The End of the Floor Project

Thank Goodness!!  I have every reason to believe that we will be all done with the kitchen floor and have everything clean and ready to go this weekend!!  Yay!!  I would like to add that we have made it this far with no arguments or me saying a single time, "Well, if you would just do it like this then...".  I am very proud of me - and of my hard working husband of course.

Floor Update

Well Tracy is about half done with the actual tiling - and doing a fine job I must say.  After the tiling comes the grouting.  And the sealing.  And the curing.  And then the powder room...

In Lieu of Menu

So, with my kitchen off limits I'm breaking away from our usual routine and have a list of budget friendly quick dining options for families to share.  I can take no credit whatsoever for discovering these options - my friend Leane did the digging and gave the list to me.  I may have added one or two but it is her list.  My contribution?  Sharing it with you and encouraging you to call around and look online to make a list of your own.  You never know when your kitchen is going to be wiped out by an improvement project...

Monday - Chick-fil-A on Cherry, one free kids meal for every adult meal purchased
              - Red Bowl, kids eat for 99 cents with purchase of adult meal
Tuesday - McCallister's Deli - Kids eat free, even if you are my friend Dani and have 4
Wednesday - Captain Steve's Seafood - Kids eat free
Thursday - Earth Fare - up to 5 free kids meals for every adult purchase of at least $5.00
Friday - Chick-fil-A on Dave Lyle, same as Monday
Saturday and Sunday - Steak and Shake, kids eat free all weekend with adult purchase of $8.00
August - IHOP, kids eat free all month

Back Home

We're back home.  This past weekend we were out of town making an unscheduled trip to see Tracy's parents.  It's times like this that we really wish that we were closer.  Like five hours closer.  Oh well.  God was faithful to provide all we needed to get there and back and kept us safe from accidents so I'll just be grateful.  Oh course, we ate all kinds of junk food on the road so now I'm making plans to get us on track again.  My obstacle?  I still don't have a kitchen floor.  Don't blame Tracy, the circumstances that took us to Alabama also kept us too busy last week for him to work on it.  So, now I need to plan a menu that we can eat without gathering around the kitchen table to do it.  Hmmm...

More Lunch Boxes

We did wraps so now lets talk about sandwiches.  Well, not sandwiches so much as bagelwiches.  We all love bagels at my house.  Here are five ways to make a breakfast favorite into lunch:

1.  smear of tomato paste, deli sliced pepperoni and slice fresh mozzarella on white
2.  Italian dressing, hard salami, provolone and romaine on onion
3.  light mayo, roast beef, cheddar and romaine on sesame
4.  ham, Swiss and apple slices on raisin
5.  Dijon mustard, turkey, smoked cheddar and romaine on wheat

You can start your bagelwich toasted or just right out of the bag.  Caleb likes for me to slice his in half so that it's easier to pick up.  We also sometimes use mini versions for a little extra fun.  Here's hoping your kids lunch is "untradeable"!!

Lunch Box - Again

Ahh, the lunch box.  I haven't used Caleb's yet.  He is charmed by the novelty of having the option to eat in the school cafeteria.  I know it will pass and he'll ask me to pack food from home any minute now.  I want to be ready.  I've been putting together some ideas for his lunch that won't leave me in a PBJ rut.  Not that there is anything wrong with PBJ - I could eat one right now...

Wrap it Up

1.  jellied cranberry sauce, thick sliced turkey and apple matchsticks
2.  apple butter, ham and raisins
3.  BBQ sauce, chicken and carrot matchsticks
4.  Caesar dressing, chicken and romaine lettuce
5.  spicy mustard, roast beef, romaine lettuce and radish matchsticks

I make all of my wraps with fajita size flour tortillas because they are cheap and work with everything.  If you are making lunch for multiple kids you can probably keep more choices on hand and use wheat, spinach, etc.  I also store my tortillas in the fridge.  They stay fresh longer, but because they are cold I need to warm them for 15 seconds in the microwave to make them flexible enough to roll.  All wraps need a spread, a protein and something crispy or crunchy.  The options are endless...

