Image from www.recipegirl.com

Hello everyone! So yesterday came and went, and here it’s Tuesday… and I just realized I totally forgot to post for Meal Idea Monday! So lets call this Meal Idea Tuesday.

Today’s meal is for Amaretto Chicken from Recipe Girl. I am telling you, you could get lost in this wonderful website with all of her delicious recipes!! This one would be a perfect meal to bring someone. Have a great day!

Click HERE for the ingredients and directions…

-Lisa

Image from www.ourbestbites.com

Hello everyone! Today’s meal idea comes from the always wonderful Our Best Bites: Black Beans And Rice With Chicken And Apple Salsa. YUMMY!

I hope all is well with everyone. We’ve been going through a bit of a rough time with my husband Zach’s health. After a few weeks of some tough symptoms like his heart racing like crazy, losing quite a bit of weight (and he didn’t have much to spare before all this!), getting sick all the time, dry gritty eyes, joint aches all over, sore throat to the touch on the outside, and slight tremors in his hands; we finally had a full blood work up done, and found out that he is very hyperthyroid.

The ultrasound came back normal, with no tumors. So that’s a huge praise! He is now on medicines to keep his heart rate down, as well as an anti-hyperthyroid medicine. It’s helped a ton already. They will continue to monitor his bloodwork, and he will go back to the endocrinologist in a few months.

I’m pleased that there is a diagnosis, and now it’s not just scary thinking, “What in the world is wrong with my husband?” It’s hard to have the man you’re used to being so strong and the leader in our home, the one who wrestles with the kids when he gets home from school, does all the heavy lifting, the yardwork, etc… be a pile of mush on the couch unable to breathe well due to the racing heart. So, I now have a slight taste of what many of you have gone through or are going through with your husbands or family members being sick. God bless you all. I felt so lonely for those few weeks.

I’m sure there are some of you reading this who know just how that feels. And to you I say, you’re amazing. Thank you for not giving up, even when I’m sure you want to. Also I would say, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I know there are family and friends out there who want to help, but don’t know the best way how. They’ll do most anything, though. I’m sure of it. So put yourself out there a bit, and ask. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’ll help you, and it will help them too. Because helping others is just as life giving to the one being helped as it is to the helper.

-Lisa

Image from What's Cookin, Chicago? blog

Good morning, my Food Tidings friends! It’s a beautiful Monday, and I have a great new resource for you!

I was at a dear friends’ house the other day, and in her fridge I noticed a large ziploc bag with a few chicken breasts, and a smaller ziploc inside the larger one with some kind of marinade in it. There were directions on the bag as far as how to add the marinade and cook the chicken. It was AWESOME, and it just reinforced the idea that freezer meals are such a fantastic idea!

I saw that as a wonderful idea for bringing a meal to someone. Sometimes people end up getting too much food brought to them, and I know they don’t want any of it going to waste. So how great would it be to bring a meal like the one I saw, in a ziploc bag with directions on it, and it could be used either that day, or frozen for when they’re ready for it?!

So with that in mind, here is a great resource for you guys. It’s a link I found on one of my favorite sites, Pinterest. You just gotta love pinterest! This link that I had pinned comes from a really wonderful blog called What’s Cookin, Chicago?, and it has a whole bunch of freezer meal ideas. What a great “go to” link when trying to find that perfect meal to bring someone!

One of the meals from that link that looked very delicious was for Asian Salmon, and here’s the link for that. Enjoy, and have a great week!!

-Lisa

Stir Fry Ginger Beef: Gluten and Dairy Free...image from www.simplyrecipes.com

Good morning, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great weekend. I am happy to share a great recipe with you that I was directed to from Once A Month Mom. This is a fantastic resource for recipes to bring to others, and to make for your family. Each month, they post recipes for the whole month that you can make ahead and store in your freezer. Or of you’re not ready for that, you can make them as you are ready to, one at a time. Whatever works for you. Not only that, but there are different types of menus to choose from: traditional, whole foods, gluten/dairy free, diet, baby food, vegetarian. How amazing is that?! I just can’t say enough great things about Once A Month Mom! They make preparing healthy meals SO much easier! Oh, one more thing about this great site- the recipes are printable! You could totally print the recipe out, and send it with your meal. Then the family you brought a meal to can make that meal again sometime!

