The tale of a not so typical thursday

So Test Kitchen Tuesday actually occured on thursday this week.

Italian Chicken and Rice Casserole was a little dry in my opinion, but had really good flavor.  I think I will try to tweak it next time to make it a little moister.  Overall it was yummy though, and a nice twist to a chicken and rice caserole.

Today Levi got the back of his head gashed open by the little tyke pool falling on his head, courtesy of Noah and Micah holding it up and then dropping it right on him.  He ran towards the house crying and holding his head, and as soon as I picked him up and touched the back of his head, my hand came away bloody.  I located the gash, and could tell right away it would need a stitch.  So my Dad luckily was able to come home from work early and watch the other three boys while I took Levi to the doctor  Naturally, I feel like a fantastic parent bringing my son, who has a broken collar bone, in to get stitches.  Nice.

Levi was such a good boy though.  He threw a fit when I took him into the doctor two days after he broke his collar bone, which now I know was because he was in so much pain.  So, I was a bit nervous about what would happen this time.  He suprised me when he just sat on the table like such a good boy and let the doctor search through his hair for the gash.  Then he sat so good waiting for the doctor to come back and give him one staple, which is what he said it needed.  I felt so bad that he didn't know what was coming and was sitting there nicely.  It wasn't hurting him anymore at this point, so I felt so bad that he had to be hurt more.  That boy has had enough pain in the last three weeks already!  The doctor didn't recommend numbing his head first either because he said it would take four shots to numb it, versus one quick staple.

Anyway, he sat in shock for about a half a second after the staple went in, and then burst out crying, and cried for about three or four minutes.  It sucked.  Then the doctor gave him two stickers, and I promised him ice cream, and he was fine.  My little trooper.

No more doctors, no more blood, no more scaring mommy, mmmk!?

Noah unloaded the top of the dishwasher rack all by himself today.  I was one proud mommy!  He put everything on the counter, which made it easier for me to put away!  He really helped me, and he was veyr proud of his accomplishment.  It was really cute.

We have been consistent with disciplining and training the boys over the last few days, and we are already noticing a big difference in their behavior.  Yay for boys who are learning to obey well!  I strongly believe that we teach our children to obey us, to teach them to obey God, so we don't want to slack in this area any longer.  Lord, help us!

Meal Planning Week One

Wen to Costco today and bought everything for a weeks worth of meals!  I'm excited!

http://eatathomecooks.com/2011/08/menu-grocery-list-recipes-year-2-week-42.html

Test Kitchen Tuesday

That's right.  I have dubbed Tuesday the night for trying new dinner recipes. 

I have been recently attempting to meal plan, because I have faced facts that running to the grocery store is not possible.  And when I don't know what to make for dinner, and I have only chicken breast and rice for ingredients, it makes me grumpy.  Anyhow, I have been looking over lots of recipes to add to our collection, and I think I'll share my foodie finds.  Yay! We are going to be saved from eating tacos or pasta every night!

So, tonight I made South of the Border Skillet that I found on a blog called Eat at Home.  You can find weekly meal planners with grocery lists already made for each week.  Seriously, that is the stuff of fantasy.  I am in love.

This is the finished product from tonight.  It's glorified beans and rice, but oh so yummy.  We usually eat dinner with meat in it, but we didn't miss it one bit!  I will definitely make this again!  We paired it with fresh salsa from Costco, and the most delicious salad I have eaten in recent memory:

4 cups baby greens

1 avacado, diced

1/3 cup salsa

1/4 shredded cheese

2 green onions, sliced

Cilantro, handfull, chopped

Toss.  Enjoy.

$25 Grocery Challenge Day 1

So, prompted by a thread I saw on Dave Ramsey's website www.mytotalmoneymakeover.com, I am going to attempt to spend only $25 a week on groceries for about a month, or until I am very close to running out of food in the cupboards! :) So this week will be easy...I have tons of food stocked, and it really feels almost like cheating this week since I just went shopping on Saturday. Anyway, I can definately spend less than $25 the rest of this week, so I will just have to forward any remaining money I don't spend this week to next week. I am going to start the week over each Monday. I should also mention that I am reverting back to using all CASH for grocery shopping, and most all other purchases I make. Using cash makes it hurt, and I am a lot less willing to buy frivolous items when I have to hand over the green stuff! :)
Dinner # 1
Campbells Lemon Broccoli Chicken http://www.campbellskitchen.com/RecipeDetail.aspx?recipeId=24391&ref=%2fSearchRecipesResult.aspx%3fSearchType%3d1%26q%3dlemon%2bbroccoli%2bchicken
Betty Crocker instant loaded mashed potatoes (bought as earthquake food, but I realized if an earthquake was that bad, we probably wouldn't have any boiling water anyway!), and
Costco's organic corn/pea/green bean/carrot mix steamed.

