November 23, 2024

Quinoa-Sausage Stuffed Zucchini

September 8, 2015 by

{hu·mon·gous}
(h)yo͞oˈmäNGɡəs,-ˈməNG-/
huge; enormous; extraordinarily large

Yup…that describes the two zucchini that have been (literally)  hanging out on our kitchen counter for a while now.  What to do…what to do…what to do with them; I think I have asked myself this almost every day for a week.  So, this is what I did.

2015-09-05 20.14.08

Quinoa-Sausage Stuffed Zucchini

And they were sooo yummy!  They made a complete meal.  I think that this ‘stuffing’ mixture would work equally well in any number of ways: in portobello mushroom caps, in stuffed peppers, in acorn squash.  Anything else you can think of?  (I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments below!)

Here’s the other thing about this recipe (besides fitting perfectly into our healthy but oh-so-yummy POV!) — really quick and so easy!   Enjoy!

ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 humongous (or 2 medium) zucchini
1/4 teaspoon (each) sea salt, freshly ground pepper
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
12-16 ounces italian seasoned chicken sausage (sweet or hot)
1 small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
4 tablespoons (or more) shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated Asiago (or Parmesan) cheese

directions:

  • get the quinoa going right away (cook according to package directions)
  • cut the humongous zucchini in half lengthwise (if needed, cut a thin slice off the bottom to get them to sit firmly);  scoop out the pulp, leaving a 1/4″ shell
  • put the zucchini boats on a microwave safe plate, season with s&p, and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, ’til just tender.  place the zucchini onto a broiler-safe pan
  • chop the scooped out zucchini into 1/2″-sized chunks; set aside
  • heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat
  • add the sausage, onion, and zucchini chunks; cook for about 5-6 minutes (’til there’s no pink left), breaking the sausage into bits as it cooks
  • reduce heat to low; add the garlic stirring constantly for 1 minute
  • toss in the tomatoes and marjoram; stir to combine and turn the heat off
  • preheat the broiler of your oven and place a rack in the top position
  • (when quinoa is done) combine with the sausage-veggie mixture
  • scoop into the zucchini boats and sprinkle with the mozz or monterey jack
  • place under broiler ’til the cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes
  • plate and sprinkle the grated Asiago or Parm over top

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Please don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

You Will Be There

September 6, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

How precious to me are Your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with You.
Psalms 139:17 and 18

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   * 

Jeremy Camp
I begin the day
With the faith that You fashion my ways
And I cannot escape
For Your hand it leads
Your right hand holds me

When I wake, you will be there
When the sun goes down in the night
You will be there

My life has been ordained
You have formed this very frame
And I am fearfully made
For I was made in that secret place

How precious are Your thoughts, all over me
They’re more than the sands of the sea

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Make My Life A Prayer To You

September 3, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Make my life a prayer to You
I want to do what You want me to
No empty words and no white lies
No token prayers, no compromise

I want to shine the light You gave
Through Your son You sent to save us
From ourselves and our despair
It comforts me to know You’re really there

Well I want to thank You now for being patient with me
Oh it’s so hard to see when my eyes are on me
I guess I’ll have to trust and just believe what You say
Oh you’re coming again…coming to take me away

I want to die and let You give
Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope You gave to me
The love that set me free

I want to tell the world out there
You’re not some fable or fairy tale
That I’ve made up inside my head
You’re God the Son and You’ve risen from the dead

Keith Green 
written by Keith and Melody Green

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13

This verse always reminds me of seeking my God during my ‘quiet time.’

David wrote about his ‘quiet time’ in the following verse.  Does the Lord hear you expressing your heart to Him in the same way?  I believe that as we are intentional and seek Him that, yes, this is how God sees us.

In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord;
In the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You
And watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].
Psalms 5:3

Here  is a great example of God’s design for our prayer life:

Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life],
Being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving.
Colossians 4:2

Those are some very intentional words <earnest, unwearied, steadfast> used at the beginning of that verse, yes?  Other versions use similar words: devote, persevere, continue….  This reminds me so much of David’s heart—he was earnest, devoted, steadfast  in his desire to be in God’s presence.

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything,
but in every circumstance and in everything,
by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving,
continue to make your wants known to God.
And God’s peace [shall be yours, that peace]
which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard
over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6 and 7 AMP

Now, of course, that time you spend alone with Your Lord—your quiet, devotional time—is certainly not the only time to pray!  Actually, I think, being intentional—seeking Him first and foremost in our quiet, devotional time—prepares our hearts for the rest of our day to be filled with continual little prayers and petitions directed to our God.  We make our life a {continual} prayer to Him.

