Monthly Relief Society Meeting - Tuesday, January 10th

Happy New Year!


Start the year off right by coming to our Monthly Relief Society Meeting on Tuesday January 10th at 6:30 pm. You don't want to miss this, we will be learning about strengthening our homes through righteous leadership. Dinner will be served and there will be a children's class available.

Recipes

We heard you liked the dinner we made at our December Relief Society meeting.  Check out the recipes here.

Bellair Christmas Party 2011

Thank you to everyone who worked to make this year's Christmas party a success, especially all those who worked behind the scenes to prepare the food, decorations, and our ward service project.  It was a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate Christ's birth as a ward.  May each us continue in this spirit of celebration, and share with those around us, our testimony of Jesus Christ.

Montly Relief Society Meeting

Yes, it is this Tuesday! We hope that you all can make it November 8 at 6:30pm. Join us for a lovely dinner. Then have some fun playing with color, stamps and embossing while learning of the loving expressions that truly impress! Don't forget to invite those you visit teach and carpool for an extra treat. And yes, there will be a children's class.

Sister Spotlight

Meet Anslin!

 Anslin is in our ward with her husband Matt and two children. She is very musically talented and has a great spirit!

Here is a little more about her:

Q: What is one thing you would like to learn or accomplish someday? A foreign language; I want to be in another musical someday.

Q: What is your favorite hymn? A: Reverently and Meekly Now

Q: What are some things you enjoy doing? A: reading, singing, playing piano, organizing things, and dancing.

Q: What is an accomplishment or activity sometime in your life that meant a lot to you? A: The plays I've been in; The year in the top choir at BYU Idaho; Becoming a mom

Q: What is your favorite scripture? A: John 8:12; Hel 5:12; etc.

Thank you for sharing Anslin! 

Super Saturday

Dear Sisters,

We had a great time at Super Saturday.  Thank you to all those who helped make this day happen.  And thank you everyone for coming. 

A special thanks to Sarah Allred for the beautiful pictures!

Sewing Class - November 15th

What: Sewing Class 

Where: Katie Waite's 4545 W. Beardsley Rd. #1007
When: Tuesday, November 15th 

Time: 7:30 pm 

What: Baby Legs

Katie Waite is having a sewing class to teach us how to make baby
legs. This is a easy and simple gift, or great to have for your own
kids/teenagers too. If you'd like to come, here are the things you'll
need to bring; women's or mens knee socks, any material you would need
for embellishments(optional), and sewing scissors(only if you have
them). NO sewing machine needed. Target or Walmart usually has socks
either on clearance or on sale so keep your eyes open.  If you are out
and about, Last Chance is also a great place to find inexpensive
socks. If you would like Katie Waite to supply the socks, email her so
you can figure out the details. If you'd like to just come and watch
and visit, feel free too. It will be lots of fun.

Quinoa Cooking Class with Amy Tenney

Thank you Amy Tenney for teaching us how to prepare healthy and delicious Quinoa.  The recipes below are simple and tasty. 

Quinoa

Basic directions for cooking quinoa:

Ratio: 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water

1.  Soak quinoa for 15 minutes (or more, can be done early) or rinse under cold water for several minutes to remove the saponins (which can leave a bitter taste).  Drain off excess water. 

2.  Bring the quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the quinoa opens up revealing a little spiral and is soft and pleasant to chew. If there is any remaining liquid at this point, drain it off and set the quinoa aside.  Ready to use.

*You can also cook quinoa in a rice cooker.  Use the same water to quinoa ratio that you would use for white rice. 

Nutritional Benefits of Quinoa (http://bodyecology.com/articles/quinoa_benefits_guide.php)

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is not a grain; it is actually a seed and related to the spinach family. When cooked, quinoa is light, fluffy, slightly crunchy and subtly flavored. It actually cooks and tastes like a grain, making it an excellent replacement for grains that are difficult to digest

Some of the nutrients in quinoa include:

1.  Complete protein. Quinoa contains all 9 essential amino acids that are required by the body as building blocks for muscles.

