Tasty Tuesday - Cranberry Orange Muffins

I just made these this weekend thanks to free cranberries from our local health food store.  They were probably the most delicious muffins I've ever had!

Cranberry Orange Muffins

2 cups whole wheat or unbleached all purpose flour (note:  I used 1 c ww, and 1 c white)
2/3 cup sugar (turbinado sugar worked great, it gave a great crunch on top)
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
2/3 cup of milk (I used almond milk and it worked)
1 tsp orange zest, or a bit more
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 F.  In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and stir in chopped cranberries.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.  In a medium bowl lightly beat the egg and add the milk, orange zest, and butter.  Pour milk mixture in the center of the flour mixture, add the cranberries, and stir to combine just until moist.  (Note, the batter will seem very dry, as long as there isn't loose flour, it is good.)  Spoon batter evenly into a muffin tin and bake for 18 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins

Tip:  I chopped cranberries in food processor and it worked great.

Time for a Change

Did you know that the United States has the second worse newborn death rate in the developed world and one of the worst maternal death rates in all industrialized countries?  How could that be with all our technological advances and medical interventions?  Or, is that exactly the problem?

Please read this interesting article about Birth in the U.S.  And if you are real ambitious, this article by Amnesty International about the maternal health care crisis in the U.S.

If you haven't read my birth story, a "different" perspective of how great birth can be, please feel free to do so.

Tasty Tuesday - Weeknight Brazilian Stew

Tasty Tuesday returns with a creative meal!  My friend Will showed me this recipe awhile back, and I honestly can't say where it originated.  I know it was an online vegetarian website.  This stew is hardy, delicious, and very nutritious!

Weeknight Brazilian Stew

Splash of olive oil
1 sweet potato,chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 mango, diced
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
Dash of cumin
Dash of chili powder
2 big pinches of salt
Cilantro (optional)


In a large pot heat olive oil and add onions and a little salt.  Saute until soft.  Add sweet potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, spices, and salt.  Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are soft.  Add black beans and heat through.  Taste, add more salt or seasonings as needed.  Add mango and heat through.  Remove from heat, and add chopped cilantro.

Serve with warm tortillas.

Grace

I want to share something today about God's grace.

When Patrick and I were actively trying to conceive last year, I meditated on several Bible verses.  I just recently shared one of them with Patrick and he was fairly amazed with just the preciseness that God answers prayers.  One of my most fervent prayers was from 2 Kings 4.  Elisha, the prophet, was given a place to stay with a family during his travels, whenever he was in town.  He wanted to do something for the lady of the house to show his appreciation, so while he was spouting off ideas of things to do for her, his servant told him that she had no son and her husband was apparently old.  He had his servant call her in and he prophesied that "by this time next year you will hold a son in your arms."  Sure enough, he was right and about the same time the next year she gave birth to a son.

I meditated on this story and asked The Lord to allow me to hold a baby in my arms "about this same time next year."  The first time I prayed this prayer was on August 10, 2009, I know because I kept a journal.  Mary Abilene was born August 8, 2010... about the same time the next year.