Tickle My Tummy Thursday #1

I am trying to get into a routine of doing certain household tasks on certain days. I need the structure and discipline.

Here is what I will be in the kitchen making tomorrow:

• Pumpkin bread
• Applesauce bread
• Kefir - dairy
• Kefir - water
• Vanilla creamer
• Start sourdough
• Start yoghurt
• Chocolate chocolate-chip muffins
• Peanut butter chocolate muffins
• Cut carrots 
• Can peaches

Lots of work to be done but looking forward to the all the yummies! 

Are We Weirdos?

Are we weirdos? Are we not normal?

Those were the questions Andy asked as I was kneading bread this morning. 

Why would you think that hunny? I just opened our fresh wheat berries, grinded fresh wheat flour from them and now I'm kneading homemade bread.... Are we different? Hmm....

I looked at him puzzled. He went on to talk about how birthday celebrations are usually done eating out or having pizza ordered. Not homemade and definitely not organic.

Maybe, he isn't crazy and was on to something. 

I had a friend that was in utter horror that I make family's birthday cakes and not purchase them from a store. Kind of reminded me of the baby carrots moment... 

Lincoln's five year old cake... Not too hateful, right? :) 

With all of this talk about us being weirdos, my mind starting wondering... Do a lot of people not celebrate in their homes because of all the work they *think*  it is to cook for a group?

Cooking for a group does not have to be expensive, hard or take a lot of time. 

In fact, the meal for over 25 people yesterday was easy and I used ONLY things I had on hand. Actually the food was made early and just left in the refrigerator until it needed heated for the party. 

The feast included - 

* bean soup

* chicken and noodles

* chili

* cheesy potato soup

* corn muffins

* salad (delegated)

* fruit (delegated)

* pumpkin bread

* cookies

* cake

* ice cream sundae bar

The BEST part! Most of the left overs could be put in the freezer for a later meal. Easy clean up and everyone loved it! 

What are some quick, inexpensive and easy ways that you feed a large group? Do you get carry-out or pizza for celebrations? Do you make your own cakes?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

How hard can chocolate chip cookies be?! Well I have the worst time making them. I always screw them up. Today I made a recipe that was so delicious and fool - proof that I had to share!

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup of sucanat or brown sugar
1/4 cup of rapadura or white sugar
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Add remaining ingredients. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

That's all! Enjoy!

Sausage Gravy

Day 20 of 366... 

On of the biggest fears I had about this challenge was that I LOVE food and there are certain restaurants which have food that I crave All. The. Time.... 

Panera has soups and sandwiches that I love... 

A local family-owned restaurant has the best sausage gravy...

And the list continues on...

Learning how to make some of your favorite foods at home can be a big cost savings. Today I calculated just how much I was saving by making the sausage gravy from home... I was astonished!

But first - the recipe... :) 

Homemade Sausage Gravy

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1/2 pound sausage

salt and pepper

Brown sausage in a pan. Take sausage out of pan with slotted spoon. Leave grease in pan. 

Add the 1/4 cup of butter. Melt on medium heat. 

As butter is melting, add the 1/4 cup of flour. 

Stir. It will be extremely liquid-y. Stir constantly until it begins to boil. Turn heat to simmer/low for 10 minutes and stir occasionally. Add sausage. Stir and serve.

This is a super easy and quick recipe. Almost always we have the ingredients on hand for a quick and easy dinner. We pair it with hashbrown potatoes and eggs. Delightful!

Now for the "break-down":

• 1/4 cup of butter- that is half a $.69 item - we'll say 35 cents! :)
• 1/4 cup of flour - there are 30 1/4 cups in a 5 lb. bag of flour - Bag of flour (not on sale) is $2.99 / 30 is about 10 cents rounded up as well. We are out to 45 cents.
• 2 cups of milk - 16 cups on a gallon - milk is $2.50 around here. $2.50/16 is about 15 cents times 2 - 30 cents - up to 75 cents!
• sausage - We pay about $2 for our sausage where we buy it. We used half. So that's $1 - up to $1.75.
• bread to eat it on - We only get bread when it's on sale. We paid $1 and used half a loaf - 50 cents - up to $2.25.

