Thankful Thursday Top Ten 47

Thankful This Week For:

1. The honesty of the comments from yesterdays post

2. That as women...we get to wear fun jewelry [thank you Charming Charlie's]

3. Rain

4. Grill cheese & tomato soup saving an unplanned dinner night

5. Consistently scrapbooking again on Wednesday nights with a bff

6. My other bff is having a...BOY! Can't wait to share this mom-of-boys life with her.

7. Beth Moore's study on Inheritance...rocking my world! God is a giver, not a taker!

8. Homemade waffles [busted out the grain and mill again finally!]

9. All the work the Lord continues to give us, especially in this economy

10. A wonderful small group that super encouraged me last Friday night concerning the trials of training

What are you thankful for this week? Link up below!

Weight Watcher Wednesday 12

192.6

Up .8. That makes my 2nd week out of twelve that where I'm up. Sad day. I guess all in all I'm only up 2.6 lbs. Making me only down a little over 12. I attribute this to inconsistent tracking and stress. Charles has been working long hours and this whole house limbo dealo has been having me reach for extra food when I'm not hungry. 

I got a sitter this morning---went to a weight watcher meeting---and went for a 40 minute walk. It felt really good. I'm going to track better again, and work out a few days this week. I'm going to make myself photo post my 7 daily trackings next Wednesday...hoping to motivate myself to-actually-track!

At this meeting this morning we talked about how getting bored with meals leads to overeating. When we get in a rut of eating the same thing for breakfast, the same thing for lunch, the same snacks and the same dinner---you start reaching out for too many extras to "spice it up". They suggested we try one new of every meal and snack this week. Something different and something healthy.

Anyone have some meal or snack suggestions for me? 

Easy and yummy only.

Easy Mexican Chicken Bake

You've heard me say it before, I don't enjoy cooking. What I enjoy even less is meal planning and grocery shopping. Thanks to E-mealz [see my previous post] I am now able to meal plan, grocery shop, save money, and eat healthy. Here is one of their recipes that was easy and family friendly this last week.

Should feed 4-6 adults & cost you less than $10 for ingredients.

Grocery list:

1.5 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts

2- 15 oz cans black beans [rinsed & drained]

1 c FF sour cream [I used regular]

1 t Cumin

1 t Pepper

4 oz can chopped green chilies

6 small corn tortillas – cut into 2 inch strips

[I just laid down the whole tortilla]

1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3 pears [peeled & halved]

[I didn't peel]

3 t light margarine

6 t brown sugar

6 t cinnamon

Mexican Chicken Bake

[6 servings @ 8 WW pts+ each]

Boil chicken for 10 min. or until done

Chop [I tore] & combine with:

Beans, sour cream, cumin, pepper,& chilies

Place tortillas in the bottom of dish

Cover with half chicken mixture

Repeat

Top with cheese

Bake 30 min @ 350.

Broiled Pears

[6 servings @ 2 WW pts+ each]

Half pears

Spray baking dish [or tray]

Place side up

Top each half with:

1 t margarine

1 t brown sugar

1 t of cinnamon 

[more or less I didn't measure]

Broil [I baked] about 5 minutes

Putting Him To Work

Kindred: 

[n] a group of related individuals

[adj] of a similar nature or character

Nation [4.5] and Moses [8 months] have a special bond. Solomon [2.5] really enjoys kissing his "brud-er", and likes him just fine, but Nation is goo goo over baby Moses. He just loves to sit and play with him. The other day I let Nation feed Moses baby food and he did such a "good job" I've now enlisted him to do it several times a week. 

This is homemade sweet potato baby food. I wrote about making bananas here, but this is slightly more work. 

To make...

