Swiffer "broom"

So I bought one of those swiffer "brooms" years ago and thought I was SO cool! It was going to be so convenient. I bought all the hype. It did not work like it does in the commercials. We have BIG dirt here that does not stick to the "3D disposable cloth." I stick with an "old school" broom and an industrial sized dust pan. But I still have it and I have a box of the cloths. It's biggest purpose has been to trip me when it falls over and I walk through the dark laundry room.

But today I found a use for my Swiffer broom. In my living room I have a dark brown wall. It looks like chocolate. We also use wood heat in the winter. We just finished laying a ceramic hearth for our wood stove and cleaning the chimney. We've also got the woodstove burning. Plus I hate to dust. All of these things do not make for a pretty wall. So I took that broom and swiffered the wall. It worked like a dream! I didn't even need a chair and at 5 feet tall I ALWAYS need a chair. So the swiffer broom has redeemed itself and I may have walls that are not covered in dust and cobwebs since it was so easy. I even did "extra" walls since it made the brown one look so nice. And I didn't break a sweat or sneeze once.

Yeah for me. I feel accomplished. I have clean walls. Make sure if you come over you take a look at them...but only in the next week or so...after that they will probably start getting dirty again. :)

Now, maybe I am on a roll and I should keep going...clean the ceiling fans and vacuum. Or maybe I should pace myself....

Meals for Week of Nov 28- Dec4

So I am a little late this week. I am feeling a little blah and just not into doing much...but it must be done and knowing what we will be eating this week will make things easier. So I did it.

Sunday- pizza (at the kids request)
Monday- egg casserole (to use some of the BAD batch of rolls I made for T-giving)
Tuesday- chili & corn chowder (along with potluck items that friends are bringing over)
Wednesday - homemade tuna helper
Thursday- finger foods
Friday- salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, green beans
Saturday- Olive garden while Christmas shopping.

That is on the menu for this week. Have a good one!

Ham n Beans

So I posted on Facebook today that it was the perfect night for Ham n Beans (which is what I made for supper if you read the weekly meal plans, you knew that already). Apparently, people have an emotional connection to ham n beans. I can post any number of cute or funny statuses and get no response...but a post about Ham n beans wakes people up and makes them pay attention. Within a few hours people were coming out of the woodwork sharing their love of ham n beans and how they make it or asking for recipes. Ok, so coming out of the woodwork sounds like there were hundreds when, in truth, there were 12 comments in an hour and several of them were me answering people...but still, apparently ham n beans is one of those mid-western comfort foods that evokes memories in people.

Unfortunately, my children do not have memories for the ham n beans to evoke. In my household, I got one "YUCK," one "I'll eat ONE bean and ONE piece of ham" and one clean bowl. The two adults at the table ate with gusto of both the ham n beans and the cornbread. Seriously, where is the children's sense of nostalgia?...wait, they aren't quite old enough I guess.

As per the suggestion of one of my facebook friends, we even had honey (her family uses syrup) to soak into the cornbread. YUM!

These are my ham n beans and corn bread.

Here is my ham n beans "recipe."

Soak over night in water about 1 lb of great northern beans that have been sorted through. I use about 6 cups of water.
In the morning drain the water from the beans and dump them in the crock pot. Chop up some ham and stir it in. (I don't really know how much I used but maybe about a lb or so). Cover with a couple inches of water. And throw in about a half stick of butter. Turn on the crockpot and let it do it's thing all day.

That's it. Simple, easy, and without flair or food snobbery. Nothing weird or obscure. No flashy presentation...just mid-western comfort food at it's best....or worst, I suppose (I did just have to unbutton my jeans from overeating the beans) .

Off to do the dishes...and put on sweatpants.

Week of Meals for Nov 22-26

What a weird week we have this week with Thanksgiving. Family is visiting and I, honestly, am not sure what "the plan" is for the week.

So, this meal plan is going to be seriously lacking, in both meals and plans.

Tonight we are eating ham n beans. (I know this because it is already in the crock pot)
Thursday we are overeating turkey, mashed potatoes, noodles, stuffing, corn, rolls, etc etc etc etc.

Other than that I really have no idea what the week holds. It is going to be a shoot from the hip kinda week and although I really prefer knowing what is coming...flexibility is an important part of life so I am going to embrace it.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving...enjoy the time with family and friends and remember all the things we have to be thankful for.

Baked Oatmeal

This is one of our favorite breakfasts and we have it often. It is easy and quick.

Preheat oven to 350

1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar (white or brown)- I use brown NOT packed
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 cups oats (quick or rolled) I use rolled
2 cups milk

Mix together oil and sugar, add eggs. Then stir in baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add oats and stir to coat. Add milk and stir.

