Last weekend we spent time with our extended family, and the lads got a chance to go to “Little Gym” with their cousin Helen. I pretty much knew how each of the lads would react to the whole experience, but all in all they said they had a fun time!
There’s lots of pictures in this post so I’m going to hide most of it, just click here to read/see the rest. (more…)
This has become my favorite crock-pot dish. For now anyway. I have made it several times since discovering it. Stroganoff is one of my favorite dishes!! My Grandma makes an amazing Stroganoff, and I have to hold myself back from licking the dishes! Ha ha! She coached me through the steps one time, and I made it, but it seemed like a lot of work, and a lot of pot watching. Not something I’m keen on these days.
And for whatever reason, I was under the impression that Stu wasn’t a huge fan of Stroganoff, so I was a little hesitant to try this dish the first time. Imagine my excitement when he told me it was great! I was happy he liked it of course, but mostly happy for me because I could make it without feeling guilty for ‘forcing’ him to eat something he doesn’t care that much for. Ha ha!!
This is a delicious dish! And it’s so easy to “toss” together which gives it even more brownie points in my book! The lads have gone back and forth over whether they think it’s “yucky” or “my favorite meal” based on what mood they happen to be in when dinner rolls around. 
But since it’s not unanimously complained against, I’ll count it as successful!
Try this one, you’ll love it! Num, num!
Mushroom ‘n Steak Stroganoff
2 T AP flour
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. paprika
1 3/4 lb beef steak cut into strips (I don’t bother to get the exact “cut” of steak the recipe recommends because I buy what’s on sale, but it does say top round steak, if you’re interested)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I use “cream of something” of course)
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. onion soup mix
2 jars/cans (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 c. sour cream
Fresh parsley, optional
in a large resealable bag, combine the flour, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Add beef strips and shake to coat. Transfer to slow cooker (they say 3 qt, if you need to know)
Combine the soup, water and soup mix; poor over beef. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours (mine is always done before this) or until the meat is tender
Stir in the mushrooms, sour cream and parsley if desired. Cover and cook 15 minutes more or until sauce is thickened.
Serve with noodles if desired. (Or rice, it works well too!)
That’s all folks! It makes for a great meal with some easy veggie sides. Ella even loved some of the noodles w/ a little sauce on them when we ate this last! Yummy!
I found THIS RECIPE and had to try it. I get excessively tired of eggs for breakfast! This recipe turns out to be pretty good and surprisingly pancake like even though there’s no flour. It’s a great way to get my morning protein without going egg-bonkers!
The recipe calls for Oat bran which I don’t have. It does say you can omit it though, so the first time I did. The batter was really runny and I had a hard time chasing it all over the griddle. Hmmm… They still tasted pretty good and with a little bit of REAL Maple syrup (yes, I know it’s technically cheating, but I prefer “natural” sweeteners to the fake chemical stuff. I don’t believe the chemicals can possibly be good for you so I’ll take a slightly slower weight loss *sigh* if I have to, ha)
Anyway, I ate these 2 mornings in a row and on the second morning I used a couple tablespoons of ground flaxseed that I happened to have in the fridge. I also beat the eggs and cream cheese with a beater instead of a fork. So whether it was the beater, or the flaxseed I don’t know, but the batter “held” together better and it turned out much more like pancakes than crepes. 
I like these a lot. They have a “custardy” egg flavor, but it’s really good! And it’s a change from my typical scrambled or boiled eggs. A nice change. So if you’re trying to cut out carbs or even cut down, which I highly suggest after my low-carb experiences, give these a try one morning. I got 5 little pancakes out of this recipe. Nice breakfast!
Low Carb Pancakes and Waffles:
(makes 4 pancakes)
1/4 C low fat cream cheese
2 eggs
2 Tb oat bran (you can leave this out if you need pure protein)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon (the first time I left this out, and used it the second. I like them with!)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 Tb or less of sweetener (I didn’t use any sweetener at all but I did use maple syrup so take your pick)
1. Heat your griddle over medium heat, or preheat your waffle iron. In a small glass bowl, microwave your cream cheese until soft, about 20-30 seconds. Beat with a fork. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until completely mixed in. Add your remaining ingredients and mix them in with your fork. Pour your batter onto your griddle or waffle iron and cook as you would normal pancakes!