[1] Buy a bag of organic sweet potatoes [Trader Joes are $3]

[2] Wash them with water

[3] Bake in oven for 1 hr at 350 degrees

[4] Let cool

[5] Peel [comes right off]

[6] Mash up or throw in food processor

[7] Scoop into your containers

I don't add water to these because I prefer baby food less runny. I put some in my containers for the refrigerator and I put some in trays in the freezer. When they are done freezing [the next day is usually when I get to it], I put them in Ziplocks to keep in freezer. Then when I need them through out the month I throw a cube back in this container and put in my baby food warmer. You can microwave it, but it does kill more of the nutrients. I do this from time to time if I'm in a rush.

I can make nearly 30 large servings at $3 instead of $30. 

I recommend reading Super Baby Food.

Side Note: The bib shown above is my favorite, been using them for years.

***

These photos were apart of a photo challenge, You Capture

Better Than Bisquick

 Around our house, we make this weekly. 

It's healthy, inexpensive & keeps everyone regular ; )

Organic Soft White Grain

After you mill it

[You can use store bought flour if you don't own a mill]

3 cups flour [2 cups grain]

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup EVOO

3 to 4 cups buttermilk

4 eggs

You can mix in a bowl or...

Use a mixer like I do

Mix dry ingredients first

Mix on level 2 until it looks like this

[only takes about 30 seconds]

We've had this waffle maker for over 5 years

I put in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of mix in waffler maker

This recipe makes about 10-12 waffles

We top ours off with honey

I don't make this stuff up

Adding chocolate chips encourages this "shovel" move

That's how you know it was good

***

This post was apart of Paper Mama's Food Photo Challenge

One List: Three Columns

I'm a list maker. 

Do moms exist out there that aren't? Do women exist out there that aren't? I still remember being 6 or 7 years old and making fun of my grandma for making endless lists and then scratching things off. Wow, talk about reaping and sowing judgments. 

I apparently didn't pack paper or pens [usually do forget on all business trips] and am too cheap to buy something I know I have back at home. So my lists today come from from already used construction paper and faded colored pencil. 

Okay, so maybe I splurged and bought 10 pens for $1 tonight.

My biggest struggle during the week is my tasks to time ratio. I have lists of things I want-need-should do, but am easily distracted or simply add two things for every one I scratch off. I know I know there are fabulous tips, tricks and even apps [which I own] for this, but nothing [but Jesus] can solve my desire to pack too much into only so much time.

I know there is exactly enough time in a day to get done exactly what God has for me. 

My problem is, I like to add in a little extra to God's plan and then that ends up meaning I have to sacrifice something He actually wanted me to do. Oh, and I'm defensive at the first sign of giving this up. You don't have to think long about what I'm hoping to give up during my bible study with Beth Moore on Breaking Free.

So Jesus [and blog world] here is MY list for Monday...Jesus, please edit

Need to do:

bible study wk 4 day 1

teach kids about God

school with Nation

laundry

dishes

make dinner
charles time

unpack from trip

Want to do:

make bread/waffles/muffins for the week

make sweet potatoes for Moses

clean out car

exercise

mail 2 packages

take Moses' 6 mth 7 mth photos

put together Charles & I's costumes

Do Nails/Toes/Eyebrows [myself]

look up & do festive crafts with kids

Wishful thinking to-do:

edit wedding photos

Re-organize iPhoto

Operation Christmas Child boxes

Review Amazon products

I'm already exhausted looking at my "need to do list", ha. Lord please show me [and all of us] what you want to take away or add to our lists for the week. Remembering that you have our best interest in mind and it's wise for us to listen to you over ourselves.

Meal planning stresses me out. Some weeks it's alright, some weeks its a fail. I function best if I do something with someone...so I recruited Charles this week to watch me make my list and help me "get through it" without quitting. What can I say? Company making painful things manageable. 

Monday Dinner:
Baked parmesan salmon w/ raspberry sauce, wild rice, asparagus

Tuesday Dinner:
Orange chicken, white rice, snow peas

Wednesday Dinner:
Rosemary crock pot chicken, brown rice, frozen mixed veggies

Thursday-Monday: in GA [unsure what we will eat...hopefully I'm not cooking, ha] 

What's on your list this week?
What's for dinner this week?

