Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Thai Chicken Meatballs


I made these Thai Chicken Meatballs for the first time a few weeks ago and they were so amazing, I decided to make them again and share the recipe with all of you.  I found the recipe on Pinterest, of course, and it came from Lexi's Clean Kitchen.  I followed the recipe pretty closely, but as usual I normally tweak a recipe depending on what ingredients I have in my house.  I always look at a recipe as a guideline for cooking, and then make any changes to fit our tastes.  It is a delicious, healthy, and the flavors just melt into your mouth.
Thai Chicken Meatballs

Chicken Meatball Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chicken
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 cup shredded carrots, if you don't have shredded, just chop them in your food processor
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tsp cloves garlic
2 Tb fresh grated ginger
2 tsp sriracha sauce
dash of salt

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut aminos
4 Tb sesame oil
2 tsp cloves garlic
1 1/2 Tb fresh grated ginger
2 tsp sriracha sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Line a cookie sheet with foil.

Mix all of the ingredients together for the meatballs, then form the meatballs.

You will have approximately 24 meatballs.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of your meatballs. Mine are a little bit bigger, so it took mine about 30 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a boil, whisk occasionally, and simmer until the meatballs are done. Keep whisking occasionally.

Put the meatballs in a bowl and pour the sauce over the meatballs.

Serve.

Makes 24 servings / 6 servings of 4 meatballs


I know that you are going to love these Thai Chicken Meatballs.  I would love to hear what you think of the recipe, I always love hearing from you.

Have a great week.
Debi

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Dear God Note 17 - Psalm 23


We are studying Psalms in my Facebook Bible Study Group, and Sue from the group shared this and I thought is was so beautiful that I wanted to share it with all of you.

I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
Have a blessed week.
Debi

Psalm 23 Explained:
The Lord is my Shepherd
That’s Relationship!

I shall not want
That’s Supply!

He makes me to lie down in green pastures.
That’s Rest!

He leads me beside the still waters.
That’s Refreshment!

He restoreth my soul
That’s Healing!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.
That’s Guidance!

For His name sake
That’s Purpose!

Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death.
That’s Testing!

I will fear no evil.
That’s Protection!

For Thou art with me
That’s Faithfulness!

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me,
That’s Discipline!

Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
That’s Hope!

Thou anointest my head with oil,
That’s Consecration!

My cup runneth over.
That’s Abundance!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life.
That’s Blessing!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord.
That’s Security!

Forever!
That’s Eternity!

Source Unknown

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Easy Chicken Jambalaya - Keto Friendly


Today I am sharing a Keto Friendly recipe for Easy Chicken Jambalaya.  I found the inspiration for this recipe in a Better Homes and Gardens Skillet Dinners magazine and thought it looked delicious, and I was able to make it with cauliflower rice, rather then regular rice. Which makes this a delicious keto friendly, gluten free, grain free, low carb alternative. Yum!!!  It came out amazing and was super simple to make.  It took about 45 minutes total, including prep and cooking time.  The flavors were delicious together, and I love when a recipe has fewer then ten ingredients.  I know you are going to love it just as much as we did.


Print Recipe

Easy Chicken Jambalaya

Chicken Ingredients:
1 pound chicken thighs, boneless, skinless cut into bite size pieces
4 Tb Cajun seasoning
1 lb andouille sausage, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces (sugar free)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 yellow peppers, sliced thinly and then cut in half
1/2 red onion, sliced into thin wedges
2 14.5 oz cans stewed tomatoes, undrained

Cauliflower Rice ( not counted in the macros)

Directions:

Put 4 Tb Cajun seasoning into a bowl and add the chicken pieces and toss them to coat well.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat and add chicken and andouille sausage and brown for 5 to 10 minutes.  It took me about 10 minutes.

Next, add the peppers and onion, cook for another 5 minutes.

Then add to stewed tomatoes, stir and cover pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.

Serve over Cauliflower Rice.

I know you are going to love this recipe.  I always love hearing from you, and would love to know how you like it.

Have a great week.
Debi

Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 393
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 27 g42 %
Saturated Fat 8 g40 %
Monounsaturated Fat 7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 120 mg40 %
Sodium 1251 mg52 %
Potassium 573 mg16 %
Total Carbohydrate 15 g5 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g8 %
Sugars 7 g
Protein 25 g49 %
Vitamin A10 %
Vitamin C211 %
Calcium8 %
Iron24

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Chalcedony, Malayasian Jade, and Aventurine Necklace


I wanted to show you this set of jewelry that I made recently with Chalcedony, Malayasian Jade, and Aventurine.  I decided to use sterling silver wire for the necklace and bracelet, since I was using semi precious stones.  I used for 14 kt gold wire for the earrings, since my ears are allergic to silver.  I also used some silver beads for interest.  I chose the colors for this necklace, because they remind me of sea glass.  Several months ago I was at the bead store, and saw all of the beautiful aqua, green, and yellow colored stones, and thought they would make a great spring and summer collection of jewelry.  Living a block from beach, creates a feeling of calm, and I wanted to reflect this in my jewelry designs.


