A Special Thank You

I’ll be going in for my surgery in the morning, Tuesday, at 7:15 a.m.   I am amazed at how the body of Christ has been at work on my behalf.  I have so many people all over praying for me!  I am so thankful for each and every one of you.  I can say that I am going into this surgery with complete peace.  God is in control and I feel He has brought me to the doctor He chose for me.

So THANK YOU!  I appreciate the prayers you have lifted up for me and would be very thankful to continue to have them.  Hopefully Kenny can update on my Facebook tomorrow afternoon and let everyone know how I am doing.  I am scheduled to come home on Wednesday.

Blessings to each and every one of you!

“Backed” into a Corner

I know a lot of you, my sweet friends, are wondering what is going on with me physically.  I figured this was a pretty central place to let everyone know what’s going on.

I have had worsening back pain for several weeks.  I received an epidural injection several weeks ago and only had relief for a couple days from it.  The pain down my right leg has gotten almost constant and made walking difficult unless I had the maximum amount of tylenol AND advil in me at the same time.  This would take the edge off.  I went for a new MRI on Sunday morning, with contrast, and I am so glad I did.

My doctor has been working out of town this week but when the nurse called him with the results, he said today that he wanted me in to see a neurosurgeon ASAP…preferably today or tomorrow!  I was a little alarmed at the urgency, but I understand why at this point.

I met with a neurosurgeon this afternoon, after getting one hours notice of the appointment and knowing I would be worked in and would likely have to wait a couple hours to be seen.  I was at Rex at 3 p.m. to pic up my MRI pics and was then to go to the surgeon’s office by 3:30.  I was back and forth with different folks on the phone for upwards of an hour, because this particular surgeon is not “in network” with our insurance.  He comes highly recommended by several other docs.  We got the insurance stuff worked out and I waited till almost 6 p.m. to be seen.  I was very pleased with him, his knowledge and his explanation of what they needed to do.

I have two very LARGE herniated (ruptured) discs, 7 mm and 12 mm, between L3 and L4 and between L4 and L5.  The one below that has a mild bulge, but he isn’t concerned about that one.  He was describing it to me and came out and said, “You can basically see it from across the room.”  They were very sympathetic to the amount of pain I HAD to be suffering.  The nerve roots are “displaced” and the sac around the nerves has thinned out completely due to the pressure.

It was almost 6:30 p.m. when I left his office and as of now, they hope to do surgery on Tuesday,  May 5th.  I’ll find out for sure tomorrow because he was going to alter his schedule a bit.  He was easy to talk to and he explained what he will do very well.  The surgery will take 4 hours or more.  They will remove both the discs completely and replace them with a substance that contains stem cells (not fetal…I asked).  This material will form new bone in place of the discs.  Then he will put a “cage” around it with screws.   I will possibly come home the same day, but more than likely the next day.  We’ll see…I anticipate the latter and I am a weenie when it comes to pain.

The absolutely WONDERFUL thing about this is that I will never have to worry about by back going out again.  If he just removed the disc material that is coming out, he said it would recur.  I’ve had quite enough recurrence with my back since I first injured it 15 years ago.  I am SO thankful to have HOPE and I praise God for bringing me to this particular doctor, that my current back doctor AND my chiropractor both recommend highly.

He has also given me a couple prescriptions, Percocet and Valium, so I don’t need to continue the 4 advil/2 extra strengh tylenol all day long.  I’m afraid it’s gonna zonk me out, but it will be good for the beginning of the day when I have several painful hours waiting for the other stuff to kick in after sleeping at night.

I would appreciate your prayers.  I am in the middle of a whopper of a fibromyalgia flare, probably due to the stress my body is under with my back, so my pain has been everywhere else in my body as well.   I’ll be so glad for some pain relief.  I’ll also have to deal with Celiac issues at the hospital.  I’ve been told many hospitals aren’t very “in the know” about the dietary restrictions.   If I need to make food ahead of time and have it brought in, I’ll just have to do it.

