Snacks the kids can make!

Again, I apologize for my lack of blogs lately. It has been super CRAZY around here! I barely have time to think, let alone type. But I feel things are slowing back down to a pace I can handle again.

So, I've been trying to think of things to write about, staying on the topic of kids in the kitchen. It came to my head that I rarely have to fix snacks anymore. That's because the kids will fix their own snacks many days. Not only are these yummy, they are healthy as well.

Some adult supervision in necessary. I help myself out a little by doing the chopping and cutting ahead of time and simply putting the cut up food in little snack size zip top baggies and store them in the refrigerator.

Super simple snacks:

1. Fruit of any kind
2. Vanilla yogurt - made even better by adding a drop or two of food coloring - the kids love to mix the colors in
3. Cheese crackers - I buy a block of cheese and cut it into slices, then package the slices into zip top baggies
4. Cottage cheese - easily dished out by the little ones - add food coloring and let the kids mix it in for another fun colored snack
5. Easy baked apples - peel, core and chop an apple, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and microwave on high for 20-30 seconds
6. Peanut butter crackers - let the kids spread the peanut butter on the crackers with a non-sharp spatula
7. Bugs on a log - cut celery into 3-4 inch sticks and have the kids spread the peanut butter into the celery, top with some raisins
8. Veggies with peanut butter or dressing (my kids love ranch and honey mustard for dipping the veggies) - some great veggie choices are raw carrot or celery sticks or fresh broccoli.
9. Cheese cubes - another block of medium cheddar, cut into chunks - the kids think these are best if they can spear the cheese with toothpicks
10. Popcorn - help the kids learn to pop a bag of microwave popcorn

There are some super easy snack ideas. And the best part, they are all healthy and kid friendly!

Pizza and Salad

It has been a hectic few days! Cleaning the house, getting organized, decorating for the birthday party, hosting the birthday party, cleaning up from the birthday party, homeschooling, kids' activities, my activities... I feel like I have lost my head this week!

Yesterday was tough. My husband left out at 4:00am to get back to school by noon (when he had a class). Of course once he's on the road, I can't sleep. So I was up at 4am as well, after being VERY rudely awakened by a scam phone call on the land line at 2:30am (then we had 2 more scam phone calls at 3:45am and 3:46am - one on each of our cell phones).

Even after my husband got back to school (and called to let me know he was safe), I couldn't get any sleep... not with my 3 kids hanging around. We did schoolwork and picked up but by the time dinner rolled around, I had very little energy (and motivation) left to cook.

Time to take out the frozen pizza I keep stashed in the freezer for just such times. Pizza and salad for dinner last night. Something all of my kids actually enjoy and gobble down like it was a Thanksgiving day feast. It is also something they can fix themselves.

My older children help preheat the oven and place the frozen pizza in the oven. I take the pizza out. Then they can assemble their own salads with whatever toppings they like (usually shredded cheese, cottage cheese, bacon bits, dressing, chopped tomatoes, shredded carrots, and chopped up hard boiled eggs if I have them).

After the super-long day I had yesterday, it was nice to have a meal that my kids could really help with and enjoy at the same time.

It's Time to PARTY!

So my son turned 10. He's my first-born. My big kid. And now... he's a tween. Stuck between being a little kid and a teenager... he's now at THAT age. The age where the hormones are getting ready to kick into high gear and there is no "pause" button between the brain and the mouth. If he thinks it, he says it.

But I'm trying not to dwell on the times ahead. Instead, I am going to focus on getting ready for the party tomorrow (rescheduled from the end of January due to snow).

So, my husband and I, sorry everyone (please don't abandon my blog because of this!), both graduated from the University of Tennessee. Thus, we are HUGE UT Vols fans. Every Saturday, during football season, we have to sit and watch every single game (even when the team is not doing so great).

Our oldest has picked up on this and, besides deciding, at 10, that he is going to attend UT when he gets to college, he has also picked up our fanaticism for the games.

When it came time to pick a theme for his birthday party he chose a.....

Football party!

Well, you can't have a football party without a football field birthday cake, right? So I got out my pans and bowls and mixed him up a little something special (he hasn't seen the finished product yet, ha ha ha ha ha!).

He now has a half strawberry (his favorite type of cake) and half vanilla birthday cake that looks like this....

I think that looks pretty close to Neyland stadium.

