Stress Test

by Richard Mabry

They may not have enough evidence to convict him, but they have enough to ruin his life. Matt's career is going down the drain. His freedom and perhaps his life may be next. But with the police convinced he's a murderer and the kidnappers still trying to finish what they started, finding the truth—and the faith to keep going—will be the toughest stress test Matt has ever endured.

Stress Test was a great medical/legal/police thriller. It really grabs you and takes you a wild ride with Dr. Matt Newman. Talk about wrongly identified and being in the wrong place and the wrong time. Dr. Newman and his lawyer are strong characters who are fighters for what is right and are willing to stand their ground. Having Sandra Murray as his lawyer and by his side helps Matt during a rough time helps realize he has fallen away a little from his faith. He reaches out and starts reading the bible and re believing. Can he stay alive long enough to clear his name? Can he and Sandra find love and faith in each other? Can the truth come out? Read Stress Test and find out all the answers. This is a great book and perfect for summer reading!!! I will be seeing if our library has more by Richard Mabry. This was the first book I've read by him but I would love to read more. If they are as good as Stress Test then I will want to read all of his books! 

click to read an excerpt


thank you booksneeze for allowing me to review this ebook! So happy to have stress test in my ereader since I will be reading this one many more times.

Greek Yogurt Protein Packed Smoothie

What a great way to start your mornings off right? Great for all ages and perfect for a grab and go breakfast on the run.

1 small container of  Fage Total Greek Yogurt  (flavored or plain)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk (depending on how thick you want it) (regular, soy, coconut or almond) we used almond/ coconut blend
1/2 cup fruit (any thing that strikes your fancy) we used blueberries

to make:

Measure and place everything into blender.

Blend until mixed and has the smoothie consistency you want, if you want it thinner add more milk
Pour into glass and enjoy!
Greek yogurt is a great way to get protein in the morning, along with calcium and vitamin D!

Creamy Red Beans and Wild Rice

This was the best batch of Creamy Red Beans and Wild Rice I’ve ever made



Need:

Red Beans:

1 bag of dried red beans
1 small can of diced green chilis
1 packet of Margaritas Amigo Taco Seasoning (or any with dried onions)
Onion, Red and Green Pepper diced
1 can of Fire Roasted Salsa Style Tomatoes (do not drain)
8 cups of water

To Cook Beans:

• Soak overnight or do the quick soak.
• Cook with  8 cups of water for about 3 hours (add water if needed) this makes them real soft and creamy.

Last 30 mins of Cooking Beans:

Make your Wild Rice according to packaging. Mine took about 30 mins.

While Rice and Beans are finishing up:

Saute diced onions, diced red and green peppers in pan with a pat of butter. Once they are  soft and tender add tomatoes.   I used 1 can of fire roasted salsa style tomatoes (they are the store brand but you can get name brand if you want). Add to  Creamy Red Beans mix and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Dish it Up:

• Dish your Creamy Red Beans into bowl
• Add Wild Rice on top
• Can Add: sour cream or cheese if you’d like

I know this sounds like a lot of steps but really it’s not just the last 30 mins are busy.

Spiritual Bouquet Prayer Petal Flowers

Spiritual Bouquet of Prayer Petal Flowers

Printed: $14 plus shipping

PDF file: $12

 

 image via: Arma Dei: 

 

Product Details:


1 color cover, 12 black and white templates including:

PDF Print Instructions

Instructions, Rosary Flower Template, Spiritual Bouquet Clipart and Mysteries of the Rosary Bookmark

Instructions, Rosary Garland Templates of Rosary Flower parts and Mysteries of the Rosary Bookmark

5 Decade Rosary Coloring Page

Instructions, Divine Mercy Template and Spiritual Bouquet Clipart

5 Decade Divine Mercy Coloring Page

plus License to photocopy for single household or single class term use

You can buy it already printed or print it yourself and buy the instant access e-file.

Our thoughts:

I really enjoy doing Arma Dei activities with my girls. I love how it just enriches not only their catholic faith, but it enriches family time also. The girls have had a lot of fun working on their Rosary Flower parts and garland. This Spiritual Bouquet of Prayer Petal Flowers is making prayer time fun and very educational too. They are both doing great at remembering the Rosary and Mysteries of the Rosary.  We can’t wait to use or Divine Mercy activities that are included in this wonderful, full, and enriching printable file.

