It's a Family Thing...

It's Official...

Nikki has now been initiated into our family camping trips! And she did marvelously. I knew she would do fine when she had to go to the bathroom and went behind a tree:) You mountain woman you!
Nikki's parents were able to come and we all had a fantastic time.

Fathers Day Fun

Yesterday was Fathers Day and Jeremy and I spent part of the day with my parents. We were talking about the "good ol' days" when we would go on our camping adventures. It was so fun remembering all the fun things we did as a family. I thought I'd post some old pictures of our camping fun! There are so many things I admire about my dad and so many things he taught me. When I look at these pictures it reminds me of how strong and brave he was, and still is. He was the one that taught me not to fear but to always trust in the Lord:)
Happy Fathers Day Dad! I love you!

Last Minute Camping Trip

Kinda last minute, Jeremy and I went to Pineknot campground in Big Bear!

We only went for one night but it was AMAZING!

Growing up, my parents always took us camping, because that's what we could afford and I wouldn't change it for the world!

I have the best memories of our crazy family camping trips:) I am so blessed that Jeremy loves to camp too:)

I told my dad he should be a camp ranger and we could be his jr. camp rangers! haha!

It was so beautiful, all the trees that smelled so sweet
It was super cold, got down to 39 degrees that night. The high was 55! Brrrr!

This is part of what we hiked

Mmmm...one of the best things about camping is the food. Not healthy but at least the whole wheat pancakes made me feel better:)

Got to the top of the summit and climbed the ski lift

S&N's Secret Wedding Cookbook

For the last few months I have been working on a secret cookbook for my brother and Nikki as a wedding gift. I was able to finish it in time for Nikki's bridal shower so I gave it to her then. It was a family effort, between the numerous emails and mailings of pictures we were able to put together something very special:) I love the way it turned out and Stephen and Nikki loved it too! Take a look! Just click on the link then click on the book itself.

Here is a picture of Nikki opening it at her shower, she went through it and explained what every picture was-it was soo cute!

Wedding Cookbook by cinderellygirl Cookbook

Great news! Dad's home! He was able to come home yesterday.
He worked with the physical therapist walking the halls and even the a few stairs!
Well let me rephrase that- it was more like the PT and nurses telling him to slow down!
He was determined to get around but he is still pretty shaky and his left side just isn't
cooperating. The PT showed us some exercises we can do with my dad to help get
his motor skills back to normal.
I forgot to tell you all that during the surgery the Dr. had to stop and look at the MRI
because that only showed one fluid sack but when he opened him up there were three.
It ended up being a good thing because the Dr. lanced all three and all of it including the
tumor pulled away and he was able to make a clean cut and get all of the tumor. Praise
God!
Love, Cindy

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

Dad's Updates

Day 3

Happy Resurrection Day! This morning the physical therapist came and worked with my dad. She asked if my dad had a A type personality, she said she could tellbecause she does too:) She had him comb his hair, brush his teeth, and shave. Good thing he could use his right hand cause his left hand is still uncoordinated. He later tried to answer his room phone and knocked himself in the head! There was a 7.2 earthquake in Baja CA and we were rocking pretty good. We were on the 4th floor and the nurse said that the building was on rollers so it was definitely a strange feeling. Right after the earthquake a nurse came, with a wheelchair, to move my dad out of ICU to a regular room. He was so excited he wanted to "help" her and started pulling off all his tubes and wires, good thing he didn't pull out his IV! The nurse had to tell him to "stop helping":) From working with the physical therapist to the earthquake to moving rooms he was so wiped out that he didn't walk today. Later this afternoon and evening his cough came back, from the bronchitishe got a couple weeks ago. He was trying so hard not to cough because he said his head felt like it was going to explode. His nurse put an order in for some robitussin. Please pray that his cough will go away and he'll be able to sleep. His neck pain seemed better today though.Thanks for your prayers! God is good!Love, Cindy Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead1 Peter 1:3

Day 2

My dad had a pretty good day today. His neck is still very sore but the pain medicine seemsto help. His motor skills on his left side are not fully back yet, when we got there this morning he was laughing telling us that he went to move his pillowand, "punched myself in the eye"! By the time we left tonight his coordination seemed to be a lot better though. This morning his nurse had him get up and sit in a chair, he was very dizzy and shaky. Later tonight he was sitting in the chair for about an hour and did really well. He had a ct scan this morning and it showed that he had a few air bubbles and a some blood where the incision was but the Dr. said that was normal. We think he will be moved out of ICU tomorrow. I've been telling my dad to take it easy but he's talking about how he needs to eat and walk so he can get out of there:) Since his neck pain and dizziness gets pretty bad when he tries to get up we've been able to hold off on walking, for now. I'm sure he'll want to be up and moving tomorrow. It is amazing the progress he has made just in the last 24 hours, God is good! Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! I've attached a picture of my dad about to eat lunch:) Love, Cindy Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.Psalm 103: 1-5