2.  Magnesium helps relax your muscles and blood vessels and effects blood pressure. Quinoa contains high levels of this vital nutrient.

3.  Fiber. Quinoa is a wonderful way source of fiber for digestive health. 

4.  Manganese and copper. Quinoa is a good source of these minerals that act as antioxidants in your body to get rid of dangerous cancer and disease-causing substances.

Compared to other grains, quinoa is higher in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc than wheat, barley, or corn

Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa

Adapted from Heidi Swanson 101cookbooks.com

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1 cup quinoa, soaked/rinsed

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 cup fresh pecans, toasted*

4 tsp agave nectar, or honey

2 cups fresh blackberries

Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in blackberries and cinnamon; transfer to four bowls and top with pecans. Drizzle 1 teaspoon agave over each serving.  Serves 4.

*While the quinoa cooks, roast the pecans in a 350F degree toaster oven for 5 to 6 minutes or in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

*Low-fat soy milk may replace the low fat milk, blueberries may replace the blackberries, honey may replace the agave nectar, and walnuts may replace the pecans.


Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Bake

Makes 2 servings (we doubled this recipe for our cooking class)

2/3 cup milk (skim, almond soy etc) 

¼ cup pumpkin puree

¼ cup quinoa, soaked/rinsed

1 T maple syrup

1 tsp coconut oil (or almond, olive)

¼ tsp pure vanilla extract

½ tsp ground cinnamon

pinch ground nutmeg

pinch ground ginger

Topping:

2 T coconut oil, melted

2 T maple syrup

3 T finely ground almond flour (or oat flour, or wheat flour etc)

½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped (can also add oats)

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly oil a 4 cup casserole dish. [I used a small dab of coconut oil].  In a small bowl combine all ingredients, minus the topping. Stir until fully mixed, and then pour into prepared casserole dish.

Cover and cook for about 30 minutes.

While quinoa bakes, combine all topping ingredients. After the 30 minutes are up, remove casserole from oven and sprinkle topping over top of the casserole.

Return to the oven and cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

    Mark Bittman

2 ½  cups cooked quinoa

1 large or 2 medium (about 1 pound) sweet potatoes


1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced


1/4 cup minced red onion or shallot


Salt and Freshly ground black pepper


1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


2 tablespoons balsamic, sherry, or red wine vinegar


1/4 cup minced fresh chives or parsley leaves

If you haven’t already, cook the quinoa or other grain. Drain in a strainer and rinse. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potato and dice it into 1/2-inch or smaller pieces. Cook it in boiling salted water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes; drain well.

Toss together the potato, quinoa, bell pepper, and onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and toss the salad with about half of this mixture; add all or some of the rest to taste. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with the chives and serve.

****You could also make wraps by using the above recipe and put it with lettuce/spinach into in a tortilla and wrap it up. 

Southwestern Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad alternate                                                                                        Add 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced, to the above mix, along with the sweet potato and quinoa; add 1/48 teaspoon cayenne, chili powder, or hot red pepper flakes. Add 1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Use freshly squeezed lime juice in place of the vinegar and cilantro in place of the chives.

Quinoa and Black Bean Burritos

1 tsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen corn

¾ c. uncooked quinoa, soaked/rinsed

1 ½ cups water

1 ½ tsp. chicken bouillon

1 tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup cilantro

8 burrito size tortillas or corn taco shells

Optional Accompaniments

Salsa

Avocado/guacamole

Fat free sour cream

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and sauté until lightly brown.  Add the corn, quinoa, water, bouillon, cumin and cayenne pepper (optional) to the saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  

Stir the beans and cilantro into the pan and simmer until heated through.  Serve in warm tortillas and roll up into burritos.  You can also cool mixture, and freeze it in ziplock bags.  8 servings

Quinoa with ‘Magic Sauce’

2 or more seasonal vegetables, chopped

Quinoa, cooked

Magic Sauce(recipe to follow)

Grill vegetables in 1 T. magic sauce over medium high heat.  Add quinoa and magic sauce and cook till heated through.  Serve. 

