Maple Chicken- Feeding a Crowd

Every time I serve this meal to another family I'm asked for the recipe.  It's super easy AND forgiving, it also works well for people with allergies as it is dairy free, gluten free, soy free, egg free and nut free.  The best part?  Because it's on the sweet side nearly every little kid loves it!

Maple Chicken*
(This would serve 8 or so, adjust according to need)
12 or so Boneless/Skinless Chicken thighs- I buy the big frozen bag at Costco
1/3 cup Maple Syrup
2 Tbs Coconut Aminos (This is an alternative to Soy Sauce, you can use Soy Sauce or Bragg's)
2 Tbs minced garlic and/or 1/2 a chopped onion
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
*This recipe is so forgiving.  The amounts given are approximate.  I don't think I've ever used the exact same amounts twice...I've even forgotten an ingredient.  It always turns out, though I do believe these amounts will get the best results.

Place the chicken in your crock-pot/slow cooker.  Turn it on HIGH while you are mixing the rest of your ingredients.  In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup mix together remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken.  I like to leave the slow cooker on high for an hour or so to bring it up to temp quickly, then turn it down to LOW.  This cooks 6-8 hours on low.  BUT if you forget to start it earlier in the day OR it just works better (for you) to start it later; just leave it on high for 4 hours.  Make a gravy with all of the juices left behind in the pot after you remove the chicken.

I serve this chicken with mashed sweet potatoes...

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
(again, adjust amounts according to how many people you are serving and to taste)
5 peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
1/2 butter or coconut oil
1/2 to 1 can of full fat coconut milk
a dash of Cinnamon
Salt to taste

Boil the cubed sweet potatoes in water until tender.  Drain and put back in pot.  Add butter/oil, coconut milk, cinnamon and salt.  Mash (I like us use my hand mixer).   Babies and toddlers LOVE this too.  I like to make extra to freeze when I have a little one.

This is about the amount I make to serve my family, sometimes a bit more or less.  Serve it with some sort of veggie (broccoli works well) and/or salad.   Right now there are 11 of us.  The teen boys eat quite a bit, others not so much.  It all evens out to be just about right for us.

Pantry Challenge- getting ready

Every January I like to do a pantry challenge (that's when we eat out of the pantry and freezer for as long as we can, getting creative and buying very little).  Over the year stuff has accumulated in the pantry and the freezer, you know, random stuff that got pushed to the back and forgotten.  We're also coming off of the holidays and despite how hard I try.... I go over budget.  It's time to clean out and get the budget back on track!  This works best when I prepare some things ahead of time.  Here's how I prepare for my pantry challenge.

I take inventory of what is in my pantry and freezer.  I check expiration dates.  I want to be sure that I'm using anything close to expiring first.  Go through the freezer and refrigerator as well.  This would be a good time to finish off those almost (or half) empty bottles of sauces, or do something with that piece of meat in the back of the freezer, or the bag of pot stickers you had forgotten about....

I gather everything I really want us using durning the challenge into one place.  All of those odd items that got lost in the back, or that are about to expire; they all need to be in one place.  Either set aside a shelf, spot on the counter, or some sort of bin for all of this (the nonperishable stuff).  If possible set aside a shelf in the freezer and refrigerator for the items you found there.

These two totes hold all of the items we want to use up first.  Open packages and food close to the expiration date (in the next 4 months or so) all get pulled out and put in here.  It's mostly breakfast and snack type items.

I start planning our meals from what I've found.  I do this a week at a time durning the challenge taking a quick inventory each week to see what else we need to get through.

My goal this year is both to clean out the pantry and to get our food budget back on track.  Part of the cleaning out goal is getting rid of the junk that accumulated over the year and get us back on track in the diet area.

Are you going to do a pantry challenge?  If so, what are your goals?  Let me know!

Pantry Challenge week 3

Whew!  I'm slow putting this post together, it was quite a week-end.  I'm so thankful for the retreat I was able to go on (and that I got to take my oldest daughter), and the big work day my family and I tackled on Monday; it all left me tired though.  Our pantry challenge is going well, but between the whole "end of pregnancy" thing and some very busy days I'm getting tired of it. :)  I'm seeing my goals accomplished though, so I'm inspired to keep going.

My poorly functioning pregnancy brain did not track expenses this week.  I didn't purchase much; bananas, pineapple, eggs,  and chocolate coconut (dairy free) ice cream...you know basic life essentials.  I also purchased several items for next month.  These were almost all convenience/specialty items related to the upcoming birth.

Ok, the menu for this week

Breakfast
Baked Oatmeal with fruit (random kinds found in the freezer)
Dutch babies
instant oatmeal

Lunch
Packed lunch 'o junk- my kids couldn't believe their eyes when they saw me packing this.  Caprisun (left over from our move), fruit cups (left over from camping), random crackers and nuts.

Baked potatoes
dinner left overs
Random stuff from the "Pantry Challenge" bag- we will finish this off this week!

