**Be sure to take note of the giveaway at the end of the post!!**

We are having a very heart filled day. I wonder how old my boys will have to be before they start thinking heart shaped food is silly? My 12 year old still likes it (or at least acts like he does), so I think we have a few years left before heart shaped food on Valentine’s day becomes extinct at our house. 

I made Matt (and everyone else) a special breakfast of Peach Cobbler this morning. I figure…it’s fruit and I make it with sucanat and whole wheat. It’s definitely healthy enough for breakfast.

I loved seeing Matt’s face when he came down to breakfast! 
(The boys were in on it ahead of time and kept it a secret from Daddy!)

Here’s what we’re snacking on this afternoon… 

Heart Shaped Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers

There are still a quite a few truffles left, but someone has been attacking the caramel ones at quite an amazing pace. I have no idea who. {ehem}

Here’s our menu this week:

Sunday, February 14
Peach cobbler with milk
Heart shaped grilled cheese, tomato soup 
Heart shaped pancakes, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon

Monday, February 15 (Justus’ birthday choices)
Southside Grille with Daddy for breakfast
Hamburgers on homemade buns and fries
Cheesy turkey stromboli, tossed salad

Tuesday, February 16
Simple sourdough biscuits with butter and honey, bananas
Corn dog muffins, strawberry-peach slushies
Chicken tostadas, fruit-yogurt smoothies

Wednesday, February 17
Warm chocolate soother, homemade oat cereal
Salmon patties, ranch potato wedges, green beans
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, tossed salad

Thursday, February 18
Mini breakfast pizzas, oranges
Taco potatoes, pears
Beefy enchilada bake, tossed salad

Friday, February 19
Cheesy eggs, fresh pineapple
Beef and cheese burritos, apples
Cheddar ranch burgers on homemade buns, onion rings, carrot sticks

Saturday, February 20
Mom is great breakfast cake
Leftover buffet
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

And now for the giveaway! 

My Peach Cobbler recipe (which was devoured in about 15 minutes this morning) is included in my Have Your Cookie…and Eat it Too! ebook. This ebook is filled with all kinds of healthy treat recipes that include only whole wheat flour and natural sugars such as honey, maple syrup or rapadura/sucanat (dehydrated cane sugar juice). My family loves these healthy treats!

If you’d like to win a free copy of the Have Your Cookie…and Eat it Too! recipe ebook, say something nice in the comments section at the end of this post! I’ll pick a random winner in a few days!

:)
———————————————

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

After my cooking and baking marathon last weekend…this weekend seemed so…easy. The only extra food items I made this weekend were a Banana Cake and several loaves of  Applesauce Bread (made with shredded apples instead of applesauce). The great thing about having black bananas and grainy apples is that you can still eat them!! I wish all food that “went bad” had a good recipe to go with it!

Several more inches of snow fell, so we finally made some Snow Ice Cream!! That stuff is so good! (Even if you do sit there with stiff, blue lips while you eat it. It is so worth it!)

Here’s our menu this week:

Sunday, February 7
Oatmeal, applesauce
Chicken fried steak strips (recipe coming this week), mashed potatoes, gravy, peas
Super Bowl Party – German chocolate cake, cream cheese salsa dip

Monday, February 8
Whole wheat waffles with blueberry topping
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, strawberry-peach slushies
BBQ meatballs, baked potatoes, green beans

Tuesday, February 9
Warm vanilla soother, homemade oat crunch cereal
Tuna salad, crispy cheese crackers, strawberry yogurt fruit dip with apples
Italian roast wraps, fruit salad

Wednesday, February 10
Applesauce bread, pears
Pizza casserole, tossed salad
Chicken noodle soup, carrot sticks, homemade rolls

Thursday, February 11
Scrambled eggs, cinnamon toast, oranges
Chicken veggie quesadillas, fruit-kefir smoothies
Swiss steak over rice, green beans

Friday, February 12
Peanut butter honey toast, bananas
Beef and cheese burritoes, canned peaches
Lasagna, tossed salad, corn

Saturday, Febrary 13
Cheese omelets, fruit platter
Leftover buffet
Chicken and biscuits, tossed salad

Snacks on hand this week:
Apples, graham crackers, Katie’s homemade wheat thins, milkshakes

Upcoming posts this week:

• Becoming a Better Help Meet
• Gratituesday (make plans to join us!)
• High Five Recipes:  Chicken Fried Steak Strips
• Random-ness
• Whatever else I have time for… (sounds like a great post, doesn’t it?)

