LFL Group: April Meeting

Chapter 4: Self-Discipline

“You can have wisdom on how to rightly live and have the most refined set of goals and well-tuned system in the world on how to get there, but if you don’t pursue your goals and implement your plans, your ideas are next to worthless.” –Kim Brenneman

Ouch.

For the past two months we have been talking about setting goals and making plans, but this chapter challenges us to stop talking and start doing.  And to get to the “doing” part requires self-discipline.

John MacArthur says it this way, “Biblically, self-discipline may be summarized in one word: obedience.” Our sin nature groans at this thought! It is so easy to give in to the flesh and do what it wants to do right now. (pg 51)

For this month’s meeting (and even the weeks leading up to our meeting), I challenge you to look at your goals and start moving toward them. Recognizing our ultimate goal should be God’s goal-godly womanhood.

Chapter 8: The Psalms-Your Spiritual Multi-Vitamin

I am embarrassed to admit this, but the book of Psalms was toward the bottom of my favorite books of the Bible a few years ago. I could never get into all the feelings and poetry of this book. I wanted stories. I wanted action. I wanted application and parables and lessons.

But then my baby daughter died.

And I found myself running to the book of Psalms. When I couldn’t verbalize what was in my heart, I would read back to God a chapter as my heart’s prayer. When I needed desperately to know that God was bigger than death, I would read through the verses and read about His sovereignty and awesomeness. And eventually my heart was opened to the beautiful praises and thanksgivings in this book and I would repeat those out loud to Him.

In this chapter, Kim encourages us to read the book of Psalms everyday and then read them to our children. She writes it is a sure cure “for many ailments of the heart and mind.”  I whole-heartily agree:).

Chapter 19: Laundry Day

Laundry…such a dirty word. But, yet, we all have to deal with it or it will deal with us.

In this chapter, Kim discusses ways she tackles her laundry and started doing the laundry “as unto the Lord.”  She challenges us to …

Learn to love laundry. Study how to do it correctly, and make it an art!

I know many of you have started making your own laundry detergent. I want to hear the scoop (*snort*) on how this is working for your family. Bring your recipes and hints to the next meeting, so we can share about our experiences…the good, the bad and the dirty (*double-snort*).

Recipes I

Recipes I

Below are recipes that Tara L. graciously sent to share with everyone.  I think I am going to try the Italian Noodle Chicken this week:)! Thanks, Tara!

Cashew Chicken Broccoli Stir-Fry

Sauce

            ½ cup chicken broth

            ¼ cup creamy peanut butter

            2 TBL soy sauce

            1 TBL honey

            Dash of ground red pepper

Vegetables and Chicken

            4 cups broccoli florets

            3 stalks celery, cut diagonally into ½” slices

            3 green onions with tops, cut into 1” pieces

            2 tsp finely chopped, peeled gingerroot, divided

            1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” pieces

            4 tsp vegetable oil, divided

            2 garlic cloves, pressed, divided

            2 packages ramen noodles, any flavor

            1/3 cup cashews or peanuts

1.      For sauce, combine chicken broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, and ground red pepper in small bowl.  Mix well.  Set aside.

2.      For vegetables and chicken, cut broccoli, celery and green onions.  Finely chop peeled fresh gingerroot.  Set vegetables aside.  Cut chicken into 1” pieces.

Heat 2 tsp of the oil in stir-fry skillet over high heat until hot.  Add chicken, 1tsp of the gingerroot and 1 garlic clove.  Cook and stir 6-7 minutes or until hot and chicken is no longer pink.  Remove from skillet; keep warm.

2.      Reduce heat to medium-high.  Heat remaining 2tsp oil in same skillet.  Add broccoli, celery and remaining gingerroot and garlic.  Cook and stir 2 minutes.  Add green onions and continue cooking 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.  Return chicken to skillet.  Stir in sauce; bring to boil.  Remove skillet from heat.

3.      Meanwhile, bring 4 cups water to a boil in small saucepan.  Break noodles and add to boiling water (discard seasoning packets).  Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally; drain.  Stir noodles into chicken mixture.  Sprinkle with cashews.  Serve immediately. 