Homemade Baby Food 101

Part of me thinks this is a silly post, but part of me thinks maybe some of you out there have been overwhelmed at the thought of making your own baby food and this post might actually put your mind at ease a little. [That was a long sentence.]

Baby food making can get more complicated and require use more expensive appliances, but plain and simple baby food is your food softened, mashed up, and occasionally requiring a little added H2O.

We have started all three kids at 6/7 months with homemade baby food [after exclusive nursing]. We skip the rice cereal & just straight into the fruits & veggies. I read Super Baby Food and highly recommend it as a one-stop-shop for all your baby food [and toddler] recipes, tips, questions, and concerns. Consider it your mom brain relief go-to-baby-food-bible.

We did make the suggested fancy "Super Baby Food" recipe for Nation, why, well of course, he was our first [insert loud laugh here], but as you well know baby #2 and #3 got nothing but too busy-lazy-mommy. It's wonderful for them, but it's wonderfully a lot of work and expensive. Sorry Moses you will miss out on liver & brewers yeast this go around [insert gage here].

To be honest, none of my kids really loved baby food, they love to nurse and mommy loves table food time. SO...our baby food phase is condensed as much as possible. Feeding babies food is SLOW and MESSY. Only cute for pictures! We just do it for a few months [if they want it] and then hit them up with small pieces from our plates between 10-12 months. Still healthy, but way faster and easier.

Speaking of healthy & fast. I'm starting you off with a great first food for babies, bananas. I'm going to prove to you that making baby food can be fast, easy and affordable. Oh, and without anything fancy. Just imagine what you will be making later in baby food making 202 with expensive appliances & gadgets.

This was Moses first feeding last week. Big brother Nation fed him bananas that took me a half a second to make.

As you can see all you do is take the softened food [sometimes requires baking it first, not in the case of bananas obviously] and mash with fork, and add a few tablespoons of water to get to consistency you want.

This is perfect for restaurants too. Just ask them to not put salt or butter on what you intend to feed the baby.

Above is one of my new favorite purchases, it's the Stay-Fresh Reusable Baby Food Containers. They are less than $10 for $12 of them and they hold 2 ounces each. They are BPA free and can be put in the dishwasher, microwave, refridge and freezer. Perfect for out and about and traveling too.

Did I mention they stack? 

I hope this post helped you at least consider smashing up some bananas! I think making your own baby food is wonderful [even though I loathe cooking] because it's so cheap, and I know exactly what my baby is eating. 

If only someone could draw a diagram and show me how much money I'd save if I made my own chicken nuggets and stopped taking the kids to Chick-fil-A. That would be real savings! 

Did you see my chart above? You can make ORGANIC baby food for pennies. Plus, that 2 ounce jar will last me about 4 good feedings with Moses right now. Sure he'll grow into more, but why would I want to buy a $1 jar of organic to put to waste?

Do you make your own baby food? What's been your experience?

Thankful Thursday Top Ten [#7]

Thankful This Week For:

1. Compassion Bloggers Trip to Guatemala

Reading the stories about their recent trip put things [again] in perspective for me. It also reminded me of the heart I want to continue to have [like the Lord's] for the people of this world.

2. Kid's Alarm Clock

If you're my friend on facebook you know that my kids have gradually been changing their wake up time from 8 am to 5:45 am. I purchased this today in hopes of changing that to 7 am, at least!

3. Documentaries

Since we added Netflix to our Wii, we've watched a few free documentaries. This week we watched Food Inc., The Union & Very Young Girls. 

I was inspired all the more to cut out more jejune food in our family's diet after watching Food Inc., it's a must-see. 

After watching The Union, I am convinced that hemp [from Cannabis] has many amazing uses [dietary, medical, fibre, building material, paper, fabric, weed control, fuel. etc]. It's a conspiracy shame it's illegal to grow. Just watch the movie. 

