Tuesday Cinco De Mayo and looking ahead

No Monday menu this week as we have a lot of left overs. We will be having chimi's tonight with frozen green chili burros I made last month. Thawing frying and serving w/homemade guacamole. Tonight is bible study and I am going to see if I can fit a work out in after work before 7 pm,but also need to pick up Bre from Girl Scouts and dinner. Tomorrow night will be left over steak and potatoes Then we will just be cleaning up the rest. If we run out It will be baked beans and hot dogs.

I have been to the gym twice this week so far. Main focus is cardio right now. I will start adding weights next week when my work out buddy joins me. So 15 minutes on a cycle then 20 on stair master Saturday, then 30 min on incline machine yesterday. Planning in taking the candlelight yoga class Wednesday night. I am feeling pretty good and hope to gain more energy.

Favorite Frugal Friday Tip

My family has a stone soup type solution to crumbs of all sorts. We keep two jars or bags.
One contains savory crumbs like , crackers, chips etc. left from the bottoms of bags and boxes. We use the savory one to top casseroles, bread crumbs or anything where you want a bit of crunch

The other is the same concept but contain sweet crumbs. The sweet ones can be used for all types of things as, topping for ice cream, pudding, fruit. Or you can sprinkle on muffins or quick breads before you bake them. Additionally I have added some of these this to cookie or cake batter. It is very fun in cake. Yellow cake with about a 1/4 of these crumbs makes it seem special like a funfetti type cake.

Last night after regaining myself from a migraine I went and joined the gym. I plan on going with my bible study friend 4 times a week. I am hoping this gives me more energy.

I am also considering posting my grandfathers hand written recipes on line but an concerned that will be bloglifted. Am i being silly?

This is very very cool

check it out
http://evotional.com/2009/04/holy-chicken-dance.html

Menu Monday and Reliving second once a month cooking

This week we are having for dinner.

• Monday: Chicken Broccoli casserole ( once a month cooking recipe) with croissants
• Tuesday :Maple Mustard Pork Chops mashed potatoes and vegetable of sort
• Wednesday :Chicken Pesto Pasta
• Thursday: Baked fish with lemons from Gram tree and butter & side of butternut squash
• Friday: Marinated Flank Steak green beans and homemade rolls

Breakfast will be a selection of

Bagel and cream cheese with OJ

Yogurt with Homemade granola

Friday = cereal, as requested by my kids.

Sat and Sunday something yummy from freezer (frozen fruit cups, or egg muffins)

Hoping to start a daily work out and bible reading. I will post more later on my success.

Here are some comments on my second month of cooking

I was very tired and Brooke and I ended up getting sick the week after the really amazing and busy Easter weekend at church. We have twice the amount of kids we normally do, so I imagine the germs were thick and in full attack.

I have been reading so much lately and it is so cathartic , however I have been neglecting the bible. I need to fix that. I just finished, Eat Cake, Left to Tell. Listened to Fractured Mind, The Friday Night Knitting Club, Made From Scratch, Look Me In The Eye. I highly recommend Left To Tell, Look Me In The Eye and Fractured Mind. All true and very interesting. I am very intrigued by true stories and those of people overcoming and discussion hardships.

I missed bible study because Brooke and I were sick. This is too bad because the leader (ess), husband and wife team did an exercise on priorities. We did not have our books yet for the “if you only had one month to live”. She is brilliant and is an experienced hospice nurse. So she knows about a short time to live. I am looking forward to this session.

Did a once a month cooking session with my best friend on Saturday. I was wiped out and in crazy pain that night. My back was a wreck, next time longer breaks? However I am beyond happy to know I have over 30 dinners and a grip of breakfasts.

I am hoping to put some great results from the book Wes got me for Easter. It is about home management. Not much I gleaned from time management or cooking sections. But the rest looks so promising. I will post the book title when I have it around.

Tonight we are having BBQ chicken sandwiches, potatoes, preparation pending my mood and maybe carrots or something. The BBQ chicken is from http://onceamonthmom.com/ April session. Tasted the sauce as I was packing it up and it was fantastic. Hope my family enjoys this.

Today, had a lovely lunch of left over wild rice chicken. I really like this recipe. This one came from the once a month cooking; cookbook. BTW the recipe in this book for spaghetti sauce rivals my grandmothers. When I started assembling it is seemed sooo familiar. Then tasted it and I was so pleased and drifted back to childhood dinners of delicious red sauce burning my mouth ( due to a mild tomatoes allergy I have since out grown). Unable to stop because the pain is nothing compared to the wonderful red nectar a top my most favored carb in the word. Pasta, God love Pasta.

Thursday and too much food?

Last night were calzones from last month once a moth cooking session. The kids and I liked it. Hubby did not BUT he ate it two hours post mortem. The girls and I ate the calzones with artichokes and an impromptu black olive tepenade. ( 1/4 cup black olives, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tbps parsley, a bit of salt and some olive oil) We liked it, no loved it.
Tonight is pizza stuffed meatloaf, mashed tatos. We have a lot of left overs and we are not keeping up so thinking "restaurant night" is in order. Restaurant night is a night were you pick what you want off the "menu". Way more exiting than " hey guys we are warming up stuff that has been sitting in the fridge". However the wrench in this plan is now we have a bithday party to attend that I am sure will involve food. Considering all the problems in the world this is really not a bad one to have.

