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Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Favorite Food Deal of the week: Pillsbury Brownies
Yes, I have already posted once about a brownie deal. BUT, they've had some good ones lately. This week, it was Pillsbury Brownie mix at Jewel. They were on sale for $.99, but if you purchased 10 of them (or in a group of 10 qualifying items - there were a lot of other things), you paid $.49 a box. AND there was a $.40 off coupon in the paper a few weeks ago, so I paid $.09 a box for 6 boxes!
We don't eat brownies that often, but I checked the expiration dates and they are pretty far off, so we're safe. I like to make them for dessert when we have company or to take to a get-together or just as a nice surprise for after dinner for the girls. :) We sprinkle powdered sugar on top of ours for an extra special sweetness!
Sale ends today, so go get some!
We don't eat brownies that often, but I checked the expiration dates and they are pretty far off, so we're safe. I like to make them for dessert when we have company or to take to a get-together or just as a nice surprise for after dinner for the girls. :) We sprinkle powdered sugar on top of ours for an extra special sweetness!
Sale ends today, so go get some!
Basic Kitchen: My Best Friend, The Crockpot
I am pretty sure almost every household in America has a crockpot. Really. Most of us probably received one as a wedding gift or a "first home" gift or a Christmas gift.
They are an American household staple. And they should be used OFTEN. Honestly, they are the simplest appliance you'll ever own or use. They do all the cooking for you when it comes to a meal.
So, here are the oh-so-tough steps to using a crockpot to make your meal:
1 - Pick a meat...chicken, a roast, ground meat, whatever!
2 - Choose a few veggies...we like carrots and potoatoes.
3 - Pick some seasonings...for flavor, we use chopped onion (dried or fresh; or onion powder) and celery, salt and pepper, and usually a little garlic (or garlic salt or garlic powder)
4 - Decide how long you want this to cook. (Going to be at work all day? 8-10 hours, then, would be good. Running out for a few hours? 6 hours might work. Noticing it's after lunch already and you haven't thought about dinner yet? 4 hours is probably best.)
5 - Put your meat in the crockpot (brown the sides on the stovetop first, if using a roast). Then add your veggies and seasonings around the meat and on top.
6 - Add a little water. I have no exact measurement. I think about 1/2 to 1 inch of water in the pot would be good. Just so things don't dry out.
7 - Set your time and press Start.
Ta-da! You've done it. :) Now, dinner will be ready and you don't have to stand there and stir anything or even check on it. Throw it all in a large serving bowl or divide it up onto plates and there's dinner!
They are an American household staple. And they should be used OFTEN. Honestly, they are the simplest appliance you'll ever own or use. They do all the cooking for you when it comes to a meal.
So, here are the oh-so-tough steps to using a crockpot to make your meal:
1 - Pick a meat...chicken, a roast, ground meat, whatever!
2 - Choose a few veggies...we like carrots and potoatoes.
3 - Pick some seasonings...for flavor, we use chopped onion (dried or fresh; or onion powder) and celery, salt and pepper, and usually a little garlic (or garlic salt or garlic powder)
4 - Decide how long you want this to cook. (Going to be at work all day? 8-10 hours, then, would be good. Running out for a few hours? 6 hours might work. Noticing it's after lunch already and you haven't thought about dinner yet? 4 hours is probably best.)
5 - Put your meat in the crockpot (brown the sides on the stovetop first, if using a roast). Then add your veggies and seasonings around the meat and on top.
6 - Add a little water. I have no exact measurement. I think about 1/2 to 1 inch of water in the pot would be good. Just so things don't dry out.
7 - Set your time and press Start.
Ta-da! You've done it. :) Now, dinner will be ready and you don't have to stand there and stir anything or even check on it. Throw it all in a large serving bowl or divide it up onto plates and there's dinner!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Kitchen Tip of the Week: Location, Location, Location
Have you ever been in a cooking or baking frenzy and rushing around to get a bunch of things made? Or trying to beat the timer to get out your potholders to get the hot foods off the heat before they burn? You rush over to the spot you THOUGHT you stored the needed items, only to find they aren't there. OR you realize that the pot holders are in the last drawer, furthest from the stove, and you find that you're cursing yourself for putting them over there!
I have found that it really does matter where I store things in my kitchen. Yes, my kitchen is extremely small and I could probably reach every drawer if I stood in the middle of the kitchen floor and just leaned. :) BUT, when I am in a hurry I find that even in my tiny kitchen, it's still better to have the cooking utensils by the stovetop and the baking utensils over by the counter that I mix everything on.
I did some research, after days of frustration, and read about creating "stations" in the kitchen. Genuis! Since I use my kitchen very often, several times a day in fact, I loved the idea of designated areas for different tasks.
I rearranged some cupboards and now have a beverage cupboard. I keep our hot cocoa packets, coffee filters, mugs, tea bags, and any other hot beverage related items in that cupboard. I put the coffee maker directly under that cupboard, on the counter, so everything is easily accessible when we go to make coffee.
The microwave sat on our longest countertop, essentially cutting that space in half. :( I moved it over to a small countertop by the stovetop, leaving that largest area completely open. I made this my baking counter and stored all baking related items in the drawer and cupboards below. I separated my utensils between two canisters - one for stovetop cooking and one for baking. All the spatulas, knives, and other things used when I'm cooking, I placed in a canister and next to the stovetop. All the other things (spatulas, whisks, wooden spoons, etc) used for baking, I placed in a canister and in the cabinet below the baking counter, along with the baking sheets, mixing bowls, baking pans and other baking related items.
I keep my pots and pans in the lower cabinet right next to the oven/stovetop, with all the lids in the drawer under my oven. My baking dishes (glass), I store in the lower cabinet on the other side of the oven. I keep all of our drinking glasses together in a cabinet, and all the plates, dishes, and serving bowls together in another cabinet.
Keeping things organized and grouped by type really helps out when we're busy making things, or when my husband is rushing around in the morning to empty the dishwasher of the clean items. I think he finds it easier to know where things go because they are with other like items.
Anything to make putting dishes away faster is a plus here! We'd like to spend our extra time with the kids, not searching every cabinet to see where a whisk might go! :)
I have found that it really does matter where I store things in my kitchen. Yes, my kitchen is extremely small and I could probably reach every drawer if I stood in the middle of the kitchen floor and just leaned. :) BUT, when I am in a hurry I find that even in my tiny kitchen, it's still better to have the cooking utensils by the stovetop and the baking utensils over by the counter that I mix everything on.
I did some research, after days of frustration, and read about creating "stations" in the kitchen. Genuis! Since I use my kitchen very often, several times a day in fact, I loved the idea of designated areas for different tasks.
I rearranged some cupboards and now have a beverage cupboard. I keep our hot cocoa packets, coffee filters, mugs, tea bags, and any other hot beverage related items in that cupboard. I put the coffee maker directly under that cupboard, on the counter, so everything is easily accessible when we go to make coffee.
The microwave sat on our longest countertop, essentially cutting that space in half. :( I moved it over to a small countertop by the stovetop, leaving that largest area completely open. I made this my baking counter and stored all baking related items in the drawer and cupboards below. I separated my utensils between two canisters - one for stovetop cooking and one for baking. All the spatulas, knives, and other things used when I'm cooking, I placed in a canister and next to the stovetop. All the other things (spatulas, whisks, wooden spoons, etc) used for baking, I placed in a canister and in the cabinet below the baking counter, along with the baking sheets, mixing bowls, baking pans and other baking related items.
I keep my pots and pans in the lower cabinet right next to the oven/stovetop, with all the lids in the drawer under my oven. My baking dishes (glass), I store in the lower cabinet on the other side of the oven. I keep all of our drinking glasses together in a cabinet, and all the plates, dishes, and serving bowls together in another cabinet.
Keeping things organized and grouped by type really helps out when we're busy making things, or when my husband is rushing around in the morning to empty the dishwasher of the clean items. I think he finds it easier to know where things go because they are with other like items.
Anything to make putting dishes away faster is a plus here! We'd like to spend our extra time with the kids, not searching every cabinet to see where a whisk might go! :)
Basic Kitchen: Oat Flour
I feel like a dummy. Did anyone else know about oat flour? How easy it is to make? I thought it was some expensive flour you buy at the store. Little did I know you can make it at home!
I am forever stocking up on old-fashioned oats because we use them so often in cookies and muffins and whatnot. I recently read a recipe that included oat flour and almost closed that web page because I didn't have oat flour on hand. BUT, as I read, the author indicated that if you don't have oat flour, you simiply grind up rolled/old-fashioned oats in a food processor or blender (I use my Ninja!) and voila! you have oat flour.
Magnificent! :) I wish I had bookmarked the other recipes I had come across in the past that had oat flour as an ingredient.
Can't wait to try that recipe I read the other day!
I am forever stocking up on old-fashioned oats because we use them so often in cookies and muffins and whatnot. I recently read a recipe that included oat flour and almost closed that web page because I didn't have oat flour on hand. BUT, as I read, the author indicated that if you don't have oat flour, you simiply grind up rolled/old-fashioned oats in a food processor or blender (I use my Ninja!) and voila! you have oat flour.
Magnificent! :) I wish I had bookmarked the other recipes I had come across in the past that had oat flour as an ingredient.
Can't wait to try that recipe I read the other day!
Rejoicing in Recipes: Brown Sugar Biscuit Twists
I came across this recipe recently and it is FANTASTIC! It's a great snack, a wonderful breakfast item, or something yummy for those late-night sweet cravings! :)
Originally from MoneySavingMom, I plan to make this recipe again today to have for a potluck at my parents' church on Sunday. They are good right out of the oven or a day or two after being made. They store well for a week in a sealed container. I stored them in a food storage bag last time and they were fine as well.
Click Brown Sugar Biscuit Twists for the recipe. I am too lazy to type it out. :)
Originally from MoneySavingMom, I plan to make this recipe again today to have for a potluck at my parents' church on Sunday. They are good right out of the oven or a day or two after being made. They store well for a week in a sealed container. I stored them in a food storage bag last time and they were fine as well.
Click Brown Sugar Biscuit Twists for the recipe. I am too lazy to type it out. :)
House Help: Unclogging Drains
Baking soda is good for more than just baking! Most people also use it to keep their fridge, freezer, and pantry fresh. BUT, there's another great use for it...unclogging drains!
We rarely keep Drano on hand anymore. It is so expensive for a bottle that doesn't last very long. Sooo, I googled natural drain cleaners to see about using things I already had on hand. I found a baking soda and vinegar combo that has worked great...and I'm about to use it again today. :)
1. Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the clogged drain.
2. Pour 1/2 cup vinegar (white/distilled) down drain.
3. Cover drain opening quickly to keep the bubbling concoction from coming up. You want the bubbliness to stay down in the drain to work out the clog.
4. Wait 30 minutes. In meantime, put on a kettle full of water to boil.
5. After 30 minutes, pour boiling water down drain. Drain should be cleared. If not, repeat process.
Walgreens often has baking soda on sale 2 for $1.00 with their in-ad coupon, so you can definitely stock up on this for cheap and always have it on hand to use for those stubborn drains.
Forget about paying $5.00 or more for that container of chemicals. Use this natural unclogger and you don't have to worry about making sure the sink is free of any residue or leftovers because it's just baking soda and vinegar. So if the kids touch it or something falls in the sink and touches either of the ingredients...it's fine!
We rarely keep Drano on hand anymore. It is so expensive for a bottle that doesn't last very long. Sooo, I googled natural drain cleaners to see about using things I already had on hand. I found a baking soda and vinegar combo that has worked great...and I'm about to use it again today. :)
1. Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the clogged drain.
2. Pour 1/2 cup vinegar (white/distilled) down drain.
3. Cover drain opening quickly to keep the bubbling concoction from coming up. You want the bubbliness to stay down in the drain to work out the clog.
4. Wait 30 minutes. In meantime, put on a kettle full of water to boil.
5. After 30 minutes, pour boiling water down drain. Drain should be cleared. If not, repeat process.
Walgreens often has baking soda on sale 2 for $1.00 with their in-ad coupon, so you can definitely stock up on this for cheap and always have it on hand to use for those stubborn drains.
Forget about paying $5.00 or more for that container of chemicals. Use this natural unclogger and you don't have to worry about making sure the sink is free of any residue or leftovers because it's just baking soda and vinegar. So if the kids touch it or something falls in the sink and touches either of the ingredients...it's fine!
Favorite Food Deal of the Week: STRAWBERRIES!
We enjoyed some strawberry picking yesterday with some friends. I had my four children and my friend had her three boys. It was chaos at times, but it was a lot of fun!
We went to Stade's Farm & Market in McHenry, IL. The farm is run by Christians, and every Sunday they invite a local church to come and lead a worship service there at the farm. A friend of mine had gone with her family this past Sunday and said they heard the praise music while they picked strawberries. :)
The farm opens at 9, and I had wanted to be there right when it opened so we could pick and be done before it got too hot. Well, we were about 10 minutes behind schedule when we left and didn't get there until about 9:15. I guess that's not too bad for a 45 minute drive with 4 kids by myself!
When we started out, all 7 kids had hats on. When we left, no one had a hat on and one of my friend's boys lost his green hat somewhere in the green strawberry plants! Her youngest boy choked briefly on a piece of strawberry. My Addy didn't want to help pick and just wandered around. Iris ate way too many strawberries and had what looked like a murder scene on her shirt from all the strawberry juices! Lily did a great job of actually picking and filling her basket, but when I went to inspect the content I noticed she had a lot of little unripe green strawberries. :) Ah, kids...
I ended up with about 5 1/2 pounds of strawberries when we picked through the unripe or mushy ones in our baskets. I also picked up some fresh asparagus and radishes. Yum! We spent only $15 for all of that! The strawberries were $1.75/lb, which was the cheapest I had scene yet all season (until this week, actually. The stores have 1 lb containers for $1.50 now, but they are nowhere near as fresh!)! I was very happy of the quality for that price! They were so sweet and juicy. We do have quite a few tart ones because I apparently didn't pick through Lily's collection well enough and we ended up with several smaller, not quite ripe ones. Oh well. We cut those up and put them on Cheerios this morning for breakfast. :)
Click HERE for a link to Stade's Farm & Market website. They are also on Facebook. Great farm, nice people, fantastic produce!
We went to Stade's Farm & Market in McHenry, IL. The farm is run by Christians, and every Sunday they invite a local church to come and lead a worship service there at the farm. A friend of mine had gone with her family this past Sunday and said they heard the praise music while they picked strawberries. :)
The farm opens at 9, and I had wanted to be there right when it opened so we could pick and be done before it got too hot. Well, we were about 10 minutes behind schedule when we left and didn't get there until about 9:15. I guess that's not too bad for a 45 minute drive with 4 kids by myself!
When we started out, all 7 kids had hats on. When we left, no one had a hat on and one of my friend's boys lost his green hat somewhere in the green strawberry plants! Her youngest boy choked briefly on a piece of strawberry. My Addy didn't want to help pick and just wandered around. Iris ate way too many strawberries and had what looked like a murder scene on her shirt from all the strawberry juices! Lily did a great job of actually picking and filling her basket, but when I went to inspect the content I noticed she had a lot of little unripe green strawberries. :) Ah, kids...
I ended up with about 5 1/2 pounds of strawberries when we picked through the unripe or mushy ones in our baskets. I also picked up some fresh asparagus and radishes. Yum! We spent only $15 for all of that! The strawberries were $1.75/lb, which was the cheapest I had scene yet all season (until this week, actually. The stores have 1 lb containers for $1.50 now, but they are nowhere near as fresh!)! I was very happy of the quality for that price! They were so sweet and juicy. We do have quite a few tart ones because I apparently didn't pick through Lily's collection well enough and we ended up with several smaller, not quite ripe ones. Oh well. We cut those up and put them on Cheerios this morning for breakfast. :)
Click HERE for a link to Stade's Farm & Market website. They are also on Facebook. Great farm, nice people, fantastic produce!
Friday, June 24, 2011
House Help: Less Stress Solutions
A few ideas to help get started with keeping up on housework:
FlyLady - this woman is amazing! She lays out a schedule for daily things to do around the house, weekly things to schedule, and ways to make work habitual.
Start slow. Find 3 things you want to make a daily habit. Write them down, write a time down that you want to be doing each one (before breakfast or 9AM or last thing before bed), so you know WHEN you should do them and can get into the habit of doing them at those times.
Find a friend. I am sure all women/mothers struggle with balancing housework with kids and life. Find a friend that you know will be an encouragement to get you going - someone you can call when you're not motivated, someone who will give you that kick in the butt when you need it. I think for me, this would be my sister. :) She doesn't know it, but she's a huge encouragement to me. I haven't asked her for that kick in the butt, but her attitude towards everything is a huge motivator for me!
LISTS! Make a daily list of what you want to get done - from things you already do (make your bed, take a shower) to the things you want to start to incorporate. Checking off the list works wonders for our mental states! :)
Lastly, be understanding. You won't be completing a list 100% of the time. There will be days you will not get things done. It's life. I have the hardest time letting this go. If I can get over my imperfection, I'd be perfect. :)
FlyLady - this woman is amazing! She lays out a schedule for daily things to do around the house, weekly things to schedule, and ways to make work habitual.
Start slow. Find 3 things you want to make a daily habit. Write them down, write a time down that you want to be doing each one (before breakfast or 9AM or last thing before bed), so you know WHEN you should do them and can get into the habit of doing them at those times.