Very Young Girls was about the sex trade in the U.S. The documentary focuses on a few girls in New York City. It broke my heart, another must see, Jesus help us to make a difference in these girls lives so they don't turn to prostitution as their only hope.

4. Charles new [shorter] work schedule

He leaves at 6:45 am and gets home about 6 pm now, verses 8 pm. Those two hours make-all-the-difference-in-the-world. Still has weekends off.

5. Bow tie Lasagna

Yay for a new yummy, easy & quick meal on the rotation. I got the recipe from my friend Lindsey, who got it from, her good friend [riiight] Ree.

6. "Seven Pounds" 

I wish I was saying I lost that, but that's what Nation said when I asked him how much he loves me. Pounds is his measurement currency of choice these days.

7. Audible.com

I think this is new, nevertheless, its new to me. Usually cheaper than iTunes. I got the two free credits and plan to try audiobooks until my kids are all grown...which is probably only like 30 years from now.

8. The blogs I've started reading

They have awakened [cheesy I know] new ideas, creativity & a hunger for learning. I never really considered adopting, or owning a farm, planting a garden, or getting better at photography...until now.

9. Trader Joe's macaroni & cheese

I think I'm going to just pass on ever looking at the calorie content on this box of sweet goodness.

10. Other moms

Especially the ones who've been-there-done-that. I so enjoy hearing other moms stories and gleaning from their experiences. I feel so comforted by their wisdom, advice and at times [similar] struggles. It's nice to know I'm not alone.

Whether they are pretending to be a Miner, Knight, Batman, 80's kids-with-Lego-box-hat, or Woody [from Toy Story]...just being with my boys all day is what I'm always thankful for. 

[You Capture]

Who Knew Bread Came From Grain

Some of you know that we make our own bread [most weeks]. I'd like to take credit for this, but to be honest The Pilgrim [aka Charles] was making it when I met him. So here's what he taught me.

What you'll need:

-Something to mill grain with [hand mill/electric mill/or already milled flour] 

-Bread maker [or oven with bread pan]

-Measuring cups

-Grain

-Water

-Olive Oil

-Honey

-Salt

-Lecithin

-Gluten [optional]

-Yeast

We buy our stuff at a local store.
This is the recipe we follow.

This is what happens when they help

 Organic Hard Red Wheat Grain

$35 for 45 lbs

3 cups of grain=4.5 cups of flour

We use a Whisper Wonder Mill

[5 years and counting]

"What? I didn't touch it, I promise"

It takes about 30 seconds for 3 cups

1.5 cups hot water first into bread maker pan

1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

We love our honey bear

1/4 cup of honey

[comes out easiest if you put in same measuring cup oil just came out of]

Pour 4.5 cups of flour into a high pile

Don't worry if a little of this happens with the kids

2 tsp Salt

[VERY important to make sure your measurements of the dry are exact, especially the salt & yeast...bread is very fickle]

Add remaining dry ingredients

2 tbsp Lecithin

1 tsp Gluten

[keep dry on dry]

Make a well with your tablespoon

1 tbsp of Yeast

[store in freezer]

This is a picture of what NOT to do

Try to keep yeast in the little well you made

Start bread maker

[ours has been with us on several trips over the last 5 years hence the dents]

We adjusted our setting from 2:45 to 2:38 because it worked best for us

[varies by house temperatures & seasons]

[told you bread was fickle]

2 hours and 38 minutes later

See the little old ladies face?

High in healthy fiber...it'll keep you regular ; )

Enjoy bread that lasts only a few days because it has real ingredients

[if you don't eat it all before then]

Some weeks we make it more than others. Ideally we'd make it daily. The only thing that holds me back is the 10 minutes of alone time in the kitchen or the mess when the kids help. 

Saves money. You can make about 32 loaves with the $35 bucket.

Tastes amazing with honey. 

It's high in fat [10g] & calories [240] , but it's real. 

Great article on why you should make your own bread.