Chili for a Rainy Day~

Chili Recipe

Brown 1 pound of hamburger, with 1 chopped onion.

**Drain fat once cooked**

Add 4 teaspoons of Chili Powder
Add 1 teaspoon of Salt
Add dash of Pepper
Add 1 Large can of diced tomatoes, I add the whole can…juice and all!
Add 1 Cup of Ketchup
Add 2 Cups of water
Add 2 Cans of Red Kidney Beans, drain the juice
Add 1 Can of Niblet Corn, drain the juice

If you feel it is too thick (I don’t think it is), but if you do, just add more water.

Mix all this well with the meat and let simmer on low for 1/2 to 1 hour.

From Chili

You can serve this with corn bread, over a baked potato, or just plain, or you can add some shredded cheese to the top or some sour cream. As you can see, you can do lots with it. Just as long as your family enjoys it!

This is such a perfect recipe for a cold or rainy day. I wish I could take credit for it, but it actually belongs to my sweet Mother-in-Law. And it is the best chili recipe I have ever tasted!

Orzo with Vegtables

So I tired another new recipe tonight. My kids GOBBLED it all up! Definitely a win in our house, and we will be using it again for future dinners.

Boil one box of Orzo for 8 minutes…once done: drain and set aside.

While your pasta is boiling:
*Dice one clove of garlic, one shallot.
*Saute those in Olive Oil for just a minute, do not burn garlic or it will turn bitter.

Then ADD:
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 package of sweet peas, cooked
1 and 1/4 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

Mix all these well cooking for about 5 minutes.
Then add all the cooked Orzo
Mix well.

Then Add:
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan shredded
Mix this well in your pasta

Season with Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste & you can sprinkle each plate with some more Parmesan if your kids like that.

Let sit for about 5 minutes, then serve.

From orzo

And I can pretty much guarantee you that your kids will give you smiles like this!!

From orzo

Peach Cobbler

I love Paula Deen’s recipes…and I came across this one today and had to try it! And it is SOOOO good. I highly recommend it. And if you try it out, I would love to hear how yours turns out!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
8 tablespoon (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup water
2 cup sugar, divided
4 cup peeled, sliced peaches
1 1/2 cup milk
ground cinnamon, optional

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

Before you get started do this:

Cut an “X” at the bottom of each peach. I used 9 peaches. Place in boiling water for 1 minute. Take out then place in cold water. (I put ice in my water to make it really cold) This stops the cooking process. Then peal the skin off the peach. Boiling your peach for 1 minute makes this SO easy. Then cut your peaches up and place in sauce pan.
NOTE: I am sure you can use frozen peaches and totally skip this part, but I always think fresh fruit it the best and the flavor always turns out better!

Now that your peaches are ready, we are ready to begin!

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

From peach pie

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

From peach pie

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping.

From peach pie

Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir.

From peach pie

Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using.

From peach pie

Batter will rise to top during baking.

From peach pie

We used Vanilla ice cream with ours! Absolutely delish!!! And a nice cup of coffee!

From peach pie

Summer Bean and Corn Salad

So I found this recipe on MckMamma’s Site as well. I thought I would give it a try…SO YUMMY! You have to try this. It is so good. And the hubby gave it 2 thumbs up!

Summer Corn & Bean Salad

First, gather the following ingredients:

1 can of garbanzo beans, drained
1 can of pinto beans, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of corn, drained
2 cans Ro Tel with cilantro and lime
one leek, sliced
2 Tablespoons Italian Dressing
dashes of chili powder, cumin and garlic powder
1/2 of a fresh lime
fresh cilantro
salt

From bEAN SALAD

Open all of the cans, and mix the corn and beans.

From bEAN SALAD

Then add the cans of Rotel

From bEAN SALAD

Add the Spices

From bEAN SALAD

Squeeze the juice of half of a lime into the beans.

From bEAN SALAD

Add the leek and cilantro

From bEAN SALAD

Mix well with 2 Tablespoons of dressing and some salt.

From bEAN SALAD

Marinate overnight. Then, drain most of the juice. Add a little more fresh cilantro, and serve cold.

From bEAN SALAD

This IS SO GOOD! Such an awesome summer salad! We will definitely be eating this again!

Homemade Yogurt

I wish I could say that I made this recipe up, but I didn’t. I actually got it off of MckMamma’s sites. I love a lot of her recipes actually. Anyways, It is yummy. I highly recommend it.

1 tub plain, organic whole yogurt

1 banana

1/4 c honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup (frozen or fresh) blueberries

1 1/2 cups (frozen or fresh) strawberries

Apple Pie

So I made this apple pie today. It was to die for. Seriously it was. I said the same thing to Tony and he was like “okay, we will see, your mom’s pie is pretty good!!” He took a bite and was like “WOW!!!! Did you write the recipe down honey??” Well, No I did not…I just made it up as I went along. So anyways, I am going to try and remember everything I did later on tonight.

As of right now, we are installing new carpet on our stairs! Yah, cause we are crazy like that!

Why pay someone 800 bucks to do it, when I can pay my husband with apple pies and kisses. We both win and it is so much cheaper!!!!

Benjamin’s birthday

From Ben Birthday

Well my “little” boy is 5. I just can not believe it. It just seems like I gave birth to him. He was a preemie, but you would not know that by looking at him today. He is strong, fast, smart, quick, athletic, funny. He is such a snuggler. He loves to come to my room in the mornings and climb into bed and just snuggle.

From Ben Birthday

He has the sweetest heart ever. He is always concerned for others. He really loves Jesus. I love to listen to him sing worship songs. He knows them all. His prayers are so sincere, and deep. He thinks of things to pray for and thank God for, that most 5 year olds would not.

