Easy Beef and Hashbrown Bake- Yum!

This week i was in a bind and had to make dinner quick and pretty late in the evening. I had come across this beef and hash brown recipe early in the week and bookmarked it, so i decided to try it. OMG this was amazing! I mean, if you want to eat the most wonderful comfort food and possibly gain a few pounds :) Not only was it delicious, it took hardly any time and was soooo easy to prep. And no, i did not manage to get a picture because this casserole went so fast! Here's the recipe:


Beef and Hash brown Bake

4 Cups of Frozen Hash Browns
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 cup water
1 3/4 ounces gravy mix (I used brown gravy mix)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can fried onions
10 ounces fresh mixed vegetables (I omitted these and cooked a veggie on the side)


1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.    Combine hash browns, oil, and pepper in a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Press around bottom and      sides.

3.    Bake for 15 minutes

4.    Brown beef and then drain.

5.    Stir in gravy, water, and garlic salt; boil.

6.    Add mixed veggies, reduce heat, and cook for ten minutes.

7.    Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese and 1/2 can of onions

8.    Place in potato shell

9.    Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.

10.  Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

11.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and onion

12.  Bake 5 more minutes.


There you go! Like i said in the ingredients section, i did not choose to put the veggies in the casserole and instead chose to cook veggies separate. I really loved the outcome! This recipe is easily altered to fit what you like so have fun experimenting!

Stay Joyful,

~Sarah~

Ingredients 4 cups frozen hash browns 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 pound ground beef 1 cup water 1 3/4 ounces gravy mix 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 1 cup shredded cheddar 1 can fried onions 10 ounces frozen mixed vegetables See Timeless Grilling Tips Instructions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine hash browns, oil and pepper in a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Press around bottom and sides. Bake for 15 minutes. Brown beef and then drain. Stir in gravy, water and garlic salt; boil. Add mixed veggies. Reduce heat and cook 10 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 can onions. Place in potato shell. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and onion. Bake 5 more minutes.
Read more at http://www.recipelion.com/Casserole-Recipes/Beef-and-Hash-Brown-Bake/ml/1#upVVLYDyYK1YfArM.99

Pilates!

So recently I started doing pilates to get some exercise in and some Me time. I was pretty sure i would enjoy doing pilates from what i had heard but i didn't realize just how much i would love it! It's so similar to dance which is what i truly love and it's super relaxing in a similar way to yoga. For all the moms out there, one of my very favorite things about this, is that i can manage to do it with Laila around because its so slow and interruptions don't quite matter as much. I LOVE feeling my body work in ways it hasn't in years since i was in dance and it really gives me time to think about strength and purpose in life.

I also have been contemplating the idea of our bodies being a temple and what that means in everyday life. Most of our focus as Christians is guarding ourselves spiritually and making sure we are spiritually pure and connected with our savior which is unbelievably important! Recently i have been really convicted about the physical aspect of this concept because I don't always take the best care of my body, especially when i am depressed or tired. If our bodies are given to us by the creator to do His will in this life, shouldn't we take the best care of ourselves that we can?! The amazing thing about this is that when i am keeping my body strong, my mind and my spirit tend to follow. As i stretch my muscles to their limit I am reminded of what i am capable of both spiritually and physically with the strength of Christ in me. Wonderful and amazing!

For those of you wondering, the program i have been following is called BLOGILATES and its a free website with a ton of inspiring videos and schedules.

What ways do you strengthen your temple? (Especially with little ones around!)

Stay focused, beautiful, and always Joyful,

~Sarah~

Encouragement

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."- Isaiah 41:10

I really have been encouraged today by this verse and thought i would share. Whether you lose a job or lose a child, life is rough...If i didnt have hope in Christ, I don't know that i would be able to bear it. I LOVE that in this verse God is saying 'do not be dismayed, for I am your God'. Just the fact that He is our God is enough! Because of this we have nothing to fear or to worry about. Every moment of every day is held within His hand, and nothing can happen that is outside of His will. This is so very comforting. We may not know His plan, but we do know that His plan is better whatever it is.

This has been my favorite song lately and I hope that it will encourage you like it has me.

Stay Joyful,

~Sarah~

Only for a little while...

Today we went to church at Watermark (we have been visiting) and the message really was perfect for where we are right now. God truly knows what we need most and the words found in John 16 spoken in today's message really spoke to both Josh and I. 

