Shannon S. McKee

musings and moments

9 Things That Are Saving My Life Right Now

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To say that we’re living in a challenging season is the quintessential understatement. 2020 has been taxing in so many ways. Now, we are eight months in to the COVID-19 pandemic and there is no clear end in sight with much division about what should be done. Here in the US, racial issues still bubble in the background as my friends of color continue to suffer various levels of injustice. And, the presidential election should have been over a week ago but it still lingers in the courts. Meanwhile, the various media feed fear and uncertainty instead of bringing clarity. And that doesn’t even touch some of the personal hardships I’m walking through with friends right now. I can feel the weariness of it all creeping into my bones at times. The brain fog making it so hard to stay focused – even the smallest decisions seem crippling these days! The grouchiness in my heart when I have to let go of things beyond my control. The despair when I see the constant bickering on social media. The anxiety in my chest that feels like a trapped animal trying to get out. Sometimes it feels overwhelming.

A peacemaker and an empath, I am tempted to numb it by hiding because engaging is just too much for me. And, while it may be too much for me, the truth is that it’s not too much for God’s Spirit in me. He is not threatened or surprised by all that is happening in our world today. He is at work – strengthening, empowering, and giving good gifts to His children.

To embrace that truth and beat back some of the heaviness, I thought I’d share some of His good gifts that are saving me right now. Over the last year, I’ve been cultivating various disciplines in my life to help me “notice and name” things. (Much of these practices come from things I have gleaned from Emily P. Freeman, author and podcaster of The Next Right Thing.) Emily loves to make lists. And not just the “to-do” kind; but the reflective kind. This particular list she borrowed from Barbara Brown Taylor who once spoke on the topic: “Tell us what is saving your life right now.”

It’s a good question. Our tendency is to focus on the things that are hard – especially during a season like this one! But most of us don’t pay much attention to those things that are giving us hope and life and joy – maybe because we take them for granted?

Emily’s practice is to revisit this question from time to time and… make a list. I’ve followed her example and started keeping a running list of the things that are saving my life right now. Some of them are light, easy things. Some of them are very practical things. Some are deeper, heart-level things. Whatever they are, these are some of the things that are bringing me life right now. I share them with you to see if any of them might resonate with you or inspire you. Maybe just making the list inspires you even if you never do any of these specific things. Or maybe some of these things would bless you too? I’ll trust the Lord to do whatever He wants with it.

Here’s my list of nine things. Not 10 or eight. Just nine:

The Rabbit Room – The Rabbit Room was started by one of my favorite musicians, Andrew Peterson. It fosters Christ-centered community and spiritual formation through music, story, and art. One of its offerings is a Facebook group where the members celebrate and encourage these things. I toy with leaving FB all together but this group is one of the reasons I stay – for now anyway.

My Autumn Spotify playlist – Author Myquillyn Smith (also known as The Nester) says that “music is the salt and pepper of a home.” In her most recent book, Welcome Home, she talks about the power of creating an experience in your home – one that utilizes the Five Senses. She feels strongly about sound – especially music and all that it evokes. She creates playlists for various seasons and activities. She inspired me to do the same. Truth be told, several of the songs on MY autumn playlist came from hers.

Baking – Also a nod to the five senses, baking speaks warmth and safety to me. The smells, the tastes, the process, the ingredients, the creativity. Personally, the fact that I start with real (non GMO) ingredients and not pre-made or boxed mixes is part of the experience; so I do that. On my list of homemade items so far this Fall: banana bread, cinnamon chip pancakes, beer bread, artisan breads, corn bread, apple cookies, pumpkin cookies, and apple crumble.

Soups and Stews – Similar to baking, these make my soul happy, fill up my senses, and take care of my family. My slow cooker is very busy during the colder months. And, of course, soups are best served with bread. So, bonus points. You can find many of my recipes by becoming my friend on Plan to Eat. Or sometimes, I post them here under the This & That category.

99 Walks – 99 walks is a community of women getting healthier and happier by completing a virtual, monthly walking challenge. For a small monthly fee, I have access to an app, online fitness classes, accountability, and encouragement. For every month that I meet or exceed my goal, I get a bracelet with a monthly inspiration engraved on it. I already loved walking but the accountability has helped me immensely.

Candles – Especially soy with either faint scents or no scents at all. I like them for the ambiance mostly. The ones with the wooden wicks are my faves because of the sound they make when they burn.

The Women’s Bible Study at my church – I don’t know where to begin. Everything about it brings me joy. The women themselves. The hunger to grow. The teachable spirit. The glory of our good God on display. Walking through a book of the Bible every semester – the timing of studying 1 Samuel couldn’t have been better.

Limiting my social media – I am finding that social media is not a healthy space for me. Especially Facebook and Twitter. They suck my time and leave me feeling gross. Just toxic mostly. If I could find a way to replace the Groups on FB, I’d be gone already. I do find Instagram to be a much more encouraging space for now. But, I really have to limit all of it if I want to stay healthy emotionally and spiritually. And when I am on social media, I have to be very intentional.

This quote by Dr. James Bryan Smith: “I am one in whom Christ delights and dwells. I live in the strong and unshakeable kingdom of God. The kingdom is not in trouble and neither am I.” I’ve loved this quote for years but it seems especially important these days. (The story behind the quote is on Emily’s podcast here.)

What about you? What is saving your life right now? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! Your ideas might inspire me or other readers to some new life saving ideas.

This & That: A Recipe for Egg Roll in a Bowl

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Over the course of the last year or so, I’ve been adding new whole food recipes to our family repertoire of recipes. As you may know from one of his recent sermons, one of Rick’s favorites is this one – a one-pan dinner made in less than 30 minutes. It is packed with protein and flavor. I make it with ground pork but I have heard of others who use ground beef. I initially heard of the recipe from the first Trim Healthy Mama cookbook but I made a few tweaks when I was doing the Whole 30 (namely swapping out the soy sauce and replacing it with liquid aminos. I also added the bag of Mann’s Power Blend – it’s a mixture of super greens like kale and brussel sprouts. I get it in the produce section at Marc’s here in Northeast Ohio but I believe it is also available at Wal-Mart. I’m no expert but I believe the recipe is also Keto compliant.

It tastes just like an egg roll but without the deep fried egg roll wrapper. If you try it, be sure to come back and let me know what you think!

Egg Roll in a Bowl

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Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 lbs ground pork
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 6 cups red cabbage, finely shredded (about 1 medium head)
  • 1 bag Mann's Power Blend ®
  • 2 tsps ginger, ground
  • 1/3 cup liquid aminos
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 1 pinch mineral salt
  • 4 green onions, finely chopped
  • sesame seeds, optional
  • red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions
 

  • Brown the ground pork in large frying pan until fully cooked.
    Turn heat to medium-high and add chopped onion (not the green onions yet) and sesame oil, increase heat to lightly brown the onions.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger and liquid aminos and add to pan, and then immediately add the sliced cabbage and the bag of Mann's Power Blend. Stir.
    Cook for a few minutes, stirring often, so that it doesn't burn and so all cabbage slightly wilts and reduces in size.
  • Turn off heat, add salt and black pepper to taste, stir one last time and serve warm.
    Serve with chopped green onions, red pepper flakes and sesame seeds as optional garnish.

Notes

Same great taste you’ll get in an eggroll, minus the deep fried wrapper.So MUCH healthier!

Love in a Cup: My London Fog Recipe

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I am a lover of all things tea. My journey with it started my first year out of college when I worked for a newspaper. I was interviewing a woman from Australia for a piece that I was working on. Instead of meeting her out somewhere, she invited me to her home for… tea time! Sugar cubes and all. It reminded me of Anne of Green Gables and was totally taken in by this lovely mid-day respite.

That same year, Rick bought me my first pottery tea pot, sugar bowl, and creamer. Then, I discovered loose tea. The rest is history…. I’ve been blissfully making pots of tea ever since.

Fast forward to a few years ago when I discovered tea lattes. My favorite is the London Fog. Yum! What I’m not a fan of is paying $4 for one. Especially since I have one every day. If I make it at home, it’s more like 30-40 cents a cup.

In addition to saving money, I like to customize my homemade version. I’ve discovered that I like mine with a bit of lavender in it. Most London Fogs that you order out and about are made by combining earl grey tea with steamed milk and vanilla syrup. No lavender.

Bonus tip: Lady Grey tea from Twinnings has the lavender already in it. But, if you only have access to Earl Grey, you can always just add a pinch of lavender to your tea before you steep it. I can’t find the Lady Grey locally so I have to order it online – usually through Amazon.

Here’s my recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

 

London Fog

My homemade recipe for a London Fog tea latte - a creamy, steamy cuppa! 
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Total Time 6 minutes
Course Beverage
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tsp loose leaf Lady Grey Tea I use Twinnings
  • 8-10 oz water brought to rolling boil
  • 1 tsp sweetener I use a stevia/xylitol blend
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup half and half steamed

Instructions
 

  • Pour water over loose tea infuser basket into mug to brew a strong cup of Lady Grey tea. (If you are using Earl Grey tea instead, add a pinch of lavender to your infuser.) After 4 minutes, pull the tea infuser out. Add your sweetener and the vanilla extract. (I'm trying to avoid sugar but you can sub sugar or a simple syrup for my homemade stevia blend if you'd like.) Stir.
  •  While the tea is steeping, steam half and half. I don't have a steamer so I warm it up in the microwave or on the stove top and whip it with my Aerolatte frother. Pour frothed milk over prepared tea. 
Keyword london fog, tea

This & That: Cream Cheese Potato Soup Recipe

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Welcome to a new addition to the blog: This & That. It will usually publish on Tuesdays, though not exclusively. It was born out of a conversation where I realized that it’s nice to share ideas and swap recipes with other women. The tried and true is always so helpful and encouraging! Sometimes it will be recipes or hospitality tips. Sometimes it will be a favorite product or idea that is really helpful in some area of life. Sometimes you’ll hear from me, sometimes from friends of mine. Pretty much you can expect, well… a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Now, on to today’s installment: my cream cheese potato soup recipe.

If you know me at all, you know that Fall is my jam. It’s my favorite season for many reasons but one of them is certainly that it’s soup season. What is it about soup? For me, it speaks warmth and care. It’s a quick and easy comfort food, especially when it’s chilly outside. A bowl of thick soup warms us inside and out. When I make soup, I feel like I’m loving my family in a very tangible way. It’s also extremely versatile. On the weekend, I can dress it up on a beautiful table with a steaming loaf of bread. Or, on one of our busier weeknights, I can put a lid on it and leave it for my busy family members to grab as they come and go.

It’s also a great crowd pleaser without breaking the bank. You can stretch it to feed more people. You can add a sandwich or bread or a small salad to quickly make it a complete meal. Or it can stand on its own. Soup can also be made ahead of time and easily reheated if need-be. I often make my soups in the crockpot before I leave in the morning. But, on the days I’m home in the afternoon, I like to have some recipes that come together easily during the hour or two before dinner. This potato soup recipe is just that. I searched high and low for a potato soup that was easy to make with lots of yummy flavor. (For example, any recipes that talked about double baking the potatoes first were immediately cast aside. Ain’t nobody got time for dat.) I found the bones for this one on the food dot com website and tweaked it to fit my family. It is a McKee family favorite – especially when paired with homemade Beer Bread.

 

Cream Cheese Potato Soup

This is a family favorite for potato soup. It's a copycat of the Panera's potato soup. I usually double the recipe for our family of four and serve it with Beer Bread. I like having it in my repertoire because it DOESN'T require a crockpot or instant pot - just a large stock pot and the good old stove top! 
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups potatoes washed and cubed
  • 1/4 cup onion minced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
  • 1 pckg cream cheese (8 oz) cut into chunks
  • chopped green onions for garnish
  • crumbled bacon for garnish
  • shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In large stock pot, saute onion in butter until translucent. 
  • Add in potatoes (I prefer to leave the skins on but you can choose to peel before you cube them if you want), spices, and broth. Stir well. Boil on medium heat until potatoes are tender (approx 30 minutes). 
  • Smash a few of the potatoes to release their starch for thickening.
  • Reduce to low heat and simmer. 
  • Add cream cheese. Heat through, stirring frequently, until cheese melts.
  • When ready to serve, garnish with crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped green onions.