Saturday, February 20, 2010
Happy Sabbath!
I decided to post today, as I am still researching/praying about/debating what is and is not "work". For me this blog is definitely not work, however it is creative. anyhoo, just wanted to say I woke up grumpy, but after a bit of tea and toast I am perked up and ready to face the day....time to get the kiddos dressed, and then off to church! No menu's today, as that IS work, and we are having lunch at grammy's house anyway. Perhaps I will post my Sabbath musings here as I begin to make decisions.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Springtime in the Valley
February is my favorite month of the year. I am quite sure it can be traced back to the fact that my sister, brother and I were all born this month, so it is chock-full of happy childhood memories. My wonderful mother used to bake us all our very own cake, and decorate it too! We would have one gigantic birthday party with all the friends and relatives. On our actual birthday we would get a small gift and pick out anything we wanted mom to cook for dinner. As we got older we each had a weekend sleepover as well. Such fun things, but now that I am a mother, I wonder about the sanity of the plan! Thankfully all of our birthdays are spaced out a bit. Perhaps we will wind up with a birthday in every month. In that case we will probably graduate to family outings as the party of choice, with a homemade and decorated cake and a special birthday dinner of course!
Then again, everything is in bloom this time of year. The daffodils always make it for Greg's birthday, and the trees are blossoming as well. At night, when it is warmer, the air is heavy with a honeysuckle scent...I love it! It is a good thing I am allergic to molds and not pollens!
I spent the morning working in the boys room, and i have discovered some nice things. The toddler bunk bed that my dad built has just enough space underneath to slide in a third mattress, trundle style! So we don't need to add another bed in until we have another baby. I re-organized the diaper changing area and am considering moving a few of the items there into other rooms. The towels will move to the bathroom eventually (when we get the $ together for Garrett to build our linen cabinet) The sheets and big blankets can move to the hall closet and the co-sleeper bedding can be stored underneath that! I am quite happy with the theoretical reorganization. My goal is to eventually have everything stored in the room which it is used. Its kind of like the trendy "make a coffee station in your kitchen with everything you need in the same place." idea, but with the whole house!
I also have a few project ideas for the room. I want to paint trains on the walls, "Freight Train" style a la Eric Carle. I'd also like to add some "learning" items around their table area. Numbers and alphabets and shapes and such. Will be researching soon!
For the new baby, in order to keep the room uncluttered, will not be getting a dresser. I believe I can fit the tiny clothes into baskets under the changing area. I have these white wire baskets (from when I was a kid!) which are very sturdy and still very useful, but, well, holey and not very attractive. I want to sew some sort of liner for them, maybe a Velcro or elastic type. we will see!
Yesterday's quiche was a flop. The yogurt looks questionable, it has a very thick, kind of stringy texture, gooey, not sour-cream like. sigh. I guess I'll try it out on the boys, and give it another whack later. Next time I will do the half-gallon and use a different culture base, and perhaps leave it much much longer to culture. Maybe I'll make some yogurt-cheese out of this batch.
Breakfast: Cereal and milk, strawberries (W)
Snack: Toast (from homemade white bread) butter, jam
Lunch: Lentils and rice with fried onions, yogurt
Dinner: Mac n cheese, baked potato (Special request from Garrett)
Then again, everything is in bloom this time of year. The daffodils always make it for Greg's birthday, and the trees are blossoming as well. At night, when it is warmer, the air is heavy with a honeysuckle scent...I love it! It is a good thing I am allergic to molds and not pollens!
I spent the morning working in the boys room, and i have discovered some nice things. The toddler bunk bed that my dad built has just enough space underneath to slide in a third mattress, trundle style! So we don't need to add another bed in until we have another baby. I re-organized the diaper changing area and am considering moving a few of the items there into other rooms. The towels will move to the bathroom eventually (when we get the $ together for Garrett to build our linen cabinet) The sheets and big blankets can move to the hall closet and the co-sleeper bedding can be stored underneath that! I am quite happy with the theoretical reorganization. My goal is to eventually have everything stored in the room which it is used. Its kind of like the trendy "make a coffee station in your kitchen with everything you need in the same place." idea, but with the whole house!
I also have a few project ideas for the room. I want to paint trains on the walls, "Freight Train" style a la Eric Carle. I'd also like to add some "learning" items around their table area. Numbers and alphabets and shapes and such. Will be researching soon!
