Momstoppable

Goodbye 2010, Hello New Year!

2010-12-31T10:16:00.000-08:00

Wow. 2010 went crazy fast. So many things crammed into one little year. My mom's battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. My dad's bladder cancer. My baby's first year of school. An awesome summer packed with lots of swimming for the boys. Cub Scouts. Swim team practice. A dizzying pace at work, along with a schedule change. Adapting to a new way of eating after finding out I have a gluten intolerance.

My family is very blessed that we have made it through the challenges and struggles this year, and have had lots of wonderful memories as well!

Here's to seeing what 2011 brings us!

Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole

2010-11-27T10:57:00.000-08:00

I am discovering every day that eating gluten free doesn't have to be boring, and you don't have to sacrifice your favorite foods. A little thought and creativity can go a long way to help you enjoy the foods you love. In the case of this green bean casserole, the recipe I put together resulted in the best green bean casserole I've ever eaten. Seriously.

I was pretty bummed at first about Thanksgiving, and the thought that I wouldn't be able to eat many of my favorite foods. I decided to let stuffing go this year, although next year I'm going to make gluten free cornbread, and use that for my stuffing recipe. I was determined, though, that green bean casserole stay in the menu plan, and that it be something I could eat.

I started pondering the ingredients in the traditional green bean casserole that are now off limits for me. Canned cream o mushroom soup and the bagged french fried onions. There are gluten free canned soups out there, but I haven't seen them in my stores, and I've tried to avoid things like that anyway because of the sodium.

I like to use a little sour cream along with the soup, so I figured I could keep that, and maybe use some half n half to create a cream sauce with fresh mushrooms. Okay, done. Now, what about those onions? Why couldn't I just bread my own? It was time to play in the kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 large sweet vidalia onion
1 cup of skim milk
2 cups of your favorite gluten free flour
1t kosher salt
1t paprika
1t garlic powder
1/2t pepper
1 cup oil (I used extra light olive oil, but canola or sunflower would both work nicely)
2T butter
8oz button mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2T fresh chopped parsley or 1t dried
1t gluten free flour
1/2 cup vegetable broth (or if you have an open bottle of white wine, use it. I used a 1/4 cup of each)
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup sour cream
additional salt and pepper to season during sauteeing, if desired
1lb of your preferred green beans- fresh, frozen or canned (if fresh or frozen, you will want to steam them before combining with the sauce. I am ashamed to say that I just love low sodium canned green beans, and prefer that texture in my g.b. casserole. I know some foodies consider that to be a major sin, and to them, I apologize, but I can't help it :) I used 2 cans of drained green beans in this recipe)

The first thing I needed to do was make the fried onions. I cut the onion in half and cut into slices, separating the pieces out as I went. I put the milk in a bowl, and dropped the onions in the milk for about 10 minutes. Then I grabbed a large bag and placed my flour, salt, paprika, garlic and pepper in the flour, shaking to mix.

I heated the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Working in small batches, I dropped the milk soaked onions into the flour, and shook to coat.
After shaking the excess flour off the onions, I dropped into the oil and cooked until nice and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes, using my tongs to turn them so they would could evenly
When they were done, I placed them on paper towels to drain. Of course, we needed to taste test them to see if they were edible.
I am actually amazed there were any left to make the casserole. Amazing restraint was required to not munch on them as I went.
After I finished the onions, I disposed of the oil, washed and dried the skillet and put it back on the stove over medium heat. I melted the butter, then added the mushrooms and garlic, along with the parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauteed, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes, until the mushrooms were tender. I sprinkled the flour across the mushrooms, and let the mixture cook for another 2 minutes before stirring again. I stirred, then started adding my liquids- broth, wine and half and half.
After bringing the mixture to a nice simmer, I removed from the heat, and stirred in the sour cream. Now I was ready to combine with the green beans in my baking dish.
I then took half the onions, stirred them into the green beans, and topped the casserole with the other half of the onions. I baked in a 350 oven for 30 minutes.
The whole family gobbled these up. Truly divine. I missed nothing, and in fact, found a better recipe to use from now on. I can hardly wait to prepare these for unsuspecting friends and family :)

Heavenly Buttercream Frosting

2010-11-22T15:29:00.001-08:00

If you intend to bake anything requiring frosting this holiday season, might I suggest you try this recipe? I have used this basic recipe for years, as it is easy, quick, and I've never goofed it up. :) Wonderful treats like this have become even more special to me now on the GF diet. I'm having to learn how to modify so many recipes. This one needs no adjustments.

I generally use half of this recipe if I'm just frosting a cake in a pan, or a batch of cupcakes, but if you are doing a full layer cake, or you have children that might sneak off with the bowl, make the full recipe.

2 sticks of butter, room temperature
3 cups of powdered sugar (you could need more if you need the frosting stiffer, so keep it at the ready)
1T vanilla extract
pinch of salt (yes...trust me on this one)
2-3T cream

Using stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla, salt and cream, and continue to mix for another 3-4 minutes. Add more sugar if you need the frosting to be stiffer, 2-3T at a time. If you need the frosting to be thinner, add 1T cream at a time.

The food purchase I'm most excited about this week...

2010-11-22T15:08:00.001-08:00

I really do get excited by the little things in life. We finally got Trader Joe's here week before last. Hurrah! I have always visited TJ's in St. Louis whenever we go home so I could grab pantry staples we use and some of the snacks the boys like. I was always so sad to pass by all of the wonderful frozen food items, though. So exciting to be able to finally stock up on those! The first thing I bought when they opened was a few bags of the frozen artichoke hearts. Those just rock. I find their organic frozen veggies to be cheaper than at other stores in the area. In fact, many of the pantry items I like to stock up on are cheaper. And they have a GF French Vanilla creamer. Like I said. The little things that bring me the most joy. :)

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this. I love citrus based vinaigrettes, but don't often keep orange juice in the house. Having a fresh orange can also be sporadic, depending on what was on sale that week.

I am now dreaming of a romaine salad with avocado slices, mandarin oranges and red onion slices, tossed in a dressing made with this. Maybe a few sliced almonds if I'm feeling wacky? :)

Menu Plan Monday Week of 11/22

2010-11-22T11:18:00.000-08:00

Well here we go...it's the first big family holiday meal that I have to spin gluten free. Since it's just the 4 of us, I'm actually scaling back and simplifying a little bit this year. I've (gasp) purchased pumpkin pie for Jonathan and the boys, and a flourless chocolate cake from Trader Joe's so that I can have a little dessert action as well. The rest of the week I'm keeping relatively simple as well so I can put my energies toward Thursday. I'm really looking forward to a 4 day weekend!!

We feed 2 adults and 2 elementary aged boys, price breakdowns are included- this is the price I've paid with coupons, etc. Your price may vary. My 7 dinners, including Thankgiving, comes in under $45.

Monday-
smoked pulled pork with Vaunted vinegar sauce on the side- $3.50
super sweet white corn- .75
roasted potatoes w/ rosemary- .75
salad w/ homemade French dressing .75
$5.75

Tuesday-
totchos (nachos on tater tots...requested by Ry for weeks)
$3.50

Wednesday-
pulled pork sammies- $2.00
(no bread for me)
french fries- .75
spinach salad $1.50
$4.25

Thursday- Happy Thanksgiving!

Breakfast- gluten free pancakes, bacon and fruit smoothies
snacks- potato chips with french onion dip, fresh fruit and veggies, spinach dip with king's hawaiian bread for hubby and boys.
Dinner-
turkey ($4.00 for the whole thing, plus about $1 for stuff to prep it)
mashed potatoes and gravy $1.75
sweet potato casserole- $1.50
GF green bean casserole- ( I am totally playing with this and will post the recipe after Turkey day with photos) $2.00
cranberry blueberry sauce-$3.00
pumpkin pie with cool whip- $3.00
flour-less chocolate cake-$5.00
olives, pickles- $1.00
$21.25

Friday-
leftovers

Saturday-
pork chops $3.00
roasted brussels sprouts $2.00
potato pancakes $.75 (using leftovers)
$5.75

Sunday-
spaghetti over rice pasta $4.00
salad .75
$4.75

Menu Plan Week of 11/8

2010-11-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Wow. Thanksgiving is just over 2 weeks away. I truly cannot believe how quickly the weeks have been flying by recently. That means just over 2 weeks until I have to figure out what to do with all the turkey leftovers. :)

I wasn't really inspired to follow the menu plan all week. I moved a few things and changed a couple meals based on grocery sales, and just because I ended up with a taste for something else, I guess. I have moved some of those meals to this week, so pardon the repeats. :)

I did have some fun this week in the kitchen, though! I prepped and froze a whole lot of fresh asparagus and fresh broccoli I'd gotten for bargain prices this week. I also got creative. Check out this beautiful tray of lasagna I prepped. And no noodles. I used zucchini and summer squash slices as the "noodles". The whole family enjoyed it! Check back later this week for the recipe. It was really easy!

I also got a whim to try a gluten free cake. I'm not quite confident yet to do something of that scale from scratch, so I tried a mix.

Add my homemade buttercream frosting and again, a treat the entire family has been enjoying- including me! I will post my buttercream recipe this week as well. This was the first time I made the frosting in my Kitchenaid stand mixer, and I have to say it was the best batch ever because I was just able to let it go. My arm always got too tired before!

Okay, enough about last week...on to this week's menu plan! I feed 2 adults and 2 children.

Monday-

mini meatloaves $3.00

steamed asparagus spears $1.00

baked sweet potatoes $1.00

$5.00

Tuesday-

boys will have sandwiches before Dad takes them to swim practice. I have an event to attend so I'll have to eat later in the evening. I will be making this tomato and roasted red pepper soup tonight to stash in the fridge for tomorrow. I will top with some blue cheese and serve with a salad. Yum!

Wednesday-

spaghetti and meatballs $4.00

green beans .40

salad .75

$5.15

Thursday-

chicken and rice casserole $4.00

baked acorn squash $5.00

Friday-

tacos $3.00

corn .50

guacamole (got avocados for .29 each at aldi this week!) $1.00

$4.00

Saturday-

Lemon Shrimp over Angel Hair- $5.00

salad- .75

broccoli- .75

$6.50

Sunday-

italian beef sandwiches (lettuce wraps for me!) $4.00

coleslaw $1.00

hand cut baked steak fries- $1.00

$6.00

My trip for GF items today...

2010-11-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

The grocery ads hit on Wednesdays here, so I stopped at Hy-Vee on the way in to work this morning to pick up some things. I was lucky enough to find some coupons in the aisles of the Health Food area that saved me even more. $19.50 for everything in this picture. Not too bad, especially the gluten free baking mixes. With coupons I got those for $2.25 each.

I like to have things like that on hand, but the key to eating my healthiest, and to keep the weekly grocery costs down, is by making those treats, not meal staples. In fact, the Larabars made me feel like a "wild child"...but they were 4/$5, are a good source of Potassium and fiber, have a full serving of fruit, and are nice to keep at work for those moments when I'm starving but don't have an apple or something on hand.

