I am blessed to have just arrived home after a lovely three day get-away with my sisters-in-law. I’ll tell you all about it on Gratituesday, but in the meantime, take a look at where I was on Friday:
Matt and the boys managed great on their own, eating much of what I had stocked away in the freezer. Now that I’m home, I’m anxious to get back in the kitchen. The break from the norm was refreshing, but now I feel the need to cook something. :)
Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:
Sunday, July 15
Oatmeal, fruit
Hamburger green bean casserole, cantaloupe
Leftovers
Monday, July 16
Turkey sausage and scrambled eggs, oranges
Homemade corndogs, fruit-kefir smoothies
Grilled bbq chicken, tossed salad, corn on the cob
Tuesday, July 17
Whole wheat pancakes, blueberries
Black bean taco salad, watermelon
Easy noodle stir fry
Wednesday, July 18
Mini breakfast pizza, strawberries
Fried zucchini, cantaloupe, peas
Chicken alfredo, steamed broccoli and carrots
Thursday, July 19
Granola, dried fruit
Tuna casserole, green beans, peaches
Creamy crock pot chicken and rice, tossed salad
Friday, July 20
Giant breakfast cookies, applesauce
Taco corn fritters, watermelon
Grilled steak, zucchini and yellow squash, tossed salad
Saturday, July 21
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, bananas
Leftovers
One dish meat and potato casserole
And now for the Vanilla Extract announcement!
We have a batch of Homemade Vanilla Extract bottled and ready for sale. We will be offering this on Wednesday, July 18 on a first-come-first-served-while-supplies-last-get-it-while-you-can basis. :) The sale will begin around 8:00 CST. Mark it down and come to the website early if you’re interested as we usually sell out very quickly. We have two, four, and eight ounce bottles to ship out.
If you’re interested in making your own vanilla, read instructions here. Now is the perfect time to start a batch so that you can bottle it and give it away as Christmas gifts!
I saw that you’re grilling steak and having zucchini on the same night. My dad got me started on some delicious grilled zucchini. You slice it thin, martinate it for a few days in italian dressing, and cook it on the grill until tender. It’s delicious! (But it does like to try to fall through the grates on the grill.)
Sounds awesome!
Did you list your vanilla prices and I just missed it?
We will be selling them for:
$8 (2 ounce)
$16 (4 ounce)
$27 (8 ounce)
These prices include shipping costs.
how do you make your hamburger green bean casserole? i have a ton of green beans and not everyone likes them.
I’m still tweaking this recipe, although a version of it is in my Holiday Hospitality ebook: https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/heavenly-homemakers-guide-to-holiday-hospitality-ebook. I just add ground beef to the mix.
Great menu. Seeing your breakfast pizza recipe reminds me that I want to make some of these on freezer cooking day and freeze them for later.
Are you able to find non-gmo corn on the cob where you are? That has been a big challenge this summer – so tempting to eat the regular, but I know it’s not good for us. What is summer without corn on the cob? Yet it’s become SO HARD to find it non-gmo! What do you think? Is this one of those things that falls into the 20% category of the 80/20 rule? (or as you might put it, a “compromise” food)? (-:
Since the gmo proeins become part of your intestinal bacteria, change the dna, and continue to function, gmo’s are the only thing that I NEVER compromise on. Your body can detox chemical flavorings, artificial flavors, etc, but you can’t detox a gmo.
Thanks for this info. Guess it’s really NOT worth it just to get corn on the cob. )-:
It’s true that God numbers our days, but we decide how we live them. We have the choice to live in health or illness & disease. God has the final say, but I sure don’t want to hear Him say “You knew the risks, and now unfortunately you’re facing the consequences of your decisions”.
Wow, very good and SCARY info. Where/how did you learn this/know this??
I’m sorry, I posted a reply here yesterday, but it contained website addresses, so it must have been marked as spam. So, I guess you could just do an internet search for the following: Jeffrey Smith, Seeds of Deception, The Nongmo Project, Dr. Mercola, and The Institute For Responsible Technology.
I also posted that there was 1 single human trial done (ever) with gmo “food”, but it only lasted 2 or 3 weeks. At the end of the trial, it was found that the gmo dna had transferred to the intestinal bacteria (actualy became a part of it) and continued to function, producing pesticides in their intestines indefinitely.
Not to mention the other awful effects of gmo’s like asthma, allergies, birth defects, stillbirth, infertility, organ damage (especially liver, kidneys, and male parts), male sterility, cancer, etc.
I hope this comment gets posted! And I hope you spread the word! The more people know, the closer we’ll be to getting gmos labeled and out of the food supply!
It’s this kind of info. that when I read it makes me want to scream … and panic … and never eat out or at anyone’s house or at church potlucks AGAIN! However, we have to remember that God is STILL in control, and HE numbers our days. We just need to make the best food choices we can with the information we have and PRAY HARD over the rest! (-:
Trader Joe’s (if you’re lucky enough to have one) has nonGMO corn on the cob.
We don’t )-:, nor do we have a Wholefoods nearby (sadly). We attempted to grow sweetcorn in the garden, but it really didn’t do well and took up a lot of space. So … I guess it’s just organic kernel corn from the freezer section for us, since the effects of gmo foods sounds pretty awful!
Laura, do you always leave your vanilla “cooking” for 6 months or sometimes shorter?? How do you know when you’ve got a good batch?? Is the yummy smell enough to tell?
My first ever homemade batch is just about ready to be bottled up :)
I always leave it for at least 4 months and it is just fine, but I prefer 6 months to get a really strong vanilla!
You can go by smell I suppose, although it starts to smell good after just a few weeks. Typically I can tell it’s getting close by it’s dark rich color (as opposed to a thinner looking color when it is just starting out).
I have a question that I’m hoping someone can answer! I have a batch of vanilla that should be ready in about a month. However, shortly after I put the beans in the vodka, I noticed some white stuff in the jar. Not on the surface of the vodka, but more like on the surface of the beans. I shook the jar and it was all floating around. Is my vanilla safe to use? Is it contaminated somehow (not sure how that could happen in alcohol!)? Should I use it or toss it?
I have the same thing! I’ve been asking around with no response…
someone please help!!! Is it mold…and if so, is it still ok if we
strain it out?
My guess (b/c I’m on my first batch have not experienced this) would be to call the company (blanking on the name at the moment, but the company where the beans came from. Maybe they would know.
I remember reading (on the olive nation site, I think) that the white stuff is a natural product of the vanillian in the beans and is harmless. In fact, it said if anything, it was a sign of a good quality bean.
Here’s what I found on the Olive Nation website:
“Bourbon beans may develop a frosting of natural vanillin crystals if you keep them for a while. This usually occurs over time and not when the beans are first cured and dried. These crystals indicate that the beans are high in natural vanillin and are of very good quality. They crystals are quite edible and very flavorful.”
Laura, I’m making my first batch of Vanilla and am just wondering if you have to do anything special (because it’s made with alcohol) to ship the vanilla across state lines? I plan to send some to family in NE for christmas. And maybe to make some to sell like you do….
Thanks for all you do…
We researched this for hours and because it is a “flavoring” it may be shipped all over the US. You do have to put it into a ziplock baggie and disclose that it is a liquid.
Thank you very much!!