I found this gluten-free, honey-and-fruit-sweetened banana apple buckwheat muffin recipe in my parents' Whole Living magazine. I make it all the time. These make a great breakfast or snack!
They say one recipe makes 4 muffins, but I've found that one recipe makes more like 7 muffins.
I usually use gala apples and found that they work great. These muffins are moist and yummy and healthy!
Ingredients
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp coarse salt
2 large eggs
1/2 mashed banana
1/4 cup honey
1/2 finely diced (peeled and cored) sweet apple (such as Honeycrisp)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place four baking cups in a muffin tin.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, banana, and honey. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, then fold in apple and walnuts.
Fill the batter to the tops of the lined cups and fill remaining cups halfway with water.
Bake 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.
Cook's Note
Store muffins in an airtight container up to 2 days.
Just wanted to share pictures of a few of the things that I especially liked from our wedding. Enjoy!
I hope this sparks some ideas for anyone out there who's planning a wedding. Feel free to borrow them—after all, we borrowed most of them ourselves! :)
We had our guests sign quilt squares and now we can sew the squares together to have a keepsake quilt!
Our quilt squares
A game for guests: Questions on the escort cards – the answer is the name of the table!
Staggered flowers on the cake
We had the men and ladies trade accessories for a photo shoot!
Mini jam jars for a favor – with John 15:5 about bearing fruit
We invited our guests to each decorate a table in their own unique style!
We invited our guests to each decorate a table in their own unique style!
We invited our guests to each decorate a table in their own unique style!
I made a food invention today. They're nothing crazy or super-innovative, nothing with ingredients you haven't already eaten together. I call them patty cakes.
It's one of those Saturdays where we're just working on things around the house... and then I remembered: "Oh, I guess we need to eat lunch." So, I looked in the fridge and freezer to see what I could scrounge up. And I found some hash brown patties in the freezer. So I decided to make breakfast for lunch with my patty cake invention. You can really just use whatever you have on hand in this recipe.
They're so easy. You'll need:
Hash brown patties (same number of patties as cakes you want to make)
Eggs (same number of eggs as cakes you want to make)
Cheese (optional, I used cheddar and pepper jack)
Salt & pepper (optional)
Other optional toppings include: sausage pieces, diced ham, bacon pieces, diced onion, diced green pepper, mushrooms, or anything else that you like to eat in your breakfast.
To do:
Heat some oil in a skillet and put the hash brown patties in the skillet for about 5 minutes.
Flip over the patties and heat the other side for another minute or two. Season with a little salt & pepper, if you want. Then flip back over.
Try to make a little cut/hole/dip in the middle of each patty. It didn't work very well for me. It's ok if it gets messy.
Crack an egg on top of each patty and pull any runny egg goop back over onto the patty. Then flip each patty over until the eggs are cooked through.
After the egg is cooked, flip back over. Add any toppings you like—we added sausage and ham. Let cook for another minute or so.
Put cheese on top. We added cheddar and pepper jack. Cover and let cook until cheese is melted.
Serve immediately. Hot and yummy. And only one skillet and one spatula to wash. Yes.
Do you have any recipes you've invented? What are they?
They all help us grow to have a thriving marriage!
Intrigued? Read on....
We just got home from the 2013 CrossWay Marriage Retreat. It was filled with all kinds of good (figurative... and literal) food to chew on and digest. I encourage you to listen to the talks (which are available on CrossWay's website) if you were unable to attend. Here are some helpful things that I took away and hope to implement in my marriage.
First Session: Mike Bullmore - The Goodness of a Godward Marriage (click here to listen)
"Who you love determines how you live."
Cheese balls: Does my marriage tip toward a love of self or a love of God? Remember: In the absence of a biblical vision, we will default toward a self-focused marriage.
God's purpose in marriage: relational joy, growth in holiness, fruitful service.
Mr. Lawyer-pants: Be committed to preferring one another... that is, don't favor your own way of doing things. We all come in with expectations. Ask: "What is it like for my spouse right now?" And have humble compassion. Don't elevate your own way.
Revel in forgiveness—remember that it is a privilege to extend the grace and forgiveness you've been given.
A Godward marriage depends on a continual orientation toward God and away from self. This re-orientation needs to happen pretty much daily.
Mountain meadows: When you look ahead, this does not have to be an insurmountable cliff to climb, but a very walkable uphill path to a beautiful, lush place.
Breakout Session 1: Mark Rogers - Growing Through Conflict and Disagreement (click here to listen)
We didn't go to this one... because we never experience conflict. Haha. Just kidding. I'm excited to download it, listen to it, and talk about it with Eric.
Breakout Session 2: Dan Allen - Tending Your Spiritual Garden Together (click here to listen)
Remember, if you want to reap a harvest, it will take labor and sweat.
I am the primary human agent God is using to pour out grace on my spouse. And my spouse is the primary human agent God is using to pour out His grace on me. Remember this as you interact with one another—you are brother and sister in Christ. And remember God is working in you both.