By the way...please note the "extravagance" of the boxed stock. I am the poster child for making my own, but with my schedule, there are times that I'm out of my freezer stash and need stock. These are organic, have no junk in them, and I was able to get them for under $2 each with coupons. I am finding homemade soup to be a staple of my GF diet, so these will be nice to have on hand.

At least they found a way to use up the old Easter candy....

2010-11-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

One last Halloween photo to share. This is what happens when Hubby and the boys decide to carve pumpkins while Mom is away from the house. The trick-or-treaters loved it, though hehehe.

Ask and you shall receive....

2010-11-01T14:58:00.001-07:00

Not a close up, but you get what you get, right? At least that's what I always tell the boys :)

Perhaps...

2010-11-01T10:50:00.001-07:00

...our family spends too much time on the Wii??? :) It was an entire family theme, as I was Princess Peach, complete with long blonde wig. Mom 2 took a picture of the 4 of us, but it's on hubby's camera, so I'll post it after I get it from him. The highlight of the evening was when we had a gaggle of teenage girls run up to us and ask if we would pose with them for a photo. LOL!

Please note that the boys are sporting inflatable bellies. Hubby's is au naturel ;P

Gluten-Free Banana Bread French Toast

2010-11-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

My MIL was here over the weekend visiting so she could be here with the boys for Halloween. When I picked her up from the airport Saturday morning and brought her home, she told me a story she thought I'd find "quite amusing".

It seems "Mom 2" has discovered several food blogs that she loves and visits on a regular basis. She uses these blogs to follow links and explore other food blogs. One day, while hopping from blog to blog, she made a discovery. She was at MY blog! I had mentioned that I had my own blog, but I'd never given her a link to the blog. Imagine her surpise when she realized she knew the author. :)

She spent quite a bit of time here, reading about the garden, the family, and browsing the recipes. Which saved me from having to tell her about my gluten-free diet- she already knew! She was asking me about what I had made, how alternative flours tasted, etc. I have slowly but surely built up a small GF pantry, and am getting a little braver each day in trying out new things. When I realized I had some ripe bananas, I thought I would let her taste for herself what something might taste like with GF substitutions. I made 2 loaves of banana bread using this recipe, except I subsituted 2 cups of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Mix for the flour, baking powder, etc., and I added 1/4 cup sour cream.

It turned out wonderfully, and we all enjoyed nice warm banana bread on Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning, I got out the 2nd loaf of banana bread, thinking the boys would enjoy having it for breakfast. My 8 year old looked at the banana bread, then looked at me and declared that he wanted Banana Bread French Toast. I had never even thought of such a thing before, but okay. I'm game.

GF Banana Bread French Toast

8 slices of your favorite GF banana bread, or use recipe above
3 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1t GF vanilla
1t cinnamon

Heat a skillet over medium heat and grease lightly. Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon, and let banana bread soak in the mixture for 2-3 minutes, turning once to coat.

Cook in skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, flip, and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, or until egg mixture is cooked through and french toast is nicely browned. Serve with maple syrup.

I was very pleased with how this turned out. The egg mixture and pan-frying gave the banana bread a wonderful "melt in your mouth" texture. It felt very decadent, which was exciting, considering I haven't had anything along these lines since I stopped eating gluten.

I'm looking forward to my son's next request---hopefully it will generate another delicious creation!

Menu Plan Week of 11/1

2010-11-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here's what the week looks like...

Monday 11/1

Mini Meatloaves ( I will use corn flakes instead of bread to make these GF) $3.00

roasted red potatoes .50

sauteed kale with garlic and bacon $1.50

$5.00

Tuesday 11/2

chicken and mushroom risotto (using homemade stock) $4.75

baked sweet potatoes $1.00

salad .75

$6.50

Wednesday 11/3

I am taking the boys to see Trans Siberian Orchestra with a friend and her kids, and we'll go out to eat after. I will be making extra meatloaves tonight and hiding them in the downstairs fridge so they will actually make it to Wednesday and hubby can have them for dinner.

Thursday 11/4

spaghetti and meatballs (K has been begging me for meatballs. I will eat these sans pasta) $4.00

sauteed kale with garlic $1.00

bread and butter .50

$5.50

Friday 11/5

turkey tacos $3.00

corn .50

tomato avocado salad $1.50

$5.00

Saturday 11/6

slowcooker pot roast (using a smaller roast) $5.00

salad .75

bread and butter for boys .50

$6.25

Sunday 11/7

grilled pork chops $2.50

acorn squash $1.00

broccoli .75

$4.25

Menu Plan Week of 10/25

2010-10-24T13:40:00.001-07:00

I have been doing really well with the GF diet, but have been sooo busy at work with budgets and such that I've been kinda flying by the seat of my pants, which I hate. Yesterday, I got all of my coupons organized in my book for the first time in forever, and today, a meal plan! Tonight hubby and I will be eating out with a gift card before going to see a show, and the boys will have chicken sandwiches and fries. Here's what the rest of the week looks like. All of these meals are either GF or are easy for me to eat parts of and supplement. I've been keeping the cost down on the GF meals pretty well, too! We're just over $30 for this week's meals.

Monday-
italian turkey sausage and peppers in sauce- $5.00
angel hair pasta .50
salad .75
$6.25

Tuesday-
marinated grilled chicken $2.00
baked sweet potatoes $1.00
spinach salad $1.00
$4.00

Wednesday-
bbq lil smokies $2.75
garlic smashed potatoes $1.00
steamed asparagus $1.00
$4.75

Thursday-
chicken tostadas $3.00
refried black beans $1.00
corn .75
$4.75

Friday-
cheese burgers $2.75
fries $1.00
fruit $1.00
$4.75

Saturday-
chili $3.50
GF cornbread $2.50
$6.00

Sunday-
bringing a dish to a pre-trick or treat party

Looks like the Gluten Free Diet is going to stick around

2010-10-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

I have been experimenting and finding some great successes with gluten free flours and ingredients. I made a pan of cornbread over the weekend that hubby gobbled and was all gone by the next day. A definite sign of approval.

I will also post photos and the recipe for this eggplant parmesan I made. I was very proud of the breading. Hubby doesn't even like eggplant and he liked this. Told me I was "allowed" to make it again. LOL.

I have been quite buoyed by these successes, because I saw my doctor Friday and they want me to stay on the diet. I need to accept that this is a long term change. Seeing my family able to enjoy the foods I'm making for my restrictions has been nice---I really don't want to make 2 dinners all the time.

Of course, when it rains, it pours, and I spent a good chunk of last week with a raging fever that has turned into a nice chest virus. That threw me off schedule again, so I have been flying by the seat of my pants for dinners this week, but am going to buckle down this weekend.

I'm really starting to feel like I can do this!

2010-09-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Lookie Lookie!!! Hot Cereal that I can actually eat!

And did! And liked it! Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Cereal lives up to its name. Especially with a little agave nectar, milk, vanilla and strawberries. (oh and just a teensy bit of butter that I melted over the top)

Erin over at 5 Dollar Dinners is not only one of my favorite bloggers, but she is also someone I've really been looking to now that I am having to embark on this new way of eating. She's been preparing her family healthy meals that are gluten free and affordable for years. She gave me a a piece of advice that I'm finding to really be true. She said it's a tough switch, but once you can get the hang of planning your meals around brown rice, quinoa, potatoes, sweet potatoes and rice flours for sauces, etc., that it's much easier to cope.

I'm starting to figure that out. Last night we changed up the dinner plan because Fareway had these beautiful, HUGE bone-in round steaks for $1.99/lb., so I made one of my favorite comfort food faves, Swiss Steak on mashed potatoes. I will post the recipe later today. I tried to eat just a little of the meat as I'm still just trying to make sure my system doesn't get too much to try to digest at once, but the potatoes and gravy were heaven.

I'm also having to reprogram myself about fats. After losing 50lbs, I had really centered my eating around low fat. The reality right now though, is that I need some fat, along with lots of liquids. So I'm challenging myself to allow more fats, especially good fats, into my diet. Surprisingly, this is a tougher one for me mentally. Fortunately, I love olive oil and walnut oil for dressings, I looove avocado, and I've been sneaking things like flax oil into smoothies, dressings and other things, so I think I'll eventually get comfortable with this, too.

I was given a beautiful eggplant from a coworker's garden, so tonight I will be experimenting with making a gluten free eggplant parmesan. I will also be sitting down today and laying out my menu plan to post here. Funny. Last week I was terrified about trying to plan meals. I am actually kind of excited about it today.

I have to say I'm pretty surprised

2010-09-24T16:40:00.001-07:00

I just polished off some toast w/ jelly made with Kinnikinnick Foods Candadi No Yeast Multigrain Bread. It tasted MUCH better than I expected any bread without wheat to taste. I'm a believer. Still not worth $6 a loaf, but now I feel good about making my own at home.

So far, so good....

2010-09-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

Eating gluten free is tricky, but I really haven't felt deprived in any way, and for the most part have stayed on track.

The only foibles I've made are unintentional ones, and I think I've omitted all of them as I read more about how gluten can be hidden in foods under different names. That means no more flavored coffee creamer for me, which is incredibly sad, but some almond milk and agave nectar isn't too bad either.

I discovered yesterday that Bonefish Grill is pretty good for eating GF if you're going out. They visited the stations with food yesterday, and I was asking the manager if I could eat any of it. The amazing thing was how much of it I COULD eat. Including the most amazing brownie ever. I guess they have really tried to have some options on the menu. Kudos to them.

Today we're tailgating at the office and everyone is bringing food. Going to be interesting to see what I can actually eat.

Breakfast for Dinner!!

2010-09-22T07:11:00.001-07:00

The boys get giddy when we have breakfast for dinner, or when they get to eat breakfast for lunch at school. I ended up tweaking the meal a little bit last night, and didn't end up having a waffle myself. I was craving potatoes. Better than craving toast or something, I guess :)

Was encouraged after doing some research on flour/baking mix alternatives yesterday. Looks like Amazon has some competitive pricing on buying in bulk, and I'm sure there are other places I can do that through as well. No more $6 loaves of bread. ACK!

Tomato Cream Cheese Soup

2010-09-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

I was able to use up some of my tomatoes from the garden in this soup. It's gluten free, and pretty darn healthy. I got my full day's worth of Vitamin A and about half my Vitamin C in one steamy, delicious bowl. Okay, two.

I'm having this for lunch here at the office today. I'm really shocked it lasted this long.

Ingredients-
2lbs. good tomatoes, chopped (you could peel and core, but since it gets blended at the end I say save yourself the trouble)

3 large carrots, washed, not peeled, and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 medium sweet onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth- I used veggie

1/2t kosher salt

1/2t freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1T agave nectar, honey or sugar

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (if you don't have fresh, you could use dry, about a teaspoonful or so I'm thinking, but I'd add it when you add the broth and other seasonings)

2oz. cream cheese (yes, you could add more, but this was delicious with just a kiss of cream cheese to add creaminess. I was trying to be kind to my rear end.)

Chop tomatoes, sprinkle salt on them, and let sit for about 20 minutes. Then place on medium high heat and add your other veggies.

Add the broth, all of the spices except for the basil, and the sweetener of your choice.

Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30-4o minutes until veggies are tender. Add cream cheese, and stir to melt. Add half of the basil. Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender if that's what you have, just be CAREFUL! This is some hot soup!). Blend until smooth. Serve with remaining basil on top.

Enjoy. Be sure to look away if anyone licks the bowl. Of course I would never do that. :::Cough:::

This recipe is linked to the $5 Dinner Challenge. This was well under $5, and that includes using store bought organic vegetable broth. Homemade broth would make this even more affordable.

Menu Plan Week of 9/20

2010-09-21T06:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I sat down to post this last night, and then hubby got chatty, so I stayed up too late. Better late than never, right?

I have decided that I am officially appalled by what they charge for GF breads, pizza dough, etc. I will DEFINITELY be learning how to make these things. If you know of any great recipes, please let me know!

Here's what the week looks like. Trying to keep the meals somewhat cohesive, meaning that I don't have to cook an entirely separate meal for myself, just maybe a side or something. Last night I did have something completely different, but I had a salad from lunch that I didn't eat, so I figured I'd let the kids eat something fun.

Monday-

chicken patty sandwiches $2.00

macaroni and cheese $3.00

salad for me $3.00

$8.00

Tuesday-

Breakfast for dinner

scrambled eggs .75

sausage $1.50

waffles (gf waffles for me) $1.00

grapes $1.00

$4.25

Wednesday-

Pork Chops $1.75

baked potatoes $1.00

broccoli .75 (loaded baked potato for me)

tomato slices from garden .00

$3.50

Thursday-

family potato soup (using homemade broth and skim milk) $3.50

salad $1.00

biscuits for hubby and boys .75

$5.25

Friday-

making these to take to work for our company lunch. I made them last week and they are AWESOME!!!

pork fried brown rice (veggie for me)- $1.75

potstickers $2.00

steamed green beans $1.00

$4.75

Saturday-

chicken cacciatore- $3.50 ( I will post the recipe on Sunday)

mashed potatoes .75

salad $1.00

$5.25

Sunday-

Pizza night- will attempt a GF crust. Wish me luck. Price TBA

It figures....

2010-09-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

I will have a menu plan up today. I will have a menu plan up today. I will have a menu plan up today. I have to psyche myself up on this right now---the gluten free diet restrictions have freaked me out and I'm a little overwhelmed in planning for the whole family. Not sure why????

I am going to force myself to commit to a plan for the week before I hit the bed tonight. We'll see how I do!

Is the time flying or what???

2010-09-17T07:31:00.001-07:00

I found this display when I went shopping the other day and it just made me stop in my tracks, because while rational brain knows that it's September and Fall is coming, I just wasn't prepared to deal with the reality of it.

This means Christmas is just around the corner. It seems like summer only started last week!

Moments like these are the reminders to me that yes, time flies. Yes, we're busy. But if we don't slow down and take moments to enjoy where we're at, we'll look back and say, what happened? Where did the time go?

So I went home and hugged my boys and we spent the time talking about what we're going to do together this fall.

I can't poop (have I gotten your attention? LOL)

2010-09-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

There. I said it. And it pretty much sums up the hell I've been dealing with on a daily basis for the past several months. I know. Awkward, right? Try having to go about as if nothing's wrong because it's embarrassing to talk about, yet, it's completely affecting every aspect of your life.

I had mentioned a few times here that I was dealing with some health issues and that I had undergone a colonoscopy. That test showed for the most part that I have a healthy colon, albeit with a bunch of extra bends and curves.

The frustrating part is that I was then just told to take Miralax. Or Phillips Milk of Magnesia.

Great. Since then I've lived a balance of either in pain and stopped up, or in pain and running to the toilet every 20 minutes. Pretty crappy. (Pun intended)

Oh, and even though my clothes have been getting looser, the scale has been moving in the other direction. And I've been battling skin issues because of the toxins I'm holding onto, I guess.

Why am I telling you this? Well, because many of you have asked why I've been MIA. I just haven't had the energy to fit it all in. And I've missed this blog. And the energy. And the good ole days when I was regular as clockwork every single day. Who knew you could get nostalgic about poop?

Anyway, I have finally decided I've had enough and that I can't be a slave to medications, laxatives or what have you. Clearly it's not working. I need to a) make some changes to my diet, and find ways to manage the situation, and b) further pursue an answer as to why I'm dealing with all this crap. (again, pun intended).

Last week I cut meat, gluten and most refined processed food out of my diet. I have brought more "health food", ie. wheat grass smoothies, etc., into my diet. And I've been pounding water like a fool. It's helping. I haven't had to take any laxatives and things seem to be moving more smoothly. And my face has cleared up!

I will eventually try adding a few things back to the diet, but right now, as much as I am missing several foods, I'll take it if it means I can start living a little more normally.

Of course, this has brought its own challenge....cooking 2 separate meals for me and the family, as there's no way hubby's gonna eat brown rice and veggies every night :). And trying to find recipes that help keep things interesting and different for me.

I will be posting the recipes I find that I like---and certainly would love to hear from you if you have any advice!

Here's to regularity! (in blogging and beyond!)

Menu Plan Week of 8/30

2010-08-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Last week was a little crazy around here. Big K's entrance into kindergarten also meant being introduced to new germs his immune system wasn't used to, and so that meant a 3 day tummy bug for the little guy. No one else in the family caught it, just him---made more serious because of his hypoglycemia. When he's not eating or drinking, or not able to keep anything down, it's REALLY hard to get that blood sugar up. Somehow we got it done, though---I think had he been sick one more day we would have had to get him in for IV. And of course he got sick Sunday night, so I just ended up flying by the seat of my pants for a meal plan. I was pretty impressed with how we did, considering.

This week's menu continues to take advantage of our garden. I will post the pictures and recipe for the spaghetti sauce this week. I used my food mill this weekend and it turned out wonderfully! 7 meals for a family of 4---and coming in at just over $31.

Monday-

Chicken Pita Wraps- $3.00

cucumber sauce-.50

greek lemon roasted potatoes- $1.50

$5.00

Tuesday-

spaghetti w/ fresh homemade marinara- $1.00

meatballs- $1.50

salad- .75

sauteed zucchini- .75

$4.00

Wedensday-

chicken stroganoff- $3.50

green beans- .50

melon from the garden- .00

$4.00

Thursday-

turkey tacos- $3.25

corn- .50

$3.75

Friday-

grilled pork chops- $1.75

brown rice- .75

grilled veggies $1.50

$4.00

Saturday-

brisket sandwiches- $3.50

fries- $1.00

pasta salad- $1.00

$5.50

Sunday-

Pizza Night (homemade)

$6.00

Greek vinaigrette using fresh herbs

2010-08-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

We eat a lot of salads here. Not just because they're good for you, but because we actually enjoy them! Especially in summer when so much of the salad comes from right in the back yard. Greek salad is one of those salads that features so much of what I grow.

I make our salad dressings from scratch, and usually for a vinaigrette I would use dry herbs. I decided this time, however, to take a stab at a vinaigrette with fresh herbs, and I was very pleased. The key, I think, is to chop them very, very finely. When you think you've chopped them enough, chop them some more. It helps spread the flavor throughout the vinaigrette so nicely.

2T fresh oregano (I used half oregano, half marjoram)

1t lemon rind

1/4t salt

1/4t pepper

3T red wine vinegar

1T water

1/4 cup olive oil

whisk ingredients together. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

School Starts Tomorrow

2010-08-16T07:35:00.001-07:00

I took this of the boys yesterday before they took off for the pool. Besides the fact that I'm comforted by this photo as proof that we DEFINITELY try to do whatever we can to protect them from the sun, I wanted to have a picture of one of their last trips to the pool this summer. It closes now during the week and will only be open weekends through Labor Day, which isn't that far away. Yikes!

Where did summer go?!?!? The boys head to school tomorrow. My baby's first day in kindergarten. Where did the last 5 years go?!?!?!

Roasted Tomato Salsa

2010-08-16T04:56:00.000-07:00

I am on a roasted tomato kick. I love them for pasta. It occurred to me that they might also be lovely in salsa. Boy, was I ever right! Roasting the vegetables before making the salsa adds an incredibly nice flavor.

24 romas, sliced in half lengthwise, seeded and cored
3 jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise, seeded
1 anaheim pepper, sliced in half lengthwise, seeded
2T olive oil
salt
1 large white onion, peeled and quartered
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 limes
1/2 cup diced fresh cilantro
1/2t cumin
additional salt, if desired

Preheat oven to 425. place tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic on cookie sheets. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in oven for 30 minutes, until vegetables are done, and skin has crisped in some spots. Remove from oven, and allow to cool. Dice vegetables finely, place in medium sized bowl, and add juice of 2 limes. Add remaining ingredients, and toss to combine. Allow to chill in refrigerator for a few hours before serving.

Menu Plan Monday Week of 8/16

2010-08-16T04:37:00.000-07:00

The garden continues to influence our meal choices and sides this week. The roma tomatoes are all coming ripe quickly, and we should start seeing our first Better Boys in the next week or so, I think. This week's meal plan provides 7 dinners for 2 adults and 2 kids, and comes in at around $34. I threw an estimate figure on the pizza night as I haven't decided my toppings yet. I do know that I will be doing a roasted tomato sauce for them, though!

Monday-
steak tostadas w/ roasted tomato salsa $3.00
corn .50
avocado slices .75
melon .00
$4.25

Tuesday-
lemon oregano chicken drumsticks $2.50
baked potatoes .75
spinach salad .75

Wednesday-
cheeseburgers $3.50
fries $1.25
melon .00
$4.75

Thursday-
pork chops $2.50
tomatoes au gratin .75
lemon scented broccoli $1.00

Friday-
tacos $3.75
refried black beans .75
$4.50

Saturday-
italian beef sandwiches $5.00
hand sliced fries .75
$5.75

Sunday-
pizza night
$6.00

Preserving the garden's bounty

2010-08-15T14:56:00.001-07:00

Hubby and the boys have spent the day at the pool today. Has been just lovely for me, because I've finally been able to tackle some projects I had been putting off this week. First up, doing something with the oodles and oodles of jalapenos I had. I canned a batch of sliced jalapenos for nachos, etc. These tend to go pretty quickly around here, between hubby and our neighbor across the street. I also tried my hand at a batch of jalapeno jelly. You can use this to glaze meats when grilling, or serve over cream cheese with crackers. Really excited to sample how this turned out!
I'm also starting the project of drying the herbs from the garden. Rosemary, thyme, marjoram and oregano will all be dried and jarred. I hope to create some herb blends to give as Christmas gifts.

This week should bring another batch of pickles, and perhaps a batch of tomato sauce.

Menu Plan Week of 8/9

2010-08-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

What the? You mean she's actually posting one? YES! Now, I will say that some of these might move around, but overall this will be the meals we're having for the week. I'm still wavering on whether I want mexican or italian tonight. 7 dinners for this family of 4 clock in at just over $31, and feature lots of fresh produce from the garden.

