$27 left...

Okay, so I'm going over my grocery list for this week. This list is small and only includes the stuff we are out of, not food for specific meals. The kicker...I have $27 to spend...total...until next Tuesday. I thought it would be good to show you all how I figure out what to get and why.

My list: Mayonnaise, Black beans, Paprika, Oregano, Sugar, Bananas, Marshmallows, Sliced Cheese, Dishwasher detergent, Sandwich baggies, Cheddar, "D" batteries, Milk, Toilet paper, Potatoes.

Mayonnaise--I have a pretty good coupon for the Hellmann's that Larry likes, but I have to buy two of them to save $2.00, making each jar $2.29. That is just too much--I will make it this week. Recipe will follow.

Black Beans--These are such an essential part for me that I will buy these. They will, however, be dried beans and I will make them in the crock pot.

Paprika--This can wait, I will just omit in recipes that call for it.

Oregano--This also can wait, I have an italian seasoning mix made up that I'm sure I can substitute in recipes.

Sugar--I can also wait on this. I have brown sugar, honey, rice syrup, maple syrup and pancake syrup that I made earlier in the fridge.

Bananas--These are my go-to fruit to add to lunches that may be lacking and the only fruit my oldest will eat. These are a must.

Marshmallows--For hot chocolate, of course! My children are very understanding, though, and will choke down the hot chocolate without.

Sliced, Processed Cheese--Don't Judge! This is used in our household strictly for my husband's sake! He has to have a slice on his spaghetti and in his sandwiches. I submit this to him and will try to find a small package under $2, if not--we will go without (oh, the sacrifice!)

Dishwasher detergent--2 loads of dishes per day minimum and I REFUSE to handwash dishes that can go in the machine. Soooo I will find the smallest, cheapest box and go with it...

Sandwich baggies-These happen to be on sale for $1 at our store. I usually stock up at this price, but this week I will only get one box.

Cheddar--I usually buy this in bulk, then grate and slice it for the freezer. I will buy 2 pounds to make due until next week.

"D" batteries--This is for Charlie's racetrack--He will wait.

Milk--I don't like to leave the store without at least 3 gallons, but this week I will grab one whole milk and I will do without when my 1% runs out. No biggie. I also have powdered milk that we will switch to if we run out of whole milk.

Toilet paper--Really? We will get this, we aren't totally out, but close. I will get the cheap $1 package.

Potatoes--I'm debating on this. This is one of my "organic only" purchases. I will just have to see if I have enough left to purchase a small bag.

There you have it--we will see how this goes....Now for the recipes I promised above:

Mayonnaise (from Cheap Eating by Pat Edwards)

2 eggs

2 T. vinegar

2 T. vegetable oil

1 t. salt

2 T. yellow mustard

2 1/2 c. vegetable oil

Prepare in food processor, blender, or with electric mixer. Combine eggs, vinegar, 2 T. oil, salt, and mustard. Blend on high for 1 minute. Without stopping mixer, slowly trickle the 2 1/2 c. oil into mixture. Do not stop blending until all of the oil is absorbed and the mayonnaise is set and slightly firm. Makes 1 quart (I plan to halve this recipe to get us through the week).

Black beans in the Crock Pot

1 pound Dried black beans

5 c. Water for cooking, more for the soaking

Place beans in the slow cooker after rinsing and sorting. Cover with water by 2 inches (I use our purified water because our hard tap water will not work--ever!). Leave 10-12 hours or overnight. Drain beans and replace with 5 c. new water (purified). Cook on low for 8-12 hours. I just keep testing after 8 hours for the right mouth-feel. Package in 1-2 cup portions and freeze.

Italian seasoning mix (from Miserly Meals by Jonni McCoy)

1/4 c. dried basil

2 T. dried sage

1/4 c. dried thyme

1/4 c. dried rosemary

1/4 c. dried oregano

Blend all in a blender for 5 seconds or less. Store in an airtight container. Serving size is 1 t.

