Turkey Chili

 

It's February so apparently winter has decided to arrive and stick around here in Houston.  After being out of town for my birthday trip, I've been out of the groove of meal planning and grocery shopping which made dinner this week look like:

Monday - pizza

Tuesday - rotisserie chicken, steam in the bag broccoli, and baked sweet potatoes

Wednesday - salmon, rice, and steam in the bag green beans

So Thursday I actually did a real grocery haul incase we got iced in and I made White Chicken Chili and bought ingredients for classic chili (recipes in my newest newsletter; subscribe here.)

So I thought I'd share our favorite turkey chili.  It's adapted from the Mom-a-licious cookbook and my kids prefer this to classic chili hands down; plus it's leaner.

What you need:

1 lb turkey

1/4 c onion, diced

2 T cumin

2 cloves garlic minced

1 T tamari

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can chopped green chilis

chicken broth

2 t chili powder (or more or less to taste)

1 t onion powder (or more or less to taste)

garlic salt to taste

What you do:

1. In a saute pan, saute onion in olive oil until translucent ~4 minutes (add garlic for the last minute of cooking time so you don't burn it).

2. Add in cumin and combine.

3. In a big pot, brown turkey and tamari browning turkey until no pink remains. Drain fat and then add the onion mixture to it.

4. Add in beans, tomatoes, chiles and broth (eyeball this until desired consistency.

5. Add in the rest of your spices adjusting to taste.

We like ours over rice and served with fritos.

Mourning the Small Things

#tbt to the place I miss the most, to a time when I didn’t even consider the possibility of owning a mask or giving someone a wide berth when walking down Front Street. A time when you could smile at strangers and they could actually see your whole face and smile back.

Most days we wear our masks and get on with life as normal as best as we can, but yesterday, one of my kids broke down. He had had enough. He needed to mourn. Mourn the fact that Covid has changed our world and given us a new normal that means if someone has a sniffle, things are canceled. And he’s tired of things being canceled. We both are.

I told him I could relate. Yesterday I walked into a restaurant without a mask. This was completely unintentional. My scattered self has done this a couple times before (ALWAYS on accident), but this time was different.

I was confronted immediately by an employee demanding that I put on my mask. I was embarrassed and then I was angry. I wanted to shout at her, “this is NOT normal!”

Don’t worry, I didn’t. #enneagram9

I walked back out and got my mask and processed my reaction.  Usually I'm a happy little rule follower, but it hit me afresh that wearing a mask is NOT normal.   And while I understand why we wear them, I hadn’t really allowed myself to grieve the, yes small, but in many ways profound loss of freedom that cute fabric from Athleta represents. It is a daily, sometimes, hourly reminder every time we leave the house that something is not right in the world.  And when we don't take the time to mourn, to allow ourselves to feel sad, the grief turns into anger or bitterness and the bigger loss is that we miss out on the comfort of the Lord (Matthew 5:4).

 

I reminded my child (and myself), that we mourn but not without hope and not without comfort. And as believers we look at our suffering through a different lens than the world. Instead of asking, “God, why are you doing this to me?” We ask Him, “God, what are you doing?” Asking Him to open our eyes, hearts, and minds to the good we see Him bringing about in these bizarre times we are living in instead of just waiting for everything to go back to a normal that might not come.

God what are you doing? 

This question takes trusting Him that the path He has us on is right. He is not surprised that there is a worldwide pandemic.  He has not stopped being able to use what was meant for evil for good (Genesis 50:20). We trust Him with the big picture - that He has the end planned, and we can only see the piece of the path we need to see in this moment. And He is with us (Psalm 23:5).

We can trust Him because what looked like the biggest train wreck in the history of the world, the Cross, was the very thing He used to save us.

So we mourn our losses big and small. Process them through prayer and conversations with empathetic friends.  We have a God who leads us in paths of righteousness, comforts us through the valley of the shadow of death, and walks with us on every part of the journey.

If you’re struggling with this too, I highly recommend Psalm 23, Genesis 37-50, Romans 8 for meditation.