The boys spent part of a day with their good friend “Miss Karen” who has bailed me out on several occasions when I needed someone to watch the kids. She’s SO great with children, and the boys go wild with excitement every time they get to go to her house! On this occasion, she had some cupcake decorating supplies on hand and I’m sure you can imagine the excitement that went into this artwork of theirs! They enjoyed eating it as well!
You remember that I “forgot” to take photos of us opening gifts on Christmas day? Ha! Oh my. Anyway, here’s De Bella opening her princess riding toy from Grandma and Popeye Noggle. I think she likes it!!
When we were kids… though it was more like jr high and high school age that I remember this. We’d sometimes have split pea soup for lunch. Most of the time along with a sandwich of some kind. My preference was always tuna. The soup that we had was the condensed kind which you have to dig out of the can with a fork and then whisk like crazy to make “smooth” while you incorporate the water back in.
Still, I liked it. One day when we were first married, I thought I’d let my new hubby in on this great lunch tradition. He was very nice about it and slurped up his green soup without complaining. However, I have been unable, since that time, to ever get him near a bite of split-pea soup again. Ha ha ha! I guess it scarred him for life.
I wish he’d try this homemade version though because it’s a MILLION times better than any can of condensed stuff you could ever buy! I found this recipe off of thehillbillyhousewife website, and didn’t think that it would be all that at first. I’ve tried other of her recipes, and while the frugal concept behind a lot of them is good, there just isn’t much else to say of lentil and dumpling stew…. really.
But I’m glad I gave this one a try because it’s become one of my new staples. I make a big pot on a Monday and then I have split-pea soup to eat the rest of the week for lunch. And yes, it’ll fill you right up without a bunch of fat and calories that you don’t need. Plus, I don’t have to worry about anyone else eating it all up since me and Ella seem to be the only ones who like the soup. Though I have to admit I haven’t tried it on the boys recently. Perhaps I should give it another go.
Simple Split-Pea Soup
2 T veg oil (I just eyeball it, but don’t usually use this much)
1 T minced garlic OR 1 t. dry
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 t salt (I find that this isn’t “enough” salt and I add a dash of salt and pepper to each bowl I eat, but I’d rather put it in later than over salt it to begin with)
2 c. dry split peas
6 c. water
I also add chopped celery and carrots. I like the flavor and the color!
In a large pot heat veg oil. Sauté onion and garlic (and celery and carrots). Add water, salt and split peas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer for about 2 hours.
It ends up being thick and hearty. The peas fall apart in a great way, and it’s almost like a stew rather than soup. If you like peas at all, you’ll like this soup. It’s extremely frugal, and it’s simple and yummy, though I know not everyone will be wild about split-peas. Ha ha!
Dairy
I so totally flopped on my diet last week. And it was obvious since I didn’t lose any more weight. Oh well. Today is a new day…
My downfall was dairy. I told you I was trying to cut back on it since I’ve read in more than one place, that dairy can actually be a diet saboteur. I don’t know why since it ranks low on the GI, but whatever, I’m not a scientist. I do however now know that I can’t deprive myself of it for long. I’m too much of a yogurt, cheese and sour cream lover! Not sour cream by itself, mind you, but in dishes, and dips, yum!
Anyway, I made it to Wednesday very reluctantly last week. I don’t know why it is but whenever I do the “low carb” thing I just never feel full. I’m starving all the time, it’s weird. But Wednesday came and I just caved in when I saw the crock of homemade yogurt in the fridge. *sigh* My new favorite thing in the whole wide world is homemade plain yogurt with a dollop of real maple syrup on top. Just bliss!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!
