Choices, Choices. And Goals, too.

Wow, that's a lot of cereal. And I am sad to report that we have consumed it ALL as of last month. Wow, right?!! And also, apologies to my two followers for my break from blogging--what a long break, indeed. I know you both cried every night, realizing I had not yet posted a new blog. It's okay to wipe away those tears--because I'm back!! Haha. Poor you.





And shoot, I've really got to clean up my storage room floor! Yikes! Easter grass and picture frames....


I think the hardest part about writing about what the family and I have been going through lately is that I don't want to sound wishy-washy when I'm discussing the options we have and the choices we have to make. For instance, about the time that I stopped writing I had been offered an interview for a job that would have been VERY different than what I'm used to. But I didn't want to say anything until I knew one way or another what the outcome would be.

Oh yeah, what am I used to? Well, my BA is in Sports Medicine, basically. You know, travelling with athletic teams, working as a trainer at high schools, basically being the person who stops when they see a fresh automobile accident to make sure everyone's okay. And yes, usually they are not okay, and are almost always quite uncooperative. Ha.


But this type of position is just not easy with a family. Travel? No way. And having to drop everything or stay late because of a very real and serious injury that needs treatment? Not a chance. And besides, I would much rather stay at home with my children, if possible. And yeah, the money isn't as great as you might think it would be.


Really, I have done everything in my power to work from home so that my children would not have to be cared-for full-time by anyone other than their dad or me. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I was a nanny for many years, and know what a great opportunity it can be to have a great nanny for your children (in fact, I long for a few million dollars so that I might have a nanny on-call just for those times when I think I just might lose it!). It's just that I also know that there were times when the children just needed a good hug from their mom or some more time with their dad. And yes, I know my kids probably get too much attention from me--there is value to having "away" time too!




Seriously, though. I am getting waaay off track! So there was this position. The pay would have been great. But I would have needed full-time care for the kiddos. We have family nearby, but I was trying to find a way to have the husband stay home a bit more....


Long story short the job just was not for me. And so that solved that dilemma.



But now I feel like I need some type of work to do.... It helps to know that for the past four years I have been waitressing part-time in the evenings. It used to work out well because my husband would arrive home from a day at work at about the time I had to leave for work. But now that is not the case. He works evenings.

But I just have a LOT of energy. I like to fill all of my time with productive activities. I am optimistic most times, and I like to think I can accomplish it all. Cooking, cleaning (ha--what a joke!), reading to my kids, playing most of the day, being a calm, responsible adult in front of the kids (another laugh there--"Mommy" loses it quite frequently). And I also want to be the creative mom whom creates homemade cards, bakes cupcakes with flair, and has a perfectly manicured 'do when anyone comes to drop in. I also want to have a hobby farm. A small-scale farm with two sheep, maybe a cow for meat, many chickens, a few dogs, and a huge garden.



I can do it all, right?



Oh, and all while working or making a living of some type. Really, you would think that I'm crazy if you look at all I want to accomplish on paper. No wonder I am always running around like a mad-woman. When anyone asks me how life is going I almost always answer, "Crazy and busy!" It all makes sense. I want to do it all.



So let's just examine what all I currently want to do:



1. Homeschool the children. Okay, this one is not really my passion or dream, but rather my husband's. But until we can work out the ideal money-making job for me he must continue his interior construction-type installation job and I guess I'm the new kindergarten teacher!!!



2. Keeping the house pretty clean until we can sell it. Did you know we both love to remodel homes? That is what we have done with our current home. It is in a fantastic neighborhood, and had great "bones" but was quite outdated. Now we have it cute and of course, right when you get it the way you want it, it's time to sell it! So it is on the market. What a slow market it is, but really, we are in no rush.



3. Cook healthy meals for my family while maintaining a pretty slim budget. It's a skill, really, to be able to create great meals that please everyone, give everyone the nutrition they need, and all without spending too much for those fancy ingredients (sorry, no caviar here!). And as a smaller goal, we all love eating local, fresh food. Mmm--Farm to Market Pork....



http://www.farmtomarketpork.com/Home_Page.html

Seriously, the best bacon EVER!