 

Friday Favorites {9.8.17}

1. Harvey Relief!

My Texas necklace from Jenn's shop:

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2. Date Night thanks to:

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Last night we were invited to a dinner hosted by Pastorserve.  Upon hearing of the chaos that Harvey wreaked on Houston, Pastorserve immediately mobilized their team from all over the US to be here for the Houston pastors.  We didn't really have any idea what it was about except that they wanted to come in as a support to the pastors in the city many of which have been on the front lines caring for people who have lost everything and in many cases having been personally affected by the flood themselves.  It was heartbreaking to see the exhaustion on each pastor's face as many were low on sleep due to shot nerves, physical labor, emotional heaviness for their congregations, and personal concern as many churches buildings are in need of repair and don't have the finances to continue to miss meeting on Sundays.  The joy and hope during our worship time brought me to tears as did the spiritual and physical care of the Pastorserve team as they encouraged us with the Word, provided us with a delicious meal, prayed for us, and even met some specific financial needs.

In situations like this, pastors are often the first to offer help and the last to accept it, and in the marathon that is Harvey recovery, we need our leaders to stay healthy and encouraged.  Pastorserve is an organization that comes alongside of pastors to do just this.  If you are looking for a ministry to give to for Harvey relief, this is a great option.

We forgot to take a picture at the Pastorserve dinner so here we are after we got back!  Love this guy!!!

3. Little People Shenanigans

"Mom!  We made an immunity idol!"
#survivorfansinthemaking #ionlyletthemwatchthechallenges

Meanwhile, Susu was making her own fun.
She has an obsession with soap...could be worse, right?

Not even sure what is happening here

4.  The many articles written about and for Houston:

Beth Moore's beautiful portrait of Houston

Joshua Roger's Op Ed titled "What Did Jesus Say About Natural Disasters"

5. This.

Happy Friday to you!

What's Up Wednesday {9.6.17} Edition: What Day Is It?

This What's Up Wednesday post is most likely posted on the wrong day, but this is how most of us in Houston are feeling...

What We're Eating This Week:

Well, after helping our Chick-Fil-A owner friend not waste all of her defrosted chicken during Harvey...


not chicken!

Y'all, Taylor coordinated my dad and neighbors to cook at least 500 pieces of chicken!  We handed it out to shelters, first responders, and tried to eat the rest at a block party for our street, and we still had to freeze about 300 pieces.  It was so yummy, but the #Harvey15 is real folks.

Here is a tiny portion of the sandwiches we handed out to first responders

Chicken Spaghetti made with Chick-fil-a chicken

So this week, because we've been so cooped up the past 10 days, we're letting the little people decide because two weeks into the school year with no school,  Mama is choosing her battles.  Traditional spaghetti it is.

What I'm reminiscing about:

Last Fall.

Fall is my favorite season though it's debatable that Houston has seasons.
Read:
1. summer and
2. warm and muggy (not sure what to call this season).

But the beginning of the school year is a new beginning for me, a clean slate, a get back on a normal bedtime schedule, eat healthier, eat all of the fall food (apples!!!), and have a break from each other (school!!!).

This September, fall doesn't exist.  Normal doesn't exist in Houston right now.  We had a week of school and then Harvey hit.  Harvey has devastated my city.  For those of you not living here; the news has moved on, but we are still dealing with after effects of epic proportions.  It has extended summer and made real life go on hold while major street arteries stay flooded - it took me an hour and a half to get from my parents house to my house yesterday; this is usually a 15-20 minute drive.  The last mile took 45 minutes. The grocery stores have no eggs and very little bread.  Schools are still closed till next week and some even the week after that.  Many homes still have 3-4 feet of water in them. News has moved from home rescues to relief workers coming down with nasty bacteria from the filthy standing water.

Mercifully, we were not affected physically by the floodwaters, but for most Houstonians that were not affected physically, we are still affected emotionally.  It was hard for me to let my mother-in-law watch my children across town yesterday, I was woken up by thunder two nights ago and couldn't get back to sleep, and I wake up exhausted even though I'm getting the same amount of sleep I usually get. My friend, Hillary, shared this on Facebook the other day, and it gave words to this feeling many of us have here:

What I'm Loving

All of the relief efforts for Houston!  My favorite is what Jenn's company is doing:

Click here to see her Harvey Relief necklace line.  100% of the proceeds will go to Harvey Relief (these photos are some of the supplies they have purchased so far for the GRB shelter).

What We've Been Up to

Harvey Relief.  As a mom with little kids this mostly looks like making lots of food for various people though here is a funny break in all of that - I found myself alone in my house (thank you Mia for taking my kids for the day) after running around all day getting errands done and finally taking a break at 3 to eat lunch, and my friend Kara texted Jenn and me to see what we were up to:

Busted!  Sometimes you just have to laugh.  That is Survivor Season 3 FYI.

