Healthy Food

I know it’s literally the last hour for Advent resourcing, but if you are looking for a last minute Christ-centered Advent resource to use with your family this Christmas season, read on. I’ve put together a scratch-off coundown calendar and reading guide to go with The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung and I wanted to share it with you! It’s mostly free, printable, interactive, and Christmas themed!

Why do we love this Bible storybook?

I’m assuming that if you arrived to this page, you already have the book and need not read any more about why I like this resource (scroll to the bottom)! But, in order to keep Google happy and in hopes that others wander onto this site looking for something Christ-centered for Advent to share with their families this year, here you have the back-story and my unprofessional review of The Biggest Story Bible Storybook.

Our precious family and friends recently gave a gift in memory of our 7th year without our twins, Quinn and Thea. They gifted each young family in our church with The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung. This was a book my parents had gifted to us the year before and it had become a family favorite so, they knew it held a lot of meaning to us. It was a special way to honor our loss while also extending hope and truth to families around us so that they can continue share the good news of Jesus with their children.

So, what do we love about this particular storybook Bible? We really appreciate the author of this book and the way he writes stories that honor the authority of scripture while using humor, concise language, and beautiful illustrations (thanks to the illustrator, Don Clark). This Bible storybook has a great range of stories telling the overarching story of the whole Bible and it includes some unique stories the listener may have missed in Sunday school; stories like The Daughters of Zelephehad (I had never…). Bob and I always learn something along with the kids while also getting a little chuckle each time we read it. Because this book is tied tightly to scripture and uses some Biblical theology components, many of the stories intentionally articulate how the story points to Jesus. And, those Jesus connections are what this Advent resource is all about.

Advent Reading Guide and Printable Coundown Calendar

Having your own copy of the book isn’t entirely necessary in using this Advent Reading Guide but it would be very helpful. If you don’t have a copy (yet), subscribe on Apple podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or RSS to listen to the audio stories (although, not all of them have been created yet).

With that, here is the printable reading guide which you can print or just download to view from your phone. The stories selected will bring you from Genesis to Revelation, December 1st-25th. The real fun, though, is in the poster where you can print a beautiful Christ Connection Christmas Countdown calendar with a scratch-off option.

If you would like to make this into a scratch-off calendar, head to Amazon where you can buy these scratch-off stickers. I used gold because it just seemed Christmassy, reminded me of ornaments and, beside the fact that mine is beautifully crumpled, it looks really nice! These scratch-off stickers will allow you to cover each “Jesus is…” statement and uncover it after you read each story. I think it will be engaging for the kids!

With that, I hope this Christ-Centered Advent Resouce is meaningful, useful, engaging, and ultimately helps water the growing faith of your family as they lean into knowing Jesus more during this special time of the year.

Additionally, please leave any comments below if you find other/better Christ connections as you read these stories.

God bless,

Suzi

Jump to Recipe

Four alliterative words for you: MAKE THIS MEAL, MAMA!

Yep, if you are a busy mom (who isn’t?) looking for an easy, healthy, simple ingredients meal, then make this. It’s name will not let you down–it’s Easy Chicken Stir Fry and you can have it on the table in 20 minutes or less.

Want to make it easier on yourself? Do a little prep ahead of time. Freeze your cubed meat with the marinade in a plastic ziplock baggie. I currently have two of these in the freezer ready for my next impromptu Easy Chicken Stir Fry dinner. It’s so easy and it has such simple, healthy ingredients!

How can I make this Whole30 compliant?

Need to modify Easy Chicken Stir Fry for Whole 30? That is easy, too! Replace the soy sauce with Coconut Aminos. Skip the maple syrup. Replace the rice with cauliflower rice. The ingredients are healthy and modifications for Whole30 are very simple and the flavor is not lost.

How do I make the sliced veggies easy?

My favorite life hack, at the moment, is using frozen veggies for all the things.

Grab a bag of the Asian Stir Fry Veggies from Costco. I use about 1/3 of a bag for each recipe. I know each time I buy a new bag, I can get three meals out of that bag of veggies for two adults and two kids. Frozen veggies are a busy woman’s best friend when cooking simple and healthy meals.

How can I get this on the table in 20 minutes?

Alright, so there is a little strategy to consider when making this Easy Chicken Stir Fry meal happen in 20 minutes.

I begin by popping my rice into the Instant Pot and placing that on the rice setting which warms up and completes in about 15 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, I slice my chicken and throw the marinade in with that and get it cooking right away. I use my 8 qt dutch oven to cook everything. This cooks about 8 minutes on each side. You’ll have to chop that chicken fast or have it prepped ahead of time. Or, better yet, buy it already cubed! The goal is simple and easy.

Last of all, if you really want dinner in 20 minutes, you will have to steam the veggies separately. Otherwise, when combined with the chicken, it takes an extra 5-10 minutes. Have those veggies going while the rice is cooking and while you are cooking the chicken.

