Autumn is my favorite time of year! I love cool mornings and evenings, the sound of dried leaves skittering across the sidewalk, the colors of the trees. It's so refreshing to have a change in seasons, and here in the Pacific Northwest, we do see a nice change every few months! It can be difficult to find autumn / fall decorations that share a biblical worldview, so my daughter, Kelsi, and I made some for you. I shared these last year with Joy In Our Journey.com's readers, and they were very popular! You are welcome to print these off for your own family's use, or for your own Sunday School class or school classroom. They'll print well on cardstock or index paper, and you may choose to laminate them if you'd like, for years of use. Please note the copyright on the downloads, and use them for your own personal use only. These are not available for claiming as your own work, sharing on another website, etc. Thanks! I hope you enJOY using these as much as we enJOYed making them for you! I pray that the month of October is a blessing to you and your family. Thanks for coming by to visit!
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I've watched and reviewed quite a few Christian, family-friendly films over the last few years. Some of them have great plots, but not such great acting. Or some have had decent acting, but the music and cinematography isn't quite right. Camp gave my family everything we look for in a movie: inspiration, tears, laughter, and art! The Story: Eli's life is a nightmare. His mother is a drug addict who neglects his care, and his transient father floats in and out of his life. Eli is filled with rage from the physical abuse he has received from his father, but he longs for his love and approval. On his 10th birthday, Eli is taken to the hospital by police who respond to a domestic disturbance call. Eli is removed from his home and is placed in Locustwood, a facility little better than a youth prison. In this environment, Eli spirals downward, becoming an angry and scared creature. Meanwhile, to impress a potential new client, investment advisor Ken Matthews signs up to be a camp counselor and gets paired with Eli. When the kids arrive at camp, the chaos begins. Ken and Eli bunk in a cabin with counselor Samuel, back from his second tour of duty in the army, and Redford, a kid who thinks he is an alien. Determined to hate camp, Eli is way more than Ken can handle. Over the course of camp, Ken’s heart is broken as he learns about Eli's dark past. Eli slowly opens up to Ken as he starts to love Eli unconditionally. Eli begins to have hope. An unauthorized visit from Eli’s father to camp sends everything spiraling out of control. Now Ken must decide what he is willing to sacrifice so Eli will understand the meaning of unconditional love. Julieanne's review of "Camp": Our family has chosen to review only family-friendly movies in our home. Camp has some mature themes contained with the movie (abuse and neglect; mentions drug use; smoking and alcohol use is seen). I was a bit reluctant at first to watch Camp, because I knew I'd need to view it without our usual ClearPlay DVD filters so that I could truly review it here for you. Camp has a PG-13 rating, which I feel is appropriate for the themes contained in this movie. Camp contains some brief language which should be mentioned here: h*ll is used twice, and the "d-word" is also used twice. While they are used appropriately within the setting that is being portrayed, we all felt like the emotion of the setting could have still been portrayed without using this type of language. The movie is also supposed to contain one inappropriate gesture, but none of us saw it...so if an inappropriate gesture is in there, we missed it. (Good. Whew!) If your family owns a ClearPlay DVD player, then your typical settings on the filtering should remove the inappropriate language as you view this DVD. So...I'm a bit picky about the quality of movies we watch. Most Christian-made films, sadly, are in the "meh" department. The plot will generally be excellent, but often the acting is grade B, or the music score/background is poor. Or maybe the cinematography is poorly done. We were so surprised to see that Camp has been made exceptionally well! Quality of acting? Check! Cinematography? Check! Music background/score? Check! Everything was excellent! And, from a practical standpoint, we laughed so hard in one scene of the movie that I think it's the hardest we've laughed as a family in a very long time! ...and cried. There are some very sad, emotional parts to this movie. Here's the official movie trailer for Camp: UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30: Buy a DVD between now and September 30, 2013, and the producers will make a donation of $3 to your favorite Royal Family KIDS camp! RF KIDS' goal is to reach troubled and abused youth and make a huge difference in their lives! http://thecampmovie.com/rfk/ To enter this giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below. If you can’t see