Proverbs 31 Ministries: Everyday Life

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Recipes for your Christmas Tea

Provided by Lisa Boalt Richardson

Basic Sweet Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into small pieces
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry cutter or mixer until it looks crumbly. Add vanilla to cream and then pour into flour mixture and mix with hands until it forms a ball. Remove dough from bowl, place on a lightly floured surface, and roll out to about ½-inch thickness. Be careful not to overwork the dough or the scones will become tough. Cut with a 2-inch round cookie cutter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Makes approximately 12. (You may use different size cutters but be sure to adjust you cooking time if you do. The larger the size, the longer it needs to cook and vice versa. Serve with jam or lemon curd.

Easy Microwave Chocolate Truffles

A easy way to impress your guests and you palate. You may want to make more and give away as gifts!

½ cup heavy cream
3 T butter cut into chunks
2 T sugar
1 T vanilla
10 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate (60%) I like Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips. (If not using chips, break up chocolate into small pieces)
½ t salt

Cocoa Mixture
Mix 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa and 1/3 cup powder sugar together. For a saltier taste add 1/8 t salt.

Microwave cream, butter and sugar in 2 quart microwavable glass bowl on high for 1 ½ minutes. Stir well; heat an additional 1 minute longer or until mixture comes to full boil. Stir in vanilla and chocolate into cream mixture until chocolate is completely melted. Add salt and blend. Chill until firm enough to shape into balls about 3 hours. Shape into 1-inch balls. If desired roll truffles in Cocoa Mixture. Store covered in refrigerator. Makes about 2 dozen.

Lisa Boalt Richardson author of Tea with a Twist is one of the first 15 in the world to graduate from the Specialty Tea Institute with a "Certified Tea Specialist" title. She travels the country speaking at conferences and special events focusing on her culinary arts and specialty tea expertise. She resides in Atlanta with her husband and two children. For more information go to www.lisaknowstea.com.

Recipes used by permission and are a copyrighted by Lisa Boalt Richardson from “Tea with a Twist". Proverbs 31 Ministries is pleased to offer Lisa’s book “Tea with a Twist” for sale. All proceeds benefit the ministry. Click here to order.

Keeping the Weight Off During the Holidays

By Michelle M. Dillon, ND

It's that time of year again when everyone is rushing from store to store at the mall, getting stressed out about over-priced gifts for family and friends. Then we gather together in the homes of those same family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. These homes will often have beautiful platters overflowing with special treats lying in wait to tempt us into overindulging. When we give in (which is so easy to do) we end up packing on the pounds.

Keeping off those pounds is sometimes harder than finding just the right gift for Aunt Sally. Here are a few tips to help you navigate your way through eggnog, gingerbread, Christmas cookies, and sweet potato pie without expanding your waistline:

1. Never, Ever, Ever go to a dinner party or get-together when you are hungry enough to eat one of Santa's reindeer. The best thing to do is to eat a large apple and drink two glasses of water right before you leave for the party. Some people have the strategy that if they starve themselves all day long, they can gorge themselves later and be OK. This is faulty thinking. If a person does not eat all day their blood sugar will drop and their hunger will increase, often to ravenous proportions. When we are super hungry we tend to super-size what would have been a normal portion size. Extreme hunger from starving ourselves all day often leads us to the heavy, fat-laden foods, not the light snacks like celery, carrots, or fruit. So, make sure you do not starve yourself on the day of the party.

2. Start with vegetables and healthy snacks first. Research shows that when eating with a large group of people, we tend to eat more and for a longer duration of time. Therefore, we need to start with the good stuff, or should I say, the healthy foods like salad. Fill your plate with salad, skipping any creamy dressings, and vegetables first. Then add lean proteins like turkey, chicken or lean beef, followed by heavier foods like ham and the side dishes we all love so much. If you fill up on the healthy veggies... you won't be tempted to eat as much of those cheesy casseroles! Potatoes and bread should be avoided, as these are high in carbohydrates which pack on those pounds.

3. Use a smaller plate. Using a smaller plate keeps those portion sizes smaller, and therefore keeps your waist where you'd like it.

4. Be sure you are hydrated! If you are dehydrated your body may trick you into thinking that you are actually hungry. Each day we need to drink half our body weight in ounces of water. So, if a woman weighs 140 pounds she needs to drink 70 ounces of water each day to remain properly hydrated. If she has a cup of coffee, tea, or a glass of wine, she must have an additional 8 ounces of water per cup or glass of each. Coffee, tea, and alcohol are all diuretics. Diuretics dehydrate. This means that the more of these beverages a person consumes, the more they will become dehydrated. The more dehydrated they are the more they are likely to eat - so beware and drink your water!

