Since I have a ton of pancakes in my freezer and a ton of strawberries in my fridge I decided to make strawberry syrup. If I had known it was so easy, I would have been making fruit syrups all of the time!
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup mashed strawberries
Heat the water and sugar together until boiling, stirring occasionally to ensure all the sugar is dissolved. Slowly mix in strawberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
This didn't get as thick as normal syrup but was so good on my pancakes for lunch. :)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze
Bread Ingredients
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
In a bowl, beat together the zucchini, sugar, egg, and oil, and vanilla In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; stir in the cinnamon and lemon zest. Stir the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture just until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from heat, and cool about 10 minutes.
Glaze
1/4 cup lemon juice (my lemon wasn't very juicy so I used a little less)
1/2 cup sugar
While bread is cooling, heat lemon juice and sugar together on stove top until boiling to melt the sugar. Remove bread from pan and move onto a plate. Pour glaze on top.
This was soooo good! I will definitely be making it again. You can, of course make it without the glaze to make it better for you. You can also use shredded carrots instead of zucchini.
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
In a bowl, beat together the zucchini, sugar, egg, and oil, and vanilla In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; stir in the cinnamon and lemon zest. Stir the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture just until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from heat, and cool about 10 minutes.
Glaze
1/4 cup lemon juice (my lemon wasn't very juicy so I used a little less)
1/2 cup sugar
While bread is cooling, heat lemon juice and sugar together on stove top until boiling to melt the sugar. Remove bread from pan and move onto a plate. Pour glaze on top.
This was soooo good! I will definitely be making it again. You can, of course make it without the glaze to make it better for you. You can also use shredded carrots instead of zucchini.
Squash and Zucchini Casserole and farm trip
Yesterday my mom and I went to an organic farm to check out their produce selection. We ended up getting 35lb for $35! That is a good deal for regular produce, let alone organic!
This picture was taken after we used 5 zucchini and 5 squash in the casserole.
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup chopped onions
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 2 pounds summer squash (about 6 medium), sliced into thin rounds
* 2 pounds zucchini (about 6 medium), sliced into thin rounds
* 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
* 3 large eggs
* 1/4 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk)
* 1 cup crushed butter crackers
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with 1/2 tablespoon butter.
Heat the olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, and black pepper and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and zucchini and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in the thyme and remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking dish, reserving the cooking liquid.
Combine the eggs and cream in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Gradually whisk the reserved cooking liquid into the egg mixture. When all the cooking liquid is incorporated, pour the mixture over the vegetables in the baking dish. Using a spoon, gently shift the vegetables around so the egg mixture is evenly distributed. Bake until the mixture sets, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle first with the crackers and then with the Parmesan, if using, and return to the oven. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
This picture was taken after we used 5 zucchini and 5 squash in the casserole.
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup chopped onions
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 2 pounds summer squash (about 6 medium), sliced into thin rounds
* 2 pounds zucchini (about 6 medium), sliced into thin rounds
* 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
* 3 large eggs
* 1/4 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk)
* 1 cup crushed butter crackers
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with 1/2 tablespoon butter.
Heat the olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, and black pepper and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and zucchini and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in the thyme and remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking dish, reserving the cooking liquid.
Combine the eggs and cream in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Gradually whisk the reserved cooking liquid into the egg mixture. When all the cooking liquid is incorporated, pour the mixture over the vegetables in the baking dish. Using a spoon, gently shift the vegetables around so the egg mixture is evenly distributed. Bake until the mixture sets, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle first with the crackers and then with the Parmesan, if using, and return to the oven. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Meatballs and the conclusion to my crockpot week
I forgot to take anything out for dinner for Thursday so I went with something super easy and quick (while still managing to use the crockpot). I dumped half a bag of frozen meatballs into the crockpot along with 1/4 cup grape jelly (nobody told me we were almost out or I would have used more), 1/4 cup ketchup, and about 1/2 cup barbecue sauce. Chris and I didn't eat any because we weren't home but my dad and Cody enjoyed them.
Friday I spent the day at my mom's so I ate dinner there, my dad and Cody had a frozen pizza (I think). My goal was 5 days of crockpot meals. Even though I only did 4, I'm still proud of myself. :)
Today my mom and I are going to a farm that sell 25lb of organic produce for $25! I just spoke with the owner and he told me that they don't have many strawberries or blueberries but they do have squash, zucchini, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a few other veggies. I need to stock up on vegetables for Keaton. He does not like baby food purees, he does ok with the fruits but just spits the vegetables back out. I've been doing some baby-led weaning with him and he like veggies when they are in large pieces that he can pick up so I think I'm going to stick with that. Broccoli seems to be his favorite so far.