Monday-

tacodillas $4.50

corn .50

melon from the garden .00

$5.00

Tuesday-

bacon wrapped smoked pork tenderloin $4.00

capresi salad w/ tomatoes and basil from the garden $1.25

green beans from the garden .00

$5.25

Wednesday-

angel hair pasta with grilled veggies $2.50

salad .75

melon from the garden (I think there will be a lot of melon on the menu!) .00

$3.25

Thursday-

beef brisket sandwiches $3.00

fries $1.00

tomato and cucumber salad .50

$4.50

Friday-

grilled pork chops $1.50

rosemary potatoes .50

salad .75

$2.75

Saturday-

grilled pizza $3.00

greek salad $1.50

$4.50

Sunday-

chicken fajitas $3.50

black bean salad $1.00

guacamole $1.50

$6.00

Stuffed jalapenos in the smoker!

2010-08-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

We've made stuffed jalapenos in the oven for years, but now, hubby has gone smoker crazy with them, and they are AWESOME! We used 12 peppers, cut in half and seeded. I boiled them for 2 minutes and shocked them in ice water, as my peppers are really hot, and the boiling takes a little bit of the heat out of them. In a bowl I combined 1 block of cream cheese, 1 bag of shredded mozzarella, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp garlic. Stuffed each pepper with about 1 heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture, wrapped with a half slice of bacon, and secured with a toothpick.

Hubby smoked these at 235 degrees for about 2.5 hours, with pecan smoke for about an hour. Yum!

The garden is in full produce mode!

2010-08-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite time of the year! Of course, it keeps me really busy, but I love it! The cucumbers had been coming in for a while, and I'd been getting herbs and some green beans, but we now have lots of tomatoes!
I've now made two batches of pickles- one dill and one sweet....relish is next.

Today I used some of my peppers in the smoker stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. We'll have those with dinner. I also made a batch of roasted tomato salsa, and I will post the recipe this week.

This year is a first for the melons. I have 2 heirloom varieties I'm growing, and the first few are just starting to ripen. We are going to have a bunch!

I tried to take a picture from upstairs of the garden for you to see, but it didn't turn out well, and it's HOT out today, so I'm pulling the a/c card today :) I will take a picture for you this week, along with pictures of the canning I'll be doing to preserve all of this!

A new look for the blog!

2010-08-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

Every girl needs a makeover from time to time. That includes her blog. A huge THANKS to Jessica at So Stylilized for the new blog layout and design! I absolutely love it, and I hope you enjoy the new look too!

The Juggling Act of a Working Mom

2010-07-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how simple life was before kids. I had a clean house. I wore makeup every day (okay, most days). I had a social life. I sent Christmas cards.

Today, I am wearing my hair down, straight ironed, and a skirt, and I'm thinking this is some big to do. LOL.

Having hubby at home with the boys is a huge help. He does dishes. And laundry. No dusting, sorting, straightening or throwing stuff away, though. :P He looks really panic stricken when I suggest that he could do that.

He's offered to help with cooking and shopping. If I write out a list, plan the meals, give him the recipes and tell him what to do. 1) I actually look forward to that part of my day, and 2) after all the prep work, I might as well do it myself. LOL

The best part of having him home is so he can parent. Take the boys to the pool. The Children's Museum. The playground. The boys have had a fun filled summer with their dad. So many wonderful memories. I might have some of it scrapbooked by Big K's graduation.

Today, I enjoy my good hair day. And blissfully ignore the fact that the house is a MESS. I'll do some cleaning instead of putting on makeup tomorrow :)

Okay, it's a day late, but it's a meal plan!

2010-07-20T04:25:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, right? The garden is starting to pump out produce, although the tomatoes haven't really started yet (I did get 4 whole cherry tomatoes to use on last night's salad, does that count?) I am hauling a full bag of my larger cucumbers to work, and will get on my knees and beg people to take them if necessary :) The green beans are really starting to kick in, and I have a whole bunch of jalapenos that are ready, but I'm leaving them on to ripen to red, as we want to try our hand at smoking them for chipotle peppers this year. I left my camera upstairs yesterday when I was down in the garden, and was just too darn lazy to walk back upstairs, so I will take some photos for the garden update later this afternoon when I get home.

Here's the meal plan for the week. Clocks in right around my $35 average, and will no doubt produce plenty of leftovers.

Monday-
spaghetti w/ turkey meatballs $3.50
salad ( I used the very last of my provel cheese ropes, purchased when we went home to St. Louis week before last. No one even knows what they are here. SOB) $1.25
bread and butter .40
$5.15

Tuesday-
sloppy joes $3.00
fries .50
watermelon slices $1.00
$4.50

Wednesday-
combo fried rice $2.75
potstickers $1.75
fruit salad $1.00
$5.50

Thursday-
grilled pork chops $1.75
grilled veggie salad w/ balsamic ( not growing zucchini or summer squash, but found some beautiful locally grown organic veggies that will be awesome) $2.00
corn on the cob .80
$4.55

Friday-
Hubby and Big K will be home while Mommy and Ry hit the ballpark
Leaving hubby to bake frozen pizzas ( that I got on sale and w/ coupons for .49 each. ) $1
sliced nectarines .50
$1.50

Saturday-
skillet nachos $3.50
tomato and corn salad $1.00
$4.50

Sunday-
smoked ribs $8.00
beans $1.00
salad .75
$9.75

Update

2010-07-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

Thank you Molly for kicking me in the rump so I can update everyone. Here, doing well, and getting ready to get back full swing into blogging.

What's been happening:

-just got back from taking the family to visit all the grandparents in Missouri.
-fortunately I got to be there for my Dad's surgery, where they removed a tumor the size of a peach from his bladder. Tests show it was not invasive and it is a very slow growing type of cancer. Best news we could have hoped for
-Mom is in remission with her lymphoma. She lost 33lbs. during chemo and radiation, has put 6 back on now that she is hungry again, and is just doing her best not to put any more on LOL. Got to see her with her own hair last week. Funny, because hairdresser won't let her color it yet, so it's the first time in my 39 years I've ever seen her real haircolor :)
-now hopefully one of them will be healthy enough to hit the job trail again. With Dad laid off since November, I am very worried about them.
- Big K turned 5 yesterday. My baby is 5. Starts kindergarten this fall. Makes me wanna cry. Almost as hard as I cried during Toy Story 3.
-Me? Seem to be feeling better over the past week. Think with all the stuff I've seen the rest of my family go through, mine pails in comparison. Plus, being on vacation, more proof that it's the stress.

God has a plan for each of us, and I am becoming more and more comfortable each day with the idea that I am NOT in control; He is. I have a friend that is always repeating that message and so positive. But after hearing about my Dad, I was the one that talked HER off the ledge. I even told her how amused I was that she was taking it all harder than I was.

I just sit confidently waiting for His Plan to work its way through as I know it will. He sure knows how to fix us control freaks.

Speaking of control, burgers and brats tonight. Tacos tomorrow. Full menu plan on Sunday.

Oh yeah...the photo above? Big K half way through a waffle cone that was originally bigger than his head. Stunning that he made it that far.

Have a great week. Looking forward to catching up with all of you.

Menu Plan Monday Week of 6/27

2010-06-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Finally getting back on track with menu planning...being sick while working, handling family, etc., really caught up with me. I am finally getting my footing and managing pain, so here I am-tada! I have missed my menu plan. (Although I have to say stockpiling, and making freezer meals really helped save my bacon through all of this)

So here's the plan for tonight through next Sunday. 7 dinners for just over $31. Excited to see my garden finally start to play a teeny role in the planning.

Sunday-
grilled lemonade pork chops $2.00
grilled potatoes with rosemary from the garden .30
spinach salad $1.25

Monday-
grilled tacos $3.75
corn and tomato salad $1.00
fresh mango $1.00
$5.75

Tuesday-
Breakfast For Dinner Night
waffles .75
bacon $1.50
scrambled eggs .50
grapes $1.00
$3.75

Wednesday-
spaghetti and meatballs $3.50
green beans from garden .00
salad .75
$4.25

Thursday-
skillet nachos $3.75
corn .50
$4.25

Friday-
friends' party

Saturday-
grilled chicken $2.50
baked sweet potatoes $1.25
asparagus $1.00
$4.75

Sunday-
grilled pizzas $4.00
salad .75
$4.75

Summer Orzo Salad

2010-06-16T02:50:00.000-07:00

I'm the only person in my immediate family that really likes pasta salad. I can get everyone to eat it, but they don't LOVE it. Which is a shame, because it's one of my favorites, especially in the summer when I have fresh veggies and herbs from the garden. I guess that just means more for me, right? Makes for great lunches at work.

This batch features all fresh herbs from the garden...by end of summer, nearly all the veggies will be from my garden as well.

Please note that this is really flexible to what you have on hand. I use different cheeses every time, and sometimes I add tomatoes. This time around I only had a little bit of fresh basil upstairs and didn't feel like going back down to the garden, so I supplemented with some fresh marjoram. Tasted great.

2 cups orzo pasta

1 medium cucumber, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/2 cup diced mozzarella cheese (provolone is also great)

2T chopped fresh dill

2T chopped fresh basil

1T fresh thyme ( the leaves are so small I don't chop, just pull off the sprig)

3T olive oil

3T red wine vinegar

1/2t garlic powder

1t pepper

1/2t kosher salt

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, and allow to cool for a moment. Meanwhile, prep cheese, all veggies and herbs. Place pasta, veggies, cheese and herbs in a bowl. Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Pour over pasta salad. Add salt and pepper, and mix well. Chill for an hour before serving.

Thank You

2010-06-16T02:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for your kind thoughts, prayers and notes. My test went well yesterday, I am now back to eating food, and they found nothing major. My hope is that with the diagnosis and the medication I will be back to my old self soon!

Have I mentioned that not having any food for 2.5 days sucks? Oh, and I discovered that when you're really dehydrated it's really hard to find a vein for an IV. Apparently I have tiny veins. And a nice bruise on my arm from a botched attempt. Oh well---I felt so sorry for the nurse---I wouldn't want to have to do that to people for a living!

Menu Plan Week of 6/14

2010-06-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

This week's menu is hard for me to plan...especially because the first few days of it I'm going to be watching the family eat while I suck on popsicles and gatorade.

I am undergoing some tests this week so I can finally get some answers, but I have to through heck first.

Anyway, on to the menu-

Sunday-
skillet nachos
popsicles for the boys for dessert (they think my juice/gatorade/jello/popsicle diet is cool. Wish I could trade)

Monday-
spaghetti and meatballs
green beans
bread and butter

Tuesday-
chicken drumsticks
mashed potatoes
corn

Wednesday-
chicken alfredo w/veggies
salad

Thursday-
grilled pork chops
asparagus
baked potatoes

Friday-
peirogies w/ steak and peppers
salad

Saturday-
grilled pizza

Sunday-
italian beef on hoagies
home made fries
coleslaw

Garden Update June 6th

2010-06-06T13:28:00.001-07:00

Well, between the fence and gate, all the planting, the mulching and dealing with it all while not feeling perfect, it took a while, but everything is finally done. I may add a couple things, but for now I'm happy to take a break!
The two middle rose bushes are now 3 years old, and are just going nuts with flowers.

9 tomato plants this year- 4 Romas, 4 slicers, and 1 cherry tomato plant.

I have 4 cucumber plants--the 2nd year of trellising them up this concrete mesh. Works great, and a real garden space saver.

