Menu Monday for 10/30/17

 Getting plans posted on time this week! Yea!

Saturday (10/28):  

Pork barbecue sandwiches, cole slaw, kale salad, zucchini

Sunday (10/29):  
chicken picatta*, rice, green beans

Monday (10/30) (7:00 Scouts):

Beef flank steak, steamed potatoes, broccoli

Tuesday (10/31):

Grilled pork chops* with zucchini and tomatoes, biscuits

Wednesday (11/1) (Mass):

Herbed buttered salmon, spinach*, noodles

Thursday (11/2) (CAP):

Slow cooker chicken cacciatori*, egg noodles, salad

Friday (11/3):

Date night

 

Menu Monday for 10/23/17

 I'm very happy this week to be on top of things and getting my week's menu plans posted on Monday!

Last week MyFreezeasy was running a "Make One, Freeze One" challenge that I signed up to participate in. It was kind of a success and kind of not.

To start off with, I didn't get my shopping done until Tuesday and didn't start any MyFreezeasy meals until Wednesday (Day 3 of the challenge). And then there was the fact that I didn't want to make the MyFreezeasy meals she was suggesting, so I had picked different ones. There was also the fact that I didn't want to make TWO of ANYTHING. Every meal I froze was unique, and different from the meals I served. (I'm an affiliate. Please consider clicking my affiliate link above and taking a look.)

I only got four meals frozen because I thought my 4-1/2 lbs. of chicken thighs would work for two meals, but decided that I needed to use it for one. (How much meat is there, really, after you remove the skin and the bones? I don't know...)

So two of this week's meals come from last week's work. I still plan to make and freeze that second meal with the chicken thighs for later, and I'm going to do more freezer meals. It really makes things go easier some days.

Like Saturday morning I got Mongolian Beef cooking in the slow cooker in the morning. I had a memorial service to attend from 1:00-2:30, and then drove an hour to the air port to pick up a friend (took from 2:30-5:00 or so to get home). Then, since dinner was already cooking, I put two more freezer meals together!

Anyway, here are this week's plans:

Saturday (10/21) (Memorial Service):  

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef, rice, broccoli

Sunday (10/22):
Rosemary Turkey, braised celery, stuffing

Monday (10/23) (podiatrist) (7:00 Scouts):

Slow Cooker New Brunswick Stew, salad, biscuits              

Tuesday (10/24) (3:15 Doctor):

20 Minute Catfish with Parmesan Sesame Zucchini, corn bread

Wednesday (10/25):

marinated flank steak, mashed potatoes, green beans

Thursday (10/26) (CAP):

Slow cooker chicken cacciatori, egg noodles, salad

Friday (10/27):

Date night

 

Wordless Wednesday - 10/18/17

Menu Monday for 10/16/17

 Okay, yeah, I'm running late on this post. Did anyone notice? Well, shopping ran late, too. Here's our plan:

Saturday: Subway

Sunday: Chinese food

Monday: Roast chicken, green beans, sweet potatoes, corn bread

Tuesday: orange glazed turkey cutlets, egg noodles, brussel sprouts and leftover veggies from the fridge

Wednesday: Spaghetti and meatballs (I had zucchini noodles), salad and Texas toast

Thursday: Pesto Chicken Bake, rice, California medley

Friday:  Date night (Dinner out)

MyFreezeasy "Make One Freeze One" Challenge starts tomorrow!

Last October I posted a review of a company called MyFreezeasy. I like them so much I became an affiliate! (Please click the MyFreezeasy link so I can get credit for you!)

Today I get to tell you about a special thing Erin from MyFreezeasy is doing this week on Facebook: a Make One, Freeze One challenge, which starts tomorrow. 

I wanted to embed the Facebook video but can't, so go to the link, watch the video and join us! 

Make One Freeze One Challenge

Brinkman Adventures Season 4 - A TOS Homeschool Crew Review

 In early September I learned our family would be on this year's Crew to review the Brinkman Adventures newest adventures CD set! 

I was so excited when Brinkman Adventures Season 4 arrived in the mail! 

Brinkman Adventures Season 4 contains four CDs with three episodes per CD, 12 total episodes (Episodes 37-48), for a total of over five hours of listening! Here are the episode titles:

• A Paradise Lost
• Remember Nhu
• Aisha's Fear
• Heart Song
• The Crashed Kitchen
• Crisis in the Congo
• The Mysterious Palm Feller
• War of the Racoons
• The Five Guys
• Toughest Man
• Cambodian Quest and
• What Brings us Together

Below I'll tell you a little about these episodes to grab your interest, but first I wanted to tell you one thing. If you go to The Brinkman Adventures website you can go behind the scenes and learn more about what really happened in each story, meet the actual missionaries and watch behind-the-scenes videos!

So Disc 1, Episode 37, A Paradise Lost, focuses on a missionary retreat the Brinkman family is holding for a huge crowd of missionaries and their families. Unfortunately a huge amount of rainfall causes a dam to collapse, draining the lake. Not only was the lake a main feature of attraction at this retreat site, but in addition the bridge carrying the road in and out of the lake-site was washed out. Folks at the lake are trapped there, and folks not there yet cannot get there. Food supplies are not complete, and the main speaker has not arrived. Listen to learn how the Brinkmans redeem the event and make a wonderful time out of these unfortunate events.