The goal posts are made of straws that I cut to the right size and then hot glued into the shape of the posts. I think it came out great! And I can't wait to see the look on his face tomorrow when that cake is put in front of him. All decked out like his favorite team's football field.

Chicken with Rice and Broccoli

I am in full-swing... preparing for my 10 year old's birthday party (the one that was rescheduled). It is tomorrow. Today I have to bake the cake, decorate the cake and clean up the house. Not too much work considering I have de-cluttered a good 80% of my house (not counting the attic and a closet here and there). I also got a jump start on the cleaning by taking care of my living room, reading room and dining room yesterday. Not to mention some other cleaning I have been doing throughout the week. So my lack of posts is understandable due tobeing super busy right now.

But last night, I wanted a good dinner. I also wanted something fast, totally in contradiction to my menu plans for last night. So we deviated from the menu. Instead of the planned meal, I fixed up a super easy, healthy, fast, and good dinner of chicken and rice with some broccoli.

Ingredients:
chicken breast tenders (enough for your family - I used 10 chicken breast tenders for myself and the 3 kiddos)
1 Tbsp oil (for cooking)
2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp margarine or butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups minute rice
2 cups water
salt to taste

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. When the oil is ready, add the chicken to the pan. You are only going for some color, you don't want to fry the chicken all the way. About 2-3 minutes on each side should be good.

Drain off the oil and return the pan to the stove. Add the broccoli, onion, 1/4 cup water and margarine or butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to your taste. Bring the water to a boil.

Cover the pan (mine did not come with a lid and is very large, so I use a pizza pan to cover it), reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the minute rice. Normally, I would use regular rice or brown rice but as I wanted something fast and easy, I used minute rice. Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add the minute rice, stir, put a lid on the pot and turn off the heat. The rice should be ready to go by the time the chicken is finished cooking.

Place the cooked rice on the plate and put the chicken and broccoli on top. We like to add a little bit of soy sauce to give some extra flavor.

Prep time: about 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Super Simple Applesauce Cookies

So a few days ago, I made some really easy cookies with my oldest. It was wonderful to have that little bit of time with him where he could talk without being interrupted by his baby brother or sister. And this recipe is so easy, even a child can do it!

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (we used almonds but you can use walnuts or pecans)
1 box of spice cake mix

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Lightly spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray (or use parchment paper). Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Mix well.

Drop by the teaspoonful onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes (as oven temperatures vary). Remove from oven.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet, then allow to cool on a wire rack.

You can either put frosting on these or leave them plain (my kids preferred them plain).

Makes 72 cookies.

Of course the cookies also didn't last long enough in my house to get a picture of the finished product. I thought only Girl Scout cookies disappeared that fast!

The Confession

So my husband made a confession to me about 2 days ago. I am appalled, I am horrified, I am upset.

His big confession...

He doesn't read my blog most days!

How awful is that?!?!?!?!?

Really though, I can't blame him. Who wants to read about chicken fried steak and Indian tacos and cookies and such when you are subsisting on ramen, macaroni and cheese, and chow mein meals?

See, my husband is in school in another state. And with teaching and studying and papers to write... he doesn't have much time to cook. I keep saying it would be a great boost to my blog of he, a man who can cook eggs and ramen, would try out my recipes and give me feedback on how well I gave the instructions. But, I guess that's hard too when I am the grocery shopper for us and him as well (I buy the groceries for him, stick them in the pantry and wait for him to come home, then I drop the groceries in his car). Usually, the most he has to buy are eggs and milk (lucky man!).

I did make him up a ton of homemade meals to stick in the freezer at his apartment. That lasted a whole semester. Then his roommates took off with the microwave dishes (I think that was in protest to him taking up so much space in the freezer, LOL).

I need to work on a compromise. Some homemade meals for the freezer (to shove between the frozen pizzas and microwave burritos) and some shelf-stable stuff like the ramen and chow mein meals. At least then he wouldn't take up all of the freezer space, but he'd still have homemade meals to remind him what he is missing out on.

So, I'll forgive my husband (this time) for not reading my blog. I really don't blame him. He can keep on writing his paper while munching down a bowl of blue box mac and cheese. I'll keep cooking up great meals for my kids and blogging about it.

Chicken Fried Steak

I am a huge fan of one-pot meals. Less fuss, less clean-up... that is perfect for me.

However, there are still many times when I just want something more.

On tonight's menu... Chicken fried steak.

