Leeks

Busy all day running errands...then picked kids up from school and needed to make a quick dinner. Found this recipe, Chicken and Leeks, and wanted to try it. I love leeks. I only started cooking with them recently but love them. My family also loves couscous, which the recipe called for. I added some veggies to the couscous and served a dinner salad. Chicken had great flavor and everyone loved it. Simple - but quick and tasty!

Our pirate who now says "no"

I got these pajamas from Old Navy recently and last night was Jonah's 1st night wearing them. They made us smile and laugh so much that we left them on him all day. These aren't the best pictures but he is such a spaz now that we can't get him to stand or sit still for one minute. I just had to post a picture of the front and back! :) His new favorite thing is to shake his head "no". It looks so funny to us when we try to give him something and he so confidently shakes his head, as if he knows exactly what he is saying! Our love grows every day for him!

PRODUCTIVE, quiet weekend (..and lots of bananas)!! :)

Are you ready for this????...It's long but I will try to be as brief as I can. My husband went away to a men's retreat with our church and my kids went to grandma's. So baby and I had the house to ourselves! It was a dream. There are so many things I wanted to bake and get done and I was able to do it because I had a quiet house. We even got clouds, rain, and thunderstorms throughout the weekend. So....I lit some candles and enjoyed the quiet.

For most of the weekend, my kitchen looked like this:

One thing I accomplished this weekend was that I made my casseroles and got them in the freezer for our casserole exchange on Wednesday!!!

Then, I made the applesauce bars again (that I mentioned in an earlier post). This time I made 2 batches and froze one of them (since the recipe said they froze so well). Then, I made another batch of my kids' favorite: Monkey Bars (recipe posted earlier also)...1st recipe with bananas!! Last week I froze tons of ripe bananas, so when I thawed them....I needed to use them....all!

Then...I made 2 loaves of chocolate chip banana bread, with whole wheat flour and oats. I used raw sugar, in place of the sugar in the recipe. I kept one out and froze one. (Banana recipe #2)

Then, I made banana cookies (banana recipe #3!!!). I modified it by using whole wheat flour for half of the flour and raw sugar, in place of the sugar.

Next....I made 2 loaves of pumpkin bread. This was the one recipe I baked that wasn't with whole wheat flour or raw sugar. It is my mom's recipe and I grew up making this every fall. In my opinion, it is the best pumpkin bread ever (probably because of sentimental value...but it still melts in my mouth). Anyway, I wanted to bring treats to a sick friend's kids and I froze one for a staff meeting at my house in a week.

Finally, for the last of the baking....I made these breakfast muffins. I had to photograph the batter because it is made with flax seed meal, oat bran, carrots, apples, raisins, etc! Lots of goodness!!!

With all of that baking done.....I decided to start tackling the cleaning out of my closet (this has been a long time coming). I just started to rip clothes off hangers and throw them in a pile, with the hangers in another pile. After I bagged up the clothes, I was left with this mess. And....believe it or not, I have more clothes to go through. I'll save that for another day.

Hubby and kids came home and I had a "breakfast for dinner" planned. I got the recipe for this "Chili Egg Pouffe" from a girl in my bible study when we first got married. It showed up at many baby showers at that time! I haven't made it in years but it was always a favorite! So...I made it.

Then, I made multi-grain blueberry pancakes from scratch. Although....all I had were mixed berries. Everyone loved them! With cantaloupe on the side, it made for a yummy, Sunday night supper!!!!

Super duper busy, quiet, productive weekend!!! Thankful to get so much accomplished!

First co-op

Yesterday, we had out 1st co-op group of the year. This is our 4th year, I think. We have 11 children and we split them into an "older" and "younger group". We study science and social studies and we try to incorporate holidays, seasons and occasional field trips. It was nice to all be back together. The kids really love it and seem to learn a lot in science and history. In Story of the World we learned about King James of England.

With that chapter, they had a porridge that was found in a 1615 cookbook called The English Huswife. They converted it, slightly, to modern day ingredients. So, we made that. It was actually really tasty bit looked a little strange because oatmeal was thrown in to thicken the broth.

The next recipe we made to go with our lesson was called Parkin (a traditional cake from the north of England.)

Anyway...the kids enjoyed the little meal and it helps to bring to life the period and location they are studying. It was a fun day and the kids were happy to be back together at our house!

Orzo!

So, I tried a new successful dinner recipe. This one I got from Tasty Kitchen (one of my favorite food websites by the way). It's called Orzo with Grilled Veggies and Smoked Sausage. I used Turkey Kielbasa from Trader Joes.

I started with chopped zucchini, yellow squash and red onion. Then, I drizzled with olive oil and mix in garlic.