So there you have it.  Thanks for your support and mostly for your prayers, especially that my back doesn’t reach an emergency level before I have the surgery.  It’s been a rough day but I am so thankful that I know the Lord will bring me through.

Gratitude Revisited

This title sounds like I only come to this topic occasionally.  I do hope that I display more gratitude than I do complaint.  It can be hard to balance with chronic pain.  But today I want to look at some specifics.  I don’t know what # this is in my list and actually, I’m gonna stop worrying with the numbers.  I’m just going to share.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I manage a co-op in NC that orders wheat and other grains from Wheat Montana.  You may also remember that I was diagnosed with Celiac disease last summer.  Many of the folks in my co-op are surprised to still see me doing this.  When I began several years ago, it was partly selfish and partly out of helping others get grain at good prices.  I made our own bread for several years.  But that has changed.  Unfortunately I’m back to buying bread that won’t mold even if given a couple weeks…yuck. ( I really need to get to whole foods for some decent bread for them.)  Regardless of the fact that *I* can’t eat wheat, it is a much needed and wanted staple to many diets.  I enjoy being on the computer and thanks to Amy McCoy who has blessed me with her computer expertise, I now have a website that helps SO much in the administration of the orders.  God has blessed me with Nancy O’Connor to manage the delivery in Cary each cycle and she has done an awesome job.  Scott and Kerri Forney have been willing to manage a drop in Louisburg twice a year which blesses over 40 people each order so that they don’t have to drive another hour to Cary to get their grain.  And without the individuals who come and do the back breaking job of unloading up to 10 pallets of grain out of a transfer truck…well, it would not be possible without them.  No way!  All of these people are a blessing to me.  All the moms who cannot unload because they have little children to care for are also blessing me by allowing us to bless them.   I hope it is an example to these kids of one way the body of Christ works.  I make no excuses when I ask for prayer or mention God in my emails or newsletters to the co-op.  God has given me the skills to still be able to minister in this way and He alone has blessed this co-op.   My prayer at this point is that it grows as the Lord wills so that others in NC can benefit from having deliveries closer to their homes.

Tomorrow I am schedule to have an epidural injection of cortisone in my lumbar area.  I am so grateful to have found this doctor.  I said at one time that I would never have a cortisone shot.  Well, I’ve had two, at the same time and I am so glad I did.  I am praying that this one, in a different location, will relieve the inflammation that is causing my right leg to be my enemy.   If it does not, there is still a plan…to get a new MRI and see if something else is going on.  May God guide the Dr. I’s hands tomorrow and give him wisdom…and accuracy!  LOL!  My mother has worse problems with her back than I do and we are actually going together.  She gets her injection an hour after mine and my daddy is the chauffeur!  I am blessed by both of them!

Spring is coming…soon!  The Carolina wrens have come home and wake me most morning now with their unique chirp…although 5 a.m. is a wee bit early!  I have purchased three self watering containers and plan to have several vegetables on the deck this year.  I am excited and nervous all at the same time, but looking forward to needing the produce department a wee bit less this summer.

There are always blessings…even if we have trained ourselves by default to miss them.  My prayer for you is that your eyes are opened to NEW blessings today!  Make sure to share them with someone else!

The Gluten Free Dinner Table – Week of Feb. 15th

I will not lie… I have only used one of these recipes this week, but I have tried them all and want to share them with you.  I’m still in a lot of pain with my back and well, it was easier to stick with things I was familiar with making.

Beef Stroganoff

To be honest, I’m not sure the proper way to post this recipe since it was one I tweaked to meet my needs and to meet the ingredients I had in the cabinets, so I’ll make sure I give credit where credit is due.   I found this recipe on Recipezaar and the comments were so interesting, I was intrigued.   There were a couple ingredients that I’d never used in my Plain Jane stroganoffs in the past and I was hoping with the tweaking that it would be one that my husband would be game for having again.  The key with Kenny and stroganoff is…don’t let him even come CLOSE to seeing sour cream.  It doesn’t matter what the final result is, if he knows there is sour cream…I’m just sayin’.