Do kids like this Easy Chicken Stir Fry meal?

My kids love this. I can’t guarantee they’ll eat every scrap of it, but it’s all about the presentation at our house. For this meal, I serve it to the adults in a rice bowl like the photos show. For the kids, I break it down into the components. They have their items separated —vegetables, the meat with ketchup, and the rice with as much added soy sauce as they can handle.

That’s it! You CAN create simple, healthy, and delicious meals in a short amount of time! This Easy Chicken Stir Fry recipe would go really well with the Cucumber Gin Fizz Cocktail or Mocktail to spruce up the simplicity of this meal a bit!

Enjoy!

Have you ever been handed a ziplock baggy of gooey dough as a “friendly” gesture? The weird bubbly mixture is a sort of starter for the reputable Amish Friendship Bread. It may sound like a silly gift to give, but for those who love to bake, it’s a fun little project that takes about 10 days and then becomes a gift that keeps giving! I’ve made this blueberry muffin recipe using my friendship bread starter.

Well, I got my baggy of Amish Friendship Bread dough about 10 days ago. Today was the day to mix up my batch and I decided to make some modifications.

After picking fresh blueberries this morning, we whipped up a batch of perfect blueberry muffins using the Amish Friendship Bread starter. I am obsessed with this recipe already and I don’t need to change a thing about it! These are PERFECT blueberry muffins!

Friendship Bread Directions

Here is a quick rundown on how to care for your gooey bag of dough if you are handed this gift that keeps giving!

Day 1: Do nothing.

Day 2, 3, 4, 5: Mash the bag.

Day 6: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup of milk to the bag.

Day 7, 8, 9: Mash the bag.

Day 10: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup of milk to a bowl along with the bag of gooey dough. Mix together and put 1 cup of mixture into four ziplock baggies. Use the rest for the Amish Friendship Bread recipe or use my recipe for Blueberry Muffins using the Amish Friendship Bread starter.

Amish Friendship Bread to Perfect Blueberry Muffins

Below is my recipe for blueberry muffins where I use the remaining friendship starter batter from day 10 of the above instructions.

These are perfect blueberry muffins! The perfect amount of lemon. The perfect hint of sour-dough. The perfect ration of batter to blueberries. The perfect size.

I have not modified this recipe to be healthy, in the least! This is all the glorious goodness of gluten and glucose and no one will be disappointed!

However, if you’d like to try a healthier Blueberry Muffin recipe, hop on over to this blender muffin recipe that I created using oat flour and some added zucchini. These Zucchini Banana Blender Muffins would be a great way to use your fresh zucchini and, switch out the chocolate chips for some sweet blueberries.

Enjoy!

What is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a tart, crisp, fizzy, and refreshing fermented drink. It comes in many flavors and has a multitude of health benefits.

But, Kombucha is expensive. It can be anywhere from $2.50/ 12 oz bottle to $4 a bottle. My love for the beverage runs deep and I’m certainly willing to pay for this special treat on occasion.

However, in true DIY dutch-girl fashion, I have researched, experimented, and discovered how to make my own kombucha at home…and you can too!

I am not one to reinvent the wheel when it comes to brewing of any kind! I am happy to share that the recipe and methods shared by Olena at ifoodreal.com have been incredibly helpful in my learning to make kombucha. Check out her recipe and suggestions here if you’d like to know more about her methods.

SCOBY

If you’ve looked into making your own homemade kombucha at all, you’ll know that it requires a SCOBY.

SCOBY is an acronym for “symbiotic culture of bacterial yeast.” It can be purchased online, scavenged from a friend who has a SCOBY hotel, or developed in your own home following a few simple steps.

I have shared SCOBY with friends and was able to start my own SCOBY when making my first batch of “boocha.”

I have not attempted to purchase a SCOBY online, but I’ve read about others who have. Check out Bucha Brewers or Amazon for their kits and starters for making homemade kombucha.

If you are local, contact me. I likely have a SCOBY to share with you! If you’d like to make your own, read on!

Benefits | Probiotics and Detox

Kombucha is a detoxifying drink. It supports your body in ridding itself of toxins. Because it is a detox drink, this also means that you should drink plenty of water after having kombucha as it can also dehydrate you during the detox process.

Not only does kombucha help detox, but it also provides probiotics for gut health. Gut health is fast becoming a popular topic in the health world.

Probiotics, prebiotics, and leaky gut are all topics that intersect in this conversation. Kombucha is fermented and therefore provides probiotics that can help with leaky gut issues if combined with other health conscious choices.

Basic Method

Okay, if you are just scanning the info, so far, this is where you’ll want to start reading.

Here is my basic method for making simple homemade kombucha.