Dinner
Chicken, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce- the last of the chickens we processed this year and          Thanksgiving/Christmas pantry left overs
Pineapple curry Chicken
Split pea soup
Tacos- the kids were so excited to hear that I found some extra taco meat in the back of the freezer!
Shredded Pork

This week-end and in the coming week we will start some bulk cooking.  My freezer is nicely cleaned out and ready to be filled with meals to get us through the first month or so after baby arrives.

Pantry Challenge week 2

Week 2 is not looking so much like a pantry challenge when it comes to dinners.  There were some great items hidden in the freezer and then we have a birthday.  We make a big deal out of meals for the birthday child; this child chose German food.  I don't keep those things in the pantry. :)

I spent more this week (last week I spent $0).  I placed an Azure (co-op) order; this can only be done once a month and I needed to order our coconut milk, raw cashews (which didn't ship), and pregnancy tea.  Total was $39.  I also ordered raw local honey; this is a group order that only happens once every couple/few months so I have to take advantage of it when it happens $33.

I had to go to Costco to pick up some items for a friend's dinner (she'd had surgery) and I picked up a couple of staples there for us too.  Onions (making it easier to make some flavorful meals), salad, eggs, string cheese (the toddler's favorite snack. This is not an exercise in torture; the whole family will be thankful she has it), GF pizza (because we have regular pizza in the freezer and I'm gonna be gone Friday night leaving Daddy and most kids to cook).  I think the total for our part was about $45.

I needed to go to the commissary to pick up pork chops for making schnitzel for the birthday dinner.  While there I picked up bananas and pears as well as some Larabars for me to snack on.  I'm starting to gather some baby items, so I picked up Newborn diapers and some wipes.  My total was $32

So, what's actually on the menu for the week?

Breakfast
Baked Oatmeal using frozen fruit from the freezer
Waffles (wheat free) and sausage- this is the birthday breakfast
Instant Oatmeal since we still have a surplus
Dutch babies/German pancakes (wheat and dairy free)
Banana Pancakes

Lunch
Dried fruit and nuts, crackers, nutella/PB, carrots, string cheese (this is a packed lunch)
PB&J sandwiches, carrots- this is the requested birthday lunch
Baked Potatoes
Left over stew

Dinner
Pot Roast- roast was hanging out in the back of the freezer
Schnitzel and spaetzle w/gravy, salad and cookies- this is the birthday dinner
coconut soup
frozen pizza- I'll be at a retreat with my oldest, dinner needs to be EASY that night

I don't have every meal for this week planned yet.  If we end up with a bunch of leftovers I'll want to use those up instead of cooking whole meals.

From Last Week's plans we had some great success with the Teriyaki Salmon and rice; this was made from canned salmon and I really thought most of my family would turn their noses up at it.  Instead there were requests for seconds and everyone finished theirs.  The oxtail stew smelled great as it cooked all day and was a wonderful comfort meal on our cold day.  That one was also a great success.

What about you?  How's your pantry challenge going?  What have you had to purchase?  What successes have you had?

Banana Pancakes- grain free/paleo

When I mentioned making Banana Pancakes last week in my Pantry Challenge post several people asked about it on Facebook, so I thought I'd post the recipe here.  It's surprisingly simple and it's been my family's favorite grain free pancake.  I have my awesome sister-in-law to thank for introducing this recipe to my family.  I love her.

1 banana (mashed) to 2 eggs.  Add cinnamon if desired.  Mix together.  Cook on griddle (don't forget to flip!).  Serve with butter and syrup (kids like maple, I like a fruit/berry syrup).

Yes.  It's that easy.

Yes.  All of those frozen bananas you have in your freezer are perfect for this.

For my crew we generally use 5 bananas and 10 eggs; I think I'll need to increase that though.  We often serve sausage, fruit or hash browns with these.  It depends on what we have available, how hungry I think the kids will be, and the day we have ahead of us.

*My kids usually make these.  Usually my 15 year old daughter, but sometimes my 12 year old son.  My 8 year old is able to contribute a significant amount of effort to the making of these as well.   This is a great recipe for getting the kids involved with.  Just exercise wisdom and caution in choosing to have kids work with (or not) a hot griddle.

Pantry challenge week 1

On Saturday I went through our pantry and cleaned it out.  I pulled out anything that had been there for a while, had been purchased for a specific recipe (and then not used), open packages, near the expiration date, or just something I didn't think we'd get to unless given a good push.

Much of this accumulated during "morning" sickness and the holidays.  We've only been in this house for about 6 months, so I didn't find anything too surprising or old....this time.

The freezer contained a bunch of open bags of frozen fruit and veggies, a roast, a couple of bags of frozen soup, boxes of Trader Joes pastries....random stuff like the pantry stash.

I made up a rough meal plan for the next week or so.  I'll have to go to the store next week for a certain birthday girl's meal requests, but that's it.  No $$$ being spent this week on food!

