Day #5

I had mentioned a few posts ago that I wanted to try a recipe I'd found for shrimp packets. Basically, the recipe includes season-less ramen noodles, shrimp, mushrooms, green onions, broth, and asian seasonings. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry and didn't double-check the recipe (and forgot to add the broth). The result was crunchy ramen noodles and salty shrimp. I do hope to make this one more time, as there was enough potential in the final product to inspire me to try, try again. I had bought a 2-lb bag of frozen shrimp and only used about 1/3 of the bag for the packets, so I had some leftover shrimp in my freezer. I decided to use them for dinner last night. I simply wrapped bacon around them and baked for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. I dipped mine in a combination of Stonewall Kitchens (SK) roasted garlic and onion jam and SK bourbon molasses mustard. Yum. I love the combination of sweet and salty!

On the side we enjoyed pierogies (cheesy mashed potatoes tucked inside won-ton wrappers). Steamed broccoli rounded out our little dinner! We enjoyed eating with our favorite neighbors! The kids all had fun playing outside until way past dark last night. I had bought Kate a few jump ropes for her class at school (apparently the other 2nd grade classes have been "borrowing" her classrooms recess toys) and the kids had a blast playing with them last night. We also finally set up the basketball net. Kate and Josh came inside very dirty, but very happy!

Day #4: Hopscotch and Roast Beef

Emma and I enjoyed some time outside this morning. When she went to school I shopped for the "spring fling" party on Thursday (yes, I thought March 11th was Wednesday -
I'm really together!). By the way, I kinda cheated on my own challenge. I bought ketchup for $1.49 today and also stopped at Subway for a veggie delite 6-incher for $2.92. Is it cheating if I fessed up? Oh, well, I still haven't run to the dairy, so at this point I'm still under $100. I also ordered a few Easter outfits from the Gap, but that doesn't count, right?

This afternoon was perfect for a nice four-mile run and then it was time to finally wash my truck. It's amazing how a little thing can make such a big difference. That, and I scrubbed my kitchen floor and sanitized my bathroom with lots of bleach. I waited until I was sure we were free from our viruses, don't worry, I spot-cleaned after every occurence, this was a top-to-bottom cleaning). All in all, a pretty productive day (my standards are pretty low!).




Tonight's dinner: Roast beef with mashed potatoes (and not enough gravy) with steamed peas. We also had cornbread with butter and honey.

Upcoming Events....

I describe myself as a full-time mom. Every so often, however, I have the opportunity to work as a personal chef. This past year my "income" (not even sure we can call it that!) was about half of the year before, but cooking is something that I love to do, and if I occasionally get paid to do it, that's bonus! Sometimes I fear that if I had to do this full-time, I would probably hate it, so I feel blessed that it's something I can do occasionally!

March will be a little more hectic than the past winter has been, I have three parties to prepare for and we will also celebrate Kate's birthday! I have a party at my friend's store this Wednesday, it's her "Spring Fling". When we were picking the menu, we tried to aim for lighter fare with colorful "springy" flavors. I hope the weather holds out for her, it would be fun to have a warmer day (I think everyone is in a better mood, and probably spends more!).

Here is what I'll be making:

Hot Crab Dip with bread cubes and crudites
Mexican Layer Dip with tortilla chips
Mini Quiches
Fruit Kabobs
Mini [grilled] Veggie Sandwiches
Lemon Bars
Assorted Cookie Tray
Chocolate Fudge
White Sangria
Limeade Spritzer

Later in the month I'll be cooking for my sister-in-laws birthday party (we're having grilled veggie ravioli) and I'm also preparing food for an Easter Egg Hunt.

I hope to be organized enough to take pictures of some of the finished products!

Here's to a [hopefully] sunny and warm-ish March filled with good food!

Day #3

Sunday was an easy challenge day because, despite breakfast and a few snacks, we spent our time outside and visiting family and enjoyed our meals with my parents and my grandmother.

As some of you know, we have been searching for a church for close to two years now. We have been looking for "the perfect balance" between strong Bible teaching, a more modern service, and families with kids close to the ages of our own. After much searching, we realized that the perfect church doesn't exist (which we knew all along, but I guess our compromises just have to be bigger). This week we returned (again) to the church I grew up in. The pastor is fairly recent (I think) and, honestly, he is the best teacher I've ever listened to. Part of our struggle was simply logistical, and the fact that our son really didn't feel like he could thrive there. Instead of taking the easy way, (usually my specialty) I begged the kids to go with me. I insisted that the girls attend Sunday School while Josh and I attended the service together. I had been praying hard that morning for direction from God, and my answer was the rapt attention of an 11-yr old. Josh was eager to listen, even peering between rows just to keep eye contact with the pastor. The series is on Romans and, isn't it amazing, how the Bible is applicable not only to all generations, but also since the time of Christ (and prior)? We have decided that nothing else matters but the promise of mature teaching.




After church we had breakfast with my mom and dad and part of our meal was from Josh's buck! We had about 19lbs (no, I'm not kidding) of "chipped deer" processed at one of our local butcher shops. It's actually pretty delicious, very lean, peppery and just perfectly smoky!


We came home and played outside for a little bit with our neighbors, my sister-in-law and her precious little guy! It was a beautiful day, but Josh and I needed to come in and work on a paper for school. After some frustration from both of us, we agreed on a different format and went to work researching and composing a little bit of a different result. I wish I could tell you that we bonded, I took advantage of all kinds of teaching tools, and that I could imagine us learning together every day....all not true! I admire those who can homeschool their kids, I am so not one of them!

We ended our day playing Dominoes at my grandmother's house! Kate actually beat all of us (by a lot, I might add!).