it, try opening it in a different internet browser. If you still can't see it, you may need to update the Flash on your computer, here. (Hint: just make sure to uncheck the box that says, "Yes, install McAfee Security Scan Plus - optional", unless you want this on your computer.) The Camp DVD giveaway runs through October 2nd, 2013 at midnight PST... ...and please read the requirements for entering, below, because if you said you completed a step, but didn't, I'll be checking up on you! :) Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway. I received a copy of this movie for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based solely on my experiences while reading this book. In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support! Love’s Awakening had me at the first paragraph! In her new book, Laura Frantz has combined all the angst of Romeo and Juliette, and the romantic turbulence of Gone with the Wind. This attention grabbing story kept me turning the pages as fast as I could read. The Ballantynes and Turlocks have been deepest enemies since both arrived from Ireland many years previously. The Turlocks make and sell whiskey, and the Ballentynes are ship builders. With both families against them how could Ellie and Jack ever find a way to get together? Even more difficult, Ellie isn’t sure that she wishes to have anything to do with a Turlock, as they are her family’s mortal enemies, aren’t they? Until along comes Jack’s little sister, Chloe. Chloe sees a chance for a real romance between her brother and a beautiful young woman whom she admires. Will she succeed? Will Ellie manage to change this tomboy into a beautiful young lady with perfect manners? It doesn’t seem possible even to Ellie. Moreover, she doesn’t love Jack, and she is almost certain that she doesn’t even like him. He is a Turlock! But, isn’t all fair in love and war? Chloe thinks so. Then, there are the slaves. There is terminal unrest in the state as more and more slaves are seeking freedom from their cruel, oppressive masters. The problems with slavery and the devastation it played in the lives of both white and black, play an important part in the story. This is Book Two in the Ballantyne Legacy Series. I would have enjoyed reading Book One in the series first to understand some of the cross currents in Love’s Awakening, but do not let this stop you from reading this book. You will enjoy the story and will like me, impatiently wait for Book Three. You will like this fast moving story and come away with a new understanding of the plight of thousands of slaves. Be sure to read Love’s Awakening by Laura Frantz. I know you'll come away with a new appreciation for the men and women who came to America as slaves, and the difficulties they faced to be free. Author Laura Frantz:
I received a copy of this book for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based solely on my experiences while reading this book. In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support! |
Jody Hedlund has written novels for the last 20 years (with a hiatus when her children were young). After many years of writing and honing her skills, she finally garnered national attention with her double final in the Genesis Contest, a fiction-writing contest for unpublished writers through ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). Her first published book, The Preacher’s Bride (2010 Bethany House Publishers), became a best seller and has won multiple awards. Since then, she’s gone on to publish numerous best-selling and award-winning books. |
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!
I love serving my family a hot bowl of steaming soup or chowder in the cooler months!
We've enJOYed a recipe similar to this for years and years...I don't have any idea where I found the original recipe, it's been so long since I began making seafood chowder.
And you know how "mommy brain" is. One day, you remember something, and the next day, ya' don't.
But I do remember that this is a perfect blend of seafood and spices with a gentle "kick" to it, and it's very quick and easy to make on a busy night. Within about 25 minutes, this recipe will be ready to serve to your family!
The problem? Since we began the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle method of eating, the original recipe was a no-no. Here's why: it combined too many fats with too many carbs. Whole milk, sour cream, "red beans and rice" boxed mix - these ingredients just weren't going to work for us now.
Since it's the first day of autumn, I thought I'd celebrate by offering my family a new-and-improved version of Caribbean Seafood Chowder, Trim Healthy Mama-style!
This is an "E" (Energizing) recipe for those of you following along with Trim Healthy Mama. You'll see that this recipe still includes carbs, because THM is NOT a no-carb diet. Notice, though, that they are a healthier version of carbs.
Yield: 2 quarts (serves 6). This recipe is easy to double or triple for larger families or to freeze for later use.