Growing asparagus: It can take a long time. And you may not see fruit right away. Be confident that growth is happening under the soil even if you can't see it, and keep watering.
(A point my wise husband made) Sometimes we might plant and water, expecting a certain result. Let's not be discouraged if God brings about a different result. We may look at the asparagus patch we keep trying to grow... let's not miss the pumpkins growing over there.
My spouse can not be God to me. Don't expect my spouse to fulfill/satisfy what only God can. That will frustrate me and put pressure on my spouse.
No part of our lives is neutral—we're either fostering or hindering spiritual intimacy with our spouses in all we do.
9 minutes of prayer: God will use all of our efforts. Just because we fall short doesn't mean we'll come up empty. Example: If you're not praying at all, set a realistic goal to pray together for three minutes, 3 times a week (rather than, say, 3 hours every day). It may not be much to start... but 9 minutes is better than no minutes.
Gold butterfly necklace: This is a gift God has given to you so that you can bless others, glorify Him, and experience the sweetness yourself.
Don't wait to serve until your marriage is more mature/stable. Serving is something that will make your marriage more mature and stable.
If your serving feels like it's dividing you, you're doing it wrong. Don't stop serving. Serve differently.
Serving others = loving our neighbors as ourselves (Luke 10:25-28). Remember: you do this together when you are married, because the two have become one flesh, all of the Scriptural commands are not just "me" and "I", but "we" and "us."
Sweet Dorito vomit: Even the un-fun things can be sweet when you are serving in unity.
Your marriage and serving your church are not to be in competition with each other. If you can't actually serve together, be involved in what the other is doing.
Extend hospitality. Love your church and your community. And not just the people who are like you.
Pray together about whether god is calling you to go and serve on the mission field together. Not all believers are called to go, but all are called to be willing to go. If you're not willing, ask God to make you willing.
Let God's mission for His glory to be made known in the earth give you perspective... that little thing that bugged you today about your spouse may not be such a big deal in light of the eternally significant things happening around you.
What stands out to you from these talks? What do you take away from them?
I also love going back to my regular favorites after a month-and-a-half of "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."
It's Christmas all over again.
A rediscovered treasury of sweet lyrics and sounds that had been hibernating in my iPod.
Oh yes! I remember now! I do love this song!
So, of course, I've been listening a lot to Light for the Lost Boy, Andrew Peterson's newest album. (By the way, AP is coming to Chicago on March 15 and I'm super-excited about it.)
I love the picture that he paints in these songs (Shine Your Light on Me and Carry the Fire). What a beautiful picture: the Body of Christ.
Serving one another in love.
Carrying one another's burdens.
Doing life with each other.
Encouraging each other.
Just being there.
Celebrating God's goodness—together.
What a good gift God has given us in one another. What a good thing He's done—giving us one another to point each other to the One who created all this goodness.
What a joy. And an ache for That Day.
A beautiful, achy joy.
It makes me think of those many times God has blessed me with brothers and sisters to carry the fire for me. The times I've ben surrounded by the Servants of the Secret Fire—and I've felt God's sustaining power through His people...
I was young and didn't know what I needed—aimless. And they were faithful to lead. And provide. And point me to the One I need more than them.
A new place—unknown. New people. But, oh, the power of the Church united. And so I found... that I was still at home.
My heart broke—misled. And my dear friend listened. And held. And listened some more.
I wandered there—looking. Making new friends... not knowing how much I needed to remember the Truth. And they surrounded me. Hundreds. Worshipping the risen Christ.
I felt the pain of a loss—severed. And I called up the tired new mom. And she reminded me who I am.
I saw the raw pain of sin—aching. And then Easter. Celebrating Jesus come to life with the Bride.
On the other side of the world—unfamiliar. And there my sister was, trusting with simple faith in the same God I love.
I walked down that aisle—diving. There he was, with love in his eyes. And there they were. Supporting us as we said "till death do us part" to loving like He loves.
Reading those pages about my brave warrior sister—reminded. We must love. And we must tell them. Because they need Him.
I walked through the door—weary. To chores done. And he patiently held tightly.
The other day I had my iTunes on shuffle and found that a lot of the songs were so appropriate for the new year! Maybe that's just because all my old music sounds fresh again after a month of Christmas music. But, in any case, here are some songs that are great for perspective and the new year. And maybe for you they'll be new songs! :)
Let Me Sing
by Andrew Peterson
I wanna open up my eyes
And see a more beautiful world
Let the hand of God Almighty
Sweep His colors through my life
I wanna hold tight to the laughter
And ride it like a child
On the winds that billow joyful
Through the sky
I wanna open up my heart
But you know, sometimes it's hard to find
Because I've buried it beneath the selfishness
That I've hidden behind
I wanna stand my ground unshaken
But I wanna tremble when I kneel
And let my song remain unbroken
Through the tears
So let me sing for the love
Let me love for the lost
Let me lose all I have
For what I found on the cross
Let me trust you with my life
Let me live to give you praise
Lord, let me praise you
For the grace by which I'm saved
Lord, let me sing
I wanna open up Your word
And let the thirsty enter in
So they can drink deep of the water
You have given to them
I want to run the race with vigor
I want to fight the fight with strength
And let my song rise from a whisper
To a scream
I wanna open up my arms
And embrace that old rugged cross
I wanna take pride in the reason
And be humbled by the cause
And when this lisping, stamm'ring tongue
Lies silent in the grave
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing your praise
I'll sing your praise
So let me sing for the love
Let me love for the lost
Let me lose all I have
For what I found on the cross
Let me trust you with my life
Let me live to give you praise
Lord, let me praise you
For the grace by which I'm saved
Lord, let me sing
~~~
Good to be Alive
by Jason Gray
Hold on
Is this really the life I'm living?
