All Things Heart and Home

Bountiful Pantry~Gluten Free All Natural Handcrafted Mixes

by Robin on January 27, 2012

One thing I miss since my Celiac diagnosis is easy food. Some nights I want to just eat something fun, yummy and EASY!

A few months ago, my daughter’s good friend Kristen, bought me a mix for gluten free healthy Corn and Quiona Chili!

(Thank you Kristen for introducing me to these amazing mixes! xo)

It was packaged like the one below,the presentation of these healthy mixes is perfect for gift giving!

After I whipped up the chili, which was delicious and oh so easy, I knew I wanted to write a post about the company so I contacted them and Michelle at Bountiful Pantry and she graciously sent over some gluten free mixes for me to try!

The first one I tried was the corn chowder. As always, I can’t leave well enough alone, so I added a couple of red potatoes. The chowder already had potatoes but I had 2 in the pantry so I chopped them up and threw them in! I also threw in a package of Canadian Bacon. (chopped-I love the depth of flavor that Canadian Bacon adds without adding a lot of fat, I know it’s not uber healthy but it’s a more healthy choice than bacon!)

The chowder cooked up in no-time and was over the top hearty and delicious.

The black bean soup, I was told, can be made into a dip…perfect for Super Bowl Sunday by the way!

And let me tell ya, that black bean mix has been my favorite so far. I can’t find a good Mexican restaurant that guarantees their food is gluten free (as well as free from cross contamination). So I’ve been on the hunt for really good Mexican food!

Yesterday, I threw the dried black beans in a crock pot with the mix of spices and cooked them all day. The house smelled amazing! At dinner time, I drained them added a jar of gluten free (On The Border) salsa and The Husband and I made Chicken & Black Bean Nachos that were as good as anything I’ve ever eaten in a Mexican restaurant! I will be ordering some more of the black beans ASAP!

This weekend, as The Husband and I are neck deep in this construction project, I plan to put on a pot of Bountiful Pantry’s French Market Lentil Soup. It’ll be souper quick and souper cozy!

If you’d like to have a look around their website, head over to Bountiful Pantry. It’s easy to order online or by phone and if you know someone who eats gluten free or is simply health conscious this is a perfect gift!

~Have a souper cozy weekend my friends~

{ 3 comments }

Chaos proceeds Simplicity

by Robin on January 24, 2012

Life is not simple right now.

The house is in a bit of chaos with all the construction.

And it’s interesting to watch our response to chaos. The Husband and I and the farm.

Three of the four pups are nervous wrecks. The fourth pup, Ollie the Beagle, is just a little antsy with being confined to the bedroom. Reba the cat spends the day hiding and the nights complaining loudly. The Husband is at work most of the time but calls in excitedly for updates .

I’m either cleaning out a cabinet or purging a closet.

Or hiding in my room.

Because chaos reigns in my house.

And chaos makes me want to retreat.

But in the chaos I hear God whispering lessons about my one-word for the year.

That sweet wonderful word…

Simplicity.

I think He’s saying:

Chaos often proceeds simplicity

Think about it, have you ever cleaned a room down to the beautiful and necessary without first experiencing a bit of chaos?

Have you ever pared down your schedule getting rid of umpteen commitments without first experiencing the chaos of over-scheduling yourself?

I don’t know if it’s always the case, but often times, chaos proceeds simplicity.

I’m still counting gifts my friends… #____ – God lessons on simplicity~

(I don’t know what number I’m on…I seem to have misplaced my gratitude journal in all the … chaos)

{ 7 comments }

Project to-do list…

by Robin on January 22, 2012

I love a good list. So does The Husband.

Just the other day we had a really good list going for our 2012 house projects:

Phase One: Finish the Upstairs

~~1-Master Bath~~

~~New Vanity~~

~~Paint room~~

~~Paint cabinet~~

~~Organize cabinets/drawers~~

~~Build towel storage~~

~~Build small shelf for TV~~

Master Bath re-do HERE

2-Guest Bath

~~Install new cabinet & vanity~~

~~Paint~~

~~New shower curtain~~

Build towel storage

3-Grand’s Bed/Playroom

*Build closet playhouse

*Make tiny ‘built-in’ kitchen for playhouse

*Build small wall of cubbies

*Paint room

*Get twin bed

*New comforter/curtains/tiny bean-bag chair

*Find 2 small wooden chairs

Phase Two-Den Project

*Mr. Max (the contractor) :

*Remove walls-insert steel beams

*Install recessed lighting

*Install new H Vac vents

*Add walnut inlay to flooring

While Max does this we will:

*Install new internet jack

*Get wall ready to install TV

*Paint existing shelves

*Paint walls and trim

*Start built-in bookshelves around the fireplace

*Get furniture

*Organize everything

***

What a great plan! And we were right on schedule until…

last Monday, our contractor Max called, and wanted to start the den project 2 weeks early!

