Today that hot guy I call my spouse, the kid, and I volunteered planting trees and pulling weeds for the 7th Annual Wolf River Conservancy Tree Planting at Shelby Farms. I (shamefully) forgot my camera and missed some wonderful photo opportunities. (A) was COVERED in mud. He kept getting his shoes stuck in the mud and loved to hear the 'slush-pop' sound of pulling them out. I know he's only 16 months old, but it's never to early to teach the kids about volunteerism and environmentalism, right? Truthfully, I didn't get as much done with him as I would have without him, but everyone seemed to enjoy his youthful and oh-so-helpful presence.
We later took that little bead hoarder to the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Beale St. He loved the floats, especially the Bol Weevils, and once he figured out that he would get stuff thrown at us if he caught their attention he became a silly waving fool. (A) was amazed by the horses and carriages and was thrilled to get to pet one. His squealing grin was priceless. We ran into an acquaintance on the walk back to the car and Abe the Babe gave his collection of trinkets to her two little girls that missed the parade. I love that he shared so generously and am so grateful that that stuff didn't make it into the endless number of things I wish were easier to get rid of pile at the house.
It's funny, earlier in the day (G) and I were reminiscing about how our pre-kid Saint Patty's Days were so fun. As I looked around at the people doing the pub crawls and partying, I realized how much more fun I was having just hanging with my boys and enjoying their company and (A)'s excitement at all these new things. It really is amazing how parenthood changes one's perceptions.
Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Banana Amaretto Buttercream Frosting
Yield: 24ish cupcakes Banana Pecan Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup of unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 ¾ cups of granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 ½ (about 4) cups very ripe bananas (roasted, if you have the time or forethought to do so)
¼ cup milk
¼ cup yogurt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup pecans (or walnuts, if you prefer)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Put
5 bananas in a baking pan and stick them in the oven for about 45
minutes or even just until you are ready to mix them into the batter.
The husk will be blackened. Roasting the bananas makes them softer,
sweeter, and stronger flavored.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
Using
an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter on
medium speed until creamy (about 3 or 4 minutes). Add sugar and vanilla
and beat on medium speed until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Scrape down
the bowl, add eggs, and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl
again and add bananas (mash them first if you do not roast them),
chocolate chips, and nuts. Beat until just combined. Turn the mixer to
low speed. Add 1 cup of the flour mixture, the yogurt, 1 cup of flour
mixture, the milk, the remaining flour (tedious, but trust me doing it
in this order is what gives them the perfect texture). Scrape down the
bowl, and mix on low speed for a few more seconds.
Fill the
cupcake liners about ¾ full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a
toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. While
the cupcakes are baking it’s time to make the frosting. Once the
cupcakes are done transfer the pans to a cooling rack for 20 minutes.
Remove the cupcakes from the pans and place them on the rack to cool
completely.
Banana Amaretto Buttercream Frosting
½ cup or 1 ripe banana (roasted, if you have the time or forethought to do so)
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Amaretto
½ stick unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1/8tsp salt
3 cups (or to appropriate thickness) confectioners’ sugar
Beat
butter and salt on medium speed until creamy. Add banana, lemon juice,
and Amaretto until combined. Begin adding confectioners’ sugar one cup
at a time until you achieve desired thickness (should be around 3
cups). Beat until fluffy. Put into a ziplock bag and stick it in the
refrigerator until cupcakes are complete cooled. Cut tip off of one
edge of the ziplock bag and squeeze onto cooled cupcakes.
Once complete, I like to melt a couple of baking chocolate squares and drizzle them on top of the frosted cupcakes.
It's super rainy 'round these parts today, booooooo... So we decided it was time to celebrate St. Patrick's day a day early. I put together a Saint Patty's Day sensory bucket set filled with green and gold stuff from all over the house (balls, necklaces, books, a snake, letters for the work 'Luck', a rattle, drink stirrers) and added some Mardi Gras coins, dollar store St. Patrick's Day buttons and tattoos. Toddler Turkey Feathers thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the little items. He was wonderful at removing the balls from the other 'stuff' and dividing them back and forth between the baskets. My goal is to have him be able to separate the items by color, size, object, etc...