  

"Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." (John 16:20-22)

In these passages our savior is telling his disciples (which includes us) that this world is full of pain and suffering! We WILL have to endure grief and in fact, most of this life will be painful because we live in a world ruled by darkness. At first this seems discouraging because we are being told that if we follow HIM we will endure much pain and suffering and that for those who follow God, this life is not meant to be one of comfort. But this is truly meant to encourage us. This life is painful and rough because our lives are meant to be used to bring others to Christ. We will endure many hardships so that others can see the glory of the most high and turn to Him. I love the analogy of the woman giving birth. This speaks to me of course having gone through natural child birth. This life is just like the birthing process. Just like the pain of giving birth this life seems sooo very long and painful and like it will never end sometimes. But we have hope! Just like a woman forgets the pain of child birth because of the overwhelming joy at the end, we will one day forget the sorrows of this world as we experience the glory of the next. 

This really spoke to me because so often our perspective is distorted. We view this world as a place for us to find pleasure and comfort and most often our actions are guided by what we want. But truly in these words we can see that we are not here just to enjoy life. We have a mission on this earth! We were sent here as warriors for our savior, to bring others to his kingdom with us. Everything that we must endure is for that purpose. And Jesus (Yeshua) tells us that the time we have to endure this world is very little compared to an eternity with Him. This gives me much hope. I would much rather have to endure the pain of this world for a short time and spend an eternity with my Father than to enjoy this life for a short time and spend an eternity in Hell. 

If we have to endure trials for a short time on this earth so that others can enter the kingdom of God, than it is ALL worth the cost. And specifically with me...God is really working on my heart right now and in my spirit i really reached a new level of peace today. I know that Levi was given and taken for a purpose and that his short life will be a witness to many. Knowing this, if having to live without my baby for this life (just a little while) will bring others into eternal life in Gods kingdom, is it not all worth it? My spirit is telling me that it is. As much pain and heartache as i have had to go through and will continue to experience, i am learning that the trade is worth it. And besides, we are promised that we never have to go through this alone. How amazing is that?! 

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Take heart! YOU are never alone and as dark and dim as it seems sometimes, our God has overcome the world! Darkness has not won, is not winning, and will never win. The pain is for a little while, but Joy is forever.

So Stay Joyful my friends,

~Sarah~

Organizing and Stewardship..

"Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given to you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service, you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. " - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity


This past weekend and the beginning of this week was spent organizing and cleaning with the help of my wonderful grandma. We cleaned up rooms and spent a lot of time organizing baby clothes and things into containers for storage. As we were working on these things the topic that was on my mind almost constantly was stewardship. Even before this week this had really been on my heart and mind with everything that has happened lately and i think the circumstances have really opened my eyes to what this really means. Everything we are given is God's and our job is to take care of these things to the best of our ability. This means our physical things, our bodies, and our children. I guess i never really understood the concept of our children not being ours until God decided to take Levi back home. It was in that moment that i realized that he was never ours to begin with, we were just given him for a season to take care of and love. This concept applies to everything in our lives! I think this quote sums it up nicely:

"Although God gives us "all things richly to enjoy," nothing is ours. Nothing really belongs to us. God owns everything; we're responsible for how we treat it and what we do with it. While we complain about our rights here on earth, the Bible constantly asks, What about your responsibilities? Owners have rights; stewards have responsibilities."

I run across people every day that are so caught up in themselves that they fail to see how selfishly they are living. Don't get me wrong, more often than not, i am the same way. I do things based upon what i want in the moment, not considering that the things i have been given (including my time) are not mine to use as i wish. YES God wants us to be joyful and enjoy the moments we are given! But we cannot fully enjoy these moments unless they are directed by His will. I think a lot of times also we feel like we are 'taking care' of the things we have been given but this concept is not always what we think it is. Sometimes taking care of our children doesn't mean always keeping them safe. It means letting them do what God has called them to do even if in our minds this seems dangerous. I think the best way to describe how we should take care of something is that we should do with everything we have, what God would do with it if He were in our position. This is an interesting and sometimes difficult concept for me to grasp! If He were here what would He do with my children? If He were here would this house be a wreck most of the time? Probably not. If He were here would this house be a wreck if someone else needed his time and ministry? You betcha!

I know that i will fail in this aspect every single day. But i do believe that if we view things as not really being ours, we would go about life so very differently. If nothing we have is ours, then if God decides to take something away for a season, we have no reason to be angry or upset. This ultimately would result in a lot more peace in our lives. Just food for thought.

Stay Joyful,

~Sarah~


"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." - Psalm 24:1

- C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

- See more at: http://blog.tifwe.org/four-principles-of-biblical-stewardship/#sthash.UmzXyJ3J.dpuf

"Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service, you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. 

- C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

- See more at: http://blog.tifwe.org/four-principles-of-biblical-stewardship/#sthash.UmzXyJ3J.dpuf