Balancing Act Basics

The Quake

2011-08-23T21:40:00.003-04:00

Yes, I did feel the 5.8 earthquake that struck the Eastern seaboard this afternoon. I was at work discussing a safety program with a coworker. She noticed the shaking before I did (I guess it's cause I was talking). It was definitely an eerie sensation feeling the building shake. The wheels of my chair were just barely rocking side to side, and the blinds of my window were swinging.

Anyhow, we are all alive and well and thankful.

Wok's For Dinner: Taco Salad

2011-07-13T19:30:00.002-04:00

This meal was sooo good. I love a good salad, and had been in the mood for a taco salad for several weeks. I had a coupon for Texas Toast Tortilla Strips (next to the croutons at the grocery store) and finally found a store that sells them. I knew that the tortilla strips would make a perfect topping to a taco salad, and I was finally able to use them tonight. Yummy!

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1 med. green bell pepper, diced

1 med. red bell pepper, diced

1/2 med. onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced (seeds removed, of course, unless you like the heat!)

1 pkg taco seasoning

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 can pinto beans, drained

shredded or torn lettuce leaves (I just used a bag of garden salad)

Texas Toast Chily Lime Tortilla Strips

shredded cheese

cherry tomatoes, diced

salad dressing (I used sweet vidalia onion; hubs used ranch)

sour cream

Directions:

Brown ground turkey, bell peppers, onion & jalapeno in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir occasionally until meat is no longer pink. Reduce heat, then stir in taco seasoning and chicken broth. Stir in pinto beans. Let simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place lettuce on plate. Top with meat mixture, tortilla strips, cheese, tomatoes, some salad dressing, and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Conversations With Children: The Nap

2011-07-12T19:31:00.002-04:00

"Mommy, I fell asleep at Summer camp today."

"You did? How did you manage to do that?" (This is, after all, the YMCA Traditional Summer Camp, nonstop fun & entertainment.)

"We were playing a game and you had to lay on the floor and the person who was the stillest was the winner and that's when I fell asleep."

He didn't win, but I'll bet he was the stillest. Gotta love it!

Spectacular Sides: Cucumber & Onion Salad

2011-07-04T19:20:00.009-04:00

So both our dryer and vacuum fried recently. I've turned our bathroom into a clothes line, hanging the clothes in there to dry. Fortunately, a friend has offered us a vacuum of hers, and we purchased a washer/dryer combo set today which we can pick up later this week. It's a matter of limping along for a few more days while we wait on everything. It's not too fun living without major appliances, believe you me. Maybe this is a way to prepare us for this years' hurricane season...?

Anyways...

This recipe came from my mother-in-law and is a favorite of my husband. I'll promise you'll love it, too. Even me, and I don't care for raw onion. There are no standard measurements to the ingredients--it all depend on how much you want to make. So I'll describe as est I can how much to make for 4 adults. Measurements are approximate and will mostly depend on your personal taste.

Cucumber Onion Salad

Ingredients:

3 medium cucumbers

1 medium onion

water

salt

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4-1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

1 tsp dried dill

Directions:

Day 1) Peel & slice cucumbers. Peel onion, cut in half, then cut both halves into thin slices. Place cucumber and onion slices in a large bowl; cover with water. Stir in lots of salt to make the water salty. No set amount of salt, maybe 1 Tbsp. I always just shake in a lot from the salt canister, then taste a small amount of the salt water to make sure it tastes salty enough. Allow the cucumbers & onions to sit in the salt water bath overnight. Day 2) Drain the salt water and rinse the cucumbers & onions thoroughly. The salt water cures the cucumbers & onions but is not parts of the actual salad ingredients, so make sure to rinse well. Put sour cream into a medium bowl. Stir in enough vinegar to thin out the sour cream so that it's liquidy instead of creamy, but not too liquidy...makes perfect sense, right? Stir dill into sour cream mixture. Add more dill if you feel like it needs it. Pour over cucumbers & onions, then stir mixture. Chill in refrigerator then serve and enjoy.

Conversations With Children: The Ride Back

2011-06-22T19:27:00.003-04:00

Overheard at dinner this evening:

"I had lots of fun at the water park today. I farted on the bus the whole way back. It was disgusting!!"

Gotta love it!

Conversations With Children: The Wild West

2011-06-20T18:39:00.002-04:00

Overheard at dinner this evening:

"When I grow up, I want to live in the Wild West in Texas so I can be a cowboy and ride horses and shoot bad guys."

Gotta love it!!

Spectacular Sides: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2011-06-16T19:09:00.007-04:00

So I returned to work this week after a very nice maternity leave. Our baby girl is absolutely adorable & we are so blessed. I am definitely worn out. She is sleeping through the night on most nights, but it's taking some time for me to get used to waking up (and staying up) early. Tonight's meal was the first real meal since I went back to work. And this side dish is sooooo good! I got lots of compliments from hubs.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

8 medium potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and quartered

4 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried parsley

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cool water. Bring to a boil over high heat; boil, stirring occasionally, about 20-25 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain. Place in large mixing bowl and add butter, garlic powder, parsley, salt & pepper. Beat with mixers until potatoes are nice & creamy and ingredients are mixed in well. Add milk and mix in until incorporated. Serve with a little dollop of butter on top.

Jennie-O Surprise

2011-06-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

I thought when my husband opened that package of turkey burgers and I saw the long, ver-dark-brown hair strand that, perhaps, I might get a coupon as a sort of peace offering. Yeah, that's right. A long strand of hair. Longer than any strand of hair on any family member in our house. Definitely didn't match our hair color. And in the raw meat of a turkey burger I had bought.

So I contacted Jenni-O about their sanitation issue. Customer service immediately responded to my concern and emailed me back. Then this showed up in the mail:

They mailed me two coupons AND a check to reimburse me for the cost of the turkey burgers. Wow!

Thank you, Jenni-O, for going above & beyond to ensure my satisfaction as a customer!!

Wok's For Dinner: Cilantro Lime Chicken

2011-06-11T17:00:00.001-04:00

I got the original recipe for this scrumptious meal from my friend Melissa at Melissa's Bargains a couple years ago. It's a great way to use up the last of a bag of tortilla chips, which always seem to go stale really fast in my house. Here is my version.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp lime juice (I was out of limes & used lemon juice instead)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp dried cilantro

4 b/s chicken breasts

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

1 medium tomato, diced

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterrey-Jack cheese

Directions:

Combine lime juice, oil, honey & cilantro. Dip chicken in lime juice mixture then coat with crushed chips. Place in ungreased baking dish. Sprinkle tomato & bell pepper over the top. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until juices run clear. Sprinkle cheese over the top, return to oven & bake 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve & enjoy!

If freezing: Place chicken in a freezer bag and cover with lime mixture before sealing and freezing. Thaw in refrigerator. The chicken will marinate in the lime mixture. You can then finish preparing the meal as directed once you're ready. :D

Spectacular Sides: Cheesy Corn Bake

2011-06-10T17:00:00.001-04:00

This side dish is great for feeding a several people. It makes quite a lot! I like the taste and the texture, and my kids really ate it up well, too!

Cheesy Corn Bake

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

1/4 cup flour

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

4 eggs

1 can cream-style corn

1 can corn kernels, drained

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Directions:

Using nonstick cooking spray, grease a 2-3 quart baking dish. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in flour, salt & pepper until combined. Reduce heat to medium-low, then slowly stir in milk with a whisk. Continue cooking, stirring, until thick & bubbly. Stir in cheese until melted. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat eggs with a fork. Stir in cream-style corn and corn kernels, mustard, and 1 cup breadcrumbs. Combine the cheese mixture with the corn mixture and pour into prepared baking dish. Melt the remaining 1 Tbsp butter and toss with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Wok's For Dinner: Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad

2011-06-09T19:30:00.001-04:00

I've been in quite a "salad" kind of mood lately. We have had a tossed salad several times the past couple weeks, and I've been drooling at the thought of more & more types of salads that I can make. That & fresh fruits & veggies. It's been super hot lately, so the last thing I want to eat is a super hot & heavy type meal. This particular salad is one of my husband's favorite meals that I make. Paired up with some watermelon, it makes for a nice, refreshing dinner.

Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1/3 lb cooked chicken, shredded

8 oz pasta, cooked according to package directions

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 pkg Ranch dressing mix

1/2-1 cup Ranch salad dressing (according to your taste)

1 Tbsp dill weed

ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Chill in refrigerator for one hour. Serve & enjoy.

Wok's For Dinner: Spaghetti Carbonara

2011-06-08T18:44:00.019-04:00

Yes, it is me, and I--finally!--am posting a recipe. I've been on maternity leave for over 6 weeks now. You'd think that I would have had plenty of free time to get caught up on projects & the like, but that is definitely not the case. I'm as busy as when I was working, if not more! But I am definitely enjoying it. A few more days to go, and I'll be back at work doing the daily grind.

This particular recipe is one that I make about once a year. It is an easy way to use up leftover ham. In fact, that's what I did. I made a spiral-sliced ham in December 2010 and froze the leftovers, dividing them into several portions for future meals and also for lunch-meat for my husband's sandwiches.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients:

1 lb spaghetti

3 Tbsp butter

6 oz diced ham

3 eggs

1 cup milk

2/3 cup grated Parmesan

salt & pepper, to taste

1/2 Tbsp dried or 2 Tbsp fresh parsley

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet; add ham. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned. In a bowl, beat the eggs and milk. Reduce burner heat to low and gently stir in egg mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken but not scramble, about 5 minutes. Stir in grated Parmesan. Season with salt & pepper; stir in parsley. Drain the pasta thoroughly and transfer to a large bowl. Pour the sauce over pasta, then toss to combine. Serve immediately.

If freezing: I would not recommend freezing the dish after preparing it; however, you can use cooked ham that you stored in the freezer.

Alive & Well...and still pregnant

2011-04-19T22:02:00.002-04:00

Yes, I know, it would seem as though I have completely abandoned the blog. And that's pretty much what happened. Not by choice, more by design. Too many work hours during the day that keep me busy, busy, busy, and not much personal time when I get home in the evenings. *sigh*

I am on maternity leave as of this week. We will be welcoming our 3rd child in a week & a half, that is, assuming she comes on her due date. I'm definitely excited but DEFINITELY cannot wait for her to come!

Sorry I am keeping this short. I am super worn out from some nesting that I've been dealing with the past couple days since the doctor released me from work. Trying to get all the last minute details finalized is wearing me out, not to mention my super swollen feet. :)

Wok's For Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry

2010-09-09T21:26:00.003-04:00

Hubs and I are expecting a baby!!!!! #3 is due toward the end of April 2011. What an exciting event for us! It certainly explains how tired I've bee feeling, and how voracious my appetite has become lately.

I made this meal a few weeks ago. It was good!!!!! Several of the ingredients came straight out of our garden.

Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 handful fresh green beans, snapped into pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 handful English peas, pods removed & discarded
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup orange juice
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 lb cooked chicken, cut in pieces
4-5 kale leaves, torn into pieces & "stem" part of leaves discarded
2 cups cooked white rice

Directions:
Heat olive oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Stir in carrots, green beans, bell peper and peas. Stir-fry about 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic, chicken broth, soy sauce and ginger. Reduce heat, stir, and cook until broth is reduced, about 4-5 minutes longer. Add orange juice, green onions, and chicken. Once heated through, stir in torn kale leaves. Kale will reach a very bright green color as you cook and stir. When it reaches this state, remove from heat and serve stir-fry mixture over cooked white rice.

Enjoy!

Wok's For Dinner: Grilled Steak Salad

2010-08-25T20:32:00.010-04:00

This meal was really light & refreshing, not to mention quick & easy to make!

Grilled Steak Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 lb sirloin or ribeye, cut into strips

2 Tbsp vinagrette salad dressing (I used Balsamic Vinagrette)

Tossed salad

Directions:

Sear meat in a hot skillet until seared on all sides (I know, not exactly grilled but it worked for me!). Stir in vinagrette. Stir and cook for 4- minutes until meat is browned and cooked through and liquid evaporates. Serve over a tossed salad. Drizzle your favorite dressing on top.

Menu Plan Monday: 8/9-8/15

2010-08-11T20:40:00.005-04:00

With hubs & the kids finally home, I can really dig into my cookbooks and menu plans and we can finally eat real meals again. I still have plenty of meals left from my July freezer menu that I can pull from. (There hasn't been a lot of cooking around the house for a few weeks since hubs & the kids took a vacay without me--had to work and couldn't take off at the last minute like they did).

Here's the menu plan for this week. I know it's a little late posting. Better late than never. ;)

Monday--Creamy Beef Over Noodles, Corn on the Cob

Tuesday--Creamy Enchiladas (I'm sensing a "creamy" theme), Apples

Wednesday--Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Mandarin Oranges

Thursday--Crispy Mustard Pork Chops, Lima Beans, Cucumbers

Friday--Chicken Stir Fry, White Rice

Saturday--Grilled Steak & Salad, Cantaloupe

Sunday--Chicken Apple Salad Sandwiches, Cantaloupe

Stop by Org Junkie for over 300 menu plan options each week!

Wok's For Dinner: Creamy Enchiladas

2010-08-11T20:19:00.006-04:00

For a little over 2 weeks, I didn't do a whole lot of cooking. Hubs and the kids took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Minnesota to visit family, and I just wasn't in the mood to cook for one. I had a bit of a dilemma, trying to figure out if I should make a menu each week, but knowing that I wouldn't be doing a lot of cooking and didn't want to feel like I was lying to you. Nor did I want to advertise that I was flying solo on the homestead. As for the few meals that I did make, I wasn't even able to take a picture & post the recipe because my husband took the camera with him.

Suffice it to say, I survived the solitude (I never knew just how lonely it would get!). The family arrived home safely & soundly.

And hubs decided that he wanted enchiladas. He had some very specific instructions for me. No corn tortillas. No homemade tortillas. No fresh peppers from the garden (the weeds kind of took over while he was gone). Lots of cheese. And not having enchiladas was not an option.

Here's what I came up with:

Creamy Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1/2 lb cooked pork roast, shredded

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1/2 block (4 oz) cream cheese, softened

8 flour tortillas

1 cup shredded cheese, taco-flavored

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat shredded roast in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in Rotel tomatoes; simmer and bring to a slow boil. Stir in cream cheese until melted and heated through. Spoon mixture evenly over tortillas and roll up enchilada-style, then spoon any remaining sauce over top of tortillas. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Hubs loved, I mean LOVED, these enchiladas! He commented over and over about how good they were. It definitely was a boost to my ego! :)

Tax Free Weekend Is Here

2010-08-05T22:30:00.005-04:00

Each year, North Carolina recognizes a sales tax-free holiday that begins the first Friday in August. Thankfully, this year is no exception.

Most of the items that you can buy are in some way or shape school-related, but not all. Here are just a few of the highlights:

1. All clothing items $100 or less per item, including:

aprons
baby receiving blankets
bandannas
bathing suits
belts & suspenders
coats, jackets
costumes (yes, Halloween costumes)
diapers (children & adults, including disposables)
earmuffs, gloves, mittens, hats, caps
formal wear, wedding appearal (see what I mean by not all items being school-related?)
garters, leotards, tights, pantyhose, socks, undies
insoles for shoes
neckties
rainwear
sandals, shoes, shoelaces, slippers
uniforms (both athletic & nonathletic for nonbusiness use)

2. Sport or recreational equipment $50 or less per item:

ballet & tap shoes
cleats
gloves
goggles
hand, elbow, mouth, shin guards; shoulder pads
helmets
life preservers
skates
wetsuits & fins

3. Computers $3500 or less per item:

central processing unit
monitor
keyboard
mouse
speakers

Note: must puchase the monitor, keyboard, mouse & speakers with a CPU in order to be tax-exempt.

4. Computer supplies that are $250 or less per item:

memory sticks, diskettes, CDs
PDA's & hand-held electronic schedulers, except devices that are cell phones
printers
printer supplies, paper & ink

5. School supplies that are $100 or less per item:

Binders, notebooks
Chalk
Backpacks
Calculators
Crayons
Erasers
Folders
Glue, glue sticks
Highlighters, markers, pencils, pens, pencil sharpeners, pencil boxes & other school supply boxes
Index cards & boxes
Legal pads, composition books, sketch & drawing pads, writing tablets
Lunch boxes
Paint & paintbrushes, watercolors
Paper (loose leaf, copy, graph, tracing, manila, colored, poster board, & construction paper)
Rulers
Scissors

6. School instructional materials $300 or less per item (great for home-schoolers and college students!):

Reference books
Reference maps & globes
Textbooks
Workbooks

See you at the store--I'm going shopping after work!

For the complete list of items exempt during the sales tax holiday, visit the NC Department of Revenue here.

Carlie C's IGA Deals 7/19-7/25/10

2010-07-22T21:00:00.028-04:00

So I'm a little late in the sales week posting the deals. I've had to spend the evenings working on other projects so it wasn't until tonight that I was able to get to this particular project. I haven't made it to the store yet either, so I don't have a picture to add this week.

Here are some of the deals for this week:

Starkist Tuna, 5oz in water, $0.39 (time to stockpile!)