$2.25! 

Now granted a lot of times we have eggs and potatoes with them but the eggs come from the chickens on family farm and are given to us at no cost and the potatoes are raised in the garden so no cost for them. BUT we often have leftovers and have at times just eaten the sausage gravy alone. It's rich and fills my family's tummies! :)

Now let's compare the cost of the sausage gravy at the local family restaurant to that of the gravy made at home. We generally had to buy three plates of the sausage gravy and biscuit plate to feed our crew. Each one of the plates cost $5 and then you add drinks and tax and tip. Let's just go on the sausage gravy - at the restaurant we would have paid $15 plus tax and at home I fed my family for $2.25 and tax free! That is at least a $13.75 savings!

Finding "copycat" recipes of some of your restaurant foods could be a great way to get you back to the family table. 

How about you? Do you have any good "copycat" recipes?

I hope you have a blessed weekend and see you Monday!

*This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.*

No Dining Out Diary - Jan. 19, 2012

We are now almost three weeks into our eating at home challenge. To be honest, I never in a million years thought it'd be going this well. I thought I'd be having cravings and I'd be throwing a hissy - crying, whining and stomping my feet - about not going out to eat. Nothing like that has happened.

Today was the first time when I had to tell myself "no". I was sitting waiting on my oil change to be finished and I looked over at McDonalds and thought, "I'd really like a hot chocolate and sausage biscuit. I forgot to eat breakfast."

I honestly think a lot of my over eating and dining out stems from boredom. I wasn't "starving" but I had nothing to do or think about so I thought about walking over. After I laid down the law and told myself "NO!",  it wasn't even an issue.

I have already seen a couple of HUGE positives from us eating at home...

Before when we were dining out regularly, I had horrible stomach problems. Every time I ate, I threw up and was miserable - whether I ate at home or dining out. Those problems are no longer existent. It is amazing!

AND

I have lost  8 pounds in three weeks! Woot!!

Now I just need to be more diligent about cutting out soda and other sweets from our eating at home challenge. But if you ask me, I think we're doing pretty good! :)

Blessings to you on your journey!

Apples on sale "From The State Up North"

This past weekend as I walked through the grocery, I saw that apples were on sale for $.69/ pound. What an exciting and awesome deal to stumble across. As I gathered them up, my mind wondered back to my applesauce recipe. 


My family eats A LOT of applesauce. I make applesauce bread, pancakes and many other recipes with applesauce. It is also a much desired snack.


Today for Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday, I thought I would share my applesauce process with you. It's easy and everyone has the supplies on hand!

Remove stems, leaves and clean apples thoroughly. Core and slice. (You can peel them if you'd like. I have a Kitchen Aide mixer attachment that separates the apples from the skin after they are cooked. Sometimes, I also leave the skin on and use a potato masher. I then pull the skins out of applesauce. I, personally, feel like there are a lot of nutrients in the skin and I should keep them intact as long as possible. I might be right. I might be wrong but it makes me feel better! :) ) Put apples in pans and cover with water. Add 2 tablespoon lemon juice to keep the apples from turning brown.

On medium- high heat, slowly bring the apples to a boil. Boil for 25 minutes at a steady but not rolling boil. Cook apples until soft and apples are starting to fall off of skin. The next step is all up your personal preference. It really depends on my mood and what the kids have been eating. When the apples are of ample tenderness, assess the water level. Sometimes my kids like more fluid-y applesauce and sometimes that like chunky and think. If you like fluid-y, drain apples until water is just under the top layer of apples and mash using potatoes masher. If you like thicker applesauce, drain water to about two inches of liquid in pot and mash with potato masher. 

Spoon applesauce into clean and sanitized jars which have been expected for chips and nicks. Take a butter knife and press along side of jar to release air bubbles, wipe rim of jar mouth and wipe seal. Place on top and tighten ring around jar and seal.

After you put the applesauce in the jars, remove air bubbles, wipe jar rims, and put on lids and rings, the applesauce needs sealed. Some people freeze their applesauce. I choose to pressure "can" it. I don't really have a lot of freezer space so whatever I preserve through "canning" really helps.

