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Menu Plan for the Week

August 10, 2008 by Laura 7 Comments

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Before I share my menu…I’ve just got a quick question that perhaps one of you will possibly know the answer to.

WHY….when Daddy is home and absolutely available…do the kids still come and wake up Mommy from her nap so that they can ask a very non-important question that certainly Daddy is very capable of handling? Does ANYBODY know?

Okay, well…I just thought I’d ask. (And now you know how part of my weekend went…) ;)

On to the menu…

Sunday, August 10
Oatmeal
BBQ beef, potato wedges, green beans
Boy’s cast party after final musical production- take apple pie

Monday, August 11
Whole wheat pancakes
BLTs (fresh tomatoes!!!!), carrots, watermelon
Fried chicken legs, new potatoes, gravy, peas

Tuesday, August 12
Scrabbled eggs, oranges
Tuna on tomatoes, strawberry-peach slushies
Meatballs, baked potatoes, corn on the cob

Wednesday, August 13
Applesauce bread, bananas
Turkey-cheese melts, fruit salad
Grilled chicken, tomatoes, green beans

Thursday, August 14
Fruit-kefir smoothies
Hamburger patties, tomatoes, homemade fries
Snacks for farmer’s market – cheese, apples, cashews, beef sticks, raisins

Friday, August 15
Chocolate swirl muffins, applesauce
Homemade pizza
Anniversary date!!!!!

Saturday, August 16
Whole wheat donuts
Grilled cheese, raw fruits and veggies plate
Homeschool kick-off picnic – take hearty bean casserole, flourless peanut butter cookies

On the blogging menu for this week: I’ll show you how I up green beans for winter…I’ll write about how I transitioned away from using so many coupons in the store so that we could eat healthier (even though it was painful)…I’ll share an awesome blessing about our upcoming anniversary date!!

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning!!

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Putting up Corn for Winter

August 8, 2008 by Laura 30 Comments

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No. 1 thing to know about preserving produce for winter: It takes hard work and time and might make a big mess.

No. 2 thing to know about preserving produce for winter: In the winter when you get to pull yummy things out of your pantry and freezer…all the hard work and time and big mess will have been worth it. Very worth it!

Here’s a bit about how I put up corn…and you should also check out this post at Amy’s Finer Things because she blogged about this already. I really liked her technique for cutting the corn off the cob!

First…here is our happy little party of Nebraska Cornhuskers….

Check it out…they make a game of how far they can throw the husks. Hey, whatever it takes to get the work done with a happy attitude!

Meanwhile…I’m in the kitchen sticking those ears into boiling water. Just for a short time. Two to three minutes. Blanching stops the aging process of your produce.

Ah, but you don’t want them to continue to cook…so you immediately pull it out of the boiling water (with tongs of course) and run it under cold water to try to cool it off right away. (And Amy recomended putting it in ice water…a much better idea!!)

Now, I line up my ears (hehe…line up my ears…hehe)

And then I cut the corn off the cob into a bowl with a sharp knife. If you have an electric knife, you can use that too. Or do it the way Amy does it. (Oh, so many options.) (But no matter what option you choose, your hand will probably cramp up and feel like it will never again be them same by the time you’re done. But don’t worry, after several operations, you’ll be okay again.) (Kidding…just give yourself a few minutes of a hand massage.)

I then use a measuring cup to scoop the corn into freezer bags. Sometimes I use quart…sometimes I use gallon. Just don’t fill the bags too full, or after it freezes, you’ll have a terrible time getting your corn out of the bag!

Then get the air out of the bag and seal it up and press it flat. And it’s ready to go into the freezer. Isn’t it beautiful?

When you’re ready to cook it, break off whatever amount of corn you want, put it into a saucepan with a little water and cook it until it’s bubbly. Turn it off, drain out the excess water and stir in butter and salt!

Awesome!

I’ll show you to process of freezing green beans another time!

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Homeschool Hubbub at our House: Shopping for School Supplies!