This would be a wonderful addition not only to your own home but great for religious education class or a wonderful gift to your child’s teacher if they attend catholic school.

thank you so much Arma Dei for allowing us to review: Spiritual Bouquet of Prayer Petal Flowers this fun way to keep up that religious education over summer!

Bread and Wine a love letter to life around the table, with recipes

by Shauna Niequist

Bread and wine is a collection of essays about family relationships, friendships, and the meals that bring us together. Written by well-loved writer and blogger, Shauna Niequist, this is a funny, honest, and vulnerable spiritual memoir about our life around the table ---the celebrations, traditions, and experiences that we share, and the ways God teaches and nourishes us as we nourish the people around us. 

Bread and Wine by Shauna is a great little book. This book is like sitting down with a friend over coffee and your just chatting away about all kinds of things in life. The recipes are yummy, healthier versions of old classics. However if you have nut allergies you will have to do some swap outs for the ground almonds. I enjoyed this book very very much! I love cookbooks and this is like a cookbook+! I've tried many of the recipes and my book has cooking stains, dog eared pages and post it's all over it :) 

Recipes we love:

Blueberry Crisp
Mini Mac n Cheese
Nigella's Flourless Chocolate Brownies
Breakfast Quinoa
Breakfast Cookies
Robins Super Healthy Lentil Soup
Magical White Bean Soup
Simplest Dark Chocolate Mousse
Sullivan Street  Bread (goes great with the soups)

thank you so much Handlebar for allowing me to review this great book! So happy to have it on my bookshelf

North of Hope: A Daughters Arctic Journey

by Shannon Polson

After author Shannon Huffman Polson's parents are killed by a wild grizzly bear in Alaska's Arctic, her quest for healing is recounted with heartbreaking candor in North of Hope. Undergirded by her faith, Polson's expedition takes her through her through the wilds of her own grief as well as God's beautiful, yet wild and untamed creation---ultimately arriving at a place of unshaken hope. She travels from the suburbs of Seattle to the concert hall, performing Mozart's Requiem with the Seattle Symphony, to the wilderness of Alaska---where she retraces their final days along an Arctic river.

 Shannon Polson really lays it on the line and puts it all out there! Her feelings, despair, and trying to understand or make sense of what has happened. Many times we try to make sense of some senseless act that really and truly we will never understand. I think in the end it all about accepting that sometimes we just have no power to stop it and have to eventually when the time is right start the healing process. This is a sad book and not for everyone. I found it really too sad to finish and while many might love it I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. It was just not what I wanted to read at this time. Right now there is just too much sadness in the news to handle reading about it also. So I will put this book up on my bookshelf and get it out again sometime and see how I like it. 

Thank you Handlebar for sending me North of Hope for review.

Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato {Fries} Black Bean Burrito

I love sweet potatoes! I love them so much that I’ve been known to have a baked sweet potato for breakfast! I also love Alexia all natural foods! They have such great fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings and bread. Today’s post is all about the spicy sweet potato fries.



They are great for snacking: add some ranch to cut the heat if you want. They are really great just baked and munching on plain.



My favorite burritos is black bean sweet potato but it takes time to peel, dice and bake up those sweet potatoes. I got to thinking why not make my favorite burritos using these spicy fries. They turned up yummy and were so fast to make!

Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato Julienne Fries Black Bean Burritos



Need:
Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato fries (or you can get their regular ones but these are perfectly seasoned for this burritos recipe) {I used 2 big handfuls but you can use as much as you need}
1 can (15 oz) of black beans (I used my cooked black beans that I made ahead of time)
1 can (15 oz) of rotel (or salsa)
Tortillas
Opt: cheese, sour cream, avocado

To Make:

Bake your fries according to package (I lined my cookie sheet with parchment to prevent burning but you don’t need to)
While fries are baking combine the black beans and rotel. Heat in pan and let simmer.
Heat the tortillas so they are soft and easier to fold into a burritos

After fries are done start the burritos assembly line:
Tortilla
Spicy Sweet Potato fries



black beans and fold (add cheese before the sweet potatoes or last)



Fold into a burritos and Enjoy!



Dinner in under 30 mins is a winner for me!!!



{coupons for free Alexia products were provided for me through Bzz Agent. My opinions and this recipe are my own.}