Here is the recipe with my changes…

Gluten Free Beef Stroganoff

SERVES 4

• 1 1/2 lbs  beef (ground beef, stir fry beef, thinly sliced steak or roast…your preference.)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 tablespoons Smart Balance
• 3 tablespoons brown rice flour
• 1 can gluten free beef broth
• 1 tablespoon catsup
• 1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce (Lea and Perrins)
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 dash nutmeg (I used apple pie spice because that’s what I had and it had nutmeg IN it!)
• 1/2 lb mushrooms
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature

1. Set sour cream aside to warm to room temperature.
2. Brown beef until almost done, then remove from frying pan.
3. Saute onions and mushrooms in  Smart Balance.
4. Stir in flour.
5. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly.
6. Add catsup, worcestershire, pepper, basil, and nutmeg.
7. Return beef to gravy mixture.
8. Simmer at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Just before serving, stir in sour cream and heat.
10. Do not allow to boil.
11. Serve with brown rice pasta or rice.

This was REALLY good!  The spices gave it a slightly sweet taste and my husband DID like it.   I don’t feel the need to rush out and get nutmeg, because the apple pie spices worked wonderfully and I HAVE them already, but I’d try the nutmeg if I had it.  We served the dish with Tinkyada pasta but I think I would prefer brown rice.  You know, rice and gravy just kind of go together.   This made me think back to when my mother would make sausage stroganoff and we served it on toast.  I think that could work well here too, as long as your toast is gluten free.

Sausage Rolls

I really need to make these again because they are one of Samuel’s favorite things for breakfast.  It is very simple and they reheat nicely.  The recipe is here on Pamela’s website.

Ginger Lemon Girl’s Everyday Chocolate Cake

Let me first of all say…NO WAY to having this every day!  It is just too good!  If you do choose to have it every day, email me in a few weeks and I’ll send you the link to Weight Watchers on the web. 

I made this cake for Samuel’s 19th birthday last fall, making two round layers and using icing from a can.  You can NOT tell that this is gluten free.  We served it to over 25 college students and no one was the wiser.  It felt like such an accomplishment!  You will notice a carrot cake recipe on the page I linked above.  I have not personally made this but have heard rave reviews from the gals on the Gluten Free Recipes email loop.

Let me know if you try one of these and how it turns out!  I love hearing from my readers!

Parents in Pain

The older my sons get, the more I see people I know and love in pain – a kind of pain only a parent can feel.   As I have been thinking about this blog post throughout the day, I was reminded of when my own parents told me when I was young that I couldn’t understand the pain they felt as parents.  For a child, it is impossible.  I know you heard it too.  But I don’t think many of us really understood.  Really, we couldn’t.  You cannot understand the pain of miscarriage until you have experienced it yourself.  You cannot understand the pain of childbirth, unless you have gone through it.  You can describe it, but the description will always be inadequate.  Both of these examples refer to being a parent, a parent in pain.

There are so many different types of pain a parent can experience.  But I find there seems to be a common thread.  We lack control.  I’m not referring to being a control freak or anything of the sort.  But so often our children experience things that if WE could change them, we would!  We would take away the pain of illness…whether it be a “simple” ear infection or life threatening cancer.  We do what we can to take it away or stop the pain.  Giving those medications helps us to feel in control, but are we?

What about the pain a child experiences when they are hurt by others.  Maybe your husband has been transferred and you will be moving across the country.  As adults, we have more of an understanding of being able to keep in touch with close friends, but a child many times doesn’t understand that.  And many times those relationships are just over.  The loneliness they feel in  a new place, when they haven’t developed the coping skills that we have to deal with it.  We can’t take that pain away from them, but we would give our left arm for our child to have a friend.