Comet Long Grain Rice, 14-16oz, $0.79

IGA Instant Oatmeal, 10oz, 2/$3

IGA All Purpose or IGA Self Rising Flour, 5lb, 2/$3

Kellogg's Pop-Tarts, 22oz Family Pk, 2/$5

Print one $1/2 coupon (you can print two coupons)

Final price: 2/$4

Honey Nut Cheerios, 12.25oz, $2.78

Print one $1/2 coupon (you can print two coupons)

Final price: $2.28 ea

Orville Redenbacher's Popcorn, 10-ct, 2/$6

Print one $1.25 off coupon (good when you also buy M&Ms candy, 9.9z-42oz)

Final price: $1.75 ea

Chex Mix Snack Mix, 7-8.75oz, $2.18

Print one $0.55 off coupon (you can print two coupons)

Final price: $1.63

Pork Loin Chops, Family Pk, $1.58/lb

Trans Ocean Crab Classic Flake Style, 8oz, 2/$3

Print two $1 off coupons (link is in upper-right corner of website)

Final price: 2/$1

Valley Dale Old Fashioned Hot Dogs or Red Hot Dogs, 12oz, $0.69

Country Crock Spread, 15-16oz bowls or quarters, 4/$5 (or $1.25 each)

Use $0.40 coupon from All You magazine (I have a subscription but you can also get the magazine from Wal-mart)

or print two $0.40 off coupons

Final price: $0.85 ea

Yoplait GoGurt, 18oz 8-count, $2.59

Print one $0.75/2 coupon (you can print 2 copies)

Final price: $2.22 ea

Morning Fresh Farms Jumbo Biscuits, 10oz, 5/$5 (you can buy just 1 and pay just $1!)

Weight Watchers Yogurt, 6oz, 10/$6

Use one BOGO Free coupon from All You magazine

Final price: 2/$0.60

Rome Apples, 3lb bag, $2.59

I always weigh my apple bags and buy the heaviest bag so I can maximize my purchase

Colgate Toothpaste, 6-6.4oz, $1.88

print 1 $0.75 off coupon

Final price: $1.13

or save more when you buy

Aim Toothpaste, 6oz, $0.89

or save even more when you buy

Pepsodent Toothpaste, 6oz, $0.79

Click here for more Carlie C's IGA deals this week!

Wok's For Dinner: Spicy Tex-Mex Roast & Vegetables

2010-07-19T17:42:00.009-04:00

We've had an absolute over-abundance of peppers in our garden this year. I don't mean the bell pepper variety either. My husband's father gave us two flats of hot & spicy varieties, and they are thriving! I had bought a huge roast and needed a way to cook it up, and the thought occurred to me to try out the spicy peppers with this roast. And it worked! The flavor was absolutely delicious. It packed heat, but not so spicy that you would burn your tongue off (and I do not like spicy-burn-your-tongue-'til-it-bursts-in-flames food) so it definitely received my stamp of approval. The roast and natural juices muted the spicy bite so you had the heat and tons of pure, delicious flavor.

Literally, it was delicious! And since it was a large roast, I have plenty of leftovers for another meal.

Spicy Tex-Mex Roast & Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 large beef roast, 6-8 lbs

4 med. potatoes, peeled & quartered

4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced

4 hot banana peppers, seeded and chopped

2 sweet banana peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cayenne peppers, seeded and chopped

1 med. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Directions:

Place potatoes on bottom of 6-qt slow cooker and add roast. Cover roast with remaining ingredients. Add lid and slow-cook for 8-10 hours.

If freezing: After slow-cooking the roast and vegetables, divide the roast up into meals. Serve roast for first meal, and place remaining meals in freezer bag or food saver, then freeze. I got 8 meals out of my roast. I probably would have gotten a 9th meal, but the roast was sooo good! We definitely ate our fair share. :)

Visit Dining With Debbie for lots of creative ideas for dinner!

July Monthly Menu

2010-07-15T18:12:00.007-04:00

I've still been doing freezer meals, although on a smaller scale. I have not had a free Saturday to do a complete months' worth of meals, but I have created a menu to work with, and I have made several freezer meals. We went on vacation in June, and I even made freezer meals for that week, so we were able to avoid eating out the entire time, excluding one lunch trip to a seafood restaurant (we were, after all, in the Outer Banks of NC, so of course we had to go out for seafood).

Here are the meals that I have planned for July.

Chicken & Turkey (the turkey is leftover from a turkey I cooked earlier this year and froze the leftovers)
Grilled Chicken Salad
Turkey Mushroom Tetrazzini
Garden Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
Chicken Apple Salad Sandwiches
Chicken Spaghetti
Chicken Divan
Chicken Stir Fry
Herbed Chicken
Chicken in Sour Cream
Grilled Chicken
Honey BBQ Chicken Leg Quarters
Arroz Con Pollo (Chicken & Rice)
Chicken & Egg Noodles

Ground Turkey
Turkey & Bean Tostadas
Barbecues

Ground Beef
Meatballs & Gravy
Pizza Casserole (I made this for a church potluck and got rave reviews!!)

Ground Sausage
Sausage & Zucchini Skillet (over rice, not mashed potatoes as shown in the linked post for this recipe)

Seafood
Honey Garlic Shrimp
Pasta Scallop Casserole

Pork
Crispy Mustard Pork Chops
Apple Pork Kebabs
Mu Shu Pork
Family-Size Baked Burrito (with pulled pork instead of chicken)

Beef Roast
Spicy Tex-Mex Beef Roast
Slow-Cooked Beef Tacos
Beef Medallions
Creamy Beef Over Noodles
Pineapple Beef Kabobs
Grilled Steak Salad
Hungarian Goulash

Menu Plan Monday: 7/12-7/18/10

2010-07-15T18:01:00.008-04:00

Perhaps I should call this one Menu Plan Thursday! haha Better late than never. :)

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday--Meatballs & Gravy, Mashed Potatoes

Tuesday--Party Pizzas

Wednesday--Apple-Cherry Stuffed Pork Chops, French-Style Green Beans

Thursday--Spicy Tex-Mex Roast & Vegetables

Friday--eating out
The kids have been attending Vacation Bible School at their grandparents' church this week and their program is this evening with a hot dog supper afterwards

Saturday--Slow-Grilled Pork Picnic, Fried Eggplant, Stewed Okra & Tomatoes

Sunday--
Breakfast: Fresh Cherry Muffins
Dinner: Salad Shrimp & Orange Salad

Make sure to visit Laura at Org Junkie for over 300 menu plan options!

Carlie C's IGA Deals 7/12-7/18

2010-07-14T21:41:00.041-04:00

As promised, I am posting the deals for the local grocery stores for the benefit of my friends in the area. Now I know a lot of you do not live in Eastern NC. Never fear, because I am including links to coupons since I am matching them up with the sales ad, so you just might find something that you can use! :)

For this week's sales ad, visit the Carlie C's website.

Here's what I found to be the "best of the best" and worth investing my money into.

my Carlie C's purchases this week, total cost $27.83 after coupons and before tax--not too bad! Oh, and do you like my new counter top? It is soooo much better than the fake wood laminate I used to have!

Deals That I Bought

17oz Cinnamon Toast Crunch $3.15/ea
print two $0.60/1 coupons
Final price: $2.55 ea

5.4oz Betty Crocker Fruit Gushers $2.14/ea
print one $0.50/2 coupon
Final price: 2/$3.68

20oz IGA Squeeze Mustard 2/$1

14.5oz IGA Canned Tomatoes $2/1
The ad says "Diced" tomatoes, but stewed and whole tomatoes are also included in the sale

9.8-10.9oz Totino's Party Pizzas 4/$5
print two $1.00/2 coupons after referring 3 friends when you Share & Save
Final price: 2/$1.50 or $0.75 ea

6oz Assorted Breyers Yogurt 3/$1
Carlie C's also has "bonus" cups of yogurt that are 6oz+10% free or 6.6oz so you can really maximize the savings

7.25oz Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad $1.77
print one $0.50/2 coupon
Final price: $1.47 ea

25ct Finish Gel Pacs BOGO Free
print two $1/1 coupons
Final price: $2.49 ea

4-6oz Colgate Toothpaste 2/$5
print one $0.75/1 Colgate Total coupon
Purchase one box of Colgate Total paste 6oz+1.2oz Free
Final price: $1.75/1

1lb Oven Fresh Bread $0.99 ea

Other Great Deals (I did not buy any of these bought thought they were really great bargains)

24pk 12oz cans Coca-Cola Products $5.00

36oz IGA Squeeze Ketchup $.88ea

100oz Better Valu Liquid Laundry Detergent $1.99ea

Pork Picnic $1.18/lb

50ct IGA Foam Plates 5/$5

16oz Blue Bonnet Margarine Quarters $0.58

Limes 4/$1

Kiwi Fruit 2/$

Wok's For Dinner: Apple-Cherry Stuffed Pork Chops

2010-07-14T21:30:00.006-04:00

I've waited all year to make these chops. Waiting for the time when bing cherries are in season and their price drops to super low affordable! Last weekend, I picked up a bag of bing beauties for $1.99/lb. And that meant making some Apple-Cherry Stuffing, a delicious way to prepare baked pork chops.

Apple-Cherry Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 celery stalks, chopped coarsely

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups water

1 6-oz pkg stuffing mix (I used low-sodium chicken flavor)

bing cherries, slicked in half with pit removed, enough to make about 1 cup

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped

4 boneless pork chops

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in chopped celery and onion; cook until just tender. Add butter and stir in water; bring to a boil. Stir in stuffing mix, cherries, and chopped apple; cover and remove from heat. Let sit about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place chops into a baking dish. Cover chops with Apple-Cherry Stuffing. Place baking dish in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Balancing Act Changes

2010-07-13T22:44:00.002-04:00

You know how you get so far behind doing something, that you subconsciously ignore it because it becomes too overwhelming to handle?

Like sweeping and mopping the floors. More often than not, I sweep then mop, and admire the shine of the floor surface and the fresh clean scent. And the next day, the floor's dirty again. So rather than clean up the dirty floor, I prefer to ignore it at least a few weeks, knowing that to clean the floor would again cause it to get dirty once again.

I guess that's how me and blogging have been lately. I've been really bumming with working super long hours the past two months. Within the last few weeks, I've been working 10-11 hour days, sometimes longer, without the luxury of a lunch break. I finally broke down and told my boss today that I need to get a company laptop so I can work from home in the evenings. Not the preferred choice for me, but a necessary thing so I can at least be at home with my family.

As much as I have wanted to blog, it's been soooo hard to get the motivation! I'm afraid to commit to it again, knowing how tied up work is keeping me. This has been weighing on my mind more than you might believe. I really miss blogging! But I'm trying to maximize the precious few minutes I have with my family each evening.

So I have to make some changes in the blog. No, I'm not quitting. (hooray!!) I've been weighing my options, debating and arguing with myself, adding to & crossing off my list of ideas. There have to be changes so I can keep my sanity and my commitment to my family.

I'm going to keep blogging really simple, posting recipes here and there, but probably not every day. I do have a freezer menu for July that I've been working from and I will I'll try to get it posted for you all.

I have a lot of friends in my area that constantly ask me, "How do you do it?" when it comes to grocery sales and deals. So I've set a goal to match the sales & coupon deals for the local grocery stores and post those in the blog. I'm hoping to have a weekly post for this, but again that will depend on how I'm able to balance work/family.

I really want to keep this blog going strong and stay in contact with all of my readers. It has certainly been a struggle for me to figure out how I'm going to do this. As much as I want to do a daily post, it is next to impossible given my work and family schedule at this time, so I have to keep things real.

All part of the Balancing Act! Thank you to each of you for your patience as I try to iron out all the kinks! :)

I'm An Idiot

2010-06-05T09:39:00.004-04:00

Yes, here I am. Alive and well. And feeling like a complete idiot.

My blog is called Balancing Act Basics. And as much as I try to maintain balance in my life, it doesn't always work out.

May was an absolute killer month. The stress was unbearable. It was a good month, but busy, busy, busy! Between work and home activities, there wasn't room to do a lot else.

Chores? Only the absolute barely essentials were done, like dishes, socks & underwear. Let's just say that the house got a little nasty. I was truly embarrassed at the thought of any visitors coming. The whole family did manage to scrub the house clean before the end of the month arrived, and I'm much pleased with the results. We were even able to invite guests into our home for dinner!

Work has kept me extremely busy. We had a safety & environmental audit in the middle of the month, which turned out well. But I've been working 50-60 hours each week, even after the audit, trying to get caught up. We've been recruiting, interviewing, hiring, bringing on temps, and the business is doing very well. Lots to keep me & everyone else busy. Job security, right? :)

My son's baseball games were in full swing, and thankfully that's winding down. He's got one last baseball event, an end-of-season barbecue. It was supposed to be today but got postponed until next weekend. My daughter also had her first dance recital, and she did fabulous! She was so adorable in her ballet tutu, and she was even the line leader guiding all her classmates out onto the stage. Hubs has gotten back into the kitchen remodel phase, and built a new cabinet. Yesterday, he replaced the old kitchen window with a brand new one, and then he put down new formica on the new cabinet and one of the old cabinets. That's just a small sample of how life has gone in the Boren household.

There's just been A LOT going on, way too long a list to go into details. And unfortunately, because my time was so limited, I had to cut out a few activities, like cleaning the house, checking my email and Facebook, doing surveys & other points-earning opportunities, grocery shopping (seriously, I only went one time in the month of May and that was because we had run out of milk & bread), and sadly blogging, too. :( That's how busy we were!

Please, oh please, forgive me. June is looking much, much better as far as home activities go (far fewer!!). Work is just as busy as ever and no telling when things will balance out there. I'm hoping to have a better month that's not so stressful so I can get back into my usual routine, like posting recipes! :)

A Better Breakfast: Strawberry Muffins

2010-05-05T23:09:00.025-04:00

When you've got over 17 1/2 lbs of strawberries, you tend to come up wth multiple ways on how to use them. Aside from making homemade jam, slicing them on top of cereal, having them on the side at dinner, and snacking on them during the day, I also made a double batch of Strawberry Muffins. These are so yummy! I've made them several times over the past year and they're always a hit with the whole fam. Plus, they're fun to make with the kids. :)

Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chopped strawberries
3 tsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse, hull and chop strawberries, then place in a medium-size bowl.

Line muffin pan with paper cups.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer.

Mix in egg.

Measure the flour (note, we used the knife to level off the measuring scoop and scraped away from us, not toward us as it may look like in the picture below!).

Place flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl; mix well. Add some of the flour mixture into the butter mixture; beat together gently.

Beat in some of the milk, then alternately add the remainder of the flour and milk, beating on low speed until incorporated.

Don't forget to lick the beaters! :)

Using a spatula, gently fold in strawberries.

Using an ice cream scoop, measure and spoon batter evenly into muffin cups, about 2/3 full.

Gently sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture over top of muffins.

Place muffins in oven and bake for 16-18 minutes.

Wok's For Dinner: Mediterranean (or Cobb) Wrap Sandwich

2010-05-05T22:41:00.004-04:00

These turned out WAY better than I could have imagined, and even my husband was impressed. I also had been concerned that hubs and I would be hungry 30 minutes after supper was over, but that wasn't the case at all. So success on my first attempt at wraps! The only drawback is that they were less "Mediterranean" and more "Cobb" style. I didn't really follow my recipe too well and instead threw stuff together. Still, they turned out great, and I'm happy with that!

Mediterranean (or Cobb) Wrap Sandwich

Ingredients:
6 wraps (I used "low carb" version but you could use flour tortillas)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1 tomato, diced
1 avocado, chopped
3-4 Romaine lettuce leaves, torn in pieces
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
Salad dressing such as Italian, Ranch or Honey Mustard (your choice! :)

Directions:
Evenly divide up all ingredients into each wrap. Roll-up wrap tightly, enchilada-style. Serve and enjoy!

To make these more "Mediterranean" style, use cucumber and red pepper, slicing both into strips, and omit the carrot, tomato and avocado.

To-Do Tuesday

2010-05-03T23:02:00.005-04:00

I've missed out on my weekly To-Do List for a couple weeks now. It's silly to admit that I have to remind myself to do my To-Do List so I can remind myself of the things that I need to do, and even then I have trouble doing that. Oh well! :)

I'm keeping this week as light as possible. I'm stressed to the max between work and home activities, even though this is a light week for home activities.

Plan May freezer meal list. Once A Month Cooking day is now officialy May 15. It's on the calendar and not going to change this time! :)

That's all!

Don't forget to take a quick peak at To-Do Tuesday at Crazy Adventures in Parenting! :)

Menu Plan Monday--5/3-5/9/10

2010-05-03T22:27:00.008-04:00

Last week was crazy, I mean CRAZY, busy!! If your spouse tells you that he's thinking about coaching a baseball team, I strongly suggest you tell him "no". We had 4 games in 3 days, plus 2 days of practice, on top of everything else that was going on. I had a couple days where we were simply unable to stick to last week's menu plan. Sad, but true. And although this week is a snooze-fest as far as activities go, I'd like to say that I'm in "recovery mode" this week, but it just isn't so. I've got a huge audit at work coming up in 2 weeks, and it just so happens that I've been called to jury duty that same week.

So not only am I busy & stressing on the homefront, I've got to deal with hectic & stressful hours at work as well. Not good. It is very likely that my postings may be a little light for the next few weeks. Please bear with me as I try to keep things prioritize and balance all the tasks that need to get done while trying to maintain some level of sanity. Baseball season is over at the end of this month, and the calendar is looking MUCH better starting June 1. Hooray!

Here's the menu plan for this week. I intended on posting this last night, but my kids did not cooperate at bed time and we spent a good 2+ hours battling out the "I can't go to sleep"-"I'm thirsty"-"He's talking"-"She keeps waking me up" routine, so I didn't get a chance to get this out when I wanted to.

Monday--Hot Dogs, Cantaloupe
My husband was smart and picked up on my not-so-subtle clues that I've been dropping--no baseball practice on Monday nights! So there was no practice this evening, and we were able to have our weekly Family Home Evening activity. I prefer to have it on Monday evening. After a really hard day at work, there's nothing like spending really good, quality time with the family. For our activity, we sang karaoke-style, singing songs the kids have been learning at church. Afterwards, we made Strawberry Muffins to use some of the strawberries we picked last week (did I tell you that we picked over 17 1/2 pounds? there really is such a thing as TOO many strawberries, believe you me!). The muffins are for our breakfast in the morning.

