I have drank pop for the longest time. I remember in college drinking my Dr. Pepper between classes in the basement of an almost-parking garage. I remember working and having my can of Diet Dr. Pepper to my side. I even remember pleading with my doctor while I was pregnant for information to "what was a safe consumption level." And now, I have been pop-free for 4 days.
I gave it up cold-turkey only because I have a clean-plate mentality; if it's in my fridge or on my table I will drink it. No self-control---I must have missed that gene (along with a few others).
I was drinking 2-3 8 oz glasses/day. For kicks I googled reasons why pop is atrocious for the human body, but came to the resolve that really....it's not good for me....it costs me money....it will cost me more money over the long-run if I continue drinking it....and ultimately it's not worth telling my kids why they can't have any and I can.
But, here's the kicker. I've tried to give up pop before. I know it's not good for me, but it kept finding it's way back into my life because I'd be at a restaurant and want my pop. McDonalds maybe horrible for you, but they are masters at marketing. Ever since they placed a drink, a fry, and a sandwhich together [with a discount], the world has never been the same. So this time (although I suffered from caffeine headaches still), my change to a pop-free existence has been relatively temptation free.
So, yippee for eating-in.
W
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
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
Feb 14, 2011---Yeah it's that one holiday....again
Well, it is another VD day. Some of us are showered by their lovers with delectable chocolate truffles and dozens of red long stem roses---the lucky few. For those of use who aren't as lucky, I present a delicious, inexpensive, dessert that makes eating-in quite enjoyable.
We aren't going out on a hot-date tonight, and honestly I'm just fine about it. But, I did make this to celebrate. It's a heart-shaped, red-velvet, torted, single-layer cake filled and frosted with cream cheese frosting (and crumb covered with red-velvet cake crumbs).
And to all those that celebrate, I hope you have a great day!
W
Feb 13, 2011---Time to make the...Bagels
What else to do on a day off from school?
Bake a little? Of course!
I made these more into the "mini-bagel" size, which proabably is more of a real serving.
BTW, don't feel prompted to eat these straight out of the oven. As my mouth can attest, burned tissue isn't pleasant.
For those of my fans wondering....I used a bread machine recipe and ....my bread machine. For this recipe, you make the dough, then you take the dough, manipulate it into little baby bagels, let them rise 10 more, boil the little suckers for 3 mins, glaze them with egg (add topping if desired), and bake 'em for 20-25 more. Not bad.
Try it Mikey, you'll like it!
W
Bake a little? Of course!
I made these more into the "mini-bagel" size, which proabably is more of a real serving.
BTW, don't feel prompted to eat these straight out of the oven. As my mouth can attest, burned tissue isn't pleasant.
For those of my fans wondering....I used a bread machine recipe and ....my bread machine. For this recipe, you make the dough, then you take the dough, manipulate it into little baby bagels, let them rise 10 more, boil the little suckers for 3 mins, glaze them with egg (add topping if desired), and bake 'em for 20-25 more. Not bad.
Try it Mikey, you'll like it!
W
Feb 10, 2011---Umbrella Day (and long days and short nights)
This week has been rather a blur, however we are still here.
And still eating in.
Tonight's fare included crockpot Italian chiciken, sauteed bean beans (or green beans fo those of you who don't know how to speak toddler) with mushrooms and garlic, and a bit of psghetti with sauce.
And so it continues.
I did get Fannie Farmer's cookbook from the library the other day. I have strange desires to try my hand at puff pastry and madeleines and other bits of deliciousness. My husband was teasing me when I told him that I perhaps wanted a madeleine pan. He tried to use my blog against me and reference the moment when I momentarily referenced my collection as carp.
And now I want another cookbook. She has EVERYTHING in it...from coffee to veal (not that I have a desire to cook veal) and she makes things sound so simple! Ahhh new fodder .
Oh, and so far everything is laced with butter and bacon! She's my kind of woman!
To honor my new book, I even bought some good ol' fashioned Brer Rabbit Molasses. My kids were with me and they were asking what I was buying. As I had to enunciate, I could only laugh at the joke inside of my head [insert mole-asses joke here]. Of course I didn't share the shady joke with my young impressionable children....I will remove that metaphorical umbrella another day.
W
And still eating in.
Tonight's fare included crockpot Italian chiciken, sauteed bean beans (or green beans fo those of you who don't know how to speak toddler) with mushrooms and garlic, and a bit of psghetti with sauce.
And so it continues.
I did get Fannie Farmer's cookbook from the library the other day. I have strange desires to try my hand at puff pastry and madeleines and other bits of deliciousness. My husband was teasing me when I told him that I perhaps wanted a madeleine pan. He tried to use my blog against me and reference the moment when I momentarily referenced my collection as carp.
And now I want another cookbook. She has EVERYTHING in it...from coffee to veal (not that I have a desire to cook veal) and she makes things sound so simple! Ahhh new fodder .
