Chicken Fajita Soup ("Clean Recipe")

A little cheese and fresh cilantro on top makes for a yummy finish! 

Dinner was yummy tonight! Our family has been battling nasty colds for almost 2 weeks now so tonight soup sounded like a fabulous thing for dinner! I came across this recipe on pinterest, but as usual, decided to change it up a bit to make it my own rendition. We also have been making an effort to eat pretty well. I hate thinking about all the weird and wacky ingredients that are in so many foods. It makes me shutter to think they use things like wood pulp to keep shredded cheese shredded. So here is a great recipe that is "clean." If you aren't familiar with "Clean Eating," it means that you eat foods in their natural state or as close to it's natural state as possible.

Enjoy! 

Clean Eating Chicken Fajita Soup

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1/2 of an orange pepper, 1/2 of a yellow pepper, both chopped

1 tbsp. oil (I used coconut oil, I LOVE coconut oil!!!!)

2 large chicken breasts cut into cubes

8ozs of frozen sweet corn

4 cups of chicken broth

1tbsp. cumin

1tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. fresh cilantro

cheese of your choice for garnish

extra cilantro for garnish

 Melt coconut oil in a large pot than saute onions and peppers for a few minutes.

Next, add chicken and saute with peppers and onions until the chicken is almost done. After cooking the chicken for about 8mins, add the frozen corn. Cook until corn is thawed. Add broth and spices. 

Let it simmer for another 15 mins. Serve and enjoy! :) 

I Love My Husband...

Tonight's post is a dedication to my husband, a man that I have been best friends with for 12 years, dated for 8, and been married to for 5! God has blessed me richly with a wonderful man! He is a strong leader in so many way but most importantly, spiritually!

Acting silly on the way to our honeymoon. 

It's amazing to see how much we have grown in the past 12 years! When I met Jon we were in high school. I was a sophomore, he was a junior. For me, it was instant, although, try as I might, I wasn't very good at keeping that a secret... Oh silly little girl love... Little did I know that "silly little girl love" would turn into a beautiful God ordained marriage! We were best friends, had many ups and downs, cried together, fought together, laughed together, and most importantly blossomed into Jesus freaks together. The Lord had it right when he said, "Two shall become one," he completes me in every sense of the word completion. :)

As I look back on the beginning of our relationship, I realize Jon is no longer the boy I "feel in love with" but rather the man that I grew to love even more! How amazing is God that he gives us this amazing opportunity!?!

College

With all this said, I have to say, one of the most humbling moments for me as a wife is when I go to God in prayer for my husband. My favorite time to do this is when I feel frustration with him. Yes, I get frustrated with him... shoot, I even argue with him sometimes! (GASP!!!) Back to what I was saying.... One area I have to say I pray often for is the area of submission to my husband. Ephesians 5 says we are to submit to our husbands. This word seems to have gotten lost in meaning today. We live in a world where feminism is at an all time high and I believe we have completely overstepped our bounds! I know this statement will not make me popular with friends or family that believe women should have complete equality with men, but I have to say, where in the Bible does it ever say "men submit to your wife?" It doesn't... So here is the breakdown; God created man (male), God saw that it wasn't good for man to be alone. (¹⁸ And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Gen. 2:18)  Wait a second! For the first time in the days of creation, God says something WASN'T good! Don't miss that! God creates woman (female) and they are joined as one! (²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Gen. 2:24) Isn't that a beautiful picture! God is so good!!!!
Throughout the Bible a woman is described to be, "reverent, submissive (Eph. 5:22, Col. 3:18), have noble character (Proverbs 12:4), etc. The argument can be made that these verses and views of women are a cultural thing, and are outdated. However, lets look at Eve. There is a reason why God give the role of head of household and spiritual leader to man. Eve started us out by allowing herself to be deceived by the serpent in the garden. Adam wasn't deceived, Eve was.  "¹¹ Let a woman learn in silence with all submission...¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴ And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." 1 Tim. 2:11, 13-14
Just so you know, a few years ago I cringed at the concept of "submission." Over the years God has opened my eyes and softened my heart to understand what the true meaning and picture of submission is. It doesn't mean that husbands are "lord" over you. It merely means that when Jon and I are facing a huge decision, we may discuss it together and we voice both of our opinions, but ultimately, Jon makes the decision. See why it's so important to pray for them! Submission is like the ultimate form of respect and honor for our husbands. It's not my place to question him, or throw it in his face down the road if it turns out his decision was "wrong." So pray ladies! Pray that if need be, God softens your hearts to be more submissive! Pray that God give your husbands strength and courage to follow in the ways of our Lord and Savior! If you need direction on how to pray for your hubby, I came across a great blog post from Renee Swope this evening. It's called, "Praying for my husband." It's a beautiful prayer with scripture to pray for our husbands from "head to toe." Make sure to check it out! Click Here! 
I will be praying for you all and I pray that you pray for me as well.

Delicious Grilled Salmon

Tonights dinner was delicious! I know my page is about budgeting and eating "healthy cheap," but sometimes it is cheaper to fix something a little more pricey at home than to go eat out somewhere. We had grilled salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Now, hubby is not a fish guy at all unless it's fried grouper... However, I made this grilled salmon tonight and he said, "Ok, it's actually pretty good." That's a score then! :) As always, I looked at a few recipes but decided to use one as a guide with my own adaptations. Here it is...

Grilled Salmon

1 to 1 1/2 lbs of wild caught salmon (I had 1.39lbs, this was more than enough for our family of 4)
a few sprinkles of garlic powder
a few splashes of lemon juice
a couple cranks of ground pepper
1/3c low sodium soy sauce
1/3c brown sugar
1/3c water
1/4c olive oil

Cut the salmon into serving size portions and use the first 3 ingredients to season your filets. Next, mix soy sauce, brown sugar, and water until the brown sugar is disolved, than mix in the olive oil. Pour over the salmon and let it marinate for up to 2 hours (I only did mine for 1 but you could tell it would have been even better had I let it marinate longer). After marinating cook about 7mins on each side on the grill or until your fish easily flakes. You could also use a George Forman type grill.
Enjoy! :)

Easy Clam Chowder

I have made clam chowder before but didn't really like the outcome that much. It's one of those things I LOVE and wanted to find the perfect recipe. After looking over about 5 different ones I decided I would take bits and pieces from each and make my own. Hubby loved it and so did my 2 year old! I have to admit, I was quite pleased myself!

Easy Clam Chowder
makes about 8 servings

2-3 (6.5oz) cans of clams minced
1/2 cup of minced onion
1/2 cup of celery
2 cups of cubed potatoes
1/2 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3-4 cups milk (I started with 3 but added about another cup after everything was mixed to thin it out a bit)
salt and pepper to taste

optional: garnish with pieces of bacon and cheese

Place onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes into a pot. Drain the juice from the clams over the vegetables and reserve the clams for later. Next, pour just enough water into the pot to make sure the vegetables are covered with liquid. Cook over medium heat until tender.

While veggies are cooking use a large pot to melt the butter. Once butter is melted whisk in the flour than add the milk and continue whisking until the liquid is a completely mixed and starting to thicken just a bit. Next add veggies with their liquid and mix well. Stir in the clams and add salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

Enjoy!!!