Week 20 : It's All About Discipline, Really

What a great week this has been. It has been full of school work and lessons and even a milestone, and we have learned so much! The big news of this week is that my little girl, no longer a baby by any means, had her first piano lesson this week!

These photos speak for themselves--she is taking this very seriously. She has been wanting to begin lessons for at least a year, but we were simply waiting for maturity to catch up with desire. She simply was unable to sit for a full lesson before, and now, she's plugged in the whole time! We're very excited, and "Miss Steph" was excited to get to teach Molly her first lesson, as well.

Molly also began her new language arts curriculum, Phonics Road this week. Hopefully this will be our last for a while. She really likes it so far, and it is designed to take them all the way through grammar and Latin. Hopefully it's a keeper.

Mom learned a lot this week, too. Giving up sugar and grains for the week and eating only vegetables, fruit and minimal protein was an exercise in self-discipline, but also of personal enlightenment. It's a little too personal to go into on my blog, but the discipline of fasting is one that never fails to bring about big revelations in my heart and spirit, even if I think I'm fasting for purely personal reasons. God showed me at the end that He had a higher purpose in mind for this week, and I long to walk in the things He taught me in the process. I have written before that the fruit of the spirit called self-control is the one we must climb highest to claim. This week I made that climb...

Even so, I thought I'd share one photo one of the foods that I was free to eat this week. What is that stuff in the pot? It really was as green as it looks at first, but I failed to take photos of the final product, so don't be scared. Even my kids eat it and love it. I made the recipe up and haven't named it yet. I'm open for suggestions:

1 med onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, diced
saute above ingredients in olive oil until tender, then add
about 8 oz. fresh spinach, pureed
2-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
one bag lentils
1 can kidney beans
one 28oz can tomato sauce or puree
one dried Thai chili pepper finely chopped (could use red pepper flakes)
2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup half and half, or 2/3 cup full cream, or 1 1/2 cups whole or reduced fat, though you may need more with 1% (Do not use skim. Anyway, what's the point?) Note: I don't exactly measure the milk / cream. I watch to see the color change from a dark, reddish brown to a creamy brown color. These are estimates of how much I have used.
Simmer for approximately one hour.
serve with a dollop of sour cream (optional)
(c) Kelly Mine 2011

 My family ate this over qinuoa, but it also very nice over basmati rice, couscous, or just plain in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream. My kids love it--and I am telling you the honest truth. It is very filling, nutrient packed, and very lean, and makes enough for two days for a family of 4. It turns a nice reddish-brown--don't worry. It doesn't stay this green.