4. Garden. I want to grow a bit of my own food. I know it's the latest craze, but I have wanted to and have done so for years--it just has not always turned out so great. My thoughts go back 2 years when i was VERY pregnant and couldn't bend down to weed the garden. Nothing survived--except for the seeds that my son dumped in the corner of a planter--those plants were quite successful! And then there was last year. A late freeze killed my adorable pepper plants, that were all in a row. It also stunted the growth of one of my heirloom tomato plants and the last remaining tomato plant did produce fruit, but it was quickly eaten by my sneaky dogs. This year--I am determined.

Okay, so other goals? Well, there is this idea of a new career. Here is where I am going to talk about something that may never happen. But it is on my list of things to consider. It is medical writing. Next week I will be attending a chapter of the AMWA (American Medical Writers' Association)'s symposium to get a better feel for this line of work. What would be great would be that I could combine my love for the academic side of medicine plus I could potentially work from home doing freelance work or by telecommunicating.

Do you want to know something else about me?

I just stopped my waitressing work to be available to care for a great grandmother with Alzheimer's. Wow, right?! The pros: she really is quite a jolly lady :) She currently acts a bit like a pre-schooler. And she adores my two children. They make excellent playmates! And she is cooperative. Thank goodness! Another pro is that I now get to be with family all of the time. Sure, I am going to need some type of a break during the week. Waitressing used to be my break, my workout, and my money-making time. So perhaps now grandma time can now meet some of our goals. And I really don't feel like listing the cons. Any of the negatives really seem more like they don't even compare to the benefits.

So, do you think I lead a crazy life? I certainly do. I don't know how other people do it. I really don't. I just know I want to do it all, and it's pretty hard to be satisfied when my list of "to-dos" is quite longer than my available time.

Pantry Basics

My husband thinks I'm a little different when it comes to organization. What can I say--I love lists. And I love being prepared.

Add to that the love of getting the most for the least amount of money, and then you end up with a pantry like this:

So there it is--28 boxes of cereal (I may have taken a few out to use. Oh, and this is my 2nd pantry, really. and those cans go back about 5 cans in depth....). I'm not crazy. I'm frugal.

Which brings me to my ideas on food and money.

How can you save money for your family?

Hit the sales when they're there, ensure the food's safety (freeze, can, buy non-perishable, or use right away), and use it all up.

So my weekly food shopping plan goes something like this:

1. Look over recipes and have a rough idea of what your family might enjoy for the week (I have a few meal staples that I will post on this site, plus I will browse new recipes on FoodNetwork.com or SmittenKitchen.com).

2. Know your store's sales and plan your meals around their sale or reasonably-priced in-season veggies/meats (Is there a sale on pork roasts? Stock up and plan for seasoned roasted pork one night, shredded BBQ pork sandwiches the next, and sweet and spicy chili later in the week).

3. Stick to your grocery list. If I enter the store with no list or have forgotten it, beware! I will exit with a dozen donuts, those waxy mini donuts in a box, ice cream (usually 2 containers), bagels, cream cheese, chips, and perhaps some frozen lasagna. Really. That's sad. So I know that, at least for myself, I must carry that geeky list with me.

4. Always allow for about $10 of "extras" in the food budget. It just happens. I always find something I either forgot to account for or some item that is never on sale that I just must have (usually items we eat anyway).

5. On weeks with little inspiration, plan on two separate grocery store trips. There is no need to buy enough vegetables for 5 meals when you really only have 2 planned out completely. Why risk not using them?! I know I am horrible at using all items I purchase unless I have a complete meal plan (just ask the eggplant in my fridge).

6. Know your prices.
*all prices are per week*

I aim for $10=meat (meats whose leftovers can double as sandwich meat are a bonus)

$6-10=cheese

$5-$8 milk

$10= fruit

$5-10 veggies

$2.50 crackers

$3-5 baking ingredients (I don't buy cookies or desserts. I figure I can make them at a cheaper rate)

$4 yogurt

$30 other (cereal, hummus, tortillas, oatmeal)

$5 canned beans, canned tomatoes

$5 bread

And I usually end up with a total around $100-125. I allow an additional $25 for toiletries, diapers, soaps per week as well.

Sure, the first weeks of following this rough guideline may leave you feeling like there's not enough food with which to get creative, but after a few weeks you will find that this week's in-season zucchini would work well in a zucchini dish paired with that ground turkey that had been on sale last week that you had frozen.