Enjoy!!

Menu 8/21 - 8/27

Well, it's official.  It's back.  All of it.  Choir, Bible study, school, preschool, ballet...it's all back.  I'm thrilled!!  I love the fall and all of the new beginnings.  I love football season.  I love a break from the hot weather.  And I love getting everything and everyone back on a schedule.  Here is our menu:

Sunday - cinnamon rolls, turkey bacon and orange slices
                baked ziti and cloverleaf rolls
                leftovers

Monday - crunchy peanut butter toast, bananas and milk
                 Monday roast, new potatoes, carrots and bread and butter

Tuesday - blueberry muffins, eggs and milk
                 roast beef sandwiches on white bread, apple slices

Wednesday - cereal and milk, apple juice
                      Crock Pot chicken and artichokes, rigatoni, green salad

Thursday - cinnamon rolls, yogurt
                   chili with cornbread, sour cream, cheddar cheese

Friday - beef hash and toast, milk
              chili dogs, mixed veggie salad and chips

Saturday - blueberry muffins, fruit smoothies
                  pizza
                  leftovers
                 

To make this menu work for me I need to do a Saturday baking.  I store fresh baked items in the freezer if I'm not eating them the same or very next day.  This supplies my desserts, snacks, dinner breads and breakfast items.  I  thaw in the microwave right before meal time.  I also try to make my Sunday baked ziti on the Friday or Saturday before so that I can pull it out after church and warm it up. Because Saturday is so full of cooking and baking for the rest of the week and because I don't want to miss any Alabama football games, I like to order pizza or have snacks at meal time.  For lunches during the week Addie and I eat a lot of sandwiches and left overs.  Give it try and marvel at how much extra time you have on weekday evenings and how much money you save.  Good luck!!
                  

More Crock Pot Makeover

Most of my friends buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts; if you do too I have a new crock pot recipe for you:

Artichoke Chicken

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 cans artichoke hearts, halved
10 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C dry white wine
1/4 balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper

1. coat chicken with salt and pepper
2. layer 1/2 artichokes, 1/2 mushrooms, all of the chicken, 1/2 artichokes, 1/2 mushrooms
3.  mix wine and dressing and pour over food in crock pot
4.  cook 3-4 hours on high

This is great served with a hearty pasta and Parmesan cheese.

New Floor

We did it!!  We did it!!

Tracy and I finally pulled the trigger and bought new flooring for our kitchen.  (Do you like how I said "our" there?)  I know it's silly but I am giddy over our boxes of ceramic tile stacked in the garage.  Pray for us as we plan and execute our installation.  Tracy is doing all of the hard work but I'll be unable to use my kitchen...it will be crazy but worth it.  I'll tell you more later...

Crock Pot Makeover

With fall schedules ramping up it is time to figure out family meal time.  Your mom knew that a crock pot meant that dinner would wait for the family and not the other way around - but she probably didn't serve you this:

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

3 lbs. beef chuck roast
2 T oil
2 C tomato puree
1/2 C molasses
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t mustard powder
8 seeded sandwich buns

1.  brown your roast in oil on stove top for about 5 minutes per side.
2.  mix tomato puree, molasses, vinegar and spices in a medium bowl until well combined.
3.  place roast in crock pot and cover with sauce.
4.  cook 4-6 hours on high or 8 on low.
5.  remove roast to cool on carving board.  Let sauce cool for 10 minutes and then skim off fat.  Trim  fat from beef and shred with forks.  Return shredded beef to pot with sauce and heat for 20 minutes.
6.  serve on toasted seeded buns

I like this served with oven fries and coleslaw.  I'll be adding new crock pot recipes over the next few days so stay tuned!!

A Monday Roast

We all have a thousand and one ideas about what to do with chicken but I really prefer beef.  It is a little more expensive per pound but I have a 1 roast, 3 meal plan for you that will save you time and money.  If you make your roast on Monday you can spread your beef main courses out over the rest of the week.

