Carcass Soup!

Disclaimer: no carcasses are used in the making of this soup!

I save all my little bits of leftover veggies that aren't enough to eat as leftovers or for dh to pack in his lunch. I put them in a quart yogurt container in the fridge. When it is full, it is time for carcass soup. I usually go ahead and start with some onion, garlic and maybe carrots and saute them in some olive oil or butter. Then I dump in the frozen veggies, and some chicken stock (which I guess I do technically make with a carcass). Maybe a can of tomatoes and some beans go in. Or lentils or barley or both. Maybe a few noodles at the very end or that fresh spinach that just isn't quite fresh enough for salad anymore. If we have some leftover chicken or turkey, or ground meat (without a BUNCH of seasoning-like no taco meat). And then I just let it simmer. All the flavors blend together and come out great usually. Sometimes it needs salt or another seasoning but you just gotta taste and see. It is a GREAT way to use up leftovers!

My House Menu!

So I said I was going to change up how I plan my monthly menu so I don't have to do it every month...that just seemed silly since we eat the same things over and over again. So I divided them into the categories and print it out and slid it in a page protector so I can check things off during them month with a dry erase marker. Now I can work from the same list each month. This is what is on my list.

CASSEROLES
tuna casserole
chicken n biscuits
shepherds pie
little lasagnas

DEER/BEEF
meatloaf
tenderloin
roast

BREAKFAST FOR SUPPER
french toast
pancakes
eggs your way
Biscuits n gravy

CHICKEN & FISH
Chicken n noodles
fried fish
tuna burgers
baked fish

FAST & FINGER FOODS
corn dogs
noah's ark meal (cheese, crackers, fresh fruit, veggies_
Sausage Supper -Noah's Ark meal + summer sausage
Movie Night/Toothpick meal (popcorn, cheese cubes, grapes, -anything that can be eaten with a toothpick)

IN THE CROCKPOT
Chicken Lickin
Beef Stew

ON THE GRILL
hot dogs
black bean burgers
burgers (pork or deer)
Rotisserie Chicken
Grilled pizza
Pork chops

ETHNIC MEALS
tacos
Swedish Meatballs
Cornish Pasties
Pizza
Egg rolls

SOUPS
carcass soup (explanation later)
chili
ham n beans
salsa black bean soup
potato soup
corn chowder
minestrone
Pasta e fagioli
Lentil soup

That is my standard for a months worth of meals...of course, right now I have a turkey in the freezer so I'll be cooking that up soon. And my weekly meals don't have to be limited to this but I have a jumping off point. :) And I won't have to create that jumping off point over and over and over and over and over again.

Working the monthly menu!

So I've been working on making this less work in coming months. I'm hoping I've devised a good plan. I put all of our favorite meals (and some not so favorites but that are good for us anyway) on a menu...think like at a restaurant. They are divided into categories so when I sit down to plan a weekly meal, I can choose from different categories and have a variety. Also, I can choose from the crock pot section when I know that I will be gone all day but need a meal ready for the evening, etc.

These are my categories: Casseroles/one dish meals, Deer/Beef, Breakfast for Supper, Chicken & Fish, Fast & Finger Foods, In the Crockpot, Ethnic Meals, Soups. I also have a category for Sides, Breakfast, and Lunch. Of course, there are meals that "cross over" from one category to another. I list them in the category that I associate them with in my mind. For example, although beef stew is made with deer (at my house), I always make it in the crock pot and it is one of those meals I like to use when I am too busy to cook in the evening...therefore, it goes in the crockpot category. The only things I doubled up and listed in more than one category is the "supper" meals I also make for breakfast or lunch...

Gonna make my grocery list now.

I will list my meals by category tomorrow. Still working on filling it out.

Monthly menu

I am tired of making a monthly menu each month. I spend a lot of time putting it all on a calendar and getting it all figured out...then I don't stick to it and instead just pull meals from the calendar "willy nilly" and make usable weekly calendars. This is stupid and a waste of time. So I am trying a new method. Last week I made a cute and usable weekly meal plan. My kitchen is decorated as a diner so I made a "Daily Specials" menu page and put breakfast lunch and dinner on it. It hangs on my fridge and is cute and I'm using it. Breakfast has been the hardest to stick to what is on the daily special...but beyond that it is working quite well.