Additional (A) related news, he had his Cardiologist appointment this week and all was well. He does have a heart murmur, but it is considered an innocent murmur meaning that his heart beats to the tune of a different drummer and nothing else. Doc said "If he wants to be an Olympic athlete, let him. The murmur means nothing." With his energy level, daredevilisms, and athleticism, he ought to be an Olympic athlete. I wasn't terribly worried to begin with, but it's still relieving to hear. Yay!
I use different types of homemade laundry detergent for different things. I started making my own detergents while I was pregnant with my son. I first tried the soapy powder formulation. I like it OK, but I seem to go through it much faster than I thought I would. I still use a powdered version for cloth diapers and towels because I like the fact that there are no suds, those items come out smelling like nothing (which is wonderful if your child has skin or scent sensitivities), and there is no soap residue build up on these items that can cause them to perform there jobs ineffectively. I also use a liquid detergent because it seems to last us much longer as I make 5 gallons at a time, and it seems to save a little bit more money than the powdered versions. Our family has had great success with these detergent recipes and I hope they are helpful to you, too.
My Go-To Laundry Powder(It's cloth diaper safe)
2 cups Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
2 cups Borax
1 cup OxyClean
10
drops essential oil, optional (I stick with lavender with the baby as I
know it very rarely causes skin irritation in children. It adds a VERY light scent to the laundry for more of a scent see the Dryer Ball section below.)
1/2 vinegar added to soak cycle for diaper laundry
I
know a lot of people are freaked out that there is no soap in this one,
but I swear to you that it works like a charm. If it works on cloth diapers, it will work on anything. This is also my go to detergent for towels because it lacks the soap which can make your towels water-resistant, making wet cleanups with them a exercise in utter futility.
I have been using this
for 17 months now on our cloth diapers and they always smell clean right
out of the wash; I have never had to strip them from detergent build
up; we don't have a single stained diaper; and the materials have held up even after a year and a half of every other day washings.
Cloth Diaper Care Directions:
Pee diapers go straight into the pail (lined with a
water-proof cloth liner), soiled diapers must be rinsed off in the
toilet before going into the pail. Every other day, I pull out the
liner (just like a bag of trash) and through the whole thing into the
washing machine. I add 1/2 cup of vinegar and run through a COLD soak
cycle. When that completes, I turn the water to HOT and add 1/3 cup of laundry powder and wash. You can dry them in
the dryer or on a dry line in the sun. If you dry them in the sun
routinely (when possible), the diapers will have fewer stains, hold up
longer, and smell even fresher; but you will need to through them in the
dryer afterwards for 3-5 minutes on high heat to soften them.
Laundry Powder for People Who Feel Like Soap Makes it Cleaner
2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
2 cups Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
2 bars of soap, finely grated (Ivory, Fels Naptha, or Zote)
1/2 cup OxyClean (optional, be careful as this can bleach certain items)
10-15 drops essential oil, optional (You can use any that you like. I prefer a simple lavender.)
This should only take about 10 minutes to make. You can buzz the grated soap in the coffee grinder for a finer texture, if you want. Stir thoroughly. It should roughly be the consistency of cornmeal. This does NOT suds up much but do not worry, it will clean just the same. The soap will melt into the water shortly and will not stain clothes so don't fret over putting in before or after laundry is in the wash or the temperature of the water, it doesn't matter.
Use 1 tbsp - 1/2 cup per load of laundry depending on size and filth of laundry.
I used this detergent regularly for a couple of years and my laundry was just as clean as it was when I used store bought detergent. When I did my stain testing, it did no better, no worse than store bought laundry detergent. In other words, you still need to pretreat stains. The laundry smells nice, subtle but clean. It ends up costing around 4 cents per load. I do NOT recommend using this on towels or cloth diapers as the soap can make them water-resistant so they will not work as intended after some time.
The Utilitarian Laundry Liquid
This is a bit more time consuming to make than the powders, as in it takes 30 minutes or so. At first, I wasn't sold on the liquid due to the fact that it took more time to whip up, but I generally prefer to use the liquid for washing so it's a trade-off. It saves more money than the previous option as it averages around 2 cents per load.