Tuesday--Hot Pork Sandwich With Gravy
I have a meeting at church this evening, and hubs and our Little Man have a baseball game. Hubs gets to prepare supper so it's ready when I get home from work so we can all eat together before heading our separate ways for the evening.

Wednesday--Mediterranean Wrap Sandwich, Oranges

Thursday--Beef Macaroni
Another meal for hubs to prepare since we have a ball game this evening.

Friday--Chicken Pasta Stroganoff, Salad

Saturday--Meatloaf Pie, Green Beans

Sunday--
Breakfast: Caramel Rolls
Dinner: I have no idea...literally, no idea. It is, after all, Mother's Day, so do I really have to cook? My brother-in-law's birthday is Saturday, and my mother-in-law says she's planning "something" for the whole family so we can celebrate the birthday, but didn't mention if it will involve a meal for everyone. So right now, it's kind of up in the air.

Need some menu planning ideas? Visit OrgJunkie.com for over 300 ideas!

Making Your Own Sale Part 2

2010-04-28T22:00:00.013-04:00

Also known as How to Make Your Own Sale. :)

So if you missed my last past, let me catch you up to speed. I live in a semi-large town that has a military base. The stores in my area do not like to compete with the commissary, so we don't get all the good deals that so many other bloggers seem to get. I feel so robbed!

Buying every single thing on sale here is not an option, neither is using every single coupon that I find.

I've had to work around my challenges. Using the resources that are available--and there definitely are a LOT of resources--has helped me keep my spending in check. I can still get some great deals without putting a big dent in my budget.

Here are some of the resources that I use to try to find the best deals:

Bloggers such as Melissa's Bargain Blog, Money Saving Mom, Moms By Heart, and Attention Target Shoppers may not have the same sales ads that are in my area, but they certainly are an inspiration and a great place to start. Melissa posts scenarios to help you get started with your "extreme couponing," Crystal and Lori both post links to all the best coupons and free samples, plus Lori has a great weekly post on $0.50 or Less Shopping (love it!). And Ginger provides some of the most comprehensive Target deals you can find.
Coupon generatorating sites, like Organic Grocery Deals and Hot Coupon World let me know some of the Target web coupons that are available, and I can print innumerable copies of as many Target coupons that I think I might need.
The forums at Startsampling are also really great for letting me know about all the free samples and Internet coupons, taking out a lot of guesswork and hunting around. I love knowing that I can get something for free if I can't actually buy it for cheap (every little bit helps, right?). And, I just have to repeat this, no guesswork! They've done all the hard work for me and posted everything right there in the forums.
All You magazine has been another excellent resource. I took the plunge last Summer and paid $16 for a two-year subscription. Not only are the articles and recipes great and full of frugal living tips, each edition is also loaded with coupons, even Free purchase coupons. You can click here to receive a free two-month trial for All You and check for yourself just how many coupons there are.
Friends and family. My mother-in-law and husband's grandmother will occasionally give me a stack of coupons that they doesn't plan on using. And likewise, I'll share coupons with them or other friends who might be able to use them.
And don't forget the store sales ad! Most stores post their sales online, which saves me from having to get an ad to the local paper, or driving across town picking up a sales ad from each store. This is another area where my mother-in-law is a life saver. My in-laws have a paper subscription, so they usually send the flyers home with my husband or one of the kids each week, which gives me a hard copy to work with as I plan my shopping.

Where do you go to find the best deals? Do you have a no-fail-go-to site that you visit? Share your tips with a comment below. :)

Coming up next, Part 3, or Putting It All Together!

Note: These are suggestions that I find works for me and my family's situation. The important thing is to find what works best for you, and sticking with it, or finding a way to improve upon it. :)

Making Your Own Sale Part 1

2010-04-27T22:00:00.010-04:00

I live out in the boonies. At least, sometimes it feels that way. The town I now live in here in Eastern North Carolina is much larger than the college town in Central Texas that hubs and I lived in when we were first married. In Texas, we had two grocery stores to choose from, HEB and Walmart. Here, we have Food Lion, Piggly Wiggly, IGA, Save-A-Lot, Super Target (which, by the way, does not carry produce or fresh meat) and Walmart, plus Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid. Food Lion also has several convenient locations to shop at, so there's always one nearby no matter what part of town I'm at (no wonder they're so expensive--gotta pay the mortgage!! lol).

So with so many options, it would stand to reason that the stores here should be really competitive, right?

Wrong!

We have a military installation located in the heart of the big city, smack-dab in the middle of town. And the stores here just will not compete with the commissary on base.

So while I follow a couple blogs that match sales ads with coupons, like Melissa's, I rarely get to utilize their extreme couponing methods because the stores here, including Target and the 3 pharmacies, don't always have the same sale. Or, the stores have the sale, but the coupons aren't available in this area.

That means that I have to resort to extreme measures, like creating my own sale!

When I first started serious couponing a year ago, I felt as though I had to use every single coupon that I got my hands on, and felt like I had to buy everything that was on sale, whether I needed it or used it or not.

That meant, if an item was "on sale" in the posts according to other bloggers, but not on sale here in my area, I still bought the item. OR, if I couldn't get a coupon, I still bought the item.

*GASP!* What was I thinking??

Let's just say that train of thought didn't last very long!

It's taken some self-discipline, but I've come to learn that I don't need every single thing that is on sale. And I don't need every single coupon either.

If I miss a sale item because it's simply not on sale in my area, that's okay! That means that something else is on sale here. We're not brand specific either, so I'm perfectly ok with buying store brand or generic. And if I do manage to clip "the perfect coupon," then I'm happy to buy a name brand item.

Coming up next, Part 2! Also known as, How to Make Your Own Sale!

What shopping challenges do you have? Are you in the big city, college town, small town, or military town, and do you have to get creative with your shopping? Please post a comment below and share your tips! :)

Wok's For Dinner: Sausage & Zucchini Skillet (with meal price!)

2010-04-26T18:02:00.018-04:00

This is really tasty and inexpensive meal. My husband really flattered me by cleaning his plate, getting seconds, and cleaning his plate again! I normally serve this over white rice, but I was strapped for time, so I made some potato flakes instead. It was like having Shepherd's Pie.

Sausage Zucchini Skillet

Ingredients:
1 lb mild ground sausage ($1.19)
2 large zucchini, chopped (free from our garden, last year's crop that's been in our freezer)
1 large onion, chopped ($0.10)
2 garlic cloves, minced ($0.20)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained ($0.50)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper ($0.03)

4 servings prepared potato flakes ($0.20)

1 16oz bag frozen mixed vegetables ($1)

Total Cost = $3.22!!

Directions:
Brown sausage with zucchini and onion in a large skillet over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook an stir until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in tomatoes and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 4-5 minutes or until liquid is evaporated. Serve over prepared potato flakes.

If freezing: Place cooked sausage mixture into a gallon-size freezer bag, squeeze out air, seal, lay flat and freeze. Thaw 24 hours in refrigerator and heat sausage mixture in microwave. Serve over cooked rice or mashed potatoes & enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday: 4/26-5/2/10

2010-04-25T23:10:00.015-04:00

I have officially decided that my life no longer belongs to me. I thought I was busy before. But after looking at the upcoming week, I've realized that my life belongs to work, baseball, meetings, dance class, and everything else that is going on. Well, I take that back. I do have 1 day of vacation scheduled this week. The kids' have a field trip to go strawberry picking, and we're going to make a family activity out of it. There is, however, something going on EVERY SINGLE NIGHT this week. EVERY night! I don't know whether to scream or cry. And I don't see much of a break in sight until June, when baseball season will be over.

So if you don't see much of me, don't panic. I'm just on stress overload and will be on a mental break. I'm going to try to keep my life as simple as I can make it for the next 5 or so weeks until some of our activities clear out. All part of trying to maintain a semblance of balance! :)

Monday--Chicken Pot Pies, Peppered Cottage Cheese
The menfolk have baseball practice this evening, so we moved our weekly "Family Home Evening" or FHE night to Sunday night. The Pot Pies are really nothing fancy--just the frozen single-serve box kind that you toss in the oven, bake & serve. Hubs and the Little Man have to head out early in the evening, so hubs chose to make this meal so they can eat before leaving.

Tuesday--Tomato Pasta Bake, hubs chooses the sides
Baseball game night! And I have a meeting at church and will leave straight after work. Because of the game, Little Miss will go with me. Hubs is playing "Meals On Wheels" and will prepare/heat the meal, feed himself & the kids, then bring a plate of food to me when I get off work so I can eat on my way to my meeting. I'll need to remin him to pack a backpack of distractions like coloring books and toys or Little Miss so she won't be bored while I'm in my meeting.

Wednesday--Taco Casserole, Oranges
This is my vacation day and our strawberry picking day. I have a ton of errands to run once we get home, but I will actually be able to put supper together for a change. Because of baseball, hubs has had to step up to the plate a little more and put together supper more & more often so he and our son can eat instead of starving themselves by waiting until they get home. Hubs also has a meeting this night, but with me having a full day of vacation, there should be no problem with me having supper made at a decent time so he can eat before needing to leave.

Thursday--Teriyaki Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Pineapple, hubs gets to choose side #2
We have another baseball game on this evening. I plan on going to this game, so hubs will need to have dinner ready to eat early. So early, that I'll probably have to take a plate with me to the game. We could just plan on taking some cash and eating hot dogs from the concession stand--and the kids would absolutely love doing that--but that means spending money, and in my opinion, taking the easy way out. I've got these freezer meals in the freezer, and hubs doesn't work, so in my opinion, we should just use what we have and save our money. However, I know that there's a lot going on, and I can foresee one or the both of us being stressed out by this night, so I'm fully prepared for my husband to proclaim, "I give!" and refuse to make any dinner this night. It happened last week (instead of cooking up supper on Thursday night, he made peanut butter & honey sandwiches for dinner before the baseball game that night).

Friday--Hubs is on his own
I'm scheduled for a girls' night out for a monthly scrapbooking crop. I just might actually get some stress relief after all. :)

Saturday--Baby Back Bash Ribs, Sweet Corn Bread, Beans
It's baseball tournament day, and the team is scheduled to play two games (yes, two games on top of the two games and baseball practice earlier in the week). I also had intended on this day being my Once A Month Cooking day, but that was before learning about the tournament that was scheduled. Now I don't know what I'll do. I might do half a month's worth of cooking, instead of a full day. I haven't completely decided what to do. There's supposed to be a trophy presentation late in the evening, so I want to make sure that I'm able to go to at least one game and the trophy presentation, assuming my son's team gets a trophy.

Sunday--
Breakfast: Cranberry Orange Muffins
I still, STILL have not had a chance to make these. I didn't have enough flour a couple weeks ago, and I intended on buying some this week but never made it to the grocery store.

Dinner: Church potluck, bringing Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Cantaloupe
Our church meets late in the afternoon, and choir is meeting each week immediately following. We've decided to have a potluck the first Sunday each month after choir practice is over, as an opportunity for fellowship and to give us a little break from rushing to get the family fed once we get home.

For over 300 menu plan options, remember to visit OrgJunkie.com!

Garden Update

2010-04-23T22:00:00.010-04:00

With the warmer Spring weather we've been experiencing, our family has been able to work out in the garden more, setting up tomato cages and planting the transplants.

We've only had one little glitch that caused us to go to Plan B. We were supposed to get a large shipment of compost through a friend who is a landscaping contractor, but that fell through. So instead, hubs bought several large bags of special soil for vegetables, mixing some of it into the ground when he planted the transplants.

Everything's really starting to take off. Here's some of what we've planted:

Peppers, peppers and more peppers. My in-laws bought us several varieties of peppers--spicy, mild and sweet varieties, such as tabasco, cayenne, jalapeno, hot banana, green bell, and more.

My son's Mammoth Sunflowers are also growing. Two of the ones he planted really shot off and got an early start, even though they were planted the same time as others. We started most these out in Jiffy pots then moved them into the soil. The rest were planted right in the soil a couple weeks ago.

Last Fall, we bought 3 different varieties of grapes. We didn't know if they survived the Winter, unti a week or so ago, we saw the tiniest little leaves budding out. It hasn't taken long for these to take off, either!

Our garden was ravaged by bunnies last Spring, one of the many pests (although cute pests, to say the least) to attack our garden. The bunnies ate up several of the green leaf lettuces, and chewed up all the blueberries, plus most of the blueberry bush as well. They finally went away for good after I brushed down the dogs and gave the menfolk a haircut, and put all the fur and hair around the perimeter of the garden. I suppose that I could do that again, but we opted to try out a fake owl to start off with. So far, so good. We've seen a couple bunnies in a neighbor's yard (I know they're eyeballing our garden from a distance) but they haven't actually ventured into our yard yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it continues to work!

Another new addition to this year's garden is potatoes. We planted several red seed potatoes in these 4 blue barrels. The bottoms are cut out of these barrels, and we filled it with good compost. As the plants grow up, we'll lift up the barrels little by little to keep the leaves from falling over. The potato plant will stop growing potatoes when the leaves "fall over" the edge. As long as you can keep the plant growing "up", it will keep producing potatoes, which you can pull out from the bottom of the barrel as you lift it up.

The seed potatoes definitely seem to like their home. We've got quite a lot of little plants growing in each barrel.

In addition to the blueberries, the bunnies also helped themselves to most of last year's strawberry crop. Last year's crop didn't produce a huge number of berries, but holy cow, we have a ton of little white flowers and little green strawberries growing this year! I sure hope that the owl does his job and keeps out the bunnies so we can truly enjoy our strawberry crop this year!

Here's our blueberry bush, full of new little blueberries. It will be awhile before these ripen. Again, keeping our fingers crossed that they'll be able to ripen to maturity before the bunnies devise a way to sneak into our garden! lol

When we planted the blueberry bush last year, we also planted a blackberry bush. It had just started flowering, and when we planted it, all the flowers died off but didn't produce any berries. We pretty much missed the timing. The plant, however, continued to grow. And this year, it's loaded with beautiful white flowers. I'm looking forward to when it produces berries--they'll be great as a topping in some yogurt or for cereal!

Are you growing a garden this year? What are you planting? What are your success stories? Are you going organic? Lots of questions, but feel free to leave a comment and share your gardening story! :)

Wok's For Dinner: Moroccan Pork Chops

2010-04-22T21:15:00.006-04:00

I found the basic recipe for this meal at Taste of Home, but used chicken thighs when I first prepared it several months ago. It's definitely different from what I grew up on. I don't think that it ever occurred to my mom to use ingredients such as raisins and cinnamon in a main dish. But I liked it, that's for sure.

Moroccan Pork Chops

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tsp flour
4 pork loin chops
2 tsp olive oil
Sauce:
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp chicken broth
1 1/2 oz raisins
1 tsp flour

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Set aside 1 tsp spice mixture. Add flour to remaining mixture, and coat pork chops. In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil on both sides. Remove and keep warm. Add green onion to the pan, then stir in broth and raisins. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and return pork chops to the pan. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through. Combine 1 tsp flour with remaining broth until smooth; gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve sauce over pork chops.

If freezing: Place cooked pork chops and sauce into a freezer bag, seal up and lay flat in the freezer. Thaw 24 hours in the refrigerator, and heat in the microwave. Very convenient when you've got events going on in the evening like Spring ball games! :)

Wok's For Dinner: Crispy Mustard Pork Chops

2010-04-21T20:55:00.007-04:00

I absolutely love these pork chops!! The tangy mustard flavor blends perfectly with all the flavors. Really, really good. I got this recipe from Angel Food Ministries in one of our orders several months ago.

Crispy Mustard Pork Chops

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 cup crumbled Parmesan cheese
4 pork loin chops
salt and pepper
1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and mustard. In another medium bowl, mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Dip each chop, one at a time, into the sour cream/mustard mixture and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add chops to skillet and cook 6-8 minutes per side, until no longer pink in the middle, pressing down with a spatula so crumbs adhere. Serve and enjoy.

If freezing: Prepare and cook chops as directed above. They'll freeze good in a food saver bag. Thaw 24 hours in the refrigerator and heat up in the microwave. Note that they breading won't be "crispy" but the flavor will still be just as good.

Wok's For Dinner: Lemony Chicken Saute'

2010-04-20T22:00:00.001-04:00

I kid you not when I say that my husband declared this to be the best-tasting chicken dish he'd had in a long time. What an ego booster for me! Especially considering last time I made this, probably 2 or 3 years ago, he did not like it at all. What a difference a few years makes. Actually, the big difference this time is that I used cooked chicken, instead of cooking the chicken up the night we ate this meal.

Lemony Chicken Saute'

Ingredients:
1lb cooked chicken (about 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves)
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, sliced
1-4oz can sliced mushrooms, or 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes

Directions:
Melt butter in 10-inch skillet until sizzling; add garlic, green onions and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper and lemon juice. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add cooked chicken; simmer over low heat for 5 minutes or until heated through. Stir in parsley and serve.

The cooked chicken was made using my slow cooker, one of the best and certainly easiest ways to cook chicken in advance if you ask me. If you buy your chicken in bulk, (10lb bags of chicken leg quarters often go on sale down here for $0.48/lb) then throw all the chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours. Remove the chicken and use the bones to make Homemade Chicken Broth. The cooked chicken can be frozen for a really delectable roasted flavor in your next meal!