So I ask myself WHY do I need to put a monthly menu on a calendar? What purpose does it serve? At this point my answer is none. So I am doing it differently...I am making a list of the meals we eat each month. Then I will pull from that list and put them in my weekly plans. I am going to "laminate" the list in some way so I can check the meals off with a dry erase so that I know what I've made each month and can try to keep some variety in our family meals. Now since my kitchen is a diner and I like things to be cute, I think I am going to make it like a restaurant menu...then I can stick it up in my kitchen where it is easily in sight so I will USE it! Of course, that is simply because I like to do things that way. It would be easier and faster to use a pencil and paper and make a list of things we all like to eat...but why do it that way? HA!

We'll see how this works.

LIttle Lasagnas

I made this recipe yesterday for lunch out of my own little head. It isn't very creative but it was good and the kids liked it so I thought I would share....

1/2 packed egg roll wrappers
1 jar pizza sauce
1 lb ground beef
onion and garlic powder
mozzarella cheese


Heat oven to 350. Brown ground beef in skillet. Add about 1/2-1 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder to almost done meat (I just dumped some in). Pour pizza sauce over meat and stir and heat through.

Grease a muffin tin and cut egg roll wrappers into quarters. Layer wrapper, scoop of meat mixture, and some cheese, repeating 3 times and ending with cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until heat through and cheese is melted.

It was a hit at our house!

Apple Pancake

I got this recipe from www.homeschoolshare.com in their "maple syrup" lapbook. We are doing the lapbook this week and I thought I would go ahead and try the recipe. It is a keeper!

2 large cooking apples, sliced as for pie (I used 3)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup sugar
pancake batter

Heat oven to 450 degrees, In a 9-10 inch skillet, saute apples in butter over medium heat until tender. Remove skillet from hear and sprinkle with nuts. Pour pancake batter over apples and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake 15 minutes or until pancake is puffed and sugar is melted. If oven proof skillet is not available, bake in a 9-10 inch pie plate.

** I left out the pecans because we didn't have any. I used Jiffy baking mix and made 1 batch of pancakes-next time I will use my own homemade pancakes because they are so much better. I also used my square 9 inch baking pan and it worked just great! Yummy!

CLEAN COFFEE MAKER!

My coffee maker has been running slow and the little valve that lets you pour a cup before it is done running is not working properly either (as in it runs coffee everywhere when you take the carafe out). So I decided it was time for a cleaning...this is how I do that.

I pour a pot of half vinegar/half water into the maker and run it through twice. Now I am running a half pot of straight vinegar through twice. Then I will run straight water through twice (so tomorrow's coffee doesn't taste like vinegar). I will, of course, wipe it all down and make it not dusty too.

Viola! Clean, and hopefully working better, coffee maker.

MIA!

I've been MIA and I know it...but all for a good reason. Well, I think it is anyway. My dear hubby took me to STL for Valentine's Day. But wait, although he deserves some credit, he ALSO had to speak at a meeting Monday night so I just got to tag along...but we stayed overnight and then I got to go to Whole Foods! And that is what I am going to blog about today...my love for Whole Foods! I think that is appropriate for the week of Valentine's Day! I will also include my love of Beachy's Grocery where I got to go on Saturday with my mom...it has been a great grocery week!!!

I'll go chronologically...cause that is just how I roll! :)

As many of you likely may not know Beachy's Bulk Foods is an Amish grocery store outside of Arthur. It is "off the beaten path" so if you are going to try to go there get directions, or better yet invite me and I won't miss the turn more than once. There I buy flours, oats, and all my spices. This time I also found dye free pudding mix (WOOHOO!!). So I was able to stock up on all my basics there. There is also a really nice buffet in town that is simply THE best place to eat lunch...I mean if you are up there anyway. :)

I also got to go to Whole Foods. The closest Whole Foods is 2 1/2 hours away so this doesn't happen often. I love Whole Foods but I am probably one of the few who goes there for JUNK FOOD! Since we avoid dye, we can't get candies, or cereal or, well, a lot of things. But at Whole Foods they have good alternatives (albeit pricey). So I got sundrops (all natural M&M's- and SO much tastier), oreos, gummy stars (this was a new find!). We also got some other bulk things quinoa, cous cous, dried cranberries, etc.