While I was shouting: “What about THE LIST??? “, The Husband called him and told him to come on over!

This has been very exciting but it’s left our list unfinished and all out of order.

We had to leave the bedroom/playroom undone…

This is how we left it:

sigh…unfinished. But we’ll get back to the upstairs as SOOOOON as possible! (We’re kinda under the gun with the playhouse because Ellie’s seen it and she’s ready to play in the new playhouse!)

*****

Back to the downstairs…

In an effort to regain control, I made a few executive decisions like having the electrician do some of the small projects that The Husband was going to do. And The Husband made a few executive decisions like getting Max to build the shelving around the fireplace instead of doing it himself!

He and I have got to decide which one of us is the actual executive around here!

*****

Have you ever thought about taking out a wall and making 1 big room out of 2 smaller rooms?

I’m told it’s not hard, unless of course the wall is load-bearing…

Then you have to build supports first…

Two steel beams, weighing roughly 600 lbs. went up last Thursday…

Mr. Max, who prays with his crew every morning before he starts work, turned to me while the guys were holding the beams in place, grinning from ear to ear he said: “are you praying?”

“Well if I wasn’t, I am now!”

All went well and we now have an open space!

Saturday was a busy day…

The Husband primed and painted the bookshelves that will go back up and blend in with the built-in bookshelves around the fireplace and I painted the trim and walls in the new side of the room, I’ll have to touch up when the job is finished but I wanted to get a head start.

(The pups are about to pack their tiny suitcases and move out!)

When you do projects do you make a list and stick to it?

Stay tuned…I’m certain that organization will reign very soon but in the mean-time I’m learning a lot about my one-word for 2012…

Simplicity…hummmmmmmm.

{ 10 comments }

What’s the giant in your life?

January 19, 2012 All Things Heartfelt

Confession time…I cringe when I hear someone say things like: “I know God’s given me the victory” or “God didn’t bring me here to fail”. Cringe. Probably because I’ve had those same thoughts in the past, I’ve not said those things because I’m not that bold, but I’ve had the thoughts. And in my life, [...]

24 comments Read the rest →

Planning an Inside Playhouse!

January 16, 2012 All Things Home DIY!

The Husband and I are working on our newest DIY project, the tiny granddaughters bedroom! We want the room to be functional with a twin bed and a baby bed and some shelving, but also to have some fun elements! I’ve been gathering inspiration on Pinterest for quite awhile and kept showing The Husband… (from [...]

12 comments Read the rest →

Bathroom Before & After!

January 13, 2012 All Things Decorating!

In getting ready for the contractor to start knocking out the wall in our den, we’re trying to finish the upstairs projects that I started months ago. I threw myself into our bedroom redo (posted HERE) but ran out of energy when I got to the master bath… But now it’s done! Here’s a “Before” [...]

21 comments Read the rest →

Resting in the fog~When life doesn’t make sense

January 11, 2012 Uncategorized

“For now we see through a glass, darkly…” 1 Corinthians 13:12 On our drive to church last week, it was super foggy. As we drove over the Chattahoochee River the fog became so dense that we couldn’t see the cars in front of us, even ones just a few car lengths ahead. “This is the [...]

15 comments Read the rest →

My Deco-A New Favorite Thing!

January 8, 2012 All Things Decorating!

I have a new favorite thing to tell you about! MyDeco You’ve probably heard of it. But just in case…It’s a free online room design tool that allows you to put in specific room dimensions, add your windows, doors, fireplace and shelving. Then you add furniture groupings to see what works best. The Husband had [...]

10 comments Read the rest →

Living Souper Cozy~Chicken Tortilla Soup!

January 6, 2012 All Things Gluten Free

I’m doing a flashback Friday today ~ One of my Live Souper Cozy soups. It’s really figure friendly in case you ate too many sweets over the holidays! I can’t think of very many things I love more than a Saturday stretched out in front of me, a pot of soup on the stove and [...]

17 comments Read the rest →

Simplicity through Organization

January 5, 2012 All Things Organized!

On the road to simplicity this year (Simplicity being my one-little-word for 2012!), it was a given that I’d have to focus on organizing. If my home is cluttered and messy, the chaos in my surroundings seeps into me. If everything is streamlined and orderly I feel serene. It’s January, what better time to start! [...]