Vegan Pecan Pie Bites

When the pie was opened

The birds began to sing;

Wasn't that a dainty dish,

To set before the king.

NURSERY RHYME

I love pecan pie. It's one of those holiday foods that is non-negotiable. It was one of the first holiday recipes I searched for when Mr. Peasant decided to go vegan. But making a vegan pecan pie seemed way too complicated. Here is a delicious vegan pecan pie alternative that is super simple.  It only takes 15 minutes to make! Plus, they are bite-sized so perfect for a party.


Vegan Pecan Pie Bites

Makes 15 bite sized "pies"

1 TB Earth Balance Vegan Butter Spread melted
1 tsp Ground Flax Seeds mixed with 2 tsp water
4 tsp Brown Sugar
2 TB honey
1/4 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup chopped Pecans
1 package Athens Mini Phyllo Shells (15 shells)

Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350 degrees.

Mix butter, flax "egg", sugar, honey and vanilla in a bowl. Then add chopped pecans and mix well. Place mini shells on a baking sheet. Fill each shell evenly with the mixture. Place in oven for 10 minutes. (Shells come precooked, so keep an eye out on them to not burn.) Once cooled, they are ready to enjoy!

I hope you try this recipe for the holidays! Thank you for reading and please keep praying for Mr. Peasant!

Does Your Family Know Their Natural Supplement Regimen?

 They that are well have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. 

For I came not to call the just, but sinners.

MARK 2:17

Mr. Peasant had a nightmare that we got into an argument, and I left. He was telling me how upset he was in the dream about our break up. He also said that in the dream he thought to himself, "Now I'm going to have gout attacks again." He thought this because he doesn't know what supplements he takes. That got me thinking. What if something happens to me? I place out a small dish of supplements in the morning and in the evening. Mr. Peasant has no idea what is in each pill. He trusts me and just takes them.

Our road to herbal healing involved hours of researching books, devouring hundreds of articles, and good old trial and error. We have found some things that work and some things that didn't. After finding good results, it would be a shame if I didn't write down his "prescription" just in case. I have a folder with all my email passwords, account log-ons, phone numbers, bank pins and other important information just in case something happens to me. What about his healing plan? Isn't this just as important?

Please think about and write down what herbs and supplements your family members take. List where you buy them, why they are taking them, and the dosage. If you make your own blends or seasonal syrups, jot down the recipes. It is great to be a a wealth of information regarding natural healing, but it is so important to share the instructions to our loved ones especially the ones who just trust us blindly and gobble down the remedies quickly without knowing the details of their healing plan. One day, we may not be around. I think this is very important.

Thank you for reading and please keep praying for Mr. Peasant!

Avoid Debt by P.T. Barnum

The greatest enemy of financial well-being is not poverty but debt.

KENT NERBURN

Young men starting in life should avoid running into debt. There is scarcely anything that drags a person down like debt. It is a slavish position to get in, yet we find many a young man, hardly out of his "teens," running in debt. He meets a chum and says, "Look at this: I have got trusted for a new suit of clothes." He seems to look upon the clothes as so much given to him; well, it frequently is so, but, if he succeeds in paying and then gets trusted again, he is adopting a habit which will keep him in poverty through life. Debt robs a man of his self-respect, and makes him almost despise himself. Grunting and groaning and working for what he has eaten up or worn out, and now when he is called upon to pay up, he has nothing to show for his money; this is properly termed "working for a dead horse." I do not speak of merchants buying and selling on credit, or of those who buy on credit in order to turn the purchase to a profit. The old Quaker said to his farmer son, "John, never get trusted; but if thee gets trusted for anything, let it be for 'manure,' because that will help thee pay it back again."

Mr. Beecher advised young men to get in debt if they could to a small amount in the purchase of land, in the country districts. "If a young man," he says, "will only get in debt for some land and then get married, these two things will keep him straight, or nothing will." This may be safe to a limited extent, but getting in debt for what you eat and drink and wear is to be avoided. Some families have a foolish habit of getting credit at "the stores," and thus frequently purchase many things which might have been dispensed with.

It is all very well to say; "I have got trusted for sixty days, and if I don't have the money the creditor will think nothing about it." There is no class of people in the world, who have such good memories as creditors. When the sixty days run out, you will have to pay. If you do not pay, you will break your promise, and probably resort to a falsehood. You may make some excuse or get in debt elsewhere to pay it, but that only involves you the deeper.

