Favorite Lunch Recipe

Lately I have been making this recipe a lot and freezing it into individual portions to take to work. I love that it has a good amount of veggies in it and very little meat. Sorry I don't have a photo of it to share.


Red Beans, Ham & Rice

1 medium onion, diced
1 cup diced bell pepper
1 T. minced garlic
1 C. diced tomatillo
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup diced lean ham
2 cups cooked brown rice

In a teaspoon or two of oil, cook the onions, garlic, and bell pepper until the veggies are softened. Add the tomatillo and cook for a few minutes more. Add the tomatoes and cook for two more minutes. Add the zucchini, beans, and ham and cook for a few minutes (until bubbly). Add the rice and stir until the entire mixture is combined. Cook until the rice is heated through. Makes 6 generous 1 cup servings (at 4 WW points per serving).

Scripture of the Day: Genesis 30:13

Saturday Morning Cartoons #19

Hope you are having a fun weekend!

Don't forget to take the LDS Book Reader Survey if you have not done so yet. And ask your friends and family to take it, too. We are up to 175 responses now--almost halfway done!

Click here to take survey

Scripture of the Day: Mormon 2:13

Book Signing Tomorrow

Come and see me Saturday from 9 am 'til noon at the Bliss Spring Sidewalk Swap & Sale in downtown Mesa (at MacDonald and Main). I will be there signing copies of Adventures with the Word of God and Family Home Evening Adventures. I would love to see you there!

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 3:13

Stretch Your Mind

“A mind that is stretched by a new
experience can never go back
to its old dimensions."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Five ways to stretch your mind right now:

1. Learn a new word - go to Dictionary.com to find one.

2. Read a poem and ponder its meaning.

3. Think of someone you know and try to envision what their life is like; what it is like walking in their shoes.

4. Memorize a scripture or a hymn.

5. Do a crossword puzzle (without cheating!) or a Soduku.


PS, Today the LDS Book Reader Survey was mentioned in the Mormon Times 'Today in the Bloggerncale' feature! Check it out (and take the survey if you haven't done so yet!).

Scripture of the Day: Abraham 1:2

Walking Poles

About two weeks ago I bought some of these:

Ever since, I have been out and about in my neighborhood walking like this (how I envy this woman's svelt figure!):
But really I am worried I look more like one of these people:

Please tell me I don't!

Scripture of the day: 1 kings 10:8

Book Review: Famous Family Nights

Over the holidays I won a gift card to Deseret Book, at which time I picked up a copy of Anne Bradshaw's Famous Family Nights. The book is a fun and easy read, a compilation of stories, thoughts, and memories relating to family home evening--all told by well known LDS people from around the world.

From the back of the book: "With so much to do and little time to do it in, you may feel overwhelmed when it comes to organizing a perfect family night. You are not alone! With stories that are sure to make you smile, Famous Family Nights will inspire you to see the humor and love in this familiar Monday night tradition. Award-winning screenwriter Anne Bradshaw has compiled an outstanding collection of stories from famous Mormon performers, artists, authors, and more."

There are nearly 100 personal different accounts from various contributors in Famous Family Nights, including Susan Easton Black, Carol Lynn Pearson, and Josi Kilpack (to name a few). I loved that some have shared tips to help FHE go smoother (i.e., hold it at a regular time, take turns teaching the lessons). I chuckled at a tip from author Marcia Mickelson--she and her husband help FHE in the car so their kids would sit still longer!

Overall, I thought this was a really fun read and would make a great gift for extended family members. It might be fun to put it in a gift basket with a lesson book (hint, hint), some treats, and a little game.

You can read more about Anne Bradshaw and Famous Family Nights on her blog. Be sure to check it out.

Scripture of the Day: Philippians 4:4

PS: Please do not forget to participate in the LDS Book Reader Survey. Ask your friends and family members to participate as well. We need 400 respondents to get a reliable sample size (so far we have about 110).

Click here to take survey

New Month, New Theme

I can hardly believe it is the third month of the year. Time is flying in 2010!

For my family scripture study theme I was trying to find a new idea for March. Not that I don't like my previous March themes (you can see one here), but something new is always nice. I was thinking I could put the scriptures on the backs of four-leaf clovers, but what would the scriptures be about? Then I read this and knew:

luck

15c. from M.Du. luc, shortening of gheluc "happiness, good fortune," of unknown origin. Related to M.H.G. g(e)lücke, Ger. Glück "fortune, good luck." Perhaps first borrowed in English as a gambling term. To luck out "to succeed through luck" makes a verb of it, American English colloquial, first attested in 1954.

(source: "luck." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 01 Mar. 2010. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/luck>.)

So, this month's theme is happiness and good fortune. Many scriptures give advice on how to find happiness in this life. Enjoy!

PS: Please do not forget to participate in the LDS Book Reader Survey. Ask your friends and family members to participate as well. We need 400 respondents to get a reliable sample size (so far we have about 85).

Click here to take survey

Scripture of the Day: Alma 41:10