Now I feel great cause my cupboards are full! And my belly is empty so it is off to make breakfast for me. I will post about my planned menu and the changes I've made tomorrow.

Breakfast Ideas!

Since this week started with a breakfast challenge, I am focused on finding ways to have good breakfasts without whacking out the entire day. I, of course, should be used to doing this. But every now and again, I need to refresh and reload. Today is a good day for that.

Some of our breakfast ideas:

• muffins - fruit, cinnamon, etc
• coffee cake
• baked oatmeal -with many variations
• toast and yogurt
• breakfast banana splits - a banana that is split and smeared with peanut butter, then vanilla yogurt and some grapenuts for crunchies
• oatmeal
  
• Grandma Cessna's Oatmeal - quick oats and grapenuts cooked in milk in the micro
• over night cinnamon rolls
• cereal - very occasional treat
  
• eggs
• frozen pancakes (leftover and frozen from pancakes made for supper)
• "Fruit n cream" oatmeal - I make either quick or rolled oats and stir in a spoonful/bowl of one of my homemade jams...Viola! fruity oatmeal without the dye. :)
  

Clean Fridge!

Last week I took advantage of no power. Since we were told we would be out for 3-4 days, we had to empty the refrigerator. We put all of the fridge stuff into a cooler and stuck it on the back deck. All the freezer items we put in a rubbermaid on the back deck. We lost no food. When the power came back on, I took the time to clean out the fridge. I took out all the shelves and washed them and washed the walls of the fridge. And then when I put things back, if it hadn't been used in a while it didn't make the cut. Or if there was barely enough to be usable...it didn't go back.

It is so much easier to cook and work in the kitchen when the fridge isn't a disaster area. It took about a half hour (maybe a little longer) and the results were well worth it.

Simplify the fridge!

Bagel Recipe

In honor of the Great Bagel Fiasco yesterday I am posting the recipe link I use for bagels that don't make us go crazy! You can find the recipe with photos here. I love the Happy Housewife! Of course, I don't do it exactly as she does. I would post the recipe but her photos make it so much easier to see what it should look like...so head over there...plus she rocks and has all kinds of good stuff!

The last time I made the bagels these are the things I did differently. I left out the gluten. I couldn't find mine. Since then I have cleaned out my freezer and found it...I will use it next time. I do not put the hole in the bagels. This is for two reasons...when I put a hole in them they are as ugly as all get out. And two, we like to have bagel sandwiches and the hole makes them "leaky." And after forming the bagels, and while leaving them to rest for the 20 minutes...I rest them on waxed paper that has been greased and floured...it helps me pick them up to boil them without them getting SO out of shape. Other than that I do just what she says. I love her photos. They really help make it clear. My bagels are much much uglier than hers but they taste yummy! And they don't make us crazy!!!!

Enjoy! This morning we are having strawberry muffins from scratch! It is gonna be a good day!

Back on Track!

I realized I have disappeared from my little space here on the internet...my goals have also gotten pushed around. It has been a rough January. I am not much a fan of winter really (although I say I like it in the summer). I get bogged down and sedentary and blah! So I was already tired of dealing with the cold and the winter storm hit. We were housebound for several days as our roads were easily compared to a speed skating track....cabin fever hits quick. Although, we only lost power for 25 hours, it still set me back further in my big plans. Plans to simplify, to enjoy each day for what it is, and all that. My house is a pit now which is discouraging. So that is my story and I'm sticking to it. And now back to blogging about something important. I'm just going to start with today.