How often do we go along through our day, accomplishing the normal even mundane tasks, all the while fellowshipping and talking with our Heavenly Father?  Or driving (yet again) to school to pickup your children; isn’t that a great time to pray?  Or waiting for them at dance/soccer/baseball practice or music lessons/cub scout meeting/awana time/_______ (you fill in the blank); yet another small amount of time that can be eked out of our day to pray and seek Him.  Paul wrote a number of times in his letters to the Christian believers about the importance of praying.  He used terms such as, “pray at all times,” “keep alert and watch,” “pray without ceasing.”  Listen to this encouragement to make our lives a life of prayer:

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit,
with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty.
To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance,
interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).
Ephesians 6:18

Pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 and 18

It is clear that by seeking God first and foremost, by being intentional in our quiet time in our  prayers and petitions, we will be better prepared to “pray at all times, and, keep alert and watch, and, pray without ceasing.”  We will have made our ‘life a prayer’ to Him.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wonderful, I Know That Full Well

September 2, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

I praise You
because I am
fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

 

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Give Us Faith To Be Strong

September 2, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Give us faith to be strong
Father, we are so weak
Our bodies are fragile and weary
As we stagger and stumble to walk where You lead
Give us faith to be strong

Give us faith to be strong
Give us strength to be faithful
This life is not long, but it’s hard
Give us grace to go on
Make us willing and able
Lord, give us faith to be strong

Give us peace when we’re torn
Mend us up when we break
This flesh can be wounded and shaking
When there’s much too much trouble for one heart to take
Give us peace when we’re torn

Give us hearts to find hope
Father, we cannot see
How the sorrow we feel can bring freedom
And as hard as we try, Lord, it’s hard to believe
So, give us hearts to find hope

Lord, give us faith to be strong
Give us peace when we’re torn
Give us faith, faith to be strong

 Singer / Songwriter: Andrew Peterson

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

This song is a prayer—an acknowledgment of our great need for God in all things.  As in every area of our lives, we need the help, the provision, the supply that only God can give.  Even, maybe especially, regarding faith.

It is true that we need to have faith; no doubt.  Jesus spoke often to His apostles and the other disciples about faith.  In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 5 we hear about the woman with a long-term bleeding disease who is healed simply by touching Jesus’ garments.  It is an incredible record!  Listen…

She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment,  for she kept saying,  ‘If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.’  And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source,  and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.

verses 27-29

There is a pivotal point here: she believed—she had faith—that if she could just get close enough to simply touch Jesus’ clothing, she would be healed.  Remember she “kept saying, ‘If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.’”  And she took the action necessary.

Having  faith requires action.

As I think about this scenario, it seems to me there were a number of strong deterrents standing in her way.

  • The crowd
    verse 24 tells us, “…a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him”
  • Her own physical frailty
    verses 25 and 26 say she “…had been subject to bleeding for twelve years…had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and…instead of getting better she grew worse”
  • The social stigma of a woman touching a strange man in public
    Verse 33 relates, “But the woman…though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.”

In spite of these things she took action because she believed “…the reports she had heard about Jesus…”.   Sisters, put yourself  in her sandals…would you (would I?) have had the courage, the fortitude, the faith to do what she did?  I do believe we could…we would.   I do believe we do.

Throughout our lives, we find ourselves experiencing similar circumstances and hard times. Right now, today, I know some of you are living through difficult, demanding, hard situations. Whether they are health-related (like this woman), or difficulties in relationships, or financial problems, or a myriad of other troubles…we need to have faith that God will take care of whatever might be our need.  Our faith is based on our knowledge of His promises in His Word.

…So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17

So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:5

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

And without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists
and that He rewards those who seek Him.
Verse 6

We live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you
through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.
According as His divine power hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:
that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature…”
2 Peter 2:1-4

May we keep all these things in mind as we have faith in the Almighty God Who provides—Jehovah-Jireh.

  • When we feel weak, may we ask for ‘strength to be faithful.’
  • When we are weary, may we ask for ‘grace to go on.’
  • When we are anxious, may we ask for ‘peace when we’re torn.’
  • When we can’t see the way out or through or around or beyond, may we ask for ‘hearts to find hope.’
  • When we feel we have nothing left, may we ask for ‘faith to be strong.’

We must always remember that there is no need we will ever have that He is not already aware of.  He is the Eternal God our Provider—Jehovah-Jireh!

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

O Lord, we recognize that we need Your help in everything.  As the beautiful lyrics of this song sing out, we too ask You, Father, please give us faith to be strong…give us strength to be faithful…give us grace to go on…give us peace when we’re torn…give us hearts to find hope.  We thank You, now in advance, for each of these things because we have already been given a measure of faith by Your grace and mercy.  We have faith placing our confidence and trust in You, El Shaddai.  And we pray all these things in Jesus’ precious and powerful Name.  Amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pesto Chicken Broccoli

September 1, 2015 by

Look what someone who loves me gave me today…oh! happy me!