 

(Chicken Fried Steak with gravy, butter peas, mashed potatoes with gravy)

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 pounds of beef (I use whatever is on sale, even the cheap cuts of meat)
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten with 2Tbsp milk
1 and 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
enough oil for frying (I have a large frying pan and need to use a little more than 1/2 cup)

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Set aside. Put the egg and milk mixture in another shallow dish. And in a final bowl, put the seasoned bread crumbs.

Cut the beef into 1 inch thick slices. Each individual "steak" should be about the size of the palm of your hand and 1 inch thick.

Using a meat mallet, tenderize the meat. Pound each steak until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Once you have pounded all the steaks, dip each in the flour mixture. Next dip each steak into the egg mixture and finally into the breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat each steak completely with flour, egg and finally bread crumbs. Set the steak aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium.

Carefully place as many steaks as will fit into your frying pan. Brown the first side (5 minutes). Turn and brown the second side (about 5 more minutes) for a steak that is slightly more than medium-rare (a small sliver of pink through the middle of the steak). If you want a more well done steak, cook each side about 7 minutes. Remove the steaks from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Gravy for the Steaks

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp of the cooking oil you used to fry the steaks
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat (I use the same pan I cooked the steaks in, just drain off all but 3 Tbsp of the oil). Stir in the flour and mix well with a wire whisk until the flour is absorbed. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring with the wire whisk constantly. Add the milk and stir some more. Once the gravy has thickened, add 1/2 of the broth. Continue stirring to prevent lumps from developing. Once the gravy has thickened again, add the remaining broth and stir with the whisk to combine. Add the salt and pepper and remove the gravy from the heat once it has thickened slightly again. Serve over top of the steaks.

A Short Diversion from the Kitchen

My husband, as some know, is in school in Alabama (working on his PhD). It was more financially beneficial for myself and the kids to stay at our home in Tennessee and simply rent him a room in Alabama, than to try and pay for 2 places large enough to hold our family.

So, with that part out of the way (because I am always asked, "why didn't you all go?"), onto the real reason for my post.

As my husband is gone so far, he only gets to come home about once a month. This time he is coming home for our oldest son's rescheduled birthday party on the 20th. It makes no sense (physically or financially) for him to come home this weekend, for Valentine's Day, when he'd just have to turn right back around next weekend for the birthday party.

So it is just myself and the kids this Valentine's Day.

BUT, I did send him a present (loaded with lots of Valentine's made by the kids). And he sent me one as well.

I was so excited when I stepped out my door to get the mail and instead practically trip over my present waiting for me on the doorstep.

I open it up and pass out the cards (he's so great, he got a card for each of the kids!). Then I take a look at what he sent for me. My gift of a coffee pot (which he asked for) pales in comparison to what emptied onto my lap as I opened the box.

He sent me a huge box of chocolates (love that, I am a chocoholic and I make no claims to be anything but, LOL) and a card. But better than the chocolates and card, he sent me a beautiful necklace with a pendant inscribed with the passage from Joshua 1:9b. "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." And, if that wasn't enough already, he also sent a Bible paraphrase - The Message. Something I have been looking at for months, but wouldn't buy for myself.

So, I am taking this break from the kitchen (and from cleaning my house as Friday is my deep cleaning day), to sent out a huge THANK YOU to my spectacular husband who never fails to surprise me.

I love you my wonderful husband!

Giving the kids a break from cooking

After fixing breakfast, lunch, and cookies (all at their request), I am giving the kids a break and I am cooking dinner tonight.

Chicken Lasagna

First, we need to make some Alfredo sauce (or you can use 2 jars of Alfredo sauce from the pasta aisle at the grocery store).

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 tsp parsley (dried is fine)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated (or shredded) parmesan cheese

In a medium sauce pot, melt the margarine over medium heat. Once melted add the cream cheese, breaking the cream cheese apart with a wooden spoon. Once the cream cheese starts to melt, use a wire whisk to combine the cheese and the melted margarine together.

Add the parsley, garlic powder, onion powder and salt and whisk well to combine.

Slowly pour in 1 cup of the milk. Whisk constantly and allow to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, add the remaining cup of milk and the parmesan cheese. Continue to whisk until the cheese is melted and the sauce is thickened (you may need to turn the temperature up to medium-high to get it to thicken a little faster).

Viola! Alfredo sauce is complete. Set aside to use in the lasagna.