As it says in the title of this blog, we try to eat no fake food. I am not perfect in this and today I had a miserable failure. Miserable because I think that is pretty much how we all feel and failure because well, I missed it. This weekend we had friends over and since they were getting ready to leave on a cruise (oh the jealousy) they left some things that would go bad in their kitchen before they got back. So this morning I let my boys have a treat...Sarah Lee Blueberry bagels with cream cheese. Everything went downhill from there....and it took till 4 pm (9 hours later) to figure out what happened. Sarah Lee Blueberry bagels have red 40, blue 2, green 3, and blue 1 in them. This has led to yelling, screaming, defiance, and now running in circles...literally. Although days like today are hard on our household, my voice, I'm sure the kids ears, and my general mental state...they are a good reminder why we do what we do and eat what we eat. I will not make this mistake again in a hurry.

So although, my house is a pit, my kids are running like wild pigs through it, and I am tired to the point of tears (almost)...I am refocused. Although I have fallen off the horse I am ready now to get back on it. I am back on track. And I am out of cliches.

I am back to blogging and back to simplifying...I am simply back on track!

I am...

inspired by a friend's post and her efforts to "keep it real." I am going to share a few things about myself that you may not know...although I doubt many are that surprising.

So here are some things about me...

-I am a total food snob- I like REAL food and good food.
-But I will eat pretty much anything once.
-I am overwhelmingly outnumbered by boys in my house.
-I am jealous of mom's of daughters.
-I never wanted to get married or have children.
-I was either going to be a famous singer or a business woman in a big city.
-Neither of those dreams matter anymore at all.
-I was a "goody two shoes" in high school.
-...Not so much in college
- I straightened up when I met my husband.
- I love sweettea (like at McDonalds) more than is healthy.
-My body does not like when I drink it...between the caffeine and sugar I am awake all night.
- "Sweetened tea" does not count and I won't drink it except in an emergency.
-I love to travel...but am too cheap to really go far anymore.
-There are days that I want to chase the big yellow school bus down the road and put my kids on it...
-Most days I try not to be out of bed to see the big yellow school bus go by and therefore resist the temptation.
-I do not like it when random people comment on my size.
-I only volunteer for things I really want to do.
-I would love to have a self sustaining little farm.
-I really like to sew and bake and be a "little Suzy Homemaker" except
-I HATE to clean.
-I still enjoy singing and do it as much as I can.
-I wish I could play ONE instrument well. I can "kinda" play the piano and the drums but neither well enough to be useful.
-I am a yeller. When I am angry, I yell.
-Then I feel bad and I eat.
-My house is never all clean at once. I wish I could make that happen.
-I jump into a pool all at once. I never go slowly down the stairs if I can avoid it.
-I do the same thing with projects.
-Sometimes I regret that.
-I may be a little crazy but in this house, if I didn't start that way I would have probably gotten there anyway. :)


Ok, that is about all I can think of right now. And really probably more than you ever wanted to know. :)

Simple Bathroom!

Yesterday I had two extra children so I took advantage of the fact that my kids were entertained to do some more simplifying! I worked in my bedroom and bathroom.

My bedroom really needed picked up all together so I did that. Not much simplifying going on there. :( Had to get it clean enough to get to simplifying.

But in my bathroom (which I started by cleaning) I got to simplify! You know the bathroom drawer (or closet shelf or whatever) where all those little samples that you "steal" from hotels collects. GET RID OF THEM! I went through the drawer and saved ONE shampoo and ONE conditioner, and only because I have a trip in the next couple months where I will be sharing a hotel room with a couple other women...so I will need my own toiletries. The rest of the shampoo I put in my shower (after I cleaned it). It is still good shampoo and now I won't have to buy shampoo for a while. FLylady suggest putting a little old shampoo in the "cup" that your toilet brush sits in and "swishing" your toilet once a day so it never gets totally icky...I should probably do that. Anyway, throw out the toothbrushes that are in the travel cases and you can't remember whose they are.

Has your hairstyle changed recently (or not so recently) and you still have the stuff that went with the old hairstyle? For example, I have short hair but I still had several big wide headbands from when it was longer. GET RID OF THEM! I didn't even like mine when my hair was longer. WHY were they in the drawer? Old make-up, old nail polish, old hair products- Throw them out.

Don't forget while the drawers are empty to use some spray cleaner and wipe them out really well.

