Whole30 Recap

This is a recap of our Whole30 month. Click here for more Whole30 posts.

Week 1

Week 2

He is Risen Indeed

Free Printable Source

Diva drew this in her bible study book. How fitting that this week she learned about Jehovah-jireh. The Provider. The picture she drew is of Abraham and Issac. Issac is saying "oh dear, we don't have a lamb." Abraham replies, "hey look!" And the ram is there, stick in the blob bush, on the lower left. Man I love this kid.
It's kind of funny, but being that it's Passover week, Good Friday, and Easter. It is so fitting. It opened the door to again talk about our need for a Savior. That no matter what we bring to the alter, it's not enough for a holy God. But He provided a Lamb. A perfect Lamb without blemish.

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. Gen 22:8

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 1 Corinthians 5:7

The next day John (the baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29

Coconut Curry Spaghetti Squash

I made this dish one day when DH called and asked if we'd pick him up and take him to McDonald's before he had to get back to school. So I threw this together in literally less than ten minutes. I had leftovers, so of course it was fast. But even if you make this from scratch it's soo worth it. I promise. Just that afternoon I was posting on Facebook about how yummy Coconut butter was and that I was brainstorming more ways to use it. So the opportunity rose when DH called, talk about no time to think either! This sauce is much like the Sunbutter Satay sauce I have posted here.
This will serve 2-4 people depending on how much you are serving, if it's all you are serving or if it's a side dish. I didn't make that much but even the serving I made was so much!
Make your Spaghetti Squash in the crock pot, recipe HERE, if you haven't prepared it in advance or don't have leftovers.

Click here for more Whole30 posts.
More Give Peas A Chance on Chowstalker.

Free Friday-FREE Emeals Recipes

eMeals Meal Planning Made Simple

YAY for Free Friday, and yay for Emeals! Here are two free eMeals recipes for you to try. I blogged a bit about eMeals in my menu planning post, you can find that HERE. The cool people at eMeals sent some freebies out for me to share with you!
Click the cards to view them bigger and visit eMeals for more!

More Emeal posts on Give Peas A Chance

Truly FREE Friday

Source

*woke up to a beautiful sunny Friday. Because six hours one Friday long ago was so dark and my Savior was nailed to the cross, forsaken by the Father. So that I may boldly come to the throne of grace. Into marvelous light I go running indeed.*

Good Friday. Officially, here anyway. 0000. I know I should be in bed. It's Passover week. It's Holy Week. It's calm and quiet here, the dishwasher just stopped humming. I'm just reflecting on, freedom. On walking in freedom, in victory. In Christ's victory. Thinking about the amazing gift that salvation is. Amazing. Such an inadequate word. I'm thinking about the Lord restoring the years the locusts have eaten. So many are waiting for restoration, but still walking in freedom as they wait on the Lord. If this is you, I prayed for you tonight. Waiting faithfully is not easy at times. Even when we are not faithful, God is. I'm praying that the same arms that bore the cross up Calvary's hill will hold you close and give you peace.

I have posts scheduled for this weekend. If you aren't around, which is a good thing :) - Happy Resurrection Sunday.

John 8:34-36

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

I wanted to share this song with you and an excerpt from a book below. "We Are Free" is worth listening to. It's not a long song at all. It's free, here's the link. It's from The Gatherings CD, one of my very favorites.

This is an excerpt from one of my favorite books by Max Lucado, this is cut and paste from his site HERE.

Six hours, one Friday.  Mundane to the casual observer.   A shepherd with his sheep, a housewife with her thoughts, a doctor with his patients.  But to a handful of awestruck witnesses, the most maddening of miracles is occurring. God is on a cross.  The creator of the universe is being executed.

It is no normal six hours.  It is no normal Friday.  Far worse than the breaking of his body is the shredding of his heart.  And now his own father is beginning to turn his back on him, leaving him alone. What do you do with that day in history?  What do you do with its claims?  They were the most critical hours in history.

Nails didn’t hold God to a cross.  Love did. The sinless One took on the face of a sinner so that we sinners could take on the face of a saint!

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

from Six Hours One Friday

Red Curry Glazed Salmon

This is the easiest way to prepare salmon, I'm certain. Okay sashimi is debatable, but let's face it. I butcher salmon while a true sushi chef slices through the buttery pieces like a skilled painter painting his masterpiece on a canvas. I swoon. For shame. Sigh.
Moving on. This Salmon takes 3-4 ingredients. That's it. The salmon. A good curry paste- or make your own. Coconut milk. Red Boat. Or salt. That's it. It's so stinking simple it's silly. You don't even have to use the Red Boat or the salt if your curry paste is flavorful, which it should be with Kaffir leaves, Galangal, garlic, and onion! I made the spinach separately but I bet you could it in the same pan under the salmon. Try preparing your chicken this way also!
A note about store bought items

Red Boat- my favorite fish sauce, and Whole30, Paleo, Primal approved. No sugar in this baby!
Coconut milk- canned, unsweetened, I use Thai kitchen (Thaikitchen.com) . Again okay for Paleo, Primal, and Whole30.