Maple syrup on the cheap (from my cousin Wendy Buuck)

2 c. granulated sugar

1 c. water

1/2 t. maple flavoring

Bring water to a boil. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat--do not cook! When cooled, stir in maple flavoring. Refrigerate in a pourable bottle.

Hot cocoa mix (from Miserly Meals by Jonni McCoy)

1 c. sugar

2 c. powdered milk

3/4 c. cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Blend all ingredients in a blender until powdery (about 15 seconds). Store in an airtight container. Use 2-3 T. per 2/3 c. hot water and stir.

Have a great day!

Potatoes and Rice

Last week I showed you what I did with my CSA box. Earlier this week I made around 11 quarts of broth. Most of which I froze, but some of the chicken broth was used with some potatoes to make potato soup and some was used to make rice. Here's my day in the kitchen yesterday.

I prepare as much as possible ahead of time in order to create great meals in very little time throughout the week. This week's meals will be Potato Bar, Chili, Potato Soup, Chili Dogs, and Meatloaf...

First things first: Start the rice. This is 7 1/2 cups of broth (there were beet stems in it, hence pink broth). Add to this 3 cups of brown rice. Turn Crock Pot on high for 3 hours. Note: the rice tuns out neither pink nor tasting like beets (good thing because I hate beets!)

Later that night, I had 9 cups of rice. I divide these into 2 cup portions to pull out and add to soups, casseroles, etc. So much quicker (and healthier) than making a batch of rice every time you need it with plain water.

Next, I cut up some venison tenders and began the 2 day marinating process. I use some homemade spice mix and mix it into the meat and then cover it with red wine. This will be added to my chili that I will make in the Crock Pot one day this week.

I like buying the wine in these individual bottles. I don't really like red wine to drink so these make it easy to keep in the cabinet until needed for cooking. For this, I only used half of this small bottle so I was thinking of using the rest for my meatloaf. We'll see how that turns out.

I had a bag of potatoes that I needed to use up. I grabbed the 6 biggest ones, scrubbed them and baked them in my countertop oven at 400 for 1 hour. (I LOVE this appliance! No hot kitchen from using the big oven) When these are done, cool and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to reheat and serve the potato bar with shredded cheese, cut up ham, butter, sour cream, bacon pieces, etc.

The rest of the potatoes get scrubbed, chopped and placed in 2 quarts of broth. Boil until potatoes are fork-tender. Add 8 oz. of cream cheese and around 3-4 tablespoonsful of chicken bouillon powder. Note: If using commercially prepared broth, you may not need the bouillon. My broth has no salt in it and the canned stuff has a BUNCH of salt.

My mother will freak, but I'm adding a whole onion to this soup! I hate onions, always have, always will; but I have to use it up from my CSA box last week. Here I sweat them a little until they are soft and add them to the soup.

Next, I brown 1/2 pound of breakfast sausage to add to the soup--but don't add just yet! For this soup I use any meat I have on hand: ham, sausage, venison burger...

Before adding the meat, I like to take my stick blender and blend everything smooth (especially the onions). Then add the meat. Allow to cool enough to put in containers for the refrigerator.

Today, I'll be making the meatloaf. Usually I make mini meatloaves, freeze them unbaked on a cookie sheet and then place them all in a gallon baggie. Then, all I have to do is take out what our family will need and bake those. Also, Larry can grab just what he wants and take it to the firehouse with him for an easy meal. I just have to make sure and write clear directions and remind him to take them in the first place! :)

I hope this post helps you think outside the box a little to help you create fast, easy and, most importantly, inexpensive meals for your family!

What do you do with your CSA box?

Ok, so I just wanted to take a little time to show you what I work on every week after getting my box from the Graber CSA. This week we received Broccoli, Swiss Chard, Cilantro, Radishes, Blueberries, Red Raspberries, Black Raspberries, Hot Peppers, Onions, Beets, Spinach, Cucumber, Kohlrabi and Yellow Squash. Here's what happened with it all...