Cause I don't feel like I deserve it
Every day that I wake, every breath that I take you've given
So right here, right now
While the sun is shining down
I wanna live like there's no tomorrow
Love like I'm on borrowed time
It's good to be alive, yeah
Hold on
If the life that we've been given
Is made beautiful in the living
And the joy that we get brings joy to the heart of the giver
Then right here, right now
This is the song I'm singing out
I wanna live like there's no tomorrow
Love like I'm on borrowed time
It's good to be alive
I won't take it for granted
I won't waste another second
All I want is to give you
A life well lived, to say "thank you"
I wanna live like there's no tomorrow
Love like I'm on borrowed time
It's good to be, it's good to be alive
I wanna live like there's no tomorrow
Love like I'm on borrowed time
It's good to be alive
I won't take it for granted
I won't waste another second
All I want is to give you
A life well lived, to say "thank you"
~~~
Beyond the Blue
by Josh Garrels
Stand on the shores of a sight unseen
The substance of this dwells in me
Cause my natural eyes only go skin deep
But the eyes of my heart anchor the sea
Plumbing the depths to the place in between
The tangible world and the land of a dream
Because everything here ain’t quite what it seems
There’s more beneath the appearance of things
A beggar could be king within the shadows, of a wing
And wisdom will honor everyone who will learn
To listen, to love, and to pray and discern
And to do the right thing even when it burns
And to live in the light through treacherous turns
It was Christmas Day at the Beem house where a dozen family members were gathered. We sat at the "kids" table (though there was no one under the age of 18 in the house). After the roast beef and baked potatoes were gone, we kids made our way to the living room. One by one, each picked up a book or a game and began to occupy himself. Lamenting that I forgot to bring my copy of Grace for the Good Girl, I headed up the stairs with Eric to the bookshelf.
A few minutes later, I headed back to the living room with my selections: Tom Sawyer, a couple Sleepover Friends books, a Babysitter's Little Sister story, and what, not surprisingly, turned out to be the jackpot: The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.
I'm only 88 pages into Corrie's story, and God's already been using it to teach me some wonderful true things about Himself!
Here are some selected quotes... but I really recommend getting a copy of the book to read yourself!! I'm especially amazed by Corrie's father's wisdom. Oh, how I hope to pass on wisdom like this to my children: "Corrie," he began instead, "do you know what hurts so very much? It's love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. "There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill the love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or, Corrie, we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel. "God loves Karel--even more than you do--and if you ask Him, He will give you His love for this man, a love nothing can prevent, nothing destroy. Whenever we cannot love in the old, human way, Corrie, God can give us his perfect way." I did not know, as I listened to Father's footsteps winding back down the stairs, that he had given me more than the key to this hard moment. I did not know that he had put into my hands the secret that would open far darker rooms than this--places where there was not, on a human level, anything to love at all.” “If God has shown us bad times ahead, it's enough for me that He knows about them. That's why He sometimes shows us things, you know - to tell us that this too is in His hands.” “There are no 'ifs' in God's Kingdom. His timing is perfect. His will is our hiding place. Lord Jesus, keep me in Your will! Don't let me go mad by poking about outside it.” “All through the short afternoon they kept coming, the people who counted themselves Father's friends. Young and old, poor and rich, scholarly gentlemen and illiterate servant girls—only to Father did it seem that they were all alike. That was Father's secret: not that he overlooked the differences in people; that he didn't know they were there.” “At last we heard Father's footsteps winding up the stairs. It was the best moment in every day, when he came up to tuck us in. We never fell asleep until he had arranged the blankets in his special way and laid his hand for a moment on each head. Then we tried not to move even a toe. But that night as he stepped through the door I burst into tears. "I need you!" I sobbed. "You can't die! You can't!"Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed. "Corrie," he began gently, "when you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?" I sniffed a few times, considering this. "Why, just before we get on the train.""Exactly. And our wise Father in Heaven knows when we're going to need things too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need--just in time.”
Thank you, Lord, for this Christmas gift (one of many) I didn't even know I needed. Thank You for causing me to forget my book at home and leading me to choose this book instead of the Babysitter's Little Sister book. Thank You for saving Corrie Ten Boom and her family. Thank You that Corrie lived to tell her story. Thank You for the wisdom we can gain through this story. Help us to trust you, remembering that we need never to "be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
