Menu for the week...

This will be a busy week! I am making lists for my once-a-month shopping trip as well as trying to work in a few treats for around Christmas. I also want to have a big Christmas dinner like I did Thanksgiving so I can play for a few days! ;-)

MONDAY:
-Nutty Maple Granola with milk
-Chicken Salad in wraps, blue chips with guacamole, cake
-Li'l' Roasted Chicken and veggies
Snacks: buttered popcorn, apples
TUESDAY:
-homemade waffles, milk
-Soft Tacos and Spanish Rice
-Sammy's and salad
Snacks: Cranberry Salad, pretzel sticks
WEDNESDAY:
-soaked oatmeal, milk
-Salmon Loaf, baked acorn squash, salad
-Italian Baked Chicken, brussel sprouts, carrots
Snacks: nuts, raisins, Frozen Lemon Cream Bars
THURSDAY:
-kids choice
-Main Dish Macaroni, green peas, garden salad
-Beef Steaks in Onion-mushroom Gravy from the crockpot, with cornbread, lima beans, squash
Snacks: Fish Eggs, Pumpkin Oatmeal-raisin Cookies
FRIDAY:
-Coconut Brown Rice, orange juice
- Turkey Patties, green beans, corn on cob
-Stuffed Meatloaf, French Bread, salad
Snacks: Chocolate Angel Food Cake, apple carrot kale juice from the juicer

Visit Menu Plan Monday for more recipes and ideas!

Webkinz- sales..they're our favorite toy!

We have all grown to absolutely adore Webkinz!

At first, I have to admit, that I was skeptical about an 'online' pet that could do all of the things that my kids were saying they could do! It didn't take me long to see the big fun on there, as well as the SAFETY! Webkinz has done an excellent job at keeping their site safe, and they continue to modify things on a regular basis to make sure things are kept clean! For example, the kids used to be able to name their own 'rooms', but some kids were naming theirs not-so-nice names, so they came up with a list of names that kids have to pick from, rather than being able to type in a name. Very clever!

And the stuffed animals are the softest ever! So cuddly!

Now, about the sales!

Walgreen's ran an add for Black Friday, with a buy-one-get-one-free Webkinz @ $9.99!

A super great deal!

After this deal runs, they will be going back to a buy a Webkinz and get a Lil' Kinz free!

Both are very good deals!

These make for great presents at Christmas because your internet pet is good for one whole year(unless you buy more)!

My kids love doing 'jobs' and playing games online to earn Kinz Cash so they can buy their pets food, clothing, games, and things for their 'rooms'.

And you see the horse above? Well, that one is mine! ;-) Well?-can't a mom have some fun too?

The kids?- well they've collected more than I care to count in the past few years.

Nutty Maple Granola...

7 cups oats (I used quick, since I have about 30 pounds or so around here;)

2/3 cup gently melted coconut oil

2 t vanilla

3/4 cup maple syrup (real)

1/3 cup brown sugar (can omit)

1 cup almonds

1 cup pecans

1 cup sunflower seeds

2 cups walnuts, chopped (good place to smuggle in Omega3!)

Stir well to coat all oats and nuts.

Bake at 325, stirring every 15 minutes or so, for 40 to 50 minutes.

(Great as a snack or with milk or yogurt.)

Don't forget to vote for Brandy!

Remember to vote for Brandy, for the Love This Site Award!

The voting ends December 4th, so please be sure to get your vote cast for Brandy in the next few days!

This is a perfect way to let Brandy know how much we appreciate her site and her guest posts here!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We've had a wonderful week of eating and playing at our house and a great time of Thanksgiving.

I spent about $70 on all the good foods and it has fed us all very well for three days in a row, and there's still leftovers! (That's 6 meals plus leftovers, and included 6 pies, a cake, and cookies!) Tomorrow my DH has asked for Butter Beans, potatoes, and cornbread! ;-)
Truly Southern at heart ain't he!

Hope all of your families are having a wonderful time today as well!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A Week of Play!