Find a friend. I am sure all women/mothers struggle with balancing housework with kids and life. Find a friend that you know will be an encouragement to get you going - someone you can call when you're not motivated, someone who will give you that kick in the butt when you need it. I think for me, this would be my sister. :) She doesn't know it, but she's a huge encouragement to me. I haven't asked her for that kick in the butt, but her attitude towards everything is a huge motivator for me!
LISTS! Make a daily list of what you want to get done - from things you already do (make your bed, take a shower) to the things you want to start to incorporate. Checking off the list works wonders for our mental states! :)
Lastly, be understanding. You won't be completing a list 100% of the time. There will be days you will not get things done. It's life. I have the hardest time letting this go. If I can get over my imperfection, I'd be perfect. :)
Favorite Food Deal of the Week: Gatorade
My husband is training for a half marathon and the Chicago Marathon this Fall. Today he is running 13 miles; when he runs long distances, he has a fuel belt that he loads up with Gatorade and water. Before his runs, he drinks a Gatorade Prime. After the run, he drinks a Gatorade Recover drink.
Gatorade Prime and Recover are not on sale as often as the regular 32 oz Gatorade bottles. They often cost $1.99 each and up! With his mileage increasing each week, this means he will go through a lot of the Prime and Recover drinks before and after runs....which can get to be very costly.
For the past several weeks, Meijer has had the Prime and Recover drinks on sale for $1.09 each (with no limit posted!)! I have been buying a few each week to stock up. This week, I bought 4 of each and spent under $10! That's great for those 2 products. They were actually the same price as the regular Gatorade, so I bought the big bottles of Powerade to use during his runs. (They were $.69 each.)
So, we brought home 5 Powerade, 4 Gatorade Prime, and 4 Gatorade Recover! I plan to keep buying a few each week as long as I notice the sale price of $1.09. Meijer is quickly becoming my favorite store! :)
Gatorade Prime and Recover are not on sale as often as the regular 32 oz Gatorade bottles. They often cost $1.99 each and up! With his mileage increasing each week, this means he will go through a lot of the Prime and Recover drinks before and after runs....which can get to be very costly.
For the past several weeks, Meijer has had the Prime and Recover drinks on sale for $1.09 each (with no limit posted!)! I have been buying a few each week to stock up. This week, I bought 4 of each and spent under $10! That's great for those 2 products. They were actually the same price as the regular Gatorade, so I bought the big bottles of Powerade to use during his runs. (They were $.69 each.)
So, we brought home 5 Powerade, 4 Gatorade Prime, and 4 Gatorade Recover! I plan to keep buying a few each week as long as I notice the sale price of $1.09. Meijer is quickly becoming my favorite store! :)
Menu Plan: June 22-July 4
So, we're stretching our grocery budget an extra week because of the day for Payday next week. I don't plan to buy any foods for meals, maybe just some fruit for snacks and (of course) we'll have to buy diapers. :)
Here is my menu plan for the next 2 weeks, til I do regular shopping again.
Breakfasts:
-Homemade bagels with cream cheese and homemade freezer jam, scrambled eggs
-Pancakes, bananas (x2)
-Omelets, sausage, orange slices
-Overnight French Toast Casserole, grapes (x2)
-Coffee cake, bananas (x2)
-Eggs, muffins (x2)
-Cinnamon Roll Biscuits, Sausage links (x2)
Lunches:
-PB & Honey (x2)
-Totino's pizza rolls (x2)
-Hot Dogs (x2)
-Leftovers (x4)
-Tortilla rollups (x2)
(yes, lots of unhealthy lunches. haha! Just trying to go with easy, quick things...as I'm hoping we'll be outside a lot the next 2 weeks...if the weather cooperates!)
Snacks:
-Fruit (this week, we have pears, bananas, black plums, red seedless grapes, and a couple apples)
-Cheese Taquitos
-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
-Brown Sugar Biscuit Twists
-Country Coffee Cake (leftover from breakfasts)
Dinners:
-Marinated Chicken, Brown Rice, Green Beans
-Red Lobster (for Iris' birthday - she got to pick where she wanted to eat)
-Crockpot Italian Chicken, White Rice, Salad
-Chicken Nuggets, Corn, Carrots
-Shredded Pork, Potatoes, Green Beans
-Brown Bag Burritos (meatless), Salad
-BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Chips, Applesauce
-Chicken Veggie Bake, Homemade Rolls
-Pasta and Sauce with Cheese, Homemade Garlic Bread, Salad
-Chicken & Bean Skillet, Pinto Beans
-Marinated Chicken Tenders, Egg Noodles, Carrots
-Pork Burritos (from freezer), Green Rice Casserole
-4th of July - probably will eat out or cookout with in-laws
So, there's my lengthy list. Tonight is Crockpot Italian Chicken, but I made it on Wednesday while I was making a bunch of other things. We just have to reheat it, make the rice and salad and we're ready to eat! :)
Here is my menu plan for the next 2 weeks, til I do regular shopping again.
Breakfasts:
-Homemade bagels with cream cheese and homemade freezer jam, scrambled eggs
-Pancakes, bananas (x2)
-Omelets, sausage, orange slices
-Overnight French Toast Casserole, grapes (x2)
-Coffee cake, bananas (x2)
-Eggs, muffins (x2)
-Cinnamon Roll Biscuits, Sausage links (x2)
Lunches:
-PB & Honey (x2)
-Totino's pizza rolls (x2)
-Hot Dogs (x2)
-Leftovers (x4)
-Tortilla rollups (x2)
(yes, lots of unhealthy lunches. haha! Just trying to go with easy, quick things...as I'm hoping we'll be outside a lot the next 2 weeks...if the weather cooperates!)
Snacks:
-Fruit (this week, we have pears, bananas, black plums, red seedless grapes, and a couple apples)
-Cheese Taquitos
-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
-Brown Sugar Biscuit Twists
-Country Coffee Cake (leftover from breakfasts)
Dinners:
-Marinated Chicken, Brown Rice, Green Beans
-Red Lobster (for Iris' birthday - she got to pick where she wanted to eat)
-Crockpot Italian Chicken, White Rice, Salad
-Chicken Nuggets, Corn, Carrots
-Shredded Pork, Potatoes, Green Beans
-Brown Bag Burritos (meatless), Salad
-BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Chips, Applesauce
-Chicken Veggie Bake, Homemade Rolls
-Pasta and Sauce with Cheese, Homemade Garlic Bread, Salad
-Chicken & Bean Skillet, Pinto Beans
-Marinated Chicken Tenders, Egg Noodles, Carrots
-Pork Burritos (from freezer), Green Rice Casserole
-4th of July - probably will eat out or cookout with in-laws
So, there's my lengthy list. Tonight is Crockpot Italian Chicken, but I made it on Wednesday while I was making a bunch of other things. We just have to reheat it, make the rice and salad and we're ready to eat! :)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Basic Kitchen: Healthy Homemade
It amazes me how much pre-packaged things we consume each day. Convenience foods are very popular, especially if both parents work. And even in homes where one parent stays home (ahem, OUR home), pre-made things are pretty popular as well.
I can understand why the number of obese children is astronomical....we simply don't take the time to make things from scratch. Sometimes, we don't even bother to learn how...even if it is a simple and QUICK process.
Pretty much anything we eat regularly can be made from scratch, or at least some version of that food can be made.
Bagels, english muffins, any kind of muffin, cakes, pies, cookies, granola, oatmeal, pop-tarts, granola bars, breakfast sandwiches (for pennies, compared to the several dollars they cost at the fast food places!), soups, deli sandwiches, breads, etc.
I have used Google to search for all kinds of recipes. Here are a few of my favorite sites for recipes on everything homemade:
AllRecipes
Lynn's Kitchen Adventures
MoneySavingMom
Confessions of Homeschooler
I have several more, but these are some I check often for new recipes. They often link up with other blogs or sites with their newest recipes, so you can search those other sites, too, for more recipes.
Things that are pre-made and sold at the stores are so full of things we really don't need - loads of sodium, preservatives, additives, and other unnatural things. If you make your own, you can know exactly what's in there and how much.
And, if you try one thing homemade, you might end up LOVING it and trying more. Before you know it, you'll be buying less of the crap at the stores and making more on your own...which is healthier and TASTIER, for sure!
I can understand why the number of obese children is astronomical....we simply don't take the time to make things from scratch. Sometimes, we don't even bother to learn how...even if it is a simple and QUICK process.
Pretty much anything we eat regularly can be made from scratch, or at least some version of that food can be made.
Bagels, english muffins, any kind of muffin, cakes, pies, cookies, granola, oatmeal, pop-tarts, granola bars, breakfast sandwiches (for pennies, compared to the several dollars they cost at the fast food places!), soups, deli sandwiches, breads, etc.
I have used Google to search for all kinds of recipes. Here are a few of my favorite sites for recipes on everything homemade:
AllRecipes
Lynn's Kitchen Adventures
MoneySavingMom
Confessions of Homeschooler
I have several more, but these are some I check often for new recipes. They often link up with other blogs or sites with their newest recipes, so you can search those other sites, too, for more recipes.
Things that are pre-made and sold at the stores are so full of things we really don't need - loads of sodium, preservatives, additives, and other unnatural things. If you make your own, you can know exactly what's in there and how much.
And, if you try one thing homemade, you might end up LOVING it and trying more. Before you know it, you'll be buying less of the crap at the stores and making more on your own...which is healthier and TASTIER, for sure!
Friday, June 17, 2011
House Help: Laundry Lament :)
Up until two weeks ago, I had planned on posting about how we should all do laundry on one day each week, so that it doesn't drag out over several days.
SINCE having a new baby in the house, I have found that washing clothes for 6 people is A LOT of clothing. :) Babies have a way of dirtying several outfits each day, as well as burp rags and blankets. Between spit up and poop, this little bundle of joy has created quite the mountain of laundry for me!
I designate every Monday as laundry day. I try not to schedule any doctor, dentist, or other appointments for Mondays. We tend to not run any errands and stick close to home, so that we can tackle all the dirty clothes in one day.
Lately, I have also been washing sheets, towels, bathroom rugs (little bottoms have been dirtying these with accidents or dirty shoes or dropping toothpaste!) and a load of socks and underwear later in the week, like Thursday or Friday. This week, I did 4 extra loads of laundry - yesterday I washed all the dirty sheets and the heavy blanket from our bed (it'd been awhile since it was washed) and today I did a load of socks and underwear as well as a load of rugs.
So, what kind of help can I offer with regard to laundry?....now that my whole opinion of it has changed. :) My advice is this: stay on top of it.
If you designate a day to laundry, DO the laundry that day. Start it first thing in the morning. Keep up with it when the cycles end. Switch the loads out right away. Fold and put away everything as it's done washing and drying. The more you leave in a pile or basket to do later, the less likely you are to sit down and do it. For me, it's all mental - if I have more than one clean load sitting there waiting to be folded and put away, I will see how large the pile is and keep putting it off. Right now, I have a basket with the load of socks and undies sitting here staring at me. The rugs load just ended in the dryer, so I really need to get this basket of laundry here folded!
If you need to do an extra load each day, do it! Throw it in first thing in the morning, rather than leave it for later in the day when you're bogged down with other activities and your energy level is depleted. :)
If you have to keep changing the routine or way you do it to find a way that works, DO IT! You won't find the best way for you to stay on top of it, if you give up and just settle with never being able to get it done.
On that note, I'm off to fold!
SINCE having a new baby in the house, I have found that washing clothes for 6 people is A LOT of clothing. :) Babies have a way of dirtying several outfits each day, as well as burp rags and blankets. Between spit up and poop, this little bundle of joy has created quite the mountain of laundry for me!
I designate every Monday as laundry day. I try not to schedule any doctor, dentist, or other appointments for Mondays. We tend to not run any errands and stick close to home, so that we can tackle all the dirty clothes in one day.
Lately, I have also been washing sheets, towels, bathroom rugs (little bottoms have been dirtying these with accidents or dirty shoes or dropping toothpaste!) and a load of socks and underwear later in the week, like Thursday or Friday. This week, I did 4 extra loads of laundry - yesterday I washed all the dirty sheets and the heavy blanket from our bed (it'd been awhile since it was washed) and today I did a load of socks and underwear as well as a load of rugs.
So, what kind of help can I offer with regard to laundry?....now that my whole opinion of it has changed. :) My advice is this: stay on top of it.
If you designate a day to laundry, DO the laundry that day. Start it first thing in the morning. Keep up with it when the cycles end. Switch the loads out right away. Fold and put away everything as it's done washing and drying. The more you leave in a pile or basket to do later, the less likely you are to sit down and do it. For me, it's all mental - if I have more than one clean load sitting there waiting to be folded and put away, I will see how large the pile is and keep putting it off. Right now, I have a basket with the load of socks and undies sitting here staring at me. The rugs load just ended in the dryer, so I really need to get this basket of laundry here folded!
If you need to do an extra load each day, do it! Throw it in first thing in the morning, rather than leave it for later in the day when you're bogged down with other activities and your energy level is depleted. :)
If you have to keep changing the routine or way you do it to find a way that works, DO IT! You won't find the best way for you to stay on top of it, if you give up and just settle with never being able to get it done.
On that note, I'm off to fold!
Favorite Food Deal of the Week: Pampers CAT Deal
There was a CAT deal from Pampers this week: If you bought $20 worth of Pampers diapers or wipes, you got a $5 CAT for your next Pampers purchase!
With 2 in diapers now (yes, I need to get Addy out of diapers! working on that...), I love these types of deals. It is slightly disappointing that the CAT isn't good on any purchase, but since I'll be in need of diapers again soon I will be able to use this CAT for sure!
I was at Meijer and purchased one Jumbo pack of Pampers Swaddlers (size 1) for $8.99, one Jumbo pack of Pampers size 3 (NOT the cruisers because there are fewer in the Cruisers' packs) for $8.99, and one container of 72 ct wipes for $2.29. I used two $1.50 off any Pampers diapers coupons and one $1 off any 64 ct or higher wipes package. I paid $16.27 (and tax) for all and received a $5 CAT. So, actually, it was $11.27 for two jumbo packs of diapers and a box of wipes! Not bad!!
I'm sure I've found better deals on diapers and wipes, but I was very pleased with this deal because of our need for diapers!
With 2 in diapers now (yes, I need to get Addy out of diapers! working on that...), I love these types of deals. It is slightly disappointing that the CAT isn't good on any purchase, but since I'll be in need of diapers again soon I will be able to use this CAT for sure!
I was at Meijer and purchased one Jumbo pack of Pampers Swaddlers (size 1) for $8.99, one Jumbo pack of Pampers size 3 (NOT the cruisers because there are fewer in the Cruisers' packs) for $8.99, and one container of 72 ct wipes for $2.29. I used two $1.50 off any Pampers diapers coupons and one $1 off any 64 ct or higher wipes package. I paid $16.27 (and tax) for all and received a $5 CAT. So, actually, it was $11.27 for two jumbo packs of diapers and a box of wipes! Not bad!!
I'm sure I've found better deals on diapers and wipes, but I was very pleased with this deal because of our need for diapers!
Menu Plan: June 17-21
Here's my menu plan for the couple days remaining until my next shopping trip. Having 4 kids and still working to adjust to the chaos :) is keeping me from being more consistent with the blog. Hoping to get back on track (and on time!) soon.
Breakfasts:
-Muffins (banana chocolate chip and/or cranberry apple), yogurt
-Egg, bacon, cheese sandwiches, apple slices
-Leftovers (amish baked oatmeal from earlier in week)
-French Toast Casserole
Lunch:
-Peanut Butter and honey sandwiches, banana, yogurt
-leftovers
-lunch at my parents' house (Sat.)
-lunch at in-laws' house (Sun.)
Dinner:
-Dinner with my parents (sat.)
-Dinner with my in-laws (Sun.)
-Skillet rice w/ground turkey, corn, salad (dessert: brown sugar biscuit twists!! yum!)
-Hot Dogs, chips, green beans, carrot sticks
Pretty boring menu, but we will be with my family tomorrow and with my in-laws on Sunday, so it's mostly just today and Monday and Tuesday that need to be planned.
Breakfasts:
-Muffins (banana chocolate chip and/or cranberry apple), yogurt
-Egg, bacon, cheese sandwiches, apple slices
-Leftovers (amish baked oatmeal from earlier in week)
-French Toast Casserole
Lunch:
-Peanut Butter and honey sandwiches, banana, yogurt
-leftovers
-lunch at my parents' house (Sat.)
-lunch at in-laws' house (Sun.)
Dinner:
-Dinner with my parents (sat.)
-Dinner with my in-laws (Sun.)
-Skillet rice w/ground turkey, corn, salad (dessert: brown sugar biscuit twists!! yum!)
-Hot Dogs, chips, green beans, carrot sticks
Pretty boring menu, but we will be with my family tomorrow and with my in-laws on Sunday, so it's mostly just today and Monday and Tuesday that need to be planned.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Basic Kitchen: Saute, Simmer, Steam
Three types of stove top cooking, include sauteing, simmering, and steaming.
Sauteing is cooking food at a high heat in a little oil. The foods are usually cut into small pieces, to help with fast cooking. A lot of times, I see this type of cooking for the veggies in a recipe. Onions and green peppers are chopped small and sauteed for a few minutes before adding meats a lot of times. When sauteing, make sure you either stir the foods often or jerk the pan to flip the foods around, to prevent burning. Also, you want to use a large enough pan so that all the foods can lie in the pan in one layer. This helps the foods to cook evenly and quickly. The amount of oil you use is key - only enough to coat the bottom of the pan. You don't want to have it deep enough to FRY the foods. Just enough to keep them foods from sticking to the pan and to give a little flavor.