As you look down the rows from this direction I have 4 varieties of peppers, several herbs, kohlrabi, green beans, and melons.
I really am proud of my roses.

I sat outside under the gazebo today and just enjoyed the breeze, the peace, and the beautiful view of the garden. I love summer!

Miss Me?

2010-06-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

Yikes. Time flies when you are walking around in pain all the time. I have just been a wreck thanks to my innards the past couple of weeks, and really haven't found much relief. Colonoscopy next week. Jealous? ;)

I've had to carry on with work, cooking and gardening regardless. I miss my meal plan this week. Gonna have to get back to the grind.

The garden is almost completely mulched and looks awesome. I will do a garden update post this weekend. I am so excited to show off a garden that is finally bunny-free!

I will have next week's meal plan up by Sunday.

I almost forgot....I've also been keeping myself uber busy with a couponing/money saving blog for my radio station. It's been a lot of fun! Check it out HERE.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Uh oh...

2010-05-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Sam, it looks like I have a new addiction. Just loaded up Words with Friends on my iPhone. As if I don't goof off enough already. Oh well. Wanna play? My screen name is michelle961. See you there!

Pancakes

2010-05-22T08:08:00.001-07:00

I have been playing around with my pancake recipe since I started making them from scratch. I don't really like the big fluffy pancake. I prefer a slightly softer and thinner pancake. I think I've finally gotten the consistency and texture down to my liking.

2 cups white flour (or half and half wheat and white)
3t baking powder
1t salt
2T sugar
2 eggs
1t vanilla
2 cups milk
3T oil

Heat pan or griddle to medium heat. Meanwhile, put dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Mix eggs, vanilla and milk in a small bowl, and then add to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add oil and whisk in like you would salad dressing.

Place batter by spoonfuls onto pan and cook until pancake is bubbly with dry edges. Flip and cook another minute or so. I like to keep my pancakes warm on a plate in a 200 degree oven.

Looks like we have a winner!

This recipe is linked to the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap. I love Gayle's blog, and it looks like there are some awesome recipes linked up this week!

Willpower, baby!!!

2010-05-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Another day at the desk, eating a thrilling lunch. But I'm proud of myself. I'm eating this.

Instead of this.

Or this.

Or one of these.

There's about 4 boxes of those muffins at the front desk and I'm having to walk past this stuff all day. Torture. I looked at the info on the muffins...33g of fat in one little muffin. Ack.

I'm proud of myself. I'm eating salad. And if I get a wild hair afterward, I'm gonna eat this-

That's me. Living dangerously.

The better late than never menu plan week of 5/17

2010-05-18T04:02:00.000-07:00

I normally put together my menu plan and post on Sundays--- this Sunday was pretty hectic, though. I spent a couple hours in the kitchen making food for a friend that just had hip replacement surgery, then went to visit. I spent some time in my garden (after helping some friends plant their garden on Saturday), and then Sunday night we ended up having dinner with some family friends.

So here's what the rest of the week looks like-

Tuesday-
chicken w/ gravy $2.25
mashed potatoes .50
buttered carrots .50
spinach salad .75
$4.00

Wednesday-
skillet nachos $3.50
corn on the cob $1.00
$4.50

Thursday-
grilled pork chops w/ orange glaze $1.75
baked sweet potatoes .75
spinach salad .75
$3.25

Friday-
cheese manicotti $3.50
salad .75
green beans .40

Saturday-
grilled chicken $2.00
buttered orzo .50
asparagus .75
salad .75
$4.00

Sunday-
smoked pulled pork sandwiches $3.00
french fries $1
cole slaw $1

Angel Hair w/ Sundried Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella

2010-05-18T03:06:00.001-07:00

For anyone that thinks you can't make healthy, sophisticated meals on a budget, I present you this pasta dish. It also points out how valuable a garden really can be, all year round.
I'm gonna call this more of a "method" than a recipe, because it's very flexible to what you have and like, and feel like throwing in. We make some variation on this dish pretty often, depending on what we have. Here's what I used tonight:

1/2 box whole wheat angel hair pasta (.40)
1 small zucchini (.40)
1/2 medium vidalia onion, chopped (.25)
8oz. button mushrooms, sliced ($1.29)
1 cup rehydrated and diced sundried tomatoes, reserve the liquid you rehydrated them in (.00- homemade from my garden last year)
1 small red sweet pepper, sliced (.20- I got a 1lb. bag of these for $1.99 and they are awesome- I am actually growing a few of these plants this year- can't wait)
1/2 container of pearl sized fresh mozzarella, drained ($1.98)
2T olive oil
2T balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper, garlic powder
2T fresh chopped oregano from garden
1T fresh chopped basil from the garden

Get your water boiling for pasta. Meanwhile, heat your saucepan to medium-high, add 1T olive oil, onion, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and a pinch of salt and pepper. Once onion is translucent, around 4-5 minutes, add sundried tomatoes, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar and a little bit of the reserved tomato-water. Let simmer another 5 minutes, then add fresh herbs, and an additional pinch of salt and pepper. Turn heat to low. Drop pasta into boiling water, add a pinch of salt, and cook according to time on box. Drain. Return pasta to your pot, add 1T olive oil, your tomato mixture and toss. Add some more of the reserved tomato-water if you need to, then toss in the cheese.
Yum! This made enough for 2 adults, 2 kids that like pasta, and enough leftovers for lunch (or for a hubby emptying the fridge at 1am)

I paired with a light caesar salad kit ($1.50) and bread and butter (.30)

Total for this meal was $6.02. You could reduce the cost by about $1.25 by substituting grated mozzarella or parmesan for the fresh mozzarella. You could also make your salad from scratch, or serve a vegetable. If you don't have sundried tomatoes, you could certainly use canned, diced tomatoes...or you could use fresh roma tomatoes that have been cut in half, placed on a cookie sheet, drizzled with olive oil and baked at 450 for about 30 minutes. I am using roasted tomatoes more and more in dishes, and I just love them!

Check out many more affordable, healthy meals at The $5 Dinner Challenge.

Anyone else married to a late night snacker?

2010-05-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

As I sit here this morning, I am waffling back and forth between trying to calm my anger, and trying not to laugh. I was just planning to upload the meal plan for the week, and had opened the fridge to discover that 1) the leftover pasta from last night that I had planned for my lunch today was gone, and 2) the meatballs I made for tonight's dinner are nearly gone.

One little night. So much damage. Guess I'll be reworking tonight's dinner :)

Garden Update- The fence is in!

2010-05-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

Those bunnies are not going to get into the fortress this year. No way no how.
Hubby even built a really nice gate that swings back and latches nicely.

We still have a little more tilling to go in front, but I've started planting in the back, and will share more pictures when it's all done.

My Target Trip 5/17

2010-05-17T10:13:00.001-07:00

Visit Target.com and coupons.com for some nice matchups. I had fortunately found some Kashi coupons on an end display a few weeks ago, so I was able to buy 5 Kashi products and use 5 $1 coupons. I paid less than $9 and got a $5 Target gift card.

The total was $18.71, plus I now have $5 gift card for my next trip!

I hate allergies

2010-05-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yup. Must be spring in Omaha. Dang. My throat has been itchy the past few mornings when I've gotten up, so I figured something was brewing. This morning I could barely get out of bed, and now even after my sinus rinse, nose spray, Allegra, and 2 Sudafeds, I'm still all out of whack. My left eye keeps threatening to pop out of my head.

And I'm planting this weekend. Oh, this is going to be so fun.

EWWWWWW!!!!

2010-05-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

My sister bought the boys a home science kit where you collect and grow bacteria, just like they would at the doctor's office. I swabbed my nose. Hubby swabbed his ear. R swabbed the sink. K swabbed the foos-ball table. Which do you think grew the nastiest stuff? Tell me what you think. I will post the photos tomorrow. EWWWWW!!!!

Menu Plan Week of 5/10

2010-05-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

Monday-
Bacon Chicken Sandwiches $3.25
Curly Fries .75
fruit salad $1.00
$5.00

Tuesday-
angel hair w/italian sausage & fire roasted tomatoes $3.25
salad .75
$4.00

Wednesday-
burgers $3.50
corn .50
apple slices .50
$4.50

Thursday-
southwest steak and rice skillet $4.25
salad .75
$5.00

Friday-
grilled pork chops $2.00
salad .75
sweet potatoes .75
$3.50

Saturday-
Chicken Pesto Penne Casserole $3.00
salad .75
bread and butter .75
$4.50

Sunday-
meatballs in mushroom gravy $3.00
garlic mashed potatoes $1.00
asparagus $1.00
$5.oo

This week's dinners comes out to $31.50 for a family of 4.

2010-05-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

Ideas for food dishes to take to friend

2010-05-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have a friend getting hip replacement surgery next week, and will be home for 6 weeks. First 10 days or so will probably be the roughest, so I volunteered to sign up for 2 days of meals for him.

I will probably make 2 penne pesto chicken casseroles this week, and take portions of one to him in easy to reheat containers. I also want to include some snacks and goodies, and easy breakfast items that won't require much effort for him. He lives alone, so I need to be mindful of that.

Ideas? Suggestions of things that you've done? Would appreciate your help!

Amazing deal at Fareway this week...

2010-05-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

It was already pretty awesome. 5lbs. of potatoes for .72. 72 CENTS!!!! But it gets better. Now through Mother's Day you can print this coupon and take it to Fareway here in Omaha for 2 bags for .72. 7 cents per pound. That rocks.

I was naughty tonight (yay me)

2010-05-06T19:27:00.001-07:00

I am beginning to surprise myself about just how disciplined I've become with our diets here at home. I usually make all of our salad dressings from scratch. I love homemade vinaigrette, no sugar, and less oil. Plus it's cheap to make. Win win, right? I do, however, keep a few bottles of dressing in the pantry for quick marinating or quick dip options (hubby is a dipper). Using bottled is a rarity for me though, particularly in a salad.

Tonight, though, as I looked at my options for a salad and thought about the perfect dressing for said contemplated salad, this bottle called to me from downstairs on the shelf. Number 1 ingredient? High Fructose Corn Syrup. (shudder). I decided to pretend that I didn't read that and threw all discipline to the winds (sorta). I used about 4T over the family salad, and then added about 2T of balsamic vinegar before I tossed the salad. I must say, not using the bottled dressing very often is a good thing, but this stuff rocks!

Here was the ingredient list that made this a perfect match:

romaine lettuce
1 hard boiled egg, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 roma tomato, diced
1/4 cup 2% milk cheddar cheese, grated

I logged all of this into Calorie Count tonight and got a decent grade, and my total fat grams for the day was actually surpisingly low- 36. So I guess in the end, not super naughty, just naughty enough :)

***By the way...this is why I surprise myself....bottled salad dressing for me is now a "naughty splurge" LOLOL. Too funny.

Oh, and...I was going to take a picture of that salad, but I scarfed it so fast I totally forgot. My bad.