August 6, 2008 by Laura 8 Comments

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Last Friday was the big day that we finally got to go school supply shopping! All of the boys (and Mama too) LOVE this special day.

A few years ago we started several traditions that we all now look forward to, like each boy having his very own list…each boy getting his very own shopping basket at Walmart…then eating lunch at Runza afterward. (Runza is a Nebraska fast food chain that is YUMMY. The boys always read books to earn a free kids meal there…and we save it for our special school supply shopping day. It makes for quite an outing!)

Here’s Elias looking over his list as we climbed into the van to get ready to go.

Oh boy, and here are four boys with four lists and four baskets.
It was tons of fun….and yes it made me tired. :)

Malachi is showing off his HUGE-MONGUOUS french fry at lunch afterward.
The free kids meals came with free ice cream cones afterward too!

When we got home we organized all of our supplies into desks (which the boys rarely actually use for sitting and learning…but they are super for keeping us organized!).

Yes, of course Mama had to get a few supplies for herself! I couldn’t resist the girly folder (even though of course a plain ol’ green one would have done the job)…and since I needed new scissors…I thought pink handled ones would be nice! Also…that pack of sharpie-type markers was only $3!! A teacher/mama needs sharpies!!

The boys declared this day, “Like one of the best days ever!!”

I’d have to agree! :)

Happy to be at Home is hosting Homeschool Wednesday….you should check it out!

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Gratituesday: The Near Fiasco

August 4, 2008 by Laura 11 Comments

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One night last week…Matt and I were working at the computer. It began to get quite late. A time or two (but surely not more than that…because I would never nag) I looked at the time and said, “Well, we’d better stop and get to bed.”

But we continued to work on and on until it was really, really late.

I was feeling frustrated with myself for not just going on to bed because I knew I would pay for the lateness of the hour. This mama needs her eight hours or it ain’t pretty.

Suddenly out of nowhere we heard a strange sound coming from the kitchen. Matt went in right away to investigate…and found the craziest thing. The ice maker in our refrigerator/freezer had suddenly just starting spewing out water. A lot of water. Like a small faucet.

I stood there just staring at it for several seconds because (a) I don’t have great brain function after midnight and (b) I truly couldn’t come up with anything that I should do — see (a).

Matt was of course trying to turn the thing off and he kindly said to me, “Do you think you could get a bucket or something to catch that water?”

Ah, good idea. Why didn’t I think of that?

The large amount of water forming around us on the floor didn’t clue me into that idea for some reason.

Anyway, so we (as in Matt) got the thing turned off and then we (as in we) got several towels and started to wipe up the floor and the inside of the freezer.

It was amazing to us how many towels it took to mop up the water that really was only spewing out for about one minute.

Which is why we couldn’t stop being thankful that we had stayed up so late. :)

If we had gone to bed back in the hours where I was ~~nagging~~ suggesting that we go…we wouldn’t have heard the weird sound and we (as in Matt) couldn’t have stopped it. And we would have woken up to a VERY, VERY bad flooding problem in our kitchen. Our pretty wooden floors could have warped…the water would have worked it’s way into other rooms…it could have been VERY, VERY bad.

Yes, we are very thankful that God protected our home from such an ordeal.

(But I still really shouldn’t stay up that late very often in the future!) :)

What are you grateful for? Blog about it and link up with us here!
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Getting Real With Food, Pt. 9

August 4, 2008 by Laura 9 Comments

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Last time I posted in this series, I talked about some of the no-no ingredients you should try to avoid. And I promised to explain a bit more about why you should avoid them.

Then I started writing this very difficult post and found that it was a very difficult post to write. ;)

Most of the nutrition information that I have read and learned comes from Sally Fallon’s book Nourishing Traditions. But I really wanted to show you how many other great sources explaining some of these “no-nos” there were out there too.

