Jambasta

Zack has our Dish set to automatically record Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals. So I was sitting on the couch putting the girls to sleep for their nap and decided to watch an episode that was titled "Fire and Ice" - sounds good right? Well Rachael was making Jambasta, a dish that she created for her dad's birthday that combines jambalaya and pasta.

The ingredients for this dish are:
1 pkg andouille (we used linguica) sausage
1 chicken breast
3-4 large deveined shrimp per person
celery - we used about 6 stalks
half an onion
some (1t +/- to taste) garlic
1 red bell pepper (we used yellow)
1 poblano pepper
1T butter
2-4 t flour
about 1/2C beer
about 1 C chicken stock
a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
a couple sprigs of thyme
about 1/2C cream
1 pound of any short-bodied pasta (we used whole grain penne).
**Liquid measurements are estimates, Rachael Ray did "turns around the pan" rather than measurements. A turn around the pan starts at one spot near the edge of the pan and goes around to that point again.**
To make Jambasta
You start out by removing the casing from your sausage and cutting it up into small pieces. In a large, deep skillet brown the sausage until it is crisp, set aside. While cooking sausage, cut up your veggies.
In the same pan, melt some butter - maybe a tablespoon, and then put your garlic, onion, celery, bell pepper, and poblano pieces in there, sprinkle with flour (maybe 2-4 t) and mix well to combine.
Don't forget to start a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
Pour some beer over the top of your veggies - not really sure how much, about one turn around the pan.
Then pour some chicken stock in, about two turns around the pan. Open the can of crushed tomatoes and add that, mix. Add a couple of sprigs of thyme, when getting ready to serve you are going to remove the stems.
Now is the time to cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, and add them to the sauce. Add the raw shrimp at this time too. The chicken and shrimp are going to cook in the sauce and add a bunch of flavor! Put in one turn around the pan of cream, and stir.
Add your pasta to the water which should now be boiling. Cook according to the package directions, but you want to drain the pasta just shy of "al dente" because it is still going to cook when added to the sauce.
When the pasta is cooked, pick out the thyme sprigs from your sauce. Combine the pasta in with the sauce and mix gently to combine.
Put in your serving dish, and top with linguisa!
ENJOY!!!!

This was an absolutely delicious meal!
Rachael Ray paired this dish with individual pecan ice cream pies, but to be honest with you, we were so full that desert wasn't even on our minds! I hope that if you decide to try Jambasta, that you enjoy it as much as we did!
Thank you for reading this and have a blessed day!

Another Thankful Thursday!

Today is again Thursday, and it happened at the perfect time! You might think that is a strange thing to say, but really - I am thankful that today is (thankful) Thursday!
I have so much to be thankful for, and even right now when times are tough, there is so much that is amazing in my life and the lives of my family - all because of the love, mercy, and grace that has been bestowed upon us by the Lord! I am thankful that we have a warm, safe place to call home. That we are free to believe whatever we choose, and that we were given the faith to believe in God! I am incredibly thankful that no matter the amount of sin that is in my past - Jesus CHOSE to cleanse ME of all of it! I am thankful that I have learned to break many cycles and hope and pray that there will be even more cycles broken by my children and future generations, while at the same time reinforcing cycles of love, respect, faith, humility, and more! There really are so many things that I have to be thankful for, that I honestly cannot count them all! Another thing that I am incredibly thankful for is the support that I have, that my family has, that encourages us in the Lord!


Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and I am thankful for any comments you feel like leaving! Have a blessed day!

Soft Lips **Review and Giveaway**

One thing that I think every woman loves is to have soft lips! And I might even say that men love it too! ;)
I was fortunate enough to be sent the new winter line of SoftLips Lip Balm with SPF 20 and their new flavors in the PURE line. I have loved SoftLips lip balm for years, and my favorite flavor has ALWAYS been cherry, but with these new winter limited edition flavors, I think that the cherry has some major competition!