And homemade yogurt is so much better than the kind you get in the store! It really is SO simple to make it! You’ve got to give it a try!! I’ve been making it for over a year now, and I love to do it! It’s so cheap compared to what you pay to have your not-as-good-yogurt brought to you in those little cartons. It’s way better for you as well since you get to control how much, if any sweeteners go into your yogurt. Good for your munchkins cause you can make it from whole milk which is more nutritious.
Have I convinced you yet?? You need to make some yogurt! You can read how I did it the first time HERE.
Anyway, it’s a new day, and a new week, and I’m slugging away at the diet again, only this time I’m allowing myself to have some dairy again. I just can’t do both. Carbs or dairy… I think I’ll stick with dairy for now.
MMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I’m sore! The kettlebell is to blame!
Yesterday was such a beautiful day! It warmed up so nicely in the afternoon that the lads were able to play outside sans coats! They were thrilled with that! I sat outside for some time watching Ella and her “sea legs” on the uneven terrain. She tends to be like water when she’s walking outside, her legs just automatically follow the flow of the land, ha ha!
I’m making yogurt again today. I can’t wait to have some tomorrow with Maple Syrup on it! YUUUUUUUM!
Stuart bought me a houseplant a couple weeks ago, and so far I haven’t killed it! I’d like to have several around the house, since that’s the best way to “filter” your inside air. (Did you know that?) I just have a hard time keeping them alive…. probably something to do with forgetting to water them or something. Maybe I’ll have better luck this time around.
My iPod Nano (1st generation) that Stuart got for me on our first married Christmas has been recalled. I was a little sad to let it go actually, even though I’ll be getting a new one, because he’d had it engraved on the back to say “Merry Christmas Darling! Love Your Stu” and the new one won’t have that. *sigh* Yes, I can be sentimental, I know. Anyway, right now I’m somewhat musicless because I don’t have any play lists on my other iPod. I think it might need to be a weekend project for me.
So the headache that was kind of lurking on the fringe of things for awhile has decided to move in and stay for awhile. I think I’m on day 4 or something with it. It hasn’t been a doozy the whole time, but it sure has been annoying. And since it’s been at least that long since I’ve had a really good night’s sleep, I imagine good ol’ headache thinks it’s his prerogative to stick around. Humbug!
Guess who SAT in a pile of goatheads while watching the kids play outside? Yep, it was me! I didn’t sit there for long, I’ll tell ya what! Usually I’m the lucky one who finds those nasty things with my feet in the carpet, but discovering them THIS way was an entirely new, and need I add unpleasant, experience. (BTW, if you’re still in the dark about what a goat-head is, it’s a very hard, very sharp 3 pointed (hence goat head) sticker that likes to grow in these here parts. I detest them greatly since they often hitch a ride inside on people’s shoes, turn loose in the carpet and then my poor lil unshod feet usually find them.)
Had a little mini-session with Ella today to model her Christmas tutu set that her Auntie Tiff made. I didn’t get any big grins, mostly because she was busy stuffing goldfish in her mouth, but I still got some cute photos!
It’s snowing outside, right now, and that wasn’t supposed to happen till Tuesday! The power out here is SO finicky in any kind of “weather” so it keeps blipping in and out. Twill be an interesting night with my noise-maker randomly shutting off. That wakes me up faster than anything.
Qade enlightened Myels this morning by telling him, “Nutella means chocolate.” I’m happy I’m brining them up right!
P.S. This post was written over the course of several days, as most of my this n that posts are, so the “yesterdays” and “todays” will be off slightly…. just to clear that all up for ya! Because yesterday we actually had snow, not lovely weather, gotta be honest, you know!
When I pinned this recipe I wrote, “You had me at the words easy and crock-pot” And it’s true, I have a weakness for easy meals, especially the kind I can toss in the crock-pot and forget about. Really though, doesn’t “Easy Crock-Pot Fiesta Chicken” just sound like a dish that you HAVE to try?
I did try it and I’m adding it to my favorites list. Stuart’s comment after his first bite was, “This is another one of those dishes that looks like it’s going to be boring, but tastes awesome!” Now what further praise does it need?