The next type is simmering. This is when you cook foods in hot liquids kept at or just below boiling. Crockpots simmer foods. The types of foods you would simmer are stews, soups, and chilis. Also, if you're cooking rice, this is also simmering - you bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the temp to keep the foods cooking but not enough to boil them continuously.
Lastly, there is steaming. There are pans made specifically for this type of cooking. The process of steaming includes bringing a pot of water to a boil, placing the steamer on top of that pot and placing the foods in the steamer to cook. The steam from the boiling water cooks the foods. This is recommended for veggies, to retain the most vitamins in them. It is also great to avoid burning foods! :) You can cook practically anything this way.
Now, the next time you have a recipe that calls for a particular way of cooking, you will know exactly what they're talking about!
Sauteing is cooking food at a high heat in a little oil. The foods are usually cut into small pieces, to help with fast cooking. A lot of times, I see this type of cooking for the veggies in a recipe. Onions and green peppers are chopped small and sauteed for a few minutes before adding meats a lot of times. When sauteing, make sure you either stir the foods often or jerk the pan to flip the foods around, to prevent burning. Also, you want to use a large enough pan so that all the foods can lie in the pan in one layer. This helps the foods to cook evenly and quickly. The amount of oil you use is key - only enough to coat the bottom of the pan. You don't want to have it deep enough to FRY the foods. Just enough to keep them foods from sticking to the pan and to give a little flavor.
The next type is simmering. This is when you cook foods in hot liquids kept at or just below boiling. Crockpots simmer foods. The types of foods you would simmer are stews, soups, and chilis. Also, if you're cooking rice, this is also simmering - you bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the temp to keep the foods cooking but not enough to boil them continuously.
Lastly, there is steaming. There are pans made specifically for this type of cooking. The process of steaming includes bringing a pot of water to a boil, placing the steamer on top of that pot and placing the foods in the steamer to cook. The steam from the boiling water cooks the foods. This is recommended for veggies, to retain the most vitamins in them. It is also great to avoid burning foods! :) You can cook practically anything this way.
Now, the next time you have a recipe that calls for a particular way of cooking, you will know exactly what they're talking about!
Motherhood Mania: I Think We're Alone Now...
Saturday, my first day alone with all 4 kids, went perfect! All 4 of them napped, and I got a few minutes to myself. I have to work on timing it just right, so that I nurse Artie after the girls quiet down for naps. This helps him get a nap in, and I can enjoy a quiet lunch. :)
Sunday didn't go very well. No one napped, the baby was fussy, and I was done, mentally! The girls were acting up. It was a bit chilly to take the baby out, so we just stayed in. I reorganized all the cupboards in the kitchen. It took me all day. I reorganized the pantry as well and even added a 3-drawer rolling cart in there for storage. I'm happy with how it turned out - much more functional and I now have "stations". I read in another mom's blog about creating stations in the kitchen for different tasks/things. It made so much sense to group things together for how they're used, not just because they are like items.
I now have a beverage station - one shelf that has mugs, teas, hot cocoa mixes, a sugar bowl, and instant coffee packets. Directly below that cupboard is where I've relocated the coffeemaker. So, now, in the morning, we don't have to pull down the coffeemaker from on top of the fridge, then find the mugs in another area, then go get the sugar from yet another area. It's all there, together. So clever!
Then, I moved the microwave from our largest section of counter space to a small area. I made the largest section of counter the baking station. Directly below it, in the drawer, are utensils used solely for baking. Below that is 2 cupboards that I filled with all the pans, mixing bowls, and appliances I use for baking everything! It is so handy. I used that station this morning to make some cran-apple muffins and it worked wonderfully!
Those are the only 2 stations I organized. Everything else is sort of how it was. The pantry was reorganized to have everything the girls use within their reach. I might regret this later, when I find spilled cereal or they've eaten too many snacks! :) I put all the breakfast foods on the bottom shelf, so they can grab what they want on cereal days. Then, the middle drawer of the cart has all things snack related - raisins, dried cranberries, marshmallows, rice krispie treats, goldfish, ginger crackers, fruit snacks, etc.
I made things accessible for the girls so if they are in need of something and I'm busy with the baby, I can instruct them to get it out themselves. They were so excited about the snack drawer! :) Hopefully, they don't sneak anything without asking!
Today has been going well. I'm working on laundry, and we had 2 visitors this morning - a friend of mine and her little girl, who went to preschool with Iris last year. My girls were so excited to see the daughter! It's been several days since they've played with other kids. And I was happy to have another mom as company. (It's been several days for me, too!) They bought Artie a handprint kit, so we can make his handprint in clay! I'm so excited to do this. I've done it with the girls (just last year, actually, and not as babies), so I'm happy to being doing Artie's hands as well!
I am hoping to get to the grocery store on Wednesday. It'll be my first time out with all the kids, so pray for me! I plan to have the baby in the Moby wrap on me, and have the girls in the kid-friendly cart. Meijer, Dominick's and Target all have those carts that seat 3 kids. Jewel does not, so I don't know if we'll go there...seems like I'd be ASKING for trouble! Haha!
One other thing...I cannot believe how BIG Artie is already! He was 8 pounds 13 ounces at 6 days old (up 9 ounces in 3 days between his doctor visits!!). He did not fit into most of the newborn outfits I had for him and he is quickly outgrowing the 0-3 month size clothing! So, pretty much everything I borrowed from my sister for him is no longer fitting (or didn't fit at all!). This just seems crazy to me. Today he is in a 3 month size outfit! I am, again, so thankful for the surprise shower my girlfriends had for me, because I'm already into clothing I received there! If I didn't have that, I'd be out buying clothes. $$$$
My sister-in-law is graciously allowing my sister and me to go through her boy clothing, up to size 2T!! She is having their 4th baby this Fall; it is another girl (that'll be 2 and 2 for them!). She is wanting to sell her boy clothing, but she is letting us go through it first to see if there's anything we need/want.
I am so grateful to have such wonderful members of our extended family, who are so willing to let us borrow/have clothing. It saves so much money for us! I am sad to think of the day when our kids are too big to get any hand-me-downs! I'll actually have to start budgeting for clothing. Boo!
Sunday didn't go very well. No one napped, the baby was fussy, and I was done, mentally! The girls were acting up. It was a bit chilly to take the baby out, so we just stayed in. I reorganized all the cupboards in the kitchen. It took me all day. I reorganized the pantry as well and even added a 3-drawer rolling cart in there for storage. I'm happy with how it turned out - much more functional and I now have "stations". I read in another mom's blog about creating stations in the kitchen for different tasks/things. It made so much sense to group things together for how they're used, not just because they are like items.
I now have a beverage station - one shelf that has mugs, teas, hot cocoa mixes, a sugar bowl, and instant coffee packets. Directly below that cupboard is where I've relocated the coffeemaker. So, now, in the morning, we don't have to pull down the coffeemaker from on top of the fridge, then find the mugs in another area, then go get the sugar from yet another area. It's all there, together. So clever!
Then, I moved the microwave from our largest section of counter space to a small area. I made the largest section of counter the baking station. Directly below it, in the drawer, are utensils used solely for baking. Below that is 2 cupboards that I filled with all the pans, mixing bowls, and appliances I use for baking everything! It is so handy. I used that station this morning to make some cran-apple muffins and it worked wonderfully!
Those are the only 2 stations I organized. Everything else is sort of how it was. The pantry was reorganized to have everything the girls use within their reach. I might regret this later, when I find spilled cereal or they've eaten too many snacks! :) I put all the breakfast foods on the bottom shelf, so they can grab what they want on cereal days. Then, the middle drawer of the cart has all things snack related - raisins, dried cranberries, marshmallows, rice krispie treats, goldfish, ginger crackers, fruit snacks, etc.
I made things accessible for the girls so if they are in need of something and I'm busy with the baby, I can instruct them to get it out themselves. They were so excited about the snack drawer! :) Hopefully, they don't sneak anything without asking!
Today has been going well. I'm working on laundry, and we had 2 visitors this morning - a friend of mine and her little girl, who went to preschool with Iris last year. My girls were so excited to see the daughter! It's been several days since they've played with other kids. And I was happy to have another mom as company. (It's been several days for me, too!) They bought Artie a handprint kit, so we can make his handprint in clay! I'm so excited to do this. I've done it with the girls (just last year, actually, and not as babies), so I'm happy to being doing Artie's hands as well!
I am hoping to get to the grocery store on Wednesday. It'll be my first time out with all the kids, so pray for me! I plan to have the baby in the Moby wrap on me, and have the girls in the kid-friendly cart. Meijer, Dominick's and Target all have those carts that seat 3 kids. Jewel does not, so I don't know if we'll go there...seems like I'd be ASKING for trouble! Haha!
One other thing...I cannot believe how BIG Artie is already! He was 8 pounds 13 ounces at 6 days old (up 9 ounces in 3 days between his doctor visits!!). He did not fit into most of the newborn outfits I had for him and he is quickly outgrowing the 0-3 month size clothing! So, pretty much everything I borrowed from my sister for him is no longer fitting (or didn't fit at all!). This just seems crazy to me. Today he is in a 3 month size outfit! I am, again, so thankful for the surprise shower my girlfriends had for me, because I'm already into clothing I received there! If I didn't have that, I'd be out buying clothes. $$$$
My sister-in-law is graciously allowing my sister and me to go through her boy clothing, up to size 2T!! She is having their 4th baby this Fall; it is another girl (that'll be 2 and 2 for them!). She is wanting to sell her boy clothing, but she is letting us go through it first to see if there's anything we need/want.
I am so grateful to have such wonderful members of our extended family, who are so willing to let us borrow/have clothing. It saves so much money for us! I am sad to think of the day when our kids are too big to get any hand-me-downs! I'll actually have to start budgeting for clothing. Boo!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
House Help: Kid Chores
I am looking forward to the day when my kids can help more with cleaning and housework, though I think then I'd miss being needed as much by them. :)
For now, I will just be content with having my older girls help out with what they can and enjoy our time of working together on things.
My oldest is going to be 5 this month. I believe that even the youngest of kids (that can walk at least) can help out around the house. Iris has being "helping" since she was very little. She used to really enjoy helping me with laundry - finding matching socks or sorting clothes by the person or folding washcloths. Not so much anymore. She enjoys bigger jobs - dusting, wiping windows, helping vacuum. I let her do things when I remember, but I still have a few items she is responsible to do, with or without my reminders:
-Make her bed.
-Brush her own teeth.
-Put her dirty clothes in the hamper.
-Pick up after herself.
-Set the table for dinner.
-Take her dirty dishes to the sink.
-Help out with her siblings when I need her to.
She, as any child does from time to time, complains and tries to argue with me. :) But, for the most part, I think she understands why we expect these things - because she's the oldest and is capable of helping and every person in the family is expected to help out. And she knows that the sooner we get the chores done, the sooner we can enjoy play time or a movie or whatever.
Lily is 3 1/2. She likes to do what Iris does, but she is still limited slightly with her motor skills. She is an EXCELLENT washcloth and hand towel folder. :) She really likes to do it, too, thankfully! I let her sort the washcloths by the location they belong (bathrooms, kitchen) and she is able to fold and put them away. She also is responsible to take her dishes to the sink after meals, but she struggles some times with balancing her fork on her plate, so it does take her a bit longer than Iris. Regardless, she is expected to do the following:
-Make her bed (she is GREAT at this as well!).
-Brush her teeth.
-Put dirty clothes in hamper.
-Put dirty dishes in sink.
-Help set the table (usually just her spot and not usually carrying anything glass).
-Pick up after herself.
She doesn't quite understand WHY we give each person jobs to do, but she sees that Mom, Dad and Iris all has things they do regularly, so she joins in with her jobs. :) At least we're starting the habit of working around the house; she'll eventually understand and see why we all work around here.
Addy is 2. She is not quite able to actually HELP with much, but she likes to pull out matching socks from the laundry, sort washcloths from towels, and help me take the dog out. She is allowed to set her spot at the table, as long as I watch her carry the items from the kitchen over to her table spot (if unsupervised, she sometimes walks away to another area of the house with her fork and spoon!). Her "jobs" are:
-Put dirty clothes in hamper.
-Assist with brushing her teeth.
-Help with laundry when she wants (nothing required yet, for her).
-Help set her spot at table for dinner.
-Help pick up toys after play.
Of course, Baby Artie doesn't do anything yet. :) His job is to eat, sleep, and poo. So far, he's doing a fantastic job with that! LOL.
I used to give out allowance for the girls when they completed their chore charts, but I fell behind on it and eventually quit paying them altogether. For now, I'm just working on making habits with them to help out. We'll get to the money part probably in the next year or so, once they understand money's value and what to do with it. Iris, I think, understands to save money and give tithe, but I don't think she'll relate the working to the money yet so I'll hold off for now. I am torn with how to approach the relationship of money to chores.
I want my kids to do things because they want to be helpful for their family, but I also want to be able to show them that no one lives for free. They aren't going to get an allowance if they aren't going to do the work...but I don't want them to do the work ONLY to get the money. I guess I'll have to work on showing them we all do our share because we care about our family, and that certain things we'll do because we're a part of the family and certain other things we do in order to get "paid".
Both Arthur and myself we raised with a healthy view of money and work. I think we both have good work ethics and that we understand responsibility and work. I didn't get an allowance as a child; I was just expected to help out with certain things and whatever else my mother needed our help with. We all knew our place and that in order for the family to function we all had to do something around the house. My brothers were almost always responsible for the trash, and my sister and I did the dishwasher. We all shared the lawn mowing at some point (except my sister, who has allergies - LUCKY! lol.), and we all had to keep our own rooms clean and help with laundry. Arthur had to do his own laundry, started working while in high school, and was responsible to pay for his own college tuition.
I just pray that our kids understand why it's important to help out and also that people don't get paid to just sit around. :)
For now, I will just be content with having my older girls help out with what they can and enjoy our time of working together on things.
My oldest is going to be 5 this month. I believe that even the youngest of kids (that can walk at least) can help out around the house. Iris has being "helping" since she was very little. She used to really enjoy helping me with laundry - finding matching socks or sorting clothes by the person or folding washcloths. Not so much anymore. She enjoys bigger jobs - dusting, wiping windows, helping vacuum. I let her do things when I remember, but I still have a few items she is responsible to do, with or without my reminders:
-Make her bed.
-Brush her own teeth.
-Put her dirty clothes in the hamper.
-Pick up after herself.
-Set the table for dinner.
-Take her dirty dishes to the sink.
-Help out with her siblings when I need her to.
She, as any child does from time to time, complains and tries to argue with me. :) But, for the most part, I think she understands why we expect these things - because she's the oldest and is capable of helping and every person in the family is expected to help out. And she knows that the sooner we get the chores done, the sooner we can enjoy play time or a movie or whatever.
Lily is 3 1/2. She likes to do what Iris does, but she is still limited slightly with her motor skills. She is an EXCELLENT washcloth and hand towel folder. :) She really likes to do it, too, thankfully! I let her sort the washcloths by the location they belong (bathrooms, kitchen) and she is able to fold and put them away. She also is responsible to take her dishes to the sink after meals, but she struggles some times with balancing her fork on her plate, so it does take her a bit longer than Iris. Regardless, she is expected to do the following:
-Make her bed (she is GREAT at this as well!).
-Brush her teeth.
-Put dirty clothes in hamper.
-Put dirty dishes in sink.
-Help set the table (usually just her spot and not usually carrying anything glass).
-Pick up after herself.
She doesn't quite understand WHY we give each person jobs to do, but she sees that Mom, Dad and Iris all has things they do regularly, so she joins in with her jobs. :) At least we're starting the habit of working around the house; she'll eventually understand and see why we all work around here.
Addy is 2. She is not quite able to actually HELP with much, but she likes to pull out matching socks from the laundry, sort washcloths from towels, and help me take the dog out. She is allowed to set her spot at the table, as long as I watch her carry the items from the kitchen over to her table spot (if unsupervised, she sometimes walks away to another area of the house with her fork and spoon!). Her "jobs" are:
-Put dirty clothes in hamper.
-Assist with brushing her teeth.
-Help with laundry when she wants (nothing required yet, for her).
-Help set her spot at table for dinner.
-Help pick up toys after play.
Of course, Baby Artie doesn't do anything yet. :) His job is to eat, sleep, and poo. So far, he's doing a fantastic job with that! LOL.
I used to give out allowance for the girls when they completed their chore charts, but I fell behind on it and eventually quit paying them altogether. For now, I'm just working on making habits with them to help out. We'll get to the money part probably in the next year or so, once they understand money's value and what to do with it. Iris, I think, understands to save money and give tithe, but I don't think she'll relate the working to the money yet so I'll hold off for now. I am torn with how to approach the relationship of money to chores.
I want my kids to do things because they want to be helpful for their family, but I also want to be able to show them that no one lives for free. They aren't going to get an allowance if they aren't going to do the work...but I don't want them to do the work ONLY to get the money. I guess I'll have to work on showing them we all do our share because we care about our family, and that certain things we'll do because we're a part of the family and certain other things we do in order to get "paid".
