Lasagna Soup!

I love love love lasagna so I was ecstatic to discover this incredible lasagna soup recipe! It really is oh- so- tasty and I'm sure you'll love it too! (If you actually make it that is :) I found the mini lasagna noodles (aka mafalda noodles) at our local Schnucks on the Hill in the Italian section. (I did not, however, find them in whole wheat! Maybe Becky or Antonia could make me some?!;)

Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

1 lb bulk Italian sausage

2 cups onions, chopped

1 cup carrot, diced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

4 cups chicken broth

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, chopped 


1 (10 3/4 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup mafalda pasta or campenelle pasta

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1 cup provolone cheese or fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded (for garnish)

4 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh basil (for garnish)

Directions

1.
Brown sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots; saute 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic, and saute another 3 minutes.

2.
Add broth, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil. Drop in pasta and simmer until cooked, about 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.

3.
Place 1/4 cup cheese into serving bowls and pour soup on top. Garnish with Parmesan and basil.

From my Cusine at Home Splendid Soups & Spectacular Sides magazine/also found on recipezarr.com

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The last time (and first time!) I made this soup was on David's Birthday. Since I haven't shared any pics from November or December, here's a couple from the big 2-8 celebration!

We had a small little celebration for the birthday boy this year. (The poor guy always gets overlooked with the "big" holiday and all.) I now realize why I don't usually have a party though-whew! It was a little hectic trying to pull everything off. (Thankfully it was on a Wednesday and my wonderful mother helped me out a ton!! )

Daddy with his ever favorite mint oreo ice cream cake!

Celebrating at g'mas!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sing His Love

by Caedmon's Call

Father, long before creation

Thou hadst chosen us in love

And that love so deep, so moving

Draws us close to Christ above

Still it keeps us, still it keeps us

Firmly fixed in Christ alone

Chorus:

And the world will sing His love

Yes, the world will sign His love

And we'll all join hands

Every woman, every man

And sing His love

We'll sing His love

Though the world may change its fashion

Yet our God is ever the same

His compassion and His covenant

Through all ages will remain

God's own children, God's own children

Must forever praise His name

God so love us, God so loved us

That His only Son He game

God's compassion is my story

It is my boasting all the day

Mercy free and never failing

Moves my will, directs my way

Super Easy Valentine Craft

The Zoo's Imagination Station had these fun crayon's at their art table-it took me back to my childhood! All you do is collect your old crayons, peel off the paper, break them up into small pieces and place them in sprayed mini tins (I used heart shaped ones). Bake them at 250 for about 15 minutes, until the wax melts, then remove and let them cool and harden in the pan. To get them out of the pan, I stuck the tin in the freezer for about 10 min then popped them out. Perfect for a toddler's chubby little hand. ;) You can read on official "recipe" on Family Fun's website.

Scheduled Births & Birthing Centers

This well written article on the risks of scheduled births was featured in the St. Louis Post Dispatch several weeks ago. Being a natural birth aficionado (surprise, surprise;) I thought I'd share it.

While we're on the topic, another friend also shared with me that St. Charles, MO is going to have a birthing center! Hooray! Now, if we can only get insurance providers to cover more (don't they know it would save them millions!! unmedicated births are cheap! :)

Why a birthing center and not a hospital? This is their philosophy:

We Believe...

• Women have the right to care that is safe, satisfying, and respectful of their individual needs.
• Wellness encompasses emotional and spiritual well-being together with physical health.
• Birth is a healthy, natural, and normal process for which a woman's body is brilliantly designed.
• Human touch and technology each have their place, and can coexist.
• Women and families have the right and responsibility to assume an active role in their own wellness.

Therefore...

• Education is an essential part of quality health care. When women and their families have real access to information and their choices are respected they are best equipped to meet the challenges of parenthood and personal wellness.
• Each woman has the right to informed consent or refusal in the use of medical tests, recommendations and interventions.
• Midwives are experts in normal birth, and their role is to support and promote the normal process, while monitoring the mother and baby's safety, intervening only when necessary.
• The ideal healthcare environment is one of collaboration between all professionals with specialized knowledge and skills.
• Every woman has the right to give birth where she feels most safe and comfortable.
• Medical interventions, drugs and surgery are appropriately indicated for only a small number of women during birth. They should not be used routinely.
• Because women's health and childbearing affect more than just mothers and babies, our care should support and promote the well-being of the entire family.
• Human beings at all stages of development and in all life circumstances deserve respect, compassion, and the opportunity to live life to their greatest potential.