Here's the general plan for this week, along with using the fresh fruits and veggies we already had hin the house.

Breakfast
1)Finish off all of the open cereal and granola I found in the pantry.
2)Use up some of the instant oatmeal packets we have too much of...they are generally reserved for hubby's breakfast, but I bought too many when they were on sale.
3)TJ's pastries one morning
4)Banana pancakes- these are just made using frozen bananas and eggs (we generally add cinnamon too).

Lunch
1)Baked potatoes/sweet potatoes
2)crackers, PB, cheese, salami, veggies, fruit
3)spiced cider, quick breads, veggies etc

Dinner- I didn't need to get very creative here since we had some meals in the freezer that needed to be used.
1)Left overs from a large Ham dinner that we made on Sunday.  This will end up being a couple of meals for us this week.
2)Tuscan soup
3)Teriyaki salmon, veggies, and rice
4)Oxtail stew- We recently bought 1/2 a cow.  I'm using the Oxtail now knowing that its a part we normally would not use.  We shall see....

Next week I'll likely get more creative, if my pregnant brain can manage that.  Having all of the "extras" that I want to use collected in one place and out for others to see means that some of the kids have been contributing their own ideas and are finding things they are looking forward to eating.

What about you?  How's your menu looking?  In what ways are you getting creative?  Do share!

Time to clean out the pantry and freezer!

I love to use the month of January as a time to clean out the pantry and freezer.  I find that random things build up over the year and doing this once a year is helpful in keeping things cleaned out a bit.  There are a couple of other added benefits to this method, one being that it is helpful to the budget after the holidays.  After the holidays it's also just nice to try to stay home, I like not running to the store and instead getting a bit creative with our meals.  I'm going to see how long we can go without going to the store, or at least how little we can spend this month.

This year I have a couple of extra challenges.  I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy and I'm on a high protein diet.  This takes priority and could gum up the works a bit, but I will need to do what is best for baby.  Hopefully I'll have plenty of energy and creativity for this challenge.  ;)

An added bonus will be that this should free up some finances for stocking up the freezer for baby's birth.  I'll likely use any of the savings this month to do some bulk cooking at the end of the month.

I'm going to try to post our meals for the week and how much we've spent that week as well.  My guess is that the first week will not call for much creativity or spending.  It'll be the following weeks that will be interesting.

Anyone want to join me in this challenge?  I'd love to hear from you.

nut granola (nutola)- cooking for a crowd

As it begins to heat up again I'm thinking about our favorite summer breakfasts.  My kids enjoy a breakfast of granola (a mostly nut mix, very low on the traditional grains), yogurt, and fruit.  I make my own granola because most commercially available granolas are generally full of sugar and junk making them no better than a box of cereal (in my opinion).  I generally use what I have on hand and don't have a set recipe, I'll give the basics though as a starting point, this would be very easy to make gluten or grain free.  I do like to include the oats as they are a healthy inexpensive filler to help this stretch.

Nut Granola (all measurements are approximate unless otherwise noted)

1 c. sesame seeds
1 c. shredded coconut
1 c chia seeds (ground)
1 c flax seeds (ground)
(wheat germ could also be included if you don't mind having more grain in your granola)
1 c sunflower kernels
2 c almonds (chopped or pulsed in blender/food processor)
2 c macadamia nuts (chopped or pulsed in blender/food processor)
2 c hazelnuts (chopped or pulsed in blender/food processor)
(pecans, and walnuts are great choices too.  I sometimes include slivered almonds as well)
4 c rolled oats
(get creative, just about any seed or nut could work in this)

Mix all of the above ingredients in a very large bowl

(the below ingredients are more exact amounts)
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup honey
1 Tbs vanilla
2-3 tsp cinnamon (nutmeg could also be good)
1 tsp salt
(feel free to add any other flavors/spices you would like in you granola)

Melt the first three ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Just enough to combine, especially if you are using raw honey to avoid killing off the good stuff.  Then add the spices, vanilla and salt and mix well.

Combine all ingredients in a large pan (I use my turkey roasting pan) or two.  Place in oven heated to 350, remove and stir every 10 minutes or so until lightly golden brown.  I found that 30-40 minutes was about right for my pan/batch.  Allow to cool and then place in a large container (I like to use a glass gallon jar).

Zipzicles review and giveaway!

We recently gave zipzicles a try and loved them!  Now I get to do a review and giveaway for them.

What are they?

 -They are a long(ish) narrow plastic bag with a zipper top.   They are about what you would expect of a freezer weight zipper bag.

Why would you use them?

-Most kids enjoy frozen treats, especially during the summer.  Mine are no different.  I like to make my own treats for them whenever I can, so I know what is in them.  Additionally, because of various food intolerances most store bought frozen treats just do not work for my family.

How do you use them?