Pour into greased 8X8 and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Make 9 servings.

Nutritional Info: (per serving): Calories: 313 Fat: 16 g Total Carbs: 59 g Fiber 5.7 g Sugars 24 g Protein 6.5 g

Meals this week!

Well, our cabinets are FULL after grocery shopping this week so the possibilities are "endless." But Shane is preaching at a revival so we have to do quick meals. So this is what I've got.

• Sunday- last night we had chicken thighs with brown rice and broccoli.
• Monday- scrambled eggs and toast. MY eggs will be over easy. :)
• Tuesday- spaghetti
• Wednesday- eating at a friends house. :)
• Thursday- tuna burgers, chips & veggies n dip
• Friday- Homeschool Group's thanksgiving dinner. It is gonna be a party!! :)

For breakfast this week we are having:

• cereal (the boys asked nicely to pick out a cereal at the grocery store so I let them-they will eat it all today)
• baked oatmeal
• toast and yogurt
• bagels (I feel like making some bagels so we'll get them for breakfast-YUM)
• oatmeal

Do you know what your family is eating this week?

Monthly Meal Plan: Nov 15 -Dec 15

I plan my menu each month on a calendar printed specifically for this purpose. It is a plain, no frills, big blocked calendar. I like this one from www.donnayoung.org. I print out the month and then put any "special events" (like Thanksgiving, birthday parties, or a revival) that I know are coming up in the month. It may mean I need fewer meals, or food to take to a potluck, or more quick meals so we can get where we need to go. Then I start planning. I have a list of the meals that my family likes to eat. I will share it in another post. I just started putting them in. So here is what we are eating this month. We have a quick meal each Wednesday night (so we can get to Awana and church) and we have "Souper Sundays" all winter. (Yes, I name our meals...I am just that dorky.)

Oh and because of the need for FLEXIBILITY- DO THIS IS PENCIL!!!!

So here is my meal list for this month.

Minestrone
Breakfast for Dinner (either eggs, pancakes, or french toast)
spaghetti
tuna burgers
taco bar
pizza
ham n beans
Roast n potatoes
shepherd's pie
"fruity supper" (AKA Noah's meal) cheese, crackers, fresh fruit & veggies, chips, etc)
corn dogs
corn chowder with Homemade bread bowls
Cornish pasties
pizza
chicken
chili
chicken pot pie
breakfast for dinner
tunas casserole
meatloaf
pasta fagioli
shepherd's pie
BBQ
Fiesta Rice n Beans

So that is what we are eating for suppers this month. There will be changes, substitutions, omissions, and additions (Flexibility-remember). This is especially true during the Holidays. I HAVE to finish my grocery list today as I start my shopping tomorrow. :)

Lunches are simple and I don't plan for them monthly...I do those on a week to week basis on the big dry erase board in my kitchen. I'll share that someday too! :)

Monday Night Supper!!

Well, one of the biggest things for making a meal plan work in this house is...FLEXIBILITY!!! So, although tonight I was planning on making spaghetti, I scrapped that idea. Spaghetti will work well when we have some friends over tomorrow night. So tonight I dug through my cabinets and have created "Fiesta Rice and Beans" I am sure no one will eat it but, man, does it smell good.

I am not good at recipes...as in I don't follow them and I measure nothing for the most part. So I am putting approximate measurements to share the recipe. The only measurement that is kinda important is that of your rice and liquid. I used brown rice so the ratio is 1 part rice to 2 parts liquid. Beyond that you can make this as mild or as spicy as you'd like.

Here ya go:

Fiesta Rice n Beans

1 large onion, diced
1 T olive oil
1 cup rice, not instant
2 cups chicken stock (or veg stock if you don't eat meat)
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 or 1 1/2 cups salsa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups or 1 can corn

Heat olive oil in a large skillet (with tight fitting lid). Saute onion in oil until soft. Add rice and red pepper flakes and brown for about 2 minutes. Add other spices. Pour in broth and cover with lid. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes (or however long the package says to get your rice cooked). 15 minutes before rice should be done, pour in salsa. stir and cover again. About 5 minutes before it is all done, add corn and beans. Simmer till rice is soft and everything is heated through.

Serve and eat hot. It would probably be good with cheddar cheese sprinkled on top or some sour cream. We have neither of these right now. :)

I also prefer to add salt at the table. The canned beans add some salt and if you use canned corn it does as well. Since I do not like to add much to my food but my husband salts everything...I just let him do it on his own plate.