- 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
- 1/4 tsp. coconut oil
- 2 cups water or chicken broth
- 1-1/2 cups "30-calorie" unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (carb count should be around 9 grams carbs per serving)
- 4 oz. canned shrimp, drained
- 6 oz. canned crabmeat, drained
- 6.5 oz. canned minced clams, drained
- 15.25 oz. can kidney beans
- 3 oz. (3/4 cup) shredded light Mozzarella cheese
- 1 Tbsp. or more Caribbean jerk seasoning (or Jamaican jerk seasoning)
- 4 oz. canned diced mild green chilies
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- chopped parsley (1 Tbsp. fresh or 1 tsp. dried)
Measure 1 cup uncooked quinoa into a fine mesh strainer. Rinse quinoa thoroughly for at least 2 minutes in cool water, rubbing and swishing the quinoa with your hand while rinsing. Drain. Rinsing the quinoa well helps remove quinoa's natural saponin coating which makes the grain taste soapy or bitter. |
In a 2-quart saucepan, melt coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add drained quinoa; cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, until the excess water evaporates and the quinoa is fragrant but not yet browning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add 2 cups water or broth to quinoa, and 1/4 tsp. salt (if desired) and bring to a rolling boil.
(I really like adding about 1 Tbsp. organic "Better Than Bouillon" chicken broth I purchase from Costco or Amazon.com. It adds a nice chicken broth-y flavor without adding in a lot of fat or extra chemicals. If you add "Better Than Bouillon" to the 2 cups water, you probably won't need to add any salt - but it's up to you how salty you like your chowders.)
When quinoa has completed its cooking, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, covered. Then, remove the lid and fluff the quinoa gently with a fork.
Add cooked quinoa to chowder. Stir in chilies and lime juice. Garnish with fresh or dried parsley, and serve immediately.
Here's the recipe, all together:
Caribbean Seafood Chowder (E)
| A unique, spicy chowder with a kick... mild or hot, as you like it! |
In a 2-quart saucepan, melt coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add drained quinoa; cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, until the excess water evaporates and the quinoa is fragrant but not yet browning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add 2 cups water or broth to quinoa, and 1/4 tsp. salt (if desired) and bring to a rolling boil.
(I really like adding about 1 Tbsp. organic "Better Than Bouillon" chicken broth I purchase from Costco or Amazon.com. It adds a nice chicken broth-y flavor without adding in a lot of fat or extra chemicals. If you add "Better Than Bouillon" to the 2 cups water, you probably won't need to add any salt - but it's up to you how salty you like your chowders.)
Lower the heat (I lower mine to 2 on my stovetop dial) and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Basically, lower the heat to how you would normally cook rice and other grains. For some stovetops, you'll reduce the heat to LOW.
Meanwhile, in a 4-quart saucepot, whisk together almond milk and Greek yogurt until well blended.
Gently fold in drained shrimp, crabmeat, clams, cheese, kidney beans, and seasoning. Heat on medium until cheese begins to melt, but do not boil.
When quinoa has completed its cooking, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, covered. Then, remove the lid and fluff the quinoa gently with a fork.
Add cooked quinoa to chowder. Stir in chilies and lime juice. Garnish with fresh or dried parsley, and serve immediately.
Yield: 2 quarts (serves 6). This recipe is easy to double or triple for larger families or to freeze for later use.
Caribbean Seafood Chowder | Notes: 1. Fats: I forgot to add the 1/4 tsp. coconut oil into the nutritional facts, but divided between six people, this is a scant amount of fat. Half of the fats in this recipe come from the quinoa! I was surprised. Since quinoa is on plan, I'm assuming that this is legitimate for E meals. When in doubt, reduce the amount of cheese added to this recipe to reduce the grams of fats. 2. Carbs = 51.8 grams - 11.2 grams fiber = 40.6 net carbs. 3. 1 cup uncooked quinoa = 3 cups cooked; divided between 6 servings, you will only be eating 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa - on plan for carb counts. |
Feel free to take a look at my Trim Healthy VISUAL SHOPPING LIST to get a better idea of some of the quicker food options available in your stores! This will also help you build a weekly shopping list for your family. EnJOY! |
The Invention of Sarah Cummings: Sarah Cummings has one goal in life--to break into Chicago's high society. Desperate to stop serving dinner to members of the wealthy Banning family and to start eating at society tables, Sarah spends her meager free time altering cast-off gowns to create the perfect wardrobe for her future life. When opportunity knocks at a chance meeting, she presents herself as Serena Cuthbert, weaving a fictitious past to go with her fictitious name. But as she gets closer to her goal--and closer to Simon Tewell, director of St. Andrew's Orphanage--Sarah finds that she must choose between the life she has and the life she dreams of. Can she piece together the perfect life from scraps? Or will it all come unraveled in the face of true love? |
Author Olivia Newport has been married for over thirty years and has two twenty-something kids. They live in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where the day lilies in her backyard grow as tall as she is. (No short jokes, please.) Not every piece of her life is pretty, though. Some days, she wants to throw out whole chunks. But she is living each day looking for the grace of God to her, in her, and through her. She views her readers as her companions, and having companionship along the way will help uncover a lot of great stories. |
Joy In Our Journey's review:
Sarah’s dream is to meet and marry a wealthy man; she is extremely surprised at the outcome of this “dream” and finally matures enough to meet the challenge and discover that her heart can open to much greater opportunities. Some will say “imagination is everything,” but that is not always a realistic point of view. Sarah has lots of lessons to learn and teach.