1 bar of soap, shredded (Ivory, Fels Naptha, or Zote)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
5-gallon bucket
Water
Heat shredded soap and 4 cups of water in pot over med-low heat, stirring routinely until soap is melted (about 10 minutes). Fill a 5-gallon bucket 1/2 way with hot water. Pour in melted soap mixture. Add Super Washing Soda and Borax. Stir very well (I use a yardstick so that I can stir the bottom). Fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot water. Stir well again. Cover and let it sit over night. It should gel over night, but depending on the weather/house temperature, it can up to 36 hours to cool enough to gel completely. Stir again. Use 1/4 to a 1/2 cup per load depending on the amount of laundry and the grossness of it.
I switched to using this recipe about 6 months ago and it works the same as all the name brand liquid detergents out there. You will still have to pre-treat stains as always. It saves a bit a money and in my opinion smells far better than the cheap store brand or discount brand laundry detergents.
Non-Chemical Fabric Softener
2 to 5 wool dryer balls
a few drops of whatever essential oil you like (optional)
Add 1-4 drops of oil to each dryer ball (start small, each oil has a different strength so you can adjust the amount based on the specific scent you want). Or you can skip the oil and just use them plain for no scent. Throw them in the dryer with the laundry and dry as usual. These have worked just as well as any chemical fabric softener I've ever purchased and I no longer have to buy or whip up anything.
First let me start with I picked this recipe up from the folks at The Nourished Life - http://www.livingthenourishedlife.com/2012/02/homemade-whipped-coconut-oil-body.html My version did not turn out exactly like theirs (mine is not fluffy in texture)... but my skin is soft and I smell wonderful so I'm happy. I played with the proportions a bit and here is my version:
1 16 oz jar of coconut oil (if you like the coconut smell purchase virgin oil, if not purchase the refined oil)
10 - 20 drops of essential oil (my favorite is lavender, but you could use any single or mixed scent you like or even skip this step)
Do NOT melt or soften the coconut oil. Put all ingredients into an electric mixer and whip for 6 to 10 minutes until it begins to resemble whipped cream (mine never did this, but it still turned out fine). Pour/Scoop back into jar or another decorative jar. Done.
SO EASY! The total cost when using items purchased from Whole Foods:
Coconut Oil: $7.99 on sale
Lavender Essential Oil 2 oz: $17.99 I used less than 1/20 of the bottle meaning about .90 worth was used (I use this stuff in a lot of different household/skin products, so I purchased the larger bottle).
So for under $10 and about 10 minutes, I have 16 oz of wonderful smelling body oil/cream. LOVE IT!
Fried Pork Chops, Roasted Root Vegetables, and Green Beans
Friday
Leftovers
Saturday
Russian Borscht
Sunday
Leftovers
Ham, Broccoli, & Cheese Casserole
4 cups cooked Brown Rice
2 cups chopped Broccoli
1 1/2 cups cooked Ham
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 can Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Broccoli Soup
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Bread Crumbs, Crushed Crackers, or French's Fried Onions (for topping)
1 tsp Black Pepper
DO NOT ADD SALT - the ham is already salty.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large casserole dish, mix well. Top with crumbs. Cook for 30 minutes.
Tilapia Tacos
3 filets of Tilapia
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp of Chili Powder
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Pinch of Sea Salt
1 Lime
2 handfuls of fresh baby Spinach
1 Avocado, peeled and sliced
1 tomato diced
1 handful of shredded Mexican Cheese
4 whole wheat flour tortillas
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place tortillas flat directly on grate or centered and draping over two tines for a taco shell shape and bake for 3-5 minutes just until warm and beginning to crisp. Heat olive oil in pan over med-high heat. Mix garlic, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt and rub mix onto the tilapia. Cook fish for 3 to four minutes each side. Squeeze lime juice onto fish and shred with a fork. Fill taco shells with tilapia, spinach, tomato, avocado, and cheese. I usually set out sour cream, salsa, mole, green chiles, and extra cheese for garnishing and serve with black beans and corn and or Spanish rice.