The next episode, #38, Remember Nhu, is an example of why my daughter loves Brinkman Adventures so much -- B**** loves the real missionary stories! B**** is an adult and lives out of state. She was so excited we were getting Volume 4 of the Brinkman Adventures, and she hasn't heard them yet because I needed to write this review before passing the CDs along to her. She is waiting anxiously!

Episode 40, Aisha's fear, is another true missionary story. Taking place in a Muslim land, it is the story of Christians reaching across the culture gap by sharing the love of Christ, resulting in individuals embracing the message of the gospel in spite of and in the face of very real persecution.

Disc 2, episode 41, is about the underground church in a land hostile to Christianity. It began with Dmitri wanting to teach the Bible to his son, and his wife sat with them. Word got out, and neighbors asked to attend. Soon the house was bursting at the seams with folks attending the Bible lessons. Then one day the government authorities knocked on the door and, ultimately, arrested Dmitri for his illegal "church". It is an amazing story, and wonderful, because it conveys to those who don't know what it has been like for Christians in persecuted countries. It reminds me to be thankful for the freedom we have to worship where I live.

Episode 41, The Crashed Kitchen, involves Kate and her dad traveling to Africa together. Kate goes on a mission trip with he dad. Kate's job is to write up entries for the blog about their trip. I love that this story, too, is based on an incident that really happened. Kitchens in Zambia were separate buildings, and a fairly new driver pushed the wrong pedal and crashed into the kitchen! There were injuries, but less than there could have been, and God used the event to create an opportunity to reveal himself to villagers!

Episode 42, Crisis in the Congo, is about Glen Chapman working with Kate and her dad to take the Jesus Movie to a remote village to show it to the villagers. This involves a day-long bike trip to the village to make a landing strip for the powered parachute to land, and then biking back from the village, loading the powered parachute, and using the plane to make multiple trips to the village since the plane can only carry two people at a time - the pilot and one person, plus another trip to carry the equipment.

These adventures involve dodging an angry hippo, an accident that destroys someone's kitchen, dealing with the scary reality of the village witch doctor, and dealing with rain pouring down on the showing of the movie after all that effort. Listen to learn the ways God comes through to make his presence known through these trials and difficulty.

Episode 43, The Mysterious Palm Feller, involves a missionary compound in Africa and conflicts that arise with the local witch doctor. There is also an underlying theme of ways the missionaries are trying to educate and promote sustainable life in the area, to teach villagers the importance of considering the local flora and fauna. Methods previously used by local people had included deforestation, burning and cutting of plant life and total wiping out of animal population in areas, which had been threatening the well-being of the African lands. There is also a mystery that gets solved related to palm trees being toppled during night time hours.

Episode 44, War of the Raccoons, transitions to a story involving a robot, some troublesome raccoons, and some pet koi fish. There was no particular transition, but we're back with Mrs. Brinkman and other Brinkman kids. This is on Disc 3, and also on Disc 3 there is a sub-story of a relationship between Michelle Brinkman and her relationship with a young man named Anthony. Dad Brinkman does not seem ready for this to be happening, even though Michelle is old enough to marry.

Episode 45, The Five Guys, revolves around a factual missionary story that has been fictionalized. Jack Brinkman and Nik Ripcan are touring European countries to meet with pastors on a trip that has been planned for months. Everywhere they turn their planned meetings are thwarted. Pastors have been arrested, others have sudden "schedule conflicts" or other reasons why they cancel appointments. Meanwhile Jack and Nik are being pursued by a European doctor who is asking them to meet with him immediately (and this has been going on for a month). They finally meet with the doctor and find themselves in a situation that sounds like it comes right out of the book of Acts, and God is in control of all their steps! They encounter five guys, and you just have to hear the story!

Episode 46, The Toughest Man, has Nik meeting "Armeer", the European doctor from episode 45. The doctor reveals a horrific history of personally killing over 100 people as a special agent doing what he believed was his calling to serve his god.  Then "Armeer" tells how Jesus came to him in a dream and relates a story that is similar to things that happened in the book of Acts. The story is based on a true account, with some literary license.

Episode 47, Cambodian Quest, takes us back to Nhu from Episode 38. Carl goes back to visit Cambodia taking Mrs. Brinkman and Kitri to help with some issues at Nhu House. This is a fictional tale used to present actual people and events in a manner intended to convey truth.

Episode 48, What Brings us Together, is a sweet wrap-up to this volume of Brinkman stories. It is based on a true event that occurred in the family these stories are about, even though Brinkman is not the actual family name. Go to Brinkman Adventures Season 4 to learn more!

I have so enjoyed listening to Brinkman Adventures Season 4. My son thought the acting in "Paradise Lost" was overdone and unrealistic, but he doesn't have much experience with teen-aged girls up-close and personal. My daughter is anxiously awaiting her turn to listen, and I hope you are, too!

Other members of the Homeschool Review Crew also reviewed Brinkman Adventures Season 4. To read more reviews please click the link below.