Put the jars in a large stock pot or canning pot (needs a lid), cover with water (water needs to be one inch above jars) and bring water slowly to a rapid boil. 

When a rapid boil is reached, allow the boil continue for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, turn off heat and leave to sit. When the jars are cool (Mine sit overnight) remove rings and make sure lids sealed. Applesauce is good, if sealed properly, for three years.

So if you see apples on sale in your area, grab a few and head home to make applesauce. It isn't hard and it has a great, fresh taste! Also remember this recipe next fall as apple orchards are coming alive!

An apple a day keeps the dentist away. So go and find some good apples!

Menu Plan #3 - Jan. 16 - 22

We are now headed into the third week of our challenge. We are going strong. So exciting and we're already seeing the positive affects it's having already. Thanks so much for following along and holding us accountable. It is MUCH appreciated! 


Monday - 1/16/12
ground beef tacos, homemade re-fried beans, homemade Spanish rice, salad

Tuesday - 1/17/12
slow cooker chicken and dumplings, green beans

Wednesday - 1/18/12
re-runs

Thursday - 1/19/12
shredded barbecue beef, potato skins, peas

Friday - 1/20/12
pizza, fruit/veggie tray

Saturday - 1/21/12
chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, homemade white gravy, green beans

Sunday - 1/22/12
potato soup, deli meat sandwiches

Happy Menu-Planning Monday! :)

Menu Plan #2 - Jan. 9 - 15

 

We have yet another busy week this week. I cannot wait to get back to normal. It feels like it's never going to get back. Do you yearn for routine? Sometimes I feel so silly that I need anything just so... What is that called again....? Hmmm... OCD - maybe? ;) 

With all the continued craziness-  and oh did I mention the flu was visiting my children this morning? - I will only be promising my family dinner. Poor souls... 

Monday  - 1/9/12

egg burrito casserole

Tuesday - 1/10/12

easy chicken enchiladas with homemade refried beans

Wednesday - 1/11/12

re-run buffet

Thursday - 1/12/12

broccoli cheddar soup and ham sandwiches

Friday - 1/13/12

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Saturday - 1/14/11

pulled pork sandwiches, scalloped potatoes, steamed broccoli

Sunday - 1/15/11

meatballs, slow cooker macaroni and cheese, green beans

Did you menu plan at all last week? At least a couple of meals? You should try it and while you're at it, head over to the Organized Junkie for ideas! :)

Happy Menu-Planning!

Drop Biscuits

(Yes. We over slept! :) )

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 shortening (I used lard)

Directions:

• Mix ingredients. Batter will be lumpy.
• Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes.
• Makes 10-12 biscuits.

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Breakdown of Weight Watchers Points:

• Flour - 18
• Baking Powder - 0
• Salt - 0
• Milk - 4
• Lard - 12

*Recipe yields 10 biscuits making each biscuit (without condiments) 3 points.*
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The Finished Product: 

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How It Rated:

Prep Time: 5

This recipe was really quick and easy. Great for a quick breakfast on a rushed morning!

Cooking: 4

I don't know if it's the type of cookie sheet I used or the lard or neither but the bottoms were burnt. The cup had a really good crunchy softness.

Overall Ease: 5

Cost: 5

We were rushed and trying to get breakfast on the table quickly. I looked up this recipe and had all the ingredients. They are cheap ingredients and generally on hand! 

Kid's verdict:  5

Adult's verdict: 4
See below.

Overall Rating:  4
This was a really great biscuit if you're in a hurry. It really didn't take anymore time than getting in the refridgerater and pulling out ready made biscuits. However, if you have the time and energy, I'd go with a different recipe. These would be great under sausage gravy but they didn't have a lot of flavor.

(Rating system is based on the number 1 - 5. One being the worst and five being the best.)

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*This recipe was made from the Dining On A Dime Cookbook.*

Happy Tasting!

 

Linked to:
Tasty Tuesdays
Tempy My Tummy Tuesdays

Look What You Find!

 Photo Credit

Look what you find when you clean out the freezer!!