From Ben Birthday

His smile can always make my day. His “i love you mom” melts my heart to pieces. He loves to tell me that I am pretty. That is nice when I am not feeling so pretty. He is very detailed about everything. He likes to do it right. He loves to learn. He likes to wash dishes. Yah, seriously he does. We just have to keep that up and his wife one day is going to LOVE him!

From Ben Birthday

Ben,

I hope you know how much we love you. You bring so much joy to our lives. I think you are one awesome dude. I know that as you grow the Lord is going to use you in ways that we can not dream. We pray everyday that God would surround you with his peace, and that your eyes would always be fixed on HIM. He has a great plan for you. And I am so honored that the Lord choose for me to be your mom. I know that you love the Lord even at this tender age. I know ever single year I write this and tell you this daily, but truly the greatest thing in life is to know Jesus. Not just know about him, but KNOW him intimately. He desires that. He created you to worship Him and bring glory to His name.

I love you with ALL of my heart, my little prince Charming!

mom

Weekend Away

Can I just tell you I enjoyed my weekend away so MUCH!!! It was just what I needed. Yes I was in meetings with my other half. My wonderful honey! But we are so fired up. We were awarded with “Champion In The Making” award. I was so honored, so shocked when they called our name. We are experiencing such personal growth with AdvoCare. I am just blown away really. We have painted vision for ourselves where we want to be in 5 years. And we will accomplish it. So let me ask you…When you look back on the past 5 years of your life DO you like what you see in ALL areas of your life? If you don’t what are you going to do about it? I would like to hear from you…email me. We did not like what we saw. Do we basically have a good life…YES, but there were things that HAD to change today. Not tomorrow. Not a year from now…today. We have taken hold of ourselves, and we are CHANGING!

Heard some incredible speakers (click on these people…they will inspire you) such as:
Cary Mullen
Phil Dawson
Andy Andrews
Karly Lloyd
Micheal McCreadie

and there were more but you would be overwhelmed. It was inspiring. Makes you want to be better. Make a bigger impact on your world and those around you.

The biggest thing for me was that all these athletes…and AdvoCare has many more…many more people that take AdvoCare...they take the products because they work, they are safe. They are tested thoroughly. We actually use Informed Choice based out of England. Check it out too. They test against 196 banned substances, so our athletes know they are taking good products and there is nothing in them to hurt them. Everything is natural. I am so excited. Me and Tony are launching a new SlimPact Program for our community, to help cut down on obesity. When we do not have good nutrition in our bodies, we can NOT function at our optimal best. We just cant…end of story. God did not create us to eat the junk we do, and not live healthy. I am speaking to myself as well. BUT I am doing something about it. I want to be around for my grandchildren, and I don’t want to loose my husband one day. Did you know that in 2005-2006 according the Nutrition Business Journal 72 Million People were obese.

So we are launching SlimPact. We are doing before and after pictures…who ever looses the most weight and body inches…and are taking AdvoCare products will win an all expense paid photo shoot and make over. Can I tell you even if you just have 5 pounds to loose…join. Email me at heidi@simplyheidi.com if you are interested in joining and I will email you all the rules.

We will make a difference.

Happy Birthday Chandler!

It just seems like yesterday that Chandler was born. I went to the hospital to be induced and in 2 hours he was born. All 7 lbs 11 oz. He was such a good baby too.

He is the sweetest boy I know of. His little heart has so much compassion in it. He is kind. Loving. Caring. Gentle. Funny. Everywhere we go girls say, “Can you believe how long his eyelashes are?” and he says “I know, all the girls tell me that all the time!”

He has a great personality. He is a helper. He is very smart. (can you tell I am a little biased) His smile is contagious. He is detailed. A go-getter. And can you believe that he is 6. The years really do fly by.

I have cherished each memory that has been made with this little guy. I can’t wait to see what he will be when he “grows up”. I know God has a good plan for his life.

Chandler keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the one who will sustain you through it all. He will guide you and be a light for you when you are having a hard time seeing. Mommy loves you lots!

Choclate Chip Pound Cake

So I have been in the mood for cooking since I am “stuck” here. Tonight after we ate a yummy dinner from my friend Liz, I made Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.
And it was YUMMY!

Here are the directions:

1 yellow or butter cake mix
1 (3 Oz) package of instant chocolate pudding
1 (3 Oz) package of instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 T vanilla
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup water
4 eggs
Almost a whole package of chocolate chips

Mix all of the above together and then put in a tube pan or an angel cake pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. Dont forget to spray your pan so it does not stick. Flip the cake onto a plate and then sprinkle with powdered sugar! Very YUMMY.

So today was a very LONG day. I cried several times…hoping my knight and shining Tony would walk through the door and say ” I took the rest of the day off” I am very frustrated with my foot. My back really hurts and so does my neck. I am going to make an appointment tomorrow with a dr at the same office as my foot dr, and have the rest of me looked at. I am hoping I did not screw my back up to badly, but I know something is wrong. Blah.

Last night Tony and me were talking and the subject of MKS came up. It comes up often…MK’s that is. An MK is Missionary Kid. My question is this, why do MK’s feel like they never really belong anywhere? My theory is that the have lived in so many countries they dont know what to call home. Or they grow up in one country and then are placed back in the US to do the whole college thing. But they really feel like they don’t belong. If you were to ask me where my home was, I would not be able to give you just one place. IT is the weirdest thing. Do any other MK’s feel this way. I would like to know what the biggest struggle is for other MK’s?

Side note, my cast ITCHES LIKE CRAZY!!!!