So I began to do research. (Yeah, that’s the part where this post got very difficult to write. It began to require lots of reading and lots of note taking….and I really did need to begin making dinner for my family.) :)

As little boys begin to look more and more pitifully hungry (and as I still don’t even have the chicken thawed) I decided to just provide you with the links I found. Then you can read the information for yourself and pick and choose what you’d like to read instead of me trying to decide what you’d like to learn.

Oh, but guess what? Some of the sites contradict each other. Not surprising really. That’s one of the biggest reasons I want to stick with eating real food. I know what it is. I know what’s in it. There is no controversy in that.

Here are the ingredients I suggested to you here that were no-nos…and the links I found to provide you will more information than you could possibly ever want to know. And then some. :)

Partially Hydrogenated Oils:

Here’s what I found at the Weston Price site specifically about hydrogenated oils. And here’s a link from that same site to a page full of links that talks more about fats in general. (You’ve gotta love a link to more links.)

I Googled Hydrogenated Oils too…just so that I could read what other sources said about it. I wanted to see if anyone out there said, “No really, eat all the hydrogenated oils you want. It’s okay.” I didn’t read them all, but all the links I did read said to avoid them. Check it out.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (or High Tukfrose Corn Syrup, as my friend’s little girl says it!):

Here, check out this link at the Weston Price site which describes High Fructose Corn Syrup very well.

And, I found this article quite interesting.

Here are all the links I came up with when I Googled it.

Food Dyes:

I appreciated what Dr. Mercola said about Food Dyes. He had several other articles too here. I very much trust Dr. Mercola and his research.

Here’s what I came up with when I Googled Food Dyes.

Artificial Sweeteners:

The information I found at Dr. Mercola’s website provided TONS of information abour artificial sweeteners..

When I Googled Artificial Sweeteners, I found different sites with conflicting information.

Okay…after you go click around on some of these links, you’ll see why I wasn’t able to conglomerate (whoa, big word) all of that information and put it into one post for you. So sorry if this was just about the most boring post ever. (For comic relief go here.)

I think now I’ll take a shift in the direction of this Getting Real With Food Series, and start just sharing more specifics about more of the things we eat and drink and why and how I make them and where I get them. (You know I love talking about my cow in the freezer.)

One more thing! Remember to just take little baby steps and don’t try to change everything at once. If you’re reading some of this information and you feel overwhelmed…stop reading it. Just work to change small things, one at a time. That’s do-able!
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Go on over to Tammy’s Recipes for other kitchen encouragement.

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Menu Plan for the Week

August 3, 2008 by Laura 24 Comments

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Now…I don’t want to make a big deal of this….um…well…I’ll go ahead and tell you…

It’s my BIRTHDAY!!

Yes, I turned the big 35 today (Whoa that’s weird. I mean, I don’t think 35 is old. When other people turn 35. I just don’t feel 35…ya know?) :)

Anyway…it’s my day to be spoiled by all the men in my life.

Saturday night, Matt came to me with a notebook and pen in hand and said to me, “Okay, what would you like me to get done for you tomorrow?”

Seriously? A “Honey Do List” for my birthday?! Who needs presents?!

So, we made a list (that I kept adding stuff to all day today) and Daddy and the boys spoiled me all afternoon and evening working on the list.

And they made me a chocolate cheesecake (using this recipe but with 1/2 cup cocoa added). A Honey Do List and a chocolate cheesecake? Ah, a very happy birthday!

Well, enough about that… Here’s our menu for this week!

Sunday, August 3 (My birthday menu!)
Awesome omelets made by Matt
Pizza Casserole (a group effort…following the recipe and Bible lesson from “Fill ‘Em Up!”)
Out to Applebees! (The boys had free kids meal certificates from the summer library reading program…woohoo!)