This story takes place shortly after the Chicago World’s Fair in the very late 1890’s and also encompasses the political conventions and presidential campaign taking place at that time. There is much history involved in this narrative, and Sarah is caught up in the many events taking place. Sarah is encouraged as a woman in that era to begin taking charge and helping to meet the needs of others, rather than focusing solely on herself. If you enJOY fictional works taking place in this era, you will enjoy The Invention of Sarah Cummings!
Quick and Easy Pasta Sauce
So, I realize that these meatballs look like they are sized for a giant's dinner plate. Fee, fie, foe, fum - ha!
Actually, these were some leftovers from our meal - and my last chance at getting a photo of this delicious, quick and easy pasta sauce with our meatballs before they would disappear into someone's mouth! :)
What you're actually looking at is the lunch mug I use to store my husband's lunch entree for the following day. And he's not a giant - just a really great guy!
Raise your hand if you think the only quick and easy way to make your own pasta sauce for spaghetti and other pasta dishes is to open a jar of Ragu.
Okay, now, what if you knew you could literally make a large quantity of homemade pasta sauce with about 1 minute of your time...plus 15-20 minutes for the sauce to simmer on the stovetop by itself?
Here's how to make 4 cups of sauce - enough for 1 lb. of pasta, very quickly! This recipe can be easily doubled, but you will need to simmer the sauce an additional 10 minutes. This sauce works well with any type or shape of pasta.
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (or coconut oil)
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic (from a jar; or 3 garlic cloves, crushed)
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp. minced fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1/4 tsp. sugar or 1-2 tiny sprinkles of stevia extract
- salt to taste
If you buy minced California-grown garlic in a jar, like I do, this will literally take about 2 minutes to prepare - and then simmer on the stove for a bit. If you enjoy mincing your own garlic, add another minute or so to the recipe.
Heat the oil and minced garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. While garlic is cooking, open cans of tomatoes. Stir in the crushed and diced tomatoes with their juice (don't drain). Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes (add 10 minutes if doubling this recipe). Don't simmer it longer than this, or you'll actually cook out the flavor!
Stir in the basil and sweetener or sugar. Season with salt, to taste.
This recipe works well with the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle plan of eating. Just pair it with some Dreamfields pasta for all of you on low-carb diets!
This is a great recipe to make up ahead and then chill and freeze in smaller containers for future meals.
Nutrition Facts notes:
|
Have you seen the latest updates to myVisual Grocery Shopping Guide for Trim Healthy Mama? I think you'll enjoy seeing a variety of ideas and grocery items you can use for your meal planning! |
I received a few comments from people who had made my original recipe and felt it was dry and tasteless. Ack! Who wants that? ☺ Now that I've been making Trim Healthy Mama style foods for another year, I've learned a lot. So...I've updated the recipe for you, and I think you'll enJOY it a lot more this time around! |
Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookie Muffins
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/3 cup almond milk or light coconut milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup natural "no sugar added" peanut butter
- 1/2 cup golden flax meal
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 Tbsp. THM Sweet Blend or 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener/Truvia/erythritol/xylitol
- 3/4 cup peanut flour
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 12 shakes (3 tiny holes opened in shaker) of pure stevia extract, or to taste
Heat oven to 375° F. Lightly grease 12 muffin tins with coconut oil or butter. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, melted butter, almond or coconut milk, vanilla, and peanut butter (or other nut butter); mix until smooth. Add golden flax meal, coconut flour, sweeteners (THM Sweet Blend or Swerve or Truvia/erythritol/xylitol), peanut flour, baking powder, salt, and stevia. Blend until batter contains no lumps. Divide batter between 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with additional sweetener (not stevia), if desired. Bake muffins for 14-17 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool in pan slightly; remove to serving plate. If desired, split muffins in half and spread halves with a small pat of butter. Makes 12 very filling, regular-sized muffins.
