Biblical Womanhood Friday, 13th Edition

Each Friday, we invite you to share what you have done this week to grow in Biblical womanhood, inspired by the passages found in Proverbs 31 and Titus 2.

Did you:

  • Build up your home through an effective prayer and Bible reading time?
  • Find a new way to "willingly work with your hands"?
  • Discover a healthier or more frugal way to provide food for your household?
  • Stretch out your hands to the needy?
  • Train your children?
  • Grow in love and respect for your husband?
  • Better managed your time?
  • Cook a nourishing, real foods meal to improve the physical well-being of your family?

We'd love to hear about it!

To share a link to your post about how you have grown in Biblical womanhood this week, please use the linky below. If you do not have a blog, please considering sharing in the comment section below. Be sure to visit the other posts shared here as well; they are perfect for inspirational weekend reading. Remember to share this linky on facebook and twitter by using the social media icons at the end of the post.

Please use the link that goes directly to your specific post (not your home page). Also, be sure to use the small button below somewhere in your post and link back here so that others can find us and join in as well.  Thank you for linking up!

Please insert the above button into your post and be sure it links back to http://likeabubblingbrook.com

I'm looking forward to reading about how you've grown in Him this week!

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Grilled Pineapple Chicken with Fresh Pineapple Salsa

PineappleChicken

Featured post by Kelly from The Nourishing Home

Grilled pineapple chicken's tropical flavors are like a Caribbean vacation for your taste buds!  It's especially good topped with fresh pineapple salsa and a side of black beans and brown rice – just crank up a little Caribbean music while dining to make it even more fun!

1 lb. boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts or tenders
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp fresh grated organic lime zest (about 1 lime)
2 tbsp unsweetened 100% pure pineapple juice
1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
 
Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise, so that you end up with two thinly sliced breasts for each breast you cut in half (or cut into chicken tenders, if you prefer). Place chicken in a glass baking dish. 
 
In a small bowl, add remaining ingredients and whisk together until well combined. Pour marinade over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to grilling, but no more than 45 minutes prior to grilling, otherwise the chicken will become mushy.
 
Then, preheat grill until hot. Grill chicken, turning over once haflway through cooking time, until cooked through. Remove chicken from grill, place on plate and cover with aluminum foil. Allow to sit 3-5 minutes before serving. When ready to serve, top with a heaping dollop of fresh pineapple salsa and a side of black beans and brown rice!  Serves 4. YUM!
 
Fresh Pineapple Salsa

1 ½ cups diced fresh pineapple
¾ cup organic tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 2 small tomatoes)
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
2 tbsp unsweetened 100% pure pineapple juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely minced fresh organic cilantro
1/2 tbsp finely minced fresh flat-leaf organic parsley
1 tsp seeded and finely minced jalapeno pepper (for hotter salsa, use more)
1 clove garlic, finely minced 
½ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp fresh grated organic lime zest
 
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving, or refrigerate salsa for up to one week. Great accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish, as well as a delicious addition to burritos, quesadillas, etc.

Kelly Smith loves the Lord, her family, and sharing her passion for real food cooking and meal planning with others. She is a part-time healthcare writer and a full-time wife and mother to two awesome boys. Kelly’s real food journey began four years ago when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Since then, the Lord has blessed her with an amazing recovery – a testament to His grace and the health benefits of eating real food. Kelly shares her knowledge of cooking and meal planning via her facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheNourishingHome. She hopes to launch a blog soon.

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The Practice of Seeking to Serve

*re-posted from the archives
 
This past weekend we witnessed the union of

two lives,

two loves,

two sweet friends

that now exist as

one.

"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and the two shall be one flesh." Ephesians 5:31

Since then, I've been pondering the familiar "passage of love" found in 1 Corinthians 13:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking..."

My mind keeps pausing there, my heart hurts, and I linger on this portion for awhile:

It is not self-seeking.

{Inwardly I groan, because it pains me, pierces me; I know I wrestle with this}

Not self-seeking.

How many times have I sought after my own wants, my own little luxuries, my own time away, my own accomplishments? "Me. Me. Me." I have times like that. But it's not about me, not at all. How could I forget?

 

Love is not self-seeking. It's right there, in the Book. He's talking to me, to you, to each of us. I will listen; I want Him to teach me.  I need Him to teach me.

And so, precious mamas, for the remainder of this week (longer?), will you come alongside and practice seeking to serve others more? Seek to serve them graciously, lovingly, faithfully, as you would if you were serving Him?  Do it unto Him?  Prayerfully?

Serve your husbands, your children, your church family, your neighbors?  Will you find a way, make the time?

What will it look like when you do?  What will you do?  How will you do it?  What will happen?  Will you be changed?  Will they?  And then, when we practice it, perhaps even make a lifelong habit of it, in His strength, we can rejoice in the words to follow, that love "always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Serving unto Him,

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Biblical Womanhood Friday, 12th Edition

Each Friday, we invite you to share what you have done this week to grow in Biblical womanhood, inspired by the passages found in Proverbs 31 and Titus 2.

Did you:

  • Build up your home through an effective prayer and Bible reading time?
  • Find a new way to "willingly work with your hands"?
  • Discover a healthier or more frugal way to provide food for your household?
  • Stretch out your hands to the needy?
  • Train your children?
  • Grow in love and respect for your husband?
  • Better managed your time?
  • Cook a nourishing, real foods meal to improve the physical well-being of your family?

