Ruth 1.1

"Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons."
              -Ruth 1:1

Before diving into a passage of Scripture, it is nice to know a few facts about what was happening when the passage was written. This is one small verse, but it gives us a lot of information.

"Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled,..."
Here we have the timeframe - the days when the judges ruled. Those days were not good days. This is after God has delivered the Israelites from the land of Egypt. A trip that should have taken the nation about 2 weeks to arrive at the Promise Land, took them 40 years due to their disobedience. Moses has died, Joshua has died, and the people off and on rejected God to serve false gods. They were in a vicious cycle   

Serve God -> Forsake God -> Follow False gods -> Go into captivity -> Cry out to God for Deliverance -> God Raised a Judge -> He Delivered the People 

and then they start ALL OVER AGAIN. They did this 13 times. 13 times God raised up a judge to deliver them from their stupidity.

And now, not only is it the dark days of the judges, but now there is a famine in the land. Times are tough. Instead of trusting God to provide and instead of turning to Him, our little family of the hour decides to move to Moab. 

How often do we not rely on the Lord to provide for our needs? Is He not fully capable of providing for us? Of course He is!!! But how many times do we miss out on His blessings because we abandon ship? We MUST have stronger FAITH! 

I grew up in church, and when I was in elementary school we had a children's choir. We did little plays all through the year. If you know what kind of little plays I am referring to, then you know that they ALWAYS have catchy songs. One of the songs that I can partially remember was called F-A-I-T-H. It was a cute little song, but has a powerful message. Some of the words were....

"F-A-I-T-H that's how the word is spelled, and each letter stands for a word of it's own FAITH! For All I Trust Him! FAITH! For All I Trust Him! That's the way my faith can be described."

TRUST HIM FOR EVERYTHING! Isn't He OMNIPOTENT?! Isn't He OMNISCIENT?! Isn't He OMNIPRESENT?!!? Of course He is!! Let's ask ourselves: "How can my faith be described?" If it isn't total reliance on God, we need to make a change! Let's make the commitment today to trust God in all circumstances!

DIY Granola Bars

I love granola bars! However, most store-bought granola bars contain more soy than I would like for myself and my family to consume. After searching for a recipe that works for me, I finally found one (at kneadtocook.com). They taste delish - a little crumbly - but delish. Hopefully I can work with them and they won't crumble so much in the future. I did add some chocolate chips...mainly because I love chocolate :). Give them a try yourself! Find the recipe below!

Ingredients

• 1 heaping cup of dates
• 1 cup of whole almonds, raw
• 1 1/3 cup of rolled oats
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup of almond butter (or whatever nut butter you prefer)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

In your food processor, add the pitted dates and process for about 30-45 seconds or until they break down and then roll up into a large ball. Remove and place in your stand mixer with the paddle attached. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Ona baking sheet with sides, add the oats (one side) and your almonds (on the other). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just toasted. Give the almonds a chance to cool down and then roughly chop them. Add the oats and nuts to your dates in the stand mixer bowl. Add the sea salt. Mix until combined.

On the stovetop in a small sauce pan, add the nut butter, vanilla, and syrup over low heat and whisk until melted and smooth. Pour over the oat mixture and blend again until well coated. Add your additional toppings here. I used chocolate chips!

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

I am a huge lover of Buffalo Wild Wings' *Buffalo Ranch Chicken Wrap* - - it is FANTASTIC. But, while enjoy it so much, let's be real. I can't always spend $13 on just myself for a meal. It's a great treat, but not realistic. So, I decided to check out some recipes that will help me make my favorite meal from home! Below is the recipe for the shredded buffalo chicken I used in the wrap (found at skinnytaste.com). I used whole wheat wraps, but you can cut calories and use lettuce bowls if you wish! I used my own toppings in addition to the chicken, which were

• lettuce
• tomato
• cheese
• buffalo sauce
• ranch

Remember to go easy on the buffalo sauce and the ranch. While they taste great, they are super high in calories.I served my wrap with some raw carrots and "buffalo chips" - my version of Buffalo Wild Wings' buffalo chips. You will find the recipe for my homemade buffalo chips below!

Buffalo Shredded Chicken

Ingredients

• 24 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 16 oz fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce or your favorite buffalo sauce

Directions

In crock pot, combine chicken, onions, garlic and broth (enough to cover your chicken, use water if the can of broth isn't enough). Cover and cook on high 4 hours. Remove the chicken from the pot, reserver 1/2 cup broth and discard the rest. Shred the chicken with two forks, return to the slow cooker with 1/2 cup broth and the hot sauce and set on high for an additional 30 minutes. 

"Buffalo Chips"

Ingredients

• 3-4 red potatoes
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil
• dash of sea salt

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice potatoes thinly - about 1/4" thick. Place in mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil and stir until all the potato slices are coated. Add the dash of salt. Stir once more. Place on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Cook for approximately 30 minutes.

**If you have a larger family and use more potatoes than the recipe calls for, consider cooking slightly longer than 30 minutes. 

ENJOY!!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup celery, chopped
• 3/4 cup carrots, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tbsp salt free poultry seasoning
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Rinse wild rice under running water. Place the uncooked rice, chicken breast, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, chicken broth, water, and poultry seasoning in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on the high setting for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. In the last 1/2 hour of cooking, remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Allow to cool slightly before shredding using forks
• When the rice is done cooking, add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker. Melt the butter and oil in a saucepan. Add the flour and let the mixture cook for 1 minute. Whisk the mixture slowly while adding in the milk. Continue to whisk until all lumps have dissolved. Allow the mixture to thicken and become creamy.
• Add this creamy mixture to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add additional water or milk to your preference if the consistency is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Herbed Red Potatoes and Sprouts

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound of small red potatoes
• 1/2 pound of brussels sprouts
• 1/3 cup of oil
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp of paprika
• 1 tbsp of chopped rosemary
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• In a casserole dish - 9x13 place oil and garlic
• Quarter each potato and half each sprout - place in oil
• Coat the vegetables in a layer of oil
• Season the vegetables with salt, paprika, rosemary and pepper
• Bake for 15 minutes
• Flip vegetables and cook for 15 more minutes

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders

Ingredients

• 16 whole wheat saltine crackers, finely crushed
• 1/4 cup pecans, ground
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 egg white
• Cooking spray
• 1.5 lbs chicken tenders
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flower

Directions

• Preheat over to 425 degrees. Stir together crushed crackers and next 4 ingredients.
• Whisk egg white just until foamy
• Lightly coat cooking pan.
• Drench chicken tenders in flour; dip in egg white, and drench in saltine mixture. Lightly coat chicken on each side with cooking spray; arrange chicken not touching on cooking pan
• Bake at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown, turning once after 12 minutes.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

Ingredients

• 14 oz can tomato sauce
• 3/4 can applesauce, unsweetened
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 Tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 2 -2.5 lb pork loin roast

Directions

• In a large crockpot, add all ingredients except pork and flour, and whisk to combine.
• Place pork roast in a slow cooker and spoon sauce over it. The meat won't be covered completely. Cover and cook on high for 3.5 - 4 hourse or on low for 5 -6 hours.
• Remove meat from slow cooker and shred with 2 forks.
• Add flour to the slow cooker and whisk to combine. Return meat to slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
• Serve warm, on a whole wheat bun with your favorite toppings or on a bed of brown rice/quinoa.