Day 1

Hi Everyone! Cindy here. Wanted to send out a quick update. My dad's surgery was a success! Praise the Lord! Instead of taking 7-8 hours it only took 5.5. The surgeon said therewas calcium/bone starting to develop in the tumor, which made it a little more difficultto remove. He said, as far as he could tell, he was able to remove all of the tumor! My dad was in recovery till about 7pm then they moved him to ICU. My mom was able tosee him while he was in recovery and told him that the surgery was over and it went really well, he was very surprised it was already over:) Once in ICU Jeremy and I andStephen and Nikki were able to see him. He looked great! He was talking with us and praising the Lord:) He has been sleeping a lot, he said, "I've been sleeping like a baby" which is great! He reminded me to make sure I sent out the update email and also askfor prayer for his neck, he is having intense pain below the incision. I know all the troopswill be on it, thank you!:) Overall, a long day but a great day! We cannot thank you enough for your prayers, we are so blessed by all of you!! Love, Cindy

Magnificent Macaroon

My dad's brain tumor surgery is supposed to be this Friday and I was thinking about something special I could make to surprise him with. I know he loves coconut, I made a coconut cake for our early Easter celebration and he loved that...I know! Macaroons! I recently saw a recipe for them and thought I'd give it a try. I bought the ingredients and stopped by my new favorite place, Sweet Mercantile Co. To find something cute/festive to put the macaroons in. This is a magical place that has everything you can ever imagine for baking. I just found this place and it is only 1 minute from us, I'm not exaggerating either-I timed it:) They also have cake decorating classes, which I am definitely signing up for. How did I not know about this place sooner! Anyways, I got everything I needed and went to work. I am always a little nervous trying out new recipes but they turned out beautifully! Jeremy and his mom taste tested them and gave them a big thumbs up. I will definitely make these again-even though they are so not healthy:) I am giving them to my dad tomorrow, hope he likes them!

The Best Macaroons Ever

1 large bag of shredded or Flake Coconut
*I used a 14 oz. bag of Bakers Angel Flake coconut, you can also use shredded.
If you don’t want to worry about spreading, add about 1 1/2 cups extra coconut.
They won’t be quite as chewy though.
1 can of Condensed Milk (Eagle Brand)
1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
dash of salt
1 egg white
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper, or spray sheets with cooking spray. With a small or large ice cream scoop, place mounds of coconut mixture onto trays. These macaroons spread a bit, so don’t place too closely together. Bake at 375 degrees until very golden brown. The bottoms of the cookies should be very brown. Approximate baking time in my oven is about 15-18 minutes. Check the cookies half way through. Don’t panic if they have spread! Take a knife or a heat proof spatula, and press edges back to center.These are also good filled with Raspberry or Strawberry jam, and drizzled with white or Dark Chocolate. You can also make macaroon cookies, and drizzle with chocolate or dip the bottoms in melted chocolate. Once dipped, place back on parchment paper lined cookie sheet, and place in freezer or fridge until the chocolate has set. These will stay moist and chewy for days.

Revisions

I was asked to include the recipes along with the pictures I recently posted. I have almost all of them up there, must finish typing the rest:)

Try Outs

I've tried out a couple more new recipes, and they were delectable!! I LOVE spinach in all forms and I found a fantastic recipe for Parmesan Spinach Cakes, you get all the nutrients from the spinach as well as good protein from the cheese and eggs - protein is soo important to have throughout the day. I also made Tuna Steaks, Oriental Style - Yum! Jeremy says the sauce tastes like Benihana sauce:) We both love this recipe and it looks pretty too! (I am still working on my photography skills, that might take a while:)


Parmesan Spinach Cakes

12 ounces fresh spinach,
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, or low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
2 large eggs, beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.Preheat oven to 400°F.
2.Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add ricotta (or cottage cheese), Parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
3.Coat 8 cups of the muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups (they will be very full).*
4.Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a clean cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more Parmesan, if desired.
*I only made a half of a recipe and put about 2 Tbl. of the spinach mixture on a cookie sheet - that's why my picture of them looks like spinach cookies instead of cakes:)





Tuna Steaks, Oriental Style

Relishing Recipes

My dear (soon to be) sis-in-law gave me the book The Makers Diet while Jeremy was in the hospital and I LOVED it! It completely made sense to me that we should eat the way the "Maker" intended us to. Lots of veggies, fruit, meats, herbs and spices - well there is a lot more to it than that but I highly recommend this book. I've been incorporating a lot of the recipes from the book into our diet. We don't eat this way 100% of the time but we do more often than not:) These meals are DELICIOUS! These do take some time to make but it is so worth it! Here are a few pics of some meals I have made the past few weeks.