Russian Borscht
6 Beets, peeled and sliced into thick strips
2-3 Carrots, peeled and sliced into thick strips
2-3 Celery Stalks, peeled and sliced into thick strips
2 Onions, sliced (I use 1 red and 1 yellow)
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
4 Tomatoes, chopped
3 tbsp Butter
5 cups Beef or Chicken Stock
2/3 cup of liquid from a jar of Pickled Beets (Kvas)
1 Bay Leaf
1 Parsley Sprig
2 Cloves
4 Whole Peppercorns
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sour Cream and Chives or Dill for garnish
Melt butter in a large pan on med-low heat. Cook onions for 5 minutes. Add beets, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 more minutes. Add crushed garlic and chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Put bay leaf, parsley, cloves, and peppercorns in a piece of cheese cloth tied with string (leave one end of string long and tie to pot handle). Add herb/spice pouch to pot along with stock. Turn to high heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove the herb/spice pouch (Bouquet Garni). Serve topped with sour cream and either chives or dill.
1 cup Cheese (I like Queso Blanco or Shredded Mexican Blend)
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Mole Sauce
Tortilla Chips
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
On a large cookie sheet layer tortilla chips, meat, beans, vegetables, salsa, and cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and mole.
Leek & Potato Soup
1 tbsp Butter or Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2-3 Leeks, washed well and sliced across in rings
4-5 Red Potatoes, washed and cut into bite size chunks
1 cup Milk (or Milk/Cream mix)
1 cup Water or Chicken Stock
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
In a frying pan over medium heat, melt butter or heat olive oil, saute leeks, onions, and garlic. Heat milk and water/stock in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add potatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to saucepan. Bring to boil. Add sauteed vegetables to saucepan and continue to cook until potatoes are soft About 15 minutes. Done.
Chicken Chili
1/2 - 1lb cooked Chicken
1 can Northern Beans
1 can Garbanzo Beans
1 frozen bag of Southwestern Vegetables
2-3 handfuls of raw Spinach
1 grated Carrot
1 can Rotel
2 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Flour
In a large pot over medium heat, add all ingredients, bring to boil, turn heat down to low and simmer for 1 hour. Top with shredded cheese and tortilla chips. (This dish freezes well)
Roasted Winter/Root Vegetables
1 Butternut or Acorn Squash
3 Parsnips
4 Carrots
2 Sweet Potatoes
3 Red Potatoes
1 Turnip
2-3 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp cracked Black Pepper
2 tsp fresh Rosemary or 1 tsp dried Rosemary
1 tsp fresh Thyme or 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
4 leaves of fresh Sage chopped or 1/2 tsp dried Sage
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl mix oil and seasonings. Cut all vegetables into similarly sized bite-size pieces and toss in oil seasoning mix until well coated. Spread out pieces on a large cookie or two in one layer. Bake until vegetables are soft in the center when you test with a fork. Switch oven to broil at 500 degrees and cook just until tops are browning. I have had people make fun of this recipe because it's title "sounds boring or gross" even as they are eating it and talking about how delicious my version of home-fries are and asking for the recipe... maybe I should just rename it.
(A) and I have been playing and learning and singing for days. This kid can moo, cluck, oink, growl, bark, whoo whoo, hiss, honk, peck, crow, caw, peep, and screech. He loves his animal books and identifies them by sound often. In addition to his animal noises, (A) is obsessed with vehicle noises and has a different one for each type. His favorite is airplanes, for the moment.
In other news (A) related news, he had his 15 month checkup today. This guy is a perfectly average 50th percentile all the way: 32" tall, 26lbs 13ozs, 42cm head circumference. He was a trooper through the shots and finger prick and gave all the nurses high-fives. The one not-so-awesome piece of information we got is that Turkey Feather's ticker has a twitch / (A) has a heart murmur. This means we've got to visit a pediatric cardiologist to get it checked out. I'm concerned of course, but not stressing. It's fairly common in children and usually they outgrow it. But, it can also be an indicator of heart issues so they want to take a better look than they can get with a stethoscope. I'll keep you guys posted.
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup broccoli florets
2 shredded carrots
2 finely chopped stalks celery
1/2 finely chopped bell pepper
12 oz chopped mushrooms
8 oz sliced olives (green or black or both, which ever you like)
1 chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh spinach
2 jars of marinara sauce (I like my to make my own sauce or use Prego's Chunky Garden Vegetable Sauce)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp basil
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
(or use 2 tbsp Italian seasoning in place of individual herbs, I just like to be able to adjust the herb amounts depending on which are in season and fresh)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
15 oz ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
1 pkg wheat lasagne noodles
Brown ground turkey in 2 tbsp olive oil over med. heat. Mix half of each of the herbs into the browning turkey.