Magic Sauce (makes everything it touches magic, can be used on breads, eggs, potatoes, salads, etc)

From Heidi Swanson

½ c. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp fresh oregano leaves

2 tsp sweet paprika

2 medium cloves of garlic, smashed into a paste

1 well-crumbled bay leaf

pinch of red pepper flakes

¼ tsp + fine grain sea salt

1 T. fresh lemon juice

Gently warm the olive oil over medium-low heat in a skillet or pan, until it is just hot. When hot remove from heat.

While the oil is heating, lightly pound the rosemary, thyme, and oregano in a mortar and pestle.

Stir the paprika, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and salt into the oil. Then add the bruised herbs and lemon juice.

You can use this now, but know - the oil just gets better as it ages over a few days. Keep it in a refrigerator for up to a week/ten days-ish. It thickens up when cold, so if you need it in a liquid state, place it in the sun or in a warm place for a few minutes.

Easy breakfast

Start with cooked, warm quinoa.  Mix and match any of the following add ins: nuts, fruit, dried fruit, milk, cream, yogurt, honey, agave, syrup, pumpkin or squash puree, coconut, cinnamon…..

Add Quinoa To….

Salads

Meat – add to seasoned ground beef/chicken etc. for tacos, burritos etc

Smoothies/cereals/yogurt

lasagna/casseroles- can substitute for meat or replace rice

The General Relief Society Broadcast is on Saturday! 
Dinner will be served by at 6pm with the broadcast following at 7pm.  

This meeting comes once a year - the weekend before General Conference.  Relief Society sisters worldwide are invited to view the meeting by satellite broadcast.

Be sure to invite your visiting teaching sisters.
It is more fun to take someone with you, so come together!

Stake Temple Night

Come support our new Stake Presidency at our stake chapel session this Friday at 7p at the temple, we would love to see you all there.

Lisa Fink has offered to arrange babysitters for those of you who need one so contact her at llfink@cox.net or 602.938.7989 if you could take advantage of her kindness:)

Mark your calendars for Zumba!

Ladies, 


Please come join us for an early morning zumba/latin fusion fitness class at the church starting at 7 a.m. Saturday, September 24. Even if you have never danced before or tried zumba, this is the perfect opportunity to give it a try. Wear comfortable exercise clothes and shoes that you can move in. Bring a water bottle. It will be so much fun!

We need one priesthood holder to be at the church during our class, if your husband can do this please let us know. 

Michelle would like to teach this class a few days during the week around 6:00 am; however, we are not allowed to be in the building without priesthood there so if your husband would be available to help with this please let us know. It would be great if those sisters who participate in this class could rotate whose husband attends.

If you have questions or if your husband can help please contact kiana.shipley@gmail.com.

Opportunities to Do Good

 Dear Sisters,

Thank you to Julie Gundersen for teaching a wonderful lesson this week.  Here is a brief summary:

"Opportunities to Do Good" by Henry B. Erying

"Try a little harder to be a little better." 
— Gordon B. Hinckley

We are not talking about service to feel bad at what we don’t do.  We don’t need to compare to others and what they can juggle. To get down on ourselves. 

With that said I hope this lesson is motivating enough to help us all want to do more.

Thomas Monson…..I am confident it is the intention of each member of the Church to serve and to help those in need. How many times has your heart been touched as you have witnessed the need of another? How often have you intended to be the one to help? And yet how often has day-to-day living interfered and you’ve left it for others to help, feeling that “oh, surely someone will take care of that need.”

Why does God give us commandments to serve and ask us to look for opportunities to do good?

·         Because he wants us to progress and have joy

·         2 Nephi 2:25:  Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

Our agency is essential to existence and progression.

*again following the commandments is for our benefit and learning. By us looking for opportunities to do good we are greatly blessed

President Marion G. Romney said, “You cannot give yourself poor in this work.” And then he quoted his mission president, Melvin J. Ballard, this way: “A person cannot give a crust to the Lord without receiving a loaf in return.”