What I'm dreading

The possibility of school being postponed another week.

What I'm working on

Letting go of any part of my "normal" that I should leave behind. (Credit)

What I'm excited about

Our upcoming anniversary trip to Colorado

What I'm watching/reading


Duh.

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I just finished The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, and it was an interesting read though not what I expected.  It paints a good picture of what idolizing a person does to you.

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What I'm listening to

During the day I stream Mozart Piano Quartet on Pandora because in a house full of children, give me all the peaceful music.  In the evenings,  I've been foregoing my typical Pandora station, "Italian Cooking Music" (think Dean Martin) for this youtube station, French Cafe music.

What I'm wearing

My summer uniform: denim shorts and a solid color t-shirt

Worst lighting ever!

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{via} I got mine from a clothing swap, but these are similar

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What I'm doing this weekend

I'm kind of creeped out to put this on the internet...tell you about it next week, mkay? I'm excited about it though!

What I'm looking forward to next month

Pumpkins and hopefully cool weather! #eternalHoustonweatheroptimist

What else is new

About to start a minor remodel in our kitchen because our oven died, and our new one doesn't fit in the old space. #badtiming #contractorsinhighdemandinHoustonrightnow #goodthingmydadisacontractor

What's Your Number?

Started writing this last Tuesday, but a crazy week got in the way and I never posted it...

Shay wrote on the topic: "what's your hardest number when having kids?" this week (last week!) and I thought it was fun, so I decided to write my own post on the subject.

This post was meant for Tuesday (last Tuesday!).

My master blog plan was to do What's Up Wednesday for Wednesday, and Friday Favorites for today, but suffice it to say it's been a hard week.  Yay for goals - the incompletion of them has a lot to do with this post and "what my number" is!

I always wanted to be a mom.  I loved playing dolls and started naming my children in elementary school (obviously my taste changed by the time I actually had kids since my daughters aren't named Tiffani (aka Kelly Kapowski and Stephanie (as in Tanner) and Joe (as in McIntire) - those of you who get this, you are my people.).  Actually having children was a lot different than I could have imagined.

First of all, it didn't just happen like we thought it would.  You can read about each of my second trimester miscarriages here and here.  Children truly are a blessing from the Lord - we learned this through suffering and loss.  The other morning, I came across this in my Bible - I read a psalm a day each morning at the beginning of my time with the Lord.

On July 27, 2009, the due date of my first baby, I "just happened" to be on Psalm 127.  What an encouragement from the Lord, but it took faith to believe this was true.  So on that day back in 2009, I noted it with Tristan's due date forcing myself in ink to memorialize this promise even though the "what ifs" still hung in the air.  Then as I came across it during the first year of each of my kids' lives, I got to write out God's faithfulness and his promise fulfilled to us in Seth, Avery, and Susannah.  I love seeing each birth date written in my Bible every time I read that passage.  He's Always Been Faithful.

I know that no matter if you have children or not that this verse is true, and I'm aware that not all have the same ending to this part of their story as I do, but I've learned through the suffering of these two losses that the reward is in the wait, the reward is Him whom we're waiting with.  The children are a blessing absolutely, but the ultimate blessing is God Himself who draws us in and binds us to Himself when we need Him the most.

So when I found out that I was pregnant with Seth, we were elated.  After losing Tristan, I was more aware of what a gift he was than I probably would've been and hoped that the Lord would use that to help us through the sleepless nights.  Thankfully he was a very peaceful baby,  but we had some issues with nursing,  and I struggled with some post-partum baby blues (and we were in the final planning stages of moving to Scotland), so as you may have guessed, I was slightly overwhelmed.

Emotionally going from 0 to 1 was the hardest.  Seth rocked our world, and redefined our family. There were growing pains to be sure, but the Lord used his birth and our move overseas to shape our family.

Avery was born 21 months later and she was the easiest baby known to man.  Always happy, LOVED her bed, nursed like a champ.  She is still my best sleeper.  Everything about going from 1 to 2 was incredibly easier than 0 to 1.  I felt prepared, I was able to sleep when she slept instead of hovering over her making sure she was still breathing. :) Transitioning from 1-2?  Piece of cake (until she turned 2, but that's a post for another time ;)).

We struggled about when to have baby 3.  We went back and forth on the timing (should we wait till after we're done in Scotland?  But we want them close in age... etc etc).  Finally one of our friends who has 8 kids told us, "it's never the right time." And that sealed the deal.  William was on the way - due exactly 2 days before Avery's second birthday.  Soon into my pregnancy, we heard the news that he wouldn't make it to term.  Again the Lord was faithful to hold and to heal.