He's now crawling (not scooting anymore)all over the place and pulling up on everything.
Friday I spent the day at my mom's so I ate dinner there, my dad and Cody had a frozen pizza (I think). My goal was 5 days of crockpot meals. Even though I only did 4, I'm still proud of myself. :)
Today my mom and I are going to a farm that sell 25lb of organic produce for $25! I just spoke with the owner and he told me that they don't have many strawberries or blueberries but they do have squash, zucchini, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a few other veggies. I need to stock up on vegetables for Keaton. He does not like baby food purees, he does ok with the fruits but just spits the vegetables back out. I've been doing some baby-led weaning with him and he like veggies when they are in large pieces that he can pick up so I think I'm going to stick with that. Broccoli seems to be his favorite so far.
He's now crawling (not scooting anymore)all over the place and pulling up on everything.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Barbecued Roast Beef
Another from "Fix-It and Forget-It..."
4lb beef roast
1cup ketchup
1 onion, chopped (I only use 1/2 an onion because we aren't huge onion fans)
3/4cup water
3tbs Worcestershire sauce
3/4cup brown sugar
Place roast in cooker.
In a small bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients except brown sugar and pour over roast.
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
Approximately 1 hours before serving sprinkle with brown sugar.
Yum! You could taste the sweetness of the brown sugar on the roast, it was so good. I'd like to try and make this using a pork roast because I prefer pork over beef roast. I made sure to keep an eye on it after the rice incident last night. I'm glad I did because it was done it like 4 hours.
I had everything for this at home! :)
4lb beef roast
1cup ketchup
1 onion, chopped (I only use 1/2 an onion because we aren't huge onion fans)
3/4cup water
3tbs Worcestershire sauce
3/4cup brown sugar
Place roast in cooker.
In a small bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients except brown sugar and pour over roast.
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
Approximately 1 hours before serving sprinkle with brown sugar.
Yum! You could taste the sweetness of the brown sugar on the roast, it was so good. I'd like to try and make this using a pork roast because I prefer pork over beef roast. I made sure to keep an eye on it after the rice incident last night. I'm glad I did because it was done it like 4 hours.
I had everything for this at home! :)
Pork Chops and Rice
Another recipe from "Fix-It and Forget-It..."
1.5 cups dry long-grain rice
2 cups water
4 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
10.75oz can cream of celery soup
1tbs. chicken or beef bouillon granules (or 1 cube)
Spray interior of slow cooker with non-stick spray.
Place rice and water in cooker and mix together.
Place chops over rice, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl stir together soup and bouillon, pour over chops.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat and rice are tender, but not dry.
My crock pot is evidently on steroids, after 3 or 4 hours my rice was so overcooked, it had turned to mush! The pork chops were still good. My dad ate quite a bit of the rice, but then again I think I could have served him dried rice and raw meat and he would have eaten it, lol.
I had the rice, water, pork chops, bouillon, salt and pepper all at home. All I had to buy was
$1.35 cream of celery soup
1.5 cups dry long-grain rice
2 cups water
4 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
10.75oz can cream of celery soup
1tbs. chicken or beef bouillon granules (or 1 cube)
Spray interior of slow cooker with non-stick spray.
Place rice and water in cooker and mix together.
Place chops over rice, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl stir together soup and bouillon, pour over chops.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat and rice are tender, but not dry.
My crock pot is evidently on steroids, after 3 or 4 hours my rice was so overcooked, it had turned to mush! The pork chops were still good. My dad ate quite a bit of the rice, but then again I think I could have served him dried rice and raw meat and he would have eaten it, lol.
I had the rice, water, pork chops, bouillon, salt and pepper all at home. All I had to buy was
$1.35 cream of celery soup
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tortilla Casserole
This recipe is from "Fix-It and Forget-It 5 Ingredient Favorites"
4 flour tortillas
1lb ground beef
1 envelope dry taco seasoning
16oz can refried beans
1.5cups shredded cheese
3-4tbs sour cream (optional)
Spray the inside of the slow cooker with non-stick spray. Tear 3 of the tortillas into pieces and line the bottom and sides of the slow cooker.
