The Garden

Currently 3 green peppers, 10 tomatoes and 10 cucumbers in progress. Time to ask Kathy Berry for her pickle recipe. I tried them last Sunday and really liked them.

Thoughts for next year: Probably could do with only 2 cucumber vines, but we'll see how well the pickles turn out. I might be changing my tune. They definitely need a long vine growing space. Or their own box with mesh walls.

I'd like to try a different kind of tomato. These are a bit tough for my liking. I'm thinking I might want to just go Roma or even Grape since those are my favorites and would grow faster since they are smaller.

I'd like to add zucchini and summer squash. They grow really well around here and we love them on the grill.  Also Onion, potatoes and try again with carrots. Might be a good idea to try some leafy greens since I'm still stuck buying them. Stawberries for something early and how about a raspberry bush for the back back? Why not!

Weird

Getting things clean and in place

It's a little funny knowing the exact day that I'm going to have this baby. I feel like I'm cheating. Granted, I get three weeks less to get ready than I originally thought, and I really only found out with one week's notice. It has been fun to think "this time next week I'll be able to bend over...eat a bologna sandwich, hold my urine for more than 15 minutes..." etc. And of course, to picture her here. And know that the next time I fold laundry on our bed she'll be lying there. Or the next time our milk expires I'll be breastfeeding. Or that Sunday was my last church meeting ever without having any kids. I know it, but we haven't shared it with too many people, so I'm keeping it in my heart, just like Mary. And, because I can, I'm taking a picture every day this week of my belly. This is as big as it's going to get! 

St. Patrick's Day Belly

Speaking of Sick Days...

After the cold turned into a sinus infection, the other symptoms I developed finally started to uncover themselves as the antibiotic cleared up my nose.

I was tired and groggy. Didn't think anything of it. My body fluids changed, but I blamed it on having an infection.

I got itchy all over. Well, it's cold and dry, and I haven't been on an antibiotic in years so maybe it's just a little reaction.

Saw my OB as scheduled and left feeling like all was well.

And then it wasn't. I got sicker. I got WAY itchier. I got labs done. I got anxious because the labs took forever to come back. I got educated on what I thought might be going on. I got validation on Friday when I finally went in to see my OB again, my labs were off and he made the call to send me to the hospital for observation.

We have a diagnosis, treatment, and a plan for delivery. All is well. Uh, except for the part where I want to rip my own flesh off at night because it itches so bad.

But what I REALLY sat down to say is that this whole situation, though uncomfortable and at times frustrating, has never once been scary.

I have had a feeling all along that something was going to go "wrong" during this pregnancy. I wasn't paranoid. I believed the doctors and nurses when they measured, weighed, observed, and documented my progress as "exactly right on track" and "perfect for where you are." I never felt nervous- just certain that there would be some kind of obstacle to overcome.

I made it to 35 weeks. All was cozy and I wasn't quite to the point where I felt I had earned the right to want it to be OVER...At that point there was very little risk even if I were to go into labor prematurely.

The 36th week was when it all went down. And even still, the treatment plan includes delivery at 37 weeks at which point she is considered "term" and will not need any interventions unless she presents any signs of distress. No testing or medication is necessary for her to be perfectly healthy at delivery.

Aside from the emotional and logistical aspects of having a complication at the end of pregnancy, there's always the financial side to deal with.

And here we come to the point that ties it all together. IF I had not had to resign early from my position where I had commercial health insurance, and IF I had not previously lost my job and applied for coverage through Medicaid, we'd be paying for all of this. But as it is, everything was in place and active. All of my uncommon prescriptions, my multiple trips to the hospital for monitoring, my rare blood tests, and ultimately the delivery are covered in full.