A good-looking, lazy young fellow, was the apprentice boy, Horatio. His employer said, "Horatio, did you ever see a snail?" "I—think—I—have," he drawled out. "You must have met him then, for I am sure you never overtook one," said the "boss." Your creditor will meet you or overtake you and say, "Now, my young friend, you agreed to pay me; you have not done it, you must give me your note." You give the note on interest and it commences working against you; "it is a dead horse." The creditor goes to bed at night and wakes up in the morning better off than when he retired to bed, because his interest has increased during the night, but you grow poorer while you are sleeping, for the interest is accumulating against you.

Money is in some respects like fire; it is a very excellent servant but a terrible master. When you have it mastering you; when interest is constantly piling up against you, it will keep you down in the worst kind of slavery. But let money work for you, and you have the most devoted servant in the world. It is no "eye-servant." There is nothing animate or inanimate that will work so faithfully as money when placed at interest, well secured. It works night and day, and in wet or dry weather.

I was born in the blue-law State of Connecticut, where the old Puritans had laws so rigid that it was said, "they fined a man for kissing his wife on Sunday." Yet these rich old Puritans would have thousands of dollars at interest, and on Saturday night would be worth a certain amount; on Sunday they would go to church and perform all the duties of a Christian. On waking up on Monday morning, they would find themselves considerably richer than the Saturday night previous, simply because their money placed at interest had worked faithfully for them all day Sunday, according to law!

Do not let it work against you; if you do there is no chance for success in life so far as money is concerned. John Randolph, the eccentric Virginian, once exclaimed in Congress, "Mr. Speaker, I have discovered the philosopher's stone: pay as you go." This is, indeed, nearer to the philosopher's stone than any alchemist has ever yet arrived.

Mr. Peasant's Vegan Crock Pot Chili

Chili is one of the great peasant foods. It is one of the few contributions America has made to world cuisine.

REX STOUT

This is the recipe I use for my vegan chili. I prefer to use a Crock Pot which is still the best $20 I ever spent on a kitchen appliance. The Crock Pot eliminates the need for frequent stirring and the possibility of burning things on the stove.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons of chili powder

2 tablespoons of hot sauce

1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon of salt

4  6oz. cans of tomato paste

3 cups of water

1 onion diced

1 green bell pepper diced

1 cup of uncooked lentils

1 can of dark kidney beans

1 can of light kidney beans

1 can of pinto beans

DIRECTIONS

Sauce
Combine chili powder, hot sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, tomato paste, and water in a standard size Crock Pot. Stir until fully mixed and liquefied.

Lentils
Cook the lentils separately until tender.

Chili
Combine the cooked lentils, rinsed canned beans, onions, and peppers in the pot and stir. Cook on high until the mixture begins to bubble. Reduce to low and allow to simmer for three to four hours.

Additions/Substitutions
Black beans
Navy beans
Corn
Diced tomatoes
Yellow and red peppers
Hot peppers

Serve
Pour into a bowl with a bottle of hot sauce handy and some saltine crackers. Can also be served with white rice. Can be chilled and reheated in the microwave or pot. Tastes even better the second day.

Thank you for reading!

Thankful Leper

And as he entered into a certain town, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off; And lifted up their voice, saying: Jesus, master, have mercy on us. Whom when he saw, he said: Go, shew yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were made clean.  And one of them, when he saw that he was made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God.

And he fell on his face before his feet, giving thanks: and this was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering, said, Were not ten made clean? and where are the nine? There is no one found to return and give glory to God, but this stranger. And he said to him: Arise, go thy way; for thy faith hath made thee whole.
LUKE 17:11

Mr. Peasant almost died Tuesday. Someone hit him while driving on his job. The hit caused his work truck to flip. It rolled into the ditch flipping multiple times, hitting trees and then the cab caught fire. He crawled out of the truck and his partner was rescued. Both are alive and well. Mr. Peasant was in the hospital for a tiny brain bleed which will hopefully heal on it's own. His head is covered with bruises. It looks like someone took a baseball bat to his head. He has a black eye and stitches over his eyelid. He is very sore, and he has a cracked tooth. He is a miracle. Our faith has increased. How can we ever put into words how grateful we are to all the prayer warriors in our lives lifting him up in prayer to our Father. We have encountered so much love and kindness throughout this nightmare. We have the most beautiful friends and family. I have no words except God our father is with us. He held us in His arms.

Lift up praise to the Lord with us. He has given us a miracle. 

I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth. 
In the Lord shall my soul be praised: let the meek hear and rejoice.
O magnify the Lord with me; and let us extol his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he heard me; and he delivered me from all my troubles.
Psalm 33:2

We love you all and thank you for all your prayers. Thank you, Jesus!