Want some more ideas on how to save a little extra money???

Grow a little.

Working your hardest to create a small garden brings the opportunity to not only enjoy home-grown food, but also allows for savings on produce. I absolutely loved the apple trees I had planted at my former home. They produced a fair amount of fruit, even for being young trees. Unfortunately my dog loved the apples more than I did, and became a proficient apple-picker. But still--container-garden tomatoes are a favorite of mine. I hope this summer brings many a tomato into my kitchen!

I can't wait to incorporate more recipes and garden tips on this site. So much to look forward to!

I Have Seen God

Well, here he is. Many have tried to see God, and I have been a fortunate one to be able to do so.

My four year-old insisted that he knows what God looks like. And then he drew this picture of him:

So he pointed out that he has a goatee, hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, arms, a body (torso), legs, and he didn't know what that other thing was :) Just an extra leg, I guess.

So folks, now you have seen God.

And on another note, today my husband teased me by telling me that I should post photos of my food storage pantry online. He says this thinking I won't actually do it. He thinks he's so funny. Yes, it could be embarrassing for me....

I just hit up the cereal sale at a local grocery store. My oldest counted the boxes. 28!!!!

What can I say, we really like cereal in my house! hahaaa

Well, he thought I wouldn't post photos, but here they are. For all to see! Argh, I'll put them in the next posting. Gosh, I hate technical issues sometimes!

Peanutella Magic!

So again, here I go, raving about my favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen. But she had a recipe on there for Peanutella (like Nutella but w/peanuts).

I just had to try it. To save some $$ and for added "fun" I convinced the kids that we should shell our own peanuts. Um...it just ended up that I did 99% of the shelling (boy, kinda rough on the hands). But anyway, that's my own fault. And still, I saved several bucks....

So anyway, the oldest and I just finished making Peanutella :) And boy, is it sooo good! Dairy-free and rich and creamy....but I totally have "peanut-butter mouth" (think of a dog eating peanut butter...stuck on the roof of its mouth....).

So the oldest had the best idea. Since I had swiped our peanutella on graham crackers, he tried adding marshmallows. and yes, we have a winner!

So take my word for it, you've got to try this one!

And to note, I added some Karo syrup to sweeten the deal, plus more oil than was called for (my mixer didn't like me until i did).

So there it is--enjoy!

Run! Fire Alarm!!!!

That is what tonight's excitement was all about.

I tried a new recipe. It involved a baking stone. Uh oh. My experience with my poor baking stone has not been stellar.... I usually burn whatever I am baking, or it is undercooked and sticks to the poor stone. Or a little of both--burnt and dough-y. The stone is now stained, with burnt goo that smokes when I use it each time--Lovely reminders of my skills ;)

So tonight I wanted pizza. The kids wanted pizza. With dad out of town for work and just the 3 of us at home, I thought it would be a great idea to try a new recipe.

And when I need a new recipe I rely on my favorite blog for recipes: The Smitten Kitchen. Deb has a way with food. She even has made me enjoy vegetables! Surprising, I know!

So anyway, pizza.

I made the dough. Just as I was kneading it my friend calls--there has been an emergency. Long story short--she's at the ER with her husband (who ends up being okay) and needs someone to come get her kids. I throw the mostly-kneaded dough into the oiled bowl and leave it to rise....

The problem is, it never rises. I even used brand new yeast, too! I still don't know what happened, but whatever--I need pizza. The kids are starving(and now there are 3). So I roll out the dough (I didn't take pictures because I expected a total disaster at this point). I make the pizza according to the directions. I even have corn meal for the baking stone (hoping for a non-sticky experience--fingers crossed!).

And you know what?

It was just BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

It's like the moment when you realize your brand new baby is just perfect, after months worrying about whether they will be a mutant child with 11 fingers and four toes.

