Ingredient Spotlight: Diced Tomatoes

I'm linking up with Eat at Home for her Ingredient Spotlight this week: Diced Tomatoes. I agree with her that diced tomatoes deserve a special pantry spotlight because they are useful in so many ways! The recipe I'll share today is so easy and only has 6 ingredients, all of which I keep on hand. It was one that a friend brought over to share and soon became a favorite around here. We named it after her, but I'll just call it Black Beans and Rice Casserole here. :)

Ingredients:
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained)
1 lb ground beef
1 can black beans (drained)
1 box rice pilaf
1-1 1/2 cups shredded mexican cheddar blend
taco size flour tortillas (can use wheat if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare rice as instructed on box. Brown ground beef in large pan on stove. Add tomatoes and beans to pan and simmer until warm through. Place two tortillas at the bottom of a 2 1/2 qt casserole dish. They will overlap some. Spoon rice on top of that. Pour meat mixture on top of rice. Top with cheese. Bake, covered for 25 minutes.

Use extra tortillas to spoon casserole into or just eat plain. (My husband likes it without tortillas but with a little sour cream.)

Enjoy!

Company Girl Coffee 10.8.10

It was a couch night for me last night. No, I'm not talking about the type of couch night where you've had an argument with your spouse and end up sleeping on the couch. We've never actually done that before in our marriage. I call it a couch night, because one of my kiddos was up most of the night feeling sick. When that happens I usually just rest on the couch where I can hear them if they need me.

Luckily, he doesn't have a fever or the flu bug. He was up feeling ill because of an issue we've dealt with since he was born. He just doesn't seem to digest his food very well. We've tried treatment with Miralax and other methods. We've made sure he has plenty of water and fiber. He's had procedures done to make sure that there's not a "break" in his intestines, and we've done tests to make sure it's not Celiac. No matter what we do, we don't seem to find an answer. He just gets backed up (for lack of a better explanation) every once in a while. I feel sorry for the little guy and I wish I could help him more.

What I can do, is stay close to him when he's up and try to make him feel as comfortable as possible. I can pray with him and reassure him of my presence and God's. When I was little and one of us girls was sick, my mom used to break out the sleeping back and camp out right next to us in the bathroom. It always made me feel better to know she was there. Now, we have a much smaller bathroom here so it's not possible for me to camp out by his side, but I want my kid to know that I'm there for him. So once I've prayed with him and gotten him anything he needs, I choose to camp out on the couch because it's within ear's shot.

He seems to be feeling better today but because he didn't get much sleep last night, I kept him home from school. He's sleeping peacefully now, and I hope to fit in a little nap later too. I don't mind feeling a little sleepy in exchange for knowing that he felt loved and cared for last night. Love makes sacrifices, and I know many of you sleep-deprived new mommies out there know what I'm talking about! (Along with all of you seasoned moms, too.)

"Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]." -1 Corinthians 13:7 (Amplified)

Have a great weekend all!

~Melissa

10 Things Tuesday

There was a time when I posted ten things that I'm thankful for every Tuesday. I stopped because the person that was sponsoring "10 Things Tuesday" stopped posting. (If you're reading this friend, then I hope you don't mind my picking up the label again.) Did I stop being thankful? Absolutely not. In fact, I'm going through a season where it is even more necessary for me to remember to give thanks, lest I be consumed by my sorrows.

There's a song that I've been listening to with my 3yr old that reminded me how important thankfulness is. "I'm thankful, thankful, thankful for everything, yes I'm thankful, thankful, 'cause God gives us all good things." Today I'm bringing back "10 Things Tuesday" with a special twist...I'm making the list with my son.

1. We're thankful for silly songs that make us laugh.
2. We're thankful that the sun is out today.
3. We're thankful for banana bread.
4. We're thankful for friends.
5. We're thankful for outings and adventures. (Specifically, going to the grocery store with mommy...and I'm thankful for the shopping buddy!)
   
6. We're thankful that Jesus goes with us everywhere.
   
7. We're thankful for penguins.
8. We're thankful for daddy.
9. We're thankful for toys.
10. We're thankful for coloring.

What a fun list to make with my son! I love his attitude of thankfulness. He hardly ever thinks about the next thing that he wants, but enjoys what he already has. A lesson that I can certainly take away from this activity.

Have a great day everyone! And don't forget to stop and be thankful today. :)

A Good Day

It began with some quiet time in the Word.
Kids were ready to leave for school on time.
Then it was off to Moms Inc. for some much needed fellowship.
Lunch with my boy.
An hour's worth of good hard housework while he napped.
Fun at the park with my youngest two while we waited for the older three to finish X-Country practice.
Snacks.
Homework.
Dinner.
Awesome family time making s'mores for dessert and watching stars in the back yard.Yes, it was a good day. But even on my bad days, I know the Lord is with me.

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. -Psalm 73:23

In Loving Memory

In loving memory of my dad:
August 18, 1936 - September 9, 2010

No words can describe how much I miss him.
I will carry his love in my heart, always.

Company Girl Coffee 8.6.10

Is it August already? I can't believe what a busy summer it has been. Somehow, every time I thought about sitting down to blog, something else came up and then the inspiration was gone. I have wanted to blog about our trip to the Oregon Coast, adventures at Church Camp, back yard fun and before and after pictures of my storage room and spare bedroom/toy room organizing. There have been birthdays and anniversaries and fun with friends. Yes, summer has been packed full of a bit of everything. I'm looking forward to the next four weeks at home before school starts. We don't have any concrete plans for this month. Maybe just a few days at the park, some lazy days here at home, and a visit from Nana next week.

Hopefully, I'll get back to a regularly scheduled blog time when the kids go back to school this fall. For now, I thought I'd share a few pictures here of our Oregon Coast trip. My brother and his family(and a friend) drove out and met us from Reno, and my sister brought my niece too. It was lots of fun. Wish I could show you all of my pictures, but that would take all day! Since you're here though, I'd love to hear what some of your own favorite summer moments are so far. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend!

No Time for Words...

Sorry...I haven't really had time to post lately...we've been having too much fun! :)