I confess I had some skeptical moments when I thought about adding cream cheese to the dish, but wow, it does some amazing dancing with the salsa and black beans! Total fiesta time, oh yeah! I used the neufchâtel cream cheese which says that it has 1/3 less fat, but it sure tasted yummy! I didn’t miss the extra 1/3rd at all.
I served it over jasmine rice for the menfolk. Ella got plain rice with just a smidgen of butter, but I avoided the carbs and was “good” even after Stuart commented, “It’s too bad you can’t have rice, because it’s REALLY good with the rice.” Har har har… thanks for that! Guess I’ll have to take his word for it for the time being, however, I would like to go on record as saying that it was scrum-diddly-umtious without the rice as well. Hee hee!
Give this one a whirl, you’ll love it! By the way, I found the recipe here if you’re interested.
Easy Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken
4 chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) jar of your favorite salsa
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
Take 4 frozen, yes, frozen (or thawed), boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot. Add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained. Keep in crock pot on low for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked. Once it is cooked, take it out and shred it. Return shredded chicken to the crockpot.
Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour. It may look at little strange at this point. Don’t worry. Stir in the cream cheese.
Serve over rice or in warm flour tortillas.
Twas the weeks before Christmas and all through the house not a toy was to be found, not even for a mouse!
This was the culmination of some grumbly issues the lads had been having about keeping their toys neat and cleaning up the messes that they made.
Their favorite activity at that time was to empty their toy box of all toys cover it with blankets and play IN the toy box. Which is totally fine with me. I love it when they use their imaginations!! But I don’t love it when it came time for clean up and they balked, threw fits, fussed, whined and cried about having to clean up their toys.
Part of the problem came from the fact that they had too many toys out at once. And a lot of those toys were in lots of parts. (think lego) So the clean up did seem like a monstrous task when all 175 train track pieces were scattered all over the floor, not to mention all the matchbox cars, legos, and each and every stuffed animal along with an assortment of McDonalds happy meal type toys. It was overwhelming to ME and I’m not 3 and 4 yrs old.
We tried various tactics including tossing out some of those trinkety toys if they hadn’t made progress on cleaning up in a certain amount of time. It made an impression, especially on one little lad who hates for things to “go to the dump.” But unfortunately it didn’t take care of the above issues with cleaning.
Finally Daddy decided that enough was enough. After dinner one night, he packed up every toy in the boys’ room and took it out to the garage. The reaction was not very positive to be sure, but Qade mellowed a bit when he realized that they were just put away, not thrown away. He looked in his room and said, “I don’t think it looks nice in there.” Then he amended it to say, “Well, I think the floor looks nice, but the toy box doesn’t look nice because there aren’t any toys.”
They were toy-less for a weekend, and were not allowed to play with Ella’s toys. That next week, I brought in one of the boxes of jumbled up toys and told them that if they could help me clean up THAT box of toys, they could put those toys back into the toy box. We got through about 1/2 of the box before the whinies took over. I packed it all back in and out to the garage it went.
I have to say that I was surprised at how well they did without toys. Initially I told Stuart that I was going to be punished as much as the kids because they’d be bored out of their minds and driving me crazy all day. I was happy to discover that this wasn’t the case. They adapted very quickly and made up all kinds of games to play together with no toys!
Eventually, before Christmas Day, I had them help me sort their old toys. We put a LOT of them into a Goodwill pile. Qade was a little more able to cope with them going away if he knew they weren’t going to the dump. Another pile we are donating to my mom who wants more toys for them to destroy her house with when we go visit. And there was the trash pile where broken, and Micky-D’s type toys went. A few got put away into a bin to “rotate” out later. The very slimmed down toy box became much easier to manage, and most of the toys with a zillion pieces got put away to be used in Mom initiated quite time play.
We still get complaints when it’s time to clean up, but it’s NOTHING compared to what it was!! The lads play with their toys just like they did, but they also continue to play their toy-less games much more frequently. All in all I think that the time without toys was good for them, and the time now with fewer toys is also good for us all!