Both Arthur and myself we raised with a healthy view of money and work. I think we both have good work ethics and that we understand responsibility and work. I didn't get an allowance as a child; I was just expected to help out with certain things and whatever else my mother needed our help with. We all knew our place and that in order for the family to function we all had to do something around the house. My brothers were almost always responsible for the trash, and my sister and I did the dishwasher. We all shared the lawn mowing at some point (except my sister, who has allergies - LUCKY! lol.), and we all had to keep our own rooms clean and help with laundry. Arthur had to do his own laundry, started working while in high school, and was responsible to pay for his own college tuition.
I just pray that our kids understand why it's important to help out and also that people don't get paid to just sit around. :)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Favorite Food Deal of the Week: Ivory Soap
Ok, so this is not a FOOD deal, but it's a good one, nonetheless.
This week, CVS had Ivory Bar soap 3-packs on sale for $.99. There are $1.00 off any Ivory Soap coupons from one of May's inserts. I had 2 of them (couldn't find my third one), so I ended up with 6 bars of soap for free!
Ivory is a nice soap because it is almost 100% natural and it has no perfumes....which irritates my girls' eczema and my acne. We don't use bar soap very often at all, but with the summer starting I think I'll keep a bar of it in a container in the garage to have the girls wash up outside before coming in after playing. That'll keep my downstairs bathroom a little cleaner. :)
This $.99 soap sale is good through Saturday, so get out and get some free soap! Even if you don't have the coupons, 3 bars of dye/perfume-free soap is a good deal!
This week, CVS had Ivory Bar soap 3-packs on sale for $.99. There are $1.00 off any Ivory Soap coupons from one of May's inserts. I had 2 of them (couldn't find my third one), so I ended up with 6 bars of soap for free!
Ivory is a nice soap because it is almost 100% natural and it has no perfumes....which irritates my girls' eczema and my acne. We don't use bar soap very often at all, but with the summer starting I think I'll keep a bar of it in a container in the garage to have the girls wash up outside before coming in after playing. That'll keep my downstairs bathroom a little cleaner. :)
This $.99 soap sale is good through Saturday, so get out and get some free soap! Even if you don't have the coupons, 3 bars of dye/perfume-free soap is a good deal!
I'm Back!
After a great 10 days of adjusting, I am ready to be back on the blog! Today is my husband's first day back to work, but I have my youngest sister here to help out with the kids. I am feeling very well, so that is wonderful! The baby is so easy - eating well, sleeping pretty well (3-4 hrs at a time at night!...haven't had that since Iris!), and generally just likes to sleep or be held. And, that is totally ok with me!
This morning, after hubby left, I got out some "school" workbooks for the girls to work on. Iris did great with the "greater than/less than" themes, and Lily was a bit distracted to work on rhyming but she had fun circling and coloring.
Addy seems to be struggling right now. She is talking back, throwing tantrums and just all around whiny. I expected it - each of my girls went through it when the next one was born. It takes some getting used to and patience on our end. For her, she'll have to just get over it. Not paying attention to the tantrum, walking away and ignoring her all together while she throws herself around is what I think will work best. Disciplining her for crying or throwing herself on the floor doesn't seem to do anything but give her attention, which is what she ultimately wants....so if I ignore her, I think that sends a bigger message that she'll lose out on any attention if she acts that way. But, we'll see - she's 2, so this might take a while. :)
I will start up again with my daily theme with today's Favorite Food Deal of the Week...as my next post. I am hoping to stay on top of each day's posts, but my husband is actually scheduled off tomorrow and Friday, so if I miss those days I apologize. I should be able to double up on posts on Saturday to make up for any missed ones for Thursday and Friday.
We are taking my sister home tonight, so Saturday will be my first day alone ALL DAY with the kids. :) I am ready to get back to our routine and to find a way to make this work. :) Iris and Lily are pretty helpful, but they still have their arguments and moments of teasing each other. And I think being stuck inside during this heat wave makes them feel a little bored, so I need to stay on top of changing activities for them frequently. I think Saturday will be a little cooler and sunny, so maybe we can get outside with Artie for some fresh air!
This morning, after hubby left, I got out some "school" workbooks for the girls to work on. Iris did great with the "greater than/less than" themes, and Lily was a bit distracted to work on rhyming but she had fun circling and coloring.
Addy seems to be struggling right now. She is talking back, throwing tantrums and just all around whiny. I expected it - each of my girls went through it when the next one was born. It takes some getting used to and patience on our end. For her, she'll have to just get over it. Not paying attention to the tantrum, walking away and ignoring her all together while she throws herself around is what I think will work best. Disciplining her for crying or throwing herself on the floor doesn't seem to do anything but give her attention, which is what she ultimately wants....so if I ignore her, I think that sends a bigger message that she'll lose out on any attention if she acts that way. But, we'll see - she's 2, so this might take a while. :)
I will start up again with my daily theme with today's Favorite Food Deal of the Week...as my next post. I am hoping to stay on top of each day's posts, but my husband is actually scheduled off tomorrow and Friday, so if I miss those days I apologize. I should be able to double up on posts on Saturday to make up for any missed ones for Thursday and Friday.
We are taking my sister home tonight, so Saturday will be my first day alone ALL DAY with the kids. :) I am ready to get back to our routine and to find a way to make this work. :) Iris and Lily are pretty helpful, but they still have their arguments and moments of teasing each other. And I think being stuck inside during this heat wave makes them feel a little bored, so I need to stay on top of changing activities for them frequently. I think Saturday will be a little cooler and sunny, so maybe we can get outside with Artie for some fresh air!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
He is Here!!
Baby Artie has arrived! He was born on Sunday, May 29 at 9:52 AM. He weighed in at 8 pounds 10 ounces and is 20 1/2 inches long! Big boy!
I woke up Sunday morning around 2 or 3 AM and had a few painful contractions but I was able to fall back asleep. Then, I noted a time of 4:09 when I had a very painful contraction....it was definitely different than the Braxton-Hicks contractions. I got up to use the bathroom and try and walk off the pain. Arthur woke up a little bit later and I told him I'd had 3 at irregular times. I went downstairs because I couldn't go back to sleep, and they just started getting more consistent and more painful. I knew this was it, so I hopped in the shower at 5AM and then called my doctor. She delivered Addy and knew of my quick labors, so she said to go on in to the hospital....even though the contractions were not regular times apart (it was like 8 minutes, then 12 minutes, then 5 minutes, etc). She said she trusted my judgment.
We called Arthur's parents to come stay with the girls and then got to the hospital around 6AM. When they checked I was only 2 cm dilated. SOOOOO frustrating, but then I remembered I wasn't much further along with Addy but that I progressed very quickly. They ended up talking with my doctor by phone and decided I should stay. So began the wait. No pain meds. I got all hooked up to the monitors and they got the IV thing set up for the "just in case" moments. Then, I was able to walk around to help with the contraction pain. I am so thankful for that....I don't think I could've done the labor if I had to stay in bed!
Around 7:40 they checked again and I was at 6 cm! My water had not yet broken, so my doctor came in and broke it, thinking I would go even quicker at that point. Not so. I kind of plateaued for a bit at 7 cm. The doctor and nurse said they'd be down the hall and for Arthur to just let them know when I thought I was ready to push (my doctor REALLY trusted my judgment on this...based on my labor with Addy; I love that doctor...she's great!). So, I did have to stay in bed at this point because my water had broken and I was leaking, but I found a comfortable upright position that allowed me to rest on my hands when I needed to rock the pain away. Around 9:15, the pain became very intense. I started doing my third stage lamaze breathing but it was making me dizzy, so I just stuck with my slow, deep breaths from earlier in labor. Closing my eyes made me dizzy as well, so I really had to focus to do all my relaxation and focal stuff. I'm soooo glad I stuck with it - it really helped me to remember to breath and think through the pain. I used the wave and tunnel focal things - picturing the contraction as a wave and knowing it would crest at some point or thinking of a tunnel and that I could see the other end, but I had to keep walking to get there. I also used the thoughts of what was actually happening inside my body and how each contraction was moving the baby further and further down the birth canal and that every second of pain was a second closer to seeing him (that one helped the most!).
I had Arthur run out to get the nurse and doctor around 9:30, I think (didn't really note the time, just a guess). I told them I felt as though I was sitting on the baby's head, which is exactly what I felt with Addy right before I pushed. They came in (the room was already all set up) and the doctor said I measured 9cm but that I could probably push through and deliver at that point.
Two pushes and Artie's head was out. They had a mirror set up, so I could see him be born. It was amazing! Two more pushes and he was out. It hurt very bad....I won't lie. I felt like I was going to pass out briefly, just like with Addy. You never really get used to that pain. LOL. He had his right hand up by his face, so that kind of made the pain worse. Then, my doctor said "wow, this is a big baby for you." They weighed him and sure enough - 8 lbs and 10 oz! I was amazed. My belly never looked big enough for that size baby!! But, he was perfect and crying and I was elated. I held him right away and he latched on to nurse immediately! It was awesome!
After they took him to the nursery, they noticed his blood sugar was a little low (common in bigger babies, I guess), so they did give him formula to help with that. He was fine after that and with all the other sugar checks.
We came home the following day in the afternoon...I hate being in the hospital. It's boring, and I don't sleep well and I feel like I'm in more pain because I'm just sitting on that bed all day, unable to sit comfortably.
Today, I took him for his 3 day weight check. He is at 8lbs 4.5 oz, so he lost a little but is doing well. Slightly jaundice looking today, but the doctor isn't worried and didn't check his blood. I take him back on Saturday just to follow up on that. Otherwise, he is doing great.
The whole circumcision thing is different. I worry about getting peed on during diaper changes and about being extra careful when putting on the medicated ointment for the circumcision incision. It looks like it would be so painful, and I feel like I'm hurting him to apply it. :( But, he tolerates it and is doing great the doctor said.
The first night home, we had to wake him to eat after 4 hrs. Last night he wasn't as easy and fussed every other hour it seemed. So, I nursed him a lot more last night. Hoping that tonight goes smoothly, but he's been napping for 3 hours now (worn out from the dr's office, I think), so we'll see how tired he is tonight.
I am so happy he is here and that we are home now. He is absolutely perfect and gorgeous! I couldn't have asked for a better pregnancy and delivery. I am pretty sore and in pain most of the day, but I expected that. I don't remember this much pain with Addy afterward, but with her I took a prescription pain medication to help with that. I declined it this time because the cramps weren't too bad at the hospital and I figured there was no need to have that in my system while I'm nursing. I'm kind of thinking those meds would be nice at night for the cramps and pressure, but oh well. I'll tough it out. I made it through the delivery, so I'm pretty sure I can handle a few cramps. :)
I will put a picture up at some point. And, I will be taking a break from blogging until next week. We are trying to get a routine down and just stay awake during the day :), so I'll put off doing anything extra for the week.
Thanks for all the well wishes on Facebook and elsewhere. We are very blessed to be a family of 6 now!
I woke up Sunday morning around 2 or 3 AM and had a few painful contractions but I was able to fall back asleep. Then, I noted a time of 4:09 when I had a very painful contraction....it was definitely different than the Braxton-Hicks contractions. I got up to use the bathroom and try and walk off the pain. Arthur woke up a little bit later and I told him I'd had 3 at irregular times. I went downstairs because I couldn't go back to sleep, and they just started getting more consistent and more painful. I knew this was it, so I hopped in the shower at 5AM and then called my doctor. She delivered Addy and knew of my quick labors, so she said to go on in to the hospital....even though the contractions were not regular times apart (it was like 8 minutes, then 12 minutes, then 5 minutes, etc). She said she trusted my judgment.
We called Arthur's parents to come stay with the girls and then got to the hospital around 6AM. When they checked I was only 2 cm dilated. SOOOOO frustrating, but then I remembered I wasn't much further along with Addy but that I progressed very quickly. They ended up talking with my doctor by phone and decided I should stay. So began the wait. No pain meds. I got all hooked up to the monitors and they got the IV thing set up for the "just in case" moments. Then, I was able to walk around to help with the contraction pain. I am so thankful for that....I don't think I could've done the labor if I had to stay in bed!
Around 7:40 they checked again and I was at 6 cm! My water had not yet broken, so my doctor came in and broke it, thinking I would go even quicker at that point. Not so. I kind of plateaued for a bit at 7 cm. The doctor and nurse said they'd be down the hall and for Arthur to just let them know when I thought I was ready to push (my doctor REALLY trusted my judgment on this...based on my labor with Addy; I love that doctor...she's great!). So, I did have to stay in bed at this point because my water had broken and I was leaking, but I found a comfortable upright position that allowed me to rest on my hands when I needed to rock the pain away. Around 9:15, the pain became very intense. I started doing my third stage lamaze breathing but it was making me dizzy, so I just stuck with my slow, deep breaths from earlier in labor. Closing my eyes made me dizzy as well, so I really had to focus to do all my relaxation and focal stuff. I'm soooo glad I stuck with it - it really helped me to remember to breath and think through the pain. I used the wave and tunnel focal things - picturing the contraction as a wave and knowing it would crest at some point or thinking of a tunnel and that I could see the other end, but I had to keep walking to get there. I also used the thoughts of what was actually happening inside my body and how each contraction was moving the baby further and further down the birth canal and that every second of pain was a second closer to seeing him (that one helped the most!).
I had Arthur run out to get the nurse and doctor around 9:30, I think (didn't really note the time, just a guess). I told them I felt as though I was sitting on the baby's head, which is exactly what I felt with Addy right before I pushed. They came in (the room was already all set up) and the doctor said I measured 9cm but that I could probably push through and deliver at that point.
Two pushes and Artie's head was out. They had a mirror set up, so I could see him be born. It was amazing! Two more pushes and he was out. It hurt very bad....I won't lie. I felt like I was going to pass out briefly, just like with Addy. You never really get used to that pain. LOL. He had his right hand up by his face, so that kind of made the pain worse. Then, my doctor said "wow, this is a big baby for you." They weighed him and sure enough - 8 lbs and 10 oz! I was amazed. My belly never looked big enough for that size baby!! But, he was perfect and crying and I was elated. I held him right away and he latched on to nurse immediately! It was awesome!
After they took him to the nursery, they noticed his blood sugar was a little low (common in bigger babies, I guess), so they did give him formula to help with that. He was fine after that and with all the other sugar checks.
We came home the following day in the afternoon...I hate being in the hospital. It's boring, and I don't sleep well and I feel like I'm in more pain because I'm just sitting on that bed all day, unable to sit comfortably.
Today, I took him for his 3 day weight check. He is at 8lbs 4.5 oz, so he lost a little but is doing well. Slightly jaundice looking today, but the doctor isn't worried and didn't check his blood. I take him back on Saturday just to follow up on that. Otherwise, he is doing great.
The whole circumcision thing is different. I worry about getting peed on during diaper changes and about being extra careful when putting on the medicated ointment for the circumcision incision. It looks like it would be so painful, and I feel like I'm hurting him to apply it. :( But, he tolerates it and is doing great the doctor said.
The first night home, we had to wake him to eat after 4 hrs. Last night he wasn't as easy and fussed every other hour it seemed. So, I nursed him a lot more last night. Hoping that tonight goes smoothly, but he's been napping for 3 hours now (worn out from the dr's office, I think), so we'll see how tired he is tonight.
I am so happy he is here and that we are home now. He is absolutely perfect and gorgeous! I couldn't have asked for a better pregnancy and delivery. I am pretty sore and in pain most of the day, but I expected that. I don't remember this much pain with Addy afterward, but with her I took a prescription pain medication to help with that. I declined it this time because the cramps weren't too bad at the hospital and I figured there was no need to have that in my system while I'm nursing. I'm kind of thinking those meds would be nice at night for the cramps and pressure, but oh well. I'll tough it out. I made it through the delivery, so I'm pretty sure I can handle a few cramps. :)
I will put a picture up at some point. And, I will be taking a break from blogging until next week. We are trying to get a routine down and just stay awake during the day :), so I'll put off doing anything extra for the week.
Thanks for all the well wishes on Facebook and elsewhere. We are very blessed to be a family of 6 now!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Pleasantries of Pregnancy: 39 weeks
I have never felt so impatient! This baby is really starting to tease me with all these contractions. I can't get any of them strung together in a timely manner enough to go to the hospital! I would love to have him already and see how beautiful he is and bring him home, but I guess he's just not ready yet.
I scared myself last night a little. We went to bed after I had several strong contractions (nothing that could be timed very well or getting closer together). I was lying on my right side and the baby starting kicking and moving around fast and hard. He hadn't moved so much in several days - I had assumed he is running out of room to thrash around as usual. :) So, I took notice when he start squirming very fast and was pushing on my side very hard. I rolled over to my left side to get him to maybe switch positions or calm down, and he just stopped moving completely. All I could think was how my OB had told me once that it is possible for the cord to tighten around the baby's neck - the baby would act frantic and then just stop moving; she advised me to call them if that ever happened and I was concerned.
So, of course, last night that's the first and only thing I'm thinking about when he just stops moving completely. I laid very still to see if I could feel even a flutter. Nothing.
Then, I was slightly pushing on my left side to move him a little, thinking maybe he had just fallen asleep very quickly. Nothing again.
I didn't move, didn't say anything to Arthur, and just started to worry. I began praying, asking God to have the baby move just once so I would KNOW he was ok and not get too freaked out. It took a good minute or two, but the baby FINALLY kicked again. WHEW!!! I was so scared for that minute. I have been so looking forward to having him, that I was afraid to think of losing him.
