Bible & Breakfast!

So, as I am learning mealtime and bible time can go hand in hand. And what better way than with Asheritah Ciuciu's latest book Bible & Breakfast.

31 days having Breakfast with Jesus. That is the promise of this book. As a mom, Ashertiah understands how hard it is as a mom to get consistent time in God's Word each morning. And one of the best features of this bible??
RECIPES!!! There's a recipe for each day that you spend with Jesus. This makes me happy because it is so easy to run out of new recipes to make and here are 31 new recipes.

Each day features several things:

1. That day's recipe which is also illustrated and tells you if its "gluten-free," "kid-friendly," "freezer-friendly," or if you can meal-prep it.
2. The morning snack, which is a quick 3-minute devotional.
3. The feast which is a longer more in-depth study that is intended to really get us in the Word.

I love that from the beginning this book assumes that it is a we thing. That perhaps there will be a group of parents doing this study together or a group of girlfriends, or even a group of grandparents. I also love that she has both a short devotional AND a deeper bible study. That way even if I cannot sit down to study, I can at least grab a quick snack in the Word then come back during lunch or nap-time to sit, savor, and study the Word.  And it is hardback which means it can withstand being in the kitchen around little hands or some messes.

HIGHLY recommend. I am personally digging into this book starting January 1st to kick off my year. And I invite any and everyone to join me. You can grab a copy here. 

{A huge thank you to Moody Publishers for allowing to be a long-term member of its Blogger Program. As a member, I have received this book (along with many others reviewed on this blog) for free in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

New Cookbook Review: In the Kitchen with Grandma

Such the sweetest cookbook for grandmas and mamas to try with their kids/grandkids.

Now mind you I'm not a grandmother and likely won't be for a long time. I still thoroughly enjoyed this book as they are recipes I can do with my kids.

So, the recipes in this book are organized into sections around seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Then there are the Year-Round and Holiday recipes.  And there's a section on how best to share your faith with your grandkids/kids complete with hand motions and all. Like how awesome is this? A cookbook that seeks to add just a touch of sharing the gospel.

I like that the author identifies how difficult recipes (represented by the number of spoons) are and gives gluten-free options for most (if not all) recipes. The recipes (in my opinion) are all fairly easy to replicate and enjoy. I love that all the recipes are kid-friendly and can please even the pickiest of eaters. And there are margins for note-taking! Absolutely brilliant to have a note section with each recipe so that each mom/grandma can note down her little tweaks to the recipe that make it a family favorite.

The only thing I wish was different is that the interior was as colorful as the exterior. The interior is for the most part grayscale with few touches of a deep rose.

However, I think it could be loads of fun throughout the year with new recipes to try.
You can purchase a copy here.

{As always I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.}

New Interior Design Review: Restoration House

So this is the first of its kind here on Reviews with Kris. It is a book on interior design and it is beautifully written with gorgeous photographs of the author's home. She speaks of restoring home and restoring our hearts. 

This book yall! It is so refreshing and beautiful and hardback (my fave). 

This book is the story of a woman (Kennesha Buycks) who realizes that God met her while she was restoring furniture. And He used this newfound hobby of hers to pour into her and transform her from someone who was more superficial and discontent to someone who could see the beauty below the surface and who is now content with her portion in life. 

There is so much in this book that it goes beyond coffee table book to a handy resource. I'll share some excerpts (photos) of the practical tips and guides that the author shares with us; the deep and meaningful prayers she shares at the end of each chapter; the hospitality hacks spread throughout. There is even a guide on creating your own cheese board for entertaining (I included a photo of the shopping list). She goes to great lengths to ensure that this doesn't become a book that just sits on a table never to be used. There's so much to glean throughout the book and heart nuggets to draw us closer to God.

Cheeseboard shopping list.

 I greatly appreciated the reflection and prayer sections at the end of each chapter because it brings God into our homes and into our designs and gives Him glory through it all. 

Prayer and Reflection...this one from chapter 6.

 Hospitality tips

Seasons Greetings: ways to spruce up our homes during every season.

Recipe for a natural bug repellent. Like seriously, don't we ALL need this once the weather gets warm?

This book gets 5 stars from me and is DEFINITELY worth adding to your library! You can head over to Amazon to get your copy here.

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST review. In other words, I genuinely LOVE this book and my payment is the book itself.}

Taste and See

How often do you come across a book that combines Scripture with food yet not in the context of fasting?

Margaret Feinberg does just that. She takes her readers on a journey through the Bible to literally taste and see that the Lord is good. 

First, we head to the Promised Land to catch fish in the same sea as the disciples. We learn just the type of fish caught and just how important fishing was to that culture and what it meant when the disciples left their jobs fishing to follow Jesus but also the miracles Jesus performed in that sea. 

Next, Margaret takes the reader to California to learn about figs and fig trees. We learn about the cycles of the fig tree and how huge it was when a tree did not produce. 

Third, we learn about baking bread. The way the Israelites would have for Passover, especially if they were poor. 

The fourth place we head to is near her home in Utah, to salt mines to learn about how salt is mined and the differences in salt as well as to learn that while salt is a common commodity these days, in biblical days salt had to be mined to be of use even to season with. 