Yield:  4 servings

Cheesy Potato Soup

1 quart water

5 chicken bouillon cubes

4 medium potatoes, chopped

2 carrots, shredded and thinly sliced or grated

½ onion, finely chopped

Cook all the above until tender, then add:

1 cup milk

¼ cup corn starch (mixed well into the milk)

Cook on low until thick, then add:

½ pound Velveta cheese

Add garlic and pepper to taste

Chicken Pot Pie

   

1 Box Pie Crust

1 tsp. dried celery salt

12 oz. Frozen Classic Mixed Vegetables

Diced potatoes

10 3/4oz Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cup of milk

Corn start (to make swirly)

2 Cups Shredded Colby (or Colby Jack) Cheese

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (or buy a precooked rotisserie and pull meat off)

1 Clove Garlic, Pressed or Chopped

Make crust according to recipe on box.  Add celery salt to your pie crust, but be sure not to over-mix.  Boil (or bake) chicken until fully cooked.  Chop or shred (based on your preference).  Meanwhile, pour frozen vegetables in pan.  Cover with water.  Boil for 8-10 minutes, until al dente.  Drain.  Meanwhile, make swirly.  Add  3/4c milk to small pan.  In separate bowl, mix together remaining 1/4 c milk and 2 TBL cornstarch.  Mix well.  When milk on stove gets hot, add swirly and stir until thick.  To large bowl, add soup, swirly, cheese, chicken, vegetables, and garlic.  Place one crust in pie plate.  Pour mixture into crust.  Top with remaining crust.  Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Wait 10 minutes.  Serve.

Italian Noodle Chicken

Multi-colored spiral noodles

Bottle of Italian salad dressing, may be fat-free

3 Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts

Parmesan cheese

            In crock pot, place raw chicken and pour salad dressing over it.  Cover and cook on low/medium for 6+ hours.  When ready to serve, boil noodles according to package; drain.  Shred chicken with forks while in crock pot.  Add noodles and stir.  When on plate, add fresh Parmesan cheese.

Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb box penne pasta

¾ lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

½ lb Gruyere cheese, shredded

½ cup Asiago cheese, shredded

3 TBL unsalted butter

3 TBL all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

½ tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 2-qt broiler-safe baking dish with cooking spray.  Bring a large pan of water to boil.  Salt water after boiling.  Once water boils, add penne pasta and cook 6 minutes; drain.

 In a large bowl, toss together the cheeses.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour until smooth and slightly bubbly.  In a thin stream, whisk in milk.  Stir in onion powder, salt, and cayenne.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in 2-1/2 cups cheese mixture.

In pasta pot, stir together cooked penne and cheese sauce.  Pour ½ of the mixture into prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with a generous cup of the cheese.  Spoon remaining penne into dish and top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to broil and bake an additional 3 minutes until top is slightly browned.  Cool slightly before serving.

*Note:  This can be all thrown into a crock pot instead of the oven and cooked on low all day if you desire. * 

Chicken Pesto Pasta

2T olive oil

16oz (1 box) angel hair pasta

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped

½ c  butter

1 ½ TBL flour

2 cups ½ & ½  (I use fat-free)

1 ½ C Romano or Parmesan Cheese

1 c Pesto

Rotisserie chicken

Shitake mushroom caps, sliced

1 pkg sundried tomatoes

1 can artichoke hearts

Toasted pine nuts

Heat oil (med heat) and sauté onion.  Stir in garlic and butter.  In small bowl, dissolve flour in ½ and 1/2, then stir the mixture into the pan with onions, garlic, and butter.  Season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 4-5 minutes.  Add cheese until melted.  Stir in the pesto and let cook for about 2-3 minutes.  Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, artichokes, and chicken and let cook for about 4-5 minutes.  In the meantime, cook the pasta and drain.  Add the pasta in with everything and get it nice and mixed up with all of the ingredients.  Let cook for 1-2 minutes and it’s ready to go.   

Helpful hint:  I like to prep everything a couple hours ahead of time so I don’t feel so rushed.  For example, I pull the meat off the chicken, chop the tomatoes, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts.  I combine all these in one big bowl.  In separate small bowl, I chop the onion.  Having everything prepped before hand makes this BIG meal come together so quickly. 

Enjoy!!!  This will serve about 8 people.  I like to serve this with a Focaccia  bread.  All the veggies are already included, so it’s a complete meal.  

Blessings and joy!