Anyway, I actually wanted to eat this pizza perfection. So that's when I took a picture :)

And see? I am proud! Thanks Deb, for the great recipe! And then....I wanted to stick in another pizza....I thought I should heat the stone a bit more, so left it in there to heat up a bit more. I was just thinking how I didn't want a dough-y middle to my pizza. So after 5 minutes, in chimes the deafening, "Beep, beep, beep, beep....." you get the picture. The baby starts screaming, the older 2 kids start screaming and running all over the house, "Run!! Fire alarm!!" My friend's poor little girl keeps shouting, "Mommy says this is when you run out of the house!!" Meanwhile, the kids can't hear my explanation over all the beeping, their screaming, etc. so I focus on fanning the smoke detectors. It's comical, this scene. I am sure my neighbors noticed. And to all of you neighbors, I am sooo sorry!! To top it off, the jacket I grabbed to fan the detector swats my oldest in the side with its zipper as I'm flailing it around the hallway. So now there's a new crier.... Oh, it was great. THIS is life. Never dull. So, it was smoky because I still had some cornmeal left on the stone. So please, if you make this recipe, shake off the excess cornmeal before placing another pizza on the stone! :) Thank you. Lesson learned. Oh, but the pizzas were amazing!

But what about dessert?

That's right. Warm Molten Lava Cake. mmm....

It's a shame that I am the only adult in the household whom dreams of this dish. The husband will accept a serving right after it is made, but it's not his favorite. I am the one whom really loves it--I am a lucky girl!!! And yes, I have eaten the entire pan by myself (ouch!).

Warm Molten Lava Cake:

3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder (divided)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In an 8x8 inch glass pan (i've used non-stick metal, but it's just not as good) combine flour, sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder, adn salt. Stir with a fork (or you can be like my dad and carefully scrape all the lumps out with a metal spoon. or be like my conventional mom and grandma and sift it all together. or you can be like me and be lazy and just use the fork).

This is the part where I say, "Wait, wait, wait....I have forgotten something. Oh shoot, the baking powder!" And then I mix it in as if nothing had happened (thank goodness I remembered before I had baked it!). And thank you, recipe for being so forgiving!

Then sprinkle brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, and chocolate chips on top of the batter.

Top with the hot water and vanilla. Don't mix these last ingredients into the batter. Just let them sit on top. Strange, I know. But otherwise you'll just end up with a strange cake. Which, of course, I would still eat. But you are wanting warm, molten, chocolate cake....I do, anyway!

Bake for 30-35 minutes (when the surface of the cake looks dry). The dish should be bubbling around the edges. Allow to cool for a short while (this is the hardest part), then serve with vanilla ice cream.

Leftovers (if you have any) may be stored for up to a day at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving.

What's on my mind? Food!

So this week has been quite a normal week.

Kids wake me up, we eat breakfast, we play, get dressed, stuff some lunch down kids' throats, check backpack's contents, pre-heat the car (baby cries EVERY time i do this!), stuff kids into snow gear, take oldest to school, drive home/grocery shopping, pick kid up from school, drive home, the kids play, and I usually pass out on the couch or disappear into the facebook void. Except this week, with the inspiration of my husband (sigh), Food Network TV, and Men's Journal, Feb. '11 issue (thank you Daniel Duane!), I decided to actually cook healthy meals every day of the week!

I always intend on making great things for my family to eat. Meals that are healthy, inexpensive, easy, quick, and that my kids will eat. I don't ask for much :)

So when I find a recipe that fits into all of the above categories, I cling to it for dear life! It becomes a keeper.

And that's what we have for my first recipe of the week (thank you Sandra Lee, for the inspiration!): Grilled Chicken Cutlet Sandwiches with Herb Mayonnaise

So I didn't have the time/planning/patience to make it just as her recipe states, but I bought one of those thinner french baguettes from my grocery store's bakery (the key to the recipe--crispy on the outside, soft on the inside),

then grilled some chicken tenders from the freezer (on a cast iron panini skillet), then made her "herb mayo" with just chopped parsley and mayo :) but really, it was fantastic! We topped the adult sandwiches with tomato, cheddar, and lettuce, and the kids had just cheese and/or tomato. We ate every crumb!

Ooh! And let's not forget the other half of the meal--Sweet Potato Fries!!! Yum!

My love affair with sweet potatoes (or yams) began after a visit to Papua New Guinea. As one of the staples in the area in which I spent time, I went from hating the sweet potato to CRAVING it! Now I get my fill from these yummy fries (from Men's Journal): slice sweet potato into long wedges. toss in olive oil, and sprinkle on thyme and salt. bake at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes (i stop to flip fries midway through baking). Sooo easy. Healthy. And delicious!