This week, I have set all the work that I could aside. I fixed enough food to feed 'my pilgrims and Indians' for at least 5 days! We will play ALL week!

We have watched a couple of short movies together, played Uno until we couldn't sit any longer, we've played Skip-bo, and a big game of Monopoly last night.

And the food--- Oh my! We've ate like pigs!
I cooked it all in time for a late lunch yesterday, then an hour later we had desserts. Then I tossed it all back in the oven for supper, and before bed we had desserts and got to stay up an hour later than usual! Woo hoo! (Being a night owl, that's my favorite part!) Today- we'll do it agin! ;-)

This Gratituesday, I'm thankful for a week of play (and food)!!!

Thanksgiving Menu and other prep...

I've shared before about how we often will do a Thankful for Wildlife Tree- outdoor activity- during our Thanksgiving break. I collected the things needed for that during my shopping for Thanksgiving dinner.

Last year, we made an indoor Thanksgiving Tree, which the children had to 'leaf'! They had to cut out leaves with things they were thankful for written on them. They also made some cute things for the table. These activities keep them busy while I'm cooking TONS of food!

I posted here last year, giving lots of links to free printable Thanksgiving coloring pages and other activities for children that would be very beneficial for the cook!

Year before last, we took an old sheet and used it as a table cloth. While I cooked, the kids got to write and draw, what they were thankful for on the 'tablecloth'.

Now- what am I gonna cook for my crew and when? Well, on Sunday night, I will put in the 24+lb turkey, and cook it on a low temp overnight. I've done this before and it turned out wonderfully! I will also do some of the sweets on Sunday evening and night. Monday, everyone will have breakfast and scatter to play. I will then cook all the rest of the food and when the kiddies show the first sign of being anxious, I will give them some of my pre-printed coloring pages and craft activities. When they need a snack, I have granny smith apples and caramel dip waiting for them too! ;-)

I will be cooking a huge amount of food- because, we will eat it for 3 days+.
During those 3 days, since food prep will be a cinch-- we will have lots of family play time!

On the MENU:
turkey (24+ pounds bought at .47lb)
spiral ham (about 8 or 9 lbs)
sweet potato casserole (the recipe is on the link above that says "last year")
green bean casserole
brussel sprouts
potato salad
kale greens-n-onions
cranberry relish (I'm going to try to come up with a slightly fermented version of this)
yeast rolls from the freezer
homemade cornbread dressing
turkey gravy
boxed dressing
stuffed celery sticks
deviled eggs
cranberry sauce
candy
chocolate cake
2 apple pies
2 pumpkin pies
1 or 2 pecan pies
sugar cookies (decorated by the kids)

Marinated Vegetables...

This side dish is quickly becoming a favorite. Its easy, full of raw veggies, and very tasty!

This has;

mushrooms,

red onions,

radishes,

carrots,

broccoli,

bell peppers,

etc.

Then all you do is cover and coat them in your favorite Italian dressing, homemade, store-bought, fat free, etc.

Marinate over night to 24 hours; the longer, the tastier!

(you can also add a little whey to these in your marinade)

A very helpful math tool...

These are so cool! We have had a set of Cuisenaire Rods since before my oldest even started 'real' school work.

They are very helpful with many mathematical concepts. Counting by 2's, 3's, 5's, ..10's, etc.

That means they also help with multiplication and division.

I used them last week to help one of my children understand regrouping.

When I bought these many years ago, they were not cheap!

But now, we have ebay and amazon, and you can find them for a little under $14!

Super neat!

Cuisenaire Rods Introductory Set - Wood Rods

Family sandwich!

I made this big giant loaf of lightly sourdough bread with the remaining dough from our lunch's breadsticks the other day. I took my handy-dandy electric knife and split it, then layered it with all things good on a sandwich. I then used the electric knife to cut it into 12 hand-sized sandwiches. It worked out perfect, since we had a late lunch that day, making it the perfect light finger food before bedtime. :-)
(Dh wanted me to take a picture of him holding it and trying to take a bite-before I cut it- uh, I don't think so Mister! No way he could hold it without a mishap- too big.)

