Working Smarter Not Hotter!

We are in house clean up mode around here as we have high hopes to sell our home this summer!  It has warmed up to summer temperatures so that means getting outside early to work in the garden & yard!

The last thing I want to do when I come in is COOK!  So I have been stockpiling meals and the basics of meals.  As one of the things on our list is go get new counter tops & do some kitchen updating that means the meals will be ummm interesting for a week or so. 

I’ve been following a new eating plan(notice it is not a DIEt) and it has been AMAZING for my energy levels.  AND for the first time in forever I am off soda(and all sugar for that matter).  I don’t crave it at all.  If you want to check it out, then head over to the  Trim Healthy Mama website.

So to make life easier I have done 3 things this week.

1.  Bought strawberries while they are in season.  We go through a lot of berries & it is WAY cheaper to buy them fresh & freeze them.  I stalk the produce aisle at Aldi’s for those $1 boxes.

2. Bought chicken.  I know everyone buys chicken but I never even put it in the frig.  I cooked it up, diced it, shredded it & basically made some meals ahead of time.  My favorite one is at the bottom of this post.  I also caught precooked chicken(grilled) on sale last week at Kroger so I can head that REALLY quick in the microwave(cooler!) for grilled chicken salad.  I also put the broth in quart jars so I have that to make up some easy soups pretty cheaply. I will freeze that soon but ran out of time!

3. Bought ground turkey.  This is for breakfast mostly.  We love sausage but I hate the high price!  I caught ground turkey on sale this week so I used Heavenly Homemaker’s recipe for homemade turkey sausage.  Quick easy breakfasts are a must!

Then I made my kids Chocolate Pudding Pops with no sugar!  Thank you THM for such great recipes that are healthy!

Chicken Bacon Salad—S meal (no picture because we ate it too fast)

4 cups cooked diced chicken

1/2 c cooked crumbled bacon

1/4 c slivered almonds

1/2 c sliced celery

1 can water chestnuts

2 tsp dry minced onion or 1 T chopped red onion

1 cup miracle whip

1/4 tsp ginger

Mix it all together & serve on a bed of greens!  Cool and healthy meal!

Serves 5  Calories per serving 276  Carbs 8 Fat 14 Protein 27  Tallied up from myfitnesspal.com

Sunshine in a jar

I think of the tomatoes I’ve canned, peaches in the freezer and they zucchini bread we’ve baked as stashing away a little bit of sunshine for a snowy cold day.

Last week I canned 18 quarts of tomatoes.  It is probably the last of the season.

My garden is just about done. 

I haven’t been out there taking pictures of the wonderful produce we’ve been harvesting because well it is pretty much all picked.  I haven’t pulled the tomato plants because there are still a few tomatoes here and there and the zucchini is still producing a few.

But we are basically eating what comes in and not storing any up.  Don’t get me wrong I would rather pick a tomato that go buy one at the store!  They are still delicious but my mind isn’t focused on what needs to be done in the garden each day.

The seasons are shifting.  School assignments not watering and weed pulling are dominating my days.

It is time to do more book work instead of yard work.

I miss summer already. 

Maybe I will try to turn over some dirt and try a fall planting of lettuce.

I am not ready to let go of summer and sunshine just yet.

 

Cook Turkey once, Eat twice!

I still have no idea what’s in the freezer..   I find good deals, buy them & they go in the freezer. 

One of my goals this week is to defrost the freezer so I have been emptying it & using some of those good deals.  Tonight I cooked the last Turkey Breast that I had bought when it was on sale(probably around Easter).

My family does love to eat a Turkey in a Pot.  It is a wonderful smell to tempt their tummies all day. 

We paired it with potatoes and salad with our first cherry tomatoes from the garden!

My goal right now is to not heat up my house.  Every single recipe this week for supper on my meal plan is a crockpot one.

Turkey in a Pot

Mexican Chicken

Pirates Stew

Scalloped Potatoes & Ham

Spaghetti Casserole

It was double kitchen duty by cooking the turkey.   Usually I use the leftover turkey to make Turkey Noodle Soup but it is too warm for soup right now.