Ingredients:

1 pound of chicken, cut into bite size pieces and cooked (you can either boil or fry the pieces, just so they are cooked through)
1 package of no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 cups broccoli (barely heated in the microwave and chopped fine using a food processor)
2 cups carrots (chopped fine using a food processor)
3 cups Alfredo sauce (Recipe above or 2 jars of Alfredo sauce from the grocery store)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 1 and 1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the ricotta cheese, the broccoli and the carrots. Mix well. Set aside.

Pour about 1/2 cup of the Alfredo sauce into the prepared baking dish. Place a layer of the lasagna noodles in the pan. Then drop 1/3 of the cheese and veggie mixture onto the lasagna noodles. Next spread 1/3 of the chicken pieces on top. Pour 1/4 of the sauce over top of the chicken and cheese.

 

(The first layer)

Continue this layering (noodles, cheese mixture, chicken and sauce) until your top layer of noodles. You should only have a little sauce and the reserved 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese left.

 

(After the 3rd layer)

Pour the remaining sauce over the top layer of noodles. Sprinkle with the last of the mozzarella cheese.

 

(Before baking, all layers complete and sprinkled with the reserved mozzarella cheese)

Cover loosely with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

Serve and enjoy!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Make 18 servings.

Lunch time!

My kids love to help me in the kitchen. But being a mommy, I do get a little nervous having them do some things, especially around the stove. Mommy needs to let loose the umbilical at some point though. So when my boys asked if they could fix lunch today I looked at what I had planned on the menu.

Macaroni and cheese and Bugs on a log.

Easy, fast and something they can help with to start learning the ropes of the kitchen.

My oldest took over with fixing the macaroni and cheese. My middle child made the bugs on a log, with the help of my littlest.

Macaroni and Cheese from my 10 year old.

 

Pour the macaroni into boiling water (he put the pot on the stove).

 

Stir the noodles so they don't stick. Allow to boil for 6 minutes. Drain the noodles (I did this, he's still a little nervous about handling hot pots).

Add the butter and milk and give it a good stir.

 

Put the dry cheese powder into the pot.

 

Mix some more.

 

Add some extra shredded cheddar (my kids love extra cheese).

Now to make the Bug on a log.

Ingredients:

6 celery sticks about 3-4 inches long

peanut butter

raisins

 

Put the peanut butter on the celery.

 

Place raisins on top of the peanut butter (show your sister how).

 

Work together to get just enough "bugs" on the "log." My middle child thinks 4 is the perfect number of "bugs."

 

Ta-da! Enough bugs on a log for each child to have two.

Lunch is served!

Breakfast... courtesy of my 3 year old

Breakfast this morning was on the menu as being smoothies. Another favorite of my children. But this morning it was my littlest, my 3 year old daughter, who wanted to make breakfast.

So I got out my trusty cake spatula (a nice flat spatula that can cut a banana but not little fingers) and a few ingredients.

1 ripe banana
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (we use non-fat)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup frozen blackberries (since we were using frozen berries, we didn't need to add ice cubes)

With a little adult supervision, this is a breakfast a 3 year old can "whip" up.

First, cut the banana.

Next put all the ingredients into the blender.

 

Set the blender to liquify.

And finally, pour into cups and enjoy!

Thanks little one for breakfast!

Not only are these smoothies filled with goodness to keep little bodies going strong through the morning, they are also fun to drink (my kids love the "smoothie mustaches"). We double the recipe to make a great breakfast for all 4 of us to enjoy in the morning.

Indian Tacos and Fry Bread

On the menu tonight was something my kids love, Indian Tacos (Indian as in Native American - that one caused some confusion when I wrote on Facebook about Indian Tacos, some were thinking of the country of India).

An Indian Taco is Fry Bread layered with all the same things you put on a regular taco: taco meat, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, taco sauce, cheese, sour cream... yumm-o.

Fry Bread

4 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup warm water
oil for frying
Toppings of your choice

Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add the shortening and oil.

Here's where my kids come in... after completely washing there hands, I let them mix the flour and shortening together, using those freshly washed hands, until it is about the consistency of cornmeal.

Slowly pour the warm water in and continue to mix until the dough is just sticking together.

Make 7-8 baseball size balls of the dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Once the dough has rested take one of the balls and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick, like a thick pancake. You can also do this between 2 sheets of wax paper and use a rolling pin, but my kids like to make the fry bread "pancakes" with their hands. It's more fun. Flatten all the balls of dough and set aside.