I found today’s recipe, Stir Fry Ginger Beef, on the January Gluten/Dairy Free Menu, and it comes from another favorite site of mine called Simply Recipes. Again, I just LOVE this site as well! This is a wonderful meal to bring to someone, and make a double batch so that you can feed your family as well! Have a great week!!

**Update: I received a comment this morning lettting me know that this recipe isn’t actually gluten free unless a gluten free soy sauce is used. Great point, and I wanted to be sure to put this on here as you head to the link. Here is a blog post from the Gluten Free Chickie of a list of gluten free soy sauces she knows of. I hope that’s helpful! Thanks!!

-Lisa

Peanut Butter Cookies Image from www.simplyrecipes.com

I have to share something with you. I LOVE peanut butter! It’s kind of funny because when I first got married, I always would buy creamy peanut butter from the store because that’s what I ate growing up. I never even thought about crunchy. Then one day my husband, Zach, asked why we never have crunchy peanut butter. We were newlyweds, and we were still learning each other’s likes and preferences. It never even occurred to me to buy crunchy peanut butter! But now, almost 10 years and 4 kids later, we usually have both crunchy and creamy peanut butter in our cupboards.

Here’s a delicious recipe for peanut butter cookies from Simply Recipes for you to enjoy. Have a fantastic day, and if you’re not allergic to peanuts, go have some peanut butter!

-Lisa

Black Bean and Quinoa, image from www.healthmammas.com

Good afternoon, my Food Tidings friends! I have a great recipe and website for you to check out today. It comes from the wonderful Healthy Mammas, and it’s for Black Bean and Corn Quinoa. It is vegetarian, soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, and egg-free. So rest easy if there are any allergies in your family or the family you’re cooking for- this recipe is probably a great one! Enjoy, and have fun browsing the rest of their wonderful recipes. And just as a side note, isn’t Melissa’s garden amazing?! It’s inspiring to me!

Click HERE for the ingredients and directions. Have a fantastic afternoon!

Campanelle With Roasted Vegetables and Marinara- image from www.fortheloveofcooking.net

Good morning, everyone! How was your weekend? Ours was wonderful, and we’re still enjoying it since my husband Zach is a teacher, and we’re off today for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We had a fun filled weekend, complete with a trip to IKEA. At times, it was stressful (bringing 4 kids under the age of 6 to a place like that can be a little overwhelming!), but they all did so well and we found a few great things for the playroom/learning room that we’re creating in our home. Plus, this weekend, if you spend $100, your whole family eats free at the restaurant there- that was sweet!

Now for the part you’re really reading for… the recipe! It comes from For The Love Of Cooking, and it’s Campanelle with Roasted Vegetables and Marinara. This is a vegetarian dish, and it just sounds delightful! Click here for the ingredients as well as step by step directions with beautiful photographs.

And seriously, how AMAZING does this Vanilla Latte with Cinnamon and Sugar Crust look?! I love this website!

Have a fantastic week!

Today is National Bittersweet Chocolate Day! I did a little searching, and found a delicious recipe for us all to try. It’s for Bittersweet Chocolate Cake from Simply Recipes. Doesn’t this cake look absoutlely mouthwatering and delcious?! Oh, and this blog is FILLED with amazing recipe ideas! The author and creator of Simply Recipes, Elise, started her blog in 2003 and each recipe is either a personal recipe of hers, her family, or her friends. And all of them have been tested and approved by them! It has a real family feel to it, and I’m a huge fan already. Enjoy your Bittersweet Chocolate Cake, and be sure to either bring a few pieces to a friend OR have a friend over to share it with them. In my opinion, there aren’t many things that can beat quality time with a friend AND chocolate. Have a wonderful afternoon!

-Lisa

I wrote an article for a great online magazine called Wives In Bloom, and it will be featured all week. Click here to read it. I hope you all have a great week!

photo courtesy of www.sweettreatsmore.com

Happy Monday, everyone! I am excited to share with you a new resource for recipes. It’s called Sweet Treats And More, and you will find so many wonderful recipe ideas to bring to your family and friends. I had the pleasure of chatting through email with the author and creator of the site, Kristy, and she was so kind. I found a lot of awesome recipes, but today I’m going to feature her Baked Honey-Lime Chicken Taquitos. Just the name is mouthwatering! Enjoy!!

Click here for the ingredients and directions