The new Winter Limited Edition flavors are: Sugar & Spice, Sugar Plum Berry, Winter Mint and Sugar Cookie. They are all great, but my favorite is the sugar plum berry...what can I say, I am a sweet flavor kind of girl! I really like that all of these amazing flavored lip balms have an SPF 20 to protect your lips while leaving them feeling moist for hours!
The Softlips PURE line is 100% natural and is USDA-certified organic. This line of lip conditioners also expanded with four new flavors: papaya, peppermint, acai berry and chai tea. The PURE line also includes pomegranate, which is my favorite of the line, with Chai Tea coming in close!!
SoftLips is a pretty inexpensive way to protect your lips and indulge at the same time! With prices around $3.69 for a pack of 2 (at drugstore.com) they would also make great stocking stuffers or gifts for the girls and ladies on your list! You can purchase SoftLips lip balms with SPF at most major retailers and drug stores, even some gas stations!
One lucky Proverbs 31 Mommy & Wife reader is going to win their very own set of the new SoftLips Winter Limited Edition flavors!!! How awesome is that?!?!

As if that wasn't enough, SoftLips is currently having their 4th annual Picture Perfect Lips Contest, where the winner will receive $2500 cash and a year's supply of SoftLips, there are also prizes for runners up. You can read about and enter the contest here, even if you don't enter, you can go vote for your favorite set of lips! :)
Also, SoftLips has a Facebook fan page that you can use to stay up to date on the new flavors, great deals, and giveaways - hurry and fan them, when they reach 3200 fans they are giving away the winter line and a cute Dooney & Bourke small, patent-leather cosmetic case!!

GIVEAWAY RULES
**Please always include a valid email address in your comments if one is not visible in your blogger profile, or I will be unable to contact you!**Leave a separate comment for each entry you are completing - Giveaway closes at 12 NOON on 12/4/09!

MANDATORY ENTRY (must be completed for any extra entries to count): Go to the SoftLips website and tell me one product they have that you would love to try that I did not mention.
EXTRA ENTRIES (worth one extra entry unless noted otherwise):
• Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (left sidebar)
• Follow through Face Book’s Networked blogs (left sidebar)
• Fan the Softlips Facebook Page and mention that Proverbs 31 Mommy & Wife sent you!
• Subscribe to email updates (only activated subscriptions count) 2 entries
• Grab my button or add me to your blog roll 3 entries
• Follow me on twitter & tweet this giveaway, including URL – 1 entry daily
• Blog about this giveaway and link it back here 5 entries
• Enter my other giveaways – 1 entry each
• Comment on any non-giveaway post – 1 each, 3 maximum

Open to legal residents of the USA, age 18+ only. Winner will be chosen based on the random integer generator at random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email I will send them before a new winner is chosen. Good luck to all who enter!

Healthy Mouth - Happy Mouth **Review & Giveaway**

I hate when my mouth gets dry and uncomfortable, I really do hate it. These patches are an all-natural way to prevent that from happening, or to moisten your mouth when it is already dry. Cotton-mouth is what we always called it when our mouths would become incredibly dry, but it is actually called xerostomia, and effects 10% of the population - not counting those who may be taking medications that cause their mouths to dry out. It is easy to apply - it simply sticks in your mouth, either the roof of your mouth or on the inside of your cheek. It then lasts for 2-4 hours. This patch works by releasing ingredients that cause you to salivate - moistening your mouth, and creating a more healthy oral environment.
This product worked great for me!

OraMoist Dry Mouth Patch has been clinically proven effective in terms of increased saliva production and improved feeling of moistness. Suggested retail price is $9.99 for a box of 16 patches; available at Rite Aid, Albertson’s LLC and Raley’s, and online at www.oramoist.com.

Have you ever had a canker sore - a painful blister that forms on the inside of the mouth, cheeks, and inner lips, as well as on the tongue? I have and they are miserable, and can last as long as 7-21 days when untreated! Luckily, I have not had a canker sore lately, so I haven't been able to try Canker Cover, but I am definitely putting these in the medicine chest for the next time... Here is a little bit of information that I was provided with:

Canker Cover is the only over-the-counter canker sore treatment shown in clinical studies to significantly speed treatment. The pill shaped patch adheres to the sore and forms a gel patch that protects the sore, relieves the pain, and speeds treatment. In two separate clinical studies, Canker Cover was shown to heal most canker sores within 24 hours and to be more effective than benzocaine, the active ingredient in most canker sores products, at eliminating pain. No other canker sore products in the world have shown this result.