We'd love to hear about it!

To share a link to your post about how you have grown in Biblical womanhood this week, please use the linky below. If you do not have a blog, please considering sharing in the comment section below. Be sure to visit the other posts shared here as well; they are perfect for inspirational weekend reading. Remember to share this linky on facebook and twitter by using the social media icons at the end of the post.

Please use the link that goes directly to your specific post (not your home page). Also, be sure to use the small button below somewhere in your post and link back here so that others can find us and join in as well.  Thank you for linking up!

Please insert the above button into your post and be sure it links back to http://likeabubblingbrook.com

I'm looking forward to reading about how you've grown in Him this week!

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to Like a Bubbling Brook email updates - it's free and delivers new posts about faith, homemaking, and real foods right to your inbox.

NEW! Now you can also join us on Twitter. | NEW! Join in our community via our Facebook page.

 

Please Visit Our Current Sponsors & Affiliates:

Would you like to be a sponsor?

Make Your Own Fabulous Fruit & Cream Popsicles

cream pops

 

Featured post by Kelly of The Nourishing Home

Fabulous Fruit & Cream Bars

"I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!!"  Especially when it's fresh fruit covered in delicious creamy goodness!  Making homemade frozen popsicles and ice cream bars with your kids is not only fun, but it’s delicious and nutritious too!

Strawberries & Cream Bars

  • 1 pound fresh ripe organic strawberries
  • 1 cup plain organic whole milk yogurt (coconut kefir makes a great dairy-free option)
  • 2 ½ tbsp raw honey
  • 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Remove stems from strawberries. Finely dice four of the strawberries and set aside. Then, cut the remaining whole strawberries into halves and place in your blender or VitaMix. Add the remaining ingredients listed above, except for the four finely diced strawberries. Blend until thoroughly combined. Then add the diced strawberries and blend on low just a couple of seconds to mix together. Pour mixture into pop molds and freeze for at least 6-8 hours hours. When ready to serve, run the pop mold under warm water for a few seconds to loosen before removing the mold.

Peaches & Cream Bars

  • 4 large fresh ripe organic peaches 
  • 1 cup plain organic whole milk yogurt (coconut kefir makes a great dairy-free option)
  • 3 tbsp pure maple syrup (I prefer a light grade A, as it's less maple-y in flavor)
  • 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Remove skins from the peaches. Cut one peach in half. Finely dice the half peach and set aside. Then, cut the remaining peaches (including the leftover peach half) into slices. (Be sure to slice them right over your blender or VitaMix container to catch all of the juices in the container.) Add the remaining ingredients listed above, except for the finely diced peach half. Blend until thoroughly combined. Then add the diced peaches and blend on low just a couple of seconds to mix together. Pour mixture into pop molds and freeze for at least 6-8 hours hours. When ready to serve, run the pop mold under warm water for a few seconds to loosen before removing the mold.

Please note:  Ripe fruit is much sweeter and more flavorful. So be sure to only use fully ripened fruit in your ice pops for the best flavor. To ripen peaches faster, place them in a brown paper bag with a banana and seal the bag by folding the top down. Allow them to hang out with the banana for a day or so until they ripen. Unfortunately, strawberries do not ripen after they have been harvested, so it's important to choose strawberries that have been picked fully ripened for best flavor. The key to getting the sweetest, juiciest fruit is buying locally grown fruit - so check out your local farmers' markets for the best selection of fresh organic fruits and veggies.

Also note:  When fresh ripe fruit is not in season/available, you can use frozen fruit to make ice pops. However, it's best to allow the frozen fruit to thaw first, before blending it. That's because you may need to add more liquid to get the fruit to blend properly and this will change the flavor and texture of your ice pop.

***For the groovy popsicle molds shown in the photo above, click here.

Kelly Smith loves the Lord, her family, and sharing her passion for real food cooking and meal planning with others. She is a part-time healthcare writer and a full-time wife and mother to two awesome boys. Kelly’s real food journey began four years ago when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Since then, the Lord has blessed her with an amazing recovery – a testament to His grace and the health benefits of eating real food. Kelly shares her knowledge of cooking and meal planning via her facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheNourishingHome. She hopes to launch a blog soon.

If you enjoyed this, subscribe to Like a Bubbling Brook email updates - it's free and delivers new posts about faith, homemaking, and real foods right to your inbox.

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An Update On Our Family

movingboxes

Precious mamas,

Nearly two weeks ago, my husband became the new pastor of a beautiful congregation, over four hours away from our current home.  Things have been very busy over the last few days: we listed our current home with a realtor, bought a home in the new city, had our first weekend of services, welcomed a sweet newborn girl into the congregation, and grieved over the tragic loss of a precious 39-year-old man who was much-loved by the church and community.

Things may look a bit different here over the next few weeks as we transition, pack, and move.  You may not hear from me quite as often, but you will still enjoy featured posts from dear friends as well as Biblical Womanhood Friday.   And I promise to pop in when I can to share little snippets and stories.  We'll get back to our regular schedule as soon as possible.

I'll be sharing details more often our Facebook page if you'd like to join me there, too.

Thank you for your prayers and support during this new season; we treasure your encouraging words and friendship.  I'm humbled that you graciously choose to spend a few minutes of your day here at Like a Bubbling Brook.

I'm thankful for you!

Warmly,

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image credit: karensmonsters