Fun Mail Day

2010-05-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

Got my P&G coupon mailer. $31 in coupons. Hope you scooped this up when it was available! You can stay on top of these kinds of offers HERE.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

2010-05-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

I met my favorite quarterback of all time today

2010-05-03T17:48:00.001-07:00

I got to meet Kurt Warner today. You know. Amazing quarterback. Three time Super Bowl visitor. Father of 7. All around faithful Christian and good guy. Although I need to make one adjustment...

There...much better. He was speaking a luncheon today, and I got my picture taken with him---it was a professional photographer though, so I have to wait to get it back...hope to be able to post it here!

About Me

2010-05-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

When I had my first child in 2002, I had a goal to stay home for at least his first year, and was really loving being a stay at home mom. In early 2003, however, a fantastic opportunity landed in my lap, and with the realization that my career path would offer the family better financial security, my husband and I switched places. He's been a full time stay at home dad to both of our boys ever since.

Me? I've continued on a pretty agressive career path and had lots of success. I have also never gotten over my taste of being a stay at home mom, and have tried to maximize my time with my boys, and with things like cooking, gardening, canning and scrapbooking.

Here you'll find recipes, meal plans, and our day to day adventures as I don my daily super woman cape and continue to be MOMSTOPPABLE!

Have a question? You can always email me at mrigden at gmail dot com.

Menu plan Week of 5/2

2010-05-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Between the meals on the grill, and the meals on the smoker, I'm excited to use the MPM grill logo for the first time this year! I kept the meal plan pretty well last week, except for today. Didn't feel like dealing with pizza, so we did brats. I have tonight's menu, along with the rest of the week, below. Monday through Sunday's meals feed a family of 4 and come in at $30.

Sunday-
Grilled brats in buns w/ cheese $3.75
beans $1.50
apple slices .50
$5.25

Monday-
spaghetti w/ turkey meatballs- $3.75
salad .75
green beans .40
$4.90

Tuesday-
grilled pork chops $3.50
cheesy broccoli rice $1.00
bread & butter .50
$5.00

Wednesday- Cinco de Mayo
bean and cheese nachos $1.75
super sweet corn .50
guacamole $1.00 (thank you .39 avocados at Aldi!)
pineapple $1.00
$4.25

Thursday-
ham .00 (free w/ a gift certificate to Honey Baked Ham store)
au gratin potatoes $1.00
salad .75
$1.75

Friday-
grilled chicken $2.00
rotini w/ alfredo sauce .75
broccoli .50
$3.25

Saturday-
brisket $5.00
sweet potatoes .75
bread and butter .50
$6.25

Sunday-
smoked pork butt $3.00
buns .50
fries .50
corn .50
$4.50

Week's Total- $29.90

Ouch

2010-05-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Man. I hurt. I would have taken pictures, but quite honestly, who wants to see deep narrow holes in the ground??? We have almost all the holes dug for the fence...hubby will be putting in posts this week, and hopefully by weekend I'll have a functioning gate and fence so I can plant.

Each ache reminds me how excited I am about fresh veggies this summer!

Coolest sample box I think I've ever gotten

2010-05-01T14:40:00.001-07:00

It was like Christmas here today! I signed up for the first Sample Showcase through the USPS last week, and was absolutely stunned to see the box show up today. It had even more stuff in it than I had expected! Some of the brands are things I've tried and liked...everything else I'm looking forward to trying. (Already nibbled 2 squares off the Dove chocolate. Heaven!)

You can join the mailing list to be made of aware of future opportunities HERE.

Aldi Trip May 1st

2010-05-01T09:59:00.001-07:00

This is why I LOVE Aldi. Everything in this photo- $9.45. Great produce prices this week!

pineapple- $1.99
bananas- .74
tortilla chips- .99
skim mil- $1.79
sweet potatoes- $1.59
roma tomatoes- .79
4 avocados @ .39 each
Total- $9.45

I had a great shopping week- I will share my other trips tomorrow.

I'm digging today!

2010-05-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

Today we are digging posts for the new gate on the new fence we are putting up around the front side of the garden. I'm sure I'll be hauling some more compost as well, and I hope to get the cucumber trellis up and secured.

I will post the pictures when we're done!

My May Challenge

2010-05-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

At least a blog a day in May. Lord knows I have enough to say and share. And May will be packed with lots of things to talk about! The garden is about to go in. My "baby" graduates preschool. The school year ends and I will be planning for daily lunches at home again.

So here's to May 1st!!!

Omaha Farmers Market Starts this Weekend

2010-04-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

The first weekend to get fresh local produce in the Old Market is tomorrow! Lettuce, asparagus, spinach, herbs, rhubarb and strawberries look to be the early stars. The harvest calendar shows you what is available when. You can also check out the Omaha Farmers Market blog for recipes and other information.

Proud Mommy Moment

2010-04-28T01:37:00.001-07:00

I made a big batch of sundried tomato hummus last night. My 7 year old actually got excited and asked if he could take some for lunch today. :::Sniff:::: My formerly picky child made a healthy choice, on his own. I had to photograph it as proof before he goes and does something 7 year old-ish :)

Wow!

2010-04-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a typical day at the office. Me. At my desk. Eating lunch. Today I didn't really feel like eating the lentil soup I brought, so I grabbed one of the frozen meals I keep stashed in the office freezer. Eating Right Chicken Poblano. I don't think I've ever had a frozen meal that has as much flavor and spice as this. Pretty darn good.

Calorie Count only gives it a C for nutritional value, but I guess you can't have everything, right?

Keeping extra food at work is a great way to make sure that your daily cravings and mood swings don't put a dent in your grocery budget. Or your weight loss goals. I use my coupons and sale ads to stock up on freezer meals, cans of soup, boxes of crackers, microwave popcorn etc., and keep them here. Then, if I forgot to pack lunch or was running late or just didn't want what I brought, I won't be tempted to eat out.

Just make sure you put your name on anything you put in the community fridge or freezer. I learned that one a long time ago.

Menu Plan Monday Week of 4/26

2010-04-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

I did a pretty good job of sticking to the meal plan this past week, with the exception of Thursday. I used part of the ingredients I had set aside, but we were tight for time with football practice, so I made skillet nachos.

Our favorite meal was the Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes. Really glad I tried this!

On to this week! 7 dinners works out to $32.50. We'll be eating the soup for lunches this week. I will also have extra pork steak to freeze for fried rice.

Monday 4/26
lentil and turkey sausage soup $2.50
grilled mozzarella and tomato sandwiches $1.50
apple slices .50
$4.50

Tuesday 4/27
lemon rosemary crockpot chicken (using fresh rosemary and a whole chicken) $3.50
buttery noodles .50
glazed baby carrots .75
$4.75

Wednesday 4/28
bbq grilled pork steaks $3.00
baked beans $1.50
salad .75
$5.25

Thursday 4/29
roast beef melts on hoagies $3.50
fries .50
$4.00

Friday 4/30
tacos $3.50
corn .50
$4.00

Saturday 5/1
Hearty Chicken Noodle Casserole (using leftover chicken from Tuesday) $2.25
broccoli and cauliflower $1.00
salad .75
$4.00

Sunday 5/2
Pizza Night $6.00

Enjoying the silence

2010-04-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

I really should be waking up children right now. I got up, showered, got dressed, came downstairs, made coffee, loaded the dishwasher, and now I sit. Hubby is asleep. Boys are asleep. Even the dog is crashed out next to me. Heavenly. So I am enjoying some time at the computer (like my fancy set up? Ha. Please note that even with that tall cup of coffee I'm not awake enough to take a straight picture yet. Please forgive me.)

Hope you have a wonderful day, and at least a moment of heavenly quiet like this yourself today. Amazing how fleeting it is, and how much you come to appreciate it.

Getting ready for the garden

2010-04-20T07:01:00.001-07:00

I'm getting so excited! I want to get things in the ground, but really you shouldn't plant here until Mother's Day. I might start a little early if we continue to have the great temperatures we've had, but right now I'm still trying to behave.

I am starting many more plants than I think I'll need, but I already have friends claiming the extras, plus we're helping some friends start their first ever garden this year. Has been a lot of fun to help introduce people to the joy of gardening. Especially once you get to eat the fruit of your labors! Fresh veggies here we come!

Menu Plan Week of 4/19

2010-04-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

I totally cheated tonight. Hy-Vee had their deli family sized lasagna on sale for $6. I got one to try. They don't mess around--completely loaded with cheese and sausage and well worth the $6. And well worth the careful eating I'll need to do for the rest of the week to make up for it!
This week's menu comes in at around $38-ish (wasn't really into math tonight!)

Monday-
Lasagna $6.00
green beans .40
corn .50
french bread with herbed olive oil dip .75
$7.65

Tuesday-
Turkey chili dogs $2.35
fries .50
apple slices w/ caramel dip 1.00
$3.85

Wednesday-
broccoli, ham and cheese stuffed baked potatoes $2.50
garlic bread .75
salad .75
$4.00

Thursday-
Southwestern Steak Salad $5.00
tortilla chips $.50
$5.50

Friday-
chicken with sun-dried tomatoes $3.50
egg noodles .50
steamed carrots .25
$4.25

Saturday-
southwestern chicken bake $5.00
salad .75
$5.75

Sunday-
Pizza Night
$7.00 (going to try a dessert pizza too this week)

I'm gonna do it....

2010-04-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

I've been procrastinating about having a garage sale for years, but no more! While working on transplanting my garden plants to larger containers yesterday, I realized that our basement is stuffed with a whole lotta stuff we don't use anymore. My husband, the pack rat, has kept everything we've purchased in our 15 years of marriage- clothes that no longer fit, old dishes, kid's stuff, you name it, I think it's in my basement.

I have exactly one month to get my ducks in a row for the neighborhood garage sale. I've never done this before. Suggestions? Tips? Please share!

Trying something new...

2010-04-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have created a new challenge for myself. Once a month I am going to buy a food I've never used before and experiment with it. This first month was walnut oil. I LOVE it! It is milder than olive oil, and has a nutty taste to it. So far, I've only made a few vinaitgrettes, but I understand you can cook with it as well. Tonight I made this simple dressing for my spinach, cashew, craisin and apple salad. It was great!

1/4 cup walnut oil
3T balsamic vinegar
1T honey

whisk together and toss with salad. YUM!

Have you tried anything new lately? Please share!

Menu Plan Monday Week of 4/12

2010-04-12T11:33:00.001-07:00

I spent the entire day in the kitchen yesterday, prepping foods for this week's menu, along with foods for the freezer. I got almost everything done that I wanted to, except for the applesauce muffins I had on my list. I will be making those this week, and will post the recipe.

Here's what I got done:

-buttermilk pancakes for the freezer

-3 bags of taco meat

-stock flavored rice for burritos this week

-4 containers of chicken stock

-4 bags of red beans for the freezer

-chicken marinated for tomorrow night and for freezer

-3lbs. of asparagus washed, trimmed, blanched, and frozen on a cookie sheet, then bagged

Here's the menu for the week. We feed 2 adults and 2 children... the cost for these 7 dinners is just over $31. I do price breakouts based on my costs, after sales, coupons, etc. Your costs may vary.