Blueberries get frozen (they are Larry's absolute favorite and he is out of town right now). When frozen, they are transferred to a baggie and they aren't frozen in one block.

We didn't get very many raspberries, so I'm making shrubs with them. Cover with apple cider vinegar for 10-14 days on the counter. Then drain and add equal amount of honey to the liquid. You can use this to flavor water and tea--it's delicious and keeps forever in the fridge. I usually just eat the berries after I drain them or you can throw them in chuntney.

Washing lettuces--for salads

Steaming the beets. (I hate beets, but you gotta use them! You'll see how below)

Pureeing the beets

Washing the broccoli, beet greens, collard greens and spinach.

Steaming all those as well, separate from the beets.

Two purees for hiding in food.

Pink Pancakes

3/4 c. quick oats processed in food processor

1 scoop protein powder

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1Tbsp. baking powder

1 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. milk

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 c. pureed beets

Mix together. Makes 20 4-5 inch pancakes

Not so pink after cooking, but the kids love how pink they are during.

This water left over from the steaming does not go to waste...

Use it to make rice. Just measure and use half as much rice to have vitamin-filled rice waiting in the fridge. My picky son eats rice with brown sugar sprinkled on top and I feel a little better giving him this rather than white rice.

One cucumber, one kohlrabi, some apple cider vinegar, water, sugar and dill from my garden are combined for a refreshing salad waiting in the fridge.

I won't need my cilantro for a while so I chop it finely and place 1 Tablespoonful in each ice cube spot and fill with water. These can be used in soups or defrosted and used in mexican recipes and salsa.

One cuke chopped for snacks.

This pepper is sliced thinly and then placed in the freezer for a recipe that only Larry would eat, like the casseroles he takes to work (no one else likes these in the house).

We will use the yellow squash browned with s&p and parmesan cheese in a skillet in the next few days. The onion? Still not sure. I do not like onions, but I usually grate them and put them in ice cube trays to use in sauces or recipes for Larry's work.

The small onions? They will just go into my broth bag...

My broth bag is a bag of veggie scraps that I save in the freezer until it is full. I will then make veggie or chicken broth (with chicken scraps saved in the same way). This makes the broth absolutely free! I haven't purchased broth in 8-10 years!

Even the water isn't wasted. All the water used to wash the veggies and lettuce has been saved and will be used to water my potted garden plants outside. We pay waaaay too much for water to let it go down the drain! Oh, I dream of the day we are in the country and have a well...

I also have the green puree to make brownies. That will be done tomorrow. I will also have to make broth as you could see, the broth bag is full!

Well, that's it! I used all my CSA veggies! Although I'm a little picky and don't like everything, I still find ways to use it all and get nutrition snuck into our food.

another Charlie thought

As I say prayers and tuck Charlie in tonight, he asks... "Mom, did you know it is not appropriate to count by 11's?" Ah, no, pretty sure no one has told me that before. I'm pretty sure no one has told you all that before. Am I right?

Praying on Lemonade

Some friends and I have decided to try a fasting diet next week. I was hoping to get to a new level in my prayer life by adding fasting. Our conversation turned to this kind of fast because of the worry about hypoglycemia. Now, I am not a fan of detoxification diets. However, I would like to try this one. I will still be able to get some calories as well as fast from solid foods. I will also turn my focus from food and busyness to God and my prayer life in meditation and yoga. I will journal how I do, both for myself as others in the group can help keep me accountable as well as for those of you curious about this journey I will take.

GF pasta casserole

Another recipe I wrote this week.

Cook 1 pound of GF pasta according to package directions ( I used corn penne pasta)

Make a double batch of GF condensed soup (see below)

Add to soup:
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. chicken bouillon powder
1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded chicken

Mix in pasta and into greased 9X13 pan.

Melt 2 T. butter and mix with 2 cups rice crispy cereal and spread on top of casserole.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

New Pancake Recipe

This is a new recipe I wrote this morning. I tried it and it was very good AND Gluten Free! Obviously, use GF oats if you are actually celiac. Also, my flour mix is listed below the recipe.