The Lord knew what He was doing. And I had a feeling this was going to happen. I'm also grateful for the example of my older brother who, while he was in college had the faith along with his wife to start their family despite not having an income. They also had help with medical coverage and when his firstborn had to be delivered at 24 weeks and receive months of medical treatment, it was all covered. That experience taught me not to be ashamed of getting help. It taught me that when we do what is right, and we do what we can, and we do our best, the Lord will guide us to be in the best situation we can be.

I know He did that with us, and it is that trust in Him that has carried me through the last week without fear or worry or stress. We are in good hands.

Use what you have

My sister in law is a talented quilter. It's something she enjoys, and has ended up being a successful business. She has a tradition of making crib size blankets for babies born to our family.

She also makes gorgeous quilts for family members who get married. She and I got together the last time I was in town visiting and picked out the pattern and some fabric selections. Her diligent efforts over the last year were interrupted many times by other works in progress and professional obligations. It was never a problem for us- we knew we'd get it eventually and it would be stunning.

The time came for the quilt to be completed and shipped to us in our new home- just before I am due to have a baby. I have seen many baby quilts displayed on her professional blog in recent months and thought to myself, you know if those aren't already spoken for, I'd be perfectly happy with one of them so she doesn't have to start another new project.

She read my mind and emailed me to ask if I would mind choosing from her completed works stash, including pictures of the options to choose from. I was so proud of her for being wise and using what she already had available!

I just can't get over how well it all goes together. Her pack and play (crib)
has the same design as the car seat canopy pictured here. Iphone pics add a lot
of blue. In real life, all of the colors are much softer and share the same rich tones. 

Is it even the slightest bit surprising that among her selections there was a beautiful, classic, but not boring looking quilt in the exact colors I have been gravitating towards as I select things for the baby? Nope.

And now that we have it in the house, it is so perfectly suited that it just makes me smile. Being resourceful is such a blessing! We don't even have to expend any effort on this particular "make it do" because it just DOES all on its own. :)

Sick Days

Taking a sick day when your work is your home is very frustrating. You have to sit/lay and look at everything you wish you could be doing all day long.

This morning I was half asleep on the couch, having been up in the wee hours unable to sleep, as my husband prepared to leave for work. I couldn't even get out words to help him pack a lunch. It's the one thing he hates most in the world and we have a deal that if I do it, he'll eat anything I make for him. It was killing me. Especially since this is yet another in a string of quite a few days that I haven't been able to keep up my end of the deal.

So what's the flip side? I guess being grateful for all the days you can do the things that need to be done, for health and ability and everything we otherwise take for granted.

I had a good afternoon yesterday and was able to get the pantry cupboards cleaned and organized and put away a lot of junk that was sitting around in the back hall. Even put all the cloth diapers on the shelf where they are going to live. A little bit of breakthrough nesting in an otherwise ongoing sick/uncomfortable haze.

The pregnancy induced impaired immune system battle to recover to any semblance of my former self has been going on for almost three weeks at this point so no wonder I'm getting frustrated! I think the best thing is to pick one or two things that you think you can do that you want to do, rest on either side and do them and then tell yourself it's enough for today.

And then it'll just have to do.

DIY Parenting

This is our first child, so any "parenting" I have done up to this point has been on other people's children and anything I've learned has either been academic, or due to the example and advice of others.

One of things that stands out to me most is that in order to be successful as a parent, you must be true to yourself. It is absolutely crucial to "do it yourself" when it comes to parenting. Do it your way, what's right for your family. This involves lots of smiling and nodding because so many people like to be helpful and make suggestions. Some will even go so far as to lend you materials, or provide the equipment that they are sure will make you happy and better off.

I'm working on setting healthy boundaries with the family we have close by. My intention is to provide clear and fair expectations, but I realize that A) it probably just comes off as me sounding like a know-it-all that doesn't have kids and B) They're going to do what they want anyway. So we'll have to just go with the disclaimer that family, especially grandparents, kind of get a free pass on this one.