2014-08-07 17.34.47

My daughter, Kassia, lovingly gifted me with a jar of her healthy but-oh-so-yummy pesto (and luscious balsamic reduction)!  This is precious stuff…what to make, what to make?  Eventually, I just decided to keep it simple: I took a couple of tablespoons to marinate one pound of chicken tenderloins, which we then grilled. Then cooked up some gluten free pasta, steamed a head of broccoli, and sauteed some mushrooms and onions.  And combined it all together with an additional few tablespoons of pesto.  So yummy!

Kassia graciously is sharing her pesto recipe with us today…. This recipe is vegan and dairy-free (along with being intrinsically gluten free, soy free). Her secret ingredient?  Nutritional yeast.  Yup! Don’t knock it ‘til you try it! (Oh, speaking of trying it…dust your freshly popped popcorn with it!) Here’s a fun link loaded with lots of good info about nutritional yeast, or noosh, and some ideas where to purchase it.  As is, this recipe is dairy-free and vegan.  We topped off the finished dish with some freshly grated Asaiago cheese.  Enjoy!

Pesto

2015-08-27 19.15.32

 

ingredients:
1/4 cup pignoli (also called pine nuts)2014-08-10 17.47.41
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (she uses jarred garlic, like her momma!)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup fresh basil (leaves only)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
juice of 1/2 small lemon
1/4 cup+/- extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated parmesan or asiago cheese, optional

 

directions:

  • in a food processor, process the pignoli  and garlic until minced
  • add the spinach, basil, nutritional yeast and lemon juice; process by pulsing until spinach is finely ground
  • with food processor running, s-l-o-w-l-y pour the oil down the food chute ‘til all is well incorporated
  • season with salt and pepper, to taste
  • this will make approximately 3/4 cup (about 12 tablespoons) of pesto. I only used 5 tablespoons in the entire dish pictured above which made 4 generous servings!

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Please don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

I Praise You for You made me

September 1, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

For You created my inmost being;
    You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    Your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from You
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in Your book
    before one of them came to be.
Psalms 139:13-16

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Oh, dear Father, we do praise You for the wonderful way You have made us! These words of the psalmist…they speak what is in our hearts, too!  You, our Maker and Creator, have formed and made, knit together and created us, in exact and wonderful ways.  And we do praise You recognizing how awesome You are for this!  Dear God, You alone are the one with the ability to do such wonderful works.  You alone have known us even before we were formed and as we were knit and woven together in our mothers’ wombs.  So awesome…so incredible—that is what You are!  Thank You for caring so much for us and for loving us in such magnificent ways!  We love and adore You, too…and pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , ,

Wonderfully Made

August 30, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

For You created my inmost being;
    You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    Your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from You
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in Your book
    before one of them came to be.
Psalms 139:13-16

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Looking out into the night sky
A million stars shining down
And I can see how you’d feel so small
Don’t forget I’m your Creator
You are Mine and I adore you
Nothing else moves My heart like you
You’re not here by chance
You are My design
I did well to give you life

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
Long before you drew your first breath
I knew your name
Surely goodness and mercy
Will follow you forever
For you are fearfully and wonderfully made

Looking deep into your eyes
You’re beautiful
Like no one else
I smile when I think about your face
You were made in My own image
Carefully, My love would finish
Forming you into who you are
I won’t let you go
I’m here with you always
I’ll watch you grow strong because I know

Hidden in my Heart ~ Scripture Lullabies
BreakAway Music

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

 

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This Week…Psalms 139:11 and 12

August 28, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.
Psalms 139:11 and 12

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have continued along in our series on this this wonderful psalm, Psalm 139. Our devotional writers have reminded us that even when we ‘are in the dark’, God still sees us.  Here are a few of their thoughts….

In God Sees, Tina wrote about the fears we all have concerning our sins…

We all have that secret sin...you know…the one that, if someone discovers it, we feel they will never love or respect us again.  As believers we can be truly terrified of being found out.  But what if what we thought was a horrific secret wasn’t so bad after all?  What if  all we had to do was confess it to God and ask Him for help us to overcome it?

You see the evil one has a way of playing with our minds.  He makes us think we can’t change.  He makes us think that life is hopeless.  But it is not hopeless.  God created us and He has a vision, a purpose for us.

❦

In God Sees All, Ann reminded us that it is just not possible to hide anything from God….

Our God sees everything and we cannot hide anything from him. He is omnipresence and omniscient (all-knowing).  Indeed darkness and light are all His—He created them.  He is the one who separated darkness and light (Genesis 1).

The good and the bad things we do are bare in the eyes of God.  Therefore whatsoever we do, let us be Christ-conscious not man-conscious.

❦

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If I Say, Surely the Darkness will Cover Me

August 27, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.
Psalms 139:11 and 12

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Click this link to listen to a beautiful rendition of this passage.

The Verses Project
written by Gatlin Elms

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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