In a med. bowl mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, milk and other half of herbs and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat remainder of olive oil on med. Add broccoli, carrots, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, olives, onion, garlic, and spinach; cook until veggies are just softened.
In a 11"x15" pan: Layer 1 - uncooked noodles on bottom, 1/2 cooked vegetables, 1/4 sauce (or 1/2 of 1 jar), 1/4 cheese mixture; Layer 2 - uncooked noodles, browned turkey, 1/4 sauce, 1/4 cheese mixture; Layer 3 - uncooked noodles, other 1/2 cooked vegetables, 1/4 sauce, 1/4 cheese mixture; Layer 4 - last of uncooked noodles, last of sauce, rest of cheese mixture.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes.
THIS MAKES A HUGE AMOUNT OF LASAGNE. SERVES 18.
This recipe is very forgiving: use whatever vegetables you have on hand (fresh, frozen, or canned) and Italian sausage, ground beef, or even tofu could be substituted for the ground turkey or left out completely.
For Mexican Lasagne - Change the cheese mixture to 1 small pkg Velveeta cheese, 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese, 1 pkg cream cheese; use salsa or Rotel instead of marinara sauce; switch vegetable mix to bell peppers, onions, corn, tomatoes, nopales, chayotes, tomatillos, etc; use cilantro and chili powder or taco seasoning instead of Italian seasoning; use ground beef; swap the noodles for corn tortillas.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Grandma's house today! The boy cousins just played and played and played. The baby wrestling match was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. My little Turkey Feathers let Monkey win. I'm sure that was his birthday gift to him.
Oh man, teething children are the PITS! I am exhausted. Some how we worked through it and made to the library and even managed to do a couple of Valentine's crafts. Abe the Babe and I whipped out some pink paper, red finger paint, and red markers and made some sweet hand-print hearts and crazy baby drawings. It was fun, short-lived fun, but fun. He was very proud to show off the one he made for his pop. Happy Valentine's Day!
My meal plan challenge worked out really well last week. I had to make a few adjustments a night or two, but overall having a plan made the end of the day much easier. It's nice knowing you have all the ingredients for the week and not having to make surprise grocery store trips.
Monday:
Au gratin Potatoes, Fried Green Beans, Candied Carrots, and Crescent Rolls
Tuesday:
Dinner at the sister's house for (N)'s actual 1st B-day
My sister and I and the babies made a trek out to the Agricenter this morning to shop the Kid's Town Consignment event (it will still be going tomorrow as well, for those of that are interested). I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the toys and clothing at the prices they were being sold at. For $110, I purchased (A)'s entire spring/summer/early fall wardrobe. I purchased 2 sets of clothes, 1 in 18-24 months and another in 2T for a total of: 10 short sleeved shirts, 11 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of pants, 4 pairs of shoes, and a GIGANTIC box of baby-safe legos. It worked averaged out that I paid just under $4 per item. I'm a bargain shopper and love a real deal; I was impressed. I will be on the look out for their return with the fall/winter event.
This will probably be my longest rant ever. It is a response to the view that people are abusing our government system set in place to secure basic food needs for our country's poor. I do know that it is sometimes abused, but I also know from growing up with two disabled parents (both are actually sick and have substance abuse problems) that it is necessary for us to make sure that children in these situations are fed and have the opportunities to receive an appropriate education so that later they have the chance to pull themselves out of poverty.
It is never wrong to feed the hungry.
Below is a list of scriptures from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism that apply directly to taking care of the poor and feeding the hungry. If you are Christian this applies:
(KING JAMES VERSION) Mat. 5:43-45 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
(KING JAMES VERSION) Mat. 14:14-21 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
Mat. 22:39 The second most important is similar: 'Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.'
Mat. 25:34-46 "Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, 'Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me water; I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes; naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me.' "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Sir, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you anything to drink? Or a stranger, and help you? Or naked, and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' "And I, the King, will tell them, 'When you did it to these my brothers you were doing it to me!' Then I will turn to those on my left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry and you wouldn't feed me; thirsty, and you wouldn't give me anything to drink; a stranger, and you refused me hospitality; naked, and you wouldn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' "Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' "And I will answer, 'When you refused to help the least of these my brothers, you were refusing help to me.' "And they shall go away into eternal punishment; but the righteous into everlasting life."