2 c. old fashioned oats (ground in food processer)
2 c. flour mix*
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2/3 c. honey
4 eggs
1/2 c. whole milk
1/4 c. smooth unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c. canola oil
2 t. real vanilla extract

Mix and make on hot griddle. (You can add a few spoonsful of protein powder too!)



Ryanne's Flour Mix

6 c. sorghum flour
6 c. potato starch flour
4 c. tapioca flour

Mix well and keep in an airtight container.

Charlie's excuse

I just though I would share something Charlie said the other day that had me on the floor laughing.

He has started to fight me at naptime and this new excuse was just over the top. He had been laying down for about 5 minutes when he came out and told me:

"I don't think I can take a nap today."

Me-"Why not?"

"Well, my tummy really hurts!"

Me-"It hurts? Do you have to throw up?"

"No! My tummy doesn't feel like pointing up today."

Another thought

As most of you know, homeschooling is very important to me. I feel that no one has their children's best interest in mind than the parents. In saying that, I have come to the conclusion that I may not be able to continue homeschooling--Allen, at least.

I often heard my mother say growing up that she was not a good mother staying at home all day. I never understood this, in fact I went completely the opposite direction in my motherhood. Now, two years into schooling Allen I have found that I may be beginning to understand what mom was talking about. I do feel that I can stay home all day and handle that part all right. It is just the constant fight of school. Those of you that know Allen well, know that he is difficult at best to steer and guide. I have come to the conclusion that when most of my day is filled with yelling back and forth with him that day is wasted. It is not the way I want Allen (or the other children) to remember their mommy.

In saying that, I feel extremely guilty. I feel like a failure, but also relieved at making this decision. Larry and I are discussing continuing with homeschooling Charlie and sending Allen to Harlan Christian. The public school is our absolute last choice and we will probably do everything to keep him out of there. That's another story...

I never knew parenting could be so heart-breaking. This is only the beginning! When you factor in their physical health and spiritual health, I know no bigger or harder job in the world!

The plan

As I sit here listening to Dave Ramsey, being a total financial nerd, I can't help but think about how do people get into their financial messes? I know that "our society" has "pushed" us into thinking that we need all kinds of things. No longer do we say "I would want to get that" or "I would like to get that some day". But why? Just a few days ago I heard a used car salesman say "You deserve a better car." Really? I think if our checkbooks were stuck open on our foreheads, we would see that very few of us deserve even a fraction of what we have. I love Dave Ramsey. He is a strong Christian and truly has an eternal perspective on the financial realm. Meaning, give your tithe, pay off all your debt, then save and give even more! If you don't know who Dave Ramsey is, please check him out on daveramsey.com.

Updates, etc.

I realize now that I forgot to write more about our vacation. Well, it was great. I think that this was our first real vacay with the children where we felt like a complete family. It felt wonderful. Larry and I felt like we weren't just "playing" family, but we really were a family. I know it sounds funny--we've been married almost 9 years now. Maybe that is how Selah completes us. It is all pretty cool.

The boys are growing up way too fast and Allen just turned 7. He is getting a little more philosophical about life and his questions and observations are getting harder to answer. Charlie is no longer the happy-go-lucky little kid he used to be--he is Charlie, the kid with an attitude and a mouth. Wow, it is so sad. He is not afraid to tell me no, 5 different ways. He is testing me daily--no, wait--hourly.

Selah is now crawling and she is a force to be reckoned with. She methodically goes around the walls looking for the outlets and testing each one. I guess to make sure the covers are on tightly enough. She has already been in the potted plants and a harsh "no" sends her into a giggle-fit. Where the boys cried when slapped on the hand, she laughs at you. She can take her diaper off through her clothes, looking you straight-faced the whole time. I think we are in trouble.

