Homemade Crackers

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour (rye,buckwheat or cornmeal can be substituted)
1/2 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
4 T. water, add more as needed
1 t. seasoning such as chili powder or dried herbs (optional)

Preheat oven 400 degrees

MIx together 1 c. flour, salt & oil. Add 3 T. water & mix well. Gradually add more water, mixing after each time. Should eventually make a compact ball. If it seems too sticky, add more flour.

Sprinkle work space w/ additional flour & roll dough until it's approx. 1/8" thickness. ( I roll it out on cookie tray so I don't have to move it.)

Place dough on cookie tray. Cut w/ pizza cutter.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. You may need to flip after 10 or so minutes, to make sure inside crackers get done.

Yields: appox. 1 pound.

It's the FINAL Countdown.....

This is the last week of my fast. Overall it has been an excellent experience. I can see myself doing it again next year. I thought I'd list a couple of my favorite recipes that I'll probably continue after the fast.

Spicy Mexican Bean Burger

1 16oz can of red kidney beans, drained & mashed
1- medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, steamed & mashed
1/8 c. picante sauce (spicy or mild to your taste)
1 c. crushed rice cakes (approx. 2)
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t. salt or to taste
1/2 t. black pepper or to taste
dash chili pepper

1. Min all ingred. in a lg bowl. Add more flour to create a firmer mixture or more salsa if mix is too stiff.

2. Form mixture into balls & form into patties

3. Bake 450 degrees 15-20 minutes, until firm, brown, & done.

Yields: 8-10 burgers depending on size.

Menu Jan. 17-23

Sunday Lunch: pizza leftovers. Kelly-veggie bean soup/wheat crackers
Dinner: BBQ pork, potato salad, fruit salad. Kelly- Spicy Mexican veggie burger.

Monday: Jambalaya w/ veggie & fruit. Kelly-soup

Tuesday: Salmon patties, fried potatoes, & pears. Kelly-whole wheat pasta/crushed tomatoes

Wednesday: Leftovers, veggie/fruit

Thursday: spaghetti/hot bread/green beans. Kelly-leftoverse

Friday: soup & cheese sandwiches. Kelly-soup & corn chips

Saturday Lunch: sandwiches
Dinner: eggs/bacon/french toast. Kelly-salad & popcorn

This ones for Rachel!

Let's see...its been at least a couple of months since I listed out my menu. As you know, I'm doing the Daniel Fast so this is for the boyz.

Today: Lunch at Logan's
Dinner: leftovers from lunch, Kelly-mushroom soup (recipe follows)

Monday: Sloppy joes on a bun or chip dip(that's how Jeff prefers to eat it), veg, & fruit. Kelly- whole wheat spaghetti w/ tomatoes/mushrooms/onions/garlic

Tues: Clean out the fridge night-sloppy joes, ravioli, some random red stuff. Kelly- black bean soup, veg, fruit

Wed: Stromboli w/ dipping sauce, veg, fruit. Kelly-leftovers....

Thurs: Homemade Chicken strips, mashed potatoes, fruit, maybe bread. Kelly- potato pancakes/salad

Friday: leftovers if any or homemade pizza. Kelly- leftovers

Saturday: Lunch-sandwiches/chips. Kelly-banana & mixed nuts (favorite snack!)
Dinner: crockpot taco porkloin w/ tortillas & the fixin's. Kelly- veggie chili & salad.


Mushroom Soup
1 T oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 t. dill
1 T paprika
1/8 t. pepper
2 T soy sauce
2 c. veggie stock
2 T oil
3 T whole wheat flour
1 c. sugar free soy milk
2 t. lemon juice

1. In a soup pot, saute onion in oil until soft.
2. Add mushrooms, dill, paprika, & pepper, then saute for 5 mins.
3. Add soy sauce & stock, cover & simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Heat oil in saucepan & add flour. Cook one minute, stirring constantly, then whisk in the soymilk until smooth.
5. Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.
6. Add to the mushroom mixture & blend in. Cover & simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Just b/4 serving, stir in the lemon juice.

Yields: 6-8 servings.

Day 2

I'll admit it...I almost failed last night. I tend to get the munchies in the evening & the cravings hit hard about 9. Instead of blowing it, I grabbed a handful of almonds & some soy nuts and LOTS of water. Today, I decided I needed to make some fast snack-y type foods for just an almost "blow-it" moment. I made homemade corn chips as well as whole wheat crackers. To my surprise they both were pretty tasty. Jeff sampled the corn chips and agreed that they were pretty good. In fact he ate 3 of them & said he'd better stop so I'd have some for later.

Breakfast was skipped again this a.m. It is our last day of vacation b/4 school & work begins tomorrow. For lunch, I did pretty much the same as yesterday. Oatmeal w/ 1/4c. dried mixed fruit & 5 chopped almonds and a serving of strawberry/orange/banana juice. For supper, I had made Indian Fry Bread(like a tortilla) earlier in the day, so I had one of those w/ refried beans, avacado chunks, tomatoes & grn chilies, corn, & some leftover bag salad on top. It was really good. I pkgd up the leftovers to take some to school tomorrow.

Day 2

Daniel Fast Day 1

A couple days ago, it was decided(b/w me & the Lord) that I would take part in the Daniel Fast for the next 21 days. About a month ago, our pastor mentioned that the church would be fasting starting today and ending Jan. 24th, on our 6th birthday of the church. At that time, I thought I would give up Facebook as my "fasting". I really started to think & pray about that decision & came to the realization, that knowing myself, I could easily "fill" my facebook time w/ other things electronic (ebay, wii, xbox, blogging...) so I came to the decision to participate in the Daniel Fast.

I thought this might be a good outlet for thoughts & things I'm learning about myself & to become closer to God. I'm hoping to propel my relationship with him and to dig deeper into his word. I will also have pix & recipes of the meals and snax I eat during the day for fellow fasters.

This morning, I skipped breakfast because I got up too late, so for lunch I had 1/2 c. old fashioned oatmeal with 1/3 c. fresh blueberries and an 8oz glass of strawberry/orange/banana juice. Just a side note...I made the mistake of covering my bowl of oats in the microwave which in turn spilled all over the outside of my container & into the microwave.

For supper, above right, I made a pasta bowl of whole wheat rigatoni pasta, crushed tomatoes, 1 pkg of button mushrooms, & a yellow onion. I did add some Itallian type seasonings as well as s&p to taste. I sauteed the onion & mushrooms that I chopped into big chunks in approx. 2 T. evoo, when they were al dente, I added the can of crushed tomatoes & heated till hot. I then added a cup of this mixture to 1 1/2 c. cooked pasta. I went ahead and measure out 3 more meals to take for lunches at work.

Evening snack, I'll probably have a piece of fruit & 10 blanced almonds.