(KING JAMES VERSION) Mark 6:34-44 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
(KING JAMES VERSION) Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
(KING JAMES VERSION) Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Rom. 13:9 If you love your neighbor as much as you love yourself you will not want to harm or cheat him, or kill him or steal from him. And you won't sin with his wife or want what is his, or do anything else the Ten Commandments say is wrong. All ten are wrapped up in this one, to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Luke 3:9-11 The axe of his judgment is poised over you, ready to sever your roots and cut you down. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire." The crowd replied, "What do you want us to do?" "If you have two coats," he replied, "give one to the poor. If you have extra food, give it away to those who are hungry."
Luke 6:38 For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give--large or small--will be used to measure what is given back to you."
(KING JAMES VERSION) Luke 9:11-17 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.
Luke 10:27-37 "It says," he replied, "that you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself. "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you shall live!" The man wanted to justify (his lack of love for some kinds of people), so he asked, "Which neighbors?" Jesus replied with an illustration: "A Jew going on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, and beat him up and left him lying half dead beside the road. "By chance a Jewish priest came along; and when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Jewish Temple-assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but then went on. "But a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw him, he felt deep pity. Kneeling beside him the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his donkey and walked along beside him till they came to an inn, where he nursed him through the night. The next day he handed the innkeeper two twenty-dollar bills and told him to take care of the man. 'If his bill runs higher than that,' he said, 'I'll pay the difference the next time I am here.' "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the bandits' victim?" The man replied, "The one who showed him some pity." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."
Luke 12:30-34 All mankind scratches for its daily bread, but your heavenly Father knows your needs. He will always give you all you need from day to day if you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. "So don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will fatten your purses in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no rips or holes in them. Your treasures there will never disappear; no thief can steal them; no moth can destroy them. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.
2 Cor. 9:7-15 Everyone must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don't force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes. God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more so that there will not only be enough for your own needs but plenty left over to give joyfully to others. It is as the Scriptures say: "The godly man gives generously to the poor. His good deeds will be an honor to him forever." For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and later on good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and more fruit from your harvest. Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much, and when we take your gifts to those who need them they will break out into thanksgiving and praise to God for your help. So two good things happen as a result of your gifts--those in need are helped, and they overflow with thanks to God. Those you help will be glad not only because of your generous gifts to themselves and to others, but they will praise God for this proof that your deeds are as good as your doctrine. And they will pray for you with deep fervor and feeling because of the wonderful grace of God shown through you. Thank God for his Son--his Gift too wonderful for words.
(KING JAMES VERSION) Gal. 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Eph. 2:8-10 Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.
(KING JAMES VERSION) Eph. 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
1 Tim. 6:17-19 Tell those who are rich not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone, but their pride and trust should be in the living God who always richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven--it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.
James 1:27 The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father's point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord--not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world.
James 2:8 Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord's command, "You must love and help your neighbors just as much as you love and take care of yourself."
James 2:14-24 Dear brothers, what's the use of saying that you have faith and are Christians if you aren't proving it by helping others? Will that kind of faith save anyone? If you have a friend who is in need of food and clothing, and you say to him, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat hearty," and then don't give him clothes or food, what good does that do? So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn't show itself by good works is no faith at all--it is dead and useless. But someone may well argue, "You say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are important too, for without good works you can't prove whether you have faith or not; but anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act." Are there still some among you who hold that "only believing" is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too--so strongly that they tremble in terror! Fool! When will you ever learn that "believing" is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. Don't you remember that even our father Abraham was declared good because of what he did when he was willing to obey God, even if it meant offering his son Isaac to die on the altar? You see, he was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to; his faith was made complete by what he did--by his actions, his good deeds. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say, that Abraham trusted God, and the Lord declared him good in God's sight, and he was even called "the friend of God." So you see, a man is saved by what he does, as well as by what he believes.
John 6:1-14 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. and the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?" And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
1 John 3:17 But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won't help him--how can God's love be within him ? 1 John 3:18 Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions. 1 John 3:19 Then we will know for sure, by our actions, that we are on God's side, and our consciences will be clear, even when we stand before the Lord.