Monday, August 4
Whole wheat waffles
Hamburger patties, green beans, strawberry-peach slushies
Chicken stir-fry w/ squash, carrots, broccoli

Tuesday, August 5
Blueberry coffeecake
Tuna salad, fruit-kefir smoothies
Roast, carrots, potatoes, gravy

Wednesday, August 6
Orange muffins, fruit and yogurt delight
Homemade chicken nuggets and fries, carrots
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans

Thursday, August 7
Scrambled eggs with cheese, oranges
Quesadillas, apples
Pack snacks for Farmer’s market

Friday, August 8
Whole wheat soft pretzels, bananas
Turkey/cheese melts, fruit salad
Homemade pizza

Saturday, August 9
Breakfast cookies
Bean dip and chips, cantaloupe
Steak, baked potatoes, corn on the cob

We’re super excited to be starting school this week!! We’ve got our books and supplies all ready (pictures to come!)…and I wish I had a nickel for every time the boys have said, “I can’t wait for school to start!!” I LOVE it that they love learning!

We’re also busy this week with dress rehearsals and performances as Asa and Justus are in the musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. They’ve been singing all the songs at home constantly and they are ready for the show!

And…stay tuned for more Getting Real With Food posts!

Here’s to a great week!

Check out more menu plans at Organizing Junkie!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Homeschool Hubbub at our House: The Books Have Arrived!!

July 31, 2008 by Laura 6 Comments

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On Tuesday, the UPS man finally drove up with our wonderful box of books!! We were all so excited and ran to the door to meet him. (I’m sure we made his day.)

But there was just one problem. Asa wasn’t here. He was working at our shaved ice trailer that day…and I’d promised him that we wouldn’t open the box without him.

So we sat the box down (it was about 12:30 pm) in the living room and just stared at it. It was torture! :)

Finally at 3:30 I couldn’t stand it any longer. Asa was going to have to go straight from working to play practice…and I wasn’t waiting until 9 pm to open that box!!

So, we all piled into the van with the box and surprised Asa at the trailer. He was super excited to see us….but even more excited to see the box!! It’s cramped quarters in that trailer with four boys (actually five…I was babysitting!), plus a mama and a box of books. We got all situated and then I started pulling books out one at a time. Oh the joy!

Then, we packed it all back up and took it home…where we then spread it all out on the floor and began really looking through the books!!!!

Now they’re all stacked on on of our couches as I work to go through them and get them organized and make lesson plans!

I’ve also been working on the school room…which means I pull everything out of the closet and off of the shelves so that I can clean stuff out and re-organize it all! It is SO MUCH FUN to go through everything and get ready for the school year. But…as you can see…I’m not done yet. Everything is still kinda all over the place as I rearrange the desks and figure out where everything is going to go.

We are very blessed to have enough rooms in our house that we can actually designate a room just for school. However, I’ve found that we use that room as a “hub” for all of our books and projects…but we don’t spend all of our school hours in there. I’ll share more about that later!

In the meantime…I’ll go finish cleaning and organizing and making lesson plans. And, tomorrow, we head to Walmart with our lists and pick up our new school supplies! We can’t wait!

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Gratituesday: My “Older Lady” Friends

July 28, 2008 by Laura 23 Comments

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The older I get, the more I appreciate people who are older than I am. I love their wisdom, their encouragement, their smiles.

I have several “older lady” friends at church that I grow to love more all the time. They care for me and my family. They encourage me as I mother my sons. They offer advice when I need it. I love them.

One of these friends, Lorna Mae, was spending time in Texas with her daughter earlier this summer when she began having some health struggles. She went to the doctor there and found out that she had cancer on her bladder. They did surgery right away and removed her entire bladder. She then went through several treatments to prevent more cancer. She spent several weeks of slow recovery from her surgery in Texas with her daughter taking care of her before she was able to return home last week.

Much to my surprise, she was able to be at the church service this Sunday morning! I was so happy to see her, that I went over right away to give her a hug as gently as I could so that I wouldn’t hurt her. I’ve been so concerned for her this summer and missed her so much.

She hugged me back…with much more strength than I thought she would have! I was overcome with joy that she was just as happy to see me as I was her….and that she was strong enough to give me a hard hug!! It was a wonderful reunion!