50 Thoughtful Christmas Gifts For Under 10 Dollars

I think we have lost our everloving minds with Christmas gift giving. I just read an article on how people are still paying off their debt from Christmas last year! Let's think this through. We are celebrating the birth of our Lord, the Son of God who humbled himself to be born in a dirty barn and slept in a feed trough covered in cattle slobber. So, to honor this profound gift every year we get into massive debt and go full blown magazine cover decadent.  We say it's the thought that counts. Do we really mean that?

Here are the most commonly requested presents from 1913:

1. Candy
2. Nuts
3. Rocking horse
4. Doll
5. Mittens/gloves
6. Toy train
7. Oranges
8. Books
9. Handkerchiefs
10. Skates

Here are fifty simple and thoughtful gifts that I think anyone would love.  At around ten dollars each, it won't break the bank. Let's reign in the over the top Christmas spending and keep it simple. Christmas is not about the things but about the thoughtfulness.

1. A good quality classic pair of socks.  No novelty colors or silly holiday types.

2. A crocheted sock hat.

3. A pair of nice kitchen or bathroom hand towels.

4.  Make a fleece throw with 2 yards of fabric and a pair of scissors.

5. A silicone baking mat and a sugar cookie mix.

6. Plastic mason jar lids.

7. Magnetic Shopping/To Do lists paper pads for the fridge.

8. An Anchor glass pitcher and a box of Raspberry Zinger tea.

9. Silicone oven glove or pot holder. (Most can withstand heats up to 400 degrees.)

10. A garlic press, a pastry mat, pepper mill or some other small kitchen tool that they would use.

11. A magnetic recipe holder for printed out recipe sheets. 

12. Make a sprouting kit: A bag of alfalfa seeds, a wide mouth mason jar, metal jar ring and a plastic needle point sheet or a screen cut to fit. See how here.

13. A kitchen herb potted plant, a jar of bullion, and your favorite soup recipe using the herb.

14. A potted plant.  Propagate a plant from your garden or buy an aloe.

15. A specialty pack of seeds and some jiffy pots to start planting for spring.

16. Bring over a simple flower arrangement. Use a vase/jar and inexpensive flowers from a grocery store. Who doesn't love fresh flowers?

17. A bag of gourmet coffee beans.

18. A jug of apple cider and a bag filled with cinnamon sticks, a clove studded orange (aka a pomander), and this spiced cider recipe.

19. Hot chocolate mix and some firewood.

20. Jar of local honey and a box of nice tea or chai mix.

21. Home-made cinnamon candied nuts, classic Chex mix, or puppy chow.

22. An old school popcorn tin and a five-dollar-bin classic movie.

23. A box of chocolates, a sweet treat from the local bakery, or a tray of homemade cookies.

24. A bottle of wine. There are many that are award winning and inexpensive.

25. Six pack of a holiday beer or hard cider. A single bottle of Delirium beer or raspberry Framboise.

26. A pack of smokes, some lighters, and a scratch off ticket.

27. Make Thank You notes or blank cards with envelopes and add a book of  pretty stamps or nice pen.

28. Reusable straws and a travel mug.

29. An outdoor suction cup window thermometer. To answer that age old question--Is it cold outside?

30. Electric bathroom scrubber brush.

31. A handmade soap or a six pack of Dove bar soaps.

32. Hair ties or scrunchies, microfiber wash clothes, and a face mask packet.

33. A face oil like apricot, sweet almond, or argan.

34. Sugar scrub or a hand lotion.

35. Make a bookmark and place inside a great used book.

36.  A magazine subscription.  We love Mother Earth News (12.00).

37. A classic Moleskine notebook.

38. An audio book for children or adults. What's better than being read a story in the dark under the covers?

39. Elderberry concentrate here to keep them flu free this winter.

40. Smelly things like a car scent and a candle.

41. Pepper spray.

42. A LED hurricane lantern. This light is a life saver when the power goes out.

43. Two cups of gas station coffee/hot cocoa, Christmas music playing on the radio and a drive around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights.

44. Make a copy of a really great old photograph you know they don't have.

45. Make a music compilation CD. It could be holiday themed or maybe Classical, Oldies, etc.

46. Give them something special of yours you want them to have. Include the story behind the item in a card.

47. Buy $10 worth of odd treats from an Asian grocery store.  It's a fun way to try new foods and drinks.

48. A $10 gift card to Taco Bell or some fast food place, a craft store, a coffee shop, or a gas station.

49. Magnetic tool strip. Great for organizing tools in the garage, kitchen or craft room.

Mr. Peasant's Picks:

50. Casio F91W, a classic watch.

51. J5 Tactical Flashlight $15.

52. Opinel #8 Knife with wooden handle. Lovely. $15.

Okay friends, what gift would you like to receive that's under $10? I'd love to hear your ideas of thoughtful affordable Christmas gifts. Thank you reading and Merry Christmas!