We have sandwiches on the menu a couple of days this week.  So we will have turkey sandwiches with real turkey instead of deli meat.  MMMM a little mayo & a garden fresh tomato & lettuce. 

Okay now I am getting hungry.  Even better is the knowledge that we had two meals for 6 people for under $9. Yes!

How are you keeping your kitchen cool or saving money on meals this week?

Summer 2010

When this summer started and I finished up the school year there were several things that happened. 

First once Michael graduated I felt like there was a huge weight lifted!  Not that Michael is a burden but it meant that I no longer was in charge of the education of my oldest.  It was a strange feeling because I have dedicated 13 years of my life to making sure he becomes the man that God wants him to be.  There is something bittersweet about this time. I am so proud of who he has become and yet it is difficult to watch as he spreads his wings for the next stage in his life.

The next thing that happened was I went to the doctor for some pain in my hip.  It was NO fun!  However, now on the other side of lots of Aleve & one wonderful cortizone shot I have a hip that works and I am able to for the most part do as I want to do.  I do know now that down the road I will be replacing this hip for a new one but thank goodness not now.

We borrowed my dad's tiller & got the garden turned over & the tomatoes put in--34 of them!  More of them than last year but hey I am crazy I admit it.

There are so many things I wanted to do this summer.  Projects, planning, peacefulness.  The main thing was I didn't want to go, do or get tied in to anything ALL summer.  Usually we are at the pool or gone on vacation for a while or making over the rental house.  This seemed to be the summer we could just be home. 

So we managed to have some of these moments.

I just wish we could have everyday be like these.

Tuesday Top Ten

There are so many things I love about summer!  Here's the best of the best. 

1.  Changing up the schedule.  We play in the morning while it is cool & then do any "work" or school time.

2.  Vegetable Gardens.  We planted 30 tomato plants this year--yes crazy I know but it will keep me from buying diced tomatoes all winter.

3.  Flowers!!!  I have lots of shade in our yard which makes it hard to plant those sun loving flowers but we carved out a spot and planted sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos & rose moss!

4.  Late bedtimes.  It seems like every night around 8 we start a game that is going to take at least an hour.  I don't stress about it because our getting up time is rather flexible right now. :)

5.  Chill & Grill.  We eat SO differently in the summer.  I like to keep the heat outside so we grill more & I use the crock pot when I can.  Also we more salad, vegetables & of course watermelon.

6.  Projects.  Since I am not tied up in school(as much) we are able to tackle some projects that have been put off all winter.  This summer I am ready to paint the girl's room & perhaps the master bedroom.  I dream of doing the living room & dining room too but that might be a bit much.  Also we are working on cleaning up weedy places outside--just a little at a time!

7.  Visiting friends.  In the past two weeks we have enjoyed visiting with several of our friends families.  It seems there is more time to just get together & play.

8.  Bike rides.  Since Joshua has gotten old enough to ride w/o training wheels we have been packing up the bikes to go on rides because the road we live on is just not safe for bikes.  So far we have enjoyed riding at Cosmo & Oakland parks and we went on the Bear Creek Trail too.  Everyone loves the feel for speed!

9.  Open ended plans.  It seems we are daily evaluating what is most important to do.  From projects to vacation plans--I am feeling the blessing of flexibility.  We tackle things to get them done & then move to the next thing but I don't have this big schedule that has to be stuck to in order for our lives to function well.

10.  Warmth.  Anyone who knows me knows that I love the sun.  I struggle through the cold part of the year so that I can enjoy the outdoors & the warmth of spring & summer.  It makes things grow & keeps my toesies warm.  Now if I could just daily add some sand and waves . . . .

Summer is Slipping Away

It has happened. The last precious days of summer are here. This week we get to have a few more afternoons of hanging out at the pool. If it doesn't rain--like it is supposed to do.

We can watch movies after breakfast if we want. I can clean out declutter or take a nap. I love summer. This one has been one of the best. I just wish it could go on for a couple more weeks.

I have a feeling we will have a few more of these days because my tomatoes haven't even started to turn red so one of these days we are going to HAVE to can some tomatoes. That isn't going to feel quite the same as being lazy by the pool. Well there are still the weekends. Whoops when does soccer start--oh September 12th. ;)