thursday's ten or so: a little inspiration

i have so many friends who are dealing with difficult situations...and while this post is written with them in mind, who among us doesn't need a little extra inspiration?  so, here's a few random quotes/scriptures/etc for you :-)

if you can't feed a hundred people then just feed one
- Mother Teresa

a ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are made for.
- source unknown

He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me!
- psalm 18.19

grace makes beauty out of ugly things
- u2

we must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us 
- Joseph Campbell

every day may not be good, but there is good in every day
- source unknown

fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name, you are mine
- isaiah 43.1

no one has ever become poor by giving
- Anne Frank

courage does not always roar. sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying: i will try again tomorrow
- Mary Anne Radmacher

be encouraged -- God sees you, knows you, and loves you. 
{-me :-) }

recipe of the week: southwestern style egg rolls

remember how i told you i split the ranch taco chicken meat between two recipes?

well, this is the other :-) i ran across this recipe on pinterest, but i knew we'd like a little different flavoring (and MEAT) in ours, so here's my adaptation.

southwestern egg rolls

olive oil for sauteing and brushing

1 pound chicken, cooked in crockpot with one tbsp ranch seasoning and one tbsp of taco seasoning

1 container egg roll wrappers

2 cups corn (i use fire-roasted from trader joe's)

1 can black beans

several handfuls of spinach (6 cups non-packed is 3 or 4 handfuls)

a generous bunch of cilantro

5 scallions, chopped

1 small container of sliced black olives

1 container of diced green chiles

1 container of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 cups cheese (i used the organic fiesta blend from whole foods)

you can add seasoning, but with the adobo sauce, seasoning on the meat, and cilantro i found we didn't really need any!

 heat oil on stove, and saute green onions, chiles and chipotle peppers for a few minutes

meanwhile, process spinach and cilantro in food processor until it's pretty fine. 

 combine corn, beans and greens in a bowl

 remove onion, chile and peppers from stove and process it with black olives

 add to the mixture, top with the shredded chicken and cheese and mix thoroughly

 put a large spoonful of the mixture in each wrapper and roll up (most packages have easy to follow instructions)

line them up on a baking sheet (i use parchment paper because of the messiness factor) and brush each side with olive oil

i made a batch of my ranch dressing and added one avocado to the mix. 

and it was so good!  definitely a recipe we'll keep around.

recipe of the week: honey sesame chicken (slow cooker!)

i'll be honest. when i first bookmarked this recipe, i did it with my husband in mind.  i really didn't think i would LOVE it.  i'm not a "sweet with my meat" kind of girl. but shocker...i actually really enjoyed it!  partly because tweaked it a bit and added some spice to it, and partly because i used really good honey :-)

honey sesame chicken


1 pound chicken thighs (i find they are more flavorful AND cheaper than breasts)
1 cup (yes, one CUP) of honey
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup organic ketchup
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sriracha hot chili sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced (i prefer the sweet vidalia variety when they're available!)
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons water



 mix together the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, sesame oil, and sriracha

 add the onion and garlic

 place the chicken in the slow cooker and sprinkle with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes

 top with sauce, and cook on low for 4-6 hours

remove chicken from slow cooker and remove bones/cut into bite sized pieces

 meanwhile, stir the cornstarch and water together into the sauce.

 return the chicken to the sauce and cook for another 10-20 minutes

 serve over rice.  enjoy!

obviously, the sugar content is rather high on this simply because of the honey.  but worth it :-)


based on 6 servings, rice not included in the nutritional facts.