3-5 lbs. eye of round roast
2T vegetable oil
1T salt
1t Italian seasoning
1/2t pepper

Coat roast on all sides with oil and seasonings.  Roast in a shallow pan at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Open oven door and reduce heat to 300.  Close door and continue to cook roast in slow oven until desired doneness.  I like mine pretty rare so I cook for 30 minutes and then take out to rest under tin foil for another 30.  Serve at room temperature.

Meal 1:  Roast Beef - 1/4" thick slices with popovers and gravy made from pan drippings
Meal 2:  Sandwiches - paper thin slices on sourdough
Meal 3:  Hash - chop into cubes and mill in food processor.  Add diced raw onion and diced parboiled potatoes and mix well.  Store in refrigerator in an airtight container. Heat a little olive oil in a heavy skillet and scoop out mounds of beef mixture.  Flatten and fry until a crispy crust forms on both sides. 

Kitchen Spruce Up

So I have the home improvement bug; sadly I have no home improvement budget.  My husband keeps telling me to save money and prioritize my list so that he can help me accomplish what I want to do.  He's right of course, but I want to do things now, now, now!!  I have started a coffee can account for new tile floors.  This is really a must do because my builder grade vinyl has been pretty well defeated by my two kids and one beagle puppy.  Tracy will do all the work himself and I'm planning on doing 12x12 neutral beige.  Pretty standard stuff.  Less standard is the counter top makeover I'm considering.  Rustoleum has a counter top refinishing product that looks like it would change the look and feel of the surface without removing or replacing the counter tops.  I'm intrigued and will keep you posted.  I also want new knobs and pulls.  And a backsplash.

What I'm really curious about is why.  Why?  Why do I feel this need to upgrade?  I am blessed to have all I need to prepare, store and serve food to my family.  God is faithful to provide every single day.  I have electricity, running hot and cold water, air conditioning and refrigeration.  Am I seriously drooling over granite in a home improvement catalog?  You know I am.  In a matter of a few weeks I will be beginning a Bible study based on the book Radical led by my friend Dani.  The Lord knows I need that, too.  And He is faithful to provide.  And mighty to save.  Thank goodness!!

A Saturday Baking

Monday, wash day.  Tuesday, ironing.  Wednesday, mending.  Thursday, errands.  Friday, cleaning. 

Saturday, baking.

This weekly chore chant has gotten thousands of homemakers on track for hundreds of years.  When I need a reboot I sing it to myself and decide again that I am going to get on and stick to a schedule.  It usually works until it doesn't anymore and then I find I need another reboot.  I am thinking ahead to school starting in a couple of weeks and trying to get on track for the renewal of our busy family schedule.  Both my little ones are going this year and I want very much for them to have lunch boxes full of food they would never trade and a dinner that makes them look forward to coming home.  Here is a Saturday baking itinerary that will get your ready for your week.

1 basic roll dough - yields 12 clover leaf dinner rolls and 16 raisin cinnamon rolls

1 perfect white bread - yields 2 loaves

1 best ever muffins - yields 12 muffins; we like blueberry or jam

1 biscuit dough - wrap tightly and refrigerate.  take out at dinner time, bake, and eat immediately - yields 12-15 biscuits.

1 simple cake - loaf pound cake, pineapple upside-down cake, applesauce cake, etc.

OR

1 pie

AND

2 cookies, bars or mini pies; we like chocolate chip cookies, brownies and apple pies but I like to mix it up.

This sounds like a lot of baking, and well, it is.  But if you set aside the time to do it in one day you save a lot of time in cleanup and ingredient gathering.  This list should give a family of four like mine 3 breakfasts, 5 desserts,  5 dinner breads, sandwiches and toast, and lunch box and after school snacks for the week.

Mmmm....