If you haven’t signed up to win $100 visa gift card from V8 V-Fusion, you have just a few more days!! AND, be sure to sign up to win a free Mp3 download from Christian Meditators here!!
—————————————————–

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

As I’ve been cooking and baking my way through the weekend, trying to get ahead…if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:  My Freezers Are REALLY Full!

I AM NOT COMPLAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   This is one of the most blessed problems to have!!! Freezers…PLURAL…are full. I am so thankful. 

But here is my “problem”. One of my freezers is full of frozen fruits and veggies that I put up during the summer and fall. Remember all those strawberries we got?  Many of them are still in the freezer. I put them in there so we could eat them the whole year through. Um, hello Laura? That would be now.

But the problem with having frozen strawberries in the winter is that frozen strawberries are…cold. Go figure.

It’s time to let go of the cold factor and the fact that I tend to like to keep food stocked away for “when we need it”. Come on Laura…get out the frozen strawberries and EAT THEM. That’s what they’re for!!!

So…working to get over it (and because I really needed freezer space for all my other goodies), all weekend we were munching on partially frozen strawberries. YUM! The trick? Just do a few jumping jacks in between bites…then go wash dishes in hot water. You’ll warm up eventually.

Beyond just eating them out of the bags, I’m going to be very focused on making lots of slushies and smoothies.  This is the point of winter that we always feel lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables.  Bring on the smoothies.

AND…of course I’ll add the Antioxidant Omega 3 Greens from Tropical Traditions to give us even more nutrition.  Want to win some?

Here’s our menu for the week:

Sunday, January 31
Oatmeal, pears
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans
Nachos, mixed fruit slushies

Monday, February 1
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries
Potato soup, carrot sticks, yogurt-fruit smoothies
Baked fish, stir fried rice and veggies

Tuesday, February 2
Whole wheat and honey zucchini bread, applesauce
Creamy mac and cheese, peas
Venison stew, corn bread muffins

Wednesday, February 3
Cinnamon swirl bread, canned peaches
Chili with cheese, carrot sticks, apples
Bean and rice bowls, kefir fruit smoothies

Thursday, February 4
Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, oranges
Melting snowflakes, apples, bananas
Sloppy cornbread, tossed salad, strawberry-peach slushies

Friday, February 5
Giant breakfast cookies, applesauce
Meat and cheese burritos, fresh pineapple
Homemade pizza, fruit salad

Saturday, February 6
Warm chocolate soother, homemade crunchy oat cereal
Leftover buffet
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Stay tuned for pictures and details about how our weekend went with the cooking and baking marathon!

Also…What would you make with lots of frozen strawberries and peaches?! Have any fun new recipes I should try?
—————————————————

More menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

I often receive emails asking what my kids eat for snacks. To help answer that question and to give you more healthy snack ideas for your family, I’ll try to include a few snack ideas each week on my menu plan.

This week, we happen to have bunches of organic apples on hand (from Azure Standard, my health food co-op). We’ll probably be having apples with a side of apples for many of our snacks. And, as a treat for the boys some afternoon, I will probably make Caramel Apple Dip to go with them.

Also, it’s been a few weeks since I made Whole Wheat Vanilla Wafers. Maybe I’d better double this recipe though? 

If we get a hankering to “drink a brownie” I’ll make us all a mug of Warm Chocolate Soother. We are very likely to have a hankering to “drink a brownie”. Although we usually don’t use the word hankering. 

Beyond those ideas, we have a lot of raisins, clementines and apples. Lots and lots of apples. I LOVE having apples available for snacks when I can get my hands on them.

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, January 24
Oatmeal, bananas
Venison roast, potatoes, carrots, gravy, cornbread muffins
Out to Southside Grille with our small group

Monday, January 25
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Chicken-vegetable soup, crispy cheese crackers
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes,gravy, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Tuesday, January 26
Homemade crunchy oat cereal with dried raisins and cranberries (recipe found in Think Breakfast…Outside the Box ebook)
Beef and cheese burritoes, fresh pineapple
Garlic shrimp pasta, green beans

Wednesday, January 27
Simple sourdough biscuits with butter and honey, applesauce
Tuna casserole, peas
Chicken enchiladas, tossed salad

Thursday, January 28
Banana bread, pears
Popcorn chicken, fruit-kefir smoothies
Spaghetti, tossed salad, corn

Friday, January 29
Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon (that I bought with a KYOOPON), oranges
Homemade pizza pockets, peaches
Spinach pasta alfredo, fruit salad

Saturday, January 30
Whole wheat and honey zucchini bread
Leftover buffet
Cheddar ranch burgers, potato wedges, carrot sticks

A little housekeeping:

