'Don't Panic - Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family' by Martinez, Howell and Garcia - Book Review

It is not every day that there is a blog tour for a cookbook. So when the blog for ‘Don’t Panic - Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family’ was announced, I knew I wanted to hop on the tour bus! 


Here’s the synopsis of this book:

Great meals for your busy family! 


We’re all busy, but that doesn’t mean we have to eat like we are. You don’t have to settle for feeding your family commercially packaged meals full of sodium and preservatives or fat-laced fast food. Quick and healthy meals from your very own kitchen are easy with delicious recipes like


Southwestern Baked Cheese Dip
Thai Chicken Wraps
Walnut Spinach Salad
Homestyle Mac & Cheese
Slow Cooker Pork Chops
Oven Roasted Orange Chicken
Grilled Flat Iron Steak Sandwiches
Spicy Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry
Fruit Pizza
Mexican Chocolate Mousse


and many more


From quick meals made on the grill or in the sauté pan to crockpot dishes that require little prep and cook while you’re out for the day, the recipes in this cookbook are tasty and nutritious – and require less hands-on preparation than traditional meals. Easy appetizers and desserts; one-dish casseroles and pastas; simple soups, salads, and side dishes; and even fast breakfasts round out the selections. Meals that are freezer-friendly are marked for those who want to make ahead.


Give your family the best – the easy way.


Here are the author’s biographies:


Susie Martinez is a professional counselor with a private practice in Lakewood, Colorado. She has been married to her husband, Joe (whom she adores), for twenty-five years and has two children. Susie loves shopping and watching movies with her daughter, Cassie. She also loves talking with her son, Chris, during late-night hours. In her free time, Susie enjoys going to movies, taking long walks, and baking extravagant desserts. Susie also struggles with a particular weakness for dessert excursions and white sandy beaches.


Vanda Howell is a busy wife and mom who works part-time as a kitchen design consultant. She is absolutely in love with (aka addicted to) dark chocolate covered anything, espresso lattes, and going to chick-flick/action movies. In her free time she enjoys gardening, gourmet cooking, trying new restaurants, and wakeboarding with her husband and her teenage son, Elliott. Vanda is a Denver native, and has been married to her husband, Mike, for twenty-nine years.


Bonnie Garcia keeps busy with her husband, three teenage sons, and golden retriever, Gracie. She is a pediatric nurse and loves working with newborns and their parents in a pediatric practice in the Denver area. Bonnie is active in her local church, where her husband, Steve, is the senior pastor. In Bonnie’s free time, she loves reading, downhill skiing, and jeeping with her family in the mountains of Colorado!  


My husband, Fred, is the better cook in our marriage! He does the grilling, and conjures up interesting and tasty recipes. Needless to say, I need all the help I can get. So when I saw the title of this book, I knew I needed to get a copy!  

As part of this blog tour, the publisher asked us to prepare a recipe; not a problem! Fred chose which recipe we would sample. Last night, we had Chicago Style Beef Sandwiches, which is in the Crockpot Selections section of the book. Take a peek at one of them; doesn't it look good?! 


Here’s the recipe:


• 4 lbs. boneless rump roast
• 1 pkgs. Italian dressing mix
• 2 cups water
• 1-16 oz. jar mild pepper rings, undrained


Serving Day


• 18 hoagie buns, split


Recipe Yield – 18 servings
Prep Time – 10 minutes
Total time – 8 hours, 10 minutes


Directions


Place roast in crockpot. In a separate bowl, mix together water and Italian dressing mix, then pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until meat is tender. Remove meat and shred with two forks. Return to crockpot and add pepper rings. Continue cooking on low until heated through. To serve, toast hoagie rolls in cast iron skillet or under broiler, then spoon ½ cup of meat mixture of each roll.


Nutritional Information (per ½ cup serving of meat): Calories 234.0; Total Fat 13.8g; Cholesterol 48.9mg; Sodium 630.7mg; Total Carbohydrates 4.3g (Dietary Fiber 0.3g); Protein 18.8g


We really liked these sandwiches! Here are some of the other recipes we plan on trying:


• Barbecue Chicken Wraps
• Chilled Strawberry Soup
• Chinese Chicken Salad
• Chicken Divan
• Dipped Gingersnaps
• Sour Cream Cookies


This is an awesome gift for the new bride and groom, the empty nesters, or anyone else in between! This book will be used over and over in our home!


You can order this book here.


Available April 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This book was published by Revell and provided by them for review purposes.

Winner of 'A Legacy of Lies' Is....

The Random Number Generator has chosen the winner of Stephenia McGee's 'A Legacy of Lies.' 


That blessed person is.....


Joy Hannabass!


