Gluten-Free Broccoli Cheesy Bites

My sons favorite veggie at the moment is broccoli, so he was pretty excited about this one when I showed it to him on Pinterest. He picked it out himself and said, "Let's make that one Mom!" So we found the recipe and tweaked it a little to be gluten free, since he has recently been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. He helped make them and most importantly, we both REALLY LOVED them! You can play with whatever spices you prefer, I used a lot of different ones, but make it your own! We also used a little ranch to dip em' in. I'm sure there are some better dips that this would be great with! Have fun with it and enjoy!!

Gluten-Free Broccoli Cheesy Bites:

-3/4c. Gluten Free Flour
-1/4c. Cornmeal
-16oz. Bag of broccoli Florets- Diced (I used frozen and ran under warm water to thaw out)
-1 1/2c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or whatever you prefer)
-3 Eggs
Season with spices of your choice

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl, heat olive oil in your pan on medium heat and make palm size "patties" and place in pan until golden brown on both sides. Makes about 14.

Here's the original link I found on Pinterest for reference:

http://recipesweet.net/broccoli-cheese-bites/#comment-3022

Love Dare: Day 26 Love is God's Word

Today's Dare

Commit to reading the Bible every day.  Find a devotional book or other resource that will give you some guidance.  If your spouse is open to it, see if they will commit to daily Bible reading with you.  Begin submitting each area of your life to its guidance and start building on the rock.



   Reading the Bible everyday can seem like a pretty easy task, but it falls short of reality sometimes. Talking with other women of faith, they seem to have the same struggle as me...it comes and goes in spurts to stay in Gods word on a daily basis. Life gets busy, we let other things come first before God and before you know it, the week has come to an end and we haven't opened up our bibles once.
If you're anything like me, you noticed that week was full of anxiety, full of stress, short tempers and not at all "godly". Why does such a little task of reading gods word for 5 or 10 minutes a day seem so hard and so big, that we put it on the back burner to do later?
Maybe because we don't want to be convicted, maybe because we don't want to change, maybe because we know there's something better, but it takes work, hard work and it's scary! It can be heavy, yes I know this first hand. God speaking to us isn't something to take lightly, it's life changing if we allow it. I hold back from God a lot, sometimes thinking I don't deserve His love and therefor don't deserve the positive changes in my life He wants to give me. I don't allow the change to happen on His time and try to do it alone. Then I get to a point where I'm overwhelmed, overtired, emotionally exhausted and at my breaking point. That's when I know I'm relying on myself too much. I know all this and still don't allow myself to rely on Him fully, knowing that that will be the outcome.
   The beautiful thing about Gods love though is that through my faults, selfishness and pridefulness of thinking, "I got this!", He allows me to fall and stumble, only to come back to Him with open arms waiting for me to admit I need help, over and over. He is always constant. He is always there. This is a lesson I'm relearning over and over and maybe one day it will stick...hopefully.
    As far as this specific dare, I have finished the love dare a couple weeks ago but haven't been keeping everything updated on here regularly. I'm getting back into my daily bible reading and trying harder to allow it to guide me. I haven't asked my husband to do a daily bible reading together because we don't communicate well at the moment, maybe that will come later though hopefully! I know he is trying hard to stay focused though and be in the word, I'm not worried about that. Just need to stay focused on myself and the work God is doing in me.
I'm a child of a King, always loved, no matter what.


http://www.klove.com/blog/post/2010/02/10/love-dare-day-36.aspx

Love Dare :Day 35 Love is Accountable

Today's Dare

Find a marriage mentor - someone who is a strong Christian and who will be honest and loving with you.  If you feel that counseling is needed, then take the first step to set up an appointment.  During this process, ask God to direct your decisions and discernment.


