What Would The Pioneer Woman Do...

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

The other day when I found myself alone and with nothing to do in the middle of the afternoon, I began to wonder WWTPWOPDD....that's right "What Would the Pioneer Woman Or Paula Deen Do". They would make something scrumptious using ingredients they just happened to have fully stocked in their cupboards. Well, lucky for me, I happened to watch a Pioneer Woman episode the other day and saw her make these delicious strawberry oatmeal bars. Side note: I have become slightly obsessed with the Pioneer Woman. The other day I attended a little conference-thingy for military spouses and we were forced to do an exercise that involved meeting strangers and engaging in small talk prompted by different conversation starter questions...in other words, my own personal hell. (As I told James later in a completely un-dramatic way). Anyways, as I awkwardly introduced myself for the twentieth time in a row, "If you could invite anyone in the world as a dinner guest to your house, who would it be?" I began fumbling through my train of thought, out loud unfortunately, "well I feel like I should say someone important like the President or maybe a world-renowned missionary but I'd probably invite the Pioneer Woman. Except if I did that and she came for dinner I'd have to make sure dinner was really good.....and that's a lot of pressure...." I trailed off. A blank stare ensued. On to the next question please!

This recipe is awesome because you most likely already have all of the ingredients on hand and ready to be whipped into a delicious, buttery-brown sugary bar. WWTPWOPDD you ask? Make strawberry oatmeal bars!

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

From: The Pioneer Woman

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/02/strawberry-oatmeal-bars/

1-3/4 stick cold butter, cut into pieces

1-1/2 cup flour

1-1/2 cup oats (quick or regular)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 jar (10-12 oz) strawberry preserves

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 or 8x10 baking dish. (I used an 8x8 so mine came out thicker than the original recipe. I'm not complaining...more to love!)

2. Mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (or in my case, my hands) until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle half of the mixture into the pan and pat lightly to pack it a little tight.

3. Spoon strawberry preserves evenly over the surface, then use a dinner knife to carefully spread it around. Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly again.

4. Bake until light golden brown on top, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan. When cool, cut into squares and serve!

I figured out how to add text and cool effects to pics...this newest skill might replace my recent fabric flower fetish. 

Speaking of fabric flowers, I finally found something else to adorn with these ridiculously-easy yet look-impressive crafts! After making two wreaths and attaching several to random picture frames, I decided our apartment could not take any more floral additions. For some reason, James does not share my opinion that his Marine uniforms would look much better with a fabric flower adorning the lapel, like an everlasting boutonniere. So I turned my lack of sewing skills/craftiness with a hot glue gun toward some precious headbands for a family friend's new baby girl. As soon as James stepped in the door after work I proudly shoved them in his face and declared, "You know if/when we have a little girl she is going to wear something like this. Every. Single. Day." A blank stare ensued....

Let's just say...I have a lot of time on my hands and enough hot glue sticks to last a while... :)

Parking lot of grace

Last week I stopped to fill up my car with gas. Side note: to me, the gas light comes on to tell you it is time to  stop at the nearest gas station and fill up, obviously. To my husband, who never lets it get below a quarter tank, it is a ticking time-bomb just waiting to blow up and put me, on the side of the highway, stranded with no gas and no hope. The fact that I let it get so low drives him crazy, which is partly why I continue to do so (cue evil laugh...muahahaha). Anyways, I stopped to fill up, watched the numbers tick by way too quickly on the price side and way too slowly on the gallon side, and was prompted to decide whether or not I wanted a receipt. Although I always say "yes", they inevitably end up somewhere in the car only to be thrown out with other trash (no..."treasures") that collect in the crevices of the dear Rav4. This time, like many times, the words "Please get receipt from inside" or something along those lines flashed across the screen and this time, like many times, I decided that required way too much effort and instead got in my car and left. How many of us do that?? When a slip of paper requires a short walk across the parking lot rather than being handed directly to us where we stand waiting, we decide it is just not worth it. I had a moment when I pulled out of that parking lot when I realized not only my own laziness but how grateful I am the Lord does not treat us like that receipt! He waited for generations for His people to come back to Him. He was right there. And yet people were difficult. They were rebellious. They were sinful and disobedient. They didn't come right to Him like a receipt shot out of an automated machine. And yet the Lord didn't decide to just leave when it required too much effort. He decided to rescue us the only way possible - by sending His perfect and only Son to the cross where every other person should have hung instead. He not only walked across a parking lot for me, He picked me up, washed me clean, and saved my life. And the best part...He wants that for every single person that lives and breathes on this earth.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8

A couple weeks ago I tried out this recipe from Skinnytaste.com. It was really taste and share-worthy. Plus no matter what comes from that website, since everything is "skinny", I feel the ability...nay, the obligation, to eat twice as much. Does that negate the point? Not in my logical world!! And of course, my versions are never quite as "skinny" due to the fact I have normal ingredients.

Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese

From: skinnytaste.com

12 oz high fiber elbows (I used whole wheat penne)

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp light butter (I used 2 Tbsp of regular, good ol' butter)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup minced onion

2 cups skim milk

1 cup fat free chicken broth

8 oz. cheddar (she used reduced fat...who are we kidding? We eat regular cheese. Amen.)

Salt and Pepper

4 cups baby spinach (I gave mine a rough chop)

1/8 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Cooking spray

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to the package directions. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large skillet, melt butter. Add flour and cook over a low heat, stirring with a whisk. Add onions and cook another 2 minutes. Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising the heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Once it becomes thick, remove from heat and add cheese. Mix well until cheese is melted and adjust seasonings if needed. Add cooked macaroni and baby spinach.

4. Pour into baking dish. Top with grated Parmesan and bread crumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then broil for a few to get the topping golden.

Well my attempt at organization with meal planning last week actually paid off! And we actually ate all those meals listed! Although, we did have a leftover night so I moved the tacos to Cinco de Mayo which worked out perfecto...ole! Okay that was really cheesy...moving on. The BBQ Beer Chicken in the crockpot was an instant fave and we will definitely be making that again! The Mexican Stuffed Shells were also awesome as were the Pioneer Woman's meatball sliders. I am going to do the same this week and plan out ahead of time. How many times do you have to do something to make it a habit? Let's hope two.

Monday - Cheesy Tortellini Spinach Bake  (I pinned this then had the sneaky feeling I may have made this before...obviously it's been too long!)

Tuesday - Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Wednesday - Perfect Potato Soup (perfect way to use up some potatoes before they sprout eyes and creep me out)

Thursday - Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos