The Nourishing Home

living healthier lives in service to the King!

5 Books The Lord Has Used to Change My Life

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There are many Christian books that have influenced my life by either helping me to increase my knowledge and/or helping me to grow in my walk with the Lord. Yet, out of the many books I’ve read, these five are the ones that have made the most significant impact in my life thus far.

Each of these books have challenged me and have practically ministered to me as I’ve read, meditating and prayed over the truths and wisdom they exposit from God’s Word.

Please note: If you opt to purchase any of these books using the affiliate links below, a small portion of the sale goes to support The Nourishing Home at no additional cost to you. There is no obligation to purchase, but if you do, you are helping to support the free resources, meal plans and recipes here at The Nourishing Home. Thank you!

The ESV Study Bible 
The ESV Study Bible provides a wealth of resources that make studying God’s Word an easier and richer experience.

One of my personal favorites are the introductions to each book, which include helpful information about the author; date/place of writing; an extensive chart of key themes; a summary of how the book fits in with the rest of the biblical storyline; an outline of the book; and maps showing the setting of the book.

I also really appreciate the ESV’s system of 80,000 cross references and a thorough concordance – these two resources help to facilitate easy location of important words, passages, and biblical themes.

I am so thankful for my ESV Study Bible – it has been an invaluable resource in helping me to really dig deeper into the truths of God’s Word!

 

The Knowledge of the Holy
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

If there was just one book outside of the bible that I would urge everyone to read – it would hands-down be A.W. Tozer’s The Knowledge of The Holy.

This incredibly insightful and awe-inspiring book explores the attributes of God with the purpose of helping us see God for who he really is – in all of His majesty, glory and power! I cannot recommend this book enough. Reading this book will not only help you grow deeper in your understanding of God, but in your worship and praise of Him!

 

Because He Loves Me
Fitzpatrick has written an incredible book that beautifully illustrates that the gospel is not only essential for bringing us to saving faith in Jesus Christ, but it’s also central to living out an effective, Spirit-led Christian life!

She reminds us and expands upon our knowledge of the fact that as a believer, our true identity is “a beloved child adopted by the Father, espoused to the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit!” Throughout the pages of this heart-lifting book, Fitzpatrick encourages Christians to accept God’s forgiveness, walk in love, and live gospel-centered relationships.

For me personally, this book has ministered to me in helping me to be able to fully release the baggage of a past filled with a works-based faith and embrace the grace and love of the Lord through living out the gospel everyday.

 

Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone
Many of us don’t stop to think about the idols in our lives, I know I didn’t think about them as fully and rightly as I should have before I read this life-changing book!

Idols of the Heart reveals that “idolatry lies at the heart of every besetting sin.” If you think of idols as statues in far-off lands, think again. Idols are the desires, longings, and expectations we worship instead of the true God.

This book is an incredible resource in helping Christians to honestly assess (through prayer and petition to God) the idols in our lives and provides solid biblical counsel on how to effectively overcome them in order to live a more holy, God-focused life.

 

Feminine Appeal
This inspirational book comes along side women (like a kind and wise mentor-friend) to help us better understand and live out the Titus 2 principles that God desires for His daughters to embody.

Each of the seven Titus 2:4-5  principles has an entire chapter devoted to helping us understand and live out these virtues by providing amazing biblical insight, practical real life examples and thought-provoking study questions for introspection.

Feminine Appeal is truly the BEST book I’ve read on living out the principles of Titus 2! That’s why, I’m forever grateful to God for spurring me on to read it and to Carolyn Mahaney for being the willing instrument that the Lord has used to encourage so many women to strive to His higher calling for us as wives, mothers and women of God!

Share Your Thoughts!
I hope you will consider reading one or more of these wonderful resources. And if you have already, please feel free to share a comment below on how these have made a personal impact in your life. Also, please feel free to recommend other books that you’ve found to be exceptionally helpful to you in increasing your knowledge of and love for the Lord. Thanks, friends!

Joyfully Serving Him, Kelly

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Spelt-Thins Crackers

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These crackers are so crisp and delicious! They are totally worth the extra effort it takes to make them from scratch with love!

They look and taste a lot like Wheat Thins (thus the name). But unlike their namesake, just one look at the ingredients and you will know why these are so much better for you!

Serving Suggestions: We’re slightly coo-coo for crackers, but as much as we love these little squares of crispy goodness on their own, they’re even better when paired with other wholesome ingredients. Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
• Top with raw cheese and apple slices
• Top with a healthy spread like veggie confetti spread, homemade hummus, your favorite nut butter, etc.
• Top with tuna or chicken salad
• Use them as an edible spoon to scoop up your favorite homemade dips like guacamole, salsa, etc.
• Add them to your favorite homemade snack mix! (Simple snack mix: In a small dish combine crackers with your favorite crispy nuts and dried fruits)
• What’s your favorite way to eat crackers? … Please post a comment and share your ideas too!

Spelt-Thins Photo Tutorial:


1. Using your hands, knead the mixture to incorporate all of the flour into the dough until it forms a ball. (For easy clean-up, you can knead the dough right in the bowl.) Cover the bowl and place it in a warm area of your kitchen for 12 hours. If you’re new to soaking, please check out “How to Soak Grains for Optimal Nutrition.”


2. After soaking time is complete, form dough into a large disk and place on countertop. Sprinkle baking soda and salt evenly across top of flattened dough. Fold dough and knead to incorporate salt and baking soda.


3. Divide dough into four equal portions, shape into dough balls and leave in bowl.


4. Follow tips in recipe below for rolling your dough out as thinly as possible – the secret to crispy crackers!


Time-Saving Tip:  You can roll the dough out directly onto the parchment paper and trim out, as shown above.