-Just mix up any (liquid/semi liquid) filling you want, pour in, freeze!  It's that easy!  My 13 year old mixed up blueberry smoothie, chocolate pudding and a layered fruit mix.  They make a great snack anytime!  They are great for on the go as well, since they are disposable.

Advice...

Don't over fill, when you close it filling will come out the top if you do.

The site says that these can be reusable.  I believe it, but have not tried it.  I bought these because they were fairly inexpensive and disposable.  I've heard they can last for 2-3 more uses.

You can order these directly from www.zipzicles.com Amazon sells them and the zipzicles web site also list retailers that sell them.

Now for the giveaway!  You can enter by following this blog through google friend connect (to the left on the sidebar) and leaving a comment.  You can also enter by leaving suggestions/recipes for great filling ideas.  Please do a separate comment for each entry.  I'll draw a winner on June 20th!

Time to clean out the pantry/refrigerator!

I do this every January.  I set this month aside to clean out the pantry and refrigerator.  This has the double benefit of not just cleaning these out; but it helps the budget after the Christmas season.  This year this also needs to be done because we will be moving this spring/summer.  I'd rather get a jump start on this now.

This year it will be extra easy early in the month because I still have a fair bit left in my freezer from when the baby was born.  We will finish that up and then move on to the other stuff in the freezer/pantry for dinners.  It will be the breakfasts and lunches that will get a bit more interesting.  I have just taken a quick look at what I have.  It seems that canned salmon did not go over well with the family, but I'm looking forward to having salmon cakes for some lunches.

I'm also going to see how long I can go without having to head to the store.  I'll update this post later to let you know how I've done.  In the mean time...Are you doing a pantry clean out?  Let me know what you are finding in your freezer/pantry.  What was the, um.... most interesting, thing you found in there?

Freezer cooking (preparing for baby/postpardum recovery time)

Its time for me to start filling up our freezer with meals so that after baby is born my family can be fed with little to no effort on my part.  It makes me feel so good to know that once all of my help is gone I'll have these meals waiting for our family to make life easier as we continue to recover and adjust.

I started my freezer filling weeks ago by researching recipes that would freeze well (my old standbys no longer work as we need to keep the meals dairy free for our toddler).  I found a bunch here that look like they will work well for my family.  I made up a master list of what we would need, looked through the pantry/freezer to see what we already had, and then made up my grocery list from there.  The day before our big cooking day I did a big shopping trip.  When we got home we set everything we could out on our school table with the recipe they belonged to as well as the (labeled) bag or pan that would be needed.

I hit the ground running the morning of our cooking day.  Chicken breasts needed to be cooked up for a couple of recipes and beans also needed to be cooked up.  After breakfast I was able to start assembling.  The rest of the family was occupied with our regular Saturday cleaning chores.  My husband was kind enough to supervise this and take care of the little kids.  This allowed me to give my undivided attention to the cooking.

By the afternoon everyone had finished their regular chores and came in to help me.  What a blessing this was as I was starting to loose steam.  My oldest took over a couple of recipes for me.  One of my boys took over a recipe as well.

I was very thankful for my five year old's help.  She was my little runner that afternoon; getting things I needed and putting other things away.  She also peeled quite a few carrots for me.

By the end of the day I was beat, done, out of steam.  I was glad I had started our dinner in the crock pot that morning.  I put my feet up for the rest of the evening and enjoyed the thought of the 29 meals waiting in the freezer.

*To help keep track of what is in there and allow my helpers to know what is available we have an inventory sheet on the freezer.  As I added meals I quickly wrote down what they were.  Now the trick will be to find what you are looking for. ;)

**The key to one of these big cooking days is being well organized ahead of time, including the meals you and your family will be eating that day and the care of any young children.  Working together as a team REALLY helps too.  I could not have made it through the last 10 meals or so without the help of our crew.  It also gives the whole family a sense of accomplishment knowing we did this all together. 

Summer road trip (RV/trailer, grain free, dairy free)

Last spring we acquired a travel trailer, and over the past year I've enjoyed settling into it a bit and figuring out a different way of traveling with my large family.  While pulling a little home behind us has its own set of difficulties I love that we do not have to pack and unpack for hotel rooms along the way. With food intolerances having our own kitchen is a huge help as well.

This spring we spent three weeks on the road going from the South West to the Mid-West.  With 9 in our family I had to plan well to get all of our clothes and stuff neatly stowed away.

*Clothes for 8 of us are in this closet.  Hubby has his own small closet.

*Each of these two drawers holds PJ's, socks, and underwear for 4 people.

Needing even more careful planning is the food.  Of course I'm wanting to help my family eat healthy and keep our budget low, but two of us also need to stay as wheat and dairy free as possible.  With limited space I needed to be creative and plan reasonable items and ingredients to be purchased along the way.  I also needed to be thoughtful of the fact that we are on vacation, treats and special meals should be planned so we are more likely to resist temptation on the road.  I also needed to keep in mind that we would be needing to pack lunches for meals on the go when we were at museums and such.