Gratituesday...

This Gratituesday, I am grateful for fresh Kale greens from the garden! Woo hoo!

I'm grateful that my kiddies are feeling better after last week's germie.
I'm also grateful to know, that God is in control of all the details of our lives.

We can trust Him!

Menu Plan...

Kvass, Kombucha, and bone broth- I'm ready!

Sunday:

- pancakes for some, eggs and applesauce for others

- (LF) Chicken Devan, corn, salad, (FF) breadsticks-bananas and clementines

- "Family Sandwich"(I made enough dough at lunch to make a giant short loaf of bread.)

Monday:

- eggs-n-ham

- beefy stuffed pita bread with lettuce, tomato, and sprouts/ black bean salsa

-Oriental Chicken and Shrimp Stir Fry, beets

Snacks: clementines, bananas, nuts, brownies

Tuesday:

- Brown Rice, eggs

- Zucchini Quiche, hashed brown potatoes, salad

-Garlic Chicken, Anti-cancer Slaw, Baked Potatoes with sour cream and chives

Snacks: lowfat cake with ff glaze, clementines, popcorn with butter and cheese

Wednesday:

- oats and eggs

-One Dish Macaroni and Cheese, marinated veggies, peas

-Quick Lemon Chicken, sliced tomatoes, potato patties, steamed broccoli

Snacks: ff banana pudding, clementines, pineapples, graham crackers

Thursday:

-grits and eggs

-Beef-n-potatoes, lima beans, sliced tomatoes and cukes

-Poor Man's Steak, baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, peas, green salad

Snacks: juice from the juicer, Maple-pecan granola, fish eggs

Friday:

- Breakfast Cake, eggs

- Polenta Pizza, bread sticks, super salad, lima beans

-Roasted Thyme Chickens, Favorite Brown Rice, green salad, carrots

Snacks: leftover breakfast cake, juice from the juicer, popcorn with butter

You wanna go shopping?

I didn't want the whole town to think I was nuts walking around flashing pictures everywhere so I tried to keep a low-profile with my flash! ;)

This was only about 2/3 of my shopping as I was not able to finish because DH called saying one of the kiddies had a fever again. -gulp-

I do want to share something I did before I even left to go shopping. (Well, outside of taking one day to print and clip coupons and sort out the old ones. Then I also took 2 days off and on gathering recipes and making lists based on those and what we were out of.) ..I made a pot of sloppy joe meat and I had some leftover bread on the counter along with a bowl of slaw in the fridge prepared for those who stayed home. I also had many baked goods around so as not to get one of those calls...you know, the ones where you hear these words "well, aren't you about done because we are hungry?!!!?" This is a VERY important step to having a good shopping trip!!! Ok, first stop was at the Cash-n-Carry. I bought that sack of flour there but I got it for 1/2 of that price; $10. I also bought three of those jugs of raw honey since winter is coming, we'll be drinking more teas and using more honey. I also picked up some chili powder as you might can see.

This is a freezer bag stuffed with some things from the Cash-n-Carry. There are chopped bell peppers (2lbs are like $2.39- not bad!), yellow squash for later in the month, lima beans, frozen coconut, and some fruit.

This is my shopping cart upon leaving Food Lion. I bought a couple of pineapples, cucumbers, bag of spinach, radishes, celery, alfalfa sprouts, bananas, rosemary, clementines, some frozen veggies (about 15 lbs worth), about 6 chickens, 6 boxes of Frosted Mini Wheats, org. Milk, 2 pks of manager's special chicken breasts, and several other things. Right at $100 after coupons.

We then left FL and went to my beloved Kroger.

I love Kroger. The produce department makes me so happy! ;) It gives me a good feeling when I walk in that area.

One of my buggies was 2/3 full nearly of produce.