I really love wire wrapping, and it creates a strong base for these stones which are pretty heavy.  I didn't want anything breaking or coming apart, so wire wrapping is the perfect medium for these beautiful semi precious stones.  My favorite is the center piece, the briolette which is Chalcedony.  It reminds me of the ocean on a clear, perfect day.

I learned how to wire wrap Craftsy's Wire Wrapped Jewelry Making Class. I loved the class and the techniques are not difficult.

Have a great week.
Debi

I order my sterling silver wire and sterling lobster claw clasps from Fire Mountain Gems. You can Request a FREE Catalog for any of your supplies.

This post contains sponsored links from Craftsy and Fire Mountain Gems.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Dear God Note 16 - Jesus' Hands



Dear God,
Thank you for having Jesus showing the disciples His hands.  Mary Magdalene knew it was Jesus when she heard his voice, they believed it was Him when they saw His hands.  Thank you for giving me the faith to know Him without any proof.  
I love you.
Debi

When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
John 20:20



Friday, May 6, 2016

NoOatmeal - Grain Free Hot Cereal Recipe


I made this delicious new recipe for NoOatmeal - a grain free hot cereal.  For those of you on a low carb diet, you like me may miss your oatmeal.  There are times, where I have found it very difficult to stay on the low carb diet, because I miss my carbs "a lot!"  I miss oatmeal "a lot!"  I found the inspiration for this recipe at Real Food RN, and if you are trying to low carb it, this is a great recipe to try.

My doctor put me on a Ketogenic Diet in December for health reasons.  It is not a high protein diet, it is a high fat / moderate protein / low carb diet. So far it is working.  When I went for my lab work in March, all of my levels had gone into the normal range, but I still need to be careful.  I do eat regular food and carbs from time to time, but I try to stick to the Ketogenic diet.

In the meantime, it has been very interesting trying to figure out how to eat.  My diet is high in healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocados, and nuts approximately 100 grams.  I eat chicken, fish, beef, pork, and lamb about 80 grams a day ( I avoid shellfish since it is high in triglycerides). I eat approximately 20 grams of carbs a day, which comes mostly from vegetables.

One of the reasons I have not been writing a lot, is because I have been trying to figure out how to eat in this new and different way.  This recipe for NoOatmeal will work for a low carb or paleo diet also, it is really delicious and full of healthy fats and fiber.


Print Recipe

NoOatmeal - Grain Free Hot Cereal Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups pecans
2 cups walnuts
6 TB Flax Seeds
6 TB Chia Seeds
6 TB Hemp Hearts

Directions:

Put the nuts, seeds, and hemp hearts in a high speed blender or food processor. (I have a Ninja blender which works great for this, its blades are not like a regular blender.)  If you don't have one, then use your food processor.  Pulse all of it on and off, but be careful, not turn your
NoOatmeal Ingredients into nut butter.  You just want it to be ground up, but not stuck together.  

Put it into a container and store in your refrigerator.

Yields about 5 cups of NoOatmeal
7.9 carbs (g)
7.1 Dietary Fiber (g)
.8 Net Carbs (g)
35.1 Fat (g)
8.1 Protein (g)


NoOatmeal Ingredients:

1/2 cup Milk, Cream, Coconut milk, or Almond milk (unsweetened)
1/2 cup NoOatmeal
stevia
butter
anything else you eat with your NoOatmeal

NoOatmeal Cooking Directions:

Bring the milk or whatever liquid you are using to a boil.  Add the NoOatmeal and cook for 1 minute.  Let sit for 5 minutes until thickened.  You can adjust the thickness to your liking by adding a little more or less NoOatmeal to the pan.

I add butter and stevia to my NoOatmeal, but you can add anything that you want, just as you would regular oatmeal.  To keep it low carb, you may want to restrict fruit or sugar.


I would love to hear what you think about the recipe.  I hope that you like it as much as I do. So send me your comments.