Before we knew it, right there in the church foyer, we both began weeping together as we talked about the loss of my cousins, her illness…and the fact that we’d missed each other so much. How truly wonderful to have such a lady in my life that cares so much for me. This certainly wasn’t the first time she’s cried with me. She’s been one of the first to comfort me and care for me during other losses and changes in our lives during the past few years.

I am incredibly thankful for the friendship of this woman who loves me so much and I am so thankful that she is home and recovering.

I need women like her in my life…and I am so thankful that God has provided these godly women for me to lean on and learn from.
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What are you grateful for this Gratituesday?! Please share with us!

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Healthy Treat for Today: Yummy Lemonade…or Limeade

July 28, 2008 by Laura 9 Comments

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We mostly drink water and milk at our house. Sometimes when we have company though, I feel kind of boring with the drink choices I have to offer.

At one point I realized…why, I have LOTS of drink choices!

Would you like your water cold…or room temp? Filtered, or not filtered? In a mug or in a glass? Ice or no ice? Crushed ice or cubed? Would you like a straw? What color of straw would you like?

By the time I get through all of my questions, my guests feel like they are at a five star restaurant that caters to their every need. (Or something like that.)

Occasionally though…it’s fun to treat the kids (or company) to something special and exciting. And when I really think about it, our blender works overtime making yummy smoothies, slushies and milkshakes.

Here’s the lemonade I make every once in a while for a refreshing change of pace. Or…I use limes instead of lemons to make limeade. Or…I use lemons and limes and make lemon-limeade. (Ice or no ice? Crushed or…)

Refreshing Lemonade or Limeade

8 cups cold water
4 lemons or 4 limes or 2 of each
1/4-1/2 cup real grade b organic maple syrup

1. Put the 8 cups of water into a pitcher
2. Slice the lemons and/or limes in half. Squeeze the juice into the pitcher of water.
3. Add maple syrup.
4. Refrigerate.

This will make you pucker…but it’s so yummy on a hot summer day!

Sometime soon I’ll share some of the recipes for the milkshakes I like to make! Our blender has been working overtime this summer on these healthy treats!

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Menu Plan for the Week

July 27, 2008 by Laura 5 Comments

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To start off this week, I have nothing exciting to share.

I have not been attacked by any roosters this week…and by all means, I am not at all thinking about putting scissors even close to my hair. We are still excitedly watching for the UPS man and eagerly preparing for our first day of school…but other than that…not one thing special or exciting is going on around here.

OH WAIT!

I’m hosting a GIVEAWAY for the new ebook I’m about to launch! That’s kind of exciting! Go check it out and sign up for the giveaway!

And now for this week’s menu plan…

Sunday, July 27
Oatmeal, oranges
Take to potluck: devilled eggs, fudgie brownies, burritoes
Quesadillas, fruit

Monday, July 28
Whole wheat pancakes
Lamb-burgers and onion rings, watermelon
Tuna casserole, peas

Tuesday, July 29
Scrambled eggs with cheese, kefir smoothies
Homemade pizza, strawberry-peach slushies
Shepherds pie, tossed salad

Wednesday, July 30
Apricot breakfast bars, bananas
Homemade chicken nuggets and fries, carrot sticks
Beef stroganoff (what with all that penne pasta I now have), zucchini

Thursday, July 31
Applesauce bread, pears
Pizza casserole , pineapple orange slushies
Pack snacks for Farmer’s Market

Friday, August 1
Fried eggs, oranges
Potato wedges, peaches and cottage cheese
Cheesy turkey stromboli, fruit salad

Saturday, August 2
Whole wheat donuts
Tostadas
Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans

On the blogging menu for this week: I’ll be snapping pictures of our Homeschool Hubbub as we get our school room and supplies ready…I’ll share a recipe for yummy and healthy lemonade and limeade…and don’t forget the GIVEAWAY!

Visit Organizing Junkie to check out other great menu plans!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

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