Once it was all mixed, I put it on the grill, along with the sausage. The sausage had to come off a little sooner, so it wouldn't burn. The veggies stayed on until they had dark areas and started to almost caramelize a little. I was cutting up the sausage and making the dressing while they continued to cook. (the tomatoes got added to the grill during the last 5 minutes).



I've never used orzo before, but ave always wanted to. It is a pasta that is shaped more like a wide, flat rice. I found whole wheat orzo at Sprouts....happy mommy!

Anyway.....when everything was done cooking, it all got mixed together, and feta was added in.
Yummy!!!

And...while washing the dishes, the kids were outside playing and my son asked to take a picture of the "cool" sky!

Kitchen Floor!!!!!!!

So....I am going to try to briefly update you on our latest project that has been a LONG time coming. We had linoleum (YUCKY) in our kitchen when we moved in and carpet everywhere else. Several years ago, we put in wood floors. My husband was terrified of wood in the kitchen because we have had some water issues over the years. The plan was to put Travertine in right after the wood. Well, several years later, we were still sighing and complaining over our thrashed, ugly linoleum that was peeling and chipping and an eye sore!

My husband got a bee in his bonnet last Friday and started ripping up the linoleum. Now, we were committed. It was a long, arduous process. And...might I add....my husband has never laid a tile in his life. So, we went to the pool (after the boys helped him scrape some of the floor for a while) and he worked like a dog...poor guy. (And, it just happened to be well over 100 degrees).

On Saturday, the tile laying began. Let's just say.....being kept out of the kitchen for 5 days with 5 kids (including a baby) was NOT an easy task.....especially with a very very busy baby that wants to be a part of EVERYTHING.

So very proud of himself for helping! (and cute, too)

My cute husband - Working very very hard to get us back into the kitchen as quickly as he could.

Tuesday, while the kids were at class, my hubby finally got a little help! (real help). A couple friends came over and helped him grout the tile!...yeah....we are getting there!

How, may I ask, can we also keep the dog out....when her doggie door is in the kitchen?!

This was my view today...from my desk...in the kitchen!!!! Yeah! Table is out of the formal living room. Refrigerator is out of the family room. Pantry items are no longer scattered around the house. We are back!!!! The floor has been sealed. (I am told it needs one more coat of sealer but I am pretending it doesn't)!

No more linoleum......The end!

Back in the kitchen....kind of

Well, I have a lot to update...like pictures of our kitchen tile project. But for now, I am just so happy to be back in the kitchen. I haven't been able to cook or bake for days and it has made me quite sad. Today, my husband and a couple of friends got the tile grouted. So.....I decided to make a yummy dinner for a hot night. The tile needs to still be sealed so I can only spend limited time in there an my refrigerator and kitchen table, etc. are still in other rooms. But, I'll take what I can get right now.

For dinner, I made a cross between Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad and my friend's Asian Chicken Salad with Noodles!

Basically, you start with a mixture of lettuce and cabbage, green onions and red peppers.

Then you add linguine (I used whole wheat fettuccine)
Then you add grilled chicken: homemade Asian dressing:

And toasted almonds:

Mix it all together and .....Voila!

I asked my kid what they thought of it. My 13 year old son said, "I wish my mouth was bigger so I could get more in at a time!" I'll take that as him liking it! :)

Leave of absence...

Well, it has been torturing me to be locked out of my kitchen, while I was on such a roll with cooking and meal planning. We were LONG overdue to replace our kitchen floor and my husband spontaneously decided to start ripping them up on Friday. There have been several bumps in the rode along the way, so it is going much slower than "we" thought. I am praying I can be in the kitchen for schooling and cooking on Monday. Plus....most of my kitchen stuff (including the fridge) is scattered throughout the house. I will post pictures tomorrow.

Swagbucks

ok, so I discovered this new search engine a few months ago. I thought it was neat at 1st because you get swagbucks just for searching with it and every now and then, you win a random prize of more swagbucks. So, the more you search, the more bucks you get. Then there is a "store" where you can redeem them for all kinds of things. Well....my favorite redemption.....Amazon gift cards! I shop on there so much that this is so great for me! I am starting my Christmas shopping and can use all the help I can get! Click the link below to sign up!!!

http://www.swagbucks.com

Apples, pecans, and cranberries-Oh my!

I am getting back into the swing of things. Having the kids go to class today helped a lot (shhh...)! I got up early and browned my pork chops for dinner tonight. Then, I put everything in the crock pot and went to shower and get ready before I had to get everyone else up for school. This is a yummy recipe that I got form my friend, Michelle, when she posted it on facebook last year! I love shared recipes! My family loved it then and I haven't made it in a while. I am trying to stay on a roll with meal planning and early preparation of dinner! :)

(The picture above is what it looked like at the end of the day)

Here's the recipe:

* 6 to 8 lean pork chops, about 1 inch thick

* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

* 2 teaspoons salt

* 1 (10 oz.) can chicken and rice soup or chicken and wild rice soup

* 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation:

Coat pork chops in mixture of the flour, salt, dry mustard and garlic powder. Brown in hot oil in skillet, turning to brown both sides. Place browned pork chops in crockpot. Add chicken and rice soup. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Serves 6 to 8.

