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American Sukiyaki
Asian food is wonderfully healthy. An authentic Japanese diet is composed of fresh vegetables, lean meats, fish and tofu and rice. When I was growing up, my mom loved to serve international dinners for our family. She created this easy sukiyaki recipe that became a favorite at our home. We named the recipe American Sukiyaki (probably politically incorrect in this day and age) because it had a similarity to the Japanese dish with an American flair. It is so easy to make and really yummy. When you need a quick dinner that gives you an extra dose of iron and beef protein, this is the recipe to try.
Ingredients
1 lb lean top round steak thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions thinly sliced
1 garlic clove smashed
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar or honey
1 (16-20 oz) package of frozen FRENCH CUT STYLE green beans
2 (15 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 cup rice cooked according to package (we use Hinode short grain rice for authentic sticky rice)
Brown thinly sliced beef in olive oil on high in a large skillet (I use an electric fry pan on 400 degrees). When browned but not cooked all the way through, add the onions, garlic, soy sauce and sweetener.
Stir until onions start to soften about 2 minutes. Turn to medium (325 degrees for fry pan) and add bag of frozen green beans and stewed tomatoes. Stir once or twice, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.
- 1 lb
Baby On The Mind Part 2
I decided to repost this from a few months ago after having a great customer service experience with BabyList! I was recently gifted one of my favorite and most anticipated items off my registry – my Tula Baby Carrier! However, when it arrived it was not the right pattern from my registry. I contacted BabyList and, within one day, I received a response apologizing for the mix up. Included in the message was also a shipping label to send back the item with simple yet detailed instructions on how to begin the exchange! Good customer service makes all the difference for me when there are so many options of companies and products to choose from! Don’t forget to always take an extra second to kind and courteous – you never know what it will do for someone or how it will make someone’s day!
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November 2015
You may not think that it is baby season but to all the mamas who deliver in the Spring (what is often known as Baby Season), Baby is definitely on her mind. We just finished our Baby Registry and it was quite the feat. I love researching, but there are so many options when it comes to baby it was hard to find the “right” answer for a lot of items. I also love supporting small, creative businesses -their products can usually be found online and not always in stores so it was important for me to find an online registry that I really enjoyed using so I could add that creative touch to our registry. And, I did!
We are using BabyList Online Baby Registry – www.babyli.st – and here are a few reasons why I have liked it!
- Easy to Use — As overwhelming as registering for baby can be, a
What’s your Why?
With Valentines day around the corner, I have been trying to think deeply about love, who I am, who God is, and who He created me to be. This past weekend I was challenged to describe myself without any title, without what I do, and without using anything about my job. It was all about who I am. It was really a challenge. Do you think you could do that? Describe yourself without a title, position, or what you do. Write it down.
This whole thing got me thinking about the TED talk by Simon Sinek “Start with Why”. His whole premise is figuring out what really drives you. Not the how or the what in what you do, but the why! 
What is the reason you do what you do. This circle needs to work from the inside out. Not the outside in. The why you do what you do should drive the how you do it, which ultimately drives the what. The why gives context and meaning. Who are you? Speak from who you are. Speak from the authenticity and trust of knowing who you are and living in that. Put your feelings into words. Combining your language and feelings is hard.
Start with
- Clarity of Why
- Discipline of How
- Consistency of What
Your why compels you. It reminds you of why you are doing what you do. Be compelled to make an impact. Be encouraged to make a difference. You are unique. You are talented. And you have potential to have a positive impact. And the more you know why you do what you do, the greater impact you can have.
So why am I thinking about this? Why do I love what I love? What makes me who I am? Not my title or what I …
Read MoreCrockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
It’s soup season, still! Here’s another great one that I make all the time.
- 1 large onion
- 4 stalks celery
- 2 peppers
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 can of corn
- 1-2 cans of black beans
- 1 cup of salsa
- 2 cans of mexican stewed tomatoes
- 3-4 cans of chicken broth
- 1 tbs cumin
- 1 tbs chili powder
- 2 lbs of chicken (frozen or raw)
- Optional add ins: zucchini, spinach, rice
- Optional toppings: rice, sour cream, chips, cilantro, avocado
- Dice the tomatoes, celery, and peppers. Add the corn black beans salsa tomatoes and salsa. Pour in chicken broth and seasonings and stir. Set the crockpot to 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low (depending on frozen or raw chicken). After the chicken is cooked, pull it out and shred it or cut into smaller pieces. Put it back in the crock pot to soak into the rest of the soup.
- Enjoy!
…Read More
Get a Jump-Start on Your Spring Cleaning!
Clutter can be a real negative influence on the health of our minds and bodies. During the fun activities of the holiday season it becomes so easy to put many important aspects of life on hold (especially cleaning and organizing) until the busyness calms down (or should I say IF the busyness calms down). This year, don’t let that happen! Let’s be more prepared and not wait until Spring to free ourselves from the stress of clutter. There are fun ways to clean and organize your home and I am going to share one of those ways with you today!
ThredUP is the name of my recommendation for de-cluttering your closet and/or improving it on a budget.
“thredUP is the easiest way to save money on great Women’s and Kids’ clothing brands and sell clothes for cash. We’re like a consignment store, but simpler. On thredUP you can refresh your entire wardrobe online without ever leaving your house.”
Browse thousands of like-new clothing items, which we’ve hand-selected and certified for quality. You’ll find all your favorite brands discounted up to 90% off, year-round.
And, when you’re done with clothing, simply fill up a thredUP bag and put it on your doorstep. thredUP covers the shipping, and pays you for every item we can sell to other families.