Menu Plan Monday: 4/19-4/25/10

2010-04-19T21:55:00.007-04:00

Both of my kiddos have been sick this weekend. It's been a long time since either of them were ill. I even thought to myself recently, "Wow, I'm so lucky because my kids hardly ever get sick." Sure enough, no sooner did that thought pass, and both kids wind up with fevers and coughing spells. My daughter is fairing better than her older brother, who is a miserable sick patient, to say the least (coughing, complaining, whining, and high maintenance). My daughter is a much quieter sickly, preferring to just lay on the couch and do little more than blink. My son got sick first, and his fever has passed, but my little girl is still running a fever. I didn't get as much accomplished this past weekend, dealing with sick kiddos. So I missed out posting my menu plan on Sunday evening like I normally do. Better late than never, right?

Here's the plan for this week. We're just as busy as ever. I've tried to plan meals that are already prepared as a freezer meal, or will be very quick to put together. Recipes will continue to be posted throughout the week.

Monday--Crispy Mustard Pork Chops, Sliced Apples, Ants on a Log
Mondays are usually our "Family Home Evening" or FHE night, where we have a special family activity and spiritual thought. That's kind of gotten thrown out of whack due to baseball season. Not only is my son playing ball, my husband is also coaching. My son was too sick to play tonight, but I heard from hubs that they won the game, and the county sheriff--who oddly enough is sponsoring the Enforcers, my son's team--was there and took pics with the kids. And all of the kids were there. Except my sick little boy. :( Perhaps the sheriff will show up at the next game.

Tuesday--Barbecue Chicken, Cantaloupe, Corn
Nothing special about this meal--just cooked, shredded chicken mixed with barbecue sauce. Hubs gets to play "Meals on Wheels," preparing dinner and bringing it to me after work so I can eat on my way to a meeting at church.

Wednesday--Moroccan Pork Chops, Green Beans, Oranges
The menfolk have baseball practice this evening.

Thursday--Sausage Zucchini Skillet, White Rice, Carrot Sticks
Another ball game. Hopefully my son will be feeling better by then so he'll get to play.

Friday--Hubs & the kids are on their own
I'm going scrapbooking for a Relay For Life fundraiser immediately after work until late at night. They are serving dinner, so I don't have to worry about dinner for the family. That's up to my husband to decide (knowing him, they'll probably eat hot dogs or macaroni & cheese--or both! lol)

Saturday--Baby Back Bash Ribs, Mixed Veggies, Beans
I'll be spending the better part of the day at the scrapbooking fundraiser again. I'm excited because, not only will I be supporting a good cause, I'll also be working on a favorite pasttime and activity--scrapbooking!

Sunday--
Breakfast: Cranberry-Orange Muffins
Dinner: Lasagna Roll-Ups, Broccoli
I was going to make both these muffins and the roll-ups last Sunday for dinner, but I didn't have enough flour to make muffins, and I was too caught up cleaning and organizing the kids' room to have any time to devote to cooking and rolling lasagna noodles. So we'll just try them out this week instead.

For well over 300 menu plan options, visit OrgJunkie.com!

Macaroni Casserole

2010-04-19T21:16:00.006-04:00

I made this recipe once before, but it's been a very long time. I think it's a great dish that uses simple ingredients found in every pantry. Not a lot of fuss, and a good, home-cooked meal for the family. It also freezes well, which is an added bonus. :)

Macaroni Casserole

Ingredients:
1 cup macaroni noodles
water
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2-4oz cans tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup grated cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large saucepan 2/3 full with water and bring to a boil over high heat; add macaroni and cook according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and onion in large skillet over medium high, stirring occasionally, until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain grease. Stir in tomato sauce, salt, garlic powder, and chili powder; simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Mix together tomato/beef mixture with cooked macaroni, then pour into a casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes.

If freezing: Prepare the macaroni noodles, and cook up the ground beef and onion. When done, stir in tomato sauce and seasonings, and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix tomato/beef mixtre with macaroni. Allow to cool slightly, then place in gallon-size freezer bag, seal and lay flat in the freezer. Thaw 24-48 hours in the refrigerator. Place in baking dish, sprinkle with cheese, cover with foil, and bake in 350-degree preheated oven for about 30 minutes.

It Pays To Contact Manufacturers

2010-04-17T22:23:00.010-04:00

I was really, really surprised and literally TICKLED this afternoon when I checked the mail and found this!

A few days ago, I tried printing an Internet coupon for Classico pasta sauce, but was very disappointed because I got an error message saying I had exceeded the number of prints allowed. Which was ridiculous, because it had been several months since the last time I had printed one. Shouldn't the coupon have reset itself by now (at least, that's what I figured)?

The coupon had not been reset, and I really wanted one because Classico does go on sale occasionally in my neck of the woods.

So I completed an online contact form at www.classico.com, explaining the problem I had encountered. I also stated how much I like the Classico product line, and that I thought it was a great value considering the low price plus the great taste.

So that was just a few days ago. Thursday, I received this email:

Heinzconsumeraffairs@us.hjheinz.com
to me show details Apr 15 (3 days ago)
April 15, 2010
Dear DeAna,
Thank you for your email about Classico Sauces.
This special offer was intended to encourage purchase of our product. We sincerely regret it's been a source of dissatisfaction to you. We appreciate your comments and
have shared them with our Marketing Department.
Thanks again for contacting us. As follow up, we will be sending coupons through postal mail, to arrive within the next 7-10 business days. If we can be of more help, please call
us at 1-800-255-5750 Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm Eastern Time.
Heinz Consumer Resource CenterHeinzconsumeraffairs@us.hjheinz.com
When contacting us, please refer to the following reference number: 003xxxxxxx
HEINZ/JNEEL
PS - Looking for a way to lose those extra pounds and still satisfy your cravings for good food? With Weight Watchers® Smart Ones®, variety is the spice of life - from Stone-Fired Pizza and Grilled Flatbreads to delicious, well-balanced Breakfasts and Entrees! New flavors and improved old favorites take eating "Smart" to a whole new level of
deliciousness! To learn more, visit our website at http://eatyourbest.com.

And today, in addition to the thank you card, I also had TWO $0.50/1 coupons!

Completely and totally unexpected, but definitely welcomed into the Boren household!!

A Better Breakfast: Chocolate Pancakes

2010-04-17T22:00:00.002-04:00

My husband grew up on these pancakes. He's like addicted to them. So naturally, when we got married, he made me get the recipe from his mom so I could make them, too. They are really good!

Chocolate Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
4 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together milk, egg, oil and vanilla.

In a small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.

Stir dry ingredients into large bowl with the wet ingredients. Batter may be a little lumpy.

Pour batter onto hot skillet or griddle according to pancake size needed. Cook pancakes until batter is gone.

Serve with your favorite topping(s) and enjoy!

Spectacular Sides: Cheesy Shells & Broccolil

2010-04-16T22:01:00.005-04:00

Ok, I admit it, this is kind of the cheater's way of doing sides. ;) Not 100% made-from-scratch, but still a nice side dish on the dinner plate. Plus, it was a way for us to use some of the broccoli that was growing in our garden this past Winter. And it didn't hurt that the whole family--especially the kiddos--loved it!

Cheesy Shells & Broccoli

Ingredients:
1 box shells & cheese
1 cup broccoli, steamed

Directions:
Cook shells & cheese according to box directions. After mixing in the cheese, stir in cooked broccoli. Serve as a side at your next meal!

Wok's For Dinner: Hamburger Steak (with meal price!)

2010-04-16T22:00:00.001-04:00

You asked for it, and here I am providing it--a recipe plus the bargain meal price! Something I've been wanting to do for a very, very long time. I don't very often have a good memory of what I pay for my purchases, plus I forget to even price out the ones that I do remember when I post a recipe. But I've been meaning to do better. And in my recent Blogoversary Giveaway, one of the readers commented that she'd like to see the total cost of a meal to help her find new recipes that fit into her budget. I read her comment and thought, "Duh, DeAna, weren't you going to do that, like, forever ago??" Thank you for the reminder, Mari!

So my plan is to price out at least one meal a week, perhaps more if I can remember what I paid for something (again, can't always rely on my Mommy Brain, but I'm going to give it a try!). I've actually gone to such lengths as using a marker and writing what I've paid for my groceries right on the container. This might actually help me budget out my grocery spending, too--nice!

This particular recipe was referred to me several months ago by one of my readers (Hi Heather!). The last time I made it, I opted out of making any gravy. But this time, I decided to make the gravy after all and see how it tasted. Yummy, of course (seriously, who doesn't like gravy? ok, so my husband is not a big gravy fan, lol!). For the kids, I melted a little shredded cheese on top; hubs had just the onions and mushrooms. And I indulged in warm, melt-in-your-mouth brown gravy. :)

Hamburger Steak With Sweet Onion-Mushroom Gravy (serves 4)

Inredients:
2 slices stale bread ($0.10)
1 lb ground beef (on sale $1.38/lb)
1 large egg, lightly beaten ($0.09)
2 garlic cloves, minced ($0.20)
1/2 tsp salt (almost free) there are approximately 312 1/2 tsp in the 26-oz container of salt I got for $0.25...you do the math ;)
1/2 tsp ground pepper ($0.03)
1 medium onion, sliced ($.10)
1 4oz can sliced mushrooms ($0.29)
1 1.2oz envelope brown gravy mix (on sale $0.10)

1 15.5oz can navy beans ($0.50) I was going to make pinto beans but changed my mind)

1 16oz bag frozen Italian pole beans ($1.00)

Total Cost -- $3.79!!!

Directions:
Process bread into a food process until finely chopped. Place crumbs into a large mixing bowl and add ground beef, egg, garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Mix together using your hands until all ingredients are blended well together. Shape ground beef mixture into 4 or 5 patties. Cook in a nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 15 minutes, turning patties over occasionally to ensure even cooking. Remove patties when they are done. Add sliced onion and mushrooms to skillet and saute' several minutes until tender and carmelized. Meanwhile, prepare brown gravy mix according to package directions. Serve hamburger steaks with onions, mushrooms and gravy on top.

If freezing: After cooking the hamburger steaks, onion & mushrooms, I placed them all in a food saver bag, sealed it up and put it in the freezer, then thawed it 24 hours before cooking day. To heat it up, I put everything onto a plate and microwaved it for about 2 minutes, then prepared the gravy.

Wok's For Dinner: Rice Casserole

2010-04-15T22:00:00.001-04:00

This is a really simple meal that's easy to put together. You can even convert it into a "freezer" meal of sorts by cooking and freezing the chicken ahead of time. Simply thaw the chicken in your fridge for at least 24 hours before you plan on serving this meal.

Rice Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked white or brown rice
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (I used cream of mushroom tonight)
2 cups cooked broccoli
1-2 cups cooked chicken, cut into chunks or shredded
shredded cheese, such as Mozzarella or Cheddar

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together into a large bowl, reserving some of the cheese. Place bowl in microwave and heat for 2-5 minutes, or until heated through. Dish up on your plate and sprinkle a little more cheese on top.

Wok's For Dinner: Pork Chops With Glazed Onions

2010-04-14T22:00:00.003-04:00

That really deep color of the onions is created using good ol' balsamic vinegar and dark brown sugar. These chops are sinfully delicious!

Pork Chops With Glazed Onions

Ingredients:
2 onions, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup raisins
1/8 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 pork loin chops

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute' onions in olive oil in a medium skillet for 2-3 minutes. Add raisins, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender. Place pork chops in a shallow baking dish. Cover with onion mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes or until chops are done (pork chops should be about 160 degrees with a meat thermometer).

If freezing: Cook as directed and allow to cool. Place chops & onion mixture into a freezer bag, squeezing out as much air as possible, seal & lay flat in freezer. Thaw 24 hours in refrigerator. Heat in microwave.

Wok's For Dinner: Barbecued Sloppy Joes

2010-04-13T21:12:00.004-04:00

This meal is a fun alternative to traditional Sloppy Joe's, and it has the added benefit of freezing really well!

Barbecued Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup barbecue sauce, any flavor
hamburger buns or bread slices

Directions:
Cook ground beef with chopped bell pepper and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until beef is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in barbecue sauce and cook until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Serve on your choice of bread (great with a slice of cheese!).

If freezing: Prepare as directed. After adding barbecue sauce, allow mixture to cool, then place into a freezer bag. Squeeze out the air, seal up & lay flat in freezer. Thaw 24 hours in refrigerator. Heat in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. Serve & enjoy!

To-Do Tuesday: Week 14 And A Bit Of Remembrance

2010-04-13T20:25:00.019-04:00

There's a whole lot of things that I know need to get done this week, but there's so much on the calendar and we are absolutely insanely busy, so I'm going to try to keep things simple. Simple. A word that is easier said than done.

Put away Easter decorations
√Revamp/reorganize the kids' room. Box up toys/books/clothes that can get sold to the local "gently used" children's store or taken to Good Will.
Dust/vacuum
Read another chapter out of personal reading book. Been a few weeks now since I've had even a moment to even *think* about doing this.
Take dog to the pound. I haven't had a chance to do this particular unpleasant task.

What's really sad is that the kids found our cat Britnee a couple days ago. She had disappeared a couple months ago when our dog started her habitual escaping from the fenced-in part of the yard to chase & kill stray cats. We thought Britnee, our outside cat (we had to kick her outside last year after she peed & pooped in our bed) was one of the victims, but we never had any proof. The dog has not escaped in about a week. And then a couple days ago, the kids were exploring around the yard, and right at the treeline they found our Britnee.

Except she was not alive. We were able to confirm that it was, indeed, our Britnee. Not only did the fur color, length & texture match, she was also wearing the same collar that she had on when she disappeared. It was an emotional day, though. Not only had our cat come back home, she had also died just 20 yards from the house.

It was easier before, not knowing what happened to her. But this time was different. We don't know exactly how she died...my husband doesn't think it was our dog because it had been several days since her last great escape. Who knows. The kids were deeply saddened, though.

We buried Britnee in a spot of leaves in front of a tree where she used to curl up and sleep. Hubs made a cross-shaped tombstone. My little 3 1/2 yr-old insisted that Britnee would be all alone in her grave, and then through her tears, she insisted that it was a different Britnee. She took this rather poignant picture of the grave...I thought as I first saw this picture that my little girl is a budding photographer, a bittersweet thought, to say the least.

To help the kids cope, we put a picture of Britnee on the dresser next to their bed, and allowed our other cat, Ginger (who is an inside only cat) to sleep with the kids that first night. But since we still don't know 100% what happened to Britnee, and since our dog has gone wild with chasing stray cats, what we do know is that The. Dog. Has. To. Go. Period. My husband refuses to do it (he's too emotionally attached) which leaves me to be the bad guy and do the bad chore. I think this is the weekend that I'll have to do the dirty deed that we've been putting off.

How is your To-Do List going? I did manage to check off most of last week's list. My son had a great & fantastic 6th birthday & party. Did you see the pic of me flat on my badunkadunk? Oh, and I did get to commemorate one year of Balancing Act Basics!

Remember to visit Crazy Adventures in Parenting, the home of To-Do Tuesday!

Blogoversary Giveaway Winner!

2010-04-11T23:15:00.006-04:00

Congratulations to Shelley, the winner of the Balancing Act Basics Blogoversary Giveaway!

Shelley said...
Hi I am new to your blog today but I
particularly liked the savings, freebies, & rewards sections, I also enjoyed
the recipes & all of the pictures you add. Thanksmrspoofa(at)aol.com

Thanks to everyone who participated and for your comments. And welcome to all my new readers! I got the overwhelming impression that everyone seems to like the recipes, especially recipes with pictures!

Congratulations again, Shelley!

Wok's For Dinner: Chicken and Squash

2010-04-11T22:56:00.003-04:00

Need to use up some of that squash from last year's garden that you put in your freezer (like us)? Just add it to some chicken, potatoes & tomatoes--yum!

Chicken and Squash

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked chicken
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 yellow summer squash, cut in slices or 1-inch chunks
2 large Roma tomatoes, diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp dried marjoram

Directions:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and stir to coat with oil. Cook about 10 minutes, then add onion, garlic, squash and tomatoes. Cook an additional 10 minutes. Add seasonings and chicken; stir and heat through. Serve.

Menu Plan Monday--4/12/10-4/18/10

2010-04-11T22:24:00.009-04:00

I did not do a good job AT ALL sticking to last week's menu. We've had so much going on, and now baseball has been thrown into the mix. Not only is on son playing, my husband is also head coach of the team. He's been helping out with getting dinner ready several days during the week, but now we have to rethink things in order to maintain some means of order, and to not succumb to eating out and spending money that we don't have. And since I haven't been using up the freezer meals due to lack of poor planning and preparing (hence not sticking to the menu plan very well the past couple of weeks) our freezer is still packed full. I've decided to postpone my next once a month cooking day until the first weekend in May, so that means no freezer meal day in April. There's just too much going on. Fortunately, I do have enough meals to last through the month, and I think with some 3 P's--proper planning & preparation--we'll be able to stick to a menu plan each week.

So here's what I have on the menu this coming week:

Monday--Barbecued Sloppy Joe's, Apple Slices
My son has his first baseball game this evening. I picked a quick-to-prepare freezer meal that won't take but a few minutes to heat up, and a really simple side dish. The game is rather early in the evening, so we'll have to eat when we get home.

Tuesday--Pork Chops With Glazed Onions, hubs gets to pick the sides
I have my weekly Young Women (program for the youth-aged girls) activity on this night. It is "Basic Car Maintenance" and the young men get to teach the girls how to check/change the oil, change a tire, etc. Makes me appreciate that I learned that kind of stuff when I was younger. It sure came in handy when I was in college and had to change a flat tire--in a dress and high heels--on my way to church one Sunday!

Wednesday--Rice Casserole, Carrot & Celery Sticks
My husband's turn to have a meeting at church. The chicken for this meal is already cooked up, so I'll probably have him prepare the rice & broccoli, and I'll take over when I get home from work so we can eat before he has to leave.