If you are Jewish this applies:
Lev. 19:18 Don't seek vengeance. Don't bear a grudge; but love your neighbor as yourself, for I am Jehovah.
Sam. 2:8 He lifts the poor from the dust-- Yes, from a pile of ashes-- And treats them as princes sitting in the seats of honor. For all the earth is the Lord's And he has set the world in order.
Psa. 82:3 Give fair judgment to the poor man, the afflicted, the fatherless, the destitute. Psa 82:4 Rescue the poor and helpless from the grasp of evil men.
Prov. 14:31 Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the poor is to honor God.
Prov. 19:17 When you help the poor you are lending to the Lord--and he pays wonderful interest on your loan!
Prov. 21:13 He who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in his own time of need.
Prov. 22:9 Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor.
Prov. 28:27 If you give to the poor, your needs will be supplied! But a curse upon those who close their eyes to poverty.
Isa. 58:6-11 "No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don't hide from relatives who need your help. "If you do these things, God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Isa. Then, when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply. All you need to do is to stop oppressing the weak and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! "Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you shall be as bright as day. And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too; and you will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
If you are Islamic this applies:
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A man has sinned enough if he neglects to feed those in need."
--------- Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 100
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(God) will (question a person) on the Day of Resurrection (saying)): 'O son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me.' The person will say: 'O my Lord, how could I visit Thee when Thou art the Lord of the worlds?' Thereupon (God) will say: 'Didn't you know that a servant of Mine was sick but you did not visit him, and were you not aware that if you had visited him, you would have found Me by him?'
(God will then say) 'O son of Adam, I asked you for food but you did not feed Me.' The person will say: 'My Lord, how could I feed Thee when Thou art the Lord of the worlds?' (God) will say: 'Didn't you know that a servant of Mine asked you for food but you did not feed him, and were you not aware that if you had fed him you would have found him by My side?'
--------- Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1172
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "O God, grant me life as a poor man, cause me to die as a poor man and resurrect me in the company of the poor.." His wife asked him why he said that, and he replied: "Because (the poor) will enter Paradise (before) the rich. Do not turn away a poor man...even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you..God will bring you near Him on the Day of Ressurrection."
--------- Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1376.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once told his wife: "Avoid Cruelty and injustice..and guard yourselves against miserliness, for this has ruined nations who lived before you."
--------- Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 203
If you are Islamic this applies:
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A man has sinned enough if he neglects to feed those in need."
--------- Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 100
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(God) will (question a person) on the Day of Resurrection (saying)): 'O son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me.' The person will say: 'O my Lord, how could I visit Thee when Thou art the Lord of the worlds?' Thereupon (God) will say: 'Didn't you know that a servant of Mine was sick but you did not visit him, and were you not aware that if you had visited him, you would have found Me by him?'
(God will then say) 'O son of Adam, I asked you for food but you did not feed Me.' The person will say: 'My Lord, how could I feed Thee when Thou art the Lord of the worlds?' (God) will say: 'Didn't you know that a servant of Mine asked you for food but you did not feed him, and were you not aware that if you had fed him you would have found him by My side?'
--------- Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1172
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "O God, grant me life as a poor man, cause me to die as a poor man and resurrect me in the company of the poor.." His wife asked him why he said that, and he replied: "Because (the poor) will enter Paradise (before) the rich. Do not turn away a poor man...even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you..God will bring you near Him on the Day of Ressurrection."
--------- Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1376.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once told his wife: "Avoid Cruelty and injustice..and guard yourselves against miserliness, for this has ruined nations who lived before you."
--------- Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 203
If you are Buddhist this applies:
Itivuttaka 65 There are three kinds of persons existing in the world: one is like a drought, one who rains locally, and one who pours down everywhere. How is a person like a drought? He gives nothing to all alike, not giving food and drink, clothing and vehicle, flowers, scents and unguents, bed, lodging and light, neither to recluses and brahmins nor to wretched and needy beggars. In this way, a person is like a drought. How is a person like a local rainfall? He is a giver to some, but to others he gives not.... In this way, a person is like a local rain- fall. How does a person rain down everywhere? He gives to all, be they recluses and brahmins or wretched, needy beggars; he is a giver of food and drink, clothing... lodging and lights. In this way a person rains down everywhere.