(I actually modified this by putting some dried brown rice and water in the crockpot 1st. Then, I used 2 cans of Campbell's condensed chicken and rice soup over the top of the pork chops)

Back to the story......Once I dropped the kids off, I ran 3 pretty big errands with the baby: Kohls, Homegoods, and Costco. Believe it or not, I am in the beginning stages of Christmas shopping. I have a few ideas that my parents have given me...so....I figure it will help a lot if I start with those things now! (Although, don't feel too bad...I wanted very successful at finding what I wanted to find.)

Anyway, back home and back to baking with some new recipes I found. The 1st one I made was an Apple-Pecan Granola Bar . Again....all healthy, wholesome ingredients! And....September just calls for apple recipes! And, by the way, my kids walked in the door and their faces were beaming when they spotted the plate of fresh granola bars on the counter. The bars totally passed the taste test with everyone again...including my husband.

So yummy with chunks of apples and pecans!

Next...while I have all of the ingredients out...Applesauce Bars. These are all whole wheat and they have chunks of apples (that I didn't need to peel-yeah!), and applesauce in them. The recipe stated that they freeze really well, so I will be freezing some! When everyone tasted these.....they loved them even more than the granola bars. Even grandpa stopped by and then Uncle Ray and they both gave them their stamp of approval. Uncle Ray even wanted the recipe! I can't take any credit for this because I just searched the Internet and found them. But, I can say that it is nice to know that "healthy" can taste good and get the kids excited. (2 new recipes to file away)

Love that it has chunks of apples

Finally, I ended the day with making a Broccoli Slaw to go with the pork chops and rice. Cranberries and pecans and onions with a homemade creamy vinaigrette dressing. Simple, healthy and delicious!

All in all, a busy and productive day! Yeah! Now, back to work with the kids home tomorrow!...No time for baking :( Tomorrow night is a casserole that I pulled out of the freezer from our casserole exchange a few weeks ago (since we have to leave early for Awana and youth group).

Old Standby

So...we went to Disneyland Friday and it kind of threw me off. It was so much fun, but such a long day. I think we got home around midnight (Pictures to follow). Anyway, then we had a busy weekend and I think it took me the whole weekend to try to recover from Friday (which I never really got a chance).

So, today was our 1st day back to school and it was a bit of a rough day, I must admit. I think we worked until about 4. Hubby is working tonight so I had a bit more freedom when preparing dinner for the kids. I resorted to an old standby that the kids love.

It has no name. It's kind of a nice meal to throw together with leftovers or ingredients bought for other meals. I use any kind of pasta (but tonight I had cheese tortellini). Then, I add cooked chicken. I throw broccoli in the boiling water about 2 minutes before the pasta is done to blanch it. Then, it all gets tossed with Olive Oil (or butter), Italian Style bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and a bit of garlic salt. The kids love breaded chicken and they love a breaded pasta ( that my mom makes). So, this is the best of both worlds, with a little broccoli added! Very quick to make and always a hit in our house!

Oh Happy Day!

This probably seems really pathetic but.... being in my kitchen makes me really happy now because my husband replaced our faucet. Simple pleasures are what can make my day. We bought our how brand new 8 years ago. They put cheap fixtures in homes and our sink faucet finally had seen it's last day. It was almost impossible to turn on and it was leaking. So, hubby went and bought us a new one the other day and installed it! Our sink is not worthy of this new faucet. It opened a can of worms and reminded us of EVERYTHING we wanted to replace. For now though, I will be happy with my faucet!

Then, today was another day with the kids in classes. I ran to Target and made all of my dreaded phone calls that seem to always pile up (nothing fun....just to insurance companies, etc). Then, I decided to make dinner in the afternoon! I decided to try a recipe that I found in Family Fun magazine. It's called Stacked Burrito Pie . So, I browned the meat, assembled them and put them in the garage refrigerator. Wow...what a great feeling tht was. I was able to do all of the cleanup while the kids were at school. Now...when they come running in the door and then need to leave for music lessons 2 short hours later.....all I have to pop them in the oven to heat it for 30 minutes, then serve.

Let me just tell you: this is something I will be doing a lot more often. Dinner time was a joy, not a burden. I was ready for my kids and was able to give them attention when they came home. And....best of all....clean up was minimal after dinner. And, by the way, the kids LOVED the recipe and came back for 2nds and 3rds!!!! Love when that happens!