Henry B. Eyring: I have been grateful for those who helped me meet my needs. I have been even more grateful over the years for those who helped me become self-reliant. And then I have been most grateful for those who showed me how to use some of my surplus to help others.

What blessings come from serving our family?

·         Relationships, Trust, Greater love, Memories

Wise parents see in every need of others a way to bring blessings into the lives of their sons and daughters.

What can we teach our children that can bring them happiness?

·         Teach them how to serve (as it will bring them closer to their Heavenly Father and bring them joy):

Our actions of service will speak the loudest to our families.  When we serve them and others they will notice.

Henry B. Eyring suggests:  Draw your family into the work with you so that they can learn to care for each other as they care for others. Your sons and daughters who work with you to serve others in need will be more likely to help each other when they are in need.

Community:

Often we live side by side but do not communicate heart to heart. There are those within the sphere of our own influence who, with outstretched hands, cry out, “Is there no balm in Gilead?”

David O. McKay made this statement: “Man’s greatest happiness comes from losing himself for the good of others.”

What blessings come from directly involving ourselves and serving with our community?

·         Feel more united, Happier, Influence those around us for good, Love for those we serve

President J. Reuben Clark Jr.: “Giving has … brought … a feeling of common brotherhood as men of all training and occupation have worked side by side in a Welfare garden or other project.”4  The feelings of unity will multiply the good effects of the service you give. And those feelings of unity in families, in the Church, and in communities will grow and become a lasting legacy long after the project ends.

Thomas S. Monson shared poem.

I have wept in the night

For the shortness of sight

That to somebody’s need made me blind;

But I never have yet

Felt a tinge of regret

For being a little too kind.

Meet and Greet Activity

Dear Sisters,

Tonight we had so much fun getting to know each other and eating a delicious dinner.  Thank you to everyone who helped put this activity together, and thank you to all those who cooked the yummy meal.  

The Relief Society is a wonderful organization that provides us with so many opportunities to bond as sisters.

Monthly Relief Society Meeting

Hello Sisters

This Tuesday, August 30th is going to be our annual relief society getting to know you activity at the church. We are going to have yummy food and lots of fun so make sure you don't miss out. New or old in our ward, this is a great opportunity to get to know each other better. We will start promptly at 6:30p so be on time if you want an extra special treat! And don't forget to invite those you visit teach so they don't miss out either:)

There will be a children's class for those mothers who need babysitting help with little ones.

Hope to see everyone there!  

Marriage between a man and a woman is a vital part of God’s plan

Dear Sisters,

Thank you Lexy Perry for teaching a great lesson on Eternal Marriage.  Here is a brief summary of the lesson:

Gospel Principles lesson #38  Eternal Marriage. 

What are the blessings of an eternal marriage in this life and in eternity?

1. Our marriage can last forever: Death can part us from one another only temporarily. Nothing can part us forever except our own disobedience. This knowledge helps us work harder to have a happy, successful marriage.

How can an eternal perspective influence the way we feel about marriage and families?


2. Family Relations can continue throughout eternity: This knowledge helps us be careful in teaching and training our children. It also helps us show them greater patience and love. As a result, we should have a happier home.
3. An Outpouring of the Spirit on our marriage as we remain worthy: As long as we were married in a temple by the proper authority.
4. We can live in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom of God.
5. We can be exalted as God is and receive a fullness of joy. 

What can we do to help youth prepare for eternal marriage?

President Spencer W. Kimball taught: “Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all the decisions and has the most far-reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness, but also with eternal joys. It affects not only the two people involved, but also their families and particularly their children and their children’s children down through the many generations. In selecting a companion for life and for eternity, certainly the most careful planning and thinking and praying and fasting should be done to be sure that of all the decisions, this one must not be wrong” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 193). 

What can we do to encourage young people to set a goal to be married in the temple? How can we help them prepare for this?