Brown ground beef, drain and return to skillet. Mix in taco seasoning (I added about 1/4 cup of water so it wouldn't be so dry).
Layer refried beans, meat, 1 cup of cheese and sour cream (I didn't add the sour cream but I will next time) over tortilla pieces.
Place remaining tortilla pieces on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours (mine was done in 3 hours).
We put sour cream on top of each serving when it was done. Everybody in my house liked it, I found it a little dry. I recommend serving this with your usual taco toppings (tomato, lettuce, maybe some salsa or guacamole).
This was super cheap to make. I already had the ground beef.
$0.50 taco seasoning
$0.40 tortillas (10 packs were on sale for $1 at my grocery store this week)
$0.50 sour cream (we used close to half of the container that I got on sale for $1)
$1.35 refried beans
$1.00 shredded cheese (on sale for $2, I had a $1 coupon)
So, I spent $3.75 on this meal. It fed 4 of us for dinner and had enough leftover for DF to take to work for lunch tomorrow.
Tomorrow I am going to be making Pork Chops and Rice, a recipe from the same cookbook.
4 flour tortillas
1lb ground beef
1 envelope dry taco seasoning
16oz can refried beans
1.5cups shredded cheese
3-4tbs sour cream (optional)
Spray the inside of the slow cooker with non-stick spray. Tear 3 of the tortillas into pieces and line the bottom and sides of the slow cooker.
Brown ground beef, drain and return to skillet. Mix in taco seasoning (I added about 1/4 cup of water so it wouldn't be so dry).
Layer refried beans, meat, 1 cup of cheese and sour cream (I didn't add the sour cream but I will next time) over tortilla pieces.
Place remaining tortilla pieces on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours (mine was done in 3 hours).
We put sour cream on top of each serving when it was done. Everybody in my house liked it, I found it a little dry. I recommend serving this with your usual taco toppings (tomato, lettuce, maybe some salsa or guacamole).
This was super cheap to make. I already had the ground beef.
$0.50 taco seasoning
$0.40 tortillas (10 packs were on sale for $1 at my grocery store this week)
$0.50 sour cream (we used close to half of the container that I got on sale for $1)
$1.35 refried beans
$1.00 shredded cheese (on sale for $2, I had a $1 coupon)
So, I spent $3.75 on this meal. It fed 4 of us for dinner and had enough leftover for DF to take to work for lunch tomorrow.
Tomorrow I am going to be making Pork Chops and Rice, a recipe from the same cookbook.
A week of crockpot meals and an update
I always make the same boring meals, week after week. I get so bored of spaghetti, barbecued pork chops, fried pork chops, Italian dressing marinated pork chops, steak, barbecue chicken... As you can tell we eat a lot of pork chops, lol. So, I dug out my cookbooks and started looking for easy, tasty meals using ingredients that were already in my kitchen.
I found 5 meals for the week in a 5 ingredient or less, crockpot cookbook. The hardest thing about my "Crockpot For a Week" challenge will be cleanup. Usually, whenever I use my crockpot I always just leave the leftovers in it and put the whole thing in the fridge. I hate, hate, hate cleaning the crockpot!!!
I will post all of the recipes after I try them and give a review. I'm going to try to convince myself to take pictures too!
Oh, and a Special K update... I lost 5lb in two weeks. I cheated on weekends so it wasn't a full two weeks. It was actually 10 days of dieting. I will continue to have Special K for breakfast but not for lunch. I'm not going to go back to eating lots of junk either. No chips or snack cakes, more fruits and vegetables.
In other news :) Keaton is 18lb 6oz and 25.5in long. They told me that he is in the 25th percentile for height, 85th percentile for weight. The song is true, he really is a little teapot, short and stout.
I found 5 meals for the week in a 5 ingredient or less, crockpot cookbook. The hardest thing about my "Crockpot For a Week" challenge will be cleanup. Usually, whenever I use my crockpot I always just leave the leftovers in it and put the whole thing in the fridge. I hate, hate, hate cleaning the crockpot!!!
I will post all of the recipes after I try them and give a review. I'm going to try to convince myself to take pictures too!
Oh, and a Special K update... I lost 5lb in two weeks. I cheated on weekends so it wasn't a full two weeks. It was actually 10 days of dieting. I will continue to have Special K for breakfast but not for lunch. I'm not going to go back to eating lots of junk either. No chips or snack cakes, more fruits and vegetables.