*Non-perishables stowed away under the dinette bench seat for later in the trip.  Mixes are made up as well for pancakes and anything else I think we may need to bake up along the way.

*My kids consider PB&J sandwiches treats.  Some begged for Kraft EasyMac, if ever I was to allow it, now was the time (a box of dye free Mac&Cheese was purchased so that our dye free kid could enjoy along with others when aunties made up the "real" stuff).  Crackers and cookies are simple easy treats that will keep the kids from asking for worse junk.

*Keeping plenty of water bottles and 100% juice for the kids will keep us hydrated and keep the kids from asking for other "juices" and sodas along the way.  The Hansen's sodas will keep hubby and I from being tempted by other sodas at gas stations.

*Our snack drawer;  applesauce/berry pouches and freeze dried fruit will make fairly healthy treats on the road when we run low of fresh fruits and veggies.  These will also be easy for me to grab for snacks to put in my purse/diaper bag to keep the little ones from melt downs when we are out and about.

*Careful thought was given to what we would be putting in the fridge.  Salads in a jar make a great lunch for hubby and me (maybe not as space efficient as other things, but the health factor outweighs that this time) home made salad dressings are all set for making more salads along the way.  Pre-cooked meats and sausages will make meals fast and easy when we stop.  Hard boiled eggs make for a fast, easy, healthy breakfast along with some fruit.

*Pre-cooked hamburger can be added to the crock pot in the morning without the bother of cooking it up and dirtying dishes.  Grain free muffins, breads, and cookies make the trip easier for those of us with dietary restrictions.  The pancakes-on-a-stick are another one of those treats that the kids begged for, they will make a fast breakfast one morning, then they will be gone and we will not have them again. ;)

Nut balls

aka grain free cookie dough

1 cup nut butter (I used 1 cup macadamia nuts and 1/4 cup coconut oil)

1/2 cup nut flour (I used almond)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 Tbs. honey

1 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt (unless your nuts or nut butter are salted, then you may want to skip this)

1/8 cup (or more) mini-chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)

*The kind of nut butter and nut flour you use will effect the flavor of your nut balls.  I find the macadamia nuts give a mild flavor that more closely resembles the flavor of a sugar/chocolate-chip cookie dough.  I found almond butter to almost give a PB taste, but if you want PB cookie dough just go ahead and use PB.

Mix all ingredients in a blender (I use my vita mix).  Transfer to a bowl and mix in chocolate chips.  Form into balls and chill in freezer until hard.  I store mine in the refrigerator or freezer and pull them out as I need them.  These will last well on trips as long as they are kept chilled/frozen.

Diapers and wipes enough to last the trip as well as a few toys for the kids are stowed up above the girl's bed (they don't really need much in the way of toys on trips, but a few do come in handy).  When going on a road trip this is also a handy place to stow treasures picked up along the way.

I'm always asked about sleeping arrangements first when someone asks about our trailer.  Our basic theory on the trailer is that this is a major improvement over tent camping.  If we were tent camping we would all be sleeping in one small space.  What we have here is a major improvement on that. ;) If a road trip; it is an improvement on getting two hotel rooms or cramming into one if allowed.

*The three girls all sleep on the queen size bed that is a slide.  They all end up squishing together so if we have another girl there is still room for her to eventually join them. ;)

*The couch provides a bed for one boy. (but it seems the toddler wouldn't mind joining him)

*The "baby" sleeps in an extra small pack-n-play that just fits in the trailer.

*The u-shaped dinette converts to a bed that is maybe full sized (it is an odd size).  Two boys sleep on it.  I think there would be room for a toddler.  There is also floor space available that we are not yet using.

*The toy-hauler portion of the trailer also houses a fold down queen sized bed.  This area can be curtained off from the rest of the trailer giving mom and dad our own room with some privacy.

There are so many configurations for trailers and RVs, I think the key is flexibility and creativity when packing a large family into one  of these.

We are fairly new to using a travel trailer.  I'd love hear the tricks and strategies others use for packing and doing meals for a large family in a small space.  So far I think we're about 50/50 as far as using it for road trips or actual camping trips.  

Healthy eating- getting the junk food out (Lent)

One of my goals for this year was to work on healthier eating.  We've been letting too much junk in, to help us get it all out of our systems we've got a plan for Lent.  Healthier eating is not just good for our bodies, it can help clear the mind and can even be better on the pocket book (healthier can mean less medical expenses, and I find that when I'm eating whole foods my body just feels more satisfied ).

No wheat- while we are not cutting out all grains, wheat (in the form of white flour) is in so much of the "junk" be bring into the house.  This (wheat) is also something we are phasing out, or keeping to a minimum for medical reasons.  For this period of time we are going to get it all our of our systems.  Oatmeal will be our main grain as well as some quinoa and a bit of brown rice.

No refined sugars-  This will easily cut out the rest of the junk.  No white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and (as always) no artificial sweeteners.  What will we be using?  We will mostly be using honey, maple syrup, and some stevia.