Oh, and so far everything is laced with butter and bacon! She's my kind of woman!
To honor my new book, I even bought some good ol' fashioned Brer Rabbit Molasses. My kids were with me and they were asking what I was buying. As I had to enunciate, I could only laugh at the joke inside of my head [insert mole-asses joke here]. Of course I didn't share the shady joke with my young impressionable children....I will remove that metaphorical umbrella another day.
W
Feb 8, 2011---Delta Delta Delta can I help help help ya?
Still on track with eating in, even though I'm not on track to track it. Briefly, it's because of cruddy snow days filled with lotsa kids and not a lotta me-computer time.
On other notes, our house was deliciously Greek tonight. Tempted by ads of a new restaurant in town, and fond memories of my youth, I wanted Greek fare. So, I totally took the bull by the horns and made some great happy-belly making food:
Homemade pita bread (yes, you can think I'm an over-achiever now...until you realize I'm a slacker and used my bread machine)
homemade hummus (easy peasy beany squeazy)
fillins for the gyros
lentils
sauteed green beans with feta and walnuts
homemade tzatziki sauce
Did it take forever? Not so much. Everything was 3 ingredients or less (except the pita bread, but I just dumped it in the machine and took a nap) Was it delicious? Ohhhhhh yeah!!!! This probably was one of my faves so far. Was it cheap? Cheaper than if I would have gone out, definitely! The only thing I missed was kafteri (methinks that's how you spell it)...but I was quite pleased nonetheless!
W
On other notes, our house was deliciously Greek tonight. Tempted by ads of a new restaurant in town, and fond memories of my youth, I wanted Greek fare. So, I totally took the bull by the horns and made some great happy-belly making food:
Homemade pita bread (yes, you can think I'm an over-achiever now...until you realize I'm a slacker and used my bread machine)
homemade hummus (easy peasy beany squeazy)
fillins for the gyros
lentils
sauteed green beans with feta and walnuts
homemade tzatziki sauce
Did it take forever? Not so much. Everything was 3 ingredients or less (except the pita bread, but I just dumped it in the machine and took a nap) Was it delicious? Ohhhhhh yeah!!!! This probably was one of my faves so far. Was it cheap? Cheaper than if I would have gone out, definitely! The only thing I missed was kafteri (methinks that's how you spell it)...but I was quite pleased nonetheless!
W
Feb 2, 2011--Groundhog Day and other farces
Whatever. Phil can suck dirt. Has he noticed that blizzard thing? And no, it's not a recent bit o' take-out from the DQ, but rather an impressive bit o' snow that has rendered our school bags useless.
We're still eating in. In fact, I've been trying to keep the cool in my house by adding a little variety from the kitchen. I've dehydrated apples, made ice cream, blueberry compote, waffles, deep dish pizza, whipping cream (ok, that one was easy peasy), made homemade brownies, and tomorrow is chili. My dh made "happy meals" last night while I was shoveling. Mostly, it made me happy that I didn't have to cook.
Now, school has been called off until next week.
And....I might increase my weight by 10% or so by next week (especially if I keep sampling my delicious delights of the kitchen). Luckily, shoveling burns how many calories?
As tomorrow is chili day, I need to find my corn bread recipe. Alas, mine is special:) Insert cheese, cottage cheese, and spinach! I don't remember where we acquired this recipe, but it's quirky and tasty. If I find it, I'll post!
Happy (yet another) Day off from reality!
W
We're still eating in. In fact, I've been trying to keep the cool in my house by adding a little variety from the kitchen. I've dehydrated apples, made ice cream, blueberry compote, waffles, deep dish pizza, whipping cream (ok, that one was easy peasy), made homemade brownies, and tomorrow is chili. My dh made "happy meals" last night while I was shoveling. Mostly, it made me happy that I didn't have to cook.
Now, school has been called off until next week.
And....I might increase my weight by 10% or so by next week (especially if I keep sampling my delicious delights of the kitchen). Luckily, shoveling burns how many calories?
As tomorrow is chili day, I need to find my corn bread recipe. Alas, mine is special:) Insert cheese, cottage cheese, and spinach! I don't remember where we acquired this recipe, but it's quirky and tasty. If I find it, I'll post!
Happy (yet another) Day off from reality!
W
Jan 28, 2011---Black Bean Soup....and other (inexpensive) Deliciousness!
So...I tagged this as "almost vegetarian" because I suppose you could take out the bacon. Seeing as everything is better with bacon, this meal made eating-in very easy (and uber-affordable).
One of my gal-pals over at Kitschen Feast suggested using this recipe from Dave Lieberman for Black Bean Soup.