In other news :) Keaton is 18lb 6oz and 25.5in long. They told me that he is in the 25th percentile for height, 85th percentile for weight. The song is true, he really is a little teapot, short and stout.
Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
This recipe is from a Pampered Chef cookbook, shared on a friend's blog. Thanks Michelle!
Cinnamon chips
3 10" flour tortillas, each cut into 8 triangles
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2tbs sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread tortillas in a single layer onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Lightly spray water onto tortillas (I just wet my hands and patted the tortillas, because I didn't have a spray bottle handy)
Mix together cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over tortilla triangles.
Bake for 8 minutes or until crispy and golden.
Fruit salsa
2 apples (I used 1 green, 1 red)
1 cup strawberries
1 kiwi
1 orange
2tbs brown sugar
Peel, core, and dice apples
Dice strawberries.
Peel and dice kiwi.
Zest orange, then squeeze juice into bowl with apples, strawberries, and kiwi.
Mix everything together with the brown sugar and enjoy!
This was so good and super cheap because I had everything at home except the strawberries and 1 apple, so I spent less than $1.50 on ingredients. I thought about adding a pear because I had a couple lying around but decided to just stick to the original recipe since I was making it for the first time. I will definitely make this again!
Cinnamon chips
3 10" flour tortillas, each cut into 8 triangles
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2tbs sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread tortillas in a single layer onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Lightly spray water onto tortillas (I just wet my hands and patted the tortillas, because I didn't have a spray bottle handy)
Mix together cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over tortilla triangles.
Bake for 8 minutes or until crispy and golden.
Fruit salsa
2 apples (I used 1 green, 1 red)
1 cup strawberries
1 kiwi
1 orange
2tbs brown sugar
Peel, core, and dice apples
Dice strawberries.
Peel and dice kiwi.
Zest orange, then squeeze juice into bowl with apples, strawberries, and kiwi.
Mix everything together with the brown sugar and enjoy!
This was so good and super cheap because I had everything at home except the strawberries and 1 apple, so I spent less than $1.50 on ingredients. I thought about adding a pear because I had a couple lying around but decided to just stick to the original recipe since I was making it for the first time. I will definitely make this again!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Special K deal, surprise find, and Angel Food Ministries
It's been a couple weeks since I have posted. Not too much exciting going on here. I made more gummy candy last night, tropical fusion and blackberry fusion... Yum!
Chris and I are starting the Special K Challenge on Monday. I've got to lose some weight, I love Special K cereal and cereal bars, so why not start with that. I don't do well with diets so I'm hoping this will be a step in the right direction. If I lose some weight doing this, then I will (hopefully) be able to convince myself to work harder to lose the baby weight. Special K cereal and cereal bars were on sale at CVS. They were 2 for $5, if you purchased a gallon of milk for $3.19 you get $3 ECB. We didn't need milk so I just bought 2 boxes of cereal and 2 boxes of cereal bars. Imagine my surprise when the cashier handed me my $3 ECB (from the Special K/milk deal) and $9.50 ECB (for my winter spending?). If I would have known that I would get the ECB I would have bought the Special K in 2 separate transactions, but oh well. I went to another CVS to checkout their selection and got 4 more boxes of Special K. Total was $10, used the $9.50 ECB. So I paid $0.50 for 4 boxes of cereal, and got back another $3 ECB! With all the ECB I ended up basically spending $4.50 for 6 boxes of cereal and 2 boxes of cereal bars.
Then we went to Sams to look around and found a 6lb box of pasta for $2.91! There are three 1lb bags of penne and three 1lb bags of fusili in the box, I bought 2 boxes and a 25lb bag of rice ($8). I've never bought so much in bulk but I couldn't resist the price on the pasta (I needed pasta anyway).
I've heard a lot about Angel Food Ministries, but I always forget about it until the ordering deadline for the month has passed. This month I remembered so I decided to give it a shot. The box is supposed to feed a family of 4 (dinner) for a week. We went this morning and picked it up. Every month they include a box of shelf-stable milk. I had no idea what to do with it, I've never used it. When I got home I remembered that Cody was out of pancakes for his breakfasts during the week. I made a double batch of pancakes using the milk, my dad stole a couple and said that they pancakes were great. Yay!