Congratulations, Joy! I will be emailing you shortly!


If you'd like to purchase your own copy, you can do so at this link.


Many thanks to Stephenia for providing a copy of her book! 


Please come back soon for more giveaways and reviews!

Thirty-One OJ Incentive!

As you can probably tell from my blog, I am been a Thirty-One Gifts Consultant since June, 2011. It has been a pleasure and a joy - and LOTS of fun!

Beginning today, Monday, April 16, Thirty-One is kicking off an OJ (Opportunity to Join) Incentive! You can start your own Thirty-One business for FREE! New Consultants who join anytime between April 16 and May 31, 2012, can earn a $99 rebate on their Enrollment Kit!

Please check out this fun video!:

You can join at my website at www.mythirtyone.com/andreaschultz. It will be one of the best decisions you've ever made! 

Guest Blog Post - 'Five Steps to Get a Grip on Your Stress' by Karen Jordan

In this fallen world, life can be full of stress. April is Informed Women Month. Please learn about how to reduce (dare we say, eliminate?!) stress from our lives from Karen Jordan.

Five Steps to Get a Grip on Your Stress by Karen Jordan

How can we get a grip on our stress, when life is heavy and hard to take?

The book of Lamentations offers a clear word about dealing with stress. "When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear” (Lamentations 3:28-29 MSG).

1. Go off by yourself. Jesus knew the importance of spending time alone with His Father. When He needed to listen, He would pull away from everyone. After Jesus fed the 5,000, He “climbed the mountain so (He) could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night” (Matthew 14:23).

2. Enter the silence. When we seek God, the accuser tries to distract us with fear, like in the story of Hannah. Hanna’s husband had two wives, and her husband’s other wife taunted her, accusing God for Hannah’s inability to conceive. Even when Hannah prayed, the accuser attacked. “… Hannah was praying in her heart, silently. Her lips moved, but no sound was heard. Eli jumped to the conclusion that she was drunk”…” (1 Samuel 1:13).

3. Bow in prayer. God promises that if we call on His Name, He'll listen. “… And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours” (1 John 5:15).

4. Don't ask questions. My questions often interfere with my communication with God—I’m talking, instead of listening. When Jesus taught His disciples, He asked them on several occasions, “Are you listening to me? Really listening?” (Matthew 11:15).

5. "Wait for hope to appear." The psalmist speaks of “waiting,” “I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn't slip” (Psalm 40:1-2).

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (Matthew 6:34).

So, remember, "When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear" (Lamentations 3:28-29).

Karen Jordan is best known for telling the stories that matter most. She has multiple writing credits and trains other writers as well. Contact her for speaking events, writing assignments, and interviews at kj@karenjordan.net or visit www.karenjordan.net.

The Winner of This Weeks' Common English Bible is....

The Random Number Generator has chosen this week's winner of the Common English Bible. Drumroll, please.....

That blessed person is jhitomi. Congratulations! I will be emailing you shortly!

There is another opportunity to enter to win a paperback copy of this awesome new translation! Click on this link to leave a comment. 

Thanks again to the Common English Bible Committee to providing the paperback giveaway copy! It is such a blessing to be able to give away the Word of God on Resurrection Sunday!

For those of you who didn't win, and would like to own or give as a gift, you can place your order here.

Please come back soon for other great blog posts and giveaways!

Hallelujah! He is Risen! Easter Sunday Slideshow from the Common English Bible + Bible Giveaway!!

The most important day of the year is here - Easter Sunday! Please join me in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus by enjoying these scripture verses from the Common English Bible, a wonderful new Bible translation!

The Common English Bible - Easter Sunday

As part of the Common English Bible Lenten tour, I am able to give away a paperback copy of this new translation every week! What a gift (to you and to me!); thanks, Common English Bible Committee! Simply leave a comment at this post telling me which scripture verse (from the slideshow) that you most enjoyed!


One winner will be chosen by the Random Number Generator on Sunday, April 15, 2012. The deadline to enter is 11:50 pm EST on Saturday, April 14, 2012. The best to ALL of you!

The Winner of 'Fruit of My Spirit' Is......

I'm happy to announce that the Random Number Generator has chosen a winner of Deanna Nowadnick's 'Fruit of My Spirit: Reframing Life in God's Grace.' That blessed person is....


Darby!


Congrats, Darby; I just sent you an email.


Special thanks to Deanna, who provided two copies of the book - one for review and one for giveaway.


This is an amazing book, and Deanna has an amazing story! I invite you to order your copy here; you will be glad you did! You will want to read it, and purchase multiple copies for family and friends! 


Thanks to everyone who entered, and please come back soon, as there are always giveaways coming your way!