Carefully place the flattened dough in the hot oil (I can usually fit 2-3 in my frying pan) and fry over medium heat until the first side is golden brown (about 2-3 minutes).

Using tongs, flip the dough and fry the second side for about 2-3 more minutes, until it is also golden brown.

Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the dough has been fried.

Now just add your taco fixings of meat, lettuce, whatever you like and you have yourself an Indian Taco. When I make these I add 2 cups of frozen corn to the taco meat about 3 minutes before it's finished cooking. It adds another veggie (one my kids love) and gives a little more color to the plate.

 

(I know, I know... I forgot to put the lettuce on until after I took my first bite. LOL)

OR... if you are more in the mood for a dessert...

While the fry bread is still hot from the fryer, sprinkle the bread with powdered sugar, or cinnamon (or both), or pour some honey over the top and enjoy a warm and sweet treat.

My kids love to sprinkle their own cinnamon and sugar over the top and they make a great snack.

Too bad my dog jumped and snatched the last of the fry bread off the counter. I was planning on warming a piece in the microwave (between 2 dampened paper towels, for 25 seconds), then adding a little powdered sugar (my favorite way to eat fry bread), and having a nice dessert for myself.

Busy life!

I love to keep busy. I am usually doing something (not always in the kitchen - *gasp!*). I do not like to sit still for very long.

But when it comes to having kids... things get even more hectic and busy with games and activities and sports and just life in general.

I thought that it would be easier being a mom of three kids by homeschooling. No need to get up before the sun rises to put them on a school bus. No waiting around for a bus to drop them off. No parent-teacher conferences. No school fundraisers. No school activities.

Well, that's not the reason we chose to homeschool, but I thought of that as an added bonus to homeschooling.

I was wrong! Wrong! WRONG!

I am just as busy as any mom of three children, whether those kids are in school or not.

Between Cub Scouts, Awanas, homeschool group, church, Bible study, lesson planning, church functions, and play dates... I sometimes feel like I live in my car.

Of course the above list also does not include schoolwork, cleaning, cooking, errands, field trips, bill paying (blech!), grocery shopping, studying, potty training, and trying to get my house more organized. And with three children who are always home when I am... the messes that arise are never-ending (hence the need for a more organized household).

But this week just seems like it is going on forever and there is so much to do!

Today we had homeschool group. And being that Valentine's Day is on Sunday, we had a party at the group. Well, I am usually on top of things like that but for some reason, this month, it slipped my mind until this morning. I was supposed to bring something, food-wise, to share.

Uh oh. It is 8:00 am and I need to have the kids at group around 10:00 am. I still have to get them breakfast, get them dressed... I still have to get myself dressed! Ah!

I made an executive decision. We were going to the store and picking something up on the way to the group meeting.

A loaf of whole wheat bread, a package of sliced cheese and some beef bologna later and we were back on the road.

As I was driving past the post office I remembered I had to mail my husband's Valentine's Day present to him. Oops... guess we'll do that on the way home from homeschool group.

We get to the building and the kids have a blast! They handed out Valentine's (at least I remembered those) and made cards for family and ate lunch (I came home with a plate of sandwich wedges I had whipped up real fast while the kids were playing).

As we are coming home I remember the package for my husband. Then remember that I left his address sitting on my desk at home. Great.

Run home, grab the address, run back out to the post office and finally get the package mailed.

I'm ready to collapse but I still have to fix dinner.

Look at my menu... yes! I remembered to plan something easy... hamburgers and french fries. Go to get the hamburgers out of the freezer and realize........

I forgot the hamburger buns!

That is SOOOOOOOO not like me. I have my shopping list at the store, I never forget to buy something and this month, I forgot the hamburger buns. How did I forget the hamburger buns? I even forgot to put them on my shopping list (I double checked). Hopefully next month, I won't be so forgetful.

We had hot dogs for dinner instead.

I think all this cold and snow has frozen my brain.

Super Bowl Sunday!

What's a Super Bowl without some snacks to munch on?

In my house, the snack of choice is hot wings for the grown ups and simple fried chicken for the kids.

Hot wings

 

(Hot wings with celery sticks and ranch dressing)

Ingredients:
12-24 chicken wing drumettes (depending on how many you need, this recipe is also easily doubled or tripled to accommodate guests for a get together or party)
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup hot sauce of your choice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
celery sticks
ranch or blue cheese dressing (honey-mustard is a popular choice in our house as well)

I use my deep fryer for the drumettes (because it is a faster cooking method) but you can also bake these for a healthier option.