Print
Spelt-Thins Crackers

Yield: 6 cups of crackers

Spelt-Thins Crackers

Ingredients

    Step One: Soaking
  • 1 3/4 cups organic whole spelt flour
  • 3 tbsp melted butter
  • 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp pure honey (I prefer sage honey due to its mild flavor)
  • 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup water
    • Step Two: Baking
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

    Step One: Soaking
  1. In a large bowl, add all of the above ingredients, except the spelt flour. Whisk well to combine.
  2. Then, add the spelt flour, and using a fork, start mixing together until dough gets stiff.
  3. Next, using your hands, knead the mixture to incorporate all of the flour into the dough until it forms a ball. (For easy clean-up, you can knead the dough right in the bowl.)
  4. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm area of your kitchen for 12 hours.
    5. Step Two: Rolling Out & Baking
  5. After soaking time is complete, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  6. Using your hands, shape dough ball into a large disk and place on countertop.
  7. Sprinkle baking soda and salt evenly across top of flattened dough.
  8. Fold dough and knead to incorporate salt and baking soda.
  9. Divide dough into four equal portions, shape into dough balls and leave in bowl.
    10. Rolling out the dough (option #1):
  10. Lightly and evenly dust your countertop with spelt flour.
  11. Place one of the dough balls on flour-dusted countertop and flatten with hand.
  12. Lightly dust top of flattened dough with spelt flour.
  13. Roll out dough until it is very thin and as even as possible. The thinner you roll it out, the more crisp and crunchy your crackers will be. I find it very helpful to flip the dough once or twice at the beginning of rolling it out making sure to lightly dust the top with flour before flipping the dough over.
  14. Another trick is to roll the dough from the center outward, so the middle isn’t thinker than the ends.
    15. Even easier time-saving (option #2):
  15. You can save time by rolling the dough out directly onto parchment paper. Just lightly flour the parchment paper and the top of the dough. Then roll out until you get the dough as thin as possible.
    16. Trimming the Dough:
  16. Once the dough is rolled out thinly, trim it into a large rectangle and set scraps aside.
  17. Then, cut the large rectangle of dough into squares using a pizza cutter, or sharp knife. (I like to make 3x3-inch crackers, because we like to put extra goodies on top of them or use them as edible spoons for our favorite dips – see ideas below.)
  18. Prick each cracker with a fork and lightly sprinkle with fine-ground sea salt.
  19. If you rolled the dough out on your countertop, transfer the individual squares to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  20. If you rolled out the dough directly on parchment paper, then simply place the parchment onto a baking sheet and place in oven.
    21. Baking:
  21. Bake about 6-8 minutes, making sure to keep an eye on the crackers since the cook time really depends on the temp of your oven.
  22. They are done when they are browning slightly around edges. (Encouragement: It may take you a couple of trays of crackers to get the baking timing down. Don’t give up, these crackers are worth the practice to figure out the right bake time for your oven.)
  23. Allow crackers to cool completely on baking sheet, as they will crisp up a bit more as they cool.
  24. Store crackers in a glass jar with tight fitting lid, or place in a freezer-safe container and freeze. Crackers keep about 5-6 days in the pantry or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Notes

This recipe was inspired by a “wheat thins” recipe by Katie at Kitchen Stewardship. Since wheat thins were one of my all-time favorites (back in my pre-real food days), I decided to recreate the recipe using whole spelt instead, since it’s our whole grain flour of choice.

Why whole spelt? I prefer whole spelt over whole wheat for a couple of reasons. Mainly because I can tolerate spelt better than wheat and also, I find that spelt has a lighter taste and texture than whole wheat.

Whole spelt does contain gluten, so it’s not a good choice for those with gluten-related allergies or sensitivities. For more about whole spelt, click here.

https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/spelt-thins-crackers/

 

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Perfect Buttered Popcorn (Gluten-Free)

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Once you pop popcorn on the stovetop, I promise you’ll never go back to microwave popcorn. Besides the fact that microwave popcorn (or anything microwaved for that matter) is bad news for your health, it just doesn’t taste as fresh and delicious as stove-popped popcorn.

So when you’re in the mood for a hot buttery treat, try this simple method for ensuring perfect buttered popcorn! (Just be sure to only use organic popcorn in order to avoid GMOs.)

Check out the pictures below for a step-by-step photo tutorial:

Print
Perfect Buttered Popcorn (Gluten-Free)

3-4 servings

Perfect Buttered Popcorn (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup organic popcorn kernels
  • Sea salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Add coconut oil to a large stockpot and place on stovetop at medium-high heat.
  2. Add three popcorn kernels and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid.
  3. Once the first kernel pops, reduce the heat to medium and carefully lift the lid at the back (away from your face). Add the remaining popcorn kernels and then the butter.
  4. Immediately cover and shake the stockpot carefully back and forth across the top of the stovetop to ensure the kernels are evenly coated with the butter-oil mixture.
  5. It will take about 2-3 minutes for the corn kernels to start popping. Once they start popping like crazy, turn the heat down to medium and carefully shake the stockpot periodically during the popping process to ensure an even pop and avoid scorching the popped corn.
  6. Once the popping slows down to a few pops every few seconds, turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit a moment to ensure the popping has stopped.
  7. Carefully open the lid at the back (away from your face) and sprinkle with sea salt. Cover and shake pot back and forth. Then remove the lid, add more sea salt to taste and transfer popcorn to a large bowl. Mmm! The perfect treat while enjoying a family movie night!

Notes

Special thanks to Christy at One Fun Mom for the brilliant idea of adding butter during the cook time instead of pouring melted butter over the top of the popped corn afterward - soggy popcorn is no fun! This is a much yummer idea! She even provides a video that shows you how to do it! So be sure to "pop" over and check it out! 🙂

https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/perfect-buttered-popcorn-gluten-free/

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