Your child may have a disability, be it a learning disability that no one can see or a physical challenge that causes them pain emotionally as well as physically.  The teasing from others, the feelings of failure…what parent hasn’t cried with their child over these things or wanted to take them away.  In all these issues, we cannot ultimately control what happens to our child.   But we know who does control it and we must choose to put our trust in Him….or not.

As our children  grow out of the childhood years and into adolescence,  our roles change a bit.  We are, or should be, less authoritative and more of a guide.  All the teaching we have done should have firmed up in their hearts.  A new independence is born in many children.  Do they look to us for guidance, or are they rebelling against all they have been taught?  This is a new kind of pain and in some ways, it hurts even more.

In III John 1:4  John states, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”  I have wondered of late, as I see other parents in pain, is the converse also true?  Is there no greater sorrow than to hear that our children are NOT walking in truth?  I think it is very possible.  And again, there is that thread of needing/wanting control.  Wouldn’t we do anything we could possibly do to stop them down a road of destruction?  What if this?  What if that?  If only I had this or that?  But that would mean WE were the ones in control…thank God we aren’t.

One tendency I have seen in myself when I was younger, was the tendency to judge those parents in pain.  I had my own “what ifs” and “if onlys.”  I saw things I would do differently with my own children.  We don’t want to let that possibility cross our minds…that our own children might make really bad choices one day.  But folks, it is only by God’s grace that we are not ALL walking in the same place!  Many parents walk this road to one degree or another.  They children may not be renouncing their faith, but they may be making decisions that can only reap fruitlessness.  We would all do anything to bring our children on their knees before the God of the universe!  That is not our job!  In fact, they are not even OURS!  They belong to Him!

Before you cast judgement on a parent in pain, try to put yourself in their shoes.  The pain, the shame, the embarrassment, the feelings of failure,  the FEAR…all these human emotions, some of which show a lack of trust in the ONLY trustworthy ONE…these are emotions you yourself might feel one day.  It is possible, you know?  Even if you do EVERYTHING right!  It could be you.  It might be you right now.  Are you a parent?  Are you in pain?  Is letting go and “letting God” about to kill you inside right now?  Are you able to be like Abraham and put your Isaac on the alter?  Are you willing to let them go and allow GOD to work in their hearts?  It’s the hardest thing you will ever do and possibly one of the most painful.  It sure shows us how easy it is to put our love for our children above our love for our Lord, doesn’t it?  Don’t hide.  There are others who have walked in your shoes who want to love you and comfort you, as the Lord comforted them.  Not everyone will judge you….but some will.  One day you may be bringing them comfort as they walk the same road.  And you will remember that one day you were the judging one, then the hurting one.  May we as the body of Christ minister to those parents…the parents in pain.  May we minister to those young people, love them, speak truth to them in love, maybe even share the horrid path we ourselves walked one day…when we were in THEIR shoes.

II Corinthians 1:3

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.”

I’m Still Here!

I am amazed that I still have people viewing my blog, even when I haven’t posted lately!  I want you to know how much I appreciate it.  I see that many are looking for gluten free recipes in the searches that bring you here.  I hope the few I’ve shared have been a help to you.  I’m not a chef by any stretch.  I’m a southern cook who doesn’t measure things when I don’t have to do so and my husband is a meat and potatoes man, so when ideas run low, it’s back to the hubby basics.  That’s pretty much where I’ve been lately as the last two weeks have been difficult ones.

Tuesday of last week was the delivery of our last Wheat Montana order.  It was an order of over 29 thousand pounds, 8 thousand of those being at the Louisburg drop and the rest in Cary.  All went well except for a possible labeling error.  We are still checking into that.  I am so blessed to have Nancy O’Connor who is handling the bulk of the Cary delivery for me now.  She is full of energy and did a great job, for the second time.  The Forney’s who handle the Louisburg drop are a blessing to me and the families they minister to in Louisburg.  The week before this delivery was full of calculation and order forms.  I’ll be ok if I don’t see an Excel document for a bit!