An eternal marriage should be the goal of every Latter-day Saint. This is true even for those already married by civil law. To prepare for an eternal marriage takes much thought and prayer. Only members of the Church who live righteously are permitted to enter the temple (see D&C 97:15–17). We do not suddenly decide one day that we want to be married in the temple, then enter the temple that day and get married. We must first meet certain requirements.

When you ask for a temple recommend, you should remember that entering the temple is a sacred privilege. It is a serious act, not something to be taken lightly. We must seek earnestly to obey every covenant that we make in the temple. The Lord has said that if we are true and faithful, we will enter into our exaltation. We will become like our Heavenly Father. Temple marriage is worth any sacrifice. It is a way of obtaining eternal blessings beyond measure.

Trek to Salt Lake - Fitness Challenge

Our stake is doing a Trek to Salt Lake Fitness Challenge to encourage members to get out and be active. Wards will be competing to see how many individuals they can move the 1,297 mile distance from Nauvoo to Salt Lake. The challenge will conclude in October when we will be doing a Stake 5K fun run.

Trek to Salt Lake miles can be earned as follows:
1 mile point for each mile run/walked
1 mile point for each 3 miles cycling
1 mile point for each 10 minutes of hiking
1 mile point for each 15 minutes of aerobic class or cardio machine
1 mile point for each 10 minutes lap swimming


Members should individually report by emailing their miles to trektosaltlake@gmail.com.  Each week we will add up the miles reported from each ward and post the standings on our Glendale North Athletics Facebook page. Which you can access here.

Moments Make Up Eternity

Dear Sisters,

Thank you Laurie Martin for teaching a great lesson on Precious Moments and Relationships.  Here is a summary of the lesson:

The longer we live the more we realize Life is Precious and Fleeting…

We need to try to pay attention to those moments and actively enjoy, create, participate in the moments that build closeness to others and bring us nearer to God.

President Monson gave a talk entitled………. Finding Joy In The Journey …… President Monson talked about the things that matter most as we go through life and it boils down to relationships.

Relationships:  the heart of our lives,,,Life is so much happier when we enjoy the relationships we are blessed with and that are a part of our lives.

Situations and stages in our lives have an impact on our relationships……we have these relationships and then we have these situation and stages that often result in feelings (Positive or Negative)

Feelings…….sometimes we let ourselves be defined by our feelings : loved, offended, hurt, angry….In general conference in his talk Desire  Elder Oaks said to being with a desire for Christ like attributes and then ask God for help with our “feelings” .  I believe this affects our relationships too. The Lord will refine us if we allow Him to. 

He will help us ask ourselves the proper questions to view the situations that happen with an eternal perspective giving others the benefit of the doubt instead of stewing over a situation for days.

“Have you ever noticed that people can usually find whatever they are looking for? Look hard enough and you can discover both good and bad in almost anyone and anything. “

Looking For The Good  - President Uchtdorf

In the quote from President Uchtdorf’s talk, is basically “what we look for we find”…. So if 95% of relationship is good don’t obsess on the 5% that is bugging you.

Give others the benefit of the doubt……..when we consider them as people with similar thoughts, feelings, insecurities, needs, like ourselves…..we are able to think about the situations differently.

We enjoy the relationships in our lives more when we are secure enough in ourselves to know we are of worth and  when we believe we are strong enough to reach out to others, to forgive, to overlook, to help.

We are not mortal beings having spiritual experiences but spiritual beings having mortal experiences….

….we don’t have to “prove” or “defend” how wonderful we are …….because we are automatically of great worth…….Every sister in this room has wonderful qualities and gifts…..I could take the next hour and go around the room telling you the wonderfulness I see….even in those of you I don’t know well.  If you are brand new……I can still see great 1^st impression wonderfulness….we also each have quirks about us too….hopefully we can overlook each other’s quirks and focus on the wonderfulness.  Our wonderfulness is not diminished by how others treat us!!

…..are you living in harmony with your values and the things you have learned in life? …..self-esteem comes from doing what you believe to be right or important…….no one else can give it to you…….

Look for the good in your relationships and enjoy the moments that makeup eternity!

“Diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the world”… Of Things That Matter Most President Uchtdorf