I invited Michele @ Frugal Granola to share further ideas and encouragement on how she has creatively sought to live well on one income. You can read more about her story and journey through her husband’s unemployment here.Thank you Michele! This is part of our Titus 2 Talk on the topic of being workers at home.
One of the biggest steps toward staying home, was realizing how little we really need. We didn’t need the two cars, large home, or new purchases. God’s blessings abound when we learn to be content with what we have.
One example as a way we have saved money on living expenses, is by renting a one-bedroom apartment. We use a futon for sleeping in the living room (the bedroom has always been for our daughter.) I have a friend with a couple children, who has a similar living arrangement.
In order to live well on a one-income budget, we strive to eliminate unnecessary costs and activities, in order to promote a better quality of life.
This is such a sweet testimony from an 80 year old woman who mothered 20 children. It is a beautiful picture of a family that trusted the Lord to supply all their needs. May this provide encouragement to those who might be struggling financially during this current economic downturn. We serve a mighty God! Thanks to Rosie (whose testimony we shared here, for interviewing Rosella). This is part of our Titus 2 Talk on the topic of being workers at home.
Rosella, an 80 year old mother of 20 children
Rosella’s white hair framed her kind eyes. She leaned forward in her favorite rocking chair and gave a dimpled smile when I asked her about being a stay-at-home mom. I was eager to hear the advice of this “seasoned” saint, who, with her husband Jesse, had raised 20 children (eleven biological and nine adopted).
“I believe that as a mother, staying at home was the best means for me to teach my children about God and invest in them in order that they would grow up knowing about God and strong in the Lord. Sometimes women work when they need money for necessities like food. (Once, I did some ironing in my home to bring in some extra money.) But lots of times, women work for ‘things’. I mean stylish clothing and new toys for the children for example. You don’t have to have the best of everything.
“There’s a lot of joy in teaching your children to pray for things, then watching God provide.
Welcome to our Nutritious Freezer Meal Carnival! So glad you could join us! Today we are joining forces in providing a selection of meals that are easily freezable to simplify your homemaking and time in the kitchen.
TO start off, here is a book recommendation if you are new to the world of freezer cooking, you may want to check out The Freezer Cooking Manual from 30 Day Gourmet: A Month of Meals Made Easy. This resource comes highly recommended by one of our readers with tips and ideas on making freezer meals.
Freezing Methods
There are several options for freezer containers.
1. One suggestion is to layer your baking pan with aluminum foil, and then fill with your contents. Once frozen, you can simply remove from the pan and slide the frozen contents into a freezer ziploc bag or another container of some sort (vacuumed sealed packages is an option here for extended freezer time). This will reduce the amount of space required for storage in the freezer.
2. Disposable aluminum pans are reasonably cheap, especially if you find them at your local dollar store. You can often find a pack of three for just $1. These are especially nice when you are making a meal as a gift for someone else (then they don’t have to worry about returning your pan). Cover your pan with aluminum foil followed by completely wrapping with freezer paper to avoid freezer burn. Freezer paper is necessary if you are planning on freezing for a longer length of time (more than a week), otherwise it can be skipped.
3. If you desire to avoid aluminum or disposable products, I would highly recommend investing in some glass pyrex containers with the plastic lids. These are very reasonably priced and are easy to freeze. They stack very easily as well. Costco sells a similar set for a great price as well.
4. At our house, I like to multiply pretty much every dish I make, but most commonly with casseroles. I will multiply the recipe to make one dish for the evening meal and freeze the other. This is a wonderful way to simplify and have a meal ready on hand for a busy day. I use pyrex glassware for these purposes or glass canning jars for such freezing purposes.
Now on to the recipes…
Here are our family favorite recipes that freeze extremely well. With each recipe, you will find basic instructions on how to freeze it. One requires pre-baking (as marked), but most freezer recipes can simply be assembled, frozen, and then removed from the freezer and baked. Overall, both methods work well.
Homemade Pizza Crust & Spaghetti Sauce – I often make 4 pizza crusts at a time, using one for the evening meal and freezing the other three portions of dough. I also make a large batch of spaghetti sauce at a time and freeze in small glass jars for topping our pizzas. To keep things simple we don’t use a special pizza sauce, as the spaghetti sauce has a ton of flavor. I make a large batch not only for pizza but also to serve for spaghetti.
Chicken Curry- you can layer in a pan with brown rice or simply freeze the curry sauce on it’s own!
Shepherd’s Pie- one of my all time favorite freezer meals!
Soups
I have had great success freezing all my soup recipes. I simply cook as instructed in the recipe, allow to cool completely and then place in Ziploc bags or as I prefer, put into quart size or half gallon size glass jars. Make sure to allow at least 1 inch for breathing room.