Dye free- We have been moving to no artificial colors, we will get all of it out of the house after Mardi Gras and then keep it out!

What will we be eating?  I find that when taking something away it is very helpful to focus on what we CAN have and even add in some new alternatives.

For breakfast we will be having baked oatmeal, eggs, some bacon and maybe sausage.   We may even try some yummy baked goods like doughnuts and cinnamon rolls.  This looked like a fun breakfast too.

Lunches are fairly easy; the kids have a favorite bean dish we will have regularly.  I've made quite the stash of crackers including graham crackers (a huge hit), club crackers (enjoyed by most), herb crackers (YUM!  I love these; the recipe is found in this book), and coconut crackers (good, but need to be cooked until crunchy next time).  We will add in fruits, veggies, cheese, and salami for some tasty lunches that are a hit with my kids.

Feeling bad for my poor kids?  Don't.  I've got plenty of goodies planned for this time including (but not limited to)....

Vanilla bean cake, brownies, honey "caramel" corn, and homemade Hazelnut spread(nutella) pictured to the right.

I'll be posting on my family blog about our Valentine's day treats as well as St. Patrick's day.  Head on over there to see what I come up with.

Some of my favorite (on line) resources for healthy but "normal" recipes are...

Deliciously Organic

Spunky Coconut

Elana's Pantry

What about you?  Are you making some changes to how your family is eating?  What are you doing?  What are some of your favorite resources?  What are you doing to make this fun and help you stick to your plans?

Time to clean out the pantry/refrigerator/freezer!

The start of a new year is a good time to get a fresh start in the kitchen.  Doing a pantry challenge can help you de-clutter (get rid of the junk or odds and ends) and help get back to your budget (after it was busted with the holidays).  The goal is to eat what you have and purchase as little as possible, this will require some creativity.  I'd like to spend half of my regular budget this month.  I'm not sure I can do it, but I'll give it a go.

First I looked through my cupboards ignoring the recently purchased/staple items.  I found quite a bit to work with.  The black bean humus had sounded good, but I just never got to it, I think we will have it for lunch with some veggies.  The bags of caramels will be turned into some yummy candy bars with the help of some other staples.  I found a couple of packages of tortillas, it kind of scares me that they still seem to be good despite being purchased well over a month ago.

Then I went through my freezers (I have three), since one is mostly full of the 1/2 a cow we purchased 4 months ago most of that freezer needed to stay put.  The other two produced this and a bit more on the second go round (including a large turkey and a ham)....

I found several small containers of chili that were intended to be lunch for my hubby. :/ We will make a dinner out of them and some corn bread.  A bag of pot stickers that should have gone with our Costco Chinese food was found, that will be a lunch.  I had forgotten about the yummy Mozzarella and garlic sausages.  It seems that we have a pea lover in the family (not me), but I'm always forgetting to get them out.  We will work our way through them this month.

Are you going to do a pantry challenge too?  If so, what sort of goal are you setting for this challenge? What did you find in your pantry?  Anything of note?

Cooking for a crowd; Baked Beans

In the last couple of years we've started eating more beans.  Not just because they are inexpensive, but because they are good for you!  Some of my kids seem to like beans in just about and form, other are not quite so excited about beans.  This is a bean dish they all like.  I don't exactly have a recipe for this, but this is the general idea

Baked beans

1 lb. navy beans (rinsed and then soaked over night)

4 cups chicken stock/broth (I just pull a container of my homemade stuff from my freezer) you could easily use much more if you have it in place of some of the water.

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mustard or use some dry mustard

1/3 cup or more molasses or honey (we like it sweet)

Salt and pepper to taste

Bacon *optional* We just cut up a few pieces to add flavor.

Water enough to cover beans after everything else is added.  You may need to add more as these bake.

Adjust these to fit your taste, this is very easy to play with!

Put everything in a large pot or casserole dish and bake at about 350 all day.  Check it though out the day to make sure there is still enough liquid and stir from time to time.  Your beans are done when they are soft and brown!

Sometimes we add 1 pound of cooked ground beef to this just before serving.  My kids really like this with cornbread.  Sometimes we serve it in a bowl over the cornbread.  This time we served it on plates, with cornbread and a salad.

$75/week food budget? week 1

Over a month ago when I planned out this series I had no idea that the last couple of weeks would include racing out of town to be with family after my dad's death, or that friends in town would be providing my family meals while I was gone.  Life does not always happen the way you plan it, flexibility is important.  While I still plan to stick to around $75 a week when shopping, this week I'll still be pulling things from the freezer/pantry and doing very little shopping.  Family Feasts for $75 a week is the inspiration for this series, but I'm not sure I can stick to that with a family of 9.  We will see!

Something I should mention is that after moving all over with the military I notice that prices are different in other areas of the country so what I'm able to get may not be what you find.  Also, I'm able to shop on base at the commissary with does help with my budget a bit.  I buy my grains and some other things in bulk through Azure Standard co-op; if you have a drop in your area I highly recommend buying through them.