I bought; green onions, salad mix, 2 bunches of beets (one to cook and one for Kvass), broccoli crowns, org. red onions, yellow onions, pomegranates, cauliflower, pecans, pistachios, cabbage, mushrooms, lemons, yellow squash, zukes, acorn squash, butternut squash (winter squash is on sale for .68lb), garlic bulbs, and probably more. Then I went through the meat buying more buffalo, Laura's Lean Beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, free beef fat to render, fish, turkey bacon, turkey polish sausage, some sandwich meat to make Sammy's since I had some good coupons, and I asked for beef bones but he didn't have any.


If you can see in this bag, I loaded up on the Ronzoni pastas since they were on sale and coupons were plenteous as well. Its a great product- high fiber, whole grain. I think you can see a bucket of lard in this picture too. I would like to render my own lard, since most of the commercial brands put those weird preservatives in it. (hmm, note to self, bug meat man at Kroger next time and ask for pork fat!- maybe you can get it free too self!)

Here's a little bit of everything all scattered and piled up. There's cottage cheese, ground chicken, org. ketchup, and several canned goods too. Del Monte vegetables were on sale 2/$1. Most of these will go to storage, but one recipe I have on the list for this month called for canned corn.

In this pic I think you can see more of that ketchup and some boxes of tea. Celestial Seasonings tea is on sale and I also had coupons from inside previous boxes. Love my tea! (And so do most of my kids!)

Here you see that big sack of flour again, along with the honey. I think there is some low-fat crackers there to go along with the fish eggs. The freezer bags are full of those chickens and frozen veggies.

Here's the only non-food items that I picked up. (All on sale and coupons!)

Here's part of the fresh, non-refrigerator food that I brought in.

Here's bananas, org. red onions, and garlic that's always handy in my hanging basket.

Here's several cans of coconut milk, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and numerous cans of organic tomato paste that I caught on clearance for .34 a can.

I am very low on wheat berries so I bought up some spelt flour, along with some polenta and the rest you see was already in the freezer.

Here you see Ro-tel and jarred garlic, but if you can see that jar up front you will notice that this is Spectrum mayo that I also got on clearance for under .50 a jar. I bought all that they had. (This mayo is usually almost $5!)

When I come home from shopping, I usually pull out at least one very cool treat. It adds to all the excitement! (Bringing in that much food at once is pretty exciting too!)

I found these Halloween Peeps on a clearance for .30 a pack -and boy were the little peeps here excited!

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I found that the sloppy joe mix was still waiting so that was a cinch to a starving crew, along with the slaw.

Meanwhile, I set into finishing broth (later bagging 9- 2 cup baggies for the freezer). I also put those two special-priced packages of chicken breasts on to boil so I could shred for quick meals later on in the week. Then I set in to rendering the beef fat.

-All in a day's work!-

A foraging we will go....

I can hardly believe it but we still have some goodies growing in our garden! The other day for lunch, I cooked some chicken on the griddle and put some acorn squash in to bake, and while the stove was working for me, I went out to pick the rest of our lunch!
I was able to collect a big bucket of 3 different kinds of lettuce, broccoli, and garlic tops that I chopped and tossed in with the salad.

We also picked an almost frost-bitten sunflower and brought it in for the table.

God is so good to give us fresh greens in November!

Shopping delay this go around... And restricting our diet a little...

The kids being ill has delayed me a couple of days on my shopping.

DH has also asked me to put him on a more restricted diet for a while to see if I can help him lose some weight. (This wouldn't be a bad idea for ALL of us right now ;) The last time I did this, he lost about 12 to 14 pounds in a month and he said he had all the food that he could eat! Well- let's hope I can pull this off again!

This plan will however require a little more focus at the store as I will have a more set menu plan. I also will likely save a bigger portion for picking up fresh veggies later in the month. It is the fresh veggies on this plan that helps keep the plate full, pretty, and fiber packed!

DH typically prefers country style cooking- you know where you fry your meat in fat and the like? (Yeah, and make gravy with the fat.) We also use a LOT of butter- like a big bunch lot! I saute, season, pan fry, and bake with butter. (We have no shortage of good fat in our diet!) I will try to cut back on some of that with using more applesauce in my baking and more herbs for seasoning, and boiling rather than pan frying, and even water sauteing.