March Meeting

March Meeting

This month we will be talking about meal planning and organizing our kitchen.We will cover Chapters 3, 20 and 44.  If you don’t have the book, below is a synopsis of each chapter, along with questions to think about and discuss.


Chapter 3: Systems ( We ran out of time and did not cover this in the last meeting).


In this chapter, Kim Brenneman discusses systems we may have in our household and the need to recognize good systems and not-so good systems.

What are some of the good systems that you have established?

 What are some not-so-good systems?

Chapter 20: Kitchen Day

"The kitchen is key to effective home and time management."

Deniece Schofield (LFL)

This chapter focuses on kitchen organization.  Kim tackles the dilemma of how we can keep our kitchen areas clean and clear of clutter. She challenges us to "train (our) eye to constantly evaluate the clutter factor in (our) most important workplace."

Kim then presents the idea of scheduling a Kitchen Day one day a week. This is the day you will concentrate on big kitchen tasks and cleaning your kitchen. She gives examples of kitchen cleaning chores and how to get your children involved in helping in the kitchen. "Big families make big messes" and she suggests that by keeping a day focused on your kitchen, you will not be overwhelmed with all those messes.

Do you have a set way you clean the kitchen?

 Do you fight keeping your kitchen and counters clutter-free? If not, what are some ways you keep your kitchen and counters clutter-free? How do you get your children involved in cleaning the kitchen?

Chapter 44: Meal Planning

Kim points out that "there are 1095 meals a year that we as home managers are responsible for. Food, presentation, etiquette and conversation direction are responsibilities we need to take seriously as the matrons of our homes." 

In this chapter, Kim offers several ways to meal plan and gives several reasons why that will benefit our family. She also gives hints on ways to  save money in the grocery store.

How do you meal plan? Do you have a budget? How do you stay on budget? What are some struggles you may have with meal planning?

Do you cook ahead or freeze your meals? What are some suggestions you can share on how to avoid eating out?

__________________________________________________________________

We have three mothers that have agreed to share at this meeting. I am so excited that they will be presenting how they make it work with their families. We are all different and I think it will be encouraging to hear how other mothers feed their families. 

Remember to bring your favorite recipes or menus to share with the group. You don't have to make a copy for everyone. If you will bring me a copy, I will scan/type it and post it on this blog for everyone to refer back to after this meeting.

Hope to see you in a couple of weeks. 

Blessings and joy!

February meeting

February meeting

Kim Brenneman has divided Large Family Logistics into two sections. The first section is philosophical, while the second section is the “nitty-gritty particulars of how to keep the home.” We will be working through topics in both sections during the meetings.

This week we will look at Chapter 1, 2, 3 and 18. If you don’t have the book, below is a synopsis of each chapter, along with questions to think about and discuss.

Chapter 1: The Wise Woman.
In this chapter, Brenneman uses Proverbs 31:10-31 to present the Excellent Wife as “a clear model of the characteristics that make up a faithful homekeeper.”

Does this Biblical example make you cringe? Or do you embrace this Excellent Wife and how she manages her household?

Chapter 2: Goals
In this chapter, Brenneman writes,” setting clearly-defined goals is an important part of faithful stewardship. It helps us to know what to deliberately aim for, rather than haphazardly reacting to our circumstances. Without a vision, chaos ensues (Proverbs 29:18).”She encourages wives to set time aside with their husbands and discuss goals in such areas as: Personal, Family, Spiritual, Home, Community Outreach, Educational, Physical, Recreational and Financial. Brenneman further illustrates steps in achieving two goals: Exercise and Hospitality.

Do you spend time regularly meeting with your husband on your family’s goals and vision? If you have time this week, meet with your husband to discuss your family’s goals and vision. If you are willing, plan to share any specific goals you may have set with the group. If you have an Exercise goal, share how you plan to achieve that goal. If Hospitality is one of your goals, share how you plan to hold yourself accountable to be hospitable. Maybe share a tried-and-true recipe that you go to for entertaining.

Chapter 3: Systems
In this chapter, Brenneman discusses systems we may have in our household and the need to recognize good systems and not-so good systems to help the home run smoothly.

What are some of the good systems that you have established? What are some not-so-good systems?

Chapter 18: Your Home Management Book
In this chapter, Brenneman presents a Home Management System and Book and shows how it can help you manage your new life habits.

If you have created a HMB, maybe would like to share yours with the group.


Blessings and Joy!