Chris and I are starting the Special K Challenge on Monday. I've got to lose some weight, I love Special K cereal and cereal bars, so why not start with that. I don't do well with diets so I'm hoping this will be a step in the right direction. If I lose some weight doing this, then I will (hopefully) be able to convince myself to work harder to lose the baby weight. Special K cereal and cereal bars were on sale at CVS. They were 2 for $5, if you purchased a gallon of milk for $3.19 you get $3 ECB. We didn't need milk so I just bought 2 boxes of cereal and 2 boxes of cereal bars. Imagine my surprise when the cashier handed me my $3 ECB (from the Special K/milk deal) and $9.50 ECB (for my winter spending?). If I would have known that I would get the ECB I would have bought the Special K in 2 separate transactions, but oh well. I went to another CVS to checkout their selection and got 4 more boxes of Special K. Total was $10, used the $9.50 ECB. So I paid $0.50 for 4 boxes of cereal, and got back another $3 ECB! With all the ECB I ended up basically spending $4.50 for 6 boxes of cereal and 2 boxes of cereal bars.
Then we went to Sams to look around and found a 6lb box of pasta for $2.91! There are three 1lb bags of penne and three 1lb bags of fusili in the box, I bought 2 boxes and a 25lb bag of rice ($8). I've never bought so much in bulk but I couldn't resist the price on the pasta (I needed pasta anyway).
I've heard a lot about Angel Food Ministries, but I always forget about it until the ordering deadline for the month has passed. This month I remembered so I decided to give it a shot. The box is supposed to feed a family of 4 (dinner) for a week. We went this morning and picked it up. Every month they include a box of shelf-stable milk. I had no idea what to do with it, I've never used it. When I got home I remembered that Cody was out of pancakes for his breakfasts during the week. I made a double batch of pancakes using the milk, my dad stole a couple and said that they pancakes were great. Yay!
Nuture Baby...Naturally
Check it out for great babywearing/cloth diapering information. Stay up to date on the latest sales and newest products (and weekly giveaways!). :)
Saturday, April 10, 2010
French Toast Casserole
Today we had a brunch at my house for the mom's group that I am a part of. I decided to make a French Toast Casserole. I had never made one before but I have heard it's really good. Of course, when I googled it, tons of recipes turned up. The one I chose said to refrigerate overnight before baking.
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c milk
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c brown sugar
15 slices of bread
Melt butter and pour into a 9x13" pan.
Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in one bowl.
Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in another bowl.
Place half of the bread into the pan (I cut the crusts off of the bread, but you don't have to).
Pour 1/2 of the brown sugar mixture on top of the bread.
Layer the other 1/2 of the bread on.
Pour the egg/milk mixture all over the bread.
Pour on the other 1/2 of the brown sugar mixture.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake at 350 for another 15 minutes.
It wasn't the prettiest looking thing, but it tasted good. :) I think next time I will cube the bread (just because I think it will look better this way) and I will buy day-old bread to save some money.
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c milk
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c brown sugar
15 slices of bread
Melt butter and pour into a 9x13" pan.
Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in one bowl.
Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in another bowl.
Place half of the bread into the pan (I cut the crusts off of the bread, but you don't have to).
Pour 1/2 of the brown sugar mixture on top of the bread.
Layer the other 1/2 of the bread on.
Pour the egg/milk mixture all over the bread.
Pour on the other 1/2 of the brown sugar mixture.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake at 350 for another 15 minutes.
It wasn't the prettiest looking thing, but it tasted good. :) I think next time I will cube the bread (just because I think it will look better this way) and I will buy day-old bread to save some money.
Homemade Gummy Candy
A mama on DS recently shared a recipe she found for gummy candy so I decided to give it a shot. It was super easy to make...
- 1/3 c. water
- 1 3 oz. package of flavored gelatin
- 2 packages of Knox unflavored gelatin.
In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients and let them sit there for about 10 minutes. After they sit, turn on your burner to low and stir until all of the gelatin is dissolved. Let it cool for about a minute (not too long) and pour the mixture into something that's easy to pour from. Then just pour the mixture carefully into the candy molds, you can also use the bottom of a muffin tin. I didn't have either so I just poured mine into 8" pie pans. Put them into the fridge for about 10 minutes. I made 2 batches, 1 pineapple and 1 cherry. They pulled easily out of the pie pans and then I sliced them like a pizza.
They were so good! I ate too much, my stomach started hurting, lol. There are a bunch of different ways to make them. You can make them using sugar-free Jello, fruit juice, etc. I plan to try all the different ways (and flavors!) to figure out which I like the best.