Thursday--Hamburger Steak w/Sweet Onion Mushroom Gravy, Pinto Beans, Green Beans
The menfolk will have baseball practice this evening, and us womenfolk will be going to the dance studio for my daughter's pictures with her classmates in their recital costumes.

Friday--Macaroni Casserole
We have a potluck dinner and dance at church this evening. I'll take the casserole and probably a dessert, if I have time to get it prepared the night before. We'll be having such a rushed week, so I'll be doing good just to remember to get the casserole thawed in time, put into a casserole dish, and heated up before heading out. I'll probably need my husband's help for this one.

Saturday--Lemony Chicken Saute' with Sauteed Cabbage
My husband will be on a guys' trip to go deep sea fishing all day. I plan on spending the better part of the day spring cleaning the kids' bedroom and getting it organized, then taking whatever we can't keep or don't have room for to Good Will. I'll have the kids, so I'm going to put them to work helping out. I'd prefer to do it by myself, but it definitely needs their involvement so they can--hopefully--understand the importance and urgent need to keep their room clean. ha. haha. That's a good one! One can only hope, right? :)

Sunday--
Breakfast: Cranberry-Orange Muffins
Dinner: Lasagna Roll-Ups, Salad
I missed out on making the muffins this weekend, so I plan on trying again. I used to work at Tim Horton's when I lived with Michigan, and one of my absolute favorite things to eat were the Cranberry-Orange Muffins that we made. I don't have the secret recipe, but I'm going to try to make a close alternative. We'll see!

Please visit OrgJunkie for hundreds more menu plan options!

Need A Good Work Out?

2010-04-10T21:35:00.005-04:00

Try roller skating and falling flat on your face!

You'll know you really got a truly good work out when you notice the dried blood on your left knee cap, and you can hear all your joints squeak at the slightest movement, and each muscle aches just thinking about walking from one spot of the house to the other.

Really. You gotta try it.

And yes, that is yours truly.

At least my son had fun at his birthday party! That's him in the back with one of his friends. :)

Strawberries Are A-Comin'!

2010-04-08T22:43:00.005-04:00

Last year, we planted 6 strawberry plants that gave us the occasion ripe, red & juicy berry of sweet goodness that we could eat straight off the plant or slice up and have with our cereal. These plants produced strawberries all throughout the growing season here in Eastern NC--from when we first planted them through September.

The plants continued to stay green even after they stopped producing fruit, so we left them in the ground.

As blustery Autumn days blew in, and the cold of Winter set, those 6 strawberry plants continued to stay in our garden, green as ever. I debated on whether I should pull them up or leave them be.

I decided to just leave them alone.

A few weeks ago, as we started preparing our garden for the new growing season, I unburied our strawberry plants from the heavy layer of Autumn leaves that had accumulated. The strawberry plant leaves were still as green as ever. But instead of 6 very distinctive plants, we had a multitude of plants in that strawberry patch! They had literally spread out and multiplied!

But they were still alive, so I decided again to leave them alone and not pull them up.

A week ago, again working out in the garden, I took a moment to look at our strawberry plants, and wondered what I was to do with them. Were they still viable? Would I be able to reap another harvest from them?

And then I saw it. Tucked away under a green leaf.

A flower.

A beautiful, white & yellow, oh-so-beautiful strawberry flower!

In fact, tucked under some more leaves on this same particular plant, were even more flowers!

Hot dog, strawberries will be here soon!

Here's to being patient and riding things out. A year ago, I never would have believed that you could grow plants in the Winter, especially not strawberries. It gets rather cold here, and it snowed 4 times this past Winter. But we managed to grow broccoli, cabbage, onions and carrots all Winter long.

And, apparently, strawberries (so to speak :) !

Double-Check Those Manager Special Price Tags!

2010-04-08T22:10:00.008-04:00

Make sure you double-check your price tag on your meat purchases before you take them to the register!

On a recent trip to Food Lion, I saw that whole, cut-up chickens (whole fryers that had been split in half) were marked down to $0.58/lb, a fairly good deal in my book. I usually prefer to buy fryers when they are under $0.50/lb; however, I liked that they were split in half, which meant that they'd fit into my freezer better.

I did my usual hunting & pecking around to find the "perfect" package, and noticed that one packaged seemed to be priced a little lower than the majority. It was $2.65 for 4.91lbs, whereas most other packages were in the $3 range. I pulled out my calculator, plugged in the price, and saw that the price per pound was actually $0.54!

I thought to myself, "Wonder what else is priced for less?"

After some more hunting around, I found yet a 2nd price tag that was definitely, undeniably, lower than the rest. It read:

2.56lb for $1.48 total

Come again? $1.48 for this thing? The weight of this chicken didn't feel any less than the others. I just knew that the weight was incorrect. So I took it to the produce section and weighed it in a scale. The actual weight was about 4.75lb.

I weighed the other package of chicken, and it was right under 5 lbs. I knew then, for sure, that the package marked at 2.56lbs was incorrect. For an approximate weight of 4.75lb, and a price of $1.48, it was actually just $0.31/lb!!

And, would you believe, that I saw even mroe tags that were mismarked? I don't mean in favor of the customer--some prices were actually charging the customer more, up to $0.65/lb!! I did not elect to purchase any of those!

However, I did take my two packages to Customer Service, and informed the associate about the discrepancy on the price tags, the two that I had with me, which were actually cheaper than the sale of $0.58/lb, as well as the packages that I left in the meat department, that were marked higher than the sale.

The associate thanked me for bringing this to her attention. She agreed to honor the prices that were on my two packages that I chose to keep and indicated that she would have the manager correct the packages that were marked up too high.

It just goes to show that it PAYS to do the math, and double-check those prices tags! Whether on sale, manager's special, marked down, blue light special, or just plain ol' regular price, get out that calculator and verify price accuracy. You never know when you might get a better deal (or worse, when you might inadvertently get ripped off!).

Wok's For Dinner: Mini Pizzas

2010-04-07T20:45:00.004-04:00

I really wish that I had a picture for this recipe. I really do. We ate these Tuesday night. And since I had to leave right after work to head to church for a meeting, hubs actually prepared the meal and played "Meals On Wheels" with the kids, bringing me my dinner to me as I was leaving work so I could eat it on the way to church. Unfortnately, he didn't think to take a picture, and there were not any leftovers--not even one!

Fortunately, these little pizzas are a definite crowd-pleasure, and even little kids will enjoy preparing them. You can make these with as much variety of toppings as you want--mix & match what you like--pepperoni, sausage & mushroom, plain cheese. It's all good! And you can bet your socks that it's a much healthier (and cheaper!) alternative to pizza delivery!

Mini Pizzas

Ingredients:
1 pkg 6-count English mufins
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb ground sausage, cooked
pepperoni slices
Other toppings of your choice: sliced olives, sliced mushrooms, chopped onion, chopped bell pepepr...
shredded Mozzarella
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Split Englis muffins in half horizontally and arrange on a baking sheet. Spread about 2 Tbsp spaghetti sauce onto each muffin. Sprinkle sausage and/or pepperoni slices on top along with your other favorie toppings. Sprinkle some cheese on top and some Italian seasoning evenly over each pizza. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

If freezing: To save some time, prepare the ground sausage ahead of time and freeze. Thaw 12-24 hours in the refrigerator.

A Better Breakfast: Sausage Crescents

2010-04-06T22:00:00.006-04:00

In case you are wondering, yes, these are absolutely delicious!! The kids both loved them and called them Pigs In A Blanket, which I was completely ok with. These little "piggies" are very easy and quick to make--a definitely breakfast winner.

Sausage Crescents

Ingredients:
1 can (8oz) rerigerated crescent rolls
frozen sausage links

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Separte crescent dough into 8 triangles.

Place 1 sausage link at short end of each trangle and roll up.

Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Serve with your favorite breakfast side dish and dig in!

To Do Tuesday: Week 13 and Return & Report 2010 Goals Update

2010-04-05T20:53:00.022-04:00

Somehow, someway, I managed to survive last week. It was a crazy week, but I had the most relaxing weekend that I've had in a long, long time. I got to spend a most of Saturday & Sunday sitting in our garden, digging into the cool soil, pulling up grass roots, weeds, and tree roots. Of all things to enjoy! My husband tried helping me Sunday evening, and he pretty much gave up out of sheer boredom within the first 15 minutes. Me? I loved every single minute of it. It was just too relaxing, and I could really enjoy & appreciate our Heavenly Father's creations, while looking forward to the creating we'll be doing as we plant more seeds & transplants in our now tripled-in-size garden.

This week will be just as busy as last week, but I definitely feel refreshed and able to meet this week's challenges without the stress & anxiety that I had last week. I guess that's what a 3-day weekend will do for you!

I'm combining this week's "To Do List" with an update on my goals for 2010. Just a quick update. I could easily write an entire novel, but I don't want to put anyone to sleep! lol

This week, I'll need to:

√Announce 1-year Blogoversary AND Giveaway!! Have you entered the giveaway for a $10 Target gift card? You've got plenty of time, but don't delay! Giveaway ends at 11pm on Monday 4/11/10.
√Order son's birthday cake. His party is at a roller skating rink, and the invitations were camouflage colors. So he picked out a camouflage-colored cake with a roller skate on the top. Interesting combination, if you ask me. At least he's creative! In years past, my mother-in-law has decorated the cake, although I did do it one year. But since you can only turn 6 once, and since we've splurged on a party at the skating rink, I thought we'd have the local pastry shop do the cake this year. I know the Little Man is gonna love it!
Make necklaces & bracelets with Little Miss. She got a bead kit for Easter from her grandparents, and it's all she can talk about now.
√Attend Young Women's Presidency meeting & activity. The Y.W. program is for the adolescent girls at church, and I've been serving in one of the leadership rolls since the beginning of the year. These girls definitely help remind me of what it's like to be a teenager--last week the big topic that kept coming up was prom!
Take dog to the pound. This dog has just gone loopy. She's always been great with the kids, very loving, mostly obedient. But lately things have changed. Maybe it's her age. We were having a lot of stray cats come into our yard for about a month. The dog figured out how to jump our fence, attack, and kill every cat that she's come across. She has even developed a "taste" for dead cat. It sickens me, and I do not like my kids seeing the dog behave this way. The dog is tearing up the fence, and my husband has repaired the fence on several occasions. He's even got an electric fence up, and the dog still breaks through that. Today, the dog escaped again and trampled the corn transplants in the process. It was the last straw. The dog has got to go. Sadly, my husband just can't bring himself to take the dog to the animal shelter as I asked him, so of course the job will be left up to me to complete.
√Buy birthday presents for my son, wrap them & hide them (he'll bug me about wanting to open them if I don't).
√Wish my not-a-baby-anymore firstborn a Happy 6th Birthday! He's growing up on me!

As for my goals for this year:

These goals are definitely a "work in progress." I made some pretty lofty goals, and I knew that they wouldn't happen over night. But when I evaluate them, I see that I am making some progress. Slow going, but progress nonetheless.

Organize, organize, organize--this has been quite a challenge for me! My husband has been unemployed for over a year now (the economy was hit really hard where we live), so he's home all day every day, as well as the kids when they're not in school. If I clean up the house before going to bed at night, it's a guarantee that it will look like a tornado zone when I come home from work the next day. I can't win, so for now, I give up. Plus, the kitchen remodel has come to a grinding halt due to lack of fundage, and other projects that have become a priority, and I feel like reorganizing the kitchen is pointless at least until my husband builds the last cabinet and puts down new Formica. The kids' room is a complete disaster, but I'm just too swamped to attack it for now. I really need a good 8 hours of no interruptions, no distractions, which means I'll need to take a day of vacation, or find a Saturday when I can kick the kids & the hubs out the door and leave the bedroom all to myself. So for now, I'll just have to put this goal on temporary "hold."
I am, however, pitching as I go, hence the link to the March Clutter Update at Amy's Finer Things. I've got 2 huge boxes packed to overflowing with items that are going out the door and into Good Will--woohoo! I just need to get them into the car and off our property! haha
Fit & Trim -- I have managed to work out a few times over the past few weeks. Not as often as I'd like, but definitely an improvement. Hubs and I bought an exercise bike as an anniversary present to each other, and so far it hasn't been collecting dust. My husband exercises at least every other night, and he's managed to lose 5 lbs! I haven't had the luxury of exercising on the bike as often, but I am eating even healthier than I had been, and cutting back more on my portion sizes. Working in the garden for about 15 hours this past weekend definitely worked the muscles! Strangely, though, I've actually gained about 3 pounds!? Muscle does weigh more than fat, right? That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Reduce Leftovers -- Definitely doing great here! Our meals are smaller in size, not that were eating more food at dinner time in order to avoid leftovers. I haven't had any leftovers to take to work in over a week! Don't get me wrong, I love leftovers. But in my quest for being fit & trim, I need to reduce my caloric & fat intake. When I don't have leftovers, I stick to simple sandwiches, grapefruit, or a small soup for my lunch at work.
Better Blogging -- I think I've done a pretty good job here, especially considering that I'm not able to dedicate the time to blogging like I was able to a year ago. My employer is now requiring 9-hour work days as a requirement of the job. It seems like there's always something going on with the family, so there isn't a lot of free time in the evenings. Plus, I've got all these goals to work on, too! :) The good news is that I've been able to do a post nearly every day every week, and when I know that I'll be tied up in the evening, I've been able to get several posts done in advance. I've been able to do some new series, like my Better Breakfast and Spectacular Sides posts. I'm not exactly where I'd like to be, i.e. a set schedule for each series, but I am definitely better than I was when I started the blog.

How about you? What's on your To Do List? How are your goals going for 2010?

This post linked to To-Do Tuesday Week 58 at Crazy Adventures in Parenting and Amy's Finer Things!

Happy Blogoversary & Giveaway!

2010-04-05T06:00:00.007-04:00

Happy Anniversary to Balancing Act Basics!! April 11 will be 1 year from my very first post. It seems like I started just yesterday. Time has gone by so fast!!

To celebrate my blogoversary, I am having a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a $10 Target gift card.

So here's how to enter the giveaway, which begins effective immediately.

You can enter this contest up to 3 times. Please read carefully as incomplete entries or entries that are not on this list will be invalidated. Leave a separate comment for each entry along with your first name and email address (you can include your email address in this format: balancingactbasics (at) gmail (dot) com to avoid spam from web crawlers.)

Tell me what you love about Balancing Act Basics, or what you'd like to see more of. I aim to please! :)
Subscribe to my blog by email, RSS feed, following on Blogger or Facebook Networked Blogs (or let me know if you are already subscribed/a follower).
Write about this giveaway on your own blog, and make sure to include a link in your comment to your post.

Again, I do need to have your first name and email address in your comment so I know that you are a real person. :)

Only U.S. addresses, please. This giveaway will end at 11:00PM ET on Sunday, April 11, 2010. Using Random.org, I will select and announce the winner immediately following and will contact the winner by email, who will have 48 hours to respond or I will select a new winner.

Good luck, everyone!

Menu Plan Monday: 4/5/10-4/11/10

2010-04-04T22:45:00.007-04:00

Once again, we'll be swamped with activities this week...story of my life! I'm such a big fan of Menu Plan Monday--thank you to Laura at Org Junkie for hosting MPM each week! It really helps me evaluate what we've got going on during the week, so that I can plan our meals accordingly and we can avoid the drive-thru, saving our family time & money. Plus, since I do freezer meals, the majority of the meals are already prepared and just need heated up, or at the very least, I cooked up part of the meal already and just need to finish it up.

Here's what we have on the menu for this week. I didn't do so well sticking to last week's menu plan and had to rearrange things (I totally did not think to plan an Easter meal, but IGA came to the rescue by having frozen turkeys on sale for $0.78/lb, so I was able to pick one up that was small enough to put in the crock-pot).

Monday--Pork & Hash Brown Skillet, Oranges

Tuesday--Mini Pizzas, Hubs gets to pick the sides

Wednesday--Chicken and Squash

Thursday--Hot Pork Sandwich With Gravy, Garlic Green Beans, Corn

Friday--Tomato Pasta Bake, Celery & Carrot Sticks

Saturday--Lemony Chicken Saute', Apples & Oranges

Sunday--Lasagna Roll-Ups, Tossed Salad

Visit Org Junkie for hundreds of menu plan options!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T22:00:00.001-04:00

May you and your families have a wonderful and Happy Easter!

Wok's For Dinner: Glazed Chicken and Raisin Pilaf

2010-04-03T19:39:00.006-04:00

Tonight's meal was inspired by a recipe I got from Sun-Maid in a free cookbook they sent me a long, long time ago. I misplaced the cookbook (I tend to collect cookbooks and recipes, so I have trouble keeping up with them all), but I found a similar recipe over here at Recipezaar. I made some adaptations to fit our family.

Glazed Chicken and Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp whole coriander
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp chicken bouillon
1 cup raisins
3 green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp dried parsley
cooked chicken, shredded (you can use chicken cut into 1-inch chunks, too)

Directions:
Place rice, cinnamon, coriander and chicken broth in rice cooker; cover with lid and turn cooker on. Meanwhile, stir together brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder, water & bouillon in a skillet over medium heat and let simmer for a few minutes. Stir in raisins, green onions, parsley and chicken, then heat through. Serve over cooked rice.

A Better Breakfast: Oatmeal Pancakes

2010-04-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

I made these hearty pancakes for the family last weekend, and they were an instant hit with the kids! Even my son, who decided immediately upon hearing that "Oatmeal Pancakes" were for breakfast that he did not like them, quickly changed his mind after the first time and told me several times that he "loved" Oatmeal Pancakes. Um-hmm, I told you to just try them.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups oats, quick cooking or regular
2 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flower
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil

Directions:
Pour milk over oats; let stand. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in medium bowl. Stir eggs into oat and milk mixture. Add dry ingredients. Stir in oil. Bake on hot, lightly greased griddle until golden brown, turning only once.