One exciting thing that took place at the delivery, at least for me, was watching Andrew.  Since he has his back brace for scoliosis and kyphosis, he wasn’t allowed to lift the heavy bags and buckets at the delivery.  But his job was just as important as I put him at the entrance of the parking lot with a huge orange sign to signal the member where to enter to pick up their wheat.  I’m sure that sign was a relief to many who were driving in unfamiliar territory.  He was starting to grow weary of his job around 11 a.m.  We had been on site since 8:30 a.m.   Not long after that a couple young men walked up to him, very nicely dressed in black suits with backpacks.  Their bikes had been parked across the street I found out later.

Andrew has had a desire for over a year now to have a job so that he can be a witness to his coworkers.  With his workload for school, that hasn’t been possible.  Little did we know that holding a big orange sign would give him opportunity to share his love for Christ with two who are only “pretty confident” that they will be in heaven one day.  My first reaction to their approaching him was to run over and give them a one liner and send them on their way.  But God clearly held me in my place so Andrew would have opportunity to be a light for Him.  I kept looking for a signal from him that he wanted to be rescued from this awkward situation, but it never came.  He didn’t even look over at me.  He relayed to me later how easy it must be for those with little knowledge to get sucked into this cult because of how they present so many of the similarities with followers of Christ.  But it’s the differences that are key.

Overall Andrew spoke with these men for 20-30 minutes.  He learned a lot about what they do believe and was able to discuss things in detail with his dad that night.  It was a life teaching moment for him, and me, and I’m sure he will feel more prepared the next time he encounters the men in black.

Ever since the delivery my pain has been much worse.  I went to the doctor on Thursday and we plan an epidural cortisone injection for Feb. 24th.  I have pain down my right leg which just started within the last month.  It is getting much worse though, as I thought I was going to be stranded in the tub while Kenny was at church yesterday.  The pain was so bad, I thought I’d have to wait till he got home to help me out, but thankfully, I was able to get into a position that lessened the spasms and helped my muscles to relax.  I’m going to PT tomorrow and hopefully that will help.  I feel pretty much back to square one….well, I actually feel at square negative one, if there is such a thing.

I have several meats in the freezer so I’m going to attempt finding some new gf recipes for them that I can post in the next few days.  I’m thinking the crock pot needs a workout, don’t you think?

I’d love to hear from you!  Comment away, especially if you have liked a certain recipe that I’ve posted.

Blessing!!!

Wow…It’s February!

I can hardly believe it’s been a month since Christmas!  In one way though, it feels like it’s been ages because it is in the 60’s here today!  One needs two separate wardrobes for NC weather….I think there’s a mention of flurries tomorrow.   Weird.

There won’t be any recipes for this past week.  I took advantage of being able to freeze past meals and used those blessings for dinners this week.   Chili, Bacon/Chicken Wraps, Quiche…wait a minute!  I did do something interesting with my quiche this week.

Two Quiches; One Dish

I try to add veggies in where ever I can tolerate them and quiche is a good place to put them.  I’m the only one though, who likes green stuff added to quiche.  So I determined to make two quiches in one dish.  I took a 9 x 13 glass dish and put double the cheese and bacon in the bottom of the dish.  Then I put one box of chopped broccoli on ONE SIDE of the dish.  I poured the egg mixture over it and baked as usual!  The broccoli stayed put and everyone was happy!

The Wheat Lady

What?  How dare I mention WHEAT in my blog?

For the past several years, I have been running a grain co-op so that folks in the area can get whole grains at a good price for grinding into flour and making their own bread.  It has grown by leaps and bounds and continues to do so with every order.  The fact that I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease didn’t change the fact that other still want grain at a good price.  It also didn’t change the fact that I really enjoy, for the most part, being able to coordinate this for them.  I have been blessed by how everyone works together on delivery day and have people stepping up to the plate to take over for me since my health is not so great right now…the Celiac and my back issues.  You think I should change my name to The Gluten Free Wheat Lady?  LOL!  That will confuse newbies, won’t it?