• Hopefully many of you have figured out that I’d gone missing and you came back and resubscribed to my site. If not…welcome back and please subscribe again!
• If you haven’t signed up yet to win a $100 Visa Gift Card from V8, be sure to go do that here!
• Thanks to everyone who linked up and/or left a comment on this Help for Haiti:  the Giving Challenge post, my husband and I will be donating another $60 to help Haitian victims. You all are awesome! Thank you so much for participating in this challenge!
• As always, be thinking about what you’re thankful for so that you can join us for Gratituesday.
• AND please, please join us on Thursday while we all celebrate and share about how we became a Christian. ALL Christians have a story. Come share yours!!  If you aren’t a Christian, please join us and share where you are on your journey and be encouraged by our stories!

This post is linked to Organizing Junkie.

Welcome to a new week. I have a few things to say to get us started off:

1. Thank you SO MUCH for linking up and commenting on this post to help raise money for the hurting Haitians.  If you haven’t already left a comment or left a link, PLEASE do! I’ll still donate in honor of your links and comments. 
2. If you haven’t re-subscribed to my blog, please be sure to do that now!  Remember my week of insanity and how I lost all my subscribers? I need you back. I miss you!!
3. Speaking of the week of insanity…I never did post the first installment in my Becoming a Better Help Meet series. I was too busy trying to be a good help meet in the midst of freaking out in front of the computer. It wasn’t pretty. First post coming up tonight.

Sunday, January 17
Oatmeal, canned peaches
Beef stew, cornbread muffins
Bean dip with chips, pears

Monday, January 18 (Elias’ 8th Birthday meal choices)
Cream cheese breakfast pastries (From Nourishing Traditions cookbook)
Southside Grille with Daddy
Hamburgers and homemade fries

Tuesday, January 19
Fried eggs on toast, applesauce
Corndog muffins, apples
Chicken and noodles, tossed salad

Wednesday, January 20
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries
Melting snowflakes, clementines
Taco potatoes

Thursday, January 21
Warm vanilla soother, peanut butter honey toast
Salmon patties, ranch potato wedges, steamed broccoli and cauliflower
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans

Friday, January 22
Mini breakfast pizzas, oranges
Chili with cheese, carrot sticks
Fish and chips, peas

Saturday, January 23
Mom is Great Breakfast Cake
Leftover buffet
BBQ chicken (made with this simple BBQ sauce), baked potatoes, tossed salad

With the tragedy in Haiti last week, I am overwhelmed with all we have to be thankful for. I hope that is your focus right now also. God is so good and we are well taken care of. Please make plans to share what you’re thankful for this week during Gratituesday!
——————————————–

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Sounds like the weather just about (but not quite) everywhere is a little crazy. Hope everyone is staying warm (or cool as the case may be where you are). ;)

We’ve had the privilege of feeding the York College track team twice this weekend. Many of the sports teams were back on campus early for training, and the cafeteria hasn’t been open. Various families from church have been helping out. I love treating college students to home cooked meals. The students don’t seem to mind either. :)

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, January 10
Oatmeal, peaches
Feeding YC track team – Sloppy joes, sweet baked beans, potato salad, relish tray with ranch dip, orange slices, Donna’s cookie bars (because I needed an excuse to make these again!)
Leftovers from lunch

Monday, January 11
Scrambled egg sandwiches, clementines
Tuna melts, fruit-kefir smoothies
Chicken and rice, carrots

Tuesday, January 12
Homemade whole wheat bagels, bananas
Alphabet soup, homemade soft pretzels
BBQ meatballs, baked potatoes, green beans

Wednesday, January 13
French toast, turkey bacon
Spicy avocado dip and chips, applesauce
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, steamed broccoli

Thursday, January 14
Warm vanilla soother
Grilled cheese, tomato soup, carrot sticks
Stroganoff, asparagus

Friday, January 15
Banana bread
Chili on baked potatoes with cheese, pears
Homemade pizza

Saturday, January 16
Whole wheat donuts
Leftover buffet
Creamy mac and cheese, peas

If you haven’t already, I’d love to have you share where you are in your healthy eating journey. Check out this post and join the journey!

Also, I’d like all of you to know that when you leave a comment or email me asking me to please share a certain recipe that you see on my menu plan…I DO take your inquiry to heart and file it away in my “to be posted eventually” file. I’m not ignoring your request…just trying to get a round tuit. ;)

Lots of fun coming up this week in the new Healthy Eating Journey and Becoming a Better Help Meet series. (Is plural for series, series? Serieses? Naw, series. Okay, just thinking out loud.)  I’ve got a new High Five Recipe to share too!