- 1/3 c. water
- 1 3 oz. package of flavored gelatin
- 2 packages of Knox unflavored gelatin.
In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients and let them sit there for about 10 minutes. After they sit, turn on your burner to low and stir until all of the gelatin is dissolved. Let it cool for about a minute (not too long) and pour the mixture into something that's easy to pour from. Then just pour the mixture carefully into the candy molds, you can also use the bottom of a muffin tin. I didn't have either so I just poured mine into 8" pie pans. Put them into the fridge for about 10 minutes. I made 2 batches, 1 pineapple and 1 cherry. They pulled easily out of the pie pans and then I sliced them like a pizza.
They were so good! I ate too much, my stomach started hurting, lol. There are a bunch of different ways to make them. You can make them using sugar-free Jello, fruit juice, etc. I plan to try all the different ways (and flavors!) to figure out which I like the best.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Potatoes! OAMC
Yesterday I got a 10lb bag of potatoes at the grocery store. I decided to do OAMC (once a month cooking) with them because I never use all of my potatoes before they go bad. I have been reading this blog for a while
and figured I'd go ahead and give her idea a try.
I ended up with 26 twice-baked potato halves, 26 potato skins and 12 individual servings of mashed potatoes. I made all of those for less than $8!
I also bought 6lb of apples for $3 so I plan to do something with them too. I'm thinking apple butter, but we'll see. :)
and figured I'd go ahead and give her idea a try.
I ended up with 26 twice-baked potato halves, 26 potato skins and 12 individual servings of mashed potatoes. I made all of those for less than $8!
I also bought 6lb of apples for $3 so I plan to do something with them too. I'm thinking apple butter, but we'll see. :)
Monday, April 5, 2010
Diapers are here!
Last week I found 3 BumGenius one size diapers for $28 in great condition on diaperswappers.com, of course I pm'd the mama as soon as I saw the post and paid for them. I have been patiently waiting and today I saw my mail lady pull up and put a package in my mailbox. I ran outside and was so happy when I opened it and saw the diapers!
I ordered 6 from franklingoose.com for FREE! The were running a promotion, I earned $5 for every review I did on items available on their website. The are all back ordered though so I probably wont get them for a few more weeks.
I ordered 6 from franklingoose.com for FREE! The were running a promotion, I earned $5 for every review I did on items available on their website. The are all back ordered though so I probably wont get them for a few more weeks.
Tons of Easter leftovers and Meal Plan 4/5 - 4/10
We had all of our family over for Easter on Saturday. I spent $40 on ham and everyone else brought something. No one wanted to take any leftovers home so we wound up with plenty left! We ate some yesterday for lunch and dinner and there is still plenty for all of us to have tonight for dinner. All of the ham is gone but I have some kielbasa thawing out that I will cook up unless my dad decides to fry the catfish that they caught yesterday. I wouldn't mind just having a vegetable plate but my dad and brother think that a meal is not complete without meat.
4/5 Mon - Kielbasa or catfish, mac & cheese, baked beans, asparagus casserole
The rest of the week, in no particular order:
Chicken (maybe in the crock pot?), mashed potatoes, broccoli & cheese, biscuits
Ribs, mac & cheese, green beans
Chicken, scalloped potatoes, carrots
Pork chops, cauliflower & cheese, rice, biscuits
Roast, potatoes, carrots, biscuits
4/5 Mon - Kielbasa or catfish, mac & cheese, baked beans, asparagus casserole
The rest of the week, in no particular order:
Chicken (maybe in the crock pot?), mashed potatoes, broccoli & cheese, biscuits
Ribs, mac & cheese, green beans
Chicken, scalloped potatoes, carrots
Pork chops, cauliflower & cheese, rice, biscuits
Roast, potatoes, carrots, biscuits
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The changes
I have been making changes in the way we live lately. I want to do what is best for my family in every aspect of life. I want us to be able to do things, not live paycheck to paycheck. I also wants to make all of the best parenting choices that I can for Keaton. I am not saying that you are a bad parent if you don't do the things I do. We all do what works best for us, and the choices that I make are what works best for me. :)
My thrifty changes...
I have always tried to shop sales and use coupons but I have never really been very dedicated to it because we always had enough money. When we decided that I would be a stay a home mom, I knew that things had to change. I needed to stick to a budget and make our dollars stretch as far as possible.