The sixth chapter takes the reader to Croatia to pick olives in an olive grove and learn rich history behind olives and how the relate to the Old Testament story of Elisha and the widow. 

The seventh chapter takes us to Dallas, Texas where Margaret gets a lesson on meat and lamb chops. We learn about how modern food regulations relate to biblical times food regulations and how they set the Israelites apart from their neighbors and kept them from food bribery. Understanding meat take up a great portion of the chapter both in biblical times and in modern times.

The last chapter pulls it all together and sums up the experience that Margaret has taken us on.

And if you hurry, you can jump in on the study videos offered through Study Gateway, which can superbly aid in reading and studying this book.

I give this book 2 thumbs us and greatly recommend it to anyone interested in seeing the Bible truly come alive with the food of that era.

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

The Life Giving Table

I've been sitting on this book for quite awhile. Sitting savouring what I was reading and enjoying the recipes shared in the book by Sally.

So this is book two in the Life-Giving Series. This particular book focuses on mealtime and how it can be used to disciple those who dine with us. Of course, because Sally is a mom of four, a majority is told from the perspective of using meal time to disciple the hearts of our family and set a tone of nurturing each other through meals and the time spent. However, she also includes some experiences of hers from before she and Clay had children so their mealtime discipleship would be for their friends and acquaintances while abroad on missions, specifically in Vienna, Austria.

Mealtime does not have to be just eating but also includes the conversation that can occur over meals (I say can because not everyone converses during meals).

So one of the best parts? The nuggets found throughout the book and the recipes that are tried and true direct from Sally's kitchen (each chapter includes several recipes). The first chapter that is written by Sally's husband, Clay. And it is so good because you get the why from a male's perspective, who purposefully participates in this process. As a mom who wants to leave a godly influence on my children, this book, as well as the others in the series, are apart of the treasure trove.

This is the table of contents. As you can see there are about 14 chapters and each chapter has about 2--4 recipes at the end, there are at least 30 recipes in this book. There is an appendix with conversation starters which is awesome for families who are just introducing the idea of discipleship around mealtime.

This is how each chapter starts off. The table-discipleship principle at the beginning of each chapter kind of gives you an idea of what that chapter will cover.






{FYI: I received this book from the publisher (Tyndale) in exchange for my honest opinion.}

Last Night's Dinner

Turkey Meatballs with loaded Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Bread!

-Okay I love meat balls but I wanted to make my own so I decided to experiment.
I mixed ground turkey, Italian bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, ketchup, and a little barley together. Then I rolled them into 14 little balls and baked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

SO GOOD. We used a honey bbq sauce for dipping.

The Loaded Mashed Potatoes came from a pouch.(I haven't learned how to make that just yet.)
And I did the garlic bread myself. I took a couple slices of white bread brushed with vegetable oil and sprinkled garlic powder on, baked for 5 minutes at 400. (the last 5 minutes the meatballs were in the oven)

I hope you enjoy!

Kris Bush

Turkey burgers & Organizing

Hi everyone!!!!

First I want to tell you all about the turkey burgers we had for dinner last night. Awesome. I hand rolled and flattened them adding onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and a little barley leaves. They turned out so juicy and moist. Then we ate them on potato bread buns (I got them at Aldi's)...so much better than regular hamburger buns.

Lately I've been on HolySpiritLedHomeschooling.net and I absolutely love Jamerrill's website. She has so much valuable information especially for families who home-school. She has different downloadable pdfs that you can use to help organize your family and your time. As well as heads up about different freebies. It is through her Facebook page that I became aware of the free books for Amazon Kindle. I've also adopted the planning meals ahead of time routine (I will implement next month). I've gotten the weekly meal pdfs to use for planning as well.

I saw on her website an organizer that she was giving away (its an online organizer for families) and since I cannot afford the organizer, I went in search of one that I could afford and ALA, I found Cozi! Cozi is a FREE organizer that can be used on the computer as well as on your smartphone. You can input task lists, grocery lists, scheduling, and send out mass emails to your family.

http://www.cozi.com/family-calendar.htm

New Dinner Recipe!!!

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo with Homemade Garlic Biscuits!!!

This was a homemade recipe I tried last night and it was amazing! There was not any pasta in it though.

First the garlic biscuit mix. I took 2 1/2 cups of All purpose baking mix (by Baker's corner via Aldi's) and mixed it thoroughly with about 2-3 table spoons of garlic powder. Then mixed it with about a half cup of water. Afterwards I spooned out 5 biscuits onto a cookie sheet. Baked for about 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees

I took 4 boneless chicken breast tenderloins and lightly fried them and seasoned them in the pan. I only coated the pan with light oil (try a PAM spray). I used garlic powder, onion powder, and chicken seasoning.
While the chicken was cooking, I steamed a bag of frozen broccoli in a half cup of water.

Once the chicken was done I poured a jar of Alfredo sauce over it and allowed the Alfredo sauce to soak in the flavor from the chicken and the seasoning in the pan. Next I spooned over the steamed broccoli. Then I allowed it to simmer while the biscuits finished.

I made fudge brownies for dessert. They turned out awesome and we even had some brownies left over for snack today.

I just wanted to share my lil recipe with you all!!! Have a great day!

Remember a happy family is a healthy and full family!