Monterrey Beans & Rice

My parents used to make this dish when I was growing up and even though I never liked it much as a kid, it really grew on me as I hit adulthood.  When Steven and I got married it was one of my go-to recipes and a regular in our dinner rotation.  Since then, I've had to adjust the ingredients a bit because I can no longer have the cheese it originally called for.  Even though I really miss the original flavor with the cheese in it, we still like it quite a bit without it.  It's surprisingly unique and loaded with nutritious peppers, onions, tomatoes, red kidney beans and topped off with salty, crumbled bacon.  Makes excellent leftovers too!    

Monterrey Beans & Rice
Adapted from More-With-Less
Yield: 5 - 6 servings
Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:
1-3 Tablespoons bacon grease
3 cups cooked red kidney beans
1 pound tomatoes (about 2 cups diced)
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces or 6-12 slices bacon
optional: 1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
to serve: 2 cups brown rice (uncooked)

DIRECTIONS:
Start your rice first since it takes the longest to cook.  

Next, cook up your bacon slices according to your preferred method.  A couple years ago I discovered cooking bacon in the oven on a baking sheet and have never looked back.  It's so much easier this way!  My method is similar to this one here, except I do a slightly higher temperature and use parchment paper.  I reserve several tablespoons of bacon grease for cooking the veggie and bean mixture because it adds extra flavor :)

Dice the tomatoes, then cut the onions and peppers into very thin slices and halve.  You can also dice them up like the tomatoes so they blend in better, especially if you're feeding any veggie-averse folks :)

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onions in bacon grease until translucent.  Add the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes.  Add the green pepper and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the peppers are cooked to your liking.  I like to leave them with a slight crunch, especially since we eat this as leftovers that get re-heated.

Just after adding the peppers, tear the cooked bacon slices into small pieces and toss into the pan.  I like using lots of bacon in mine because it adds more flavor and protein, but the original recipe with the cheese in it only calls for two pieces.  You can decide what you prefer :)  If you're trying the cheese: simply stir it in at this point so it gets all melted and mixed around well.

Serve over brown rice.

NOTE
If you use canned tomatoes with salt added, be sure to add a little less salt to your recipe!

Vanilla PB Banana Smoothie (dairy-free)

Before I quit eating sugar two years ago, I used to add around 1/4 cup of sugar to my fruit smoothies.  Yes, that much.  You should have seen me doctor-up my morning coffee.  I had a serious sweet tooth.  As much as my tastebuds have changed since then, I still really don't like a fruit smoothie without the added sugar... unless it's got a ripe banana in it.

What's great about this concoction is it's completely fruit-sweetened and the modest amount of protein and hearty fat from the coconut milk and peanut butter help slow down the sugar spike and provide some good nutrients.  I used to use a scoop of rice protein powder in this to make a completely balanced meal with plenty of protein to balance the sweet banana, but I recently learned that many of the protein powders on the market have been found to contain harmful levels of heavy metals like lead, cadmium and arsenic.  With more digging I discovered that even my carefully-selected protein powder, free of GMOs and pesticides and chemical processing, was still found to contain questionable levels of lead in just a one scoop serving.  Knowing that research is continually finding links between heavy metals (and other environmental toxins) and chronic disease, this didn't sit well with me, so I've cut the extra protein out of this and won't be using protein powder anymore.  While it's probably impossible to avoid all heavy metal exposure in this modern world of ours, reducing intake by cutting out protein powder is one helpful choice I can make.  In this smoothie, most people wouldn't even need it anyway!  It's still a very sustaining snack or light breakfast, and for those that need dairy-free or gluten-free, it's an extremely tasty option!

I freeze my coconut milk and bananas and use a "just add water" approach so that everything can be kept stocked in my kitchen without worry that an ingredient will spoil before getting used up.  This has been huge for us because when you're trying to use fresh ingredients and cook from scratch, most everything has to be planned and used up quickly.  That means if you didn't plan well you may be up a creek without a....anything to eat.  It's a lifesaver to know there's always a snack that can be pulled out and whipped up in just a couple minutes!  Plus, the frozen milk and bananas give the smoothie a slushy and refreshing twist which we love, especially in the warmer months.  