My goals are:
Shop sales
Match coupons to sales
Avoid buying junk
Don't buy something just because it is on sale
Shop only every two weeks, instead of every week
Use perishable groceries before they go bad to avoid throwing away money
Start a stockpile
Don't be shy about being thrifty, it's not anything to be ashamed of!
I'm sure that there are others that will come to my mind later, but those are the main ones.
My parenting and lifestyle changes...
Before Keaton was born I learned about babywearing. I knew that I want to wear him for multiple reasons. I wanted to be able to have him close to me whenever I wanted to. I wanted to be able to do things around the house without having to leave him in the bouncy seat, swing, or exersaucer to cry. So, when he was born I started to wear him. I don't wear him all of the time, to be honest, sometimes I go days without wearing him. Then there are days like today where I decide that I need to clean the house, I put him in the sling and wore him around. Of couse, he was asleep within a few minutes (it happens every time I wear him) and I was able to get everything done that I needed to.
I never thought that I would be the type to cloth diaper. I have been slowly buying cloth diapers for a couple of weeks now. We don't use cloth all of the time, but when he and I are home alone during the day I use them. I hope to build up a big enough stash within the next couple of months that we can use cloth all of the time though.
Keaton sleeps in a co-sleeper next to our bed... Some of the time, the rest of the time he sleeps in our bed. Some of my family doesn't agree with it. I've heard all kinds of comments, "don't do that, it's dangerous", "you're going to regret that", "he's old enough to be in his crib, in his room", etc., etc.
I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of soap nuts. Soap nuts can be used for laundry detergent (my main reason for buying them), you can also use them to make; shampoo, hand soap, cleaner, mosquito repellent, dishwasher detergent, and even toothpaste. Chris (my boyfriend) and my dad (we share a house with my dad and brother) think I am crazy, but they try not to say too much. I'm sure when the nuts get here they'll pick on me about it though. I don't blame them, I never expected to wash my clothes with something that grows on trees either.
My reason for creating this blog is so that I can look back at my changes and see the progress I make. Hopefully I'll see improvement in my spending habits and I'll develop more crunchy habits too. :)
My thrifty changes...
I have always tried to shop sales and use coupons but I have never really been very dedicated to it because we always had enough money. When we decided that I would be a stay a home mom, I knew that things had to change. I needed to stick to a budget and make our dollars stretch as far as possible.
My goals are:
Shop sales
Match coupons to sales
Avoid buying junk
Don't buy something just because it is on sale
Shop only every two weeks, instead of every week
Use perishable groceries before they go bad to avoid throwing away money
Start a stockpile
Don't be shy about being thrifty, it's not anything to be ashamed of!
I'm sure that there are others that will come to my mind later, but those are the main ones.
My parenting and lifestyle changes...
Before Keaton was born I learned about babywearing. I knew that I want to wear him for multiple reasons. I wanted to be able to have him close to me whenever I wanted to. I wanted to be able to do things around the house without having to leave him in the bouncy seat, swing, or exersaucer to cry. So, when he was born I started to wear him. I don't wear him all of the time, to be honest, sometimes I go days without wearing him. Then there are days like today where I decide that I need to clean the house, I put him in the sling and wore him around. Of couse, he was asleep within a few minutes (it happens every time I wear him) and I was able to get everything done that I needed to.
I never thought that I would be the type to cloth diaper. I have been slowly buying cloth diapers for a couple of weeks now. We don't use cloth all of the time, but when he and I are home alone during the day I use them. I hope to build up a big enough stash within the next couple of months that we can use cloth all of the time though.
Keaton sleeps in a co-sleeper next to our bed... Some of the time, the rest of the time he sleeps in our bed. Some of my family doesn't agree with it. I've heard all kinds of comments, "don't do that, it's dangerous", "you're going to regret that", "he's old enough to be in his crib, in his room", etc., etc.
I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of soap nuts. Soap nuts can be used for laundry detergent (my main reason for buying them), you can also use them to make; shampoo, hand soap, cleaner, mosquito repellent, dishwasher detergent, and even toothpaste. Chris (my boyfriend) and my dad (we share a house with my dad and brother) think I am crazy, but they try not to say too much. I'm sure when the nuts get here they'll pick on me about it though. I don't blame them, I never expected to wash my clothes with something that grows on trees either.
My reason for creating this blog is so that I can look back at my changes and see the progress I make. Hopefully I'll see improvement in my spending habits and I'll develop more crunchy habits too. :)
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