Chicken Fajitas

Red Meat Chili

3 lbs. ground meat
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
2 onions, finely chopped
2-4 small green chilies, seeded and chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbl. ground cumin
2 Tbl. dried oregano
2 Tbl. dried basil
1/4 to 1/2 red chili flakes
4 cups canned kidney beans
No-oil chips for garnish
Chopped green onions for garnish
Sour cream for garnish
Avocado slices for garnish
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Brown meat. Add all ingredients to crock pot and mix. Cook for about 4-6 hours on low.




Beef Stew

3 lbs. beef stew meat cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup red wine
4 cups beef stock
1 can whole tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbl. tomato puree
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
several sprigs thyme, tied together
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2-3 small pieces orange peel
8 small red potatoes
1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
Salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in crock pot except the potatoes and carrots. Cook for 8 hours, put carrots and potatoes in 2 hours before it's ready. Season to taste.




Spicy Chicken Stuffed Peppers

2 free-range chicken breasts
2 Tbl. butter
1 cup organic brown rice
1/2 cup diced jalapenos
2 cups organic black beans
2 Tbl. soy sauce
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 red or yellow peppers (either whole or half)
1 slice ezekiel or sourdough whole-grain bread

Bake chicken at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes of cooking, baste with butter. Bring 2 1/2 cups of water and 1 cup of brown rice to a boil. Stir once, then let simmer for 45 minutes. Add diced jalapenos and cheese to black beans; and cook on low heat. Add soy sauce to bean mixture, stirring occasionally. Take chicken out of oven and slice. Add to bean mixture and simmer for 15 minutes. Mix brown rice into bean mixture and mix well. Cut off tops of the peppers or cut in halves; place desired amount of stuffing into them. Slice the bread and place on top of stuffed peppers. Bake in oven 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 4. (The bread helps the stuffing from not getting crispy on top)



Easy Curried Chicken

2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cups coconut milk
4 Tbl. butter
3 Tbl. whole-grain flour(soaked)
1 Tbl. curry powder
1 tsp. chopped onion
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter, then add flour and curry powder; cook for 5 minutes. Pour in coconut milk and stir well until boiling. Add the onion, then put in chicken seasoning and heat. Add lemon juice when ready to serve. Goes great with brown rice and veggies.

Jeremy Update

Great news!
Jeremy had his CT scan on Tuesday, we went to see the Dr. on Wednesday and he was able to get the picc line out! Thank you Jesus! The Dr. showed us the ct scan results from when he first went into the hospital and the one he just had, the abscess was dramatically smaller and the fluid around his lungs is almost gone! Jeremy has to take antibiotics by mouth for two months, the down side of that is his stomach is not liking it very much:(

When Jeremy went to the infusion center to get the picc out the nurse said it wouldn't hurt and told him to take a deep breath, well he kept thinking about how this line was going into his artery all the way to his heart and he almost passed out! You'd think after all he's gone through it wouldn't be a problem, haha! After the nurse took it out she put her thumb over the spot and put all her body weight onto it, that didn't feel very good and it was sore the rest of the day. He asked if he'd be able to work out and the nurse said that he should take it easy for the next few days and he asked how would he know if he is doing too much and the nurse said, "Well if you start bleeding then you'll know you're doing too much". So we decided not to work out for the next few days:)
Thank you all for your prayers!

God is good!
Love, Cindy

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure"
Psalm 16:9

Crazy Adventure

It has been a crazy few months for us! The three most important guys in my life have had quite an adventure. First, Jeremy being in the hospital 24 days. Second, my dad loosing his job because of down sizing and finding out his brain tumor is back. Third, my brother getting engaged to an amazing girl! And all this happened in about 2 months time! If you would have told me a year ago that this was all going to happen I probably would have had a nervous break down right on the spot! The Lord is so good. He knows what we can handle and when. He has blessed me with peace and strength that only comes from Him. The Lord has proven His faithfulness over and over again. I don't know why I ever question the Lord and ask, "why?". "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28.
AMEN! Thank you Lord!