Curry paste- Thai kitchen makes curry paste, that's just spices/herbs. No salt, no preservatives. Gluten free.  Another note about Thai Kitchen, they have dried Kaffir leaves, and dried Galangal root. Not the same as fresh, but I've dehydrated both of these before so why not?

More curry on Give Peas A Chance

Type in "curry" in the search box on the left for more!

All the ones posted here are Whole30, Paleo, Primal compliant.

Whole30 Week 4

March 20
Snacks
Avocado
Procuitto
Pork rinds

Breakfast
Eggs
Blackberries- that Pixie ate, all of them.

Lunch
Soft boiled eggs
Red Bell Peppers
Blackberries

Dinner
Curry Meatball "stew"- it had the meatballs, coconut milk, curry powder/spices, green beans, and sweet potatoes in it

24 Hour Pick Your Plum Giveaway!

Quick! Go enter to win an awesome Pick Your Plum Prize! (Enter at the bottom of this post)

After you've entered go over to Pick your Plum and check out today's awesome deal! Which is Fold Over Elastic for 60% off, you can make great headbands and hair ties with it, here's my tutorial!

Read all aboug Pick Your Plum on Give Peas A Chance here, here, and here.

Mobile friendly link is here http://bit.ly/Ux8ZIv

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday Words Easter Printable

Isn't this beautiful Subway art? You can get it as a free download here on Bitsy Creations.
I'm so excited for Easter, I love the Passover season. I'm so thankful for Salvation. So blessed.

John 11:25

Revelation 1:18

Matthew 28:6

Matthew 6:28

Psalm 19:14

2013 Bento 43-53

Pizza
Cucumbers
Blackberries

Dressing
Red Bell Pepper

(In this post Planetboxes and Lock n Lock)

Manic Monday- Empty Tomb Rolls

Manic Monday repost of Empty Tomb Rolls. So very easy my 6 and 8 year old can make them all by themselves (using the toaster oven). This is not only a fun "heartschooling" activity, they are tasty also.

Here are some more ideas for celebrating Resurrection Sunday

Resurrection Cookies

Empty Tomb Rolls

Tea Dyed Eggs (You can use food coloring or beet juice also)

Free Easter Printables

Glow in the Dark Egg Hunt

Don't forget the Bunny Rolls (Just search Bunny Rolls in the search box)

Child Training Bible and Amazon Card GIVEAWAY

I'm a parent, and I think a lot of you that are here reading Give Peas A Chance are parents. If not to children of your own, you do have an impact on children around you. Even if you don't have children, don't know children, don't want children, this post/this product could still be for you.This is a long post, a post about my beliefs and where my heart is. I fully realize that not everyone believes what I believe, I can honor that. I ask that you also honor my heart towards my God, and what I believe also. This product can still be useful to you if you don't believe as I do, I'll make note of why I think so below.
It's no secret that I am a believer, though perhaps I write more about my walk and my struggles on Chaotic Balance. But here I am. I believe that God is the creator of all, I believe in the Trinity, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, I believe that Jesus died and rose again on the third day for our sins. That he was/is atonement for our sins.

I am not perfect, oh I am SO far from it. I have my daily struggles and battles, just like everyone else. My house isn't always clean- lets be real, 10 years ago before I had kids I would tell you that my house now, is never as clean as it should be, my children bicker, I yell out of frustration, and blue box mac & cheese not only makes an appearance for dinner- it's a favorite. That being said, my deepest desire for my children is not that I feed them the healthiest or best gourmet foods I can find, that I have the cleanest house for them to come home to, or that I make the coolest craft projects with them. I enjoy doing things like that, and sometimes I do them right, sometimes I fail. It doesn't matter. My deepest desire for my children is that they would know God, love Him with all their heart, mind, and soul, that they would run after him. When I think of the task before me, raising these girls to be who God has made them to be, it's hard not to freak out a little. I mean obviously God is bigger than me and my fears, but come on, I freak out okay. I know me. I know me well. I will say again. I am not perfect. Praise God for his provision. You don't need much to parent/guide/point your children to Christ, you simply don't. God's word. That's it. That's all you need.

Glow in the Dark Egg Hunt & Easter Fun

These are pictures from our egg hunt last year. You can read all about it in this post HERE.

It was so fun, we'll probably do it again! The girls didn't need any little toy surprises either, just the eggs and glow stick bracelets were fun for them.
Do you have an egg hunt? What was your most memorable one? We have a habit of doing our hunts late. One year it was just a week or two after, sometimes the day after, once it was a month after :). Easter Sunday we're at church and spending time worshiping and with loved ones, so this is fun anytime.