Canker Cover is also made from natural ingredients including natural menthol, citrus oil and sea salt, which dissolves over time, offering immediate pain relief upon application while covering and protecting the lesion from bacteria and other irritants (e.g., movement, food, drink, orthodontia/dental appliances, etc.) for eight to 12 hours. Canker Cover provides immediate and long-lasting pain relief by steadily releasing pain-numbing menthol and other ingredients on the sore. In most cases, one patch completely treats a canker sore within 24 hours. Suggested retail price is $9.99 for a box of six patches; available at drug stores, supermarkets and health food stores nationwide, and online at www.cankercover.com.

Again, I know that cold sores are not fun. I have never yet had a cold sore, but know plenty of people who have. They say that they hurt, burn, tingle, and obviously are unsightly. They last up to 2 weeks and are extremely contagious. Cold sores are caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (hsv1), unfortunately there is no cure for this virus. So the best thing that cold sore sufferers can hope for is fast healing times, and Lystine+ cut healing time in half, to under four days. Doesn't that sound amazing, completely healed from your cold sore in 3 days??

LIP CLEAR’s unique combination of natural ingredients provides immediate relief from symptomatic burning, itching and tingling upon application. LIP CLEAR Lysine+ is all-natural, has a non-chemical flavor, goes on clear, can be worn under lipstick and doesn’t burn on application. It provides immediate soothing relief of burning and itching.
Suggested retail price is $6.99 for a 7-gram tube; available at drug stores, supermarkets and health food stores nationwide, and online at www.LipClear.com.

One person is going to win a Healthy Mouth, Happy Mouth Package containing all three of these products! For the rest of you, I wanted to let you know that on the respective websites above, each of these products has either a coupon for purchase or a BOGO offer!!

GIVEAWAY RULES
**Please always include a valid email address in your comments if one is not visible in your blogger profile, or I will be unable to contact you!**Leave a separate comment for each entry you are completing

MANDATORY ENTRY (must be completed for any extra entries to count): Tell me which of these products you would like best and what is the closest place to you to get it.

EXTRA ENTRIES (worth one extra entry unless noted otherwise):
• Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (left sidebar)
• Follow through Face Book’s Networked blogs (left sidebar)
• Subscribe to email updates (only activated subscriptions count) 2 entries
• Grab my button or add me to your blog roll 3 entries
• Follow me on twitter & tweet this giveaway, including URL – 1 entry daily
• Blog about this giveaway and link it back here 5 entries
• Enter my other giveaways – 1 entry each
• Comment on any non-giveaway post – 1 each, 3 maximum

Open to legal residents of the USA, age 18+ only. Winner will be chosen based on the random integer generator at random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email I will send them before a new winner is chosen. Giveaway will close 12/4/09 at 12 NOON PST. Good luck!!

Advice too good not to share!

Last night there was a blood drive at church and Zack and I had signed up to give blood. I wasn't able to give blood because it hasn't been a year since I got a (totally cute) tattoo. So I sat and knitted a scarf for a while and then ended up talking to Pastor Pat for a few minutes.
I am not going to tell you everything that we talked about...but I feel compelled to share with you some wisdom that should put a smile on your face - and keep it there!
The Bible says that the thoughts God has for you outnumber the sands of the seas. Guess what...no where does it say that God ever has a bad thought about you. Yes, that means that GOD, our creator, who is amazing, wonderful, merciful, and all-mighty thinks so many good thoughts about you that it is CRAZY for you not to think (at least) a few good thoughts about yourself.
Thank you Pastor Pat for always having something wonderful to say that is based in the Bible, but hits home!

