatawny with Apple-Celery Salsa (I use regular brown lentils)
8. Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies (at bottom of post)
9. Simple beans, rice, and cheese: (This is my easy go-to, I cook a ton of it and keep it in the fridge: Pinto beans in a crock-pot, soak overnight, add garlic, salt. Cook all day, serve with brown rice. Cheap, healthy, delicious. Mmmm!)
10. Better Macaroni & cheese: Cooked, pureed white beans or chickpeas can be added to macaroni and cheese.
Frugal Grocery Shopping: What works for us
I received this question a few days ago, in response to the recent blog post about Deceptively Delicious:
… I noticed that your food budget is very small and mine is way out of control. I am working on Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace plan and I was wondering if you would share with me your secrets to staying within your budget. What do you eat? Where do you shop? What kind of snacks do your little ones eat? Does your budget include eating out? Do you go out to eat ever? …
I have lots to learn and certainly every family’s budget and way of eating will be suited to them, but here’s what works for our little family:
1. Our budget: Yes, our food budget includes eating out and diapers and toiletries. However, we really don’t eat out. Our total grocery budget is $200 (and we do the envelope system as well) but Jeff and I also have a $30/month date & babysitter budget, which we usually just use for “fun money”… a run to Coldstone (2 Like-its for $5!) or Starbucks or an occasional date at Pizza Schmizza (2 slices for $5!), or a Redbox movie. I know many people love to eat out, but it just kills me how expensive, unhealthy and fattening it can be. So, I’m cheap and vain … and I’d rather spend my money on clothes or house decor than eating out. 🙂 We all value different things.
2. Where do I shop: Winco Winco Winco. LOVE Winco. I plan out our meals for the month (figuring I cook about 3x a week and the rest is random or leftovers or pink pancakes), then make my list, and buy the whole month’s groceries at Winco. Then I just buy meat, milk, and produce at Safeway or Albertson’s, depending upon their weekly deals and what coupons I find. My goal is to have as little packaging as possible, so I get everything from the bulk section at Winco–flour, oats, sugars, pasta, dried beans, snacks, raisins, etc. For me, toiletries are where the coupon clipping works wondrously. Rite-Aid usually has deals and online coupons for toiletries. I’m not quite so hot on the coupon thing as much anymore, just because of time, but just today I went to Safeway and got 3 bags of groceries for $17 thanks to some amazing coupons (the grocery clerk actually congratulated me :). It just all depends. You can check it all out and watch for deals on Frugal Living NW. Great local coupon blog. I check it probably once a week.
3. My quirk: I have a $2 rule. I won’t pay more than $2/pound for any food item. This obviously limits some things. The one exception I make is Parmesan cheese. Safeway often has sales on ground beef for $1.88/lb. and frozen boneless chicken breasts for $1.69/lb. I just keep my eye out and then buy tons of it when it’s on sale and keep it in the freezer.No fruit or vegetables that are over $2/lb… which means waiting until strawberries are on sale (like right now!), picking blueberries instead of buying them, etc. This includes cheese–Safeway often has Lucerne 2 lb. cheeses for $3.99 so I wait, then stock up when it’s on sale. Same with butter. The sad part is this means no seafood, and I love seafood, so occasionally I’ll splurge on that, but for our regular diet we stick to nothing over $2/lb. Yes, this means no gourmet cooking. Cheddar cheese and chicken instead of Brie and filet mignon. It’s a choice like everything else.
4. What do we eat: I must say I have it easy because my husband is willing to eat anything–I know a lot of husbands have to have steak, etc. My husband is happy with whatever, so we very rarely eat beef, and actually probably only eat meat twice a week. I LOVE cooking with beans, which are probably the cheapest healthiest food out there. Buying them dry and soaking them, then cooking them in a crockpot and using them in all sorts of things is a great source of fiber and protein and they’re super cheap. We eat old-fashioned oatmeal for breakfast, every single morning, which is super healthy, super cheap, and the kids love it. I mix it with homemade applesauce and they devour it. Keeps Jeff’s cholesterol down and we’re all happy and regular :). Also, don’t underestimate the value of frozen vegetables. Often they are just as good or better than fresh because they are frozen at their peak, retain their nutrients, and are a fraction of the price. I buy LOTS of frozen peas, beans, cauliflower, etc. No worry of them spoiling in the fridge, easy to mix in with any recipe, steam quickly in the microwave for a side dish. Not fancy, but can’t argue with the price and nutrient-power. Cauliflower puree is my new favorite things–you can hide it in ANYTHING. Today it was egg-salad sandwiches and a big bowl of applesauce–with probably a whole cup of pureed cauliflower hidden inside them!