After hearing from the doctor that William's short life wasn't due to any genetic concerns, we were given the go ahead for more children, and Susannah Mackenzie was soon on the way.

"Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?"

I'll let you guess what our hardest number is by looking at that picture...

3!

While going from 0-1 was hardest emotionally, going from 2-3 has been hardest life adjustment. Emotionally not so hard, but physically and logistically running a household with 3 kiddos born in the span of  4 years = Crazytown a lot of the time.

This  little girl has rocked our little world.  She is the cutest little toot, but man is she busy!  Turn your back for 2 seconds and she's stealing big brother's valentine chocolate, climbing up the bunk bed ladder, jumping off the coffee table, I could go on and on.  Her namesake warned me that once we had 3, there would be no time to myself.  I didn't believe her then, but I have learned.  3=NO time.  I feel like a sherpa and a cat herder, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

(Susannah's behind me in her cute smocked dress lying on the floor post tantrum refusing to get in the picture...)

And since it's already nuts over here...should we add one more to the party?  Jury's still out :)

{12 Days of Christmas Traditions} Day One: A Stream of Consciousness Introduction and Christmas Playlist

**Updated Playlist - my Dad reminded me I forgot a couple favorites!**

I LOVE Christmastime.

Seth's 1st Christmas

Avery's 1st Christmas

Everything in me wants to put on Christmas music and decorate our flat November 1st. Recently, my German friend, Susi, asked me when the decking of the halls would happen in the Ince Household.  Sheepishly I admitted that I really wanted to do it November 16th, but I was forcing myself to wait until the following weekend because we were having new friends over for dinner that night, and I didn't want them to think I was weird. (Just keepin' it real.) Turns out the joke was on me because my new friend (also American) had decorated her flat earlier that day. Ha! Susi was surprised saying she heard the rule was to decorate after Thanksgiving.

I may or may not have had a visceral reaction.

I used to buy into this.  That is when my mom decorated as did all of my friends' moms when I was growing up. But once I realized how much work it is (and how cosy it makes the house feel), I decided it's too much work not to start enjoying it in November.  I love having my Christmas decorations up for Thanksgiving - it's festive!  It heralds in the Christmas season! And let's be serious, who wants to decorate their house directly after making Thanksgiving dinner? Not me!

Each year I obsess think about how to combat being too focused on gift receiving, Santa Claus, and the whole secular side of Christmas.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-Santa by any means, but I don't want my kids to be more excited about presents than

God coming down.

I'm not naive, I don't expect Seth to prefer Jesus over presents at age 3 - I think that is not realistic for a 3 year old, but I do want Him to know why we celebrate and give gifts, and for Jesus not to be eclipsed by Old Saint Nick.  Is this possible?  Do we need to punt Santa Claus?

Maybe.

I loved the way my parents did Christmas.  It was truly magical and my siblings and I allowed each other to "believe" way longer than most.  Santa Claus was an integral part. I never felt like my parents lied to me in allowing us to believe in him.

I think it's important to reevaluate each year and have an open heart about doing things differently than the way we grew up.  Possibly to lose a little magic to gain a little wonder.  And not doing things just because everybody else is doing them (what?! You're not saying 30 something moms still fall into this trap...right?).  On the other hand, I don't want to be an extreme-o Pharisee parent that my kids grow up hating because we were too Christian for that mumbo jumbo you call Santa Claus and presents. {Disclaimer: I am not saying you are automatically an extreme-o Pharisee if your family chooses to not to do Santa - it's all about the heart behind why you're doing what you're doing!}

I want Jesus to be our focus and I want my kids to experience the magic and wonder of Christmas.  I think we can do both.

I've loved getting ideas from other bloggers - some who are even more Christmas crazy than I am! So I decided that for the next few weeks I'm going to be a dedicated blogger and share some of the fun ideas I've come across on blogs and Pinterest in addition to some of our already established Christmas traditions. I'm not sure how often I'm doing this because I didn't brainstorm ahead of time (surprise, surprise), but off the top of my head I just realized there are 12 days left of November and that goes with 12 days of Christmas...ahhh!  An idea is born.  There you have it - 12 Days of Christmas Traditions: Just in time for those of you who wait until December 1st to start decorating. :)  Though let's be realistic, it's highly unlikely I'll post on the weekends, so this will bleed into December or I might only have 8 topics...I guess we'll find out!  If I was really on top of it (and not to mention computer savvy), I'd have a cute graphic to go with it too.  And I'd put it on my FB page.  But we all know how likely that is since the last time I posted on that was probably January 2012.

