Thankful!

We are nearing Thanksgiving and it is not uncommon for people to start talking about what makes them grateful. Why is it that we only do this once a year? All year long we grumble about the troubles in our lives. Why me? How much longer? When will this end? Do these questions sound familiar? What if we started everyday thanking God for the good gifts He has given us? James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." I can't tell you how many times I hear people say, "God is testing me in this trial." They say,"God took him/her because He needed another angel." This is hogwash. God sent His son to give us life and life more abundant. The enemy came to kill, steal and destroy. God does not "take", He "receives". God does not lead you into the valley of the shadow of death, He walks with you in the valleys. God does not throw you into the fire, He stands with you while you are in it and when you come out you don't even smell of smoke. A grateful heart may not change our circumstances but it does change our perspective. We have so much to be thankful for and it far out weighs the trials in our lives. Our perspective has to change. Be grateful 365 days a year not just Pre-Thanksgiving. If you're reading this, you can see. If you're reading this, someone invested in your education. If you are reading this, you have breath in your lungs and tomorrow is a new day. Give God thanks! This is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Garden Excess

This year our zucchini and squash were abundant in our garden. You can only eat so much of it and then give the rest to friends and family. If you're like me, you love to find new and creative ways to fix these veggies for lunch/dinner. So here is a great recipe that i made up and the family loved it.

Take left over grilled chicken breast or you can roast some in the oven. Olive oil, salt and pepper rubbed all over chicken. Bake at 350* for 30-40 minutes. Then when cooled, chop into chunks.

In a large saucepan on med heat, add 2 TBS. olive oil and 1 TBS. butter with 1 white onion (chopped). Saute for a few minutes with salt and pepper. Then add sliced zucchini and squash to onions. I usually use one large zucchini and squash or use 2 medium of each. Continue to saute a bit longer before adding any type of tomato. I have used fresh grape tomatoes as well as a can of diced tomatoes. Fresh is my favorite. Add a bit more salt and pepper to taste. Then add chicken broth to pan. Do not cover veggies with broth. Just add broth half way up. Cover with lid and turn heat down a bit. Just let the veggies simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. You want veggies tender. Then remove lid and reduce the liquid by half. In a large, salted pot of water, boil whole wheat Penne pasta to Al dente texture. Drain pasta and pour veggie mixture on top. Add chunks of chicken and toss. Top with Parmesan cheese. Great way to get your kiddos to eat their veggies. Believe me, I have a very tough time with Hudson Bean and he loved it.