Menu 7/25 - 7/30

Monday - cereal and milk, bananas
                pimento cheese sandwiches, orange slices
                Italian roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, popovers

Tuesday - eggs and grits, orange juice
                 roast beef sandwiches, sliced apples
                 pork chops, rice and gravy, broccoli, chocolate pie

Wednesday - peanut butter toast and yogurt
                     spaghetti O's and cheese cubes
                     grilled chicken breasts, peas and carrots, tomato slices, cornbread

Thursday - cheese toast and apple slices
                  grilled chicken salad, corn bread
                  spaghetti with meat sauce, grissini

Friday - cereal and milk
              spaghetti with meat sauce, fruit salad
              Chick-fil-A

Saturday - waffles and turkey sausage
                 burgers and fries
                 pizza

After the Ball Game

It was my turn to bring snacks after T'-ball so I pulled out this favorite from my sister in laws collection and made peanut butter bars.  I served them with ice cold bottled water and the team gobbled them up.  This is also my favorite to bring to dessert socials.  Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Bars

1C flour
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C softened butter
1/4 t salt
1/2 C peanut butter
1 egg
1 C quick cook oats
9 oz. chocolate chips

1.  combine flour, sugars, soda, butter, salt, peanut butter, egg and oats.  Mix well.
2.  press dough into lightly oiled 13x9x2 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and remove from oven.
3.  sprinkle chocolate chips over baked dough and let stand for 5 minutes.  Spread melted chocolate chips to cover evenly.
4.  cool completely and cut.

Yummy.

Tupperware

That's right folks.  Tupperware.  In my circle of friends there has been a recent Tupperware explosion.  I'm no stranger to the home based business or home shopping party.  It is a staple of the Stay-At-Home Mom social network.  I love spending time over a cup of coffee swapping stories about children and laundry and how much none of us are like our mothers.  I also love to look through the catalogs and samples and dream about the perfect wife/mom/homemaker I could be if only I had the right tools.  Then I find an item that I can talk myself into as practical, order my one thing, and get out of there.

http://my2.tupperware.com/tup-html/C/christymiles-welcome.html

Not so with Tupperware.  I know that it is not flashy or cool, but I seriously could buy the entire catalog and actually use everything I bought.  I don't know when or how we decided that throw away storage containers were better than the classic, lifetime guaranteed, brilliantly engineered products that Tupperware sells but I won't go back again.  (and no, I am not going to sign up to sell any)  You all know that I love to cook, work on a tight budget and need to store and access many foods.  I have found my new Tupperware to be a big help.  I also get a little thrill from the neatly lined up, matchy-matchy containers sitting and waiting for me when I open my pantry.  I am convinced that my investment in good storage containers will save me money but I will wait until I have evidence from my own experience to share with you before making that claim.  For now, I'll just say that they make me happy.  And there's nothing wrong with that.

Strawberry Season

So, in my neck of the woods it is strawberry time.  I see strawberries practically lined up along the street at stands on my way to and from Caleb's school, as well as signs posted all over inviting me to come pick my own.  If you want to bottle up that delicious smell and beautiful color and enjoy it all year long there is only one thing to do.  Make jam.  Here is my recipe:

3 lbs. fresh strawberries
3 C sugar
2 lemons

1.  clean, hull and slice your berries and add to a large pot over low to medium low heat.
2.  add sugar and stir to coat and dissolve
3.  add the juice from both lemons and a little of the zest.
4.  watch for mixture to boil, stirring occasionally.  Once it reaches a full rolling boil the jam should cook for twenty minutes and be stirred every five.
5.  test for doneness by placing a glass saucer in the freezer before you get busy with your berries and pulling it out at the twenty minute cook mark, use a spoon to dollop a small amount of jam on the back of the plate and tilt it to see if the jam runs down or seems to have jelled.  If jam is still runny, continue to cook testing every five minutes.
6.  fill canning jar(s) to within 1/4" of full and close tightly.


Yum.....  this jam is delicious and with no fancy jell agents or corn syrup or extra flavoring additives it really concentrates that pure, ripe strawberry flavor.  And if you are patient and resist the temptation to turn up the heat you will find this recipe super simple.  Enjoy!!