For the new baby, in order to keep the room uncluttered, will not be getting a dresser. I believe I can fit the tiny clothes into baskets under the changing area. I have these white wire baskets (from when I was a kid!) which are very sturdy and still very useful, but, well, holey and not very attractive. I want to sew some sort of liner for them, maybe a Velcro or elastic type. we will see!
Yesterday's quiche was a flop. The yogurt looks questionable, it has a very thick, kind of stringy texture, gooey, not sour-cream like. sigh. I guess I'll try it out on the boys, and give it another whack later. Next time I will do the half-gallon and use a different culture base, and perhaps leave it much much longer to culture. Maybe I'll make some yogurt-cheese out of this batch.
Breakfast: Cereal and milk, strawberries (W)
Snack: Toast (from homemade white bread) butter, jam
Lunch: Lentils and rice with fried onions, yogurt
Dinner: Mac n cheese, baked potato (Special request from Garrett)
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Mixed success
Yesterday's beans and rice was a huge hit with the kiddos. I simmered red beans for about 1 1/2 hours, then added an equal amount of brown rice. I seasoned it last-miunite wtih lime juice, cumin, oregeno and a touch of chili powder. I found an avacado in my crisper so I topped it with that and a bit of cheese. We had it for dinner as well as my cottage cheese was no good for the lasagne. So that was good!
We are trying the yogurt again, with a slightly different recipe and we're doing it in a crock pot. I don't know if it will work, as it called for 1/2 gallon of milk, and I wasn't willing to make that much, so I used half the milk and all the yogurt starter....it already looks better than the last batch!
Garrett LOVED the bread I made, in fact he said it was the best sandwich bread he had ever tasted! I am absolutely thrilled, both because this version is just so much healthier (even though it is made from white flour, im planning on phasing in whole wheat slowly) without all of those preservatives, but it is about 1/4 the cost of his favorite brand. So, I love to bake and I'll be making a loaf a week when he is working, maybe more if he starts using it for toast or snacks.
We wandered down to the grocery store this morning, and I was quite pleased to spend my WIC produce coupons, I paid about 71 cents and came out with 2lbs strawberries, 1lb cherry tomatoes, 3 lbs onions, 1lb organic carrots, 2 cucumbers, 2 lbs apples and 2lbs bananas. I could have done better, but Garrett was really wanting the strawberries and tomatoes (Well, so was I) and they can be pricey this time of year.
Today's menu:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, frozen waffle
Lunch: PB&J, oranges (free from neighbor) 1/2 donut (treat from store)
Dinner: Easy Quiche
basically, fried onions, potatoes, carrots peas and eggs. no crust, and minimal prep!
We are trying the yogurt again, with a slightly different recipe and we're doing it in a crock pot. I don't know if it will work, as it called for 1/2 gallon of milk, and I wasn't willing to make that much, so I used half the milk and all the yogurt starter....it already looks better than the last batch!
Garrett LOVED the bread I made, in fact he said it was the best sandwich bread he had ever tasted! I am absolutely thrilled, both because this version is just so much healthier (even though it is made from white flour, im planning on phasing in whole wheat slowly) without all of those preservatives, but it is about 1/4 the cost of his favorite brand. So, I love to bake and I'll be making a loaf a week when he is working, maybe more if he starts using it for toast or snacks.
We wandered down to the grocery store this morning, and I was quite pleased to spend my WIC produce coupons, I paid about 71 cents and came out with 2lbs strawberries, 1lb cherry tomatoes, 3 lbs onions, 1lb organic carrots, 2 cucumbers, 2 lbs apples and 2lbs bananas. I could have done better, but Garrett was really wanting the strawberries and tomatoes (Well, so was I) and they can be pricey this time of year.
Today's menu:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, frozen waffle
Lunch: PB&J, oranges (free from neighbor) 1/2 donut (treat from store)
Dinner: Easy Quiche
basically, fried onions, potatoes, carrots peas and eggs. no crust, and minimal prep!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Adventures in eating
I have just sent both the boys to their room with a bowl of popcorn...thereby breaking my new rule and basically asking for popcorn to make it into every corner of the room...but it was the ONLY room I have yet to clean/vacuum and also I wanted some time online. =)
so, Yesterday's menu:
Breakfast: cereal and milk
Snack: animal crackers, chocolate pudding (for me!)