(Most people will only be able to eat 1-2 with a meal. For Trim Healthy Mama followers, stick to one muffin. This is an S snack or meal.)
I enJOY the yummy, peanut buttery goodness of a warm peanut butter cookie! Why not make a muffin with these delicious tastes all wrapped together in a delicious snack or a warm breakfast treat?
These are very low-carb, and packed with protein, so you'll be glad you had one of these instead of a donut. I guarantee it! :) Here's the recipe:
| Have you seen my Visual Shopping Guide to help all you Trim Healthy Mama users with your grocery shopping? Check it out! |
Season of a Lifetime: in 2009, filmmaker Rick Cohen became interested in the true story of Jeremy Williams after reading an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution which recounted the story of the terminally-ill high school football coach that led his team to an undefeated season. Cohen arranged a meeting with Williams and eventually beat out stiff competition from major TV networks to produce the movie. In 2010, in spite of doctors’ recommendations and deteriorating health, Williams returned to coach one final season and brought his team once again through a victorious season. Cohen’s cameras captured everything from the field to the doctor’s examination room. The result is a moving and inspiring film that encourages people to live life to the fullest in spite of any adversity.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution recently asked Williams what he hoped the film would show. He responded, “That when things get tough, you can be tough and still love.” Williams’ wife added, “I really hope that people see that, no matter what they might face in life, that through Christ, they can not only get through it but also live a happy, joyful life.”
"In all my years of documenting lives and writing and researching about real people, I never met a man who didn't have a single enemy nor a cross word said about him,” said Cohen. “Jeremy is about as righteous a human being as God has ever put on this earth. He truly walks the talk!”
In 2010, the Williams family also received national attention when ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” selected their family to receive a new home suited for his disability and his son’s spina bifida. In addition, his Greenville Patriots also received a new locker room the process. NFL player Michael Oher, whose story was documented in “The Blind Side,” also served as one of the volunteers to help build the home.
The 89-min DVD also includes special footage featuring images from Williams’ college days, footage of the 2009 Greenville football team, and the “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” segment. For further information and to view the trailer, please visit www.seasonofalifetime.tv.
What did my family think of this movie?
This man knew his life was going to end within 2-3 years of his diagnosis with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), so instead of mourning, he chose to live his last days with purpose! We found this movie to be inspirational and compelling. Even as a documentary/drama, we were blessed as a family by this man's life and his passion for others. I know you'll be blessed by this as well! (But keep the tissues nearby; even the guys in the house will be fighting their allergies with this movie.) |
Let's giveaway a new DVD copy of "Season of a Lifetime"!
To enter this giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below. If you can’t see it, try opening it in a different internet browser. If you still can't see it, you may need to update the Flash on your computer, here. (Hint: just make sure to uncheck the box that says, "Yes, install McAfee Security Scan Plus - optional", unless you want this on your computer.)
The "Season of a Lifetime" DVD giveaway runs through Friday, September 13th at midnight PST...
...and please read the requirements for entering, below, because if you said you completed a step, but didn't, I'll be checking up on you! :)
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple potential winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)
I know, I know, you never fall behind in anything - so you have no comprehension of why someone would ever need to get caught up, right?
Ha!
Well, the fact is, that I do need to post some book and DVD/movie reviews here over the next couple of weeks.
But hang with me, because some of them will include giveaways! :)
And after that, we should be back to our normal schedule, with one day every week or two that has 1-3 book/movie reviews posted.
Thanks for your understanding! Hope your September is going well so far!
Hi! I'm Julieanne!
You'll find me in the kitchen
trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters.
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