For better or for worse, here is my altered version (as I'm coming to realize I alter 96% of my recipes).**
4 cups Black beans (do it cheapy version and use 2 cups dried and bagged version....just be sure to cook the beans before you add to the recipe) (reserve the cooking water)
10 strips of bacon ***
1 cup of fresh cilantro
1/2 onion
2 T ketchup
A few shakes or Worcestestersterieisties sauce
6 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cup tomatoes
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Green onion (for garnish)
Sour Cream (just a dollop for garnish)
Shredded Cheese (just a sprinkling...for garnish)
Poached Egg (for added richness....if you don't think the bacon is enough)****
1. Cook beans (remove cooking water)
2. While bacon is cooking, you can do the following: Chop and shred remaining ingredients...AND cook in cook onion and garlic til clear, add rest of spices and ingredients (except garnishes)....let simmer for 7 mins
3. Marry 1 and 2
4. Add cooking water as necessary, mash beans a little with potato masher) and let simmer til you can't stand it anymore (Mine was for a whole 10 mins)
So overall, dinner took 30 mins...and the cost was soooooo little. With some deviation due to error, I estimated that our dinner cost 4.26....for our whole family (and then some).
**I altered this recipe primarily because, as a whole, my family has a very delicate palate. We enjoy seasoning, but not hot spice.
***Easiest way I've found to cook bacon (and not have to actually tend it and get your stove-top all greasy) is to find your broiler pan [place bacon on top slotted layer], crank your oven up to 400, and let it cook for 20 minutes. Result=degreased crispy bacon (without having to slave over your stove)
****We did not add a poached egg to the recipe tonight, however in other black bean recipes I've used, I've added this and appreciated the addition...and it wasn't included in my cost analysis (however seeing as eggs are at most .20 [for the type I buy]...this would add a whopping 1.20)
Enjoy!!!!
W
One of my gal-pals over at Kitschen Feast suggested using this recipe from Dave Lieberman for Black Bean Soup.
For better or for worse, here is my altered version (as I'm coming to realize I alter 96% of my recipes).**
4 cups Black beans (do it cheapy version and use 2 cups dried and bagged version....just be sure to cook the beans before you add to the recipe) (reserve the cooking water)
10 strips of bacon ***
1 cup of fresh cilantro
1/2 onion
2 T ketchup
A few shakes or Worcestestersterieisties sauce
6 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cup tomatoes
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Green onion (for garnish)
Sour Cream (just a dollop for garnish)
Shredded Cheese (just a sprinkling...for garnish)
Poached Egg (for added richness....if you don't think the bacon is enough)****
1. Cook beans (remove cooking water)
2. While bacon is cooking, you can do the following: Chop and shred remaining ingredients...AND cook in cook onion and garlic til clear, add rest of spices and ingredients (except garnishes)....let simmer for 7 mins
3. Marry 1 and 2
4. Add cooking water as necessary, mash beans a little with potato masher) and let simmer til you can't stand it anymore (Mine was for a whole 10 mins)
So overall, dinner took 30 mins...and the cost was soooooo little. With some deviation due to error, I estimated that our dinner cost 4.26....for our whole family (and then some).
**I altered this recipe primarily because, as a whole, my family has a very delicate palate. We enjoy seasoning, but not hot spice.
***Easiest way I've found to cook bacon (and not have to actually tend it and get your stove-top all greasy) is to find your broiler pan [place bacon on top slotted layer], crank your oven up to 400, and let it cook for 20 minutes. Result=degreased crispy bacon (without having to slave over your stove)
****We did not add a poached egg to the recipe tonight, however in other black bean recipes I've used, I've added this and appreciated the addition...and it wasn't included in my cost analysis (however seeing as eggs are at most .20 [for the type I buy]...this would add a whopping 1.20)
Enjoy!!!!
W
Jan 28, 2011---"Swap Following" Linky Party ...and how to make new friends but keep the old
So I follow a gal (Nicole)...who is following a gal (Homemaker on a Dime)....who had this quirky idea of creating a "Swap Following" Linky Party...and it's a share and share-alike kinda deal. Kinda like those jean swap parties or housesitting ventures (you know who you are...but you are required to let my dog out when we go on our 17 vacations this year). Anyway, kinda different, just for fun...and I always wanted to be stalked (in the best kind of way).Doing it...Brownie style.
W
Jan 28, 2011---Ugly Cake
So, we celebrated chocolate cake day yesterday. But in the ugliest of fashions. Let's just say that this cake reflected my sentiments toward yesterday---it was unpleasant to look at no matter what angle you choose.
Here are some tips if you want to have an ugly cake experience too:
W
Here are some tips if you want to have an ugly cake experience too:
- have a crappy day, make sure you struggle to keep ankle-biters away from the hot oven while separating constant bickering from your older two children
- be hungry and cranky too
- don't properly grease your pans (or allow your 6 yr old to grease them)
- pull your cake out of the pan when it's too warm
- be sure to laugh maniacally if you start icing your cake and it falls apart
- continue laughing maniacally to prevent crying, but continue icing until either you need alcohol or a trip to the head shrinker
- get neither but indulge in super-chocolatey ugly cake
W
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