Gardening Blues

2010-04-02T22:37:00.006-04:00

Note to self: Make sure you water your transplants frequently if you're going to keep them outdoors!

My husand has been watering our seedings quite frequently, so I really didn't bother to check their soil level every day, thinking he was doing that.

I took a look at them this afternoon and about had a panic. The soil was dry as a bone, and the plants were shriveling up!

My poor little lettuce leaves...I don't think they'll make it. :(

My husband last watered them Tuesday, but we've been so busy this week, that neither of us have had much time to devote to something as simple as checking in on all these little guys until this afternoon. Hubs watered them , but the soil was so dry that the water simply had evaporated by the time I looked in on them about an hour later. I watered them as well and gave myself a swift kick in the rear for not being diligent about checking on these at least yesterday or the day before.

Thank goodness for stores who sell transplants! Looks like I might have to go do some shopping! :)

Attack of the Yellow Stuff

2010-04-02T22:25:00.004-04:00

I was so happy that I got to sleep in today. Thank goodness for holidays! The family and I had several errands to run today, so we headed out late morning.

I got to the car and stopped immediately in my tracks. My car, normally a dull goldish color, had turned yellow!

It was the annual attack of the tree pollen!!

The joys of living in the South where something's flowering & pollinating nearly every day of the year. Ugh!

Time to pull out the saline mist, Claritin and humidifiers for the family every day for the next 6-7 months. ;) lol

Bargain Buy: Value-Priced Milk!

2010-04-02T22:20:00.003-04:00

Check out what I got today!

IGA has gallon-size whole milk on sale for $1.69/gal! This is an unadvertised special buy. There were oodles and oodles of gallons of whole milk. However, they all had a sell by date of 4/5/10, but milk is usually good for up to 7 days after the sell by date if it's stored properly in the refrigerator. I haven't bought whole milk since my daughter turned 2 years old, which was a year & a half ago, so it's been a long time. But, for that price, I simply couldn't pass it up.

Did you find any great deals this week? Feel free to share your own bargain buys and post a comment below! :)

Wok's For Dinner: Sour Cream Noodle Bake

2010-04-02T21:59:00.005-04:00

I cheated a bit on this meal. I got off to a very late start putting dinner together tonight. This was actually supposed to be last night's meal, but got pushed back. My son and husband had baseball practice this evening, at an inconvenient time, 6pm-7:30pm. We ate a late lunch, so no one was in the mood to think about an early dinner. So I decided to work out in the garden, pulling up dead grass, weeds and tree roots from the newly tilled garden expansion. My little girl helped out some, then got bored and headed inside the house. I kept plugging away. The tiller didn't get all the tree roots, and some of them are pretty stubborn!

The menfolk came up as it was getting dark, and I decided to head into the house and get supper together. Instead of baking it, I just mixed all the ingredients together and heated them in a saucepan on the stove. The ground beef and noodles were cooked up on my March freezer meal cooking day, so thankfully it didn't take long to pull this meal together, but it was after 8pm by the time we started eating. I didn't bother making any side dishes with it being so late.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Ingredients:
4oz cooked noodles
1lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions. Brown ground beef with onion in large skillet. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and tomato sauce. Combine cottage cheese with sour cream and noodles. Alternate layers of noodle mixture and meat sauce in a 2-quart casserole dish, beginning with noodles and ending with meat. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.

If freezing: Prepare noodles and meat sauce, and mix together. Place in a gallon-size freezer bag and lay flat in freezer. Thaw 24 hours in refrigerator. Prepare for serving by layering in casserole dish with cottage cheese & sour cream mixture, topping off with cheese, and baking as directed above. Or, if short on time, you can simply heat in a saucepan on the stove like me, and sprinkling some cheese on top for serving.

To-Do Tuesday: Week 12

2010-04-01T21:35:00.013-04:00

Yes, I know that it is Thursday. It's just been one of those weeks. You know. The kind of week that just makes you want to pull your hair out because there is just too much going on and no way it will all get accomplished. It's frustrating knowing that I have no control. I'm trying to take things one day at a time, but...I really want my life back. One day things will quiet down again, right? Maybe? Let's just say that I won't hold my breath, but I will try to stay sane! :)

The good news is that I did create this week's To Do List, and I've even managed to cross things off. I just didn't have the opportunity to type it up and post it. *sigh* Like I said, I've been busy.

√Decorate Easter eggs. √Call hubs' aunt & uncle and let them know we will not be able to go to their house for Easter this year. √Buy stickers for the kids' Easter parties, and stuff plastic easter eggs with stickers. √Make snacks for the kids' Easter parties--jigglers for Little Miss, and Banana Muffins for Little Man.
√Pick up completed physical form from pediatrician's office in preparation of registering son for 1st grade. We were able to keep him at the preschool he went to last year and registered him for the Kindergarten program there due to a scholarship he got. Having him go there, plus our daughter go to the same school for preschool was WAY cheaper than day care full-time for just our daughter, even if we didnt' have the scholarship. But they stop at the Kindergarten level, so we'll need to register our boy for 1st grade in the public school system. I'd quit my job and home school him if it were feasible, but then we'd be living in the car on the street, and I'm not exactly keen on that! :)
√Prepare and √teach lesson/activity for this week's Young Women's activity. The Young Women are the youth-aged girls at my church, and I am responsible for the activity if we have a 5th Tuesday in the month.
√Buy a gift for a birthday party our son was invited to. Wrap the gift, or at least √ put it in a bag to make it look presentable.√
√Enjoy a 3-day weekend off from work--halleluia!--and at least try to sleep in 'til 7am each day. *fingers & toes crossed on this one!!*
Return a recent favor and help some friends with their garden.
Super clean the bathroom. Sweep/mop floors. They've gotten filthy, thanks in part to work my husband has been doing out in the garden. Good work; dirty shoes and hands!
√Book the Skateland for son's birthday party. He finally decided that yes, he does want a party at the skating rink after all. √Buy invitations for the party, write up all the party information, and √distribute to son's friends and family.
√Go to son's baseball practice to support him. Hubs was kinda' sorta' guilted into becoming the head coach for the Dixie Youth Coach Pitching team our son will be on this year. It's the 2nd year our son will be on a coach pitch team, but the first year he'll be playing Dixie Youth, and the first year Hubs will be coaching. And there will be 2-3 games each week. Things are just getting started, and the season will really kick into gear after Spring Break is over. Say good-bye to free nights & weekends!
REMAIN CALM, COOL AND COLLECTED! Ok, this one is not going so well. Perhaps I appear so on the outside, but on the inside...I'm screaming in defeat! Deep breath, deep breath.

I know there's more that needs to get done, but I'm going to stop there for now. This is one long little list. Thankfully, I managed to get everything done last week.

How are your own To Do Lists going? Managed to accomplish everything this week? Or are you struggling with finding time enough to breathe like me? :)

This post linked to Week 57 at Crazy Adventures in Parenting, the home of To-Do Tuesday!

Wok's For Dinner: Grilled Pork Chops

2010-04-01T21:25:00.004-04:00

You can make these grilled chops right on the grill, or to save some time, pop them under the broiler instead. I was going to grill these, but hubs said there wasn't enough propane so I decided to try out the broiler instead. It worked just fine, and these smelled sooo good coming out of the oven. (they also tasted really good on the day we ate them!)

Grilled Pork Chops

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/8 tsp cajun seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 pork chops

Directions:
In a small food processor, add garlic, rosemary, thyme, cajun seasoning, salt and pepper; pulse until garlic is chopped good and all ingredients are combined. Pour in olive oil; pulse again several times. Put chops in medium glass bowl, and pour marinade over chops, turning chops over to cover them evenly. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least one hour. After marinading for an hour, remove chops from fridge and allow them to come to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, set oven to broil. Place chops on a baking sheet or broiler pan. Place 5-6 inches under broiler; broil chops for 5-6 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

If freezing: After broiling, place chops into a food saver bag, vacuum seal and place in freezer. Thaw 24 hours in the fridge and heat in the microwave.

Wok's For Dinner: Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

2010-03-30T22:00:00.003-04:00

There really is a pork chop in there, I promise. ;)

I decided to take a spin on a classic favorite of ours, Stuffed Pork Chops, adding in some chopped apples and saute'd onion and celery. It was fantastic, and the whole family enjoyed this meal. Even our son, who will eat any vegetable, but put one bite of meat in front of him and he gags. He wasn't too fond of the pork chops (no surprise) but he told me several times that he loved the stuffing. I'm happy to receive any compliment about supper from him, even if it's reserved for just the stuffing.

Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients:
1 box stuffing mix (I used low sodium chicken flavor)
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 boneless pork loin chops

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place chops in baking dish. Meanwhile, prepare stuffing according to package directions, and cook celery and onion in a skillet with olive oil. Stir chopped apple, cooked celery and onion, and chicken broth into stuffing. Scoop stuffing onto tops of pork chops. Cover with foil; bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil; return baking dish to oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until stuffing is lightly browned.

Turn this into a slow cooker meal: Do not cook the stuffing or vegetables. Instead, mix together the stuffing mix, chopped celery, onion, apple with 1/4 cup butter or margarine and 1 cup chicken broth. Place half the stuffing mixture into bottom of a 3-qt slow cooker. Place chops on top, then cover with remainng stuffing mixture. Cover and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours or until pork chops are done.

Garden Update: New Life

2010-03-29T22:12:00.006-04:00

blueberries

broccolli, cauliflower

spring mix lettuce

sunflowers

cucumbers

March Freezer Cooking Day Recap

2010-03-29T21:35:00.007-04:00

I had a great time cooking this past Saturday. I kind of cheated, though. I had cooked the chicken up as I bought it, so the chicken meat was already in the freezer. I didn't actually cook the chicken meals, just the meat. But it saved me a heap of time on my big freezer meal cooking day, and I finished in record time!

I still had plenty of main dishes to work with, though. The meat, of course, has been in the freezer, so to thaw it, I put it on a cardboard box or garbage bag on the kitchen floor. It's not the prettiest site, but it works for me, and catches any condensation. I put a couple bags of pork chops in the fridge to thaw in there, though. I was in need of a couple ingredients and figured I'd pick them up after the kids went to bed and finish these chops on Sunday evening.

By the end of my freezer cooking day, my freezer was pretty packed with meals for the next month, plus. I think that I can fit a few things in there still, what do you think? :)

Wok's For Dinner: Broccoli Baked Potatoes

2010-03-29T21:08:00.003-04:00

This meal wasn't on the menu plan, but we had company come over for dinner Sunday evening, and one of the guests was a vegetarian. I couldn't in good conscience serve Mu Shu Pork, although I know our other guest would have loved it. So I pulled out one of our favorite vegetarian meal recipes. Of course, you can make this completely vegetarian, or not, whatever suits your tastes. We planned this meal potato bar style and let everyone "build" their poatoes with their favorite toppings.

Another great plus about this meal is that it is cheap! Doesn't cost much at all.

Broccoli Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

6-7 medium potatoes

1 bag frozen broccoli

1/2 cup water (or 1/4 cup milk if you like your protein)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, butter or margarine, chives or chopped green onion, etc.

Directions:

Scrub potatoes clean. Make shallow slits around middle of potatoes as though you were cutting them in half lengthwise. Place in microwave and cook for 15 minutes or until fork tender. Pull potatoes out and set aside. Cook broccoli according to package directions (I used the steamable kind so I just stuck the bag in the microwave). Meanwhile, slice potatoes in half, and scoop the insides out, taking care to not break through the skin. Place potato insides into a large bowl. Add cooked broccoli, water or milk, salt and pepper. With an electric mixer, mash/beat potatoes and broccoli together until entire mixture is pale green with dark green flecks. Heap mixture into potato skins. Place in preheated 350-degree oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings.

The verdict? Both of our guests LOVED these potatoes!

Menu Plan Monday: 3/29-4/4/10

2010-03-28T22:32:00.009-04:00

Our life has just gotten busier than ever. Our son started baseball this past week, and hubs, bless his heart, signed up to be a head coach. So on top of everything else that goes on, now there will be baseball practices, games, and a whole lot of running around. Yikes! And this week alone, there is something going on every. single. day! Thankfully, I made a whole bunch of freezer meals this past weekend (more on that coming soon), so we should be able to avoid the fast food trap, at least for the next month until my next freezer meal cooking day.

Definitely gonna' be playing the "balancing act" game this week. Here's to maintaining our sanity!

Now, on to the menu plan for this week. :)

Monday--Apple-Stuffed Pork Chops, Squash
Mondays are our weekly "Family Home Evening" or FHE night, and we have a fun lesson and activity. On this night, we'll decorate Easter eggs. I also plan on making brownies for a Young Women's activity Tuesday night. Also, my daughter has an Easter party on Wednesday at her preschool, so she and I will prepare some muffins or cupcakes for her to take to her party. I'd prefer to make these Tuesday night, but I'll be out at a meeting and won't have a chance to do any baking when I get home afterwards.

Tuesday--Chicken Divan, Ants on a Log
I have a meeting at church for Young Women's (youth program for the girls). I actually get to teach the lesson. Hubs will prepare supper and have it ready for when I get home after work. That way, I can spend time with the family before going to my meeting, and I won't have to starve, which is probably what would happen if I made dinner because I probably wouldn't have it ready in time before needing to leave.

Wednesday--Grilled Pork Chops, Apple Salad, Creamed Corn
Hubs has a meeting at church on this night. Our son will have his Easter party tomorrow, so I'll have him help me make cupcakes (which he signed up for) while hubs is at his meeting.

Thursday--Sour Cream Noodle Bake, Green Beans
No one will actually have to go anywhere this evening, but we'll be busy working on chores and catching up since there's so much going on this week.

Friday--Glazed Chicken and Rice Pilaf, Mixed Vegetables
My son and hubs have baseball practice this evening. Practice is fairly early, so my daughter and I will watch for a little while, then come home and get dinner ready for when the menfolk come home.

Saturday--
Breakfast: Caramel Rolls
Dinner: Baby Back Bash Ribs, Sweet Corn Bread, Okra
With this day being part of Easter weekend, my daughter will not have dance class, so I get to make a homemade breakfast. We'll also spend part of the day at friends' helping them with their garden, returning a recent favor.

Sunday--
Breakfast: Chocolate Pancakes, Sausage Links, Hash Browns, Eggs
Dinner: Chicken and Squash
Our church will have a special broadcast this day, and one of our traditions is to make a big breakfast with all the fixin's. The kids and I normally just have the pancakes and eggs, but hubs likes to have his sausage and hash browns, too.

Stay tuned for recipes as they'll be posted throughout the week. :)

In need of some menu planning help? Visit OrgJunkie.com!

What's Wrong With This Picture?

2010-03-27T22:34:00.003-04:00

I finished up my freezer meal cooking day way early this evening, so soon after dinner, I decided to head into town for a quick trip. I went to Walgreens, where reusable bags were on sale for $0.33/ea (reg. price $0.99/ea), a deal too good to pass up.

I bought 6 bags. After paying, the cashier handed the reusable bags to me, and I immediately knew something wasn't quite right...

...I had a good laugh, so I didn't complain. ;-)

Time Out For Women: A Haircut

2010-03-26T22:00:00.013-04:00

Hello, my name is DeAna, and I'm picky about my hair.

I'm not the kind of picky that's "high maintenance" picky. I don't get my haircut every 6 weeks. I don't get a perm, or highlights, or colored.

The fact is, I don't get my hair cut. at. all.

I am so picky about my hair when I get it cut, that I have only had 1 haircut in my entire 33 years that I actually liked.

Just 1.

And that was about 12 years ago.

I went to a salon, explained what I wanted, and walked out of there with a cut that was completely different than what I asked for. So a few days later, I went to a second salon, explained what I wanted, and the beautician really tried, but she didn't exactly know how to give me the style I wanted with the type of hair I had. And sadly, she failed as well.

So a couple days afterwards, I had my 3rd haircut that week. And I cut my hair myself. And I actually loved it! That was the absolute one and only haircut that I actually liked. But I never would have achieved "the look" had I not received the previous two failures.

Another time, just two weeks before my wedding, I went to a salon to get my haircut. I explained that I was getting married and in the process of growing out my hair. I just wanted a trim and a bit of a style. I left with the shortest haircut I had ever had. I think she knocked off a good 6 inches instead of just 1. I was devastated. I had to go with "the wet look" just to get my hair to lay down. It was a rough couple of months for me.

One time, my husband decided to send me to get highlights in my hair as a birthday present. $80 later, I had 3 different highlights in my hair, and my hair color had not changed a bit. It didn't take! Tell that to the haircut lady who said, "It looks great." And I was gullible enough to believe her and let her take my money.

I'm not one to hop up and get a haircut. I prefer to just wash 'n go in the mornings. I just don't have time to blow dry, curl, straighten, whatever. My hair just doesn't cooperate very well, so to do anything with it is time-consuming. I've got extremely thick hair, a cowlick above my forehead, and a natural wave that refuses to lay down in any direction that makes sense. I'm not good with the "terminology" so it's hard to describe what I want, and even when I take in a picture, the beautician (is that still an appropriate job title?) can never get it right because my hair doesn't cooperate no matter which way it goes.

So I just don't like getting my hair cut at all. I dread it. I put it off. I think of other things that the money could go to. Pajamas for the kids. Groceries. Gas for the car. Money that could be saved for a rainy day. I could go on and on.