Have a great weekend.
Debi

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Mexican Chopped Salad


This is recipe number three for our Cinco de Mayo celebration and it is a very easy Mexican Chopped Salad.  I love looking at Pinterest for recipe and party ideas.  I have lots of cookbooks and magazines, but I tend to turn to Pinterest more often then not.  I found the inspiration for this recipe for Mexican Chopped Salad at The Cafe Sucre Farine.  I used their salad dressing recipe and made up the rest of the salad and it was truly amazing.  It is a great light salad, especially when you are eating  a heavier meal.  I know you are going to love it as much as we did.  The flavors are so light and bright and Yum!
Mexican Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

Salad Dressing:
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil
black pepper to taste

Salad Vegetables:
2 red bell peppers, chopped into small bite size pieces
1/2 red onion, chopped
6 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
8 Persian cucumbers, quartered
4 ears of corn, cooked and sliced off of the cob

Directions:

Mix the salad dressing ingredients together with a whisk.

Cook 2 ears of corn at a time in the microwave for 4 minutes.  Cool and then slice off of the cob.

Combine all of the vegetable ingredients in a bowl and then toss with the salad dressing.


Serves 8 to 10.

This Chopped Mexican Salad was surprisingly delicious and so easy to make.
I always love hearing from you .
Have a wonderful Cinco de Mayo.
Debi



Cinco de Mayo Menu

Appetizers:
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo
Mango Salsa
Chips

Dinner:
Mexican Chopped Vegetable Salad
Fruit Skewers

Dessert:

Cocktails:
Peach Sangria

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Mexican Chicken and Rice



Are you ready for day number two of our Cinco de Mayo recipes? Today I am sharing my version of a recipe that I found on Pinterest for Mexican Chicken and Rice.  It came from Recipe Tin Eats.  It was absolutely delicious and a great meal for a lot of people.  I doubled the recipe, and as usual made some changes.  I know you are going to love it as much as we did.  It does have a lot of ingredients, but it is not a difficult recipe to make.  It is definitely worth the effort.


Print Recipe

Mexican Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

Mexican Spice Mix:
3 Tb garlic powder
3 Tb onion powder
3 TB chili powder
3 Tb paprika
3 Tb cumin
1 Tb oregano
2 1/2 tsp salt
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp black pepper

Chicken:
8 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
3 boneless skinless breasts (sliced in half, to make 2 thin pieces) 6 pieces total
3 Tb lime juice
6 Tb Mexican Seasoning
1/3 cup olive oil

Rice:
1 onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 red peppers, sliced
4 cups short grain rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 28 oz can tomato puree
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 12 oz bag frozen corn
1 16 oz can black beans
1 5.5 oz container sliced black olives
4 Tb Mexican Seasoning

Garnish:
2 limes sliced
cilantro

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 2 9 x 13 inch casserole dishes with non stick cooking spray.

Mix all of the spice ingredients together.

Next, mix 6 Tb spice seasoning with 3 Tb lime juice and rub all over each chicken piece.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and brown the chicken about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.  Set the chicken to the side.

Then add the onion, garlic, and red pepper to the olive oil and browned bits in the skillet and cook until lightly browned, then add the rice and stir it until it is coated with the onion mixture.

Next add the chicken stock, tomato puree, tomato paste and stir well.  Next add the Mexican seasoning mixture and stir again. Bring to a boil.

Then add the corn, black beans, and olives.

Separate this mixture into the two casserole dishes and place the chicken on top of the rice mixture in each casserole dish.  I put the thighs in one dish and the breasts in the other dish.

Place foil over each casserole dish and bake for 35 minutes and then remove the foil.  Bake for an additional 15 to 25 minutes.  Taste to make sure the rice is cooked and serve.

Serves 8 to 10 people

I hope that you enjoy this recipe.  I always love hearing from you.
Have a great week and a wonderful Cinco de Mayo.
Debi


Cinco de Mayo Menu

Appetizers:
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo
Mango Salsa
Chips

Dinner:
Mexican Chicken and Rice
Fruit Skewers

Dessert:

Cocktails:
Peach Sangria


Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Mexican Fried Ice Cream Cake


We celebrated Cinco de Mayo early this year and had friends over for dinner. I love desserts and so we are going to have this Mexican Fried Ice Cream Cake for dessert first, and then I'll share the other recipes over the next few days.  All of the recipes were pretty easy, and as I publish them I will link all of the recipes together.

Charly has made Fried Ice Cream balls before, and she used Frosted Flakes rather then Corn Flakes for her recipe, so I decided that I was going to use them in this recipe also.  My inspiration for this dessert came from Life in the Lofthouse.  This Fried Ice Cream Cake was so good that people were asking for seconds.  You are going to love it!!!


I do want to share my menu with all of you, so that you can look for the additional recipes as I post them.

Appetizers:
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo
Mango Salsa
Chips

Dinner:
Fruit Skewers

Dessert:
Mexican Fried Ice Cream Cake

Cocktails:
Peach Sangria
Mexican Fried Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups frosted flakes (ground in a food processor)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 quart vanilla bean ice cream
1 8oz container cool whip
3/4 tsp cinnamon
honey
chocolate syrup
caramel syrup
whipped cream

Take your ice cream and cool whip out of the freezer and let them soften, so that you can mix them together easily.

