Intro

We named our blog “Raising Mustard Seeds” after the famous parable in Matthew’s Gospel. We had some mustard seeds of our own laying dormant in our hearts, and finally, the year before our marriage, we began to let those seeds grow. Our journey with Christ hasn’t always been easy, but it has bore more fruit than we could possibly imagine. And through the mustard seeds He planted in our hearts, He opened them to receive little mustard seeds of our own…

While Jesus in this parable is talking about how faith and our relationship with God should grow from something very small to something mighty and powerful, it’s applicable to our children as well. It is our hope that through prayer and proper parenting, our children will grow from small and helpless (tiny mustard seeds) to being mighty in Christ, so that they will be shining lights in the world and people will come to “dwell in the branches” of their faith.

So, this is our little space in the big internet where we will share our most likely crazy experiences as we start our family and we hope those who are close to us will enjoy laughing at us and with us, and maybe even learn something new :)

Thursday, November 1, 2012

A few of my favorite things


It’s Fall! And that means lots of hot tea and soup!!! 

I’m also pregnant, so most of my "favorite things" are food!

 I love meals that taste awesome, are really healthy, very simple, and cheap to make. I wanted to share a couple of my favorite recipes, hope you will have time to enjoy them on a chilly day :-) You’ll notice that many of the ingredients required you probably have on hand already…and if you’re missing something…experiment…these recipes are VERY forgiving.

Pasta e Fagioli (BETTER THAN OLIVE GARDEN!)
·         1 tbsp olive oil
·         1 cup chopped onion
·         2 garlic cloves
·         1 tsp dried, crushed rosemary
·         3-4 chopped carrots
·         4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or you can do 4 cups water+2 bouillon cubes)
·         2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano (do not drain!)
·         1.5 cups mini bow-tie past
·         2 (15 oz) cans white cannellini or white beans, drained and rinsed
·         Grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Heat oil in a large pot, add onion, garlic, rosemary, and carrots. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies soften. Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook about 8 minutes (al dente). Add beans and cook about 2 additional minutes. Serve in bowls with as much parmesan cheese as you want! 

I made a half batch of this Rosemary Olive Oil Bread to go with it and I love it. I would suggest chopping the rosemary very fine if you decide to try it…it’s actually really easy!


Crockpot Vegetarian Enchiladas
  • 28 oz. Diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 14 oz. Chunky salsa
  • 6 oz. Tomato paste
  • 30 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 15 oz. Corn, drained
  • 4 oz. Diced green chiles
  • 2 tsp. Ground cumin
  • 2 tsp. Chili powder
  • 2 Cloves garlic, minced
  • 8-10 Corn tortillas
  • 2 oz. Can of sliced black olives, drained
  • 1 c. Shredded cheddar cheese
Mix everything together in a bowl except tortillas, cheese and olives. In a large crockpot (5 quarts is perfect!), pour 1/3 of the mixture at the bottom of crockpot. Top with 2-3 tortillas (whatever/however you can get the layer to fit) and sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat twice more (mixture, tortillas, cheese), and sprinkle olives over top. Cover and crock on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 5 hours. (Truthfully….I just say it’s done when it looks done J)

Serve in a bowl with any extras you want! Grated cheese (extra sharp cheddar is BEST!), sour cream, chives, jalapenos, chips, rice, or cornbread...the possibilities are endless!!

2 comments:

  1. I fully attest to the deliciousness of this soup!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the vote of confidence :-)

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