I realize that this logic is not very logical. I know that, really, it's a matter of finding a stylist who really cares and sticking with her so she gets used to my hair and what works best for me.

And certainly, not getting my haircut like I should definitely doesn't set a good example for my little girl. She is what you might call a "girlie girl" loving all things pink, purple (her favorite color), sparkly, flowery--girlie.

I've cut her hair every few months ever since she had her first cut. But I've never taken her to the salon. A couple months ago, I decided that it was high time I took her for her first beauty shop experience. But I didn't want to take just her. I wanted to take both of us and we'd have a mommy/daughter day at the salon.

It took me awhile to get up the ~~courage~~ time to actually go. I even invited my mother-in-law to go with us. I made an appointment at Fantastic Sam's, but hubs, who knew I'd just end up disappointed yet again, said something to his mom, who made an appointment for me with her beautician at another salon--a real "beauty shop."

I was really, really nervous. What if I'm disappointed again? What if it's expensive? What if...?

Well, I went, I calmed down. And I like it. Mostly.

I don't "like it, like it" but I definitely don't dislike it.

My daughter grabbed my face and said, "You look beautiful, Mommy." She insisted on taking my picture. Quite the close-up. I realize now that I should have put on some make-up other than lipstick before leaving the house that day.

Now I need to buy a hair-straightener if I'm to keep this look.

I think I'll go back. Maybe in 3-6 months, instead of 1 year.

How about you? Do you take care of your hair and get it cut frequently? Got any tried & true mommy tips for how to keep this mop on top my head tame without it costing me an arm, a leg, and my sanity?

Wok's For Dinner: Oven Barbecued Chicken

2010-03-25T21:10:00.004-04:00

I took the above picture on my February freezer meal cooking day. These looked soooo good, I just had to capture the baked-in goodness. I took the chicken meat off the bones, and froze the meat. It tasted super good when we had it for supper Wednesday night, but the picture of de-boned chicken breast meat wasn't nearly as appealing. Good thing I still had this picture!

Oven Barbecued Chicken

Ingredients:
2-3 large split chicken breasts
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken, skin sides up, in ungreased rectangular pan. Mix remaining ingredients together; pour over chicken. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes longer or until juices of chicken run clear.

Spectacular Sides: Orange Salad

2010-03-24T22:00:00.008-04:00

This salad is a fresh alternative to a traditional tossed salad, with the added benefit of making your own dressing. :)
Orange Salad

Ingredients:
1 head lettuce, trimmed and torn in pieces
1 small/medium onion, minced
2 naval oranges
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
Place torn lettuce leaves into large bowl.

Add chopped onion.
Squeeze juice of one orange into bowl. Stir in olive oil, salt and black pepper.

Peel 2nd orange, cut into wedges, and serve on top of salad. Tastes great with or without your favorite dressing.

Bargain Buys & Bulk Meat Purchase

2010-03-23T23:30:00.002-04:00

I swung by Food Lion this evening to take advantage of a couple last minute deals before the sale ends and the new sale week begins. I was shocked & very pleased to see an unadvertised sale for green onions--only $0.50 a bunch!

I also bought THE LARGEST beef roast I've ever bought in my life, over 5lbs! It was on sale for $1.87/lb, but this particular roast had been marked down to $1.68/lb. I think there's enough meat on this roast to last us a week! lol Seriously, though, I'll definitely get several meals out of this roast. My March freezer menu is already set, so I'll use this roast meat in my April freezer menu. I'll cut the meat into meal-size portions Wednesday night, then freeze it in some food saver bags. I'm estimating that I'll get about 6 meals out of this roast.

Naval oranges were also on sale, 8lbs for just $3.99! The oranges were huge and will make a great snack, or even a side dish, for the family. :)

I got both of these packages of sausage links at IGA this past weekend. The deal was too good not to mention--both packages were marked down to $0.89 each! I'll use one of these packages in the Sausage Crescents I plan on making for breakfast in the next month. And I'll save the 2nd package for a later date.

Have you snagged any bargains this week? Please feel free to share your bargain buys by posting a comment or link to your blog! :)

To-Do Tuesday: Week 11

2010-03-23T22:32:00.004-04:00

Last week, I was feeling really motivated. I didn't put much on the To-Do List, but I ended up accomplishing WAY more than I had thought I would. We even managed to get a jump-start on expanding our garden size, something I thought we had given up even trying to do.

But I'm kind of in a slump this week. I really don't want to do much of anything. *sigh* I guess we all have our highs and lows. Still, things gotta' get done around the house or else this place will look like a dump!

√Crop 'til I drop at the monthly scrapbooking night. Last month, I did a total of 18 12x12 pages! A definite record for me, considering I usually average 8-10 pages on a typical crop night.
√Sit down with son and get him to commit to exactly what type of birthday he wants. He first wanted to have a party at the skating rink, and that's been on his wish list for about 6 months now. But last week, he went on a father-son camp out with his dad, so now he wants to go camping for his birthday. It just so happens that our church has a second father-son camp out on our son's birthday, so it is quite feasible that hubs and Little Man will go. But we need to decide if he still wants a party with friends at the skating rink or maybe have a party at the park the day after the camp-out. Decisions, decisions.
√Dust/vacuum. I feel like I just did this! I've been trying to stick to a chore chart, with a specific chore to tackle each week, and spot cleaning as needed for other cleaning chores. It's rough sticking to a chore chart! But it's the only way I can stay on top of all the little messes that my loving family shares with me. :)

What's on your own "To-Do list"? Visit Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting to link your list!

A Better Breakfast: Pumpkin Bread

2010-03-23T22:00:00.000-04:00

I can't take much credit for this particular breakfast. Really, I owe it all to Libby's. I bought a pumpkin bread kit several months ago when I found it on sale and happened to have a really great coupon. I spent about $1 buying the kit that day. I decided that pumpkin bread would make a really tasty breakfast, and since the kit made enough for two loaves, I knew that I'd have enough for a few breakfasts, instead of just one.

I used both my stone loaf pan, and my breadmaker. The stoneware cooked the bread in about 65 minutes, but the breadmaker took 1 1/2 hrs. Either way, the house smelled sooooo good!

And the pumpkin bread? Heaven!

Guest Post at Melissa's Bargain Blog

2010-03-23T21:34:00.006-04:00

My great friend Melissa invited me to guest post about frugal freezer meal planning at her blog, Melissa's Bargain Blog. With her "extreme couponing" and her now $35 weekly grocery budget, Melissa is one of my heroes. ;)

You can view my guest post by clicking here and reading up on how you can prepare for your freezer meal cooking day, plus save money in the process.

While you're at it, make sure to take a peek at Melissa's blog. She's got tons of thrifty tips, plus scenarios to help you get the biggest bang for your buck at the store. Not to mention, she just announced a giveaway for a chance to win 2 free bags of Mahatma rice!

Wok's For Dinner: Pork and Broccoli Risotto

2010-03-22T22:00:00.005-04:00

I've only made this on a couple of occasions. I like that it's a stir-fry, but it doesn't taste like a stir fry. Tonight, I used cooked, shredded pork roast that I pulled from the freezer, saving me time from cooking the pork. I originally planned on having this meal for dinner Friday night, but hubs took our son on a father/son camp-out our church was had, so it was just Little Miss and me. I didn't care to make a large meal for the two of us, so I decided to make this for dinner on Sunday night since we didn't have any Corned Beef leftover to make sammies.

Pork and Broccoli Risotto

Ingredients:
1 lb cooked pork roast, shredded
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups broccoli florets
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
rice
grated Parmesan

Directions:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute' broccoli, bell pepper, garlic and onion in oil 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Turn heat to low. Stir in pork, Worcestershire, salt & pepper. Simmer until heated through 5-10 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked rice; sprinkle Parmesan on top.

Wok's For Dinner: Sweet 'n' Sour Pork Chops

2010-03-22T20:00:00.007-04:00

Here's another Taste of Home recipe that became an instant hit with our family. I can't think of any TOH recipe we've tried that we didn't like. Hubs surprised me by MAKING SUPPER and then TAKING A PICTURE OF OUR MEAL! He is the photographic novice, but it still brought a smile to my face at his kindness and thoughtfulness. The chops were a freezer meal that I prepared last month and stuck in the freezer. They thawed out in the fridge, so he just heated them up in the microwave. Still, he prepared the broccoli/cheese rice and the mixed vegetables all by himself. What a guy!

The oiginal recipe serves 6. I scaled it back to fit our family's size (the kids are 3 & almost 6 and definitely don't eat a whole pork chop, not even between the two of them).

Sweet 'n' Sour Pork Chops (serves 3; adapted from recipe at Taste of Home)

Ingredients:

3 boneless pork loin chops

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup water

3 Tbsp cider vinegar

1/8 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 Worcestershire sauce

1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp cold water

Directions:

Sprinkle pork chops with pepper. Cook pork over medium heat in a nonstick skillet for 4-6 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove and keep warm. Add the water, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to skillet; stir to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smoothe; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return chops to the pan. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Wok's For Dinner: Li'l Cheddar Meat Loaves

2010-03-21T22:58:00.003-04:00

This is a Taste of Home recipe, and it is good! It became an instant hit with our family the first time we tried it, and I haven't made a traditional loaf of meatloaf since.

Li'l Cheddar Meat Loaves

Ingredients:
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup (4oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp prepared mustard

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk egg and milk. Stir in the cheese, oats, onion and salt. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 8 loaves (I usually end up with 9 loaves); place in a grease 13x9-inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard; spoon over loaves. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until no pink in the middle.

Menu Plan Monday: 3/22-3/28/10

2010-03-21T22:27:00.012-04:00

Last week, I was feeling really motivated and eager to get some things done around the house. It was a busy week for us, but I still managed to do a lot, include working out in our garden Saturday afternoon. A glance at this week's calendar indicates another busy week. You know, we only have 2 kids. What would it be like if we had 3 or 4?

Here's what's on the menu for this week. I'll post the recipes during the week, so check back often. :)

Monday--Sweet 'n Sour Pork Chops, Rice Threads, Peas & Carrots
Mondays are our weekly "Family Home Evening" or FHE nights. We have a special lesson and activity, sing songs, make a dessert. Each member of the family has a responsibility (titles we call songer--picks out the songs, snacker--picks out the snack, prayer--says the prayers, reader--reads from the scriptures). For our activity, instead of sending out Easter cards, I'll have the kids color an Easter picture and we'll send those out to their grandparents & great-grandparents.

Tuesday--Don't Know the Name But It's Delicious
I have to leave soon after work to go to a meeting at church and I won't get home until late in the evening. Hubs gets to prepare supper and play "meals on wheels," delivering my food to me as I leave work. I've tried planning side dishes for the Tuesday night meal because this is typically his cooking night anyways, but he always ends up making something else. So rather than waste my time, I'll let him decide what to have with this meal since that's what he'll end up doing anyways.

Wednesday--Oven Barbecue Chicken, Baked Beans, Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday--Preschool Spirit Night @ Chick-Fil-A

Friday--Hubs & the kids are on their own
Girls' night out! This is my monthly scrapbooking night.

Saturday--Adobong Baboy (Pork Cooked in a Pickling Style), Green Beans, Cantaloupe
My freezer meal cooking day! It seems like my last cooking day was so long ago, but it was just last month. I've just been preparing for this one for what feels like forever. If you missed my freezer menu for March, you can click here to view it.

Sunday--
Breakfast: Oatmeal Pancakes
Dinner: Mu Shu Pork, Rice, Oranges

For hundreds of menu plan options, visit OrgJunkie.com!

Garden Buddies

2010-03-20T20:47:00.009-04:00

It all started a couple weeks ago. We were with friends, talking about gardening. Last year was a first gardening experience for both of our families, and we were comparing notes about how things went and what we want to do differently.

We jokingly commented about working in each other's gardens. Then had an epiphany--helping each other out by working in each other's gardens was a perfect idea!

Hubs and I had gotten a jump start on our garden this year, planting seeds in Jiffy pots, which were growing like crazy already. So we agreed to start our garden first, and scheduled a helping day at our friends' house a couple weeks out.

Today was a bright, warm, glorious first day of Spring day, perfect for garden work! Hubs decided after all to expand our garden size, actually tripling the size of our garden from just under 500sq ft to 1500 sq ft, actually larger than our house. You can see in the picture below where the original garden is, with our cabbage and the rest of the broccoli growing.

Our wonderful friends showed up shortly after lunch, and we were soon working the shovels and tearing up the tough ground. There were a lot of tree roots, which slowed down our progress. But we managed to get a good section of the ground dug up, and grass, weed & tree roots pulled out and thrown into a pile to be sent to compost.

The kids for both families liked helping us relocate the earthworms we found as we were digging up roots, but other than that, they enjoyed each other's company and had fun playing. Occasionally, one or two would come and help throw roots into the pile. Our friends' oldest is 12 and he even helped work the shovel for a spell.

Ah, nothing like a hard day's work. And two men "sleeping" on the job while the womenfolk are still pulling up grass, weed & tree roots! lol

Bulk Meat Purchases: Planning Ahead for Freezer Day

2010-03-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

I've been making freezer meals for a year now. On my first freezer meal cooking day, I took it easy by making just 1 1/2 weeks of meals, and I was immediately hooked.

It took me awhile to get used to buying things in advance and saving up for the next freezer meal day. Especially the meats. I didn't know what was a good deal, and what wasn't. In the past, I knew that I needed to buy a particular cut of meat, and I would simply buy the cheapest package that I could find.

But it didn't take me long to change my way of thinking. Grocery stores don't want to hold onto meat indefinitely. So to move them out quickly, they'll drop the price of meat to make it more affordable and appealing to you, the customer.

And that is exactly what I look for when I start buying my meat for the upcoming month.

I've also started buying the meat in bulk. Whereas in years' past, I would buy just a pound or two for a particular meat, I now take advantage of the sale, and stock up on several meals' worth.

On a recent trip to IGA, family packs of ground beef was on sale for $1.38/lb. I have found IGA's ground beef to be fairly lean, and with the price, it's an incredible deal in my world.

I bought 2 packages for $10.53 total.

Then divided each package up into 4 meals, for a total of 8 meals, or about $1.32/meal.

I tried sealing the ground beef up into food saver bags, but my food saver was acting up, so I resorted to wrapping food saver bags stuffed with ground beef into foil. I figured it was double-insulated and should be okay that way. I'll be using this ground beef in my March freezer cooking day, which is coming up in less than 2 weeks--it's almost here!

I'm also looking ahead to April's freezer meal cooking day. I haven't set a date yet, but I need to. Save-A-Lot had ground turkey on sale for $1/lb (I also noticed the regular price was $1.29/lb, in which case who needs ground beef when I can get ground turkey for $1!). Food Lion had 61-70count shrimp on sale for BOGO Free. I got this bag of shrimp for just $3.99, and I'll be able to split it up into 2 meals, which makes my actual cost about $2/meal.

I like being able to buy and plan ahead, knowing that I'm saving my family money. Doing so definitely works for me, and hopefully, it will work for you, too. :)

Friday Night = Date Night

2010-03-18T22:20:00.005-04:00

Or in this case, Tuesday night was our date night!

As you know, hubs and I celebrated our 9th anniversary this week. To keep the romance alive in our marriage, we did something we don't get to do except on rare occasions (like our anniversary).

We went out to eat. Without the kids. At a fancy restaurant.

Yes, Outback is a "fancy" restaurant in our world. :)

We even went out for dessert afterwards.

I love my husband!

Wok's For Dinner: Slow-Cooked Corned Beef and Cabbage

2010-03-17T20:50:00.009-04:00

Tonight's meal is a traditional Irish dish that I created to commemorate St. Patrick's Day, prepared slow-cooker style. I combined recipes that I found from Betty Crocker and Pillsbury, tweaking them up to make them my "own." I really thought that I'd have enough leftover corned beef to make sandwiches for supper Sunday night. Uh-uh, not going to happen. My husband and daughter LOVED this meal, the corn beef in particular. Both had seconds (hubs actually had 3rds). And I have no corned beef left. Crazy! This was a 2 1/2 lb roast! I'm extremely flattered at how much the family enjoyed this meal, so it was a perfect fit for St. Patty's Day.

Slow-Cooked Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients:

2 - 3lb corned beef brisket

2lb small potatoes, scrubbed clean and left whole

2 cups baby-cut carrots

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup cider vinegar (note to self: the carrots absorbed the flavor of the cider vinegar and had a rather sharp taste)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

water

1 cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions:

Place potatoes, carrots and onion in bottom of slow-cooker. Cover with corned beef. If corned beef came with a seasoning packet, sprinkle contents on top of roast. Otherwise, if no seasoning packet, add 1 tsp mustard seed. Add cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Pour enough water to slow-cooker until it reaches the level of the brisket without covering it. Place cabbage wedges on top of roast. Cover and cook on low for approximately 10 hours.

This post is linked to Debbie's Crock Pot Wednesdays at Dining With Debbie. Yummy slow-cooker recipes galore this week! (And lots of Corned Beef & Cabbage recipes, too. :)

A Better Breakfast: Chocolate Buttermilk Muffins

2010-03-16T22:00:00.005-04:00

I first saw this recipe at Joy's website, Five J's, when she had a breakfast challenge last summer. And she got the recipe from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. So I guess you could say that this recipe has been passed around a few times!

I took the ingredients from Joy's post and just winged it. Looking at both websites, though, this recipe can be used to make mini loaves, traditional 1lb loaves, or muffins like I made.

Here's the recipe I came up with:

Chocolate Buttermilk Muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk (1 Tbsp cider vinegar + enough milk to make 1 cup)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips, divided

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, eggs and buttermilk until well-blended, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

In lieu of spending extra money to buy buttermilk, simply make your own. Take 1 Tbsp cider vinegar or lemon juice, add to a liquid measuring cup, and...