Self esteem is a sore spot for many women. I have heard it said from many sources that one of woman's greatest faults is forgetting or underestimating their worth. There are women all over the world who have crap happen in their lives and as a result create crappier lives for themselves. My prayer is that every once in a while, we would all stop to realize that we were created for a purpose divine - God did not make a mistake in creating ANY one of us - man or woman. Sometimes we are allowed to live through things that should never have been, but there is a reason. As I said in last week's Thankful Thursday post, when we persevere through life's trials, we are later able to help another get through something similar. But when we start getting down, and need to remember that we are worth something, please remember that the thoughts God thinks of YOU outnumber the sands of the seas, and not one of them is bad.
Be Blessed!

Wannabe French Hot Chocolate

Oh. my. gosh. This was awesome! For days now, Emily and I have been talking about making Wannabe French hot chocolate, a recipe from Max Brenner's cookbook Chocolate: A Love Story that we got for review a few weeks ago.
Our expectations have been building for days, as we read the recipe, bought the ingredients that we didn't have, and actually got around to making this. Most of the ingredients are those that you would commonly have in your kitchen/pantry: milk, corn starch, sugar, egg (yolks), chocolate (your choice, chopped), cocoa powder, and heavy cream.


We started making our hot chocolate and were to the second step of the recipe when I realized that I had not read the directions very well and had to start over. No problem, except I don't have any milk left now! :) Once I read the directions more carefully, it was easy. Emily had fun helping me mix ingredients in, and lick the adjustable measuring cup after we put the sugar in!

I think that it took us less than 10 minutes from start to finish - granted, we enlisted Zack to chop our chocolate and whip our cream! This was a WHOLE family job!

The Wannabe French hot chocolate was amazing!

Seriously, it has a custard base that you melt the chocolate into, and then a "generous dollop" of whipped cream on top, with cocoa powder (we used finely grated chocolate) sprinkled on top! The hot chocolate was incredibly rich, but not with an over-powering chocolate flavor. The
cream on top was a great compliment to the chocolate underneath, it kept the flavor rich while mellowing out the sweetness.

Zack doesn't generally like hot chocolate, but loved this! So we had fun, and our efforts paid off! Did I mention that I love weekends!

I l-o-v-e weekends

There are so many reasons that I love weekends, but I think that the biggest reason is that my husband doesn't have to work so we get to have family time.
I love waking up in the morning knowing that I can have a (couple) cup(s) of coffee with Zack while the girls get their bearrings about them - usually while watching a morning cartoon.
I love that there is no rush to fix breakfast - really, the only 2 days of the week that Zack gets something good for breakfast!
I love watching Emily and Natalie playing with their Daddy, knowing that he doesn't have to leave us today.
I wish that every day were a weekend. Not just for me, not just for the girls, but for Zack too! It must be even better for him - not having to go to work, but getting to spend the days with his ladies instead.
Another part of the weekends that always makes me happy is going to church. I have a terrible time getting where I need to be on time, I am late a lot. But I have been working on it, and for the last few weeks, I am happy to say that we have been on time! I love seeing Emily's face light up when she gets dismissed for children's church - watching her for a minute as she smiles with the other kids as they being their worship songs. I love seeing the fire in my husband as he hears and learns God's word. And I love the peace and comfort of Christ totally transform me.
You know, I could have most of what I love about the weekends everyday! That is right, everyday. I am still working on transforming our house into our home, and that is going to take a while, but it is going to be a home built with love!
I love my Gog, I love my husband, I love my daughters, and I am even learning to love myself!
I l-o-v-e everyday!

I hope that you smiled as you were reading this, while you realized how much you love your days too! What are some of the things you love?

MyClyns germ protection spray - review & giveaway!

With it being flu season, and add to that the Swine Flu -N1H1-, I am open for suggestions as to how to keep my family healthy. Of course, hand washing is the number one way to avoid getting and spreading any virus. But is it enough? I do not believe that it is. So when I was approached about reviewing MyClyns, a germ protection spray, I was intrigued. It is a bit uncoventional in its application, but seems to be worth the new routine.