Gandavyuha Sutra, Vows of Samantabhadra All beings should be accommodated and served by me as attentively as I would show filial respect to my parents, due respect to my teachers, to elders, and arhats, up to the Tathagatas, all in equality. I would be a good physician to the sick, a guide to those who have wandered from the path, setting their feet in the right way. I would be a light to those who wander in darkness. I would enable the people in poverty to discover vaults of treasure. A bodhisattva should thus benefit all beings in equal treatment, and bestow his loving care on all beings alike. And why? because if a bodhisattva serves all beings, that is equal to serving Buddhas dutifully. To hold all beings in high esteem, and render them respectful services, that is equal to reverencing and serving the Tathagatas. To make all beings happy, is to please the Tathagatas.
Dhammapada 224 One should give even from a scanty store to him who asks.
If you are Hindu this applies:
Rig Veda 10.117.1-6 The gods have not ordained that humans die of hunger; even to the well-fed man death comes in many shapes. The wealth of the generous man never wastes away, but the niggard has none to console him. He who, possessed of food, hardens his heart against the weak man, hungry and suffering,
who comes to him for help, though of old he helped him--surely he finds none to console him. He is liberal who gives to anyone who asks for alms, to the homeless, distressed man who seeks food; success comes to him in the challenge of battle, and for future conflicts he makes an ally. He is no friend who does not give to a friend, to a comrade who comes imploring for food; let him leave such a man--his is not a home--and rather seek a stranger who brings him comfort.
Let the rich man satisfy one who seeks help; and let him look upon the long view: For wealth revolves like the wheels of a chariot, coming now to one, now to another. In vain does the mean man acquire food; it is--I speak the truth--verily his death; he who does not cherish a comrade or a friend, who eats all alone, is all sin.
Srimad Bhagavatam 9 The fame of Rantideva is sung in this and the other world, Rantideva, who, though himself hungry, was in the habit of giving away his wealth as it came, while trusting in God to provide his needs. Even in time of famine, Rantideva continued his generosity though his family was reduced to poverty. For forty-eight days he and his family were starving; a little liquid, and that enough for only one, was all that remained. As he was about to drink it, an outcaste came begging for water. Rantideva was moved at the sight and said, "I do not desire from God the great state attended by divine powers or even deliverance from rebirth. Establishing myself in the hearts of all beings, I take on myself their suffering so that they may be rid of their misery." So saying, the compassionate king gave that little liquid to the outcaste, though he himself was dying of thirst. The gods of the three worlds came and desired to bestow upon him manifold blessings, but Rantideva, who had no attachment or desire, merely bowed to Lord Vasudeva [Krishna] in devotion.
There is no better puja and ritual in Hindu religion than feeding a hungry living being. Annadanam is Mahadanam or the greatest donation in Hindu religion and is an essential part of Sanatana Dharma tradition. The food donation is not limited to feeding a human being but it encompasses all living beings. There are numerous stories in Hindu scriptures that extol the glory of Annadanam – prominent being Goddess Parvati appearing as Goddess Annapurnaeshwari and feeding Shiva. Another instant is that Karna taking rebirth as he had performed all types of donation except food donation.
A mistake many Hindus make while performing Annadanam is to feed only priests. This is wrong. Annadanam should be offered to all living being – there should not be any consideration of position, authority, religion or caste or nationality.
In Hinduism, Annadanam is performed for redemption of sins, to attain piety, to get speedy recovery from illness and also to attain moksha.
There is a Hindu belief that sins committed in previous birth follows a person in successive births – Annadanam is performed to put an end to this.
The glory of family, popularity of institution, holiness of a temple increases with each Annadanam.
Above all we become good human beings when we are willing to share our food with one who is hungry.
If you have any morals this applies:
If it is in our power to prevent hunger we have a moral obligation to do it.
3rd day of the week, 3 screaming squirming kiddos in the house, ran into 3 friends at the grocery store (it's bound to happen only on the days my face and wardrobe hasn't seen a mirror), I've spent 3 hours on this blog, and 3 loaves of homemade whole wheat bread are 30 minutes from being done. Today wasn't even brought to us by the number 3, but it should have been.
On another note, Abe the babe recognized the letter 'D' today and said, "duh, da, da." At first I thought it was a fluke, but then when we got to the letter 'H', he immediately pointed at it and said, "huh, huh, huh." I love watching him learn things!