5. Kids’ snacks: For snacks my kids love apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries, quesadillas (stock up on wholewheat tortillas when they’re on sale and stick in freezer), homemade bread, whole plain yogurt, applesauce, raisins, dry cereal, and cheese. They LOVE (crazy love) graham crackers but I just buy one small box a month at most and make it a treat since they are pretty sugary. I do sometimes buy a big container of animal crackers and use those for treats. Or I make muffins or banana bread (like that ocean cake) and use muffins for treats and snacks. I’m definitely weak on getting my kids veggies, but I figure at least fruits and whole grains are better than a lot of things, right? I don’t obsess over it. If they’re not eating pop tarts I figure it’s a success. Again, cauliflower pretty much disappears when mixed in with something else.
6. Stock-up Price: Here’s the last thing that’s really helped me, and this just takes time to figure out for yourself. But I pretty much know my “stock up price” for all our favorite items. That way I know when something is a great deal and I stock up on it. Cheese $3.99 or less for 2 lbs., Chicken $1.69/lb. or less, beef $1.88/lb or less, apples $1/lb or less, butter $2/lb or less, etc. etc. All other items like non-perishables and flours, sugars, beans, oats, etc. I just buy at Winco and know it’s going to be the cheapest so I don’t even worry about the price. Plus, I admit, I think like a beggar, simply meaning that we’ll eat any leftovers, happily take home any unwanted leftover food from church, I’ll take leftover taco meat and make it into tortilla soup (speaking of, learn to cook and serve soup OFTEN–soup is the cheapest, easiest, and healthiest way to eat), I’ll take old apples and make them into applesauce, pretty much just the habit of being willing to eat whatever really helps a lot. Again I must acknowledge a very wonderful and easy-to-please husband, which impacts the attitude of our kids as well. Very thankful for that!
7. Budget Busters: Watch out for these things. I think these are likely the things that drain most mom’s grocery envelope, without adding any nutritional value:
Granola bars, fruit snacks, goldfish and graham crackers, boxed cereal, juice boxes (or juice at all), frozen kiddo food like chicken nuggets or pizza rolls, individual yogurts. In general, if it has kid-packaging, I don’t buy it. It usually costs twice as much with no nutritional value. Maybe this sounds harsh–of course do what works for you and your family. We just avoid it.
I also try to remind myself not to get obsessive about this. I do my best and if I “miss” a deal–life will go on. Time is perhaps an even more valuable resource than money, so I factor that in as well!
I’d love to hear any of your Frugal Secrets. I’ve learned so much from other friends and bloggers, and love sharing ways to help one another. I love working together to steward God’s resources, and hopefully then we will all have more freedom to give to those who actually need it.
Leave a comment with your Frugal Secrets!
K
Deceptively Delicious is Honestly Ingenious
When my husband and I got married, he was shocked to discover that I had never experienced three of the sweetest pleasures life has to offer: Corndogs, boxed mac ‘n cheese, and Slurpees. So of course I obliged and sampled all three–deeming the first two unfit for human consumption and reluctantly admitting that the third was pretty hard to beat on a hot summer’s day. Our budget got the best of me, however, and so our limit of spending $25/week on groceries necessitated Winco’s 39-cent mac ‘n cheese more than I care to admit.
Thankfully as time went on our budget grew and our waistlines shrank, and I’m now living in the lap of luxury on $50/week and have grown to love experimenting with healthy foods and challenging myself to stretch the dollars my hard-working husband has earned.
Of course, I love sweets like nobody’s business and have two small children who for some reason don’t think roasted yams and spinach salad are a good idea. So, as we all tend to stray off course when no one’s steering the ship, we had drifted into the land of quesadillas and peanut butter sandwiches … for every meal. We needed a course-correction.
So I picked up a library copy of the much-acclaimed cookbook Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. I was skeptical. Firstly and mostly because I’d seen “vegetable sneak-in” ideas before and they usually managed to get a tablespoon or so of something relatively healthy into an otherwise nutritional monstrosity, and that didn’t seem worth the effort. Secondly, one of my main goals in nutrition is teaching my children about healthy eating, so tricking them into swallowing vegetables seemed counterproductive. I envisioned the poor souls sitting in a college cafeteria unwittingly eating powdered mashed potatoes without knowing it’d really been cauliflower I’d fed them every Thanksgiving.
However, I was pleasantly proven wrong. The author (Jerry Seinfeld’s wife) does a great job sticking in pointers and helpful advice on mealtime manners, creating a positive eating environment, and teaching children how to contribute to the meal-prep in age-appropriate ways. She also includes a quick overview of the fruits, vegetables and legumes used as “sneak-ins”, including the nutritional value and how they specifically benefit our children’s growing bodies. Great information.