5. Get your rest and manage that stress! Studies show that those who do not get at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, have a higher level of a stress hormone, called Cortisol. Cortisol is the hormone that regulates our bodies' energy, along with our blood sugar levels. If it is imbalanced due to lack of sleep or on-going stress, it can actually cause weight gain. The best way to keep Cortisol in balance is to get enough sleep and to manage our stress. Find ways to take a break during the day: pray, call a friend, take a walk, hit the gym, or just focus on breathing deeply and contemplating the blessings God has given over the last year.

Remember to keep focusing on the Reason for this Christmas Season. Be mindful of these few tips for enjoying the holiday and keep moderation as your key and it should make a healthy combination for a slimmer you come the New Year (and maybe you won't have to make that same New Years resolution on January 1st).

Be blessed and may Christ fill your heart with His love and hope this Holiday Season.

Michelle M. Dillon earned her doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona. She specializes in women's health, using all natural alternatives to conditions like PCOS, infertility, and weight loss. A mom herself she understands the implications of what women put themselves through as mother's and how it plays a role in their health. She feels that her practice is God's calling for her life and feels blessed to be able to do so. Her private practice is in Charlotte, North Carolina where she lives with her husband and daughter. Visit her website at www.DrMichelleDillon.com for more information.

More Everyday Life with the Staff of Proverbs 31 Ministries!

Ya’ll must have known that with so many women in the office we would need more room to share what’s on our hearts. We simply couldn’t get it all into our magazine article so here’s a bit more from the office staff. Some sweet… some silly… but all heart!

It’s amazing to hear what God is doing throughout the country at the speaking engagements I book. From small MOPS groups with limited budgets to elaborate cruise weekends to men’s groups hosting for the women in their church, the event ideas are limitless. And the testimonies of the work of the Lord through these speaking engagements are remarkable! (Barb Spencer)

Families always play practical jokes on each other – my family knows I eat fruit at my desk and this time the practical joke was on me. I left a small cluster of grapes on my computer overnight. When I came in the next morning all the grapes had turned to raisins – can you imagine that the heat of my computer made that miraculous transition that only God can make. Well that’s what I thought. But one of my sisters had actually meticulously taken every grape off and attached a raison to the end of each stem. All this to say that we do have fun but we also do work – last week we had orders for 700 Bibles to be sent out from a devotion that was written with a commitment to read through the Bible in a year with every person who ordered one – Now that’s the miraculous. (Teri Bucholtz)

As the Speaking Ministry Assistant, my main responsibility is drafting contracts for Proverbs 31 speaking events. Probably the best part of my job is working with Barb Spencer. We work as a team to coordinate the calls that come in to request a speaker and the contracts that need to go out to book the speaker. We have the pleasure of working with churches and wonderful women's ministry leaders from all across the country. It has been such a blessing to serve the ministry in this area, and if you want to book a speaker, please call and we will be happy to assist you. (Wendy Blight)

At the time I came to P31, I had just experienced a very shocking, traumatizing and devastating family experience. I was deeply hurt, very broken and barely functioning. God orchestrated my arrival at P31 and since being there, it has provided me a safe, healing environment to be right at the heartbeat of this great ministry that ministers healing to women all over the world. To work with women who are faithful, have a heart for God and true prayer warriors is an experience of a lifetime -- I don't know that many Christians get this kind of opportunity to work in such an environment! It is just what God knew I needed, and I am humbled to be a part of serving in this ministry as I continue my journey to wholeness and serving the Lord along side these beautiful, godly women! (Terri McCall)

And here are some fun tidbits of the day-to-day everyday life in the Proverbs 31 Ministries office:

Exercise balls serve as desk chairs for many of us. While it’s great to “work out” while working, these ‘chairs’ have their downside too. Every once in a while we hear a loud thud followed by, “I’m okay!” after one of our gals lose her balance and topple off her ball.

We’ll probably never be recruited for Broadway, but it should be known that we girls can sing and dance with the best of them! Sing one bar of a song and you’ll hear voices piping in from all over the office! Often times we take a break to dance to the tune as well! (Someone brought bamboo into the office last week which apparently required a rendition of “The Old Bamboo” from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!)
What’s in a name? Well, fun memories, shared work, and good times…over the years we’ve created some pretty unusual knicknames: Tarb (Barb filling in for Teri); Samdy (Samantha and Wendy’s favorite pizza: pepperoni, pineapple and ham in case you want to know); and the ever affectionate The Queen (LeAnn of course!).

We’re all well beyond school age, but we still have a lunch bell that rings each day. Her name is Wendy Pope and she’s the glue that binds us as we share so much more than a meal together. Concerns, family stories, real life and reminiscing (three of our girls went to the same high school but didn’t know each other!!) flow easily during this sweet time.

The weeks leading up to She Speaks create a flurry of activity: rushed jobs to the printer; runs across town for toner cartridge; piles of boxes from floor to ceiling, corner to corner; phone lines lit up; staffer’s kids coming and going as they volunteer to fold, stuff, lift and sort; loading U-Hauls…and lots and lots of prayer and excitement!

And finally, because a picture is worth a thousand words… we wanted to share a few photos of our office family with you.