Melt the butter in a skillet and then add the frosted flake crumbs and cinnamon.
Cook until golden.  Watch it carefully, because the frosted flakes can burn easily.

Let your frosted flake mixture cool down a little bit.  Then spread 1 1/2 cups of the frosted flake mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

Next mix the ice cream, cool whip, and cinnamon together very well and spread this over the top of the frosted flake crumbs.

You will then put the rest of the frosted flake crumbs on top of the ice cream mixture, making sure that you have covered the entire top of the ice cream with the frosted flake crumbs.

Next drizzle honey over the top of the corn flake crumbs.

Freeze for 4 to 5 hours before serving.

Cut into 12 pieces to serve and drizzle caramel sauce and chocolate sauce over each piece and then top with whipped cream.

I always love hearing from you.
Have a great week.
Debi

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

87 Thanksgiving Recipes from Pinterest and Adorned From Above

I love Thanksgiving.  I love the food, the friends and family, and this year a walk on the beach will also be part of my Thanksgiving Day.  I wanted to share some recipes from my Thanksgiving board on Pinterest and also some oldies from Adorned From Above.  We will not be with our family this year, but we will be with some wonderful friends in Florida.  

I pin recipes all of the time, so, this would be my dream Thanksgiving Dinner.   The bacon wrapped turkey looks especially yummy.  Charly made the Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes for our son's graduation party a few weeks ago and they were delicious.  I know you are going to love them.  I loved all of these side dish ideas, and what would Thanksgiving be like without a pie.  I saw one on the Food Network Baking Challenge the other day and it looked amazing.  I am going to try to come up with a recipe for that.  It will be a Cranberry Apple Pie topped with whipped cream.  I will take pictures and if it comes out as delicious as I think it will, I will share it with all of you next week.

I hope all of you ave a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Debi


















Monday, November 23, 2015

Dear God Note 17

Dear God / Daddy,                           11/21/2015 I wake up each morning thinking about how much I love you.  I wake up grateful for each day.  I am grateful for the good and the bad, because that is what gives our lives substance, texture, and color.  I wake up each morning wanting my time with you to be face to face, never turning away, never blinking.  I am reminded each day that you are always with me and I am never alone.  That is the greatest gift of all. Your loving daughter. Debi



Hi Everyone, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

  It's been a little while since I have shared anything with all of you. Today I wanted to share what I am grateful for in my Dear God Note 17.

I read the book Eve, by Wm Paul Young.  He is the author of the book The Shack, and this is his new book about creation.  I will write a review in the next week, but one of the wonderful ideas in this book was Adam being face to face with God.  I love the thought of being face to face with God.  As long as Adam was face to face with God he never felt alone.  When Adam started turning away, looking to other things for companionship rather then God, is when he started to feel alone.  Even though he was never alone, he was human and could not see that.

So this week, I just want to share the idea of meeting God face to face everyday.  We are never alone, but sometimes we turn away and are not aware of it.  That is when we start to feel alone.  So may I suggest that everyday you join God FACE TO FACE.  Don't turn away, because what an amazing relationship you can have with Him, FACE TO FACE.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and God bless all of you.
Debi

Friday, October 2, 2015

Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe Book Review


Today I am reviewing the book  Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe   by Max Lucado.    I recently finished this  very fun book, and I enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it with all of you.

This is such a fun story.    It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I couldn't put the book down.    The story revolves around Chelsea Chambers,  her children,  Manny  (her very clumsy, cheerful, and interesting employee), and her husband.    It takes place in the cafe that she inherited from her mom.    It is a story filled with faith, redemption, prayer, and so much more.    This is the first  fiction story that I have read by Max Lucado, and this  was just so fun.    For all of you bloggers out there, the cafe has a blog called the God Blog. 

The story starts with Chelsea  making her cupcakes and other pastries, and serving coffee to her  customers.   She then hires Manny as to help here and all kinds of miracles start happening.   The cafe needs some serious revamping if it is going to make it, and that is what they set out to do. While reading this book, I felt like I was there with them going through everything that they were going through.   

It is a fun, fast paced book, that I think that you will enjoy.   I hope that  you will get it and read it soon.   Let me know what you think.  I always love hearing from you.

Have a great week.
Debi

Here is a synopsis of the book from the publisher:

   What if you could ask God anything? What would you ask? And how would He answer?

Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Café, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle.
Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea’s door, and with him, an even more curious string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Café, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They’ve come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the café has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life’s biggest questions.
When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask God a question of her own. Heaven answers in a most unexpected way.