Easter Menu

He is Risen!!!

I love to celebrate Easter.  It is a joyful day in my life.  It is also a busy day.  Unlike Christmas where you have eight weeks to steep in the holiday message, Easter comes and goes in a flash.  Just a blur of new dresses and chocolate eggs.  I usually host a holiday meal at my home after church and if you do too you know what a strain it can be to get something special on the table after being out all morning.  Here is my super simple Easter lunch menu:

Glazed Ham - buy it high quality and fully cooked, heat it through and melt orange marmalade over it.  It's yummy at any temperature.

Green Beans with Almonds - rinse and tear off the ends of fresh green beans, boil in salted water until softened, drain and toss in hot pot with olive oil and slivered almonds.

Sliced Carrots - clean and slice into thin discs, boil in salted water until soft, drain and toss in hot pot with butter and salt and pepper.

Parsleyed New Potatoes - wash and boil whole in salted water until cooked through, drain and toss with butter, salt and fresh chopped parsley in hot pot.

Tea Biscuits - cut buttermilk biscuits out with two inch round and bake.  Top with melted butter and poppy seeds and pop back into oven for two minutes.

Lemon Squares - make night before and chill.  If scratch baking is not your thing I recommend the Krusteaz mix.

These six items on your table with white dishes and you have a pretty, colorful, quick and simple feast.  Enjoy!!

In the Bag

I'm talking snacks today.  In addition to the daily lunch I pack for Caleb, I have to come up with a snack that is portable enough for the playground and tempting enough that he will actually eat it.  Here are some of my favorites:

1.  Jonah Snack - Stauffer's Whales crackers and Cheerios for life preservers
2.  Heard it Through the Grapevine - "Scrabble" Cheez-its and raisins (my kids don't remember the California Raisins but I do so it's a little joke for me)
3. Smores - Teddy Grahams, Annie's Chocolate Bunnies and mini marshmallows
4.  Movie Munchie - a ziptop bag of popcorn with about 10 sour patch kids mixed in
5.  Gone Fishin' - thin pretzel sticks and Goldfish crackers
6. Tic Tac Toe - wheat thins and dried apricots
7.  Monkey Mix - banana chips and yogurt covered raisins
8.  Rice Krispie treats
9.  Circus Bag - animal crackers and fruit snacks
10.  Banana Man - I seriously get my sharpie and draw a funny face on a banana - he loves it.

There are some "junk" ingredients in the some of these; notably the sour patch kids and marshmallows.  The key is quantity.  If you use some fun items like those as a garnish on an otherwise healthy snack you get to put good whole grain nutrition in your kids body while still filling him up and finding the fun.  Caleb really doesn't ask me for Cheetos or Twinkies and I think it is because he looks forward to his special "snack mix".  Enjoy!!

What Happened?!!

I have been asking myself this question for a week now.  My orderly little house and dependable menus are nowhere to be found.  They have been replaced by chaos!!  Why?  I don't really know.  My husband did start a new job this week (Yay!!) and my kids did start spring ball and we have been to birthday parties for the past couple of weekends but really I think I just dropped the ball and then let it roll under the couch and haven't gone to get it.  In light of my dilemma here are my suggestions for a quick trip back to normal if you are in chaos too.

1.  Sandwiches.  Go to your store and get some fresh deli meat and cheese from the counter and stop by the bakery for good bread.  Swing by produce and get shredded lettuce, tomatoes, apples, cucumbers, carrots...whatever looks good.  Serve this at your table and count the food groups.  Also notice that there is nothing fried or frozen.  Look at your stove with no dirty dishes on it.  Sigh a little sigh of relief.

2.  Turn off the TV.  Tonight everyone can declutter one room and then get together to read a book or play a game.

3.  Pack lunches and lay out clothes because tomorrow is going to be a good day.

4.  Take a bath and go to bed early.  You've earned it.