I have not had the time to do all of the math for these meals, I hope that next week I'll be able to do a better job of this.

Sunday

Breakfast- Apple rolls (from freezer) and sausage $4

Lunch- church potluck we will take chili and maybe cupcakes

Dinner- Leftovers 

Monday

Breakfast-Baked Oatmeal $9 (for the whole week including maple syrup and some fruit)

Lunch- Nachos (one bag of organic chips from Costco will last us a week; about $4.50), cheese $1 if there is leftover meat or toppings around we will add those, but my kids like these plain.

Dinner- Chicken Sandwiches (freezer), sweet potato fries (freezer) and salad (I'll buy organic spinach from Costco for about $3.50)

Tuesday

Breakfast- Baked Oatmeal

Lunch- Whole wheat bread, butter, and apple butter $2.50? have not priced out the baking the break or the homemade apple butter.

Dinner- Split pea soup using the ham bone from Christmas, homemade chicken broth, and left over veggies that were frozen maybe $2 (this will make enough to freeze some and have some leftovers!) and homemade whole wheat bread (I have not priced this out yet, I'll get to it though!)

Wednesday

Breakfast- Baked Oatmeal

Lunch- leftover soup

Dinner- pasta w/sauce (pantry about $3.50) and meatballs (freezer)

Thursday

Breakfast- Twice Baked Oatmeal (left over baked oatmeal all mixed together, add an egg or two and bake again!)

Lunch- pinto beans and chips (

Dinner- Lasagna, salad, and bread (from freezer, had been delivered by a friend two weeks ago)

Friday

Breakfast- Dutch Babies (also known as German pancakes)

Lunch- Nachos

Dinner- Family movie or game night! Homemade pizza, salad and homemade microwave carmel corn (about $5 total)

Saturday

Breakfast- Pancakes

Lunch-biscuits and gravy 

Dinner- Leftovers

 

Snacks will be 

Cuties bought a couple of weeks ago on sale $2.99

Apples bought through azure standard co-op $1 a pound

Carrots- $2

Pop corn (I'll have to price that out later)

I'll purchase two gallons of milk which should get us through the week that should be about $6 around here.

I'm linking to Organizing Junkie and Raising Homemakers

Cooking for a crowd: Baked Oatmeal

Check out my "Family Feasts for $75 a week" giveaway

Four days a week our family has baked oatmeal for breakfast. It is healthy and inexpensive, and most of us like it. In a large family those first two are oh so very important! We serve it with bananas or fresh berries when they are in season. Sometimes I'll mix frozen berries in. We always have maple syrup on it. This recipe is very easy to play with.

The night before I start it soaking (aids in digestion).

3 cups of rolled oats

2 cups milk (I use coconut milk since we are dairy free right now)

1 Tbs. vinegar, lemon juice, or yogurt the acid helps break down enzymes

In the morning add in

1/2 cup of butter or coconut oil

2 eggs

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

spices to taste (I usually just put a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg in but sometimes ginger too)

Put it all in a 9x13 greased pan. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve with maple syrup over it.

 

I mix the baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and spices together in a small the night before

*though I often mix several containers at once that way I only need to get those ingredients out once every week or two! This is enough for two weeks!

Generally we have some left overs, but who wants to eat leftover baked oatmeal? We've started saving the leftovers and mixing them together on day 4. Its Twice Baked Oatmeal! Just crumble up the leftovers and add in an egg or two mix it up, put in a pan and bake (at 350 for about 30 minutes).

I'm thinking that Orange Cranberry baked oatmeal sounds yummy for Christmas time. We tried pumpkin in November. Use what you have or what is in season to mix this up a bit!

I'm linking to A delightful home.

Pantry Challenge and a giveaway!

Well, its the last week of December.  Is your refrigerator full of leftovers? Your budget on empty? It seems that no matter how well we plan, things come up and December seems to be the month that busts our budgets. January is the month for setting goals and getting back on track! This week leading up to January and the new year I'll be doing a pantry challenge (trying to cook with what I have and buying as little as possible this week). Keep reading for the challenge that will start next week and the giveaway!

With my fridge full of not only Christmas leftovers, but a weeks worth of leftovers from wonderful meals that some awesome friends have been delivering this week we may not have to cook all week!

Our Menu for the week (I've filled in some of the meals, and I'll update the rest throughout the week)

Monday-

Breakfast- Pie/Christmas desert (this is a tradition in our house, the morning after the big holiday we feast on leftover desert!)

Lunch- Christmas Leftovers/sandwiches

Dinner-Christmas Leftovers

Tuesday-

Breakfast- We still have plenty of left over Christmas goodies/breakfast!

Lunch- Yep, still left overs!

Dinner- 

Wednesday-

Breakfast- Umm, I think we over did the goodies!  We're still working on them!