I am thankful that God has allowed me to do this.  I can still bless others while I’m on my back in bed, because most of it is computer work.  Speaking of this computer work….off to put formulas in some Excel documents and get this order ready for Wheat Montana!

Gluten Free Dinner Table – Week of January 18th

Gluten Free Dinner Table – Week of Jan. 18th

Here are the recipes I used the Week of January 18th with a little commentary on each one.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

This is the recipe I referred to last week but didn’t get a chance to prepare.    I found this on Recipezaar while looking for meals that could be frozen ahead of time.   I also love this website because the comments given for each recipe give me other ideas for ways to improve on a good, or not so good, recipe.   Allrecipes.com is very similar in this respect.

Click here for the link for this recipe.   This got mixed reviews at our house.  Andrew loved it and wants it again.  Kenny and I both felt like something was missing.  Well, it was.  I did not have flavored cream cheese so I used plain cream cheese and sprinkled some Montreal Chicken seasoning from McCormick  inside the breast before rolling it up.  That was just not enough seasoning.  We don’t care for chives but after reading a few of the reviews, I think just about any flavored soft cheese would work well.   Alouette has some awesome cheese spreads that I think would be awesome inside these wraps.  I’m specifically thinking of the Garlic and Herbs flavor.  By the way, you will find these in the gourmet cheese section of your grocery store.

The thought of pounding all this chicken flat was not my cuppa tea,  so I went with the Perdue thin sliced chicken breasts.  Prep was quite easy and I’ll definitely make these again with flavored cheese spread.  Andrew has quite a few to eat in the freezer now though!

Spicy Italian Chicken Soup

I LOVE this soup!  I got the idea from Carrabba’s restaurant, which has a nice gluten free menu.  They have a soup called Mama Mandola’s Spicy Chicken Soup that is really good, but you have to request no pasta be put in it.  So I start with a basic chicken soup recipe and want to make it Italian!  I’ll post the ingredients, but measurements will only be approximate.  My mother taught me to just dump it in when cooking things like soup, but I’ll try to give you some sort of amounts with the ingredients.

Start with boiling chicken.  You can use a whole chicken and debone it or you can use chicken breasts and boil them.  Just make sure you are dealing with lots of water so that you end up with a good amount of chicken stock.  I used a my cast iron dutch oven and three chicken breasts this week.

When the breasts were almost fully cooked, I removed them one at a time, shredded the meat and put it back in the chicken stock.  Then I added:

• 1-2 carrots, sliced (I used about 20 baby carrots, but put as many as you like)
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cans Rotel tomatoes – mild or original, depending on how spicy you want it
  
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.)
• salt and pepper
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup Italian Seasoning

If you want this to be thicker, like a stew, then use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce.  Simmer over low/medium  heat for a minimum of 1 hour so the flavors blend together.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.  You may add water if you want a thinner version of this soup.  It’s an easy soup to tweak and make it fit the tastes of your family.  Also should freeze well.

Chicken Parmesan

• 4-6 Boneless chicken breasts, whole or cut into smaller pieces
• Olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 jar Classico pasta sauce
• Parmesan cheese (or Mozzarella, if you prefer)
• gluten free pasta

This is one of the easiest dishes to make and it is very tasty!

Pour olive oil into skillet, covering the bottom of the pan.  When oil is hot, place chicken in the pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sear chicken on both sides and remove from the pan.  Chicken will NOT be fully cooked.  That’s ok.

Pour excess oil out of pan.  Add pasta sauce of your choice.  I have used homemade and Classico.  Just make sure it’s gluten free.  Return chicken pieces to the pan, in the sauce.  Simmer on low/medium until chicken is fully cooked.  Top with cheese and serve over gluten free pasta.