Selah's new cry

Well, this vacation has brought something new to our household--a new cry. Selah was in her carseat for so long that she now has a very distinctive cry associated with putting her into it. It reminds me of a small motorcycle starting up. Wwweeeenntttt, nananananananana! wwwweeenntttt nanananananana! Sometimes she'll start up even when I hand her to Larry near the van. It was heartbreaking but now very funny.

More details about the vacation later!

Great minds think alike...and clash

We are in the middle of a clashing cycle--Allen and I. My firstborn and I are so much alike that the house gets way too small for the both of us. It happens ever three to four months or so and I try to be the adult and stop the cycle, but so far have been unsuccessful. Anyone know what I mean? The boy cannot stop "ruling the roost". He tells his brother what to do, he tells me what to do, he argues with everyone about everything! Then he yells and tells me to stop arguing with him--but he started it! (I know that what I just said sounds extremely juvenile, but that is what I'm thinking.)

So here's the deal. I know that often we treat those closest to us far worse than anyone else. I hate that. I want to change that, but I fail each and every day. I just wish I could glimpse into the future and see what Allen will be like at 25 years old. I want to speak with this adult Allen and see what he remembers of me. I see a picture of his memory of me as a big fire-breathing dragon of a mother that only yells and screams and barks out orders. "Hurry Up", "What do you say?", Hello! Is anyone listening to me!" etc. etc. etc! How horrible.

He brings me to the brink of throwing in the towel. I feel as if there is no way I can raise a sane adult with morals and values if the very person that brought him into this world is the very person that cannot interact rationally with him.

I know this is all extremely normal--at least that is what I hear from close friends, but it shouldn't be. Should it?

What Charlie Says: January 2009

I have begun to write down some of the things that Charlie has been saying. As most of you know, his nickname is "Mr. Obvious" from the Bob and Tom Show. Not only does he make very obvious observations, but the observations have nothing to do with what is around him at the moment. We are often left scratching our heads and then Larry and I look at each other and nod. "Yep, that was another one to write down." Here they are so far:

"I took a little bite of peach for my tummy to eat because I have teeth in my tummy." This came out during the week that Allen was losing his first tooth.

"Before we eat fish, we have to chop off their fins first" This came out while Charlie was in the shower with Larry (yeah, I don't know either).

"I know everything but I didn't know Wal-mart has chocolate bars!" We don't go to Wal-Mart often, obviously.

“Do you know why I keep my eyes open when I sleep at night? Because when I close my eyes, my eyebrows will get red and hot!” He blurted this out as Larry was reading Dr. Seuss's "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut".

I hope you enjoyed this installment as much as Larry and I did. Later!

Our family of 5

How weird does that sound... "Our family of 5" I have suddenly realized (okay, I must be slow--Allen is 6 years old) that Larry and I are parents to 3 children. Seriously! We are responsible to raise them to adulthood in one piece physically, academically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. How crazy is that!

We have been "growing up" a lot the past few months. The most obvious grower has been Selah. Allen has physically been growing like a weed, although I don't know how when he eats the same 3 things and nothing else. He has also just lost his first tooth on Friday. He is now reading and with that comes my realization that I cannot "fake" read things anymore. He is also beginning to ask the harder questions, of a spiritual nature. We had to deal with Nanny and Poppy's dog dying. With that came the questions of heaven and how do we get there. This is very exciting for me, but the daunting task of guiding him spiritually has hit me as I try to find simplified explanations for things without the "religious jargon". Charlie also has begun to grow up quite a bit. He has suddenly grown out of his 3T pants and seems to be shrinking his 4T shirts as well. He has also begun to read and wants so much to be in school like his brother. I have finally relented and he is so happy to work. He says the darndest things and I have begun a file on my computer of the goofball observations he has come up with. He is definately my "thinker". Time will tell how Selah turns out. Right now, she seems to physically resemble Charlie the most, but her temperament is like Allen (not really a good thing as he is very headstrong--like his mother, Larry says).

This blog will be my attempt at recording these "best days of our lives". I hope you enjoy them.