The Sweetest Unsweet Life - Dole Whip

Three years ago this May, we learned that Bryleigh was allergic to cane sugar, among 9 other things.  We praised the Lord for answers to what had been causing so many health issues for Bryleigh, but we were devastated as we began to realize exactly what this diagnosis meant for her (and for us).  Every expectation I had of baking in the kitchen with my daughter, every way I knew to celebrate any and all special occasions, and anything my daughter loved to eat were all officially a thing of the past.  The beginning was survival mode for all of us, then we moved into the learning and growing phase, and now we are officially at the point that we want to share with the world all we have learned along the way.

Bryleigh has asked for a while if she could have a YouTube channel, but to be honest, I never thought it was something we would actually do...until I began to get this little vision of the two of us in the kitchen sharing all of our favorite recipes.  And just like that, God pieced my heart back together and showed me just how faithful He is in redeeming what seemed to be complete ash, our very own rainbow in the sky reminding us that He is so good to us.

We decided to start simple and fun with a tasty summer treat in honor of summer officially being here! And the Texas heat is here, right on time.  We had a trip planned to Disney this summer over 4th of July, but thanks to the Coronoa virus, it has officially been postponed.  That will not, however, keep us from bringing a little Disney magic to our entire summer, so it was the perfect way to kick off THE SWEETEST UNSWEET LIFE!

This simple 3 ingredient recipe is super easy to make and will leave your taste buds satisfied in no time, not to mention cooling you down in the 100* Texas heat!!

For all of Bryleigh's ice cream treats, we use Blue Bell's No Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream.  It can occasionally be out of stock at our local Kroger, but for the most part, we have no trouble finding a gallon or two.  It is also available in pint size, most of the time.

In addition to your ice cream base, you will also need 4 ounces of pineapple juice and 2 cups of frozen pineapple.  We had trouble finding any, so we just went ahead and bought a fresh pineapple, cut it into cubes, and then froze 2 cups.  (Speaking of fresh pineapple, we may never be the same after visiting Maui, Hawaii last year and getting to tour the MAUI GOLD pineapple farm and eating fresh pineapple straight off the plant.)

This recipe can be easily modified to make various versions, including placing it back in the freezer and serving it more like ice cream or by adding more pineapple juice or milk to it for a creamier, drink type treat.  It would also be fun to pour the mixture into popsicle molds and have on hand for those hot summer afternoons after a morning of playing outside!

Sloppy Joes - An Armstrong Staple

One of my 2014 goals is to create a Meal Plan for my family and STICK TO IT (hence my 2014 word being endurance)!  A meal plan can help with our health goals, eliminating those fast food runs and large restaurant portions, as well as our financial goals, by really limiting the amount of money we are spending monthly on food.

I've got a pretty good start for our Meal Plan, and I do plan on posting how we'll be using that plan once it's complete (and I have time to get the post written up...after all, life is about to change a bit).  But as a teaser, it includes 2 separate 4-week plans (so we'll have 2 complete months planned out at a time), 4 Pinterest boards (1 for each 2-week period, based on our shopping schedule - I look up and cook all recipes from my Pinterest boards, even if I have them in a cookbook), and a set of index cards (this is what will take the longest - each card will have the ingredients and some basic information to use for our bi-weekly grocery shopping trips). 

On that note, I wanted to share one of my very favorite (and EASIEST) recipes that I grew up eating with my family, and now eat with my sweet hubby.  It's definitely one of his favorites too!  I think I could eat it once (or twice) a week and not tire of it!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground meat
1 cup catsup
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

You'll want to start by browning your pound of ground meat and then drain the grease.  You can rinse out the pot you are using and return in to the stove.  At this time, you'll want to turn the heat down to a low heat setting.

 

Once you have drained the grease, you can pour the meat back in to the pot and add the mixture of the remaining ingredients.  I usually add all of the ingredients (catsup, water, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce) to one measuring cup, stir it up, and then add the mixture to your browned meat.

 

 

Once you have stirred your mixture in with the meat, you'll reduce the heat to simmer and cover for about 15 minutes.

We always eat our Sloppy Joes on large buns, but ever since I was a little girl, my brother and I both eaten a few spoonfuls by itself as well.  (Like I've said...we LOVE Sloppy Joes!)  I will add that my brother and sister-in-law also add a slice of cheese to their sandwiches.

On the Side:

There are lots of options for side dishes with this meal, but we ALWAYS eat ours with Broccoli Cheese and Rice.  There have also been times we've had it with chips and cheese dip or baked beans as well.