Lunch: PB&J
Dinner: Pesto, leftovers
Today's menu:
Breakfast: Frozen waffles
Snack: popcorn
Lunch: red beans and rice
Dinner: Lasagna (if my cottage cheese is still good) mozzarella cheese is new (W)
We went to our WIC appointment yesterday, and swung by their store where we stocked up on fresh dairy products. Actually, due to the new coupon arrangements, in order to get enough cheese to both make a lasagna, and quesadillas later I wound up with 4 1/2 gallons of milk...and needing to find recipes/reasons to use it! Perhaps a nice, creamy soup? More yogurt? Maybe I'll attempt a cheese!
My yogurt was an utter failure, will have to buy a small container and try again later.
I am baking bread today, using the Challah recipe Garrett really likes and turning it into a loaf, hoping he will enjoy it for his sandwiches. His palette is extremely brand-loyal. I think it came from a lifetime of eating only rainbow white bread, I am happy he had some sort of stability in his childhood, but also sometimes wish Grandma couldn't have afforded the name brands all the time. We are slowly getting healtier and our goal is to move to all home cooked foods...eventually. I'm thinking about getting some cheap bakeware at the thrift store so I can make some meals ahead and freeze them. Also wondering how to make sure baked goods don't take on that fresh-from-the-freezer taste...I love baking breads but want a good dough I can holdover.
More research for me! woo hoo!
so, Yesterday's menu:
Breakfast: cereal and milk
Snack: animal crackers, chocolate pudding (for me!)
Lunch: PB&J
Dinner: Pesto, leftovers
Today's menu:
Breakfast: Frozen waffles
Snack: popcorn
Lunch: red beans and rice
Dinner: Lasagna (if my cottage cheese is still good) mozzarella cheese is new (W)
We went to our WIC appointment yesterday, and swung by their store where we stocked up on fresh dairy products. Actually, due to the new coupon arrangements, in order to get enough cheese to both make a lasagna, and quesadillas later I wound up with 4 1/2 gallons of milk...and needing to find recipes/reasons to use it! Perhaps a nice, creamy soup? More yogurt? Maybe I'll attempt a cheese!
My yogurt was an utter failure, will have to buy a small container and try again later.
I am baking bread today, using the Challah recipe Garrett really likes and turning it into a loaf, hoping he will enjoy it for his sandwiches. His palette is extremely brand-loyal. I think it came from a lifetime of eating only rainbow white bread, I am happy he had some sort of stability in his childhood, but also sometimes wish Grandma couldn't have afforded the name brands all the time. We are slowly getting healtier and our goal is to move to all home cooked foods...eventually. I'm thinking about getting some cheap bakeware at the thrift store so I can make some meals ahead and freeze them. Also wondering how to make sure baked goods don't take on that fresh-from-the-freezer taste...I love baking breads but want a good dough I can holdover.
More research for me! woo hoo!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Pantry Eating...
We have hit a little rough patch with our food budget, so at this point in time we are endeavoring to eat solely out of the stockpiles I have built up, with the exception of the fresh ingredients added by the WIC program (Milk, eggs, cheese, juice, grains, veggies). Up until this week we were supplementing it with small trips to the store for wanted ingredients, but my goal is to see just how much we can eat from home....I must admit this is an imperfect experiment as (out of laziness) I was dipping into my stockpiles and not replacing the ingredients, so some things are in short supply...such as Flour!!! ghaa. First to go, the leftovers!
I will post the day's predicted menu, and any changes I had to make as well. any non-stockpile ingredients will have an * after them. WIC items will also be noted with a W, but only if we purchase them new, as I have quite a bit of them stockpiled as well.
Monday:
Breakfast
Waffles
Sausage
Lunch:
Leftovers
Dinner:
rice
Stir fry veggies
steak
Snacks:
not sure
I am also going to attempt making things from scratch. We baked oat-wheat bread last week, a cake and frosting yesterday (no box mixes for us!), and today on the list is homemade Yogurt!
I will post the day's predicted menu, and any changes I had to make as well. any non-stockpile ingredients will have an * after them. WIC items will also be noted with a W, but only if we purchase them new, as I have quite a bit of them stockpiled as well.
Monday:
Breakfast
Waffles
Sausage
Lunch:
Leftovers
Dinner:
rice
Stir fry veggies
steak
Snacks:
not sure
I am also going to attempt making things from scratch. We baked oat-wheat bread last week, a cake and frosting yesterday (no box mixes for us!), and today on the list is homemade Yogurt!
Friday, February 12, 2010
i just lost the post
and it was a good one too! but now the kids are awake and I have to go ahead and get moving now...very frustrated.
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