Feb 17, 2011---Slow..slow....quick quick

No, it's not another dance step: it's my combo method for dinner tonight.  I had a feeling dinner needed to happen quickly upon demand, so when crunch time came I spent a whopping 15 mins on dinner.  I figure that was drive time to/from a fast-food restaurant...so at least I'm coming out even.  If I figure out dinner cost (which was ridiculously low tonight---thanks to super-on-sale chicken) then I totally stomped my goal for eating in.

So, I crock-potted some chicken.  When dinner-prep came, I started my brown rice to boil, then shredded chicken, chopped up some mushrooms, threw the mushrooms in with some frozen broccoli and threw that mixture in the your-crowave.  By that time my rice was done, then I threw everything together in a pot with some all-binding cream of chicken soup.  Voila.  Dinner was done.  Oh, and I opened some mandarin oranges for good measure.

Quick.  Easy.  Kids fed.  Kids happy.  Success.

If you feel inclined to do the 15 minute dinner dance, please be sure to insert the red rose you got from Valentines Day in your mouth. 

And for the time I saved on making dinner?  I went grocery shopping [it is Thursday after all].  I kind of love these kind of trips---in and out and "saved" 50%. 

And as for me and my fam...we're still eating in. 

W 

Jan 11, 2011---Breakfast Smoothie

So, what do you do when you find berries on sale? Or do you ever venture out to a patch and come back with oodles of berries? Or do you grow your own?  I don't grow my own berries, but a few times of a year I find myself with a plethora of berries so I freeze them.  I started out by just freezing blueberries.  I had grandiose ideas every June to pick blueberries with my darling children and didn't know what to do with the extras after making everything blueberry, so I just froze them.  No cookie sheet and no additional muss or fuss, I just threw them in the freezer (ok, they were still in a bag not loosey goosey traipsing around the freezer).  Then I started freezing other berries and bananas (with the skin).  And now, in the dead of winter, I can have smoothies with berries!  My kids lap them up for the sweet (but healthy) treats they are!

Here's my Oh-So-Simple Smoothie Recipe. It takes 5 mins (or less) and uses one of my favorite love/hate appliances, the blender (the one in the pic is pretty sleek---maybe Santa will bring it to me next Christmas!)

1.  Berries---anything ya got
2.  Bananas
3. 1 container yogurt
4. Water

Prepare berries (wash 'em if you need to) and prepare banana (u n p e a l).  Put berries in blender. Add water.  Put on ice pulse function to chop 'em up a little.  When smooth enough to blend and not kill your blender motor, add banana and yogurt.  Insto presto breakfast o.

Add whole grain english muffin, toasted with peanut butter and banana slices for a yummy and quick, fast, and wholesome breakfast.

(ok, these have some leftover Cool Whip from the Heath Pie dolloped on top).