• Family Recipe: Green Bean Tator Tot Casserole

    My Mom is a great cook and this is one of the recipes I remember her making when I was a kid.  It is a great mix of flavors and the perfect casserole to take to someone for a meal or if you want to make two and freeze one for a busy day later that month.  One thing I really love about this meal is that you can use what you have on hand in your pantry or freezer (you don’t have to buy a “special” type of green beans, hashbrowns, or cheese) to make it tasty!

    Green Bean Casserole

    • 2 lbs Hamburger, browned
    • 1 can Mushrooms (optional)
    • 1 pkg Shredded Cheese (Mozzarella or Cheddar or Mix)
    • 2 to 3 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
    • 1 pkg frozen Hashbrowns or Tator Tots
    • 3 cans Green Beans (any style)

    Brown the hamburger then add the mushroom soup and canned mushrooms.  Stir and place on the bottom of a casserole dish.  Then layer the green beans on top of the meat mixture.  Spread the hashbrowns over the top of the green beans.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over the hashbrowns.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.  Until cheese is golden.

  • Life Simplified: Meal Delivery

    Dessert tray we delivered to a family!

    Every new year we set goals, challenge ourselves to reach new heights and to focus on what’s really important in life.  In 2011 I have made it a goal to simplify my life more by enjoying the blessings and not wasting what God has given me.  I will be sharing with you the successes and challenges on those specific areas in my life as I go through them.  I have already shared with you my 1st Life Simplified Goal of No Grocery Shopping for the month of January.  One of the most rewarding blessings in life is sharing what you have with others.  My second Life Simplified Goal goes along with that piece.

    My 2nd Life Simplified Goal:

    • Deliver 1 Meal a Month to a family outside of our household

    Explanation of the Goal: In 2010 I signed up to deliver meals to new Moms after they came home from the hospital, people who had surgery and various other volunteer opportunities.  There were a couple months I didn’t do any meals and other months I had several extra meals to prepare.  For example, in December I had 4 extra meals to prepare and deliver outside of our home before the week of Christmas, some of them being over an hour away, plus we had a Christmas Eve party at our house and guests staying with us for a week.  While I enjoy the blessing of helping others I need to work on saying “No” once I have met my limit.  After much prayer and talking with my husband we have decided it would be best for our family if I would stick to 1 meal delivery a month.  Once I have delivered a meal in a month I will have to say no to any additional inquiries.  There are so many people out there that need help, however, I have to decide what is best for our family too.  I want the girls to continue participating in these amazing acts of service and having a limit will give us the freedom to continue to do it without putting our family in a spot we are over our budget. I think with all the people in our church and community that if everyone did just one meal a month for someone needing a meal there would even be extra to go around.

    I will continue to deliver meals for people once a month.  Below are the opportunities that I am currently and will continue to be involved in:

    • Moms with Newborn Babies
    • People coming home from Surgery
    • Death in the Family
    • Other Volunteer Needs for Meal Delivery

    I have a hard time saying “no” to someone in need but in order for me to have the opportunity to continue ministering to others in this way I need to stick to the goal as well as respect my husband in his decision to help me with this area I love to volunteer.  I will share with you the challenges, successes along the way so you can keep me accountable or you can even go through the journey with me by participating  and sharing your story.

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.