Monday-

tacos $2.75

black bean soup (from freezer) $1.00

cantelope .90

$4.65

Tuesday-

grilled chicken w/ mushrooms over whole grain angel hair $3.00

salad .75

$3.75

Wednesday-

smoked brisket sandwiches (meat in freezer) $3.00

tater tots .50

cole slaw .75

$4.25

Thursday-

red bean and cheese burritos $2.75

guacamole $2.00

fresh baked tortilla chips .40

$5.15

Friday-

hashbrown casserole with ham $3.00

broccoli .75

$3.75

Saturday -

Whole Grain Penne w/ chicken and asparagus $3.50

salad .75

$4.25

Sunday-

Philly Cheese Steak on Hoagies $3.50

bbq baked beans $1.50

fries .50

$5.50

Potatoes Gratin

2010-04-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

This week Bag n Save has all of their Land o Lakes products at great prices. I combined with coupons and bought some items that aren't everyday purchases for me- buttermilk for pancakes, and half n half.

I am still swimming in potatoes---I had gotten 15lbs for $1.49, and that's a LOT of potatoes for us! So I decided to make one of my comfort food favorites. Please note that this is NOT a low fat recipe hehehe....just a wonderful, simple, classic baked dish. I keep the seasoning fairly simple. You could certainly perk it up with rosemary or other spices. I have also sprinkled bacon in for even more decadence. I used a 4 cheese blend on this...you can really use whatever you have on hand, for slightly different tastes every time you make it.

Potatoes Gratin

3lbs potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
3T butter, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese...cheddar or your choice
2T flour
1 1/2 cups half n half
1t salt, divided
1t pepper, divided (I used a garlic pepper blend to spice it up a bit more. I also used a little more. You can adjust according to your taste)

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare a square 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Layer half of the potatoes and half of the onions in the dish.
Sprinkle with 2T flour, and half of the salt and pepper. Place half of the butter slices across the top.
Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
Add the rest of the potatoes, onions, butter, seasoning, and cheese. Pour the half n half over the potatoes. (I sprinkled a little paprika over the top for color- also helps with the browning and I just love a nice crust on top)
Place dish in oven. After 5 minutes, reduce to 375 and bake for 50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and top is golden.
Restrain yourself from eating half the pan.

Because of the sale prices I paid, this dish cost me just under $2 to make, and is enough for an army. We barely made a dent into it last night.

Whew!

2010-04-11T16:30:00.001-07:00

It's just amazing how taking a road trip away from things for a few days can throw you off for days after you return, trying to catch up on all the things you didn't get to, along with all the things normally in the schedule anyway.

This was a busy week to come back to. Big K had Kindergarten Roundup on Friday-SOB! My baby is going to be in school next Fall...I can't believe it!

R had Flag Football practices, along with his first game yesterday. The team won, although R needs to learn not to shut his eyes and duck when someone throws him the ball LOL.

This week I stocked back up on groceries, and after today, finally feel organized again and ready to head into the week.

I will post the menu plan, along with all of my make-ahead steps, later this evening.

The other thing really starting to eat up time is getting ready for the garden! I have all of the veggie seeds that I can start ahead of time growing, and most of my flowers. I will add to those in the next week or so.

That blossom is my Meyer Lemon tree. It lives indoors during the winter. Last year I got 3 lemons. Ha. This year I have about 25 lemons so far, plus a new round of blooms...will be interesting to see how much more fruit is added, and how many ultimately survive.

I was out in the garden today and thrilled to discover my roses held up perfectly over the winter, as did my garlic, and my oregano. Next weekend we'll start hauling in extra dirt and compost as we ready the soil. We're not supposed to plant here until Mothers Day...the nice weather sure is making me itchy though.

I will take pictures of what's growing so far and post later this week.

Stocking back up on fresh produce...

2010-04-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

Since we left for a few days, we made sure to eat all of the perishables, so this week a good chunk of the food budget is going to replacing those. Here's what I is on my list for shopping according to the new ads:

Fareway-
green grapes .99/lb
bananas .29/lb
green beans .99/lb
broccoli .99/lb
leaf lettuce .99/bunch
braeburn apples .69/lb (price match from Hy-Vee)
Iowa Chops $1.99/lb
Fastco Cheese 2 for $2 with coupon in ad

Bakers-
Strawberries- 4lb. flat for $1.49/lb
CoffeeMate Creamer 32oz. $2.38 (and I have .75 coupons)

Hy-Vee is having another Red Hot Weekend Sale, but that ad won't be available until tomorrow night. I will see if there's anything then. Bag n Save has some decent prices on Land o Lakes products, and I may try to get there as well.

Menu Plan Week of 4/5

2010-04-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

We didn't follow the whole plan last week...we ended up heading to see family for a few days. It was great, because I got to see my Mom, and we got to visit with many friends and family members that we hadn't seen in a while. Because of Mom's illness, we'd stayed home at Christmas, so we celebrated Christmas, my birthday, my Mom's birthday, and Easter. We smooshed all of the names together and came up with our own name--- Beastmas . LOL.

So we're back this week, and after all the snacks, holiday food and birthday cake, I'm on a bare bones diet for the week. The meals for this week either cater to my diet or allow for substitutions, such as the coleslaw I'll be making and eating instead of the french fries I'm making for the boys in Friday's dinner.

We feed 2 adults and 2 children. 7 meals this week come in under $35.

Monday-
pan seared pork chops with blue cheese drizzle $4.00
steamed green beans with shallots and lemon $1.85
ceasar salad $1.90
$7.75

Tuesday-
Steak tostadas on corn tortillas $3.75
corn .50
melon $1.00
$5.25

Wednesday-
Spaghetti and meatballs $3.50
ceasar salad $1.90
$5.40

Thursday-
black bean soup (from freezer) $1.00
fajita veggie quesadillas $2.50
$3.50

Friday-
turkey dogs with turkey chili $2.50
coleslaw w/ vinaigrette .75
fries .25
$3.50

Saturday-
grilled lemon basil chicken breasts $2.00
grilled asparagus .75
seasoned brown rice .75
$3.50

Sunday-
Italian turkey sausage and onion pizza $4.00
salad .75
$4.75

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned I hate cleaning? Detest. With a passion. But I loooove a clean house. So, I'm stuck. Anyway...making my way through the house slowly but surely and getting everything in order. This week I hit the closet, and while I'm not finished, I had to weed out a bunch of clothes that I don't wear anymore to make room for the spring/summer clothes.

What was great was that what got cleared out are all the clothes that are too big for me now...and that was eliminating all size 12's, and most of the size 10's. I'm now mainly a size 8, with a couple of size 10's, and more and more 6's as I move down.

Pretty exciting, given the fact that I was a size 16 2 years ago, and hadn't been this weight or size for about 9 years.

I found a chore I like. Hehehehe :)

More fun with my new camera apps

2010-03-31T06:14:00.001-07:00

Menu Plan Late

2010-03-30T17:03:00.001-07:00

You'd think that taking a week of vacation would make me more organized with all the free time, right?? Wrong!!! I was talking to a friend this afternoon and realized I was having a hard time identifying the day of the week! Vacations throw off my schedule. Not that I'm complaining. No surprise, then, that I'd be late with meal planning. Here's what I have for the rest of the week.

Tuesday-
cheese ravioli bake $4.00
bread with olive oil dip .50
carrots with butter .50
$5.00

Wednesday-
ribs $6.00
cheesey mashed potatoes .50
seasoned corn w/ bacon 1.00
$7.50

Thursday-
chicken and rice soup $3.50
french bread .50
salad .75
$4.75

Friday-
leftover night

Saturday-
steak queasadillas $4.50
pineapple .75
$5.25

Sunday-
spaghetti and meatballs $3.75
salad .75
bread .50
$5.00

Today

2010-03-28T13:04:00.001-07:00

We're celebrating today---the week got pretty crazy, so we decided we'd celebrate my birthday today. My hubby is hilarious--this cake is sooo me!

Ribs are in the smoker, and we're just all enjoying the day.

I will post menu tomorrow. Have a great Sunday!

Menu Plan Week of 3/22

2010-03-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, it's my last year in my 30's, Happy...SOB! Yes, 39 forever this Thursday. I asked hubby to smoke ribs for my birthday dinner. Wednesday my friend Dawn and I are going to see Cirque du Soleil's Alegria, so hubby and the boys will be warming up the dinner I prepared for them today and will have in the freezer.

This weekend I have been playing catchup on all of the cooking/shopping/cleaning that I haven't done this week. The new schedule has been a little tough on me this week. My body is still getting tired at 8pm, and then I wake up at 3, and lay awake. I'm hoping this will eventually stop!

We were running very low on breakfast options for the boys, so today I made a big batch of pancakes to freeze, along with a batch of breakfast wraps, and a dozen really cute whole wheat mini bagel sandwiches with egg and cheese. I also hard boiled a dozen eggs and cooked up a batch of turkey breakfast sausage patties for quick breakfast choice for me. I cubed up some canteloupe for tomorrow's breakfasts, and later tonight after dinner I will pack up lunch for myself and for R.

This week's dinners comes to almost $35.

Monday-
grilled porkchops $2.50
baked sweet potatoes .75
salad .75
$4.00

Tuesday-
beef hash (w/ leftover roast beef, potatoes and onions) $1.25
spiced carrots .50
apple slices .50
$2.25

Wednesday-
Turkey Chili Cheese Pasta Bake for boys $3.00
green beans .50
$3.50

Thursday-
smoked ribs $6.00
spinach salad 1.00
Italian bread w/ bread dip .50
$7.50

Friday-
steak tostadas $3.50
black refried beans .75
corn .25
$4.50

Saturday-
ribs $6.00
corn .25
baked potatoes .75
$7.00

Sunday-
Pizza Night
$6.00

Always check your receipts

2010-03-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Checkers can make mistakes. Computers can have incorrect information. Just because you watched everything ring up doesn't mean it was right. I was at Bakers today to pick up spareribs and several other of their sale items. When I got to the car I realized there was a $10 charge on my receipt. I didn't buy anything that expensive. Turns out one of the slabs of ribs didn't ring up at the sale price.

So I trudged back into the store with my receipt and the slab of ribs in question. I forgot that Bakers has a wonderful policy--if it rings up wrong, you get the item free! So I walked out with a free slab of ribs.

Since we're planning ribs as my birthday dinner this week, I feel like it was my birthday gift from Bakers! :)

Menu Plan Week of 3/15

2010-03-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

Last week went relatively well. I did decide to alter tonight's dinner because the boys got to go have free pan pizzas at Pizza Hut on Friday for lunch (school was closed). I also had to alter Friday's dinner quickly on the fly---I had made about 8 extra baked potatoes earlier in the week and threw them in the fridge. Friday, came home, set out all the stuff for soup, and when I went to grab the potatoes, I couldn't find them. Yes, my wonderful husband had ignored my declaration that the potatoes were for a second meal, and ate them. All of them. Fortunately he had taken my certificate for a honey baked ham in earlier in the week, so we had that for dinner along with a couple of quick sides. Gotta love free ham!!!

This week I'm trying two recipes from the new Everyday Food. A coleslaw recipe, and an interesting one for roasted cabbage wedges. (can you tell I took advantage of the cabbage sales this week??) I will let you know how they turn out.