The best news: no one was injured at any time today!

Day #2

What a beautiful day here in PA! The girls and I enjoyed a scooter ride around the neighborhood until Emma had a spill. Poor baby really gouged her knees and hands. Rob usually does all the "clean-up" in the injury department, but I did the best I could and finally resorted to feeding her gummi bears, a freeze pop, and a bowl of ice cream just to calm her down. At least she missed out on dinner. It wasn't the most awful thing I've ever made, but it certainly is not something I'll make again. Josh has been asking for spaghetti squash, and I decided to make it into a baked concoction with mushrooms, onions, marinara, sausage, and cheese. It would have been enjoyable (and was, at first) but the sausage was just too rich for us. I guess we're just not used to such fatty meats? I think if I make any kind of derivation, it would be to use lots of sauteed peppers instead of any kind of meat.





On the plus side, we enjoyed waffles for breakfast (again!). This time we also topped them with whipped cream, blueberry-orange sauce, and, of course, maple syrup! The blueberry sauce was simply fresh blueberries, sugar, orange rind and juice, and a dash of cinnamon. I put the bowl into the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes and it was a perfect compliment to the whipped cream and waffles.


I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend. As for our house, we're going to try to avoid any further injury!

Grocery Challenge Day #1

I'm going to challenge myself to only food shop one time during this next week. Today I shopped for my meats and most other groceries (excluding milk). I'd like to be creative enough to utilize my pantry, freezer, and recently purchased items. The only leverage I'll give myself is to "re-stock" on fruits and veggies, if needed.

Today is the first day of my grocery challenge -

Today included:

1. Shopping at Price-Rite and Farmers Market (on Penn St). My total purchases totaled a little less than $95

2. A four-mile run this afternoon, right after I put Emma on the bus. I had previously not run for at least two months and I was quite nervous to start again. I actually felt really great, what an instant mood-lifter. The sunshine helped a lot, too!

3. We had this for dinner. I had grilled zucchini and everyone else enjoyed steamed sugar peas (I had them lurking in my refrigerator).



4. This is our dessert. I bought five large apples to combine with some other "lurkers" in the fridge. This is Rob's favorite baked good, and since he's leaving for a week, I thought I'd surprise him!



5. Lastly, this sad little tale. Occasionally our kids will chase each other around the house. We repeatedly warn them that eventually someone will reap the consequences. Well, here's what happened...


Kate and Emma ran into each others heads (apparently). Check out those goose-eggs! I kind of feel a little like Kate Gosselin, hopefully this isn't too exploitative. Look at their poor little faces, tears were just pouring down.

Grocery Challenge

I love to read. I would pretty much rather read than do anything else (and too much, I do). Lately I've been following a few more blogs than usual, you know how it goes, you read your friends favorite sites, etc. It's so interesting to see other writing styles, the trends in the food world, and in a voyeuristic way, to peer into the world of someone else. I think that's the reason I enjoy reading so much, for me it's an escape. Let's face it, I am beyond blessed and I don't really need an escape, but I've been struggling a little bit lately. I always notice around this time of year I become weary of winter, weary of gray, and craving an escape. Usually Rob and I are able to vacation for nearly a week sometime in the spring. This year he is taking a ski trip and I'm feeling a little wistful (that's a lie, it's really just a step below envy) that I don't have an escape to look forward to.

I know, I promised you the short story and here it is: I keep reading about these grocery challenges. The suggestion is to start by cleaning out your pantry and eating everything that has been stockpiled for months/years. While I agree that this is probably a pretty economical way to get free groceries for a week, I'm not that committed. We require so much produce that it's hard for me to deprive my kids of that just to clean out my [five] cupboards. And, really, I don't have too much that's just sitting around. The other problem with this is that while I consider myself kind of frugal, I don't have a budget for food. I do put a priority on local meats, dairy, and produce (though that's mostly in the summer for obvious reasons).

What I wanted to share with you today were my purchases at our downtown "Farmer's Market". This is where I shop for my meats (pork and beef). My boys really dislike chicken, so we eat more of this than anything else. I realize that sometimes it is more expensive to eat locally, but if you're willing to make one extra stop, (and if it's important to serve your family local meat) it might be worth the time and effort. (and I kind of think that my butcher shop has great prices, way less than our chain grocery store...plus, I know where it's coming from!)


Here is what I bought today: (I did buy less because Rob will be gone)
3/4 lb sliced sweet bologna (my butcher makes it)
1 ham slice
1 1/2 lb arm roast
1 lb ground sausage
1 doz eggs
1 pt pickled beets (they do this in-house as well)
1/2 lb stew meat
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 qt local apple (stayman winesap)
my total= $29.55

add this to my total today at Price-Rite= $64.80
I'll need to get milk at Perrydell -1 1/2 gal (approx)=$5.00
that's less than $100.00!
I'm going to try to not go the grocery store this week, but if I need to stock up on produce, it's worth "losing a challenge" with myself. By the way, these pics are from the market, but in the fall. Now the choices are: potatoes, beets, turnips, cabbage, and apples. sigh.



Here's what I plan on making:
-Roast beef, mashed potatoes, and steamed corn (frozen from the summer)
-Ham, baked sweet potato, and green beans (frozen from the summer)
-Chili-topped baked potatoes, broccoli, applesauce (frozen from the summer)
-Cheeseburgers, oven fries, grilled zucchini
-Penne with bacon, shrimp, and peas in a cream sauce (I have leftover bacon and shrimp in the freezer)
-a dinner at my mom's :)
-leftovers
-spaghetti squash with sausage, mushrooms, and onions with marinara sauce

what do you think?