Here are some more ideas for celebrating Resurrection Sunday

Resurrection Cookies

Empty Tomb Rolls

Tea Dyed Eggs (You can use food coloring or beet juice also)

Free Easter Printables

Glow in the Dark Egg Hunt

Don't forget the Bunny Rolls (Just search Bunny Rolls in the search box)

Curry Meatballs and Mashed Cauliflower

 These meatballs are so simple. They freeze so well also. I made them one night on a fluke really. I was going to make meatloaf and I didn't have any tomatoes to make tomato sauce, and I didn't have canned tomatoes. So I decided to make meatballs instead. Because these are Whole30 meatballs, they don't have any grain- you can always add breadcrumbs to them if you would like. This is not spicy, I love spicy hot food but the girls don't eat that spicy.

I served them with Basil Mashed Cauliflower and steamed broccoli. They would be excellent over rice though.

More GPAC on ChowStalker.
 Find me on ChowStalker.

 Click here for more Whole30 posts.

Whole30 Week 3

March 14
Breakfast
2 fried eggs (fried in homemade lard, sometimes I fry them in homemade ghee)
Bell peppers
didn't eat the banana

Lunch
Cheese- this is there for Pixie, we shared this lunch.
Steak
Cucumber
Mango salsa- spicy so I ate it all
Pineapple- neither of us felt like eating it, so I packed it up for later, DH ate it.

Dinner
Salads with a Lao "Yum Salad" inspired dressing, there's no oil or palm sugar in it. Just soft boiled egg yolk, fish sauce (Red Boat), lime juice, cilantro, jalapenos. You can see it pre blender in the salads picture and on the far right. My salad is in the lone salad picture. The rest are my families. I didn't eat any mango either. Too ripe for my taste!

At bible study I had a few bites of cake, and oatmeal cookies. (*hides*- Happy Birthday Bruce, sigh)
Leftover steak and an egg for a snack

Wednesday Words Psalm 37:39-40

Psalm 37:39-40

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

The Lord helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

I couldn't find the source for this picture on Pinterest. If you know the source let me know and I will credit it! Have a blessed day.

2013 Bento 34-42

Take it Tuesday! Yay for lunch posts!

Pixie and I shared this

Soft boiled eggs

Bell peppers (carrots underneath)

Mandarin oranges

Mango salsa

Diva and Piglet

Soft boiled egg

Pepperoni

Oranges

Cookie/cracker

Manic Monday- April Fools

For this Manic Monday post I thought I would pull up some past April Fools meals, and some other ideas from Give Peas A Chance.
I have no clue what I'm doing this year though.

Do you do anything for April Fools? We don't really, a backwards meal is about all we get around to doing. But it's been fun for the girls, and they talk about it all the time.

Crock Pot Sweet Sticky Chicken

MMMM. Winner, Winner, (Crock Pot!!) Chicken Dinner! Every time I do something in the crock pot and I like it I want to shout it from the roof tops. Because the crock pot is my Kryptonite, one of many really. Many. But let's just focus on the crock pot.

This chicken is easy. I put it in the crock pot frozen, poured the sauce on top- which can be made the night before, and turned it on low. I did take these out of the crock pot and browned them under the broiler after I reduced the sauce/juices in the crock pot. It wasn't a huge deal and didn't take long.
Fresh ginger and garlic give this chicken flavor and spice. Black Soy sauce is thicker than regular soy, it's also got a different flavor to me. Almost... woody like mushrooms? If you can't find any, use regular soy sauce or coconut amnios.

Double the sauce if you'd like to pour some over rice. Speaking of this sauce it can be used to glaze salmon, on pork, on beef, to roast a chicken, or on turkey breasts. You can use it with tofu if you like also. I hope you like this GPAC recipe!

Free Friday

I'm having entirely too much fun on Someecards.

When I say "I mopped

the bathroom floor."

What I really mean is my

kids took a bath, got water

all over the place, and I wiped

it up with a towel.

Tomato Basil Spaghetti Squash

I love spaghetti squash. It's so easy to prepare, and so good. This spaghetti squash has some homemade ghee on it. The ghee has fresh basil, fresh garlic, and Fleur De Sel. I put these in an ice cube tray for the freezer. Perfect to top a steak, fish, or vegetables.  

This was a small one so I just washed it, pierced it with a knife in a couple of places, then put it in the microwave for about 6-7 minutes. Until soft. Once cooled enough to handle, split in half, discard seeds. Please make sure you make holes in the squash first if you put it in the microwave whole. Because it could blow up, and the door of the microwave could fly open for the sheer force of the harmless looking squash, and squash guts could splatter all over the kitchen. Not that I would know anything about that.