Our commitment....

• We foster authentic caring relationships with our clients and utilize the best practices based on current research evidence. This care is woman-focused, and encourages women to take an active role in wellness through education and communication.
• We offer healthy women experiencing normal pregnancies the option of birthing in a calm, safe and beautiful setting with care provided by well trained, experienced and credentialed practitioners.
• We care for people using holistic principles - recognizing that each individual encompasses physical, emotional, social and spiritual elements that work synergistically to create a whole.
• We foster a sense of community among women, families, and providers.
• We educate the general public about the midwifery model of care and build bridges within the medical community to promote professional, collaborative relationships.
• We use healthcare resources wisely by providing cost-effective out-of-hospital birth options and promoting wellness in the community.

There's so much out there on this topic! Two other fabulous resources are The Business of Being Born or Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.

Answered Prayer!

This is a follow up email to the previous post...Praise the Lord!! Be sure to read the part in italics, a personal account from relief director of Food For the Hungry in Haiti.

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Hello again:I want to express deep appreciation collectively for your heart to serve the people of Haiti and extend the merciful hand of God to those in need. Thanks so much. Here are some updates:

1. ALL STAFF ACCOUNTED FOR. Let us give thanks to the Lord for the preservation of our staff. First off, we actually have 26 staff in Haiti. All of them are alive; only one has minor injuries to his legs. Amazing. Most of the staff have lost their homes entirely -- or in part. Most staff have lost loved ones and friends. They are grieving, even as they are serving to rescue and help others.

2. ARRIVAL OF ADDITIONAL STAFF. Internationally and U.S.-based Food for the Hungry staff have arrived in Port au Prince thru a variety of means, via land from the Dominican Republic, via chartered aircraft and two staff members even arrived by hitching a ride on the coast guard aircraft that transported Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the scene.

3. AT WORK. We continue to distribute needed supplies such as water filtration/purification systems, tarps for temporary shelter, water purification tablets, solar-powered flashlights, kitchen kits for cooking of food, etc. We are working hand-in glove as partners with an alliance of relief organizations such as Samaritan's Purse and International Medical Teams.

4. VOICES FROM PORT AU PRINCE. Here is a note from our relief director, Sara. She writes, "My first morning in Port Au Prince I woke up to the sounds of worship….I couldn’t see their faces, but I could hear their voices, joined in unison to worship and bless the One who offered hope and strength in the midst of devastation and tragedy. “Onward Christian soldiers” they sung….I couldn’t tell if they were singing in English or Creole but the tune was clear…. “with the cross of Jesus going on before.” The congregation was reminding themselves and the rest of us who could hear their hopeful song that the battle was the Lord’s and not ours to bring restoration to a land devastated by a horrifying earthquake. One can’t help but be overwhelmed by all that is seen and heard in Port Au Prince. The collapsed buildings…the people crowding the streets, their faces covered in masks to block the dust and stench of decaying bodies buried under the rubble…people camping outside even if there homes are still in tact, afraid of another deadly tremor striking…the stories of lost loved ones…relief efforts hampered by poor road access and shortage of fuel…It is easy to focus on the devastation and all the failures of relief efforts in Haiti, and yet, there is restoration that is already taking place. Even before the first relief responder set foot in Port Au Prince, the Haitian people themselves were in action, digging out family members, neighbors and friends buried under the rubble and bringing comfort to each other in their time of loss…roads have begun to open up and much needed medical care and aid is starting to reach communities hardest hit by the earthquake…people are still being rescued alive from under the rubble…some merchants have resumed selling their wares on the streets and small markets are opening up, returning some semblance of normalcy…The Haitian congregation reminded me my first morning in Port Au Prince that the battle is the Lords and not ours. “With the cross of Jesus going on before,” there is certainly hope and restoration for a devastated land."

5. AUDIO: You can listen to a brief update (less than one minute) from Sara here: http://chir.ps/2XN

Grateful that you are there to care and help, Ben

Benjamin K. Homan,
President
Food for the Hungry, Inc. / www.fh.org

God called and we responded until physical and spiritual hungers ended worldwide.