Our goal is to make your life just a little bit easier.
- We eliminate the stress of deal hunting by offering consistent discounts every day.
- We take the hassle out of bringing your kids into a store by allowing you to thredUP online.
- We relieve that recycling guilt by helping you lighten your family’s carbon-footprint with every order.
Ready to give thredUP a try? We think you’ll love what you find.
I was ready to try! It is so simple! Once I …
Read MoreWho likes Giveaways??
Are you or someone you know preparing for baby?
I have been doing A LOT of research on Baby Items for our registry. It was quite a fun surprise to get an email for a giveaway that includes some of my favorite registry items including the Tula Baby Carrier and the 4Moms Playard! Not only are these items some of my favorites but they are also some of the top rated brands and products today! Here are just a few of the items that are included in the giveaway! The link to enter is at the bottom of the post!
1 Year of Diapers & Wipes from Seventh Generation (www.seventhgeneration.com)
If there’s one thing babies need a lot of, it’s diapers! That’s why Seventh Generation is giving the winner a year of ’em (plus wipes, too). Made with 0% bleaching chemicals in the core. Free from fragrances and lotions, and clinically proven to be gentle on skin.
The Land of Nod Dream Nursery (www.landofnod.com)
Your baby’s nursery isn’t just a regular room- it’s a home for your little one that you’ll want to create with care, tenderness, and a maybe even a little magic. This gift card to The Land of Nod is that fairy tale passport. From furniture to bedding and decor to handmade toys, the stylish and high-quality products from The Land of Nod will help you build a nursery that feels unique and yes, quite magical.
4MOMS Breeze Playard (www.4moms.com)
Playards are hard to use. The breeze is easy. It opens or closes in one step. Just push down on the central hub to open and pull up to close – the latches are automatic and there’s no tricky sequence of steps. It’s a breeze. Fold it and you’ll …
New Years and New Starts
Welcome to 2016… 2016… WOW. You have aspirations you are dreaming of, goals written down… Just never enough time… It seems we are always looking for more time. If we just had one more hour, one free morning, or one less obligation… Usually all it takes is being a little more productive with the time we do have. Change your perspective. Have a plan. And go for it. This year, start small. Make little goals that you can actually accomplish. Do one at a time. Check them off your list. Start in one room of your house, one corner of your mind, one day on your busy schedule, and get organized. I have written down twelve ideas for the New Year to help get you organized. Still overwhelmed? Not sure where to start? Pick one area per month. Then by next year you will have 12 areas of life more in check and a little more organized. But have a plan of action. Map out your weeks or months so you can tackle one thing at a time.…
Read MoreMerry Christmas!
Merry Christmas from the Growing Weisser family. We love you so much and hope that you are having a blessed day celebrating the birth of our Savior and Lord!
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Oh Christmas Card, Oh Christmas Card…
It’s that time again – the time to make your Christmas card and receive many in the mail! So much fun! But, I have found that a lot of people are unaware of how many options you really have for personalized photo Christmas cards. The most common place that I know of is Costco- Easy and Affordable. And, don’t get me wrong- I LOVE COSTCO! Unfortunately, many other people do, too, which means that you run the risk of using the same template that 50 of your closest friends may choose! Today, I am going to give you a list of some other options to try this year if you feel like branching out!
**Click on the names in the list to go directly to their Christmas card sections!**
1. Costco
Range: $34.50 for a set of 50 cads making each the cost $0.69 per card
Additional sets of 25 cards is $17.25 (still $0.69 per card)
PROs: Great templates, You can create your card online and pick them up at the store which cuts down on Shipping Costs
CONs: Many people use Costco for their Christmas cards
Check the in-mail coupons for potential discounts and deals on Christmas Cards
2. Shutterfly
Range: $0.89 for 12 to $0.40 for 225+ (Cheapest option) to $3.99 for 1 to $1.98 for 201+
PROs: Numerous templates, Site is easy to use, There is ALWAYS a discount!, 100% satisfaction guarantee, Free and unlimited storage of your photos, Offers mailing services and envelope upgrades
CONs: Large logo on your card
Current discount:
Save 50% on orders of $149 or more.
Save 40% on orders of $49 – $148.
Save 30% on orders less than $49
Enter code: CYBERSAVE (Ends Tomorrow! Check later this week or next for new discounts!)
Free economy shipping on orders of …
Read MoreHarvest Pumpkin Spice Granola
Preparing for family and friends coming for Thanksgiving week? Wondering how you can be proactive regarding the “other meals” you need to have prepared and organized? When you have family coming from out of town that will stay with you for a few days before and after the Thanksgiving day meal it is wonderful to have some nutritious and delicious food available for your guests. Harvest Pumpkin Spice Granola can be made a week or more ahead of time and stored in an airtight container. Put it out for breakfast with yogurt and fruit or fill ziplock bags for snack time when you go on a walk to the park.
Ingredients
8 cups oats
5 cups Grapenuts
1 cup oatbran
1/2 cup flaxseed or ground flax meal
1/2 cup wheatgerm
2 cups almonds
1 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
1 cup coconut
3 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons vanilla
3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup honey
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
Other add ins: chopped dried apricots, chopped dates, walnut pieces, sesame seeds
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients except dried fruit. In a small bowl combine melted coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla until well mixed. Pour liquid over dry and toss carefully until mixed thoroughly. Pour into two large roasting pans and bake in 325 degree oven for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. When golden brown, remove from oven and add dried fruit. Stir and allow to cool before placing in airtight container. Will keep for 2-3 weeks if you don’t eat it all up while your company is visiting.