Garden Chowder – despite the combination of multiple vegetables in this soup, it freezes just fine after being cooked.
Chili & Cornbread -I will often multiply and freeze both the prepared chili and baked cornbread for a future meal. We love chili topped with cheese on nitrate free hot dogs! A yummy high protein lunch!
Stocks
I like to make a large batch of chicken stock at a time and freeze in smaller quantities. I recommend freezing this in large Ziploc freezer bags. Glass jars just have not worked for me. They break too easily as the stock expands.
Desserts
I often like to prepare a batch of cookie dough for the freezer. This is a wonderful way to be prepared for last minute or unexpected guests. Simply pull the dough out of the freezer and bake! Yum! Our favorite recipe is the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies….they are not healthy but are a delicious special treat, easy to make and great for company. Ice Cream is another dessert that can be made ahead and frozen. Try our Coconut Ice Cream or Peanut Butter Ice Cream.
Now it is your turn…Please share your favorite freezer meal recipes and provide the link to your direct post with the recipe. Make sure to include a return link to this post! If you don’t have a blog, share your favorite recipe in the comments below!
Do you have any tips to share for freezer cooking?
Welcome back for part 4 in our panel discussion on being workers at home. Make sure to read part 1, part 2 & part 3, if you haven’t already.
4. Do you have any encouragement or advice for stay at home moms who have husbands that have lost their jobs? What are your thoughts on how we can still serve as mothers and wives in a Christ honoring way in this position?
Michele: Dear sister, I want to encourage you! God’s provision is abundant. Do not waver from the tasks He has set before you. Focus only on what He has given you to do, and notice all that He has blessed you with. Don’t compare yourself to others, or to what they have received. God is faithful, and He will be with you during this challenging season.
If I try to “do my husband’s job for him,” by providing for our family, I am robbing him of the blessings he would receive in fulfilling his role as the head of our family. As I fervently seek to learn how to do my roles as wife and mother, he too, is learning how to be a husband and father. God is faithful to provide wisdom, when we seek after His will.
Instead of rushing to “fill a need,” by applying for jobs myself during my husband’s unemployment, I sought to pray fervently for my husband, and to increase my efforts at home. I didn’t try to “swap roles” with him.
Just a quick reminder that our nutritious freezer meal carnival is coming up this next Tuesday, January 20th! Let’s spread the word and have a full array of recipes lined up to share with one another.
With the use of Mr. Linky, come and link up to all your healthy family recipes that freeze well and any freezing tips that you would like to share. Here is an opportunity to start off the new year with a great list of nutritious meals to stock your freezer! The only request is that the recipes should ideally use whole and natural ingredients (we’re thinking healthy!), natural sweeteners and the like, but the carnival will be open to all submissions, as we are all in different stages of this journey to living more healthy. You can share any recipe from a main dish, soup or dessert that freeze well. Please also include clear freezing and defrosting instructions.
If you don’t have your own blog from which to share a recipe, feel free to come and post a comment during the carnival with your favorite recipe or two. Spread the word by using the banner! Looking forward to it!
The winners will be emailed shortly to receive mailing addresses. Nine copies will be signed by Pat Ennis and the tenth unique copy will come from me – with a sweet little note!
It was awesome to see such a wonderful response to this giveaway and book study! We hope the rest of you can join us. Order your copy today!
As we continue on in our series on being Workers at Home, I would like to pause and share a testimony from a godly mother of nine children, Rosie, who chose to stay at home and invest in the lives of her children. This is part of our Titus 2 Talk on the topic of being workers at home.
My Experience as a Worker at Home
(by a mother of nine, ages two to nineteen)
Deuteronomy 6 tells how the Israelites were to pass down the faith to the next generation. I believe that in order to do what that verse says, your children have to be with you. How can you teach them when you “walk by the way” (Deut. 6:7) unless they are with you! Daron and I came to that conclusion, early on, that I should stay home. The Lord has, since we had our first baby, thus far provided financially through my husband Daron.
But since I never liked baby-sitting, I used to think that being a stay home mom would be boring, uncreative, and I wouldn’t use my gifts and abilities. And, in a sense, I felt I gave up all my “ambition”, (“selfish ambition”?). I had planned a college “career” such as a school teacher, nutritionist, reporter or magazine writer.
When I had one baby, Smarty*, I toted him with me to writer’s meetings, and had a great time free-lance writing, fulfilling my ambition to write. After Angel* came along, however, I felt I couldn’t’ keep up with that and properly care for my family.