To Deep Fry: preheat deep fryer to 360 degrees. Sprinkle the drumettes with salt and pepper to taste. Fry the drumettes (the number you can fry at one time depends on the size of your deep fryer) for 12-13 minutes.

While the drumettes are frying, melt the margarine in a small pot over medium heat on the stove. Stir in the hot sauce and garlic powder. When hot (about 3-4 minutes), remove from the heat and set aside. It will separate  a little while you wait for the drumettes to finish cooking, simply stir it to mix again.

Once all the drumettes are fried, place on a platter and pour the hot sauce mixture (after stirring well) over the top. Serve with celery sticks and your choice of dressing.

To Bake: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place the drumettes in the baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake the drumettes at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (oven temperatures may vary so check for doneness).

While the drumettes are baking, melt the margarine in a small pot over medium heat on the stove. Stir in the hot sauce and garlic powder. When hot (about 3-4 minutes), remove from the heat and set aside. It will separate  a little while you wait for the drumettes to finish cooking, simply stir it to mix again.


Once all the drumettes are baked, place on a platter and pour the hot sauce mixture (after stirring well) over the top. Serve with celery sticks and your choice of dressing.

YUM!

Simple Fried Chicken for the kids

For the kids, they help me put the chicken drumettes in the fryer (VERY carefully) and when they are done cooking (same time as above), they simply munch on the plain drumettes, without hot sauce. They love to dip these in honey mustard or ranch dressing too. And celery with dressing is a favorite snack of theirs too. It's a snack food my whole family can enjoy, with only a slight modification to remove the heat from what the kids eat.

It was a hectic Friday

I try to blog at least once each day but yesterday became so busy... I fell asleep before typing a word. LOL

With one child down with strep throat and another child becoming more and more like a teenager every day (he's 10 now and in that wonderful place called "tween")... I felt like ripping my hair out yesterday.

On top of that I was trying to get my bedroom cleaned and organized. After installing a closet system earlier this week, I couldn't stand for my closet to look so good but the rest of my bedroom to look like a tornado had blown through.

So, I played around with the menu a little bit. Switching last night's dinner for another night to make a couple of children very happy.

We had pizza last night instead of the planned Chicken Alfredo.

Yup, that instantly perked up my three beautiful little devils... I mean angels. Nothing makes my kids feel better than a couple of slices of pizza. And after the day I had yesterday, nothing made me feel better than to see those three children smiling when I announced the change in the menu.

I usually mix things up on the menu at least once a month. On one of those days when everything has gone wrong or one of the kids is sick, or I'm sick, just switch out two of the days on the menu and we can all smile again.

Sick kids

As a mother of 3 I am accustomed to kids getting sick. It's a fact of life. A cold or flu or something will manage to attach itself into a youngster at some point in their lives.

As a homeschooling mom, it doesn't happen nearly as often as when the kids were in day care or for kids who go to school everyday.

But as my older children get more involved in extra-curricular activities, they are bringing home more bugs and yuckiness. And as I get more involved in activities with the kids, I am also susceptible to those lovely germs and stuff as well.

Last week, I was down with strep throat. This week my middle child has strep throat and is on antibiotics to kill off the infection.

But with strep, the last thing you want to do is eat because everything has to be swallowed and the pain that goes with the process of swallowing is excruciating.

The upside is there are foods available that help to ease the pain and discomfort. And all of those foods are high on my child's lists of favorites.

Ice cream
Yogurt
Popsicles
Chicken noodle soup
Smoothies

What child is going to turn their nose up to ice cream for dinner? LOL

So, my son is now laying on the living room sofa watching TV while trying to slurp down a bowl of chicken noodle soup. But the prospect of having ice cream for dinner is keeping him motivated, and also keeping him from driving me crazy with requests for this and that.

My house is under quarantine for the next 24 hours while he is still contagious. Good thing I went shopping yesterday! Now if only we can keep his big brother and little sister from getting strep as well.

Need to leave my camera in my purse

I am still new to this blogging business. As such, I remember to take pictures of the meals I cook, but other things... I sometimes forget.

Today was my monthly grocery store trip and I had this blog already designed in my head. From pictures of us in the store (as my 3 kids came with me) all the way down to pictures of the shopping cart and all the bags lined up before we start putting stuff away.

None of that happened because while I was in the store, my camera sat on my desk at home.