Now today, all I'm thinking is "let's have this baby already, so I don't get scared like that again!" :) But, once he's here there are a whole new set of things to worry about. It's never-ending, really. Parents will always worry about something for their children. But, I think there's a balance between being concerned for the child's safety and trusting God to hold them and keep them safe. I tend to forget that second part when it comes to my kids. I try too hard sometimes to shield them, and I think it backfires. Or I go nuts some days just thinking of the awful things out there in the world.
My prayer is that God will help me to relax, to trust Him, to understand I don't control anything except my own actions. He knows the future - good or bad. Everything works for His good, even if I can't see it that way some times.
I scared myself last night a little. We went to bed after I had several strong contractions (nothing that could be timed very well or getting closer together). I was lying on my right side and the baby starting kicking and moving around fast and hard. He hadn't moved so much in several days - I had assumed he is running out of room to thrash around as usual. :) So, I took notice when he start squirming very fast and was pushing on my side very hard. I rolled over to my left side to get him to maybe switch positions or calm down, and he just stopped moving completely. All I could think was how my OB had told me once that it is possible for the cord to tighten around the baby's neck - the baby would act frantic and then just stop moving; she advised me to call them if that ever happened and I was concerned.
So, of course, last night that's the first and only thing I'm thinking about when he just stops moving completely. I laid very still to see if I could feel even a flutter. Nothing.
Then, I was slightly pushing on my left side to move him a little, thinking maybe he had just fallen asleep very quickly. Nothing again.
I didn't move, didn't say anything to Arthur, and just started to worry. I began praying, asking God to have the baby move just once so I would KNOW he was ok and not get too freaked out. It took a good minute or two, but the baby FINALLY kicked again. WHEW!!! I was so scared for that minute. I have been so looking forward to having him, that I was afraid to think of losing him.
Now today, all I'm thinking is "let's have this baby already, so I don't get scared like that again!" :) But, once he's here there are a whole new set of things to worry about. It's never-ending, really. Parents will always worry about something for their children. But, I think there's a balance between being concerned for the child's safety and trusting God to hold them and keep them safe. I tend to forget that second part when it comes to my kids. I try too hard sometimes to shield them, and I think it backfires. Or I go nuts some days just thinking of the awful things out there in the world.
My prayer is that God will help me to relax, to trust Him, to understand I don't control anything except my own actions. He knows the future - good or bad. Everything works for His good, even if I can't see it that way some times.
Rejoicing in Recipes: Yogurt Berry Pie
I found this recipe a while ago but haven't really had a reason to make a whole big pie that Arthur won't even try. :) BUT, this afternoon my in-laws are coming over, and I know they like cheesecake-ish desserts, so I made it for today!
My Strawberry Sauce
2 cups frozen strawberries (i used a combo of packaged strawberries i had left and some fresh ones i had frozen myself)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Put 2/3 of the strawberries in a pan (still frozen is fine, no need to thaw) with sugar. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling and starting to reduce. Using potato masher to mash the strawberries while cooking (or remove and puree in blender/processor). Continue to boil for another 5-10 minutes until thicker. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool for 10 minutes. Add in remaining strawberries (cut up) and let cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
*You could probably serve this warm over ice cream or the pie, but it might melt the yogurt and cream cheese filling pretty fast, so keeping it cool until serving is probably ideal.
I am so excited to eat this later. I sampled the sauce already (of course!) and it's delicious. I might leave out the vanilla next time. It was very tasty before I added it in; the vanilla might have taken away a little of the berry tartness. BUT, it's still going to be so delicious with the pie!
Yogurt Berry Pie
- 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt ( I used vanilla)
- 8 ounces of cream cheese ( softened)
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 graham cracker or granola crust
- fruit sauce
- Place yogurt in a fine mesh sieve or use a colander lined with cheese cloth. Let sit 30 minutes. Do not skip this step as it drains some of the liquid off and will help keep this pie thick. Discard liquid or use liquid in smoothie.
- In a mixer beat cream cheese until very smooth. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add strained yogurt and beat just until mixed in well.
- Pour filling into crust and refrigerate for 6 hours or until firm.
- Serve with a homemade fruit sauce. You could also use plain fruit or even a can of fruit sauce.
My Strawberry Sauce
2 cups frozen strawberries (i used a combo of packaged strawberries i had left and some fresh ones i had frozen myself)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Put 2/3 of the strawberries in a pan (still frozen is fine, no need to thaw) with sugar. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling and starting to reduce. Using potato masher to mash the strawberries while cooking (or remove and puree in blender/processor). Continue to boil for another 5-10 minutes until thicker. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool for 10 minutes. Add in remaining strawberries (cut up) and let cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
*You could probably serve this warm over ice cream or the pie, but it might melt the yogurt and cream cheese filling pretty fast, so keeping it cool until serving is probably ideal.
I am so excited to eat this later. I sampled the sauce already (of course!) and it's delicious. I might leave out the vanilla next time. It was very tasty before I added it in; the vanilla might have taken away a little of the berry tartness. BUT, it's still going to be so delicious with the pie!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Kitchen Tip: Freezing Veggies
Freezing fresh produce is a GREAT way to extend the fresh taste of the vegetables and fruit, if you aren't able to consume them all before they go bad.
I do this often with berries. For strawberries, I just cut the tops off and put whole ones into freezer bags to pull out as needed for smoothies. Blueberries can be frozen as-is. Bananas can be peeled and chopped or left whole and put in freezer bags. We use them whole in smoothies or breads. For breads, I just lay one out to thaw before mashing.
For bell peppers, I chop or use my Ninja (food chopper/blender/processor all in one) and then divide 1/2 cups of the chopped peppers into freezer bags. I then label with the name of the pepper and the date and pop them into the freezer.
Tomatoes are super easy as well. You can freeze them whole, to use later in stews or chili. When it's time to cook them, you can thaw them and pull the skin right off OR throw the frozen tomato into the pot and let it cook to thaw. They cook down to practically nothing, which is awesome for those of us with picky people in our families. :) Another way is to chop them, as with the peppers, and label to freeze.
Zucchini can be grated and measured into bags, labeled and frozen. This is super handy for making breads/muffins later. Just thaw the bag, drain and use it. You may end up needing to use a larger measurement from the freezer because of all the water that drains out.
Onions can be chopped and frozen, too. Celery is great to chop and freeze for cooking also!
I don't recommend freezing potatoes. They tend to get gritty and mushy.
For corn from the cob, cut the kernels off the fresh cobs. Blanch them before freezing, to hold in the flavor. Label and freeze. You CAN freeze corn without blanching and it won't go bad, but you do lose some of the fresh flavor. Same with broccoli, carrots, and green beans - blanch first.
Things that should not be frozen: radishes, cucumbers, lettuce. These are all made of mostly water, so freezing them will reduce them to mush once thawed.
When there's a good bell pepper sale, stock up, chop up and freeze it up! You will be glad you did when they're no longer on sale but you need some for a recipe!
I do this often with berries. For strawberries, I just cut the tops off and put whole ones into freezer bags to pull out as needed for smoothies. Blueberries can be frozen as-is. Bananas can be peeled and chopped or left whole and put in freezer bags. We use them whole in smoothies or breads. For breads, I just lay one out to thaw before mashing.
For bell peppers, I chop or use my Ninja (food chopper/blender/processor all in one) and then divide 1/2 cups of the chopped peppers into freezer bags. I then label with the name of the pepper and the date and pop them into the freezer.
Tomatoes are super easy as well. You can freeze them whole, to use later in stews or chili. When it's time to cook them, you can thaw them and pull the skin right off OR throw the frozen tomato into the pot and let it cook to thaw. They cook down to practically nothing, which is awesome for those of us with picky people in our families. :) Another way is to chop them, as with the peppers, and label to freeze.
Zucchini can be grated and measured into bags, labeled and frozen. This is super handy for making breads/muffins later. Just thaw the bag, drain and use it. You may end up needing to use a larger measurement from the freezer because of all the water that drains out.
Onions can be chopped and frozen, too. Celery is great to chop and freeze for cooking also!
I don't recommend freezing potatoes. They tend to get gritty and mushy.
For corn from the cob, cut the kernels off the fresh cobs. Blanch them before freezing, to hold in the flavor. Label and freeze. You CAN freeze corn without blanching and it won't go bad, but you do lose some of the fresh flavor. Same with broccoli, carrots, and green beans - blanch first.
Things that should not be frozen: radishes, cucumbers, lettuce. These are all made of mostly water, so freezing them will reduce them to mush once thawed.
When there's a good bell pepper sale, stock up, chop up and freeze it up! You will be glad you did when they're no longer on sale but you need some for a recipe!
Motherhood Mania: Crafts This Week
The other night I came across a blog about Busy Bags for kids. I wasn't sure what they were, so I read on. Busy Bags are the best invention ever!!! :) They are simple crafts/activities/games put together in Ziploc bags for kids to do in the car, when they're bored, on a plane, wherever! I found several sites that offered really cute ideas:
The Sunny Patch
My Delicious Ambiguity
Our Journey
Walking By The Way
Here are some photos of the bags I put together over the past 2 1/2 days. I think these will be great things for the girls over the summer, while we're stuck indoors when the baby is born. PLUS, these will be great bags to choose from during the school day for their free play! I am so excited to have gotten them done, and the girls (so far!) are loving them!
The Sunny Patch
My Delicious Ambiguity
Our Journey
Walking By The Way
Here are some photos of the bags I put together over the past 2 1/2 days. I think these will be great things for the girls over the summer, while we're stuck indoors when the baby is born. PLUS, these will be great bags to choose from during the school day for their free play! I am so excited to have gotten them done, and the girls (so far!) are loving them!
Pattern Matching: I created a pattern of foam colored shapes on a ribbon. The girls get the same colors and shapes to then thread on their own ribbon. (The sewing needle is plastic)
Clothespin Number Wheel: Styrofoam plate cut into circle and divided into 9 sections, designating #'s 1-9 with dots. Numbered clothespins are used to match up the dots with the numbers.
Lacing Cards: Foam pieces poked with holes to mark shapes. Girls get a needle and ribbon (piece of pipe cleaner attached to ribbon) to sew the shapes.
Felt Play: Blue sheet of felt with removable felt pieces. I would also like to make a set of silly face parts and a transportation theme to use on this blue piece as well. Then, they'll have more options for what scene they want to make.
Popsicle Color Matching: I folded over strips of cardstock into shapes of popsicles, then stapled them onto cardboard, leaving open a space at one end. The popsicle sticks are marked with the names of the color WITH that color marker. The girls find the corresponding popsicle top and put the stick in the slot. On the opposite end of the stick, the color names are written in just black marker. Once they can read, they can work on reading the color name and matching the popsicles!
Clothesline Busy Bag: This was so fun to make...and VERY easy. My girls love to do home-type things, so they were instantly in love with this activity. I found 4 ft of ribbon and tied it to hang up in the living room. I cut out shapes of clothes out of felt (shirts, shorts, socks, pants, skirts, dresses). They use clothespins to hang up their "laundry" to dry. They use that blue baby doll bathtub in the back on the left to pretend wash them first. :) Even my youngest is doing ok working the open/close of the clothespin. Very good hand-eye coordination, as well as fine motor skill practice. PLUS, you can give them a game of hanging certain colors in a pattern or write letters or numbers on them to put in order or spell words! So many ideas!!
I really enjoyed making all of these. There are a few more I'd like to do, but I thought this was a great start. They could bring them to the hospital when they come to visit the baby and I, or Dad can give them these to do here, so he can get a little rest before baby and I come home! :)
House Help: Here and There
I have a great memory to complete my daily and weekly chores. MY problem is remembering the items we do here and there....less than once a week. These I've had to make a list of and put in my household binder to keep it within reach and so I run into them on paper whenever I'm in the binder.
Here are a few of the things we do every couple of weeks or once a month:
-Change the furnace filter (yes, the packages say up to 90 days, but our furnace installer said that changing them every 30 days helps them run most efficiently; so that's what we do...when I remember!)
-Clean out the car (some people do this weekly, but I just can't seem to do it that often!)
-Sort toys to proper bins(they often get misplaced) and take out the ones used the least to donate (this i try to do every 3 months)
-Give dog heartworm pill (monthly)
-Go through medicine box and get rid of old/expired ones (as needed, not necessarily on a schedule or monthly)
-Dust/Wash Blinds
-Dust Baseboards
-Clean Garbage Cans
-Wash Windows
So, make a list of the items you only do once in a while or only need to be done every few weeks. Make a chart and note each date that you do them; keep the chart handy (on the fridge, in your household binder, with other important papers you look at often) and stick to it! :)
Here are a few of the things we do every couple of weeks or once a month:
-Change the furnace filter (yes, the packages say up to 90 days, but our furnace installer said that changing them every 30 days helps them run most efficiently; so that's what we do...when I remember!)
-Clean out the car (some people do this weekly, but I just can't seem to do it that often!)
-Sort toys to proper bins(they often get misplaced) and take out the ones used the least to donate (this i try to do every 3 months)
-Give dog heartworm pill (monthly)
-Go through medicine box and get rid of old/expired ones (as needed, not necessarily on a schedule or monthly)
-Dust/Wash Blinds
-Dust Baseboards
-Clean Garbage Cans
-Wash Windows
So, make a list of the items you only do once in a while or only need to be done every few weeks. Make a chart and note each date that you do them; keep the chart handy (on the fridge, in your household binder, with other important papers you look at often) and stick to it! :)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Motherhood Mania: End of School
The girls' last day of preschool is tomorrow. I'm excited to have them home for the summer, but this also means I won't have the 2 1/2 hours of down time each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. :) I have enjoyed my one-on-one days with Addy. BUT, this will ALSO mean that we're a little closer to starting the homeschooling!!
The preschool will not be open next year, so Lily is for sure going to be home with us learning. I'm sad that it's the end of the church's preschool, but I think it allows their teacher to find a better-paying job for the summer and next year, which I guess is good for her. And I guess it's good it happened this year, when there are only 3 families to have to give the bad news of no school to, rather than last year when they had several more families. So, it's bittersweet really.
They have an end of year program tomorrow, and Arthur is scheduled off of work, so he'll finally get to be there for a program! :) And of all days, I do NOT want this baby to come tomorrow so I can see the program and enjoy the picnic lunch with the girls, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Baby did come tomorrow and I missed it. :)
This year feels like it went by so fast now. I felt like it was dragging for a while, when I was just planning out our homeschooling things. But, now that the end of my pregnancy is here and I have things pretty set for the school year this Fall, I feel like time is flying by.
I am excited to add Teacher to my list of names. :) BUT, I am praying that the Summer goes smoothly and we stay on track for starting when we need to and that my patience lasts. :)
The preschool will not be open next year, so Lily is for sure going to be home with us learning. I'm sad that it's the end of the church's preschool, but I think it allows their teacher to find a better-paying job for the summer and next year, which I guess is good for her. And I guess it's good it happened this year, when there are only 3 families to have to give the bad news of no school to, rather than last year when they had several more families. So, it's bittersweet really.
They have an end of year program tomorrow, and Arthur is scheduled off of work, so he'll finally get to be there for a program! :) And of all days, I do NOT want this baby to come tomorrow so I can see the program and enjoy the picnic lunch with the girls, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Baby did come tomorrow and I missed it. :)
This year feels like it went by so fast now. I felt like it was dragging for a while, when I was just planning out our homeschooling things. But, now that the end of my pregnancy is here and I have things pretty set for the school year this Fall, I feel like time is flying by.
I am excited to add Teacher to my list of names. :) BUT, I am praying that the Summer goes smoothly and we stay on track for starting when we need to and that my patience lasts. :)
Favorite Food Deal of the Week: Duncan Hines Brownies and Lawry's
I have 2 favorites this week!
First, Meijer and Jewel both have Duncan Hines Brownie Mix on sale for $1.09 and $1.00, respectively. I was able to use $.50 off 1 coupons and get them for $.59 or $.50 each! I ended up buying 5 with all my coupons. The expiration dates are far enough out that I don't have to use them quickly. :) I like homemade brownies, but sometimes last minute I want to make a dessert and these mixes are very good, so I was happy to score some cheap ones and store them!
Second, the Lawry's Marinades are on sale at Jewel for $1.00 each. There are $.50 coupons for those as well. I had 3 coupons but ended up buying 4 because I wanted to try a new flavor. I figured paying the full $1.00 wasn't going to bankrupt me this week. :) We tried the Herb & Garlic flavor last night on chicken. Delicious! I will store the other 3 bottles for the next few weeks. I love being able to just pour a marinade on some meat and let it sit then throw it in the pan to cook. Very simple for those days when the day has just gotten away from us and I need a quick meal!
I also got to use up an $8 CAT at Meijer from my purchases last week, which netted me free foundation and powder. AND, I had the $3 CAT from buying all the Naturals tomatoes last week at Meijer, so I used that to get some Naturals butter (organic, unsalted sweet cream butter sticks). The butter costs $4.99 normally, and I got it for $1.99, which is still cheaper than the regular butter was on sale! So, I was happy about that! Can't wait to see if there's a taste difference between the organic and the regular that we buy.
These sales and deals end today at Meijer and Jewel, so if you're interested in scoring them you'll have to go out in the rain to get them. :(
First, Meijer and Jewel both have Duncan Hines Brownie Mix on sale for $1.09 and $1.00, respectively. I was able to use $.50 off 1 coupons and get them for $.59 or $.50 each! I ended up buying 5 with all my coupons. The expiration dates are far enough out that I don't have to use them quickly. :) I like homemade brownies, but sometimes last minute I want to make a dessert and these mixes are very good, so I was happy to score some cheap ones and store them!