So for today first things first.  My Christmas playlist.  You have to have it playing before you can begin any Christmas shenanigans (designing your Christmas cards, decorating your house, etc), so I thought it only right to begin here.  Here is a list of my very favorite Christmas songs new and old - I tried to keep it at 10, but that was impossible, so I went with 25.  If you don't feel like listening to all of them (Ebenezer), make sure you at least listen to the last 2.  Happy listening!

Robin's Christmas Playlist (though in reality it's much longer because the whole Charlie Brown and Home Alone sound tracks would be on there too!):

1. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams - mandate to be number one on the list
2. It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas by Michael Buble - this is a new addition this year thanks to Shay
3. Jingle Bells by Frank Sinatra - this isn't any old rendition of Jingle Bells, it's the best. The only problem with listening to it in Scotland is my brother, Mark, isn't singing along with me though I know somehow he knows I'm listening to it and all the way on Maui he's humming it too.
4. The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole - nothing needs to be said here but classic
5. All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey - Seth and Avery beg me to drop whatever I'm doing and dance whenever this song comes on - Kaitlyn, you now have little people you can boss around and make up dance routines with (not that I know anybody who would do that!) ;)
6. Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys - my dad raised us on the Beach Boys!
7. White Christmas by Bing Crosby
8. Tennessee Christmas by Amy Grant - when I accosted Taylor with, "favorite Christmas song GO" this is the one he chose, and this my friends is why he's my best friend.
9. To Be with You by Sara Groves - this one kills me this year since we're not going home for Christmas for the first time EVER.  Sob.  So if I am able to listen to it, it will definitely be followed by the next two songs and a phone call to Mom.
10. Blue Christmas by Elvis
11. Please Come Home for Christmas by The Eagles - Don Henley - lyrical perfection in a musical era when it didn't matter what you said or even if your song made sense at all
12. Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby - feeling like I need another Hawaiian Christmas soon...fancy a jump off of Black Rock, Craig?
13. Sweet Bells by Kate Rusby - But I'm looking forward to experiencing a Scottish Christmas - this one is a shout out to Murdo for introducing us to the magnificent Kate
14. Believe by Josh Groban - I know these are the worst lyrics ever (I used to have my English students write a paper on this), but I still love the music, his voice, and the feeling the song creates.  It feels like Christmas to me.
14. O Little Town of Bethlehem by Sarah Mclachlan - let's just reflect on these words versus the song prior...maybe we should write a paper about it?
15. Grown Up Christmas List by Amy Grant - Christmas staple in our house - I could just play all of Amy Grant's Christmas albums one after the other and be happy.
16. Here With Us by Joy Williams - this may be my favorite non-Christmas carol song ever.
17. Welcome to Our World by Chris Rice - or maybe this one
18. I Need a Silent Night by Amy Grant - this song sums up my Christmas conundrum.
19. O Come O Come Emmanuel by Selah - haunting, gives me chills
20. Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Amy Grant - this is my favorite Christmas carol; the lyrics are so rich!
21. I heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Casting Crown - "anointed" according to my mom-in-law - SO glad she introduced me to this song - thanks Mia!
23. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland - love me some Meet Me in St. Louis
24. Come and Worship (Angels from the Realms of Glory) by Bebo Norman - OK this might be my absolute favorite Christmas song/carol - can't get through it without crying. Love it!
25. Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy) by Chris Tomlin - have to end with this one - love this rendition so much!  Might shed a tear for this one too. :)

Update:
*Christmas Must Be Something More by Taylor Swift - inspired no doubt by one of my very favorite Christmas Stories (post on that coming very soon!)
*A Strange Way to Save the World by 4Him - here's some 90s goodness for you (don't miss the mullet!) - can't believe I forgot my Mom's favorite Christmas Song!
A few other honorable mentions because I just can't resist!: Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant, Carol of the Bells by Barlow Girl (though the Home Alone version is my preferred), Joseph's Lullaby by Mercy Me, and O Holy Night by David Archuleta (remember that guy?!). Ok, I have to stop of this list will be never ending! Leave a comment if I left off your favorite - I'd love to listen to it!

Tomorrow's topic (and it's a controversial one): The Elf on the Shelf.  To do it or not to do it...that is the question.