Lunch-

Dinner- Sausages, vegetables (found in the freezer, I'll steam them), bread

Thursday-

Breakfast- Baked Oatmeal

Lunch-

Dinner-Pasta and meatballs and salad

 

Friday-

Breakfast-

Lunch-

Dinner-

Saturday-

Breakfast- Pancakes

Lunch-

Dinner- Family Movie Night! Homemade Pizza with whatever toppings we have around, salad.  I'll make homemade microwave carmel corn tonight too!

Last year I was given the book Family Feasts for $75 a Week and really enjoyed it. I learned some great new tips for keeping my budget down and some wonderful new recipes as well. So...

For the challenge I'm going to try to stick as close to $75 a week as I can for our family of 9 in the month of January. I'll blog about my weekly shopping and my menu plan to keep myself accountable ;)

I'm wondering if anyone wants to join me in this challenge? Would you be interested in doing a link up if I put one up?

Now for the giveaway- I get to give away a copy of the Family Feasts for $75 a Week!  Mary Ostyn is going to give a copy of her book to one of you!

-Be a follower of this blog by google friend connect. (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

-Facebook about this challenge and giveaway (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

-Tweet this challenge and giveaway (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

-Blog about this challenge and giveaway (3 entries, leave 3 comments)

I'll draw the winner on Saturday morning.

I'm linking to Menu Plan Monday.

Cooking for a crowd- Apple Rolls

For the holidays I love to have special breakfasts to serve to my family. One of our favorites is Apple Rolls. They are like cinnamon rolls, only they have apples and apple butter inside!

I start off by making my own apple butter. I make this once a year and when its gone, its gone. My kids search the cupboards carefully when I announce we are out of it, just incase I missed a jar. They love it! I got the original recipe from crockpot365, but changed it around to work for my family, including super sizing it!

Apple Butter

30 - 40 pounds of apples (I find apples on sale, this time it was organic juice quality apples for $.50 a pound!)

4-6 Tablespoons of vanilla

- Quarter, core, and peel all of those apples. Just work on them through the day, and throw them in the Turkey roaster.

-Cook at 250 degrees for 8-10 hours (over night)

-Mash them up a bit then add

3-5 cups of sugar; brown and/or white (I use 3, but it depends on what you like and what type of apples you use)

cinnamon (to taste, I don't measure but I think it was more than a Tablespoon)

Cloves (again, I don't measure but I think a teaspoon or two would be good)

Cook this for 6 more hours. Check it from time to time taste it and add spices/sugar if needed. Make sure it is all well mashed up. Now for storing it you'll need to either freeze it, or find canning instructions.

I always set aside a large bowl/jar to use to make apple rolls with.

Here is the original recipe that will make two pans. I like to double it in my bosch mixer and freeze 2-3 pans for holiday mornings or to bless a friend in need with.

 

Apple rolls

6- 61/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat though)

2 Tablespoons yeast

2 cups milk

3/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

Filling

1/2 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups chopped, peeled apple

3/4 cup apple butter

1. In a medium sauce pan heat and stir milk, butter, vanilla, and sugar. Let cool, then add yeast (if it is too hot it will kill the yeast!). Put in large mixing bowl, add 3 cups flour, egg and salt and mix well. Add 1 cup flour at a time until it makes a soft dough. Place dough in a lightly greased very large bowl, turning once, cover. Let rise in warm place until doubled in size 45-60 minutes.

2. For filling, melt butter; stir in brown sugar, chopped apples, and apple butter. Set aside.

3. Punch down dough. Divide dough in half. Roll out one half in a rectangle, place half of the filling on it and spread over the dough. Roll the dough up, seal dough and cut. Place rolls in 9x13 greased pan.

4. Cover and let rise until nearly double in size (30-40 min.). Bake at 350 30 minutes.

Frosting or icing is nice on these is nice. Sometimes I use a cream cheese frosting, this time I used an icing made with real maple syrup. Yum! Enjoy!

I'm linking to Life in a shoe this week.

Cooking for a crowd: maple ribs, chicken...whatever!

Be sure to enter my giveaway!

I've been making this dinner quite a bit this past year. It is simple and goes over well with the whole family. It is also very flexible. The recipe was originally for country style ribs but I recently made with chicken thighs. I'm guessing it would work with beef too.

Maple ribs, chicken...whatever!

Several pounds of whatever meat you want to use

1-2 cups maple syrup

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 chopped onion

2 tsp cinnamon (I never measure though)

1 tsp all spice (ditto)

1 tsp ginger (ditto again)

Put all of the meat in the crock pot. Mix all of the other ingredients together and pour over the meat. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Remove the juices from the crock pot and make a gravy out of it. See, isn't that easy?

I serve this with mashed sweet potatoes (coconut milk is great mixed in with these) and a salad. So simple, making mom happy. Dad loves the meat. The kids love how sweet the maple syrup makes this meal!

I'm linking to Raising Homemakers and Life in a shoe