    I feel incredibly blessed to have a small group of girlfriends that I can go to for anything, but mostly for Spiritual advice. Especially since my separation from my husband in January. I have been careful not to stray out of my "sister circle" to get REAL advice. Other people may know my circumstances, but they don't know my heart and who's advice and guidance I take to heart has to be very selective. I've had to learn this the hard way. Just because you are close with someone, doesn't mean they have the best advice to give you. 
For a long while, I was tremendously worried for my husband spiritually. I still am. He had become so withdrawn from me (and still is to a point) and seemed to be becoming a complete stranger to me. A man I once knew to light up a room with his love, carefree, funny personality, was gone. His eyes seem empty sometimes still and the further I try to pull him back, the further he pulls away. He has admitted to me in the past since our separation, that he stopped reading his Bible, stopped seeing his "Christian brothers" on a regular basis and stopped staying connected in the church and drew away for a time because he became mad at God. When I heard this, my heart broke. I understood his hurt and I wanted so badly just to hold him and tell him that everything's going to be ok and we're going to be fine. But we both know that would be a lie. We don't know anything. 
    He has just recently started getting connected again to church, which makes me really happy, but there is still so much distance between us. We have started going to marriage counseling through our church again for the past month and a half and it seems to help us get some issues out on the table and tell our side and sort through all the "junk" and the other person has to listen without interruption. I love going, even if it's heavy and it doesn't end cheerfully, (I always end up crying at some point), even if we don't come to a complete resolution, atleast its one time every other week that we can completely hear each other out. It's effort and for that, I'm grateful. We aren't at all where I would like us to be yet. I have requested to move back in multiple times and invited him over for dinner or family time on a weekly basis and the answer is always, no. It hurts my heart and I feel like I'm just torturing myself repeatedly. Honestly, I don't know if there will be the happy ending that I want so badly and I guess I have to accept that that may be a reality, but I'm not going to give up. I will always let him know he's loved and admired by his wife, even when he doesn't want to hear it. Having our mutual friend as our marriage counselor is helpful because he is completely honest and biblically teaches us what Christ asks of us through our marriage. It's a tremendously difficult thing to be broken down and hurt repeatedly by the one person in the world you gave yourself to as a life partner and go through the process of forgiveness and heal to love one another...again. To find the purpose in the pain that has happened and use it to strengthen us, our marriage and our family.
   I will never give up hope.
 
"Sometimes relationships grow stronger through conflict. But other times relationships end. Because I can't control the other person, I must keep focusing on the good God is doing in me through this, and leave the outcome with Him." -Lisa TerKeurst


http://www.klove.com/blog/post/2010/02/09/Love-Dare-Day-35.aspx

Love Dare: Day 34 Love Celebrates Godliness

Today's Dare

Find a specific, recent example when your spouse demonstrated Christian character in a noticeable way.  Verbally commend them for this at some point today.

                            (I'm not up to date on my blog, so I'm backtracking from last week.)
   There was a great example that my husband demonstrated as Christian character last week. I told my him afterwards that I appreciated that he was open with me and cared enough to tell me that he didn't think I was emotionally ready to take on a volunteering position I was really looking forward to. I wrote about it in this post. http://sparklesandspilledmilk.blogspot.com/2014/04/god-had-other-plansa-lesson-in-humility.html
I know it wasn't easy for him to tell me, but it was a Christian characteristic to listen to what God was telling him and lead me in the right direction as his wife. It was also a hard thing for me to listen and follow through with, but I knew he had my best interest at heart. The world may offer us a multitude of opportunities, some at the same time, but we have to be very choosy on what we take on and make sure its the right time for everything. The things that the world offers us can look so tempting and can seem to be the "right" thing to do, but we have to make sure its what God wants us to do. It can be really hard to see that clearly sometimes when the opportunities arise. Staying in prayer and asking for Gods guidance in situations is the only way we will ever know for sure if we are making the right decisions and sometimes we still make mistakes. But that's where God's grace comes in and picks us up. I was proud of my husband for stepping up and showing me he cared and what could have been another blow up fight, wasn't. We both allowed God to lead us in the right direction and decision making. I find that I also need him to trust and believe in me as well. To have the support of your spouse is better then any cheer leading squad my your side 24 hrs.a day. I know we both haven't been there as supporters for each other in the way the other needed in the past, but that's where you don't give up and you try your best to do better in the future.



http://www.klove.com/blog/post/2010/02/08/Love-Dare-Day-34.aspx