Garlic Parmesan Beef (or Two Ingredient Crock Pot Meat)

This is a crock pot recipe that is SO versatile and some variation is used in this house at least once every couple weeks.  The name of your recipe will change with your ingredients, so be creative!  For THIS particular version, I chose the name Garlic Parmesan Beef.

• 1 crock pot
• stew beef
• Newman’s Own Parmesan and Roasted Garlic Dressing

Place meat in your crock pot.  Pour dressing over meat, giving you 1-2 inches of dressing in the bottom of the crockpot.  Cook 3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.

Now for the versatile part.

Meat

• Chicken – any part of the chicken, thawed or frozen
• Pork – chops or a pork loin
• Beef – roast, stew beef, steak

Liquid

• salsa or picante sauce
• salad dressing – I’ve used Italian as well as the one noted above
• soup

I have used Pace Picante Sauce with all of the above…beef, pork and chicken.  Unfortunately, Pace products are no longer considered gluten free so I’ll need to find another brand to use, but the principle is still the same.  I’ll assume you know your crock pot and how fast it cooks.  The smaller the pieces of meat the less cooking time.  I have cooked a roast all day till it was falling apart but it was SO delicious and tender!  I have also used frozen meat when it was smaller, like chicken breasts.  Just make sure there is liquid in the bottom of the crock pot.  I tried chicken with just dry seasoning once and the frozen chicken/hot crock combo brock the ceramic insert to my crock pot.

Salad Dressings or bottled marinades are both very good.  I’ve tried Italian dressing, many varieties, and the one mentioned above.  I tend to use the more oily ones so you’ll have to let me know how some others work for you.  Again, I’ve used these with beef, pork and chicken.

Soups – I have not personally used soup in my crockpot in quite a long time because of the fat content of creamed soups and also due to the fact that most contain gluten, but there are many great varieties that would work well.  Creamed soups like cream of mushroom are the traditional favorites.  Use your imagination!  If you love a certain soup and can imagine it as a gravy of sorts for some type of meat, give it a try!  Don’t forget to come back and let me know how it turns out!

1000 Blessings- We Don’t Get This One Often in North Carolina

1000 Blessings- We Don’t Get This One Often in

North Carolina

The Blessing of the Local Church

Yesterday was the first day I have been able to go to both the Sunday morning and evening services in a VERY long time.  Last week I went in the evening, to the Lord’s Supper and the teaching that followed.  Yesterday I thought it would just go in the morning, to Sunday School and the Gospel meeting, but God had different plans for me.  I spend most of yesterday afternoon in bed, either on the computer or napping.  I fought with myself on whether to go in the evening…would sitting that long in one day make Monday a dreadful day of pain?  It would be so easy just to stay here and piddle on the laptop.  No one would expect me to make both services.  The Lord brought back to my mind how refreshed I was from the Lord’s Supper the week before.  Even though I could only sit for less than half the meeting, I was able to stand in the doorway of the back room, a table close by to place my Bible on to read.  I was still able to partake of the emblems…well, just the cup because of Celiac.  I had missed so many meetings.  Being back at the Lord’s Supper, even though I was not “sitting” at His table, touched my spirit in a special way.   This meeting is meant for worship, not for petition.   Even in my silence, I was able to worship Him in a different way, being among His people, rather than praying at home.  I know he wants us to worship Him always, but corporate worship much be so pleasing to Him, a sweet smelling sacrifice of praise.

Yesterday, the thoughts of being in His presence with other believers the week before, drew me to go again.  I literally decided 15 minutes before walking out the door.  I knew I’d have to stand for much of the service, but it didn’t matter.  I wanted to be there again, among His people.  The prayers and scripture shared were so rich!  These prayers and scriptures offered up to HIM, to bless HIM, were in turn blessing ME!  How much more satisfaction we feel, when we empty ourselves of ourselves and purpose to think on Him, His life, death and resurrection.  What a gift He gave to me and how small in comparison was MY gift to be there with His people worshipping Him.  It is only when we empty ourselves that He can fill us with Himself.

O God, You are my God, and I will ever praise You!