Whole30 Thursday Week Two

A whole week has passed, and I haven't passed out from wanting quick absorbed sugars. :) I remember when I did Paleo a couple of years ago. Goodness I was dipping into the coconut butter quite a bit, I haven't opened the jar this time! Think I'll make it the whole month? I'm praying so!
 Click here for more Whole30 posts.

March 7

Breakfast- Scrambled eggs and sliced jalapenos (Scrambled in ghee)

Lunch- Steak, spinach, and mushrooms. That's a huge steak. Pixie and I shared lunch.

Dinner- EVERYONE loved dinner. I'm finding that my family just loves our regular dinners, and this is something we've had often, it's already Whole30 compliant so that's awesome for me. Come to think of it, breakfast and lunch are "usual's" and they are also complaint. It's my snacking that's an issue and weeding out other meals, like Chicken Pot Pie. Anyway- Chicken marinated with a cilantro lime marinade that's so quick and easy. Salad on the side, with spicy mango salsa. 

Snacks- Mandarin oranges, red bell peppers, and cashews.
(also some leftover mango salsa and chicken)

Pick Your Plum Maddness 70% off Apron SETS

Whew, TWO Pick Your Plum posts this week! Why? Because this is AWESOME BLOSSOM!

GO now! Pick Your Plum!

Here's the deal. You get an apron and matching oven mitt for $9.95! That is 70% off.

These apron and mitt sets come in THREE sizes. Small (child), Medium (tween), and Large (adult). Everyone can match!
These are perfect for a mother/daughter/aunt/grandma baking day. Or a crafting day. How fun to give the mom's in your life something cute to wear in the kitchen when she's cooking her way into your heart. Even better? Tell her you got a matching one (or even in a different color) so you can help her and spread the love. Win win! And those granddaughters who look up so much to her? Yup. They want to be just like her. This is a good start. 

Hello Mother's Day!? Send one to Nana? What about for that arts and crafts party? Easter Baskets? Fill 'em up! WOOT!

So, what are you waiting for? Go forth and PICK YOUR PLUM!

Wednesday Words- Col 3

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people Ephesians 6:7

Lord help me to decrease, and for your to increase in my life. Help my focus to be only on you, that whatever I do would honor you. Thank you for picking me up when I screw up too. 

This great free printable is from A Well Feathered Nest. You can download it there, she has other colors also. If you click the picture it will take you to her blog, so will THIS link.

2013 Bento 17-33

More lunches for Take it Tuesday here on Give Peas A Chance

Sandwiches- Turkey, cheese, sprouts

Cucumbers

Strawberries

Dressing

Pick Your Plum Maddness

OK. I usually don't post Pick Your Plum deals because they are all so awesome, but I've been waiting for this one! QUICK!! MONOGRAMMED cutting boards 50% off $18 each!! WOOD ones! Plus these one's always go SO very fast! so go get one! HERE.

Berry Cool Nails PARTY GIVEAWAY

This giveaway is for those of you partying with us at the Jamberry Party! No purchase necessary, just go to the Facebook page here, and click "Going". Then check out all the fun stuff happening, and enter to win! 

If you're shopping for Easter Baskets, these are great for them!
Again
Go to my Spring Fling page, and click "GOING", though you'll be shopping in your jammies and bunny slippers sipping on a cup of hot coffee in your own home, because this is just an ONLINE party. Don't show up here to Give Peas A Chance, my house is a hot mess.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Manic Monday- Bunny Rolls

I made these rolls in 2011, these pictures are off my phone. I can't find the ones I took on my camera at home at all. So sad. Sigh. Anyway, basic rolls, snipped with scissors after the second rise. Easy peasy.

Simple  snips for the ears.

This one looks like a gerbil or one that's sticking out his tongue! They look like bulls. Or bunnies with perky ears :P  .So next time I'm going to make unicorns and narwhals.But if you do this, after you snip the ears you can shape them with wet fingers and push them down a little so they lay flat also.Here are some more ideas for celebrating Resurrection Sunday

Resurrection Cookies

Empty Tomb Rolls

Tea Dyed Eggs (You can use food coloring or beet juice also)

Free Easter Printables

Glow in the Dark Egg Hunt

Don't forget the Bunny Rolls
Find more "ManIc MoNdaY" posts here.

Tortle- GIVEAWAY

Now, here at the Give Peas A Chance household there are sadly no newborns. So there was no way I could test this product, however it looks like it would make an excellent baby shower gift. Have you heard of the Tortle? Read more about it and enter to win one below!

Here is some information about the Tortle and don't forget to check out the video below also!

Cabbage Rolls

Why have I never had cabbage rolls before? These are so good. I had always thought they would be mushy, bland, and just blah. But these are very good! I made them Paleo, Primal, and Whole 30 compliant. This makes a bunch, they freeze well. But you can also halve the recipe.
It seems like a long complicated recipe, but I promise it goes quickly and is easy.

Click here for more Whole30 posts.