Knowing Where You Stand + An Amazing {Mint-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe}

"The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded." Disney's Frozen

             True, right? I look back on my teenage years, and I think, "Yowza! I really should have thought some things through before I made some of those choices." (Oh! You too!?) And how many times have we told our own children to "think before they act" or tell them about the dangers of society and the decisions WE want them to make? In my heart, I truly believe that if I had seriously thought about a few major things before they came up, you know, REALLY thought about them, AND decided how I felt about them, I would have felt confident enough to follow through with what I believed was right. 

               Teens have it hard and even though I know it's hard on boys too, I especially feel for the girls because there is SO much pressure on them to be perfect. School, physical appearance, sex, alcohol and drugs are just a few of them.

                I suggest you ask your girls questions like "How do you feel about pre-marital sex?" not "Please repeat how I feel about premarital sex and what The Bible says about it and tell me you're going to remain abstinent until marriage." All I want to know is that she's thought about it and that she knows how she feels about it. Because if she has an opinion and she truly believes it, it will be that much harder for someone else to convince her otherwise. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says "And no wonder, for even Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light." Anyone can convince you to do anything, if you don't know how you feel about it! Her opinion will remain in her heart, yours might not. Teens are notorious for doing the opposite of what their parents tell them to do. Not saying I did that or anything. Nope, not me! 

                  That was just one example, but when Grace goes to a friend's house, or to a party or a function where there's lots of kids, I ask her "If there was alcohol there, what do you think you would do?" And I reiterate the importance of knowing how she feels about these things so that WHEN(not if) she is pressured into doing otherwise, she knows how she feels about it which will help her make her  decision!

           "I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything..." Katy Perry's Roar  (<--- THIS)

     
                  Well, since I did finally see Frozen and I loved it, I thought it only fitting that I give you a recipe for homemade ice cream! It's mint chocolate chip and it's DEEEEE-licious!

I use this recipe from AllRecipes.com except I added whole milk instead of 2% because it's more fattening creamy. 

                                             MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM

You need an ice cream maker for this recipe. I got mine at Amazon.com.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
green food coloring(I used 5 drops, but if you want it more radioactive looking, add more)
1 cup of your favorite chocolate(chips or chopped) I used chopped chocolate bark

1. In large bowl, combine milk, cream, sugar, salt and both extracts. Stir with whisk until sugar dissolves. Add the food coloring until it reaches your desired color. 

2. Turn on your ice cream maker and add the mixture according to the manufacturer's directions. Mine mixes for 20 minutes. While it's mixing, chop the chocolate. Once your ice cream is set, add your chocolate and mix until combined evenly. Transfer your ice cream into a container w/ lid and let it set in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Enjoy!