Second, the Lawry's Marinades are on sale at Jewel for $1.00 each. There are $.50 coupons for those as well. I had 3 coupons but ended up buying 4 because I wanted to try a new flavor. I figured paying the full $1.00 wasn't going to bankrupt me this week. :) We tried the Herb & Garlic flavor last night on chicken. Delicious! I will store the other 3 bottles for the next few weeks. I love being able to just pour a marinade on some meat and let it sit then throw it in the pan to cook. Very simple for those days when the day has just gotten away from us and I need a quick meal!
I also got to use up an $8 CAT at Meijer from my purchases last week, which netted me free foundation and powder. AND, I had the $3 CAT from buying all the Naturals tomatoes last week at Meijer, so I used that to get some Naturals butter (organic, unsalted sweet cream butter sticks). The butter costs $4.99 normally, and I got it for $1.99, which is still cheaper than the regular butter was on sale! So, I was happy about that! Can't wait to see if there's a taste difference between the organic and the regular that we buy.
These sales and deals end today at Meijer and Jewel, so if you're interested in scoring them you'll have to go out in the rain to get them. :(
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Menu Plan: May 24 - 30
Tiring Day! Got groceries done - not a ton of great deals but I got what I needed for under $100, so I guess I'll call it a success.
Here's what I've got planned for this week's meals:
Breakfasts:
-English Muffins, Sausage, Apple Slices
-Cinnamon Biscuit Rolls (new recipe), Orange Slices
-Pancakes, Bananas
-Cereal/Oatmeal, Toast, Pineapple
-Waffles, Strawberries
-Eggs, Sausage, Oranges
Lunches:
-Leftovers (3x)
-PB & Honey sandwiches, carrot sticks, apple slices
-Ham & Cheese Rollups, Strawberries, Chips
-Grilled Cheese, Bananas
-Hot Dogs, apples, chips
Dinners:
-Marinated Chicken, Hidden Valley Salad kit, Potato Cubes (tonight's meal)
-Brown Bag Burritos, Rice, Corn (didn't use this one last week, so we'll carry it over)
-Chinese Pepper Steak, Rice, Green Beans
-Sloppy Joes, Carrots, Salad
-BBQ Pork Ribs, Potatoes, Green Beans
-Tagliarini, Carrots, Corn
-Arroz Con Pollo (i'll post some time this coming week; very delicious!), Beans
I didn't leave room for eating out this week or weekend because we're stretching our money until the 31st. Because of how the paydays landed on the calendar, we're having to stretch our bi-weekly budget a few extra days. Hopefully we stick to this plan and do NOT spend what we don't have. :)
Here's what I've got planned for this week's meals:
Breakfasts:
-English Muffins, Sausage, Apple Slices
-Cinnamon Biscuit Rolls (new recipe), Orange Slices
-Pancakes, Bananas
-Cereal/Oatmeal, Toast, Pineapple
-Waffles, Strawberries
-Eggs, Sausage, Oranges
Lunches:
-Leftovers (3x)
-PB & Honey sandwiches, carrot sticks, apple slices
-Ham & Cheese Rollups, Strawberries, Chips
-Grilled Cheese, Bananas
-Hot Dogs, apples, chips
Dinners:
-Marinated Chicken, Hidden Valley Salad kit, Potato Cubes (tonight's meal)
-Brown Bag Burritos, Rice, Corn (didn't use this one last week, so we'll carry it over)
-Chinese Pepper Steak, Rice, Green Beans
-Sloppy Joes, Carrots, Salad
-BBQ Pork Ribs, Potatoes, Green Beans
-Tagliarini, Carrots, Corn
-Arroz Con Pollo (i'll post some time this coming week; very delicious!), Beans
I didn't leave room for eating out this week or weekend because we're stretching our money until the 31st. Because of how the paydays landed on the calendar, we're having to stretch our bi-weekly budget a few extra days. Hopefully we stick to this plan and do NOT spend what we don't have. :)
Monday, May 23, 2011
Rejoicing in Recipes: Veggie Lasagna
Today is Meatless Monday! We're having a Veggie Lasagna tonight for dinner. It smells very good right now, so I'm hoping it tastes just as good! This is kind of my own recipe. I found a bunch that used spinach and mushrooms. We don't have any spinach in the house, and we don't like mushrooms. So, I tweaked it to use what we have on hand - zucchini and yellow squash.
Veggie Lasagna
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 beaten eggs
2 cups cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
12 oz Mozzarella Cheese
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 TBSP olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 cloves garlic (I used dried minced onion)
1 medium zucchini squash, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
1 cup shredded carrot
2 TBSP flour
2 cups milk
3/4 tsp pepper
Combine eggs, cottage cheese, 4 oz Mozzarella Cheese, and Italian seasoning in bowl. Set aside. In pan, heat oil and add onion, green pepper and garlic. Cook on medium heat until veggies are tender. Stir in flour, milk and pepper all at once. Heat and stir constantly until mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from heat and add in carrot squash, and 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese.
Pour 1/2 cup veggie mixture in bottom of 3 quart baking dish. Place 1/3 of noodles over mixture. Layer 1/3 of cottage cheese mix over noodles then 1/3 of veggie/milk mixture and then 1/3 of remaining Mozzarella. Repeat 2 more times, ending with Mozzarella on top. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until bubbly and noodles are cooked through.
We're having this with homemade garlic bread (buttered slices of bread, sprinkled with garlic powder and broiled for just a few minutes until browned). Super yummy! I'm very excited to eat tonight! (of course, that's nothing new - I am always excited to eat!) :)
Veggie Lasagna
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 beaten eggs
2 cups cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
12 oz Mozzarella Cheese
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 TBSP olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 cloves garlic (I used dried minced onion)
1 medium zucchini squash, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
1 cup shredded carrot
2 TBSP flour
2 cups milk
3/4 tsp pepper
Combine eggs, cottage cheese, 4 oz Mozzarella Cheese, and Italian seasoning in bowl. Set aside. In pan, heat oil and add onion, green pepper and garlic. Cook on medium heat until veggies are tender. Stir in flour, milk and pepper all at once. Heat and stir constantly until mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from heat and add in carrot squash, and 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese.
Pour 1/2 cup veggie mixture in bottom of 3 quart baking dish. Place 1/3 of noodles over mixture. Layer 1/3 of cottage cheese mix over noodles then 1/3 of veggie/milk mixture and then 1/3 of remaining Mozzarella. Repeat 2 more times, ending with Mozzarella on top. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until bubbly and noodles are cooked through.
We're having this with homemade garlic bread (buttered slices of bread, sprinkled with garlic powder and broiled for just a few minutes until browned). Super yummy! I'm very excited to eat tonight! (of course, that's nothing new - I am always excited to eat!) :)
FREE Preschool Printables Pack - Pretty Bugs :)
I came across this FREE pack of preschool printables today on another mom's blog. It is very cute looking, and I am excited to print them out later for the girls!
Go HERE for the download. The mom at this blog actually created the printables. Wow....some people are sooo creative!
I noticed one mom likes to laminate her printables and just have her kids use dry erase markers on them. I think I'd like to do that, so we're not wasting a ton of ink each time we need a new copy of the pages!
Go HERE for the download. The mom at this blog actually created the printables. Wow....some people are sooo creative!
I noticed one mom likes to laminate her printables and just have her kids use dry erase markers on them. I think I'd like to do that, so we're not wasting a ton of ink each time we need a new copy of the pages!
Basic Kitchen: Potatoes
We love potatoes. I mean we LOVE them. I have come across so many different ways to make and/or season them, that we really do love them.
I think sometimes people get stuck making potatoes the same couple of ways, so it's not as enticing a side dish to make as it COULD be. :) Plus, they seem to get a bad rap for taking a long time to prep that we don't make the effort to have them with dinner.
Here's a couple ways to take care of your potatoes to extend their shelf life as well as a couple different (possibly new to you?) ways to prepare them.
First, ways to handle, store, and extend the life of your potatoes:
1 - Store them, unwashed, in a cool, dark place. I know some people who regularly wash and refrigerate them after purchasing them. Washing and cooling in the fridge before they hit their peak point of freshness, actually diminishes their freshness. I keep mine in the bag I bought them in, wrapped in the plastic shopping bag and in the lower shelf of our pantry. It stays pretty dark and cool in there.
2 - Store them away from onions. I forget all the chemistry behind it, but storing onions and potatoes next to each other makes them go bad quicker. Eyes grow very quickly on the potatoes and they don't last as long.
3 - Don't throw them out just because they grew eyes. I know sometimes those eyes look creepy and yucky, but that doesn't necessarily mean they've gone bad. You can scrape off the eyes when you wash and peel them, and as long as the potato isn't mushy or too dark green under the skin, they will taste fine.
4 - Green under the skin isn't a sign of nastiness either. I read online that being slightly green under the skin isn't good for young children or elderly people; I forget why (and was too lazy to re-research that this morning), but they are safe to eat. I think it's some chemical that is released or is of higher concentration when they're green, but that doesn't mean they are rotten. I typically peel off the green as much as possible, with the peel, before cutting or using. No big deal, really.
Now that we know how to STORE the potatoes, let's talk about a few fun ways to EAT them. :)
1 - Mashed: typical peeling of potatoes, chopping into pieces and boiling til soft and mashable. I like to cut my pieces pretty small, so they cook through quicker. Takes a little more time on the chopping side, but I hate having to check the pieces every few minutes, hoping that they're soft enough to mash. I drain them and then mash with my potato masher (or just the beaters on my hand mixer), add a little butter and milk or cream and start mixing. I typically do NOT measure my milk or butter. I just add a little at a time until I have a consistency we like. Too much milk, and the consistency becomes like that of baby cereal. Too little milk and they taste very dry. I salt and pepper at the end to taste. The best tip for making them this way is to try and keep the chopped pieces of uniform size; this will keep you from having small mushy pieces and bigger, uncooked pieces.
2 - Smashed: A close relative of mashed. This is pretty much the same as mashed but you stop short of completely blending the potatoes into the fine mashed-ness. (Not sure about that word.) I like to make smashed potatoes if I'm adding cheese or ranch to them. I enjoy the slightly chunkiness of the potatoes to go with the zing of the cheese or ranch. I also do not measure the cheese or ranch. I'm sure there are plenty of great measurable recipes for both of those online (try AllRecipes), but I just add a little at a time until I reach a taste we like. We LOVE cheese, so I'm pretty sure I add way more than a recipe would call for! :)
3 - Boiled: If I absolutely do not have time to play around with the mashed or smashed, I just leave the potato peel on and chop into big chunks before putting in some water. I boil them just until they are soft, but not to the point of mashing upon impact from my fork. I drain them and put a little butter, garlic salt and pepper on them. Super easy and fairly quick way to add potatoes to the meal. If you let them boil too long and they're mushy, just mash them with the peels and add butter and cream like for mashed or smashed. The peel actually has the best vitamins, and I really like the flavor with the peel in (though my kids and husband do not!).
4 - Baked: This can be done a few different ways. First, you can microwave bake them. Yes, microwaves suck vitamins out of everything they "cook", but if you are strapped for time this is the best way to do it. Take a fork and poke a few holes around the potato (after you've washed it very thoroughly). Microwave on high for 4 minutes or so (or use the Cook setting for Potatoes, if your microwave has one - it'll ask for the weight and will guesstimate for you the time needed to cook it; I enjoy this when I'm doing more than one at a time.). You might here them whistle and pop a little, but as long as they don't explode it just means they're cooking. BE CAREFUL, THEY WILL BE HOT when the time is up. I use a hand towel to grab them out and keep them wrapped up and warm. Squeeze the potatoes slightly to help loosen the insides. Cut a slit down the middle and top as desired to serve.
Second baking method: Oven. Wash and poke with holes as you would for the microwave. Wrap each potato in foil and bake at 400 degrees for at least an hour. I do not like making them this way unless I have something else I'm going to be baking at 400 degrees with it. Seems like a waste of oven temp and time, but they do taste the best when baked this way. :) Again, THEY WILL BE HOT when you take them out. Squeeze them to loosen slightly inside and serve with desired toppings.
Lastly, a great way to change up the whole baking method is to wash the potatoes and cut them (with the peel on or off) into big chunks. Lay the chunks out on a piece of foil that is large enough to roll up and close over the potatoes. Before closing them up, though, dot with butter and sprinkle with seasonings. We like garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and cracked peppercorn. Close up foil and fold over opening. Poke a few holes in foil for venting. Place foil pouch on baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes, or until chunks are slightly soft when poked with fork. DELICIOUS!! My mom does this on the grill in the summer, but when grilling isn't an option you can always use the oven. So good! Not totally healthy because we love a lot of butter on ours, but very tasty and you can mix up the seasonings any way you like.
5 - Fried: Not the most ideally healthy way to consume them, but you can wash and slice potatoes into thin pieces and fry them in oil for a few minutes and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. I don't like messing with heating oil, so we never eat them this way. An alternative to frying is to cut them just as thin, brush them with oil and put them on a baking sheet and bake them until just soft enough to pick up and eat. Sprinkle with salt and enjoy. You can still have that slightly oily taste without having to heat a whole pot of oil.
Of course, there's also Twice Baked and other fun and fancy ways to make them. But for those of us that don't always have the time to experiment with several steps of a recipe, these couple of ways will help keep a variety when it comes to making them. Of course, trying out new fancy recipes is fun, too. Then you can get used to making them just as quickly as these simple ways. Continually building on your recipes is great to keep dinner making from getting boring!
Trying different or new ways to make potatoes can make them more enjoyable to include in your meal prep. One thing I like about them is that if you have planned to use them at some point in the week, you can prep them (wash, peel, chop) ahead of time and store them covered in water in a closed tupperware dish. The water should be changed every couple of days (3 or 4 days), so they don't get slimy, but this makes the dinner prep time shorter on the day you'll be using them! I did this 2 years ago for Thanksgiving. I prepped my potatoes 2 days before and stored them in a giant tupperware bowl with a lid, completely covered in water. Then, Thanksgiving morning all I had to do was drain them and throw them in a pot of new water to boil and then mash. Soooo much less time to make them on that day, when we have a bazillion other things going on in the kitchen. :)
I think sometimes people get stuck making potatoes the same couple of ways, so it's not as enticing a side dish to make as it COULD be. :) Plus, they seem to get a bad rap for taking a long time to prep that we don't make the effort to have them with dinner.
Here's a couple ways to take care of your potatoes to extend their shelf life as well as a couple different (possibly new to you?) ways to prepare them.
First, ways to handle, store, and extend the life of your potatoes:
1 - Store them, unwashed, in a cool, dark place. I know some people who regularly wash and refrigerate them after purchasing them. Washing and cooling in the fridge before they hit their peak point of freshness, actually diminishes their freshness. I keep mine in the bag I bought them in, wrapped in the plastic shopping bag and in the lower shelf of our pantry. It stays pretty dark and cool in there.
2 - Store them away from onions. I forget all the chemistry behind it, but storing onions and potatoes next to each other makes them go bad quicker. Eyes grow very quickly on the potatoes and they don't last as long.
3 - Don't throw them out just because they grew eyes. I know sometimes those eyes look creepy and yucky, but that doesn't necessarily mean they've gone bad. You can scrape off the eyes when you wash and peel them, and as long as the potato isn't mushy or too dark green under the skin, they will taste fine.
4 - Green under the skin isn't a sign of nastiness either. I read online that being slightly green under the skin isn't good for young children or elderly people; I forget why (and was too lazy to re-research that this morning), but they are safe to eat. I think it's some chemical that is released or is of higher concentration when they're green, but that doesn't mean they are rotten. I typically peel off the green as much as possible, with the peel, before cutting or using. No big deal, really.
Now that we know how to STORE the potatoes, let's talk about a few fun ways to EAT them. :)
1 - Mashed: typical peeling of potatoes, chopping into pieces and boiling til soft and mashable. I like to cut my pieces pretty small, so they cook through quicker. Takes a little more time on the chopping side, but I hate having to check the pieces every few minutes, hoping that they're soft enough to mash. I drain them and then mash with my potato masher (or just the beaters on my hand mixer), add a little butter and milk or cream and start mixing. I typically do NOT measure my milk or butter. I just add a little at a time until I have a consistency we like. Too much milk, and the consistency becomes like that of baby cereal. Too little milk and they taste very dry. I salt and pepper at the end to taste. The best tip for making them this way is to try and keep the chopped pieces of uniform size; this will keep you from having small mushy pieces and bigger, uncooked pieces.
2 - Smashed: A close relative of mashed. This is pretty much the same as mashed but you stop short of completely blending the potatoes into the fine mashed-ness. (Not sure about that word.) I like to make smashed potatoes if I'm adding cheese or ranch to them. I enjoy the slightly chunkiness of the potatoes to go with the zing of the cheese or ranch. I also do not measure the cheese or ranch. I'm sure there are plenty of great measurable recipes for both of those online (try AllRecipes), but I just add a little at a time until I reach a taste we like. We LOVE cheese, so I'm pretty sure I add way more than a recipe would call for! :)
3 - Boiled: If I absolutely do not have time to play around with the mashed or smashed, I just leave the potato peel on and chop into big chunks before putting in some water. I boil them just until they are soft, but not to the point of mashing upon impact from my fork. I drain them and put a little butter, garlic salt and pepper on them. Super easy and fairly quick way to add potatoes to the meal. If you let them boil too long and they're mushy, just mash them with the peels and add butter and cream like for mashed or smashed. The peel actually has the best vitamins, and I really like the flavor with the peel in (though my kids and husband do not!).