Without a doubt, my husband probably gets the most annoyed when I exclaim, "We don't have any meat!". He knows there is meat in the deep freeze and I know it. It's just such a hard job to go through it. I always just say, "Run out and make a quick list for me!". That never works, just too much stuff!

Today I went through the dreaded deep freeze after going on and on about how we didn't have very much meat in it.

Um here's my inventory:

• 1 lb. packages of ground sausage - 4
• sausage patties - 1
• 2 pack of smoked sausage - 1
• sweet Italian sausage - 1
• 1 lb. packages of ground turkey - 4
• 1 lb. packages of ground venison - 5
• rib steaks - 3
• 1 lb. packages of ground chuck - 7
• 1 c. bags of cooked and shredded chicken - 2
• 5 lb. family packages of drumsticks - 2
• 1 lb. packages of boneless/skinless chix breasts - 4
• haddock - 1
• beef round steak - 2
• 2 lb. packages of halved chicken breast - 2
• beef hot dogs - 5
• 2 lb. package pork chops - 1
• beef chuck roast - 1

I'm thinking there was just a tad bit more in there than I had originally thought!

Has it been a long time since you have done a thorough clean out/go through of your freezer or deep freeze?

We always like to go through this time of year and eat up everything in our freezer and pantry. That way by the time the harvest of lettuce comes and all the way through tomato season, we can feast on fresh vegetables and fill up our freed up freezer.

I think a great challenge for February would be an eat from the freezer/pantry challenge! Use up those meats and veggies before they go bad! :)

Happy Findings in the Freezer!

Days of the Week

Photo Credit

I'm one of those silly people who always has to make a game out of things to succeed. 

Therefore, I will probably have a sticker chart to make it through this 365 366 ( Leap Year!!) challenge!

Another idea I had was to assign a "category" for each day of the week. Maybe that will keep me on track but still allow me to change it up a bit. 

Here are some ideas I had...

Mondays - Mexican Mondays! - any Mexican or Spanish dishes

Tuesdays - Try it! Tuesdays - try a new dish or recipe

Wednesdays - We gotta eat it again Wednesdays! - reruns/ left-over buffet

Thursdays - Tried and True Thursdays! - a day that I can fall to pretty much anything... recipes I have already tried to hamburger helper - whatever what the day brings! :)

Fridays - Fun Food Fridays! - pizza, popcorn, veggie/fruit trays and Wipe Out viewing! :)

Saturdays - Slow and Steady Saturdays! - recipes that take a little more time to make

Sundays - Soup, Salad and Sandwich Sundays! Sundays are pretty laid back around here. I will be embracing soups that simmer or slow cook and don't take much work - many will be able to be made ahead of time! :)

How about you? Do you have a routine of menu planing which works for you and your family?

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Ingredients for Cookies:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla; mix until smooth.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt in separate bowl. Add to butter mixture; mix well. Divide dough into three balls. Wrap and cool in refrigerator for four hours.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out shapes.
• Bake cookies. Cool and garnish with lemon drizzle.

Lemon Drizzle:

Combine-

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

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Weight Watcher Points Breakdown:

• Butter - 16 points
• Sugar - 15 points
• Eggs - 4 points
• Sweetened milk - 22 points
• Lemon juice - 0
• Vanilla - 0
• Flour- 45
• Baking Powder - 0
• Salt - 0
• Drizzle - 0

*Recipes makes 7 - 8 dozen making each cookie approximately 1 point each. *

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Healthier Version:

Let's face it. There isn't really anyway to make a cookie or sugary treat "healthy". Everyone knows that too much sugar is bad for you. However, I do have some suggestions for making it more "safe". I tend to think whole/ real foods and fats along with organics are better for you. Sometimes time and money make it hard but I think given the option, you should use whole/real foods and fats and organic products as much as possible. With that being said, here is how I would change the recipe to make it more healthy in those ways.