Vanilla Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie (dairy-free)
Yield: 1 serving

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup water
1 frozen banana
4 large ice cubes (or 1/2 cup water frozen into cubes)
3 large frozen cubes of full-fat coconut milk (or about 1/3 cup)
1 heaping Tablespoon natural peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
A little prep work: Stock your freezer with frozen bananas, frozen milk cubes, and ice cubes.  I peel my bananas, split them in half and freeze in a large ziploc bag.  Splitting in half rather than multiple chunks makes it easiest to keep track of how many pieces to grab for a smoothie - two.  I use an ice cube tray to freeze my coconut milk, then transfer into a large ziploc bag.  Each well in my ice tray is about 2 tablespoons.  I measured so I'd know how much I was putting in each smoothie, you can do the same or just wing it :)    

In a blender, combine all the ingredients and puree on highest speed until all frozen chunks are broken down.  Because the mixture is thick and does not have a lot of liquid, use a tamper (i.e that stick that comes with some blenders to help you push food down into the blade) to assist in pushing the frozen ingredients down to get completely blended.  Alternatively, if needed, add more water so the mixture will puree (however this will yield a thinner, less slushy consistency).

NOTE
Our ice-maker has been broken for ages so we use the old-school trays.  That means our ice cubes are the really large square ones.  I'm taking a guess here, but you may need two ice cubes (or one and a half) for each of my one listed if you have typical-sized ice-maker ice.

Also, I sometimes increase the peanut butter in this to beef up on calories when I need a bigger snack or I'm eating this for breakfast.  You could use more milk and less water as another idea, but I usually start with the PB.

A letter to those struggling with physical illness

With my chronic fatigue, I sometimes have weeks where it's difficult for me to leave the couch for the greater part of the day.  When this sets in for many days in a row, the isolation and the longing for work, hobbies, friends, life can really start to get to me.  It's easy - so easy - to fall into despair.  Steven's been reading this book called The Heart of a Servant Leader that contains letters written by Jack Miller to people in a variety of difficult circumstances, and he shared this letter with me one evening last week after a particularly rough day.  Jack suffered with cancer at one point in his life and in this letter he's writing to a woman about to begin chemotherapy.  I found the advice and encouragement equally applicable for my own situation, and wanted to share for others who may be enduring physical limitations or sickness.  It was short and simple but powerfully convicting and encouraging to me to keep fighting and keep going back to the One who can really be trusted when you are helpless and hurting.

Shift Your Trust From Yourself to Christ

excerpt from The Heart of a Servant Leader

Dear Mrs. Jones,

Though I have never met you, I have heard that you have cancer and would like to hear from me.  You know I also have recently suffered from this disease - about the hardest time in my whole life. So I think I understand you.  Most important, do not think of yourself as a victim.  You are not a defeated person.

Fight despair by doing everything you can to maintain a normal life and work.  Struggle to keep yourself active and occupied.  Develop your sense of humor and creativity.  If you do not have the strength to do your ordinary work, find some new tasks to do.  Even if your "work" is only to drink a cup of tea every morning at 10:00 do it and enjoy it.  And if you have the opportunity, prepare a cup of tea for someone else.  Don't spend time thinking about yourself.  Keep exercising your body, and keep serving others even when the only thing you can give is a smile.

However, do not suppress your inward struggles with cancer.  Learn that a powerful hope can grow in you as you become honest with God.  When the symptoms of your illness frighten you or chemotherapy makes you nauseous, pray and tell Him how you really feel.  Admit that you are desperate.  Acknowledge the truth if your misplaced confidence has been in yourself and not in Him.  But shift your trust from yourself to God.  He's a lot bigger than you are!  When you are feeling well, it's easy to say, "I confidently believe that God will help me."  But what you really mean is, "I can handle my own affairs with a bit of assist from God."  So give up presumptuous self-reliance.  Discover the power of a living faith placed in a mighty God!  To trust Him, do these two things:

1. Ask Christ to show God's love to you.
2.  Read my pamphlet "How to Cope with Personal Crisis" at least three times.

Dear friend, make Christ your only hope.  Trust in Him and trust your life to Him.  Take this loving Lord into your heart.  Your security will not be in yourself or medical technology or diet but in God alone.  He will shepherd you in His mighty love through every trial that comes your way.  Be of good courage!

                                                                   Cordially yours,
                                                                   C. John Miller