Most importantly, be thinking of what you’re grateful for so you can join in on Gratituesday!!!
—————————————————

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

I have one word for you from here in Nebraska:

BRR.

It is freezing, the snow doesn’t ever stop, the wind chill is painful and ice is everywhere. I’m cold.  I’m coping by doing a lot of baking. That, and doing a lot of dishes in very hot water. Both are great ways to keep warm. 

The kids keep asking when I’m going to make snow ice cream. There certainly is plenty of snow for it. I just can’t make myself do it yet. Maybe as soon it warms up to double digits?

Here’s our menu this week:

Sunday, January 3
Breakfast cookies, applesauce
Venison stew, cornbread
Hamburgers, baby carrots, ranch potato wedges

Monday, January 4
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, bananas
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup
Taco potatoes, fruit salad

Tuesday, January 5
Fried eggs on toast, oranges
Salmon patties, creamy mac and cheese, peas
Roasted chicken, carrots and potatoes, gravy

Wednesday, January 6
Simple soaked pancakes
Bean dip and chips, fresh pineapple
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, green beans

Thursday, January 7
Warm vanilla soother, sourdough toast, pears
Potato soup, baby carrots
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed broccoli

Friday, January 8
Scrambled eggs with cheese, clementines
Beef and cheese burritoes, peaches
Feeding the YC Track Team:  Lasagna, tossed salad, garlic bread, cookie tray

Saturday, January 9
Whole wheat funnel cakes
Leftover buffet
Beefy vegetable soup, homemade soft pretzels

Now for the little announcement: 

Our family works to eat a pretty healthy diet. We  have four kids (some of whom are picky) and we live on a modest income. We are asked all the time, “How do you afford to eat these healthy foods?!”

If you’re looking to eat healthier this year but feel overwhelmed with where to start and how you can afford healthier foods…I hope you’ll join me beginning this week when I begin sharing how our family started on the road toward healthier eating in a series called, “Our Healthy Eating Journey”.

Psst…tonight, I  announced another new series I’m prayerfully considering! Be sure to check it out!

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! We had a wonderful day with Matt’s dad…although our plans were changed a bit because of a crazy blizzard! We had planned on spending Christmas morning at our house, then making a quick drive to Kansas to see my side of the family, then driving home so Matt could work on Saturday. We ended up having a relaxing and snowed-in Christmas at home instead. It was nice, but I was a little weepy about not going to see my family in Kansas. 

Here’s a shot of the drift on our porch, right outside our front door (I was staying warm, taking the picture from the inside!).

I’d estimate that the drift was almost up to my waist. 
Gotta love 50 mile per hour winds. 

Once we realized that we couldn’t travel…I decided I’d better figure out some kind of Christmas Dinner menu…FAST! I ended up roasting a big chicken with carrots, made some scalloped potatoes and a green been casserole. It ended up being very nice, even though I only had about four hours notice!

I have yet to leave the house since the storm started Thursday (church services were even cancelled this morning), but Matt has been working long hours at the restaurant, which is a part of a motel, which is full of stranded travelers. What a way for them to spend Christmas! Boo.

Hope you’re all staying warm and safe! Here’s our menu for this week!

Sunday, December 27
Oatmeal, peaches
Creamy mac and cheese, steamed broccoli
Chicken and noodles,  mashed potatoes, carrots

Monday, December 28
Scrambled eggs, oranges
Quesadillas, pears
Southside Grille with Grandpa (if we feel brave enough to get out)

Tuesday, December 29
Whole wheat waffles
Fish and chips, fruit-kefir smoothies
Honey mustard chicken, stir fried rice and veggies

Wednesday, December 30
Applesauce bread, bananas
Tuna on toast, applesauce
Cabbage rolls, peas

Thursday, December 31
Peanut butter honey toast, clementines
Corndog muffins, apples
Homemade pizza, tossed salad

Friday, January 1
Whole wheat donuts
Black eyed peas and cornbread
Swiss steak over rice, green beans

Saturday, January 2
Giant breakfast cookies, apples
Leftover buffet
Easy chicken alfredo, peas

Oh my goodness…may I just say how much faster I was able to find all the recipe links now that I finally created “Recipe Quick Clicks” on each of the recipe drop-down category pages? I should have taken the time to do that months ago!!
—————————————————–

Be sure to make plans to join us this week for Ultimate Gratituesday, where we’re taking time to reflect on our blessings from 2009!!
—————————————————–

Starting tonight…I’ll begin posting more in the Learn About Laura series, based on your questions. Prepare yourself to learn way too much about me. ;)
—————————————————–

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration.