1 cup of raw cultured butter (homemade from cream would be best)

1 cup sucanate, raw honey or raw maple syrup

2 large free range eggs

1 can organic sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup lemon juice squeezed from unsprayed organic lemon

2 teaspoons homemade vanilla (click here for recipe)

5 cups unbleached flour

4 teaspoons of aluminum free baking powder

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 1/2 cup of sucanate powdered (by blender or food processor) in place of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons filtered water

1 table spoon fresh squeezed lemon juice from organic unsprayed lemon

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The Finished Product:

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How It Rated:

Prep Time: Preparing the cookies was really easy. However, I really don't like having to cool the cookies and get out of my "groove" for a few hours. I give this category a 3.

Cooking: 4

Overall Ease: 3

Cost: This was a pretty cost effective Holiday cookie to make. There were a lot of ingredients but found on sale or with coupons, they are fairly cheap. This recipe would be even cheaper if some of the ingredients were homemade. I rate this a 4 for cost effectiveness. I took off 1 point for all the ingredients that are needed to be purchased.

Kid's verdict:  5
LOVED THEM!

Adult's verdict: 5
LOVED THEM! I really don't like putting cookies in the 'fridge and I always roll out the cookies wrong. It's just plain frustrating to me. HOWEVER, the taste of the cookies totally rid all of my negatives!

Overall Rating:  4
If there wasn't the number of steps and time to make, this would have been a 5 +!

(Rating system is based on the number 1 - 5. One being the worst and five being the best.)

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* This was a recipe found on the Eagle Brand website.*

Happy Cookie Tasting! 

Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

I love me some pumpkin! The way to Jodi's heart is to give her something pumpkin flavored - creamer, cookies, cake, bread, pie ... I'm not picky! :) When I had a friend say she made these cookies, I jumped on the chance to try them! Here is how it went:

Ingredients for Cookies:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter; softened
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease cookie sheets.
• Combine all ingredients in order.
• Drop onto cookie sheets.
• Bake 15-18 minutes.
• Drizzle glaze.

Glaze: 

Combine- 

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

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Weight Watchers Point Breakdown:

1. Flour - 15 
2. Baking soda - 0
3. Baking powder - 0
4. Cinnamon - 0
5. Nutmeg - 0
6. Salt - 0
7. Sugar - 22
8. Butter - 24
9. Pumpkin - 1
10. Egg - 2
11. Vanilla - 0

*Recipe makes 3 dozen making each cookie 2 points per cookie.*

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Healthier Version:

Let's face it. There isn't really anyway to make a cookie or sugary treat "healthy". Everyone knows that too much sugar is bad for you. However, I do have some suggestions for making it more "safe". I tend to think whole/ real foods and fats along with organics are better for you. Sometimes time and money make it hard but I think given the option, you should use whole/real foods and fats and organic products as much as possible. 

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The Verdict: 
Run! Run to the store and get the ingredients!

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How It Rated:

Prep Time: FIVE

This would be such an easy cookie to throw together in a pinch! 

Cooking: FOUR 

It might just be me but I had a hard time telling if they were done or not. 

Overall Ease: FIVE

Cost: FOUR

This was a pretty cost effective Holiday cookie to make. There were a lot of ingredients but found on sale or with coupons, they are fairly cheap. This recipe would be even cheaper if some of the ingredients were homemade. I rated this a 4 for cost effectiveness. I took off 1 point for all the ingredients that are needed to be purchased.

Kid's verdict: FIVE

My pickiest eater even loved them! :)

Adult's verdict: FIVE
The taste of pumpkin and spice was subtle. Not over-powering we loved them!
(Rating system is based on the number 1 - 5. One being the worst and five being the best.)

Overall Rating: FIVE

Awesome recipe and cookie! I would totally make these on a daily weekly basis if they weren't so crazy fattening! :)

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* This was a recipe found on www.verybestbaking.com.*

Happy Cookie Tasting! 

Just For Fun

I am obsessed love jars.

I'll never get enough of them.

I put EVERY thing in them - left overs, preserved foods, food staples. If you can think of it, I probably use jars for it. I love making those mix gifts in them and giving them to people. One could never have too many jars!

Here is a post on my old blog. You can totally see my fascination with jars!

http://oneblessedmamaofboys.blogspot.com/2009/09/for-love-of-jarsfrugal-decorating.html