MyClyns is a non-toxic, alcohol-free, non burning spray that kills 99.99% of MRSA and other germs. It is safe to use in the eyes, nose, and mouth - where germs typically enter the body.
To use it, you simply spray the area of the body that is affected: Imagine that you are in a store, doing your Black Friday shopping :) and the person in front of you starts coughing and sneezing, instantly germs fill the air around you. In this instance you would remove the cap and spray the MyClyns on the nose/mouth area of your face, preventing those germs from entering your body. Say that you are shopping and your child puts their mouth on the cart (happens to me a lot) all you have to do then is spray the mouth area on your child.
You might be thinking "WOW, spray them in the face - really?" But as I was reminded, when hand sanitizer first came out the thought of using a thick, sticky, alcohol-based goop was also if-y.
Emily, my "almost 3 year-old" is skiddish about water going in her eyes, and she handles this well. There is no alcohol in it, so there is no burning...it is almost like a game to the kids, and reassuring to me to know that they/we are being protected from more than 60 dangerous germs!

MyClyns is the only germ defense for use in the eyes, nose and mouth – offering protection where you need it most – common entry points for most germs. MyClyns is safe to spray directly onto the face and even into open wounds. It’s safe for people of all ages – even those who wear contact lenses.

One of you lucky readers is going to get your very own spray bottle of MyClyns, a $9.99 value! For those of you who don't win, you can buy yours here or look for it at CVS and other drug stores near you (ARV $7.99-9.99).

Please leave a seperate comment for each thing you do to enter (each is worth one entry unless noted!
Be sure to leave an email address if one is not visible in your blogger profile!
**Mandatory Entry: Go to the MyClyns website and come back and tell me one thing you learned.

**Extra Entries (mandatory entry must be done first):*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (left sidebar)
*Follow through Face Book's Networked blogs (left sidebar)
*Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway
*Tell me of an instance that your family would use the MyClyns germ protection spray
*Sign up for the mailing list on the My Clyns website and come back telling me you did
*Subscribe to email updates, leave the email address you subscribed (2 extra entries)
*Enter to win the set of 4 hardcover childrens' books (before 11/27) and comment telling me you did
*Blog about this giveaway and link it here or email 4 people and CC tinymansmom (at) sbcglobal (dot) net (5 extra entries)
*Comment on any non-giveaway post and tell me the title of that post (1 entry each, up to 2 extra entries)

Giveaway ends 11/27 at 12 NOON PST, and is open to legal US residents who are at least age 18. Winner will be chosen from the random integer generator on random.org. Good luck to all who enter.
I was provided with a sample of this product for review purposes, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Win a Kindle!!

A perfect holiday gift for you or someone you love (valued at $259)
That's why Noobie is excited to announce they are giving away a brand-new Kindle, valued at $259.00, just in time for the holidays. All you need to do is fill out the form. Noobie will take care of the rest!

Here's how to enter
To enter, simply fill out the form by clicking the link. When you are done, click the Submit Form button at the bottom of that page to send your contest submission to Noobie. That's all there is to it! What are you waiting for? You have absolutely nothing to lose.

Noobie's Kindle Giveaway will end on December 10th, 2009 at 11:59 P.M. ET. The drawing for the Kindle will take place on or about December 14th, 2009.

~ Thankful Thursday ~

I love Thursdays, I enjoy writing and reading posts that are all about the positive things in life. At church this month, Pastor Pat challenged us to make November a "no complaint month." This might sound easy, or it might sound hard - it depends on how much you complain! To me, it did not sound too easy! It makes since though, and I love the idea. If we spend all of our time being thankful, grateful, appreciative of what Christ did for us - all the He went trough being mocked, tortured, and crucified - how can we say anything other than Thank You Lord!
It seems like when I fall into a mood where I want to complain about things, I am most certainly NOT thinking about what Jesus did. So the challenge is to think more about God and how much He loves us, think about the choices that Jesus made that proves His love for us; and then what is there to complain about? I love it! If you need help remembering to think about Jesus rather than the events that make you want to complain, try something simple like tying a piece of red yarn on your wrists.
I am thankful for this reminder.
I am thankful of all the things I have to be thankful for!
I am thankful that you are taking the time out of your life to read this, and pray that you are thankful as well! Have a great Thursday ~ be Blessed!