There's goes my whole plan... right out the window.

First, I think that was the faster I've ever been in and out of the store for a monthly shopping trip. I walked in they door at 2:10pm and was sitting in my car and ready to drive home at 3:02pm.

Less than an hour, a receipt that is 4 feet, 5 inches long, and over-budget. Going over-budget is something that rarely happens in my house. BUT, when I got to the store, they had some really good deals, so I stocked up on a few things. Then, next month, when those items aren't on sale, but I still need them, I won't have to buy them. In the long run, I am saving money on next month's grocery bill.

First, my shopping list. I never go to the store without a list in hand of everything I will need for the month.

 

(My shopping list for this month. I even went through and estimated how much all of it would cost - I tend to overestimate on items I'm not sure about the cost of - my estimate for this month was $365, well over what I usually pay for a month of groceries)

Here's a run down of my shopping trip (as if the picture above isn't enough of an indicator that I had a lot of things to buy)....

peanuts

raisins

canned soup (my husband loves the Chunky soups and they were on sale, so I bought extras)

tuna

non-stick cooking spray (also on sale, so I bought extra because I use this a lot)

spaghettios (a treat for my kids once a week for lunch)

dried beans (pinto, lentil, and split pea)

canned baked beans (on sale, stocking up for BBQ season, which I hope comes quickly)

canned tomatoes

condensed soup (chicken noodle, great to serve with grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch)

canned spaghetti sauce (we have homemade that we canned last year from the garden, but I like to keep a couple of these on hand and I was down to only 1 on my pantry shelf)

taco shells (sale! stock up)

1 package of chocolate chip cookies

1 package generic oreo cookies

granola bars

yellow rice mix (great as a quick and easy side dish)

pudding mixes

graham crackers

fettuccine noodles (I was out! Yikes!)

pop tarts (also on sale and a treat for my kids, I'll pick up a couple of boxes every 2 or 3 months)

shortening (I bake a lot, and this was on sale as well)

lasagna noodles

coffee (need....... coffee...... can't..... function.... without..... my...... coffee......)

mayonnaise (sale!)

chow mein meals (not a normal purchase, but my hubby likes them occasionally and they were on sale as well)

cracker sandwiches

spanish rice mix

sea salt grinder (I love those things! And they were on sale)

goldfish

taco seasoning

pretzels

4 bags of cereal

cottage cheese (snack for kids, they love it with fruit)

bagels

cream cheese

a tub of margarine

yogurt cups (great deal! Sell by date of the 7th so they marked it way down, my kids will have it all eaten by the 6th, LOL)

large tub of vanilla yogurt (smoothies!)

shredded cheeses

block cheeses

sliced cheese (on sale!)

10 lbs of ground beef

10 lbs of chicken

2 frozen pizzas

pizza rolls (not a normal purchase, just a treat for the kids for lunch for the next month)

frozen pretzels (on sale and a great snack for the kids)

celery

carrots

apples

frozen strawberries

frozen raspberries

Grand total - $290

Not bad considering most of those things I listed I bought more than 1 or 2 of each.

I know it's a little slim on the fruits and veggies. BUT, I have just taken in inventory of what I already had in the house. I already have 2 bags of oranges, 5 lbs of bananas, more cans of fruit than I can count, frozen peaches and strawberries. Then there is my freezer full of green beans, corn, peas and carrots, peas, broccoli, zucchini and squash. I'm sure I'm forgetting something on that list of what I already have.

I also didn't have to buy milk, as I had just bought milk a couple of days ago.

I was $40 over budget. But I also got more ground beef than we need this month (I'll cook off and freeze the beef tomorrow). I got more than I needed of the sale items so that I don't have to buy them again next month. And being the big trip of the month, I threw in a few treats for the kids that they do not normally get.

Had I not bought extra meat and staples and those little treats, we would have still eaten well for the month, but next month's grocery bill may have been higher. Now, I don't have to buy many things for next month and will have a lower bill when March comes around.

Over the rest of the month, I will spend about another $60 on milk and eggs and perishable items (though I won't need to buy cheese for awhile, block cheese, sliced cheese and shredded cheese all freeze well). But today, I am happy with what I got and how much (or little) I spent for our family of 5 to feed us for a month.

Now that all the groceries are put away and I have typed up a blog, I'm off to fix dinner before getting the munchkins ready for our Wednesday night activities. Spaghetti night! Yum!

Shopping Day

Tomorrow is my shopping day for the month of February.