How to Grow a SCOBY

You will need:

1. a bottle of GT’s original kombucha
2. loose leaf green or black tea (must be caffeinated, decaf does not work)
3. organic cane sugar
4. a glass mason jar

To make:

1. Begin by making a tea: boil two cups of water then add 1 tsp loose leaf tea and 3 tbsp cane sugar and let it cool completely.
2. Once the tea is cool, add 1 cup of the GT’s original kombucha along with “the mother” (all the brown icky and slimy looking stuff) to the tea.
3. Place in the glass mason jar and cover with a paper towel or coffee filter and secure with the mason jar lid, string, or a rubber band.
4. Place the jar away from direct sunlight and in a place that is 70 degrees or warmer. The ideal temperature for making kombucha is 75-85 degrees.
5. Wait for your SCOBY to grow. It could take anywhere from 10-28 days for the SCOBY to be ready.
6. You will know your starter is ready when it smells a little vinegary, has a decent film/SCOBY growing on top, and tastes like kombucha.

How to Brew Homemade Kombucha

Once you have a SCOBY, you will not have to do the above process again. If you are scavenging a SCOBY from a friend, be sure it comes with about two cups of kombucha liquid.

You will need:

1. 14 cups of boiled water,
2. 2 tbsp loose leaf (green or black) tea,
3. 1 cup of organic cane sugar, and a SCOBY with 2 cups of kombucha liquid.
4. Supplies: A very large glass jar or beverage dispenser, coffee filter or paper towel, rubber band, and a strainer.

To make:

1. Begin by boiling the 14 cups of water then adding the 2 tbsp of tea and 1 cup of cane sugar.
2. Stir and let set for 5 minutes before straining out the tea leaves (I have let my tea set longer and do not notice a difference).
3. Let the tea cool completely to room temperature. I like to fill my largest bowls with ice and water and set my pot in the bowl to cool. It cools ridiculously fast this way.
4. When the tea is near room temperature, it is safe to add the SCOBY and 2 cups of kombucha liquid from the starter.
5. At this point, cover with your coffee filter or paper towel and secure with a rubber band.
6. It brews best in 75-85 degrees and should be kept out of direct sunlight.

Your boocha could be ready in as soon as 7 days but could take up to 10 or 14 days! You will know it is ready when it has a slightly sour and vinegary taste. If you’re familiar with store-bought kombucha, it will be easier to tell when your kombucha is ready. Begin testing it around 7 days to determine if it is done!

Fizzy Kombucha

To make your kombucha fizzy, you must take it one step further after your batch is complete. Read on to find out my imperfect science for fizzy kombucha.

How to Second Ferment for Fizzy Boocha

1. You will need: old kombucha bottles and lids or brewing bottles with swing top lids like these. You’ll also need your desired fruit, herbs, or sugar.
2. Fill your bottles with kombucha leaving about 3 inches of space or 1 inch below the neck of the bottle– depending on your bottle style.
3. Add the desired fruit to fill in the space (leaving about a knuckles worth of room at the top).
4. Seal your lids and place in a space out of direct sunlight where it is 75-85 degrees. The warmer it is, the more active your kombucha will be.

It could take 1-4 days for your boocha to “eat” the sugars from the fruit and produce carbonation.

It’s important to pay attention and watch for any bubbles or activity.

When you suspect that there is good “activity” going on, you’ll want to “burp” the bottles by opening or loosening and releasing the carbonation and quickly sealing back up.

You’ll know they are good and ready once you get some fizz coming to the surface when you go to burp your bottles. At this point, you can strain and rebottle the kombucha and refrigerate to consume when ready!

Fruit additives and combinations that I’ve tried:

1. Raspberries- place whole in the bottle (frozen is fine), about 5-7 berries is enough. This is our favorite and turns out every time!
2. Blackberries- place whole (frozen is fine), 5 berries is enough.
3. Strawberries- cut into little pieces and fill the neck of a bottle or the open space.
4. Apple slices- about 4 thin slices to fit in the neck of a bottle.
5. Blueberries-7-10 berries mashed.
6. Pineapple- we did not like this flavor at all.
7. Mango puree- did not turn out because my kitchen was too cold.
8. Cranberries- did not turn out because my kitchen was too cold.
9. Grapes- about 3-5 grapes sliced into quarters. This was okay but wasn’t our favorite.

Fruit additives that I look forward to trying:

1. basil
2. mint
3. ginger
4. kiwi
5. lavender
6. cane sugar
7. combinations of all the above

Strain and Serve

After your kombucha has done its second fermentation to get fizzy and you are ready to enjoy, you will want to strain out the fruit or additives.

You will have to pour into another glass to enjoy your fizzy boocha as these additives are pretty slimy and have an icky texture. I use a screen/strainer and pour into a stemless wine glass to enjoy my fizzy boocha!

Ask Me About Kombucha

Please let me know any questions you have about making kombucha at home!

And, if this seems like too much overwhelming information but you’d like to try a drink with health benefits, hop on over to this recipe on my blog for ACV Collagen Drink; it’s my favorite summer “mocktail.”