Here is the finished product on my plate. It was good. The kids wanted some cheese. They ate it ok. I will make it again.

PS- For mine tonight I had to add a little liquid at the end to get my rice at a nice soft, chewy spot. I just dumped in a little water. :)

Weekly Menu starting Nov 7

So I go grocery shopping on the 15th (or around it) each month. Last month I apparently decided everyone in this house needed to be on a diet...and we are running low. So I am going to have to be creative for meals this week. Actually, supper won't be too bad. But I am scraping the bottom of the barrel for lunches and breakfast...literally - there will be repeats! Oh the shame!

So for breakfast this week we will be having,
oatmeal
Grandma Cessna's oatmeal (oatmeal and grape nuts mixed and cooked with a little brown sugar)
Flyin' eggs (poached or microwaved eggs served on a toasted rice cake)
more oatmeal
And muffins

Lunches will be:
leftovers
sausage, cheese, and crackers with fruit
Quesadillas (can ANYONE tell me how to spell that?) with Texas caviar
tuna burgers
(on Thursday they will be eating at a friends house)
more leftovers.

For Supper we will not do so badly-
Sunday - small group Bible study with snacks - SCORE!
Monday- Spaghetti
Tuesday - we get together with friends and haven't planned anything yet.
Wednesday - leftover veg, beef soup that is in the freezer
Thursday - crock pot BBQ with baked beans
Friday- going grocery shopping and will eat out - boys will eat with my parents
Saturday- roasted turkey, potatoes (we are having our first round of Thanksgiving dinner just for fun!)

In the next week, I will be laying out my menu for Nov 15- Dec 15.

Starting a the beginning...

Disclaimer: (I am only going to disclaim once) : If you are a totinos and banquet kinda family then that is fine with me. We are not. I do not buy it and we do not eat it (Banquet never, totinos very very very rarely). If this offends you, stop reading this blog. If the fact that I bake and cook a meal nearly every night makes you feel guilty or something, then stop reading this blog. I am not judging what you do in your house...I am only sharing what I do in mine. I am writing this blog to share what *I* do for my family's meals. No matter what you eat the menu planning ideas could help you...but if the rest gets on your nerves then stop reading this blog. Ok...now that I've got that out of the way....let's get to it.

Well, I think my mom would agree that I've never been much picky about food. I'm sure as a kid I went through "picky phases" but I dont' really remember those times. I will try anything once and will eat most anything that is served. The one exception to that rule is duck...I am just not a fan. I have tried it cooked several ways and I just don't like it. Yet, if it were my only choice I would pick at it and be ok.

I like to cook. I like to bake. And since I've been a stay at home mom, I have only gotten more obsessive about food and cooking and baking and menu planning and all that falls in the "food" category. We have always been a "family dinner" kinda household. And since the kids are still young that isn't so hard. There isn't 100 different activities pulling us in 100 different directions. Planning meals that everyone likes without eating the same 5 things every week is much more difficult. That is what started my menu planning obsession. Also, I learned from my mom when I was a kid to grocery shop once a month. It doesn't work for everyone but it works very well for us. Especially when it is combined with a menu and some flexibility.

So I was already cooking and baking most of our meals and we hit a little wall. We had behavior issues with our middle boy. We started trying to find a way to help him before going to a specialist, and discovered Feingold through an online homeschooling friend. Feingold totally changed our lives. We stopped eating fake food. No artificial dyes or flavors, no preservatives, no words on labels that we can't pronounce. At first it was a really really hard change. We followed the diet strictly and behaviors improved. Not just bad behavior being more manageable, but he stopped chewing on his clothes and freaking out about other little things. It was amazing and the diet "restrictions" weren't so hard. We were still eating normal food. Now we've lost friends because of this and I know my family thought we were a bunch of fruitcakes. But they are now believers. We are not as strict on our Feingold diet as we used to be. We have discovered that the boys are most sensitive to artificial colors, those with a number following like red 40, and we avoid those like the plague. At home we are still as natural as we can be. And we like it that way.

So if you are willing I would love for you to join us as we continue on our adventure. I plan to share my menus and how I plan them, both the monthly and then my weekly menu. I will share my grocery list, which is LONG. I will share how I shop and store food in bulk because, if it doesn't go bad, it can save a fortune. And I will share recipes that we use.

Let's eat!!!

Here we GO!

I've been thinking about starting a food blog for a little while. Then I looked at my facebook notes and all but a couple are recipes or otherwise food related...so I decided to take the plunge. Here is the start of my documentation of my obsession with food. I love it...to eat it, to cook it, to bake it, to share it with friends.

welcome to the ride! Hope you pick up something useful along the way.