I had everything I needed on hand. The chicken has been in the freezer for a while, the cream of broccoli has been sitting in my pantry forever, and I bought the veggies from Costco about 10 days ago. Day one completed without spending a dime! :)

Ham and Bean Soup

 

1/2 pound dried pinto beans
1/2 pound dried small red beans
8 cups of cold water
1 ham bone, with some meat still attached (I used the one from a spiral ham)
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups baby carrots

Sort any debris out of dried beans, then soak them overnight in a large bowl with about 15 cups of cold water. Rise beans in the morning with cold water.

Put beans, water, ham bone, garlic, onion, and pepper into the crockpot.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Add carrots in for the last 2 hours of cooking time.
No extra salt is needed due to the saltiness of the ham.
When the soup is done cooking, remove bones, and fat pieces from soup.
Break up any large chunks of ham into smaller pieces.
You can refrigerate soup overnight, and then scrap the fat off of the top of the soup to make it less fattening, since ham isn't the leanest of meats!

Crock Pot Chili

I have never made chili with garbanzo beans in it before, but I wanted to clean out the pantry! It turned out really yummy...not too spicy, and just comforting and good on a cold(ish) January night! I topped it off with cheddar cheese, a cornbread muffin and honey to soak up all the juices!

1 pound ground beef
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can pinto beans, with liquid
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, with liquid
1 15 oz can red beans, with liquid
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 Tablespoon cumin
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
cheddar cheese, for garnish

You can either brown the ground beef before you put it in the crock-pot, or add the ground beef first and break it up as it cooks in the crock-pot before you add the other ingredients ( I did this because I didn't want to wash any more dishes!)

Add all of the ingredients, except the cheese. Cook on high for 6 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
Top with a sprinkle of cheese, a cornbread muffin and a drizzle of honey!

Chicken and Carrots for babies

4 frozen chicken breasts
3 cups carrots
1 cup water (add more later if needed)

Cook on low for 8 hours

Cut chicken and carrots up into bite-size chunks, small enough for babies with only 3 teeth!

Spicy Spaghetti in a Hurry

In the perfect world, when I have more time, I make this sauce with fresh garlic, onions, and herbs...in the real world tonight I made it like this, and it was GOOD! Makes enough for at least 4 adults. You can substitute the spicy sausage for mild, and omit the pepper flakes if you don't appreciate the heat!

1 pound spaghetti
1 pound spicy Italian Sausage
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried fennel
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/4 cup shredded Parmesean cheese
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Boil water for spaghetti. Cook until al dente.
Heat large saucepan over high heat.
Remove sausage from casings, and brown.
When browned, drain fat if desired.
Add all ingredients to browned sausage.
Turn heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve meatsauce over Spaghetti, alongside green salad, and bread!

Shredded Mexican Chicken (for Tacos)

This is a crockpot meal.

3 frozen chicken breasts
1/2 cup mild green salsa
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 15 oz can pinto beans, with liquid
salt and pepper, to taste
Lettuce
Tomato
Cheddar Cheese
Avacado
Salsa

Put all ingredients in crock pot, and cook on high for 6 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
Use a fork to shred the chicken. Serve in torillas with whatever taco fixings you like.

Grilled Chipotle Salmon Tacos

This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

I HATE fish, but LOVE this recipe, so if you hate fish, try this! You'll like it! Nick can't get enough of it, and even the babies ate some of the salmon without too much spice on it! Noah, not so much, but we'll work on him! :)

1 pound frozen Kirkland Salmon Filets, defrosted
1 cup red potatoes, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground chipotle chile pepper (Spice Island brand)
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mild green salsa ( I used La Victoria)
3 Tbs lime juice
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
Corn tortillas (fried or steamed)
Sour cream
Shredded Cheddar
Cubed Avacado
Lime wedges

Rinse and Pat fish dry. Set Aside.
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender.
In small bowl combine Chipotle, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Rub onto both sides of fish.
Grill fish on greased rack for 5 minutes per 1/2 inch, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
In medium bowl combine salsa, lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add potatoes, fish, onions, and cilantro. Gently toss to coat.
Put mixture into tortillas, top with sour cream, cheese, and avacado.
Bring lime wedges to table to squeeze on right before eating!
ENJOY! :)