So I turned my creativity toward my family and children. Surprise! I found my new job to be the most “creative”, and mentally challenging job I could ever imagine, especially since we home school! (I understand, it isn’t all about “ME” being “fulfilled”, but God is gracious. I believe that putting my life into being a wife and mother has been “fulfilling” because it is what I was created to do!)
Welcome to part 3 of our Titus 2 Talk on being workers at home….For part 1, visit here and part 2, visit here.
As we have seen, God has called women to be “workers at home”, caregivers, stewards, guardians of the home. Is there any exceptions to this? Is there freedom to work outside the home or earn income from your home? As Carolyn Mahaney continues in her book, Feminine Appeal, “Since God orders our lives in seasons, there will be periods of time when pursuits outside the home will not compromise the quality of our work in the home (children are grown, before having children, etc), but whenever we contemplate these opportunities, we must first prayerfully consider the consequences they might have on our family. We must always evaluate our motives.”
Use these questions, provided by Carolyn, as you evaluate these opportunities. I would use these not just when considering outside work but as you evaluate opportunities to earn income from your home as well:
1. What are my reasons for considering this opportunity? Are they selfish or God-honoring?
2. Will pursuing this venture glorify God and honor the gospel?
3. Is this an undertaking that will help my husband?
4. Will it enhance and enrich the lives of my family?
5. Does this endeavor hinder my role as caretaker of my home?
Asking these questions will help us all make wise and discerning decisions. Always prayerfully discuss these questions with your husband.
There are definitely exceptions where a wife will need to work outside the home (i.e. husband is debilitated in some way, single mom, etc), but when you see Michelle F. (one of our panel) whose husband is a simple mailman raising eight children and staying at home, or my dear aunt Molly who has been a single mother for the last 10 years and has just been creative in small home business ideas so that she could stay at home with her five children, I believe it is truly possible! If you feel God is calling you to be at home to raise and nurture your children, God will provide! It is important to be in full agreement with your husband in these matters. If he is not on the same page, pray that God might soften his heart. Whatever the outcome, if your husband desires for you to work or not, God will honor your decision as you submit to your own husband (1 Peter 3:5-6).
This brings us to question #3…
3. What are your thoughts on earning income from home and do you have any creative ideas for doing so?
I am excited to announce that Pat Ennis, one of the authors of Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others has graciously contributed nine further copies of this book for our giveaway, personally inscripted nonetheless! We now will have ten copies of this book for our giveaway. I am thrilled to be able to give many more ladies an opportunity to participate in this book study with a free copy of this book! If you have not yet signed up for the giveaway, check it out here. Remember…giveaway ends on Friday!
Welcome to part 2 of our panel discussion on the topic of being workers at home as described in Titus 2:4-5. If you missed part 1, read it here.
“Homemaking – being a full-time wife and mother – is not a destructive drought of uselessness but an overflowing oasis of opportunity; it is not a dreary cell to contain one’s talents and skills but a brilliant catalyst to channel creativity and energies into meaningful work.”
2. Why do you believe it is important to be a worker at home and what benefits/rewards has it provided for you?
Scarlett: I want to be here and available to nurture, feed, rock my babies, read to my children, guide them, train them, discipline them, provide healthy meals for my family, provide a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere for my husband, manage my home, take care of repairs, bills, organize, clean, prepare gifts for others, read the Bible, school them, be knowledgeable about natural methods for healthcare, study what interests me, knit/crochet/embroider, make cards, sew, to name a few. Learning to simplify life, learning to give more generously of myself and my time. All this takes time and energy. I find that staying home allows me to pursue these skills that will benefit my family and others, it also saves us money by not going all over town, driving and shopping.
I invited Michele @ Frugal Granola to share further ideas and encouragement on how she has creatively sought to live well on one income. You can read more about her story and journey through her husband’s unemployment here. Thank you Michele! This is part of our Titus 2 Talk on the topic of being workers at home.
This is such a sweet testimony from an 80 year old woman who mothered 20 children. It is a beautiful picture of a family that trusted the Lord to supply all their needs. May this provide encouragement to those who might be struggling financially during this current economic downturn. We serve a mighty God! Thanks to Rosie (whose testimony we shared 
Welcome to our Nutritious Freezer Meal Carnival! So glad you could join us! Today we are joining forces in providing a selection of meals that are easily freezable to simplify your homemaking and time in the kitchen.
3. If you desire to avoid aluminum or disposable products, I would highly recommend investing in some 
Welcome back for part 4 in our panel discussion on being workers at home. Make sure to read 
Welcome to part 3 of our Titus 2 Talk on being workers at home….For part 1, visit 
Welcome to part 2 of our panel discussion on the topic of being workers at home as described in Titus 2:4-5. If you missed part 1, read it 