It will also be helpful adding more green veggies such as salads, and when making mashed potatoes, using some buttermilk and/or bone broth rather than a stick of butter.

My main focus usually has to be more yummy veggies and cutting back on the main course, or at least cutting back the high fat in the main. That will be done by using leaner meats and more veggies with less meat in the main course. I will also use more beans and perhaps grains in the main dish to make it more filling while less fattening.

I also re-routed last week's menu too. Partly due to the virus that was in our home and partly to weed out the stragglers in the freezer. I found several bags of fryer breasts and come up with enough for supper. I also dug out the last of the cabbage and made a slaw. While digging in the freezer, I also found a small bag of blackberries and some orange zest so I made a nice 'kicked up' crisp with those. We have about ten to 15 pounds left of potatoes that are getting soft so I made a pot of mashed potatoes. Now, my path is a little clearer!


I will be using Set For Life and Recipes to Lower Your Fat Thermostat for most of my recipes, ideas, and plans. They stick to real, healthy food yet cut back on the fat. I really like the book Set For Life! It has lots of recipes using mostly basic things and they are family friendly.

Learning the hard way/ Am I too cheap?

Several years ago, when we first realized our 'economic downturn' was going to be unavoidable, we started doing many little things to cut back.


One thing I stopped doing was using 'paper pictures'. In fact, I still have rolls here that have yet to be developed and printed, gulp.


I was given a digital camera and I began to use it often. I built a small semi-private site where I housed many of our pictures, particularly our school pictures/pictures of the kids.


About a year ago, my hand-me-down computer crashed. Lost pictures- lots of lost pictures- yet, I was thankful for that web site because a good deal of the highlights of the children (birthdays and special events) were on that site.


(BTW-We also do not have a color printer by the way- the ink (and printer) are not in the budget. I think I've shared with you before that I have a cheap laser printer and buy cheap toner and refill it myself.)


Well, without warning (even though they said they emailed me- I checked through 4 months of email and the spammer on my provider and looked back through almost a thousand spam messages- no email from them), the site I was housing those pictures at decided that they were going to start a monthly fee and they DELETED ALL OF THE FREE ACCOUNTS. Uh-huh, mine included.


They claim that there is no 'back-up'- after first denying that I ever had an account, then telling me there was only one picture on the main page, then telling me that all that was left was the text on the main page, then telling me that perhaps I was contacting the wrong people, then emailing me all the text 'left' from the main page......Their final letter said it was "all deleted", "no back up", and "Sorry".


So- suffice it to say-guess this was one time that I was TOO frugal! :-(

Low-fat Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread...

I found this recipe and could hardly believe how wonderful it is, especially being low-fat! You can't even tell! Seriously! It slices so good, and its so moist!

Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
•1-1/2 cups of unbleached, all-purpose flour
•1-1/4 tsp. baking soda
•1 tsp. salt
•1 tsp. cinnamon
•1/2 tsp. nutmeg
•1/2 tsp. cloves
•1 cup canned pumpkin puree (I actually used fresh cooked pumpkin)
•1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
•1/2 cup low-fat or nonfat buttermilk
•1 large egg
•1 Tbsp. canola oil
•1/4 cup chocolate chips (I added more like 2/3 cup ;)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, beat pumpkin puree, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg and oil together. Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring just until moistened (over-mixing will cause the bread to become too tough). Add chocolate chips. (Bake for approx. 45 to 55 minutes.)

Be sure to visit: Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Gratituesday...

God is so good to bless and encourage us homemakers! Last week, this is a special blessing that I received in the mail as a result of winning a giveaway at Jeannie's blog.

The prize had a beautiful vintage apron in it that happened to be blue- my favorite color!

(Must be why God gave me so many boys!?)

There was also a lovely candle, spices for pies (which I used in the pumpkin pie last week), Earl Grey Tea, a pie making book of recipes (love recipe books!), and then there was that super cool rolling pin!