For me, the recipes are a great starting point and source of inspiration. She seeks to make things simple for busy moms, so she still includes boxed pancake mixes, white flour, white sugar, canned beans. She also prefers light or low-fat items such as light tub margarine, imitation light mayonnaise, and reduced fat cheeses. I lean more toward whole-grain-at-all-cost, evaporated cane juice (available now in bulk at Winco!), and dried beans, and I also prefer real mayonnaise, real butter, and full-fat cheeses, especially for kiddos. So, I haven’t followed any of her recipes to a tee, but as I mentioned before–great source of inspiration.
So speaking of inspiration, we’ve had five fabulous nutritional successes thanks to Jessica Seinfeld’s ideas, and I’m excited to experiment with more. I’ve included these five here. Even if you don’t have kids, simply tweaking your favorite recipes to include some nutrient-rich ingredients could greatly improve your diet. You might even develop a taste for some of these things, and find yourself craving beets. Anything’s possible.
Overall, I’d recommend the book. It would have done us wonders in those early years of marriage. She even has two healthy mac ‘n cheese recipes … although I haven’t seen her redeem a corn dog. Some things, I suppose, just aren’t worth salvaging.
——-
Ocean Cake
(Named by my three-year-old who is obsessed with ocean animals. Warning, this is very green, but delicious! You could call it Monster Cake or Shrek Cake or whatever makes it exciting for your children. The fact that I can actually serve this as dessert still blows my mind. It is crazy-healthy. I made this doubled and put half in a loaf pan, half in muffins.)
- 3 TB melted butter
- 1/4c. brown sugar (you could even leave this out if you really want super healthy–I like a little sweetness)
- 1/4c. ground flaxmeal
- 1 bag baby spinach sauteed or steamed in water and olive oil until wilted (or you could use 1 box frozen spinach), then pureed in blender
- 1 c. ground oats (pulse in blender)
- 3/4c. whole wheat flour
- 1/4c. milk
- 1egg + 1 eggwhite
- 1/2c. applesauce (I used homemade, with peels for extra fiber and nutrients, no sugar added)
- 2 mashed bananas
- 1/2tsp cinnamon.
Pour in muffin papers sprayed with Pam. Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees, or longer if using loaf pan.
Pink Pancakes
(This one still has me in awe. My kids LOVE pancakes and we have them every Saturday night. My three-year-old was skeptical when they were magenta-colored, but they devoured them so fast I couldn’t keep them coming quick enough. These are my new favorite thing.)
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 c. milk
- 2c. whole-wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 TB evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c. ricotta cheese
- 1/4c. beet puree (peel, cube and steam/boil beets, then puree in blender)
These turn out bright pink/magenta, and are so delicious. We skip the syrup so this meal has whole-grain, protein, and vegetables all wrapped up on one yummy and kid-friendly entree. Adding blueberries would be fun and nutritious as well.
Veggie-packed Chili
There are a million variations of chili/taco soup/tortilla soup. I usually just make it with whatever I have on hand. Tweak it however you like.
- 1 c. dried pinto beans soaked overnight (follow directions for cooking beans–1:3 ratio of beans to water; or you could use canned beans)
- 1/4c. leftover taco meat (or chicken or beef or nothing at all)
- 1 packet taco seasoning (or your own seasonings, chili powder and cumin, etc.)
- garlic (as much as you want–I’m a garlic girl)
- 2 cups shredded carrot (I just pulsed in blender)
- 1 cup pureed yams
- 1 can corn.
Cook all day on low in crock pot.
YUM. The yams are the secret; they make this chili taste sweet and a tad tangy. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. My one-year-old devoured this.
Cauliflower Tunafish
(My three-year-old loves tunafish on crackers. I was so skeptical about adding cauliflower, but it’s delicious. In fact he said, “Please mommy don’t eat all my tunafish!” We were both enjoying it.)
- One can Trader Joe’s tuna packed in water
- 1 TB real mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup pureed cauliflower
- salt to taste.
Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
(This is really remarkable. I had to try because I didn’t believe the chickpeas could be anything but offensive in a cookie. You have to try it for yourself. They practically melt into the cookie and you cannot taste them. A chocolate chip cookie that’s 100% whole-grain and full of protein?! My dreams have come true…)
- 1/2c. real butter softened
- 1/4c. evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
- 1/4c. brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 c. ground oats (pulsed in blender)
- 3/4c. whole-wheat flour
- 3/4tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp. real vanilla
- 1/2tsp salt
- 1c. chickpeas (I used dried and soaked and cooked them myself, but you could use canned, just be sure to rinse them so they’re not salty)
- 1 c. chocolate chips.
Bake at 350degrees for 8 minutes. Then hide them because otherwise you will eat them all in one sitting.
Enjoy!