...add enough mik to make 1 cup total liquid.

Add dry ingredients--cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a spatula, gently blend into liquid ingredients, breaking up any lumps, for about 2 minutes.

Gently fold in about 3/4 cup chocolate chips.

Place paper cups into muffin pan. Using an ice cream scoop, fill paper cups about 2/3 - 3/4 full.

Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top of muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with butter, honey, jam, or chocolate frosting (let's be honest, these are more like cupcakes than muffins! lol). :)

These chocolate muffins were soooo good! The batter was enough for 1 1/2 dozen muffins.

To-Do Tuesday: Week 10

2010-03-16T07:00:00.002-04:00

I'm so excited because hubs and I are celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary!!!!!!!!! Has it really been 9 years? Technically, it's really been 20 years, if you add in the length of time that we've known each other, back when we were wee little teenagers. Ah, the memories are so sweet. And two children later, I am more in love with my husband than I ever realized I could be. We gave each other pet names that first Summer when we met--Snuggle Bunny (me) and Stud Muff (him).

Here are the list of items that I need to get done this week.

√Celebrate a wonderful and romantic evening kid-free with the love of my life. Of course!
Call the skating rink and schedule Little Man's 6th birthday party. He made up his mind several months ago that he just had to have his birthday party at the skating rink and no place else for B-day #6. And wouldn't you know, he's also informed us that B-day #7 will be at the zoo. Talk about planning ahead! lol
√Call the local public school district office and find out when first grade registration is.
√Sweep/mop all floors.

I was able to check everything off last week's list, excluding super cleaning the bathroom. I cleaned the important stuff (tub, toilet, sink), and my son has surprised me by cleaning the bathroom mirror not once, not twice, but three times in the past week. He tries to please, and although he left a lot of smudges and paper towel lint on the mirror each time, he still brought a smile to my face, and I haven't gone behind him to reclean the mirror. :) I do need to clean down the baseboards and light switches, plus sweep & mop (a task for this week anyhow), hence the reason why I did not check it off last week.

How about you? Are you able to keep up with your tasks each week? Keep it up; you can do it! It's always a struggle for me (I'm a true procrastinator but trying to get better). Keeping things written down helps me keep things in perspective, prioritize, and remain accountable.

This post is linked to Week 56 at Crazy Adventures in Parenting, the original home of To-Do Tuesday. Please say a prayer for Lisa as she is dealing with an anxious and potentially scary event in her life at the moment.

Wok's For Dinner: BBQ Pork Sandwiches

2010-03-15T22:58:00.002-04:00

This is a really simple and quick meal to prepare on a busy night like we had tonight. We all enjoyed it. Well, except my son, the almost-6-yr-old. He is not a very big meat eater. He had a couple bites, then just ate the bread & cheese. I wasn't about to complain because he did try it, which is what we've been trying to teach him since he started eating solids. Just try it and you might like it. Sometimes what we teach as parents actually sinks into our kids' heads (sometimes). :)

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 lb cooked pork roast
1/2 bottle BBQ sauce
cheese slices
bread or buns

Directions:
Shred cooked pork roast with two forks. Place shredded pork into small saucepan over medium heat and pour barbecue sauce on top. Stir occasionally until heated through. Serve on bread or buns with a slice of cheese.

Wok's For Dinner: Creamy Chicken & Chile Enchiladas (casserole)

2010-03-15T22:00:00.001-04:00

I tried making homemade tortillas for this recipe, but realized the masa I had purchased was a corn flour base, so the tortillas didn't work out as I had planned. I still made them, but instead of using them for traditional-style enchiladas, I tore the tortillas up to make a casserole version instead. My tastebuds were off this evening due to a massive headache, but hubs and the kids enjoyed the meal a lot.

Creamy Chicken & Chile Enchiladas (casserole)

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded

1 kg (8oz) cream cheese, room temperature

1 can (4.5oz) chopped green chiles

2 cans (10oz each) enchilada sauce, red or green (I used red enchilada sauce)

1 pkg (12ct) flour tortillas (I made homemade corn tortillas), torn in pieces

1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 13x9-inch baking dish by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix together shredded chicken, cream cheese, chiles, and 1 can of enchilada sauce. Pour about 1/3 of enchilada mixture into bottom of baking dish and spready around. Layer 1/3 of the torn tortillas along bottom. Repeat layers of enchilada mixture and torn tortillas 2 more times. Pour 2nd can of enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

If making this as traditional-style enchiladas instead of a casserole, put about 1/2 cup of enchilada mixture into bottom of baking dish; spread around. Then put 1/2 cup of enchilada mixture into a tortilla, roll tortilla up and place seam-side down in bottom of baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour 2nd can of enchilada sauce on top, sprinkle with cheese and bake 20 minutes.

Menu Plan Monday: 3/15-3/21/10

2010-03-14T22:25:00.012-04:00

I kind of giddy with excitement. Hubs and I are celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary this week! Yeehaw!! In years' past, we've gone on adventures to Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, and even a trip to Asheville, NC, which resulted in a hike at both Chimeny Rock and Biltmore Estate (we were tickled the other night while watching some TV and saw that the Duggars were recently at Biltmore). But this year, I'm not able to take the time off from work, and we just don't have the financial means to do anything but. So we plan to scrimp & save our pennies and do something for the big 10 next year (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a tour of The Outer Banks lighthouses, which will include a few ferry rides, Kitty Hawk (where the Wright Brothers made their first flight), Roanoke Island, and a trip to an island inhabitated by wild horses!).

Here's the menu plan for this week. I'll post recipes throughout the week, so please check back often.

Monday--BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Mixed Vegetables, Pears
This is our weekly Family Home Evening, or FHE, night. We'll have a discussion of the Savior and his sacrifice and why we celebrate Easter. And, finally get those Easter decorations pulled out of the attic and put on display (this was last week's activity, but we planted seeds instead).

Tuesday--Dinner Out
Anniversary day!!!! Hubs gets to take me somewhere special while the grandparents are in charge of watching the kids.

Wednesday--Slow-Cooked Corned Beef and Cabbage
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, of course!

Thursday--Hubs & kids are on their own
I'll be out at a Relief Society Enrichment Meeting, and dinner will be served. Relief Society is the women's organization in my church and is one of the oldest women's organizations.

Friday--Pork and Broccoli Stir Fry, Rice, Mandarin Oranges

Saturday--Li'l Cheddar Meatloaves, Orange Salad, Green Beans

Sunday--
Breakfast: Pumpkin Bread
Dinner: Corned Beef Sammies, Navy Beans, Apples

For hundreds of menu plan options, please visit OrgJunkie.com! Laura even has a giveaway this week, so check it out & link your menu to be entered into the giveaway. :)

Planting Peas on St. Patrick's

2010-03-14T22:00:00.002-04:00

I heard about this tradition a year ago, but didn't actually get a chance to try it out for myself because our garden wasn't quite ready for planting. I think I'm going to give it a try this year.

Gardeners often look to the holidays to help remind them when to plant certain seeds. One traditional planting time is to plant your peas on St. Patrick's Day. For our area, the average last frost is March 15, so St. Patrick's is the perfect time to plant peas since they prefer cooler weather and need plenty of growing time to get nice and sweet before it gets too hot for them.

If you live further north and the ground is a little hard, that's ok! Drill holes into the soil and plant your peas. You can even sow them under the snow (you can save some peas for a later planting, too).

Once your peas are ready to harvest, you'll want to eat them quickly or blanche and freeze them. Otherwise, they will turn to start within several hours of harvesting. Click here for instructions on blanching & freeze peas (this is specifically for sugar snap peas which can be eaten with the shell; however, you can shell and then blanch & freeze English peas in a similar fashion).

Wok's For Dinner: Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos

2010-03-14T10:48:00.007-04:00

I first found this recipe from Taste of Home and I have loved it ever since. It always seems to come out slightly different each time I've made it, but it's always been soooo good!

Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos

Ingredients:
1-2 lb pork roast
1 medium bell pepper (red or green), chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice
1-2 garlic cloves, minced, or 1/2-1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
corn or flour tortillas, or taco shells (hubs had flour tortillas, and the kids & I had taco shells)
toppings of your choice: salsa, hot pepper suce, sour cream, sliced green onions, avocado, shredded cheese, tomato, lettuce, etc.

Directions:
Combine pork, bell pepper, onion, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt & pepper in a 3-qt slow cooker. cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or until meat is very tender. Shred pork with two forks. Serve pork taco mixture on tortillas or taco shells with toppings of your choice.

If freezing: Prepare as directed in slow cooker. After shredding cooked pork, place pork mixture into a quart-size freezer bag and lay flat in freezer. Thaw 24 hours in refrigerator. Heat in microwave or saucepan on the stove and serve taco-style.

This post is linked to Crock Pot Wednesdays at Dining With Debbie!

Doubting Your Bargain Purchases

2010-03-13T15:33:00.013-05:00

Has there ever been a time that you bought something, thinking it was a good deal, only to find your store reduced its price the following week? Or you found it cheaper at another store?

Yeah, that's happened to me. Many, many times. Most recently, I got a rain check for CVS Purelax. The next week, I saw it advertised in Walgreens for about a dollar less, and CVS even had it priced for less than the rain check!

I ain't a perfect shopper. I'm still learning. Good thing I didn't cash in that rain check after all.

I don't always get to use coupons, because I don't always have time to hunt around for coupons, or to clip coupons, or to organize them. My printer is acting up right now, so I haven't been able to print the coupons I have found on the Internet. I can't even print coupons at work now.

I also live in a military community. Our grocery stores will not compete with the base commisary (a grocery store located on the military base for military families). And because of the commissary, we can't even get super awesome grocery stores like Kroger in our area, although I could find several Krogers if I wanted to drive an hour to the big city of Raleigh.

None of our grocery stores double or triple coupons, either.

So I kind of have to fend for myself down the grocery aisles. I do the best I can. Many of the bargains I find are through trial and error. And through stockpiling, I'm now able to replenish or add to our stock when prices are at an all-time low, like when Food Lion had canned vegetables priced at $.33 each. BTW, Food Lion is lowering prices on thousands of items, but they still have a lot to learn.

Additionally, with the help of many bloggers, like Melissa at Melissa's Bargain Blog, Lori at Moms by Heart (I love her $.50 or Less Shopping posts), and Crystal at Money Saving Mom, I am able to learn about super special deals at places like Target, Walgreens and CVS.

I've also gotten a pretty good "feel" for what a good price for a particular item should be. And also which places have the best deals for certain items. Meats: IGA, Save-A-Lot and Piggly Wiggly. Frozen veggies: IGA or Target. Canned veggies: Food Lion and Save-A-Lot. Canned fruit: Piggly Wiggly, Walgreens. Soup: Target. Canned broth: IGA, Walgreens. Bread: IGA or Food Lion. Pasta: IGA or Save-A-Lot. Produce: Save-A-Lot, Food Lion, IGA, Piggly Wiggly. Health & Beauty Aids: Target, Walgreens, CVS. Laundry: Target. Plasticware: IGA, Target.

But there are some things that I still haven't quite figured out what a good deal is. Like paper products, ESPECIALLY paper towels.

My friend Melissa gets hers for free, using ECB's and RR's at CVS and Walgreens. I simply can't get enough of a stockpile of ECB's and RR's in order to do that.

I try to use coupons when I can, I buy only when on sale, and I even buy generic. But I still haven't quite figured out what the best price should be before coupon savings.

Anybody got any suggestions? What do you pay for a roll of paper towels? Two rolls of paper towels? What about the big or double rolls that say something like 6=8, or 8=12?

Your suggestions and input are appreciated!

Bargain Buys: A Week of Groceries Under $26!!

2010-03-13T14:40:00.016-05:00

I admit it. I am an impulse shopper. I have a hard time sticking to a list, especially when I see something priced so low that I just can't live without it. On top of that, I've been stockpiling stuff like the dickens, buying things on top of what we really do need.

So budgeting groceries has been a difficult task for me. I've definitely cut back compared to a year ago. I think I used to spend about $500-$600 each month on groceries. I now average about $300/month, even with stockpiling. But my mind tells me "that's not good enough." I know I can do better.

I know that I can "just say 'no'". If it truly is too good to pass up, then I say go for it. But quite often I do find myself buying things that are a good deal, but if I held out, I could find a better deal.

This week, I determined to do better and stick to the list and only the list. Whether it was a staple like bread or milk, or something that was priced so low it was worth stocking up. I shopped with a purpose. I put things back on the shelf. I used my calculator.

I think my friend Melissa would be proud of me.

So how did I do, you wonder? I came in under $26!!!

And after evaluating my purchases, I had a week's worth of food. The last time I spent that little on groceries, it was about 10 years ago, back when I budgeted $25 for just myself every two weeks for groceries.

Target: Little Debbie Easter Cakes $1.50, UP &UP Paper Towels (not pictured) $3.29, Kashi Heart to Heart cereal FREE (used a coupon for 1 free box); Save-A-Lot: 3lb bag Golden Delicious Apples $2.49, 2.58lb Bananas $.86 (on sale for $.33/lb), 4 lbs Carolina Turkey brand ground turkey $4 (regular price $1.29 ea), 3 pkgs Fairgrounds hot dogs $1.50, 4 cans Spaghettios $2; Food Lion: Smart Option bread $.77 (would have bought more loaves but there just isn't room in the house or freezer), 5lb bag potatoes $.99, Food Lion brand 61-70ct raw shrimp $3.99, 2 pkgs Tastee Choice salad shrimp $1.50, Smart Option gallon milk $2.55. Grand Total $25.44!!

8-D This is me with a big smile on my face.

Garden Update: From Seeds to Seedlings

2010-03-12T20:39:00.010-05:00

Our little ones are growing up! It seems like only yesterday we were putting them into the ground. lol

It's getting closer & closer to the last frost date (March 15 for our area). We started seeds indoors to get a jump-start on the season. Last year was our first official garden (I'd done a few container pots of peppers and tomatoes in the past). It was hit or miss with the seeds, unfortunately, so we went with various transplants that thrived in our garden.

This year, we're trying out the seeds one more time. Part of the problem with last year is that I overplanted the seeds in each Jiffy pot. Who knew that it only takes 1-3 seeds per pot? And for plants such as corn (pictured below), it only takes just one seed kernel to get them going.

Last year's corn did well. We planted the seeds straight into the ground, but only planted a few seeds, so needless to say we did not have a bumper crop of corn. This year, we have an entire tray of Jiffy pots of corn. Our plan is to plant these when they are 3 weeks old, then start another tray of Jiffy pots of corn. When they are 3 weeks old, we'll plant them in the garden with their big brothers & sisters, and start a 3rd round in the Jiffy pots. As the corn stalks grow, we'll have plenty of ears of corn to have corn on the cob and (fingers crossed) we'll be able to can some corn, too!

We learned the hard way last year that peas don't do so well in warm weather. We got a late start to our garden (I think we planted everything in mid or late April). The peas started growing all right but quickly fried off, sadly. They did, however, thrive when we planted them in late Summer. By the time the seedlings really got going, it had cooled off enough for them. One of the nice things about living in our neck of the woods is that we get two good growing seasons--Spring to Summer, and Summer to Fall.

Peas also only need one seed in each Jiffy pot. Once about 2 or 3 weeks old, we'll put these in the ground. (Our peas are in the foreground of the picture below). But rather than plant more in the Jiffy pots, we'll be able to plant them right into the ground next to their brothers & sisters. Sugar Snap Peas are excellent for growing & harvesting because you don't have to shell the peas. Let them plump up nice--the longer you let them grow, the sweeter they'll get--and you can eat them whole when you pick them. Peas like to climb, so we'll use the chicken wire fencing to help them reach towards the sun. Pictures to come as we get things into the ground!

Our lettuce did not do well AT ALL last year when we first started the garden. We first planted seeds in the Jiffy pots, but I overplanted. The tray of pots looked more like a jungle because there were so many seedlings! I then planted lettuce seeds directly into the ground, and again, no luck. They started to grow but quickly died off. I partly blame the late start, and I partly blame the type of compost we used, which was bought directly from the county compost facility. We planted the seeds immediately after laying down this compost, and it STUNK to high heaven! I couldn't even stay in my clothes and had to change immediately. We should have let that compost sit a few days, and then plant. That's just my opinion, though, I don't know if it would have made a difference.

We did plant lettuce transplants in late Summer, which gave us plenty of fresh salads until December, when the last of the lettuce started dying off. I'm hoping that we have better luck with our seedlings this year (pictured in the foreground of the above pic). So far, so good!

The kids' marigolds are also sprouting! Aren't they just adorable? If they grow up enough, I'd like to put the marigolds into the garden with our veggies. Marigolds have a reputation of repelling garden pests such as beetles. But even if they don't, they're still pretty to look at and will add some nice color in the garden. And the kids will enjoy seeing the fruit of their labels blossoming up, too. :)

Wok's For Dinner: Salmon Patties (a.k.a. Krabby Patties)

2010-03-12T20:30:00.002-05:00

After dishing these up, I had a brief moment that I feared the kids would not like these. So I jokingly called them "Krabby Patties" (like as in Spongebob). The kids gobbled them up, especially Little Miss who ate nearly an entire patty herself! This recipe is a much healthier alternative to traditional Salmon Patties, which are fried in oil. Instead, these patties are baked up in the oven.

Salmon Patties

Ingredients:
2 pkgs Bumblebee salmon (in the tuna fish section of your grocery)
1 egg
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp low-fat mayonnaise
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, diced fine
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 - 2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 - 1 cup breadcrumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Shape salmon mixture into 8 patties and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake in oven about 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.