Today I'm making a big pot of black bean soup using the ham bone. We will eat some of it tomorrow, freeze part, and use some for my lunches this week. Since I changed out tonight's meal, this is 8 dinners for 4, at around $35.

Sunday- chicken patty cordon bleu, sweet potatoes, salad, fresh pineapple ($4.25)
Monday- black bean soup, fresh baked tortilla chips, tomato corn avocado salad ($4.50)
Tuesday- brisket sammies, coleslaw, homemade steak fries ($4.50)
Wednesday- tacos, corn ($4.00)
Thursday- pierogies w/ italian sausage, italian seasoned green beans ($4.00)
Friday- grilled pork chops, broccoli, parmesan spinach and rice bake ($4.75)
Saturday- roast beef w/ onions & carrots, roasted cabbage, potato bake ($4.55)
Sunday- Pizza night ($5.00)

I owe you guys pictures

2010-03-13T17:43:00.000-08:00

Yes. I'm a loser. With the new schedule and all, we didn't get pictures taken of my face the night I started using my new birthday present. I need to get this done so you can see. Crazy. Started Tuesday and my nose is virtually clear already. Who knew? This thing actually works! :)

Weekly meal plan and an update of things happening here to follow...

Day 2 of the new schedule and she lives!!!

2010-03-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

Sunday night we got the kids prepped for the fact that Mom's hours would be different and that they would be seeing me in the morning again, and later than normal in the afternoon.

After packing a school lunch and laying out clothes for the boys, I set the crockpot up with steel cut oats, applejuice, raisins, chopped up apple, sprinkle of salt and a cinnamon stick for overnight oatmeal. Set it on low and crossed my fingers. (My last attempt at this wasn't so good. I overcooked it.)

Yesterday, I got up, got the boys dressed, myself dressed, ran downstairs to start coffee and discovered to my delight that the oatmeal turned out perfectly! Even better, I was able to apply eyeliner at home without fear of being half asleep and blinding myself. Good day!

Got home at 5:30, had everything pre-prepped, and we ate by 6:30. After we put the boys down we pulled 24 up on Tivo. I stayed up til 9:30!! That's like midnight for me LOL. Nice first night.

Tonight I won't get home until after 7, so I set up the potatoes in crockpot, and put everything else in the fridge with notes for hubby so he can feed the boys. The morning ran pretty smoothly again, and hubby had breakfast patrol, so I could focus on eyeliner again. I feel like such a big girl.

BTW....I got my Clarisonic yesterday afternoon...it was waiting for me on the porch. I didn't get to use it yet though because it needs to charge for 24 hours. I will be trying it out tonight.

Maybe I'll make it til 10 tonight. LOL.

Menu Plan Week of 3/8

2010-03-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

Well, here we go, kids! A new week with a new schedule for me. I have been working this weekend to prep food where I can so nothing takes too long. We'll see how it goes :) We feed 2 adults, two boys, and 7 meals is under $35.

Monday 3/8
pulled pork nachos $2.50
guacamole $2.00
cantaloupe $1.00
$5.50

Tuesday 3/9
baked parmesan crusted chicken breasts $3.25
baked potatoes in the crockpot .75
spiced carrots .50
$4.50

Wednesday 3/10
grilled pork steaks with orange glaze $2.75
Sweet Potatoes with chili, cumin and lime $.75
broccoli .50
$4.00

Thursday 3/11
chicken black bean and rice burritos with avocado slices $3.75 (made filling today and put in freezer)
pineapple $1.00
$4.75

Friday 3/12
sweet italian sausage sandwiches w/ onions ands peppers in marinara $2.50
pasta salad $1.25
apple slices .50
$4.25

Saturday 3/13
baked potato soup $3.00
salad .75
garlic bread .75
$4.50

Sunday 3/14
pizza night $5.00
salad 1.00
$6.00

Spiced Carrots

2010-03-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

These are on the menu plan for this week, so I went ahead and made extras for the freezer as well.

2lbs. carrots, washed, peeled and cut into thick coins
1.5 cups apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
1t cumin
3/4t ginger
1/4t coriander
1t lemon zest
2t honey

In medium saucepan, combine carrots, along with everything but the zest and honey, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for around 8 minutes, until carrots are tender but firm. Remove from heat. Toss cinnamon stick, add zest and honey, toss to coat, and serve.
This worked out to 3 portions for our family, at a cost of under .50 per serving.

I am so excited!

2010-03-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

I just checked the UPS tracking and it looks like my early birthday present is going to be here Monday!!

I am generally a pretty frugal person, as you know. I do however, have a couple of areas I am content to spend more on--- my hair, and my skin. With long hair that never seems to get enough moisture, I've found that I just can't use less expensive shampoos and conditioners. No matter how many times I try. It ends up causing my hair to get dry, break, and look frizzy, and I end up spending more money in the long run to fix it. Not to mention the time and frustration as healthy hair grows back in.

The same goes for my skin. My mother harped and harped on the importance of a good skin care routine, and now that she's 62 with gorgeous skin, I'm a believer. I know many women who can use drugstore products with great success. Just like my hair, though, they just don't work out for me. (Except for the Burt's Bees Acne Wash- loove that stuff). I am okay with spending more if I end up with skin like my mom. I have the genetic part down, just need to make sure I equal the skin care part. :)

I have been drooling over this Clarisonic system for more than a year. People who have it RAVE about it. It cleans your skin far better, and helps clean out pores, which is major for me, as I still battle very mild acne from time to time. Allegedly it helps your moisturizers and serums work better, and I've seen many reviews that say their products stretch farther because they need less. I'm all about that!

So Monday I'm going to do something horrifying...let hubby take an up close picture of my face and pores without makeup! ACK! That way I can use it for a week, and then have him take new pictures so I can compare. I'll share the results with you. I am looking forward to the mad experiment! :)

New Schedule

2010-03-06T09:17:00.001-08:00

Yes, in the immortal words of the Brady Bunch..it's time to change, you got to rearrange...

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my schedule at work will be changing. For the past 5 years, I've been going to work at 4am, home mid afternoon. Now I will be shifting to a more normal 8 to 5-ish schedule (in theory, anyway). In my management position, I find it very easy for fires to erupt that could keep me at work later than intended.

This is something I really don't want. Pre kids, in my industry it was quite common for me to work 8 to 7 or 8, and that is just not acceptable. I know it will be unavoidable from time to time, and I'm okay with that, but it is really going to require a LOT of planning and discipline, both at work and at home to make all of this work for my family.

All of a sudden as of yesterday, this has been causing a little anxiety for me as I embark on the new schedule. I am praying for strength to overcome any new challenges, and for peace as I encounter things that I cannot control (bit of a control freak, that's me).

Let the adventure begin!

Cool freebie from $5 Dinners

2010-03-04T04:46:00.001-08:00

Erin, the $5 Dinner Mom over at $5 Dinners, has a cool freebie for you to make your meal planning a little easier! I find that if have a plan, I stick to it, and it makes it easier to take things out of the freezer, etc. This saves time, money and frustration! Head over here to get your free meal planning template...thanks, Erin! This is awesome!!

Shopping this week

2010-03-03T06:46:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm finally embarking to the stores today for the first time in a week! I am always impressed with women who can shop for 2 weeks at a time. Tough for me to do the way I shop for my stockpile. I end up needing to make several stops, even with price matching. And since I work during the week, I end up making a stop here, a stop there all across the week. Fortunately I'm very stocked and haven't been impressed with sales recently. So I should be able to get all of my weekly shopping done today and tomorrow, and I will post how I did. Hoping to be way under budget so I can put some extra money in the Christmas fund!

Menu Plan Monday 3/1 (and we've become a smoked bbq joint!)

2010-03-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

The neighbors have to be jealous at the smells coming from our garage. Hubby has the smoker working at full power these days! This weekend, he did 2 yummy pork shoulders.

We enjoyed this for dinner last night and then divided it all up for the freezer. We will be using this meat in carnitas, nachos, and some other meals coming up in the next few weeks. At .99/lb., an amazing deal! Apparently, though, that wasn't enough. So we move on to the brisket that went into the smoker last night. First we had to trim it up.

Then I mixed together a nice rub.

Yellow mustard. Who knew it could be so useful in adding a little flavor and helping the rub to form a "crust".

We have the finished product on the menu for tomorrow. Looking forward to getting a taste when I get home!

While hubby was master smoker yesterday, I was at work in the kitchen. Using a $1.88 package of lean ground turkey, a .75 cent bag of kidney beans, my homegrown/homecanned tomatoes, and a mix of spices, I made a DELICIOUS pot of chili! This actually broke down into 5 different freezer portions to use as we need to. All for about $4.50.

I like to let the chili sit in the fridge overnight because I think it tastes better that way. We'll be enjoying chili tonight, and later this week as well.

On to the rest of the plan for the week. We feed two adults, a 7yr. old and a 4yr. old for 7 dinners. This week's plan comes in under $30, and is rich in whole grains, beans and fresh vegetables. (and copious amounts of cheese hehehe).

Monday-

turkey chili w/ cheese and multi grain chips $2.50

corn .50

spinach and orange salad .75

$3.75

Tuesday-

beef brisket $5.00

whole wheat angel hair (.30) tossed in olive oil (.05) and parmesan (.15) .50

roasted asparagus (1/2lb. @ $1.49/lb.) .75

$6.25

Wednesday-

skillet cheesy penne pasta w/ meat sauce (using up leftovers from freezer and home canned tomatoes) $1.50

green beans .40

mixed greens salad .75

$2.65

Thursday-

Pork carnitas tostads $2.50

refried beans .60

corn .50

$3.60

Friday-

chili dogs $2.00

steak fries .50

apples .50

$3.00

Saturday-

pork fried rice $2.00

pot stickers $2.00

$4.00

Sunday-

homemade pizza night $5.25

Chicken and Kale Soup

2010-02-27T11:32:00.001-08:00

I altered yesterday's meal a bit after picking up some kale this week. I decided to try adding it to a chicken vegetable soup. I really liked the results.

8 cups chicken stock or broth (I make my own and freeze it)
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2T olive oil
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
40z. mushrooms, diced
salt and pepper
2 cups cooked diced chicken breast
1 cup corn
1 head of kale, washed, dried, and chopped into small pieces
1t herbes de provence

In large pot on stove, heat 2T olive oil. Add celery, carrot, onion, garlic and mushrooms, and saute for about 4 minutes. Salt and pepper lightly. Add broth and potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, add chicken, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are soft.
Add kale, corn and herbes de provence, and let simmer for an additional 10 minutes, until kale is tender. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread and a salad.

I just had a bowl of this today and it's even better reheated!

BTW...

2010-02-26T16:15:00.000-08:00

I apologize in advance if any of my photos look a little goofy....I got a new app on my iPhone I'm playing with...I think I like it....but when I decide for sure I'll share...in the meantime, if something looks off, it's because I'm playing. LOL

This is my 7yo with his best friend done in pencil effect and I just LOVE it.

First Steps to Spring!

2010-02-26T11:26:00.001-08:00

Amazing the little things I get excited about. Here are my first seed purchases for this summer's garden. This weekend I start setting up shop in the basement, and getting my little seed babies up and running for the things I can transplant. So exciting!