I have looked my whole town over trying to find one of those to help me make Laura's graham crackers! (Do you know how hard it is to roll out those graham crackers with a full-sized rolling pin?!!?)
I am so grateful for these blessings! They were such an encouragement to me!

To learn more or to participate in Gratituesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers!

Washing Cast Iron...

I do know that there are times that there's no substituting soap and water but I've found that I can avoid it often by 'washing' my cast iron with fat! I simply dip a paper towel in the fat and wipe away everything in the pan- scrambled eggs come right out! ;)

I think I've told you a little before about rendering beef fat, well, that's what I use. You could use lard or other fats of your choice but I love my beef fat- it's free and it keeps my pans good and conditioned!

For more Kitchen Tips, visit Tammy's Recipes!

A special thanks...

A big thanks to Rachel at K95.5!

She kindly included my recipe for Steak Casserole on her program!

Thought some of you might want to click over and see what else is cookin' on Rachel's program!

A link about preventing the flu- naturally!

I get emails from this site and find much of what they say to be very interesting and helpful.
This link is dealing with flue prevention, particularly H1N1.
Thought some of you might enjoy it as it takes a more natural approach to prevention and fighting the germies!
HERE'S the link!

2 of my kiddies have come in sick...

What am I doing about it?
Well, about 2 months ago, Walmart had a buggie full of Zicam and Airborne and a few other things on clearance. Clearance and me go together like donuts and coffee!

So the kids are being pumped with Airborne....later Zicam...then garlic cloves in their ears....peppermint teas......echinacea tea.....yarrow later.... found some olive leaves...looking for the cayenne,lol..

I've made butternut soup today along with sourdough bread. Tonight I am looking for fish or something with vitamin D.

They don't call me mom for nothing! ;-)

Any tips welcome- symptoms- headache (that's the worst they say), runny, then stuffy head, with earaches.

MENU PLAN MONDAY..

Welcome to Menu Plan Monday!

Here's a few pics to start off my menu and be sure to check out the special announcement below! (lowfat Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread)

(French Toast made from homemade wheat bread, cut into strips -complete with a dipping cup of syrup!)
(Sourdough Bread)

SATURDAY:
-french toast (cut into sticks)
-porcupine meatballs, cabbage, corn, sourdough bread, leftover pumpkin pie
-sandwiches, yogurt, homemade candy
Snacks: toasted pumpkin seeds, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, salsa and chips

SUNDAY:
-french toast
-Butternut Soup, toasted sourdough bread with high yellow butter, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
-Baked wild-caught salmon with butter and garlic, leftover soup and sourdough bread toasted with high yellow butter
Snacks: popcorn and butter, apples

MONDAY:
-bug oats
-soup, grilled cheese bread
-simple spaghetti, buttered garlic bread
Snacks: Laura's graham crackers, popcorn, juice pops, pickles

TUESDAY:
-coconut brown rice pudding
-meatloaf, potato salad, slaw
-Pan-fried chicken chunks, couscous, brussel sprouts
Snacks: leftover graham crackers, fish eggs

WEDNESDAY:
-from the freezer-waffles, pancakes
-Sourdough Cheese-n-Onion Strata, slaw, fruit salad
-Chicken Fried Rice, string beans, toasted sourdough bread
Snacks: salsa and blue chips, chicken in a boat

THURSDAY:
-soaked oatmeal
-O'Brion's Irish Dish, corn, green beans
-Veggie Beef patties, oven potatoes, broccoli
Snacks:juiced carrots and apples, popcorn, cinnamon-raisin muffins

FRIDAY:
-waffles with blueberry sauce
-Brandy's Tacos, refried beans and cheese with blue chips
-Brandy's Chicken a la Crescent, steamed cabbage, green peas
Snacks: raw cheese sticks, applesauce, juiced carrots and kale

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****SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT****

Please remember to check back this week to view a special guest post from Brandy (The Prudent Homemaker)dealing with CHRISTMAS on a zero budget!