Today I sat down and went through my breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack menus. While looking through the menu, I listed all the ingredients that I need for the recipes. I made out my shopping list.

Some ways that I help to save money at the grocery store, is to buy on sale, plan my menu by what is on sale and always go to the store with a shopping list. I rarely deviate from what is on my grocery list, unless I see something I forgot to put on the list.

I posted a blog a couple of days ago about saving money at the grocery store. Those are the rules I live by.

So tomorrow, when I go to the store, I will walk out with an overflowing cart (I can get everything to the register in 1 cart, but after it's all been bagged up, I'll need 2 carts to get it all out to my van). But my wallet will still be intact.

I do my major shopping once a month (this is when I get all the non-perishables for the entire month, as well as the perishables for the first 1-2 weeks). This major shopping trip will take me all over the store and keep me busy in my kitchen for the next 2 days prepping and chopping and bagging all these groceries.

But, when I walk out of the grocery store, all I will need to buy for the rest of the month (food wise) is milk, coffee creamer, and maybe some cheese (my kids like to sneak cheese as a snack). 80-90% of my shopping for the whole month will be completed tomorrow.

The part my husband likes... I will walk out with 2 carts full of groceries but only spend between $225 and $250. For a family of 5, that's a great grocery bill. I have friends and family who spend a lot more than that for a lot fewer people. By the end of the month, after having to buy more milk and some perishables, my total budget averages at about $300 per month.

So, while many people do not enjoy grocery shopping... I look forward to it. I look forward to filling my cart with lots of good food, knowing that my budget will be intact at the end of the day.

I don't look forward to frightening the cashier. But I have yet to have a cashier run screaming from the register when I pull up with an overflowing cart load of groceries. Of course, all the cashiers at my grocery store know me and know my monthly routine. It gives us a few minutes to chit-chat and catch-up. That's the small town way. LOL

Planning the monthly menu

(Sitting around the table, ready to fill in the monthly menu)

Yesterday the kids and I sat down at the table to plan the menu for the month of February. We got our main courses for dinner all planned out for the whole month. I'm going back through and adding in some sides and additions to the menu now.

Planning our menu by the month has several benefits:

1) the kids complain less about what is being served for breakfast, lunch or dinner if they are involved in picking out the meals.
2) I can save money at the grocery store by arranging our menu around whatever is on sale when I do my big monthly shopping trip.
3) I can plan ahead for those days that are busy with activities and have some easy meals already lined up.
4) I save even more money at the store by preparing my shopping list based on the menu and sticking to only those items I need to feed us for the month (minus the stuff I have to buy weekly like milk and eggs and cheese).

My menu planning, plan?

Take out my brand new handy household notebook (part of my "get organized" routine of late). I have a whole section devoted to menus and meal planning. In that section I have my lists of meals for which I have recipes. I used to have the lists in a spiral notebook but took the weekend to type up all the lists (and everything is listed in alphabetical order too now).

 

(My lists of menu ideas, I also have lists for breakfast, lunch, and snacks)

Next I take out a pencil and a blank monthly menu page as my kids sit around the table.

(My daughter thinks she is a princess so she is always wearing her tiara, even when we are filling in the menu)

Next, I get ideas from the kids as to what they would like to see on the menu for the month. I write those out on a separate page and then add them to the menu... it's starting to fill up.

(I always add the kids ideas first, trying to spread them out through the month)

I also try to space out what we are having based on ingredients. I try not to have chicken or beef more than two days in a row.

 

(My oldest looks like he's about to fall sleep... LOL)

Once the kids' ideas are added, I start going through the lists of other ideas for main courses to fill in all the days for the month. I usually add the side dishes in after our family meeting, taking into account what the main dish is and some of the kids' favorite side dishes.

 

(Main dishes are all added to the menu)

At the end of the meeting, I should have all the blanks for the month filled in. I'm working with a new menu blank as well, which needs a little tweaking... I need to add a line for the month.

Next I will type in all the main dishes and side dishes and post the menu on the refrigerator so everyone knows what is coming up for dinner.

I've also started making a menu plan for breakfast and lunch and snacks as well, to help even more with my large monthly shopping trip (coming up on Wednesday!) as well as to give the kids some added responsibility in planning for our meals.

We usually spend a lot of time laughing around the table when making out the menu as my boys also like to goof around and list ideas like frogs legs or snails to the menu. That is SO not happening.