4 - Baked: This can be done a few different ways. First, you can microwave bake them. Yes, microwaves suck vitamins out of everything they "cook", but if you are strapped for time this is the best way to do it. Take a fork and poke a few holes around the potato (after you've washed it very thoroughly). Microwave on high for 4 minutes or so (or use the Cook setting for Potatoes, if your microwave has one - it'll ask for the weight and will guesstimate for you the time needed to cook it; I enjoy this when I'm doing more than one at a time.). You might here them whistle and pop a little, but as long as they don't explode it just means they're cooking. BE CAREFUL, THEY WILL BE HOT when the time is up. I use a hand towel to grab them out and keep them wrapped up and warm. Squeeze the potatoes slightly to help loosen the insides. Cut a slit down the middle and top as desired to serve.
Second baking method: Oven. Wash and poke with holes as you would for the microwave. Wrap each potato in foil and bake at 400 degrees for at least an hour. I do not like making them this way unless I have something else I'm going to be baking at 400 degrees with it. Seems like a waste of oven temp and time, but they do taste the best when baked this way. :) Again, THEY WILL BE HOT when you take them out. Squeeze them to loosen slightly inside and serve with desired toppings.
Lastly, a great way to change up the whole baking method is to wash the potatoes and cut them (with the peel on or off) into big chunks. Lay the chunks out on a piece of foil that is large enough to roll up and close over the potatoes. Before closing them up, though, dot with butter and sprinkle with seasonings. We like garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and cracked peppercorn. Close up foil and fold over opening. Poke a few holes in foil for venting. Place foil pouch on baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes, or until chunks are slightly soft when poked with fork. DELICIOUS!! My mom does this on the grill in the summer, but when grilling isn't an option you can always use the oven. So good! Not totally healthy because we love a lot of butter on ours, but very tasty and you can mix up the seasonings any way you like.
5 - Fried: Not the most ideally healthy way to consume them, but you can wash and slice potatoes into thin pieces and fry them in oil for a few minutes and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. I don't like messing with heating oil, so we never eat them this way. An alternative to frying is to cut them just as thin, brush them with oil and put them on a baking sheet and bake them until just soft enough to pick up and eat. Sprinkle with salt and enjoy. You can still have that slightly oily taste without having to heat a whole pot of oil.
Of course, there's also Twice Baked and other fun and fancy ways to make them. But for those of us that don't always have the time to experiment with several steps of a recipe, these couple of ways will help keep a variety when it comes to making them. Of course, trying out new fancy recipes is fun, too. Then you can get used to making them just as quickly as these simple ways. Continually building on your recipes is great to keep dinner making from getting boring!
Trying different or new ways to make potatoes can make them more enjoyable to include in your meal prep. One thing I like about them is that if you have planned to use them at some point in the week, you can prep them (wash, peel, chop) ahead of time and store them covered in water in a closed tupperware dish. The water should be changed every couple of days (3 or 4 days), so they don't get slimy, but this makes the dinner prep time shorter on the day you'll be using them! I did this 2 years ago for Thanksgiving. I prepped my potatoes 2 days before and stored them in a giant tupperware bowl with a lid, completely covered in water. Then, Thanksgiving morning all I had to do was drain them and throw them in a pot of new water to boil and then mash. Soooo much less time to make them on that day, when we have a bazillion other things going on in the kitchen. :)
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Motherhood Mania: Pride
I was very frustrated yesterday after speaking with another mother about how smart their 6 year old is. She didn't seem interested that we are going to homeschool, but I really don't expect people to be impressed or ask tons of questions. :) I just wasnt in the mood to hear about her overly intelligent child. I tried to brag about my Iris, but she kept shooting me down with how much more her kid knows. I quit trying to brag.
We, as mothers, I think, have a tendency to share all we can about how great our kids are, but I HATE competing with other moms to do so. I'd rather just shut my mouth and act interested in what they're saying.
My girls are great. Are they the smartest? Probably not. Are they the dumbest? Nope. Do I really care how they compare to others? NO. I'd rather they just learn at their own pace and retain what they want and be happy about learning.
I don't know why I care about what other parents say about their kids. I guess I expect others to be impressed when I talk about MY kids, so it's natural for me to "care" about their kids' intelligence levels.
Regardless, I'm over it (sort of). :) I love my kids and I love that they want to learn.
We, as mothers, I think, have a tendency to share all we can about how great our kids are, but I HATE competing with other moms to do so. I'd rather just shut my mouth and act interested in what they're saying.
My girls are great. Are they the smartest? Probably not. Are they the dumbest? Nope. Do I really care how they compare to others? NO. I'd rather they just learn at their own pace and retain what they want and be happy about learning.
I don't know why I care about what other parents say about their kids. I guess I expect others to be impressed when I talk about MY kids, so it's natural for me to "care" about their kids' intelligence levels.
Regardless, I'm over it (sort of). :) I love my kids and I love that they want to learn.
Pleasantries of Pregnancy: 38 weeks
Friday night, I really thought Baby Artie was going to be here. I started timing contractions around 10PM, while we were watching a movie. They were coming between 8 and 15 minutes apart, and I said I would call the doctor if I had 2 more that close (this was at midnight) and then they just stopped coming! I was so frustrated. My stomach was upset and I thought I was definitely in labor because that's exactly how I felt with Addy. Nope!
So, we went to bed and I woke up several times throughout the night with a painful contraction or 2 but nothing to time. :( I was so bummed.....and TIRED the next morning! Thankfully, Arthur is off this weekend, so we were able to just relax yesterday with our lack of sleep.
I can't believe this Baby is already teasing his mommy and sisters by pretending he's ready to arrive, then not come! :)
So, we went to bed and I woke up several times throughout the night with a painful contraction or 2 but nothing to time. :( I was so bummed.....and TIRED the next morning! Thankfully, Arthur is off this weekend, so we were able to just relax yesterday with our lack of sleep.
I can't believe this Baby is already teasing his mommy and sisters by pretending he's ready to arrive, then not come! :)
Rejoicing in Recipes: Country Morning Coffee Cake
This coffee cake is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Easy to make, relatively short baking time, and it feeds an army! :) You can't go wrong with those 3.
I made this Friday morning for breakfast, and even though I read that it serves 18, I didn't really think about it until I saw HOW MUCH there was left over afterward. We ended up giving some to our neighbor that morning, and had it for breakfast yesterday and again today! So good! Even my husband, who doesn't typically like coffee cake-type breakfasts, ate it...and liked it. :)
Country Morning Coffee Cake
1 c. softened butter or oil
2 c. sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 c. sour cream or plain yogurt (i used plan yogurt because i have a ton. LOVED the flavor)
4 c. flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
Combine fats, sugar, eggs, and sour cream/yogurt in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients: mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased 15"x10" jelly-roll pan (i used my large bar stoneware pan from Pampered Chef - and it STILL puffed up and over the sides!): sprinkle with the Cinnamon-pecan topping. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, until a toothpick tests clean. Cut into squares. Serves 18 to 20
Cinnamon-Pecan Topping:
2/3 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped pecans (i skipped; we don't really like pecans)
Use a fork to mix all ingredients together.
I made this Friday morning for breakfast, and even though I read that it serves 18, I didn't really think about it until I saw HOW MUCH there was left over afterward. We ended up giving some to our neighbor that morning, and had it for breakfast yesterday and again today! So good! Even my husband, who doesn't typically like coffee cake-type breakfasts, ate it...and liked it. :)
Country Morning Coffee Cake
1 c. softened butter or oil
2 c. sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 c. sour cream or plain yogurt (i used plan yogurt because i have a ton. LOVED the flavor)
4 c. flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
Combine fats, sugar, eggs, and sour cream/yogurt in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients: mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased 15"x10" jelly-roll pan (i used my large bar stoneware pan from Pampered Chef - and it STILL puffed up and over the sides!): sprinkle with the Cinnamon-pecan topping. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, until a toothpick tests clean. Cut into squares. Serves 18 to 20
Cinnamon-Pecan Topping:
2/3 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped pecans (i skipped; we don't really like pecans)
Use a fork to mix all ingredients together.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Kitchen Tip of the Week: Dry Milk vs Regular Milk
I assume everyone has noticed that lately milk prices have been going up, up, up! It's becoming more and more rare to catch a gallon of milk on sale for $1.99. The cheapest I've seen in recent weeks is $2.29. So, that's only $.30 more, but with all the baking we do and 5 people drinking at least 1 glass a day....we go through 2 + gallons a week!
I have recently started using dry milk in my baking. There is virtually no taste difference, and it lets me save the expensive liquid milk for drinking with meals and with cereals.
I bought a cheap box of Meijer Dry Milk to use in recipes. I think I paid $4 for the box. I have used it in 5 different recipes that call for 1/2 cup or more of milk, and I still have more than half the box of dry milk left! I'd say that we made out pretty good with it.
When I mix it up, I've been mixing for a quart of milk at a time. You can mix up 8 fl oz, if you want, but I figured if I'm baking a few things at a time, I might as well just mix up a quart and keep it in the fridge. It's good for a few days (I think the box says to use with 10 days of mixing with water; the most I've gone is 2 days.).
The measurements on my box say to mix 1 1/3 cups dry milk with 3 3/4 cups COLD water. I emphasize COLD water because the directions on the box did, too. :) I have been mixing it in a container with a lid and spout, so I can just shake it up together then open the spout and pour it into measuring cups for the recipes.
I cannot taste any difference in the foods once they're baked. I even used the dry milk mixture in 2 casseroles and we didn't notice a difference in taste for those either.
We are not quite brave enough to drink the dry milk mixture. I think I'll let us stick with our expensive liquid milk for now!
With the way food prices have been increasing, maybe dry milk is something you should start considering to use in recipes. If you can find a box on sale, you'll probably end up spending way less per cup on the dry milk than you would on the gallon of liquid milk per cup usage.
I have recently started using dry milk in my baking. There is virtually no taste difference, and it lets me save the expensive liquid milk for drinking with meals and with cereals.
I bought a cheap box of Meijer Dry Milk to use in recipes. I think I paid $4 for the box. I have used it in 5 different recipes that call for 1/2 cup or more of milk, and I still have more than half the box of dry milk left! I'd say that we made out pretty good with it.
When I mix it up, I've been mixing for a quart of milk at a time. You can mix up 8 fl oz, if you want, but I figured if I'm baking a few things at a time, I might as well just mix up a quart and keep it in the fridge. It's good for a few days (I think the box says to use with 10 days of mixing with water; the most I've gone is 2 days.).
The measurements on my box say to mix 1 1/3 cups dry milk with 3 3/4 cups COLD water. I emphasize COLD water because the directions on the box did, too. :) I have been mixing it in a container with a lid and spout, so I can just shake it up together then open the spout and pour it into measuring cups for the recipes.
I cannot taste any difference in the foods once they're baked. I even used the dry milk mixture in 2 casseroles and we didn't notice a difference in taste for those either.
We are not quite brave enough to drink the dry milk mixture. I think I'll let us stick with our expensive liquid milk for now!
With the way food prices have been increasing, maybe dry milk is something you should start considering to use in recipes. If you can find a box on sale, you'll probably end up spending way less per cup on the dry milk than you would on the gallon of liquid milk per cup usage.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
House Help: Daily Duties
Last Thursday, I wrote about creating lists for each person in the house for tasks that need to be completed each day/week.
Today, I am going to go over the daily items or tasks that I have listed for myself to do. These are things I strive to do every single day, regardless of scheduling or additional assigned items. When I miss doing these tasks, I really feel off. They help me maintain a routine around here, which is absolutely necessary with 3 1/2 little ones running around. :)
On my daily to do's, I have listed:
-Shower
-Dress/Makeup
-Make Beds
-Quick clean upstairs bathroom
-Empty dishwasher
-Quick clean downstairs bathroom
-Blog (ok, so this is a fun one for me, but chores can be fun, right? lol)
-15 minute tidy up (this happens around 5:30 or 5:45 right before my husband gets home)
-Run dishwasher
These are in addition to the obvious To Do's of breakfast, lunch, dinner, meal cleanup, and naps. I figured those would be understood as items we have every day. :)
As I explained last week, I am pretty particular about having clean bathrooms. My girls touch EVERYTHING, and I shudder at the thought of them touching dirty bathroom things. Ew! As for the other items, I do them because it helps us stay on top of things around here.
If I don't run the dishwasher before bed at night and empty it before breakfast in the morning, we are usually scrambling for a certain dish or utensil or cup, only to find it dirty and sitting in the washer. But, when we stay on top of running and emptying it, getting breakfast on the table in time for us all to sit down together is sooo much easier!
Making beds actually burns calories. I forget how many, though. I just know that doing it right when we get up actually helps us get some motivation to start our day. Same with showering, dressing, and doing makeup right away. I feel motivated to get my list done if I'm dressed with makeup on. And then when we need to leave the house later, I don't have to go back and put on makeup or find an outfit. It's already done. :)
So, my advice would be to think of the items that you would like to see done every day, that will help you stay on top of the clutter or dirty dishes or schedules. The littlest things, done daily, can help reduce stress when trying to get out the door for school or work or appointments.
My husband and I have a pretty nice routine in the morning and (if we stay on track) for the evening:
4:45/5:00 - he's up and out the door for his marathon training (running, swimming, whatever)
5:45 - i'm up and in the shower, getting dressed, doing makeup and making our bed; Arthur's back and starting the coffeemaker and pouring the girls' drinks for breakfast
6:00 - Arthur showers, while I start breakfast (I usually cook breakfast, so it takes a little while; some days we do cold cereals for a break)
6:15ish - Iris and Lily are up and SUPPOSED to be getting dressed...we struggle with that transition often. :)
6:30 - Arthur, Iris, Lily and I sit down to eat (Addy has been sleeping in lately, so we let her)
6:45/7:00 - breakfast cleanup, Arthur brushes teeth with the girls, i pack his lunch (usually leftovers, great time saver!)
7:00/7:10 - Arthur leaves for work; girls get cartoons; Addy wakes up and eats; I clean bathrooms
7:30 - Addy is dressed, and I finish breakfast cleanup
7:45 - I sit to blog, girls do whatever - read, play, or homework (if any); I pull out anything frozen we'll need for dinner
8:25 - we start to get ready to leave for school (Tues, Wed, Thurs) - everyone potties, jackets, bookbags, shoes, load in car
8:40 - leave for school
9:00 to 11:30 - school for girls, errands or housework for Addy and I
12:00 - lunch for the girls (planned out ahead of time, makes for easier service!)
12:30 - lunch cleanup
12:45 - potty and naps for the girls, I sit down to eat, blog, read/watch news, email, etc.
2:30/3:00 - girls are all up from naps usually; craft, movie, books, whatever we decide to do that day
4:30 - dinner prep
5:30/5:45 - 15 minute tidy up - girls have to pick up all toys and books in living room and their room and sit to relax until Arthur gets home (helps relax the hyper-ness they have!)
6:00ish - we sit to eat all together
6:30/6:45 - dinner cleanup for me, girls and Dad play together. :)
7:15(lately) - pajama time, teeth brushing, baths (every other day), kid devotions, bed for girls
9:30 - start dishwasher; bed for Arthur and I
_____________________________________________________________
In addition to the routine daily items, I do have certain tasks designated for each day. I wrote them in last week's post, but here they are again:
Monday - Laundry
Tuesday - Groceries, Garbage collection
Wednesday - Garbage day (out to curb), Change all beds' sheets
Thursday - Dust, Vacuum, Windows
Friday - Wipe down appliances (stove, microwave, dishwasher front, washer/dryer fronts and doors), kitchen and Bathroom floors
These tasks take longer than the little everyday items, so I try not to combine any of these on the same day or I start to feel overwhelmed. :) Plus, with my big pregnant belly, if I get behind and have to make them up on other days I am SUPER tired by the afternoon. So, having them divided up on different days really helps maintain my stress levels!
So, these are my routines and my schedules. Anyone want to share theirs?
Today, I am going to go over the daily items or tasks that I have listed for myself to do. These are things I strive to do every single day, regardless of scheduling or additional assigned items. When I miss doing these tasks, I really feel off. They help me maintain a routine around here, which is absolutely necessary with 3 1/2 little ones running around. :)
On my daily to do's, I have listed:
-Shower
-Dress/Makeup
-Make Beds
-Quick clean upstairs bathroom
-Empty dishwasher
-Quick clean downstairs bathroom
-Blog (ok, so this is a fun one for me, but chores can be fun, right? lol)
-15 minute tidy up (this happens around 5:30 or 5:45 right before my husband gets home)
-Run dishwasher
These are in addition to the obvious To Do's of breakfast, lunch, dinner, meal cleanup, and naps. I figured those would be understood as items we have every day. :)
As I explained last week, I am pretty particular about having clean bathrooms. My girls touch EVERYTHING, and I shudder at the thought of them touching dirty bathroom things. Ew! As for the other items, I do them because it helps us stay on top of things around here.
If I don't run the dishwasher before bed at night and empty it before breakfast in the morning, we are usually scrambling for a certain dish or utensil or cup, only to find it dirty and sitting in the washer. But, when we stay on top of running and emptying it, getting breakfast on the table in time for us all to sit down together is sooo much easier!