Wow, this weekend Malachi turned five. My baby. Who isn’t a baby anymore.

My SIL Kari called Friday to console me like she does everytime Malachi has a birthday. Come to think of it, she has to console me anytime Asa, our oldest, has a birthday too. ‘Cause when Asa has a birthday, I tend to get all freaked out about having a kid that old and oh my how is that possible and I must be old too and I can’t possibly have a baby who is almost thirteen.

Sounds like I have issues. Honey, you have no idea. It’s okay. I have all of you to help me deal with them. Thank you.  And I’m sorry.

Anyway, Malachi is finally getting to an age where he thinks about and cares about his birthday and what happens on his birthday. Which, bless his heart, happens just a few busy days before Christmas.

Grandpa made it in time for Malachi’s birthday, which made it super great. Plus, we host a church small group at our house on Sunday  nights…so I made a cake and I’m calling it a party. Lots of Malachi’s friends are going to be here anyway so I don’t have to plan anything extra – and he doesn’t feel one bit neglected!

Here’s our Christmas Week menu:

Sunday, December 20 (Malachi’s birthday choices)
Donuts
Sandwiches, chips, grapes
Silly Face Pizza, chocolate birthday cake

Monday, December 21
Blueberry pancakes
Tuna on toast, carrot sticks, smoothies
Crunchy ranch chicken, stir fried rice and veggies

Tuesday, December 22
Christmas sourdough biscuits with butter and honey, pears
Chili with cheese, carrots, fruit salad
Roast beef gravy over mashed potatoes, green beans

Wednesday, December 23
Cinnamon spice muffins, bananas
Salmon patties, creamy mac and cheese, peas
Lasagna, tossed salad, corn

Thursday, December 24
Christmas donuts
Christmas Tree Pizzas
Snack buffet:  Ranch cheese ball with crispy cheese crackers, spicy avocado dip with chips, turkey rollups, veggie tray, fruit tray, cookies, hot cider

Friday, December 25
Cinnamon rolls, breakfast casserole, warm vanilla soother, fruit
Sandwiches on the road
Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, rolls, desserts

Saturday, December 26
Peanut butter honey toast, applesauce
Leftovers
Veggie soup, homemade soft pretzels 

If you want to write this week’s menu on a fun FREE Christmas Menu Planner…click here! You’ll find four different designs to choose from!

Find more menu planning and all kinds of organizing inspiration  at Organizing Junkie!

Remember that foot of snow we got last week?  Yeah, I got myself very stuck in a parking lot this weekend. And I had to walk home. (It is times like this that I think having a cell phone would be nice. Otherwise, I don’t miss not having one.)  It was only a few blocks. (Uphill both ways.) 

When I got home (and after my lips thawed out), I had the privilege of calling Matt to tell him, “I don’t know WHAT I was thinking. Like I could just ram our van through a big pile of snow? Duh. I’m sorry you married such a ditz. I love you.”

My husband is so awesome. He said lots of nice things about how I’m not a ditz. And then he came home, drove me to the snowy parking lot and pushed the van out of the snow with his muscles. Sheesh. I mean, I was in the drivers seat with my foot on the gas as he pushed but…sheesh. Strong guy.  If you’re gonna do something ditzy…it is so nice to have a very strong guy around to fix your mistakes.

I’m not planning to be quite so ditzy for several more years or at least until tomorrow…but when I do…I am confident my husband will bail me out. Again.

At least I can cook. Usually.

Here’s our menu for the week:

Sunday, December 13
Oatmeal, peaches
Fund raising meal for Youth Missions
Chicken veggie stir fry, pineapple

Monday, December 14
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Sloppy cornbread, green beans
Chicken enchiladas, tossed salad

Tuesday, December 15
Cinnamon apple toast
Tuna melts, fruit-kefir smoothies, carrot sticks
Beef stroganoff, steamed broccoli

Wednesday, December 16
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, applesauce
Potato soup, carrot sticks
Chicken and biscuits, tossed salad

Thursday, December 17
Strawberry fruit dip with apples
Alphabet soup, homemade soft pretzels
Baked spaghetti, tossed salad, corn

Friday, December 18
Warm vanilla soother, peanut butter honey toast
Homemade pizza pockets, peaches
Hamburgers on homemade whole wheat buns, onion rings

Saturday, December 19
Mom is Great Breakfast Cake
Leftover buffet
Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

I’ve had several questions recently about our food budget and about how we shop for groceries. You’ll find many of the answers to your questions in my Feeding the Family series here. You probably want to scroll down and start at the beginning of the series!
————————————————-

More menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.