Go through the towels and get rid of the old ones. Put them in a bag to stick in your garage for "rags." I picked out the ones that match my bathroom and hung them up for use (instead of using missmatched whichever is on top of the pile towels). I also put matching ones up for each of the boys in their bathroom. I got out the matching handtowels and sorted through washcloths. Now we can find what we need.

I still have a little closet to go through but it will have to wait for another day.

For now my master bathroom is a place that I can get ready and be relaxed. It isn't a mess of junk all over a counter where there is no room to "work." The counter can be easily wiped down and kept clean. It will be great if f I can just keep it that way!

Oh, and my Motivated Moms calendar is GREAT! I just love it. It is easy to get the daily chores done and it keeps me on task. Gonna go start checking things off my list for today!!! :)

Complicated Computer!

I am simplifying online. It takes forever to get through emails. Flylady has already gone. Step one is completed. Now you know all that junk mail that you have to delete everyday. Mine was excessive. So right now, instead of deleting it, I am finding the link to unsubscribe. I unsubscribed from several today...I'm sure there will be more tomorrow. It will take a little extra time for a few days here but in the end, will save me loads of screen time (I would think). If they aren't there, I don't have to worry about them or take the time to delete them. The important emails from real people will be easier to find and enjoy. I also set my facebook account that I get NO emails about ANYTHING! NONE! I get tired of reading everything twice. And it wastes time.

That was my step for today. I could do that much on a busy busy Sunday! Feels good to clean out that inbox!!!

Simplify 2011

I am posting this on both blogs so if you read one, you've already read this.

This is my theme for the year. Starting now....I am getting rid of stuff. I've cleaned off my desk area. And cleaned out kitchen cabinets. And started on bookshelves (this one is hard since I am mildly addicted to books). Things of sentimental value are safe Things we use regularly are safe. Things that I have to dust and that is the only time I notice them are GONE!!! I am boxing things up to have a big yard sale this spring.

I was inspired by this post I read on the Happy Housewife's website. Her theme for the year is also to simplify. The same day, the boys broke the second of their Christmas gifts (they lasted less than a month) and I decided to put ALL the toys up. Then Shane sent me this link on "minimalistic toys." The boys have had only a couple toys out for almost a week and we have no tv (only movies). School has gone better, we've had less fighting, and the toys they have are being taken care of. All the other toys are still in a closet for rotation...but they aren't necessarily going to last long...I am going to be doing some careful weeding.

I have been trying to use Flylady to keep my house clean. But she is not working for me. I like many of her principles. "You are not behind. Do not try to catch up." "Do a little bit every day" and "You can not organize clutter...you have to get rid of it" (These are paraphrased). So I am taking her advice and unsubscribing from her emails. The "inbox clutter" her millions of emails every day creates is not worth it. I can not organize them...I do not read them...not even the reminder ones...so they are going. Sorry Flylady.

In her post, The Happy Housewife mentioned the Motivated Mom's Planner. I am going to get this. It is $8 and it is a chore planner. (If you follow the link above you can use the $1 off coupon code). You can get it on a weekly or daily basis (daily has a little agenda spot) in a full size or half size. You can even get one with daily Bible readings to read through the Bible in a year. Unlike Flylady, you download the ebook and then print each week/day page and then you have a checklist. I like this. It is not computer based and I won't be inundated with emails each day. Bible time is something I really need to work on and I have something to check off when I do it that day. Plus, I LOVE LISTS! I love checking things off. Sometimes I am making a list to get ready for something and I put things on it that are already done just to cross them off. I hope this will work for me.

Part of my goal is to make/save some money. We would like to build a substantial savings account in the next few months...I'm hopeful that living simply will help contribute to that savings.

As I think about simplifying our life, it is a daunting task. We are so connected to our stuff and our habits. Since it is such a HUGE thing to do, I am breaking it up into "baby steps " (stolen from Flylady who I really do like except for the emails). I am setting many small personal goals. As I get them figured out and into place in my mind, I will share. Right now, I am just purging...if it isn't nailed down it is under scrutiny. And it feels great!!!