Making beds actually burns calories. I forget how many, though. I just know that doing it right when we get up actually helps us get some motivation to start our day. Same with showering, dressing, and doing makeup right away. I feel motivated to get my list done if I'm dressed with makeup on. And then when we need to leave the house later, I don't have to go back and put on makeup or find an outfit. It's already done. :)
So, my advice would be to think of the items that you would like to see done every day, that will help you stay on top of the clutter or dirty dishes or schedules. The littlest things, done daily, can help reduce stress when trying to get out the door for school or work or appointments.
My husband and I have a pretty nice routine in the morning and (if we stay on track) for the evening:
4:45/5:00 - he's up and out the door for his marathon training (running, swimming, whatever)
5:45 - i'm up and in the shower, getting dressed, doing makeup and making our bed; Arthur's back and starting the coffeemaker and pouring the girls' drinks for breakfast
6:00 - Arthur showers, while I start breakfast (I usually cook breakfast, so it takes a little while; some days we do cold cereals for a break)
6:15ish - Iris and Lily are up and SUPPOSED to be getting dressed...we struggle with that transition often. :)
6:30 - Arthur, Iris, Lily and I sit down to eat (Addy has been sleeping in lately, so we let her)
6:45/7:00 - breakfast cleanup, Arthur brushes teeth with the girls, i pack his lunch (usually leftovers, great time saver!)
7:00/7:10 - Arthur leaves for work; girls get cartoons; Addy wakes up and eats; I clean bathrooms
7:30 - Addy is dressed, and I finish breakfast cleanup
7:45 - I sit to blog, girls do whatever - read, play, or homework (if any); I pull out anything frozen we'll need for dinner
8:25 - we start to get ready to leave for school (Tues, Wed, Thurs) - everyone potties, jackets, bookbags, shoes, load in car
8:40 - leave for school
9:00 to 11:30 - school for girls, errands or housework for Addy and I
12:00 - lunch for the girls (planned out ahead of time, makes for easier service!)
12:30 - lunch cleanup
12:45 - potty and naps for the girls, I sit down to eat, blog, read/watch news, email, etc.
2:30/3:00 - girls are all up from naps usually; craft, movie, books, whatever we decide to do that day
4:30 - dinner prep
5:30/5:45 - 15 minute tidy up - girls have to pick up all toys and books in living room and their room and sit to relax until Arthur gets home (helps relax the hyper-ness they have!)
6:00ish - we sit to eat all together
6:30/6:45 - dinner cleanup for me, girls and Dad play together. :)
7:15(lately) - pajama time, teeth brushing, baths (every other day), kid devotions, bed for girls
9:30 - start dishwasher; bed for Arthur and I
_____________________________________________________________
In addition to the routine daily items, I do have certain tasks designated for each day. I wrote them in last week's post, but here they are again:
Monday - Laundry
Tuesday - Groceries, Garbage collection
Wednesday - Garbage day (out to curb), Change all beds' sheets
Thursday - Dust, Vacuum, Windows
Friday - Wipe down appliances (stove, microwave, dishwasher front, washer/dryer fronts and doors), kitchen and Bathroom floors
These tasks take longer than the little everyday items, so I try not to combine any of these on the same day or I start to feel overwhelmed. :) Plus, with my big pregnant belly, if I get behind and have to make them up on other days I am SUPER tired by the afternoon. So, having them divided up on different days really helps maintain my stress levels!
So, these are my routines and my schedules. Anyone want to share theirs?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Motherhood Mania: Paint
I really dislike messes. Really. I don't know why I have such a hard time letting go to just have fun when we do crafts, but I do.
Today, I let the girls use paint and stamps to make some pictures for their Dad. Then they stopped with the stamps and just took paintbrushes and "scribbled" all over their papers. Paint was everywhere, and I felt like I was going to explode! :)
It actually wasn't all over, but I felt like it was. It is all washable, so it came off the table, placemats, and hands very easily. No harm done. I just didn't enjoy the time during painting. Guess I'll need to get used to mess, since we'll be homeschooling. I have all kinds of crafts and projects listed, and I don't imagine it'll be spotless while we work on them!
Regardless, the girls had fun. It was for them, so I was ok to grin and bear it and let them enjoy the fun. Iris even told me I was the best mother ever, while she was washing her hands afterward. I asked if she still thought so when she gets in trouble.
She said, "Yes. And even when you're old, I'll still love you."
:)
Today, I let the girls use paint and stamps to make some pictures for their Dad. Then they stopped with the stamps and just took paintbrushes and "scribbled" all over their papers. Paint was everywhere, and I felt like I was going to explode! :)
It actually wasn't all over, but I felt like it was. It is all washable, so it came off the table, placemats, and hands very easily. No harm done. I just didn't enjoy the time during painting. Guess I'll need to get used to mess, since we'll be homeschooling. I have all kinds of crafts and projects listed, and I don't imagine it'll be spotless while we work on them!
Regardless, the girls had fun. It was for them, so I was ok to grin and bear it and let them enjoy the fun. Iris even told me I was the best mother ever, while she was washing her hands afterward. I asked if she still thought so when she gets in trouble.
She said, "Yes. And even when you're old, I'll still love you."
:)
Rejoicing in Recipes: Cheeseburger Meatloaf
I usually don't post recipes before I've tried them, but this one seemed pretty good, with no surprise flavors. We're having it for dinner tonight.
A few changes I made:
I'm using 1.4 lbs of ground beef because that's the size I had frozen. :) I am using BBQ sauce instead of chili sauce because I don't really like chili sauce, and I have several bottles of BBQ sauce on hand.
I am serving this with corn on the cob and zucchini. I am very excited to have the vegetables! I love spring and summer, when great tasting corn and zucchini are available!
Cheeseburger Meatloaf
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup uncooked regular oats
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. minced onion
1 large egg
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 dry mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup chili sauce (or bbq sauce)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 11 ingredients in a large bowl; stir just until blended. Shape mixture into a loaf, and place in an ungreased 8×4-inch loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Pour chili sauce over meat loaf, and bake 15-30 more minutes or until meat is no longer pink in center. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and cut into 8 slices.
A few changes I made:
I'm using 1.4 lbs of ground beef because that's the size I had frozen. :) I am using BBQ sauce instead of chili sauce because I don't really like chili sauce, and I have several bottles of BBQ sauce on hand.
I am serving this with corn on the cob and zucchini. I am very excited to have the vegetables! I love spring and summer, when great tasting corn and zucchini are available!
Cheeseburger Meatloaf
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup uncooked regular oats
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. minced onion
1 large egg
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 dry mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup chili sauce (or bbq sauce)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 11 ingredients in a large bowl; stir just until blended. Shape mixture into a loaf, and place in an ungreased 8×4-inch loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Pour chili sauce over meat loaf, and bake 15-30 more minutes or until meat is no longer pink in center. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and cut into 8 slices.
Pleasantries of Pregnancy: 37 Weeks
I had my 37 week appointment this morning. I wasn't expecting much, but I am excited to report I am now 75% effaced and 1 cm dilated! I know - nothing HUGE, but this is where I was with Addy right before I went into labor with her, so it's progress, right? :)
The doctor said the baby has definitely dropped more and she said there was definite progress from last week's visit.
I go back on Monday, so we'll see if anything happens before then. :) Trying not to get my hopes up and just enjoy being pregnant for these last few weeks of it!
The doctor said the baby has definitely dropped more and she said there was definite progress from last week's visit.
I go back on Monday, so we'll see if anything happens before then. :) Trying not to get my hopes up and just enjoy being pregnant for these last few weeks of it!
Favorite Food Deal of the Week: Meijer Tomatoes!
My most favorite deal this week comes from Meijer.
They have their Meijer Naturals canned diced tomatoes on sale for $.69 each. Currently, if you buy 5 Naturals products you receive a $3 store CAT at checkout. I bought 5, paid $3.45 for the cans and received a $3 store CAT (off a future Naturals purchase). So, essentially I paid $.45 for 5 cans of tomatoes! That's $.09 a can! We use canned diced tomatoes often in dishes and casseroles, so it was definitely worth fronting the $3.45 for them! Plus, this gives me $3 to apply next week toward another Naturals purchase at Meijer!
This deal runs through today, I believe. So, if you're wanting to take advantage you will need to get over to Meijer today. Sometimes their store CAT specials run a second week, but I don't believe this one does.
Happy shopping!
They have their Meijer Naturals canned diced tomatoes on sale for $.69 each. Currently, if you buy 5 Naturals products you receive a $3 store CAT at checkout. I bought 5, paid $3.45 for the cans and received a $3 store CAT (off a future Naturals purchase). So, essentially I paid $.45 for 5 cans of tomatoes! That's $.09 a can! We use canned diced tomatoes often in dishes and casseroles, so it was definitely worth fronting the $3.45 for them! Plus, this gives me $3 to apply next week toward another Naturals purchase at Meijer!
This deal runs through today, I believe. So, if you're wanting to take advantage you will need to get over to Meijer today. Sometimes their store CAT specials run a second week, but I don't believe this one does.
Happy shopping!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Rejoicing in Recipes: Crockpot Italian Chicken
I came across this "recipe" several weeks ago and am just now getting around to making and posting it. It is soooo simple. I picked up the dressing I needed at Meijer (part of their 10 for $10 sale! yay!), so we can make it tonight!
Crockpot Italian Chicken
5-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I'm using the frozen breasts from Meijer, $4.99 for a 40 oz bag...not bad!)
1 bottle Italian dressing
Brown rice
Put the chicken in the crockpot. Pour the dressing over the top. Cook for 4-6 hours. Serve over brown rice.
I used a coupon for FREE Uncle Ben's Ready Rice today at Meijer as well as a $.75 off 1 Ready Rice, so we are using those 2 packages of Chicken Flavored Brown Rice for this meal tonight! See how easy I just made dinner? Chicken in the crockpot, ready rice just has to be microwaved, dinner will be a cinch tonight! I love taking it easy on Tuesday night dinners, especially since I rush around all morning do the grocery shopping!
Crockpot Italian Chicken
5-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I'm using the frozen breasts from Meijer, $4.99 for a 40 oz bag...not bad!)
1 bottle Italian dressing
Brown rice
Put the chicken in the crockpot. Pour the dressing over the top. Cook for 4-6 hours. Serve over brown rice.
I used a coupon for FREE Uncle Ben's Ready Rice today at Meijer as well as a $.75 off 1 Ready Rice, so we are using those 2 packages of Chicken Flavored Brown Rice for this meal tonight! See how easy I just made dinner? Chicken in the crockpot, ready rice just has to be microwaved, dinner will be a cinch tonight! I love taking it easy on Tuesday night dinners, especially since I rush around all morning do the grocery shopping!
Menu Plan: May 17-23
Grocery shopping done!....almost. :) But, I have my list of meals for the week in my head, so I better get them down in a post now before I get busy and forget!
Breakfasts
Cold cereal, oranges
Scrambled eggs w/cheese, sausage, toast
Cinnamon Rolls, bananas
English muffins or bagels, strawberries
Pancakes, sausage, oranges
Smoothies (this is new for us - smoothies for breakfast. we'll see how it goes!)
Coffee Cake - new recipe. I'll post if we like it. :)
Lunch
Peanut butter and honey sandwiches, carrot sticks, apple slices
Leftovers
Ham and Cheese Rollups, strawberries, chips
Leftovers
Grilled Cheese, bananas, carrot sticks
Leftovers (yes, we eat a lot of leftovers.....and we like it!)
Hot dogs, strawberries, chips
Dinner
Brown Bag Burritos, Corn, Salad
Cheeseburger Meatloaf (another new recipe. will post if good), corn on the cob, zucchini
Crockpot Italian Chicken (new. posting later today), brown rice, green beans
Veggie Lasagna - Meatless Monday (another new one!), peas and carrots
Crockpot BBQ chicken, potatoes, salad
Hot Dogs, black beans and corn
Leftovers or out to eat
Hoping we stick to this list! I have everything on hand for these meals, so I am praying my motivation to plan ahead sticks around and I get the breakfasts completed as planned. :)
Breakfasts
Cold cereal, oranges
Scrambled eggs w/cheese, sausage, toast
Cinnamon Rolls, bananas
English muffins or bagels, strawberries
Pancakes, sausage, oranges
Smoothies (this is new for us - smoothies for breakfast. we'll see how it goes!)
Coffee Cake - new recipe. I'll post if we like it. :)
Lunch
Peanut butter and honey sandwiches, carrot sticks, apple slices
Leftovers
Ham and Cheese Rollups, strawberries, chips
Leftovers
Grilled Cheese, bananas, carrot sticks
Leftovers (yes, we eat a lot of leftovers.....and we like it!)
Hot dogs, strawberries, chips
Dinner
Brown Bag Burritos, Corn, Salad
Cheeseburger Meatloaf (another new recipe. will post if good), corn on the cob, zucchini
Crockpot Italian Chicken (new. posting later today), brown rice, green beans
Veggie Lasagna - Meatless Monday (another new one!), peas and carrots
Crockpot BBQ chicken, potatoes, salad
Hot Dogs, black beans and corn
Leftovers or out to eat
Hoping we stick to this list! I have everything on hand for these meals, so I am praying my motivation to plan ahead sticks around and I get the breakfasts completed as planned. :)
Lessons in Love: Happy Face
"A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit." Proverbs 15:13 NLT
Iris and Lily have been asking me constantly, "Mom, are you happy?" I thought it was cute and funny at first, but they are asking me several times a day now; I'm beginning to worry slightly. I tell them "yes", but they follow up with "but you don't LOOK happy".
I admit, I'm not a smiley person. Never have been. My mom even tells me that I didn't smile much as a baby and toddler. Apparently, when I was born we lived far from my parents' families, and my mom wasn't particularly happy all the time and didn't smile a lot. I guess I picked up on that and didn't smile often as a child.
Even in high school, while I was a cheerleader, I did not smile often. I can remember being reminded constantly to smile by our coaches. Guess they expect the cheerleaders to appear happy to be there! ;)
Fast forward to now, I'm a mom to 3 very observant children. I know I'm not smiling 24/7, but I thought I at least gave the impression that I was happy. I guess not. This is starting to bother me because of the number of times I'm being asked now if I'm happy.
I don't want my girls to think I'm unhappy being here with them or that they don't bring a smile to my face. How do I smile more, though? It's not like I'm aware I DON'T smile. How can I remind myself to smile more? As if I don't have enough things to remember during the day.....now I have to remember to smile?! :)
My girls are very social, very smiley (for the most part), and I'm pretty sure both of those are because of their father. :) I am not very outgoing or overly cheerful looking. Arthur, on the other hand, walks up to strangers to chat and smiles at everyone everywhere.
This verse makes sense, though....."a glad heart makes a happy face..." I have a glad heart, so I guess the point of the verse is to remind us that if we're happy in our hearts, we should be displaying happiness on our faces. If I'm teaching my kids to be joyful and happy with Jesus in our hearts, how are they going to believe what I'm saying if I look like a sourpuss all the time?
The challenge for me this week, then, is to show my happiness on my face. I can be as glad as I possibly can, in my heart, but I need to be expressing it on my face. Who would want to know more about Jesus if they see my sober face 24/7? That doesn't seem very appealing!
"Yes, please tell me more about this Jesus that gives you such a crabby look." LOL.
The world has enough things going on to make us all crabby looking or angry or just sour. The only thing I can think of to make me feel joyous all day every day is the love of Jesus. Why not show it?!
Iris and Lily have been asking me constantly, "Mom, are you happy?" I thought it was cute and funny at first, but they are asking me several times a day now; I'm beginning to worry slightly. I tell them "yes", but they follow up with "but you don't LOOK happy".
I admit, I'm not a smiley person. Never have been. My mom even tells me that I didn't smile much as a baby and toddler. Apparently, when I was born we lived far from my parents' families, and my mom wasn't particularly happy all the time and didn't smile a lot. I guess I picked up on that and didn't smile often as a child.
Even in high school, while I was a cheerleader, I did not smile often. I can remember being reminded constantly to smile by our coaches. Guess they expect the cheerleaders to appear happy to be there! ;)
Fast forward to now, I'm a mom to 3 very observant children. I know I'm not smiling 24/7, but I thought I at least gave the impression that I was happy. I guess not. This is starting to bother me because of the number of times I'm being asked now if I'm happy.
I don't want my girls to think I'm unhappy being here with them or that they don't bring a smile to my face. How do I smile more, though? It's not like I'm aware I DON'T smile. How can I remind myself to smile more? As if I don't have enough things to remember during the day.....now I have to remember to smile?! :)
My girls are very social, very smiley (for the most part), and I'm pretty sure both of those are because of their father. :) I am not very outgoing or overly cheerful looking. Arthur, on the other hand, walks up to strangers to chat and smiles at everyone everywhere.
This verse makes sense, though....."a glad heart makes a happy face..." I have a glad heart, so I guess the point of the verse is to remind us that if we're happy in our hearts, we should be displaying happiness on our faces. If I'm teaching my kids to be joyful and happy with Jesus in our hearts, how are they going to believe what I'm saying if I look like a sourpuss all the time?
The challenge for me this week, then, is to show my happiness on my face. I can be as glad as I possibly can, in my heart, but I need to be expressing it on my face. Who would want to know more about Jesus if they see my sober face 24/7? That doesn't seem very appealing!
"Yes, please tell me more about this Jesus that gives you such a crabby look." LOL.
The world has enough things going on to make us all crabby looking or angry or just sour. The only thing I can think of to make me feel joyous all day every day is the love of Jesus. Why not show it?!
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