Report on dinner last night

The BBq chicken was a huge hit and co conspirator Terri had the Pizza Stuffed Meat loaf. Both families were very happy.

Now to deal with insurance. I starting to have a real distaste of all things insurance related. My benefits card is asking for support documentation for a $400 charge at ...ok hold on I know this is radical... My dentist office. Because you know I just like to buy stuff the a DDS office. Egads!

Reading, Cooking and Life In General

I was very tired and Brooke and I ended up getting sick the week after the really amazing and busy Easter weekend at church. We have twice the amount of kids we normally do, so I imagine the germs were thick and in full attack.

I have been reading so much lately and it is so cathartic to my soul, however I have been neglecting the bible. I need to fix that. I just finished, Eat Cake, Left to Tell. Listened to Fractured Mind, The Friday Night Knitting Club, Made From Scratch, Look Me In The Eye. I highly recommend Left To Tell, Look Me In The Eye and Fractured Mind. All true and very interesting. I am very intrigued by true stories and those of people overcoming and discussion hardships.

I missed bible study because Brooke and I were sick. This is too bad because the leader (ess), husband and wife team did an exercise on priorities. We did not have our books yet for the “if you only had one month to live”. She is brilliant and is an experienced hospice nurse. So she knows about a short time to live. I am looking forward to this session.

Did a once a month cooking session with my best friend on Saturday. I was wiped out and in crazy pain that night. My back was a wreck, next time longer breaks? However I am beyond happy to know I have over 30 dinners and a grip of breakfasts.

I am hoping to put some great results from the book Wes got me for Easter. It is about home management. Not much I gleaned from time management or cooking sections. But the rest looks so promising. I will post the book title when I have it around.

Tonight we are having BBQ chicken sandwiches, potatoes, preparation pending my mood and maybe carrots or something. The BBQ chicken is from http://onceamonthmom.com/ April session. Tasted the sauce as I was packing it up and it was fantastic. Hope my family enjoys this.

Today, had a lovely lunch of left over wild rice chicken. I really like this recipe. This one came from the Once A Month Cooking; cookbook. BTW the recipe in this book for spaghetti sauce rivals my grandmothers. When I started assembling it is seemed sooo familiar. Then tasted it and I was so pleased and drifted back to childhood dinners of delicious red sauce burning my mouth ( due to a mild tomatoes allergy I have since out grown). Unable to stop because the pain is nothing compared to the wonderful red nectar a top my most favored carb in the word. Pasta, God love Pasta.

After Easter

Well working Fri, Sat and Sunday at church have taken their toll on the family. Brooke was down with a stomach bug and I was knocked down a day as well. Brooke is almost better but I am a bit sluggish. I 'm fighting it hard, lots of water, lots of sleep.

I am incredibly grateful I had spent a day earlier in the month doing a once a month cooking session. We are able to get right back in the swing of things and everyone had dinner even though mom ( me) was in bed as soon as feet crossed the threshold, home from work.

It is so cute my kitties always know when I am not doing well and hover over me like a watch cat. God is so amazing with his creations. The family and I watched this the other night. Warning get the Kleenex.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjWtRYaxmWM

This coming week Terri ( the best friend any one could have) and I are doing a cooking session. It has been a blessing to me so hope it will be to her. If anyone deserves a break it is Terri. We are following the plan on this website. http://onceamonthmom.com/cooking/menus/.

I will post the results and opinions for this April menu. So far I am loving what I did last month from the Once A Month Cookbook. The food has been really good. The biggest complaint was there were not more left overs. Not bad, not bad at all. I still get enjoy a good home cooked meal but now less pressure when coming home from work. I can take a few minutes and read and relax before dinner in the evenings AND clean up is a snap.

Day One

Day one, checking this thing out. I am thinking this will be a great way to keep up with family and journal a bit.

Right now my mind is on this weekend. It is Easter weekend and we will be very busy at church. I will be helping with the children and am in charge of the bouncy area for 4 services. I am admittedly a bit nervous but also very exited. My family and I will be work at church Friday ( Good Friday) Saturday and Sunday then having family dinner at my home.

I consider it a blessing to be involved with a church that invests so heavily in the children, the future. Where will we be if we do not minister to the children? Church should be great, pony rides, old fashioned carnival. There are 2500 kids already pre registered. It will be amazing! We will be having crosses covered with flowers that people get to add then are walked in during service. Always beautiful and awe inspiring.

Considering how busy we will be I spent a great deal of time planning and shopping yesterday.
On the menu are all cold foods, well almost all cold.
Ham
Baked Beans ( Bush's cheating there)
Potato Salad ( home made of course)
Rolls ( homemade)
Veggie tray
Pineapple upside down cake
Lemonade and Iced tea

Now cleaning and laundry have to get done some time as well. Oh yeah and finish sewing Bre's Eater dress. Ran out of thread on one strap.
Please pray for the services and peace in our family during this busy weekend.