When I start to analyze what that looks like, I find myself shrinking back a bit from the rest of the world. It's not that I lack confidence and don't want to be looked down on for my decisions as a parent, but rather that I'd just rather not have 90,000 people's opinions swarming around in my head or being shoved at me. I am definitely a keep-it-simple person.

And yet, I read mommy blogs. Heck, I think I might technically be writing one right now. So again, I give myself the warning: Do it yourself. Be deliberate. Make choices. Weigh the options and pick one you want for your family. Counsel with your husband regularly and follow up on the goals you've set. Be flexible, but be consistent. And don't let other people make you feel bad about your choices. It's ok to learn from mistakes, but not ok to get weighed down by them.

So here's a little parenting quirk that I've already discovered in myself. I'm mostly sharing because I think it's funny, but also because it's a tiny way of standing up for myself right now...declaring to the interwebs that I AM SOMEBODY, blaring my very own Bon Jovi-esque homage to Frankie that I'm doing it my way.

We have a two bedroom house. That's it. There's a closet in the hall and a living room and a bathroom and a kitchen, but no other spaces. There are currently two of us. While the kitchen tends to be my main workshop, I have a sewing machine and a desk in the spare room. My husband keeps his school things and occupies half of the closet with suit coats and such. That's where the entertainment center (TV/DVD player) and most of our books are. It's basically a den.

So when people ask me if I have the baby's room "all ready" (because more than a month out I guess that's an important thing to do, even though we haven't even had a baby shower yet and don't have the things for her that are going in there) I cringe.

She's an infant. And technically will be for a YEAR, people! She does not need her own room! Sure, I understand the benefit of having a space to settle her to sleep and feed, away from noise and other people. And as she gets older, she'll need the cue of going into another room, getting in her bed and the door shutting. But it's not her room. There is no theme or decor. I have a couple of things I could hang on the wall, but I've had them for years and would likely put them up anyway. There will be a space for her pack n play and something soft to sit on for feeding/soothing. The bottom half of the closet has gifts we've received for her stored currently in it. But that's it. The changing table is going in the laundry room (it's really just a hall way where the water heater and furnace are but we like to pretend it's fancy) and my plan is to keep my current lazy boy recliner/tv tray and end table work station in the living room up and running, as I add a new line to my job description: Around the clock feeding.

Likely resulting from that drive to set expectations mentioned earlier, I find myself being very verbal about this to poor unsuspecting relatives who are just excited and want to share in our joy. "Is the baby's room all ready, Lynn?"

"No! The baby doesn't HAVE a room. How dare you suggest such a thing in my presence! {Humphrump}"

I think it stems from not wanting her to be spoiled. I grew up in a big family. We had to do work and learned not to ask for things most of the time. There wasn't any entitlement, but there was satisfaction and love and fun and memories, and that's what I want for our first born even before she learns the art of sharing her things, her parents, and her life with another sibling. I want her to appreciate simple things, to spend time outside and to play creatively. And I hate junk. So I'm finding ways to sneak into the conversation that, "No, we don't have space for anything else so PLEASE don't try to give it to us, no matter how cute, or popular, or educational it may seem." Well, that's where I am but I'm trying to be better.

First lesson of parenting learned: don't be a jerk about it! I have a goal this year to be more gracious, and I think this is the exact scenario I somehow knew my personality would clash against. So, how can I handle it better?

Acknowledge where it is coming from.
-Oh thanks for asking. I can tell you're getting excited.

Answer the question:
-We're not quite set up with everything yet, but after the shower we should be good to go.

Leave out the snotty attitude and lecture:
-Luckily there's not a lot to be done so we're feeling calm.

Change the subject back to them:
-So what are you looking forward to?

See, I know these things. I just need to DO them.

That just leaves me with one problem. What in the world does one do with gifts for a child that one has absolutely no intention of using and would rather not have to see ever again (besides thanking the person for their generosity in a sincere note in the mail)? How far is too far when it comes to defending or implementing your own style and preferences for raising children?

A sneaky trick

I haven't been a condensed frozen juice person since college, but that's the way it comes if I want it for free through our assistance program, so I was willing to get back into it.

Only we don't have a pitcher with a lid to mix it and store it in.

Once again, I thought, "Well, I'm sure they have them at the dollar store. I can use my spare change..." But I stopped myself because we're still trying not to spend money on THINGS.

So I got really inventive and figured out if you let it sit on the counter for a while and melt, you can pour it in a large measuring cup with a spout.

And then you can pour that into an empty apple juice bottle with a lid.

And then you can read the can and use the measuring cup to measure the exact amount of water to add (or do the "about 3 cans method" if you prefer) and then pour that in.

And then screw the lid on tight and shake it up.

No purchase necessary. :)

Pot {roast} Pie

I LOVE my baking counter/station. It is a huge reason why I'm quick to do these kinds of meals.
Everything in one place and easy clean up, right next to the sink!

My original plan for today included a few appointments and lots of laundry. But I'm feeling less energetic than I anticipated, so I spent some time sitting in the sunshine coming through the living room window (yes, it actually does that from time to time in March even if I can't believe it myself) and paid bills and such. We have our child birth education class this evening and I promised Eric I'd have something ready to eat and run when he gets home. But I wasn't feelin it. I had made pizza for that purpose but we ate some last night and both ended up eating it for lunch today. Woops.

So I've got this left over pot roast in the fridge. It wasn't so much a hit the first time around, but some added spices and such, breaking down the meat a little more, and throwing it in a flaky pie crust could possibly smooth things over. Thought I'd give it a try.

I got this fun little pie maker thingy as a wedding shower present from Eric's Auntie Mo. It came with its own cook book and I've actually used it more than once. I love meat pies (thank you, 4 months in South Africa) so I like to do this kind of thing with left overs from time to time.

The most time consuming aspect of this meal is working with pastry dough. I got the one I like best from a recipe for chicken pot pie online. It just uses butter, no shortening. It's really important to keep it cold, so I had to put it in the freezer while I pre-heated the pie maker and warmed up the filling on the stove.

In what I'm assuming is an attempt to appeal to the masses, the recipes in the book call for pre-made crusts: regular pie crust for the bottom, and puff pastry for the tops. But I can make my own for cheaper, so I just deal with the extra time it takes. A lot of times I end up with left over dough when I make fruit pies, etc so this is another good use-it-up option for that issue.

At any rate, these only take about 10 minutes to bake as opposed to the usual 40-60 min a regular size pie would take in the oven, so there is a time saving aspect about these for sure.

And in case it needs to be disclosed, the magic I added includes more salt and pepper, a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, some oregano and basil, and a few squirts of Worcestershire sauce to amp up the flavor against the abundance of crust.

That's the fancy schmancy mechanical-maker-doo, BUT when I make chicken pot pie (and I make a mean chicken pot pie) I combine all the ingredients in a glass pyrex storage bowl (which happens to be oven-safe) and just seal the crust around the top and bake it in the oven. That way, after we've eaten some, I can just put the lid on and put it in the fridge. No special machinery required. This could just have easily been prepared using that method- down to the fact that being leftovers, it had been stored in said pyrex container!

Filling and topping with lid

Done-zos!

Getting organized

"I have nowhere to put my stuff!!!" he shouts in exasperation. And it's true. My husband sacrificed his desk (which was sent back to his parents' house from whence it originated) to make room for the pack n play in the den/study/place where some of the baby things are. Mine is much smaller, and a family heirloom or it might have been booted as well. Anyway, he often ends up with piles of lots of paperwork items between school, work, boyscouts, young men presidency meetings, bills, medical forms, and all the mail we get. And I get on his case about leaving them on the kitchen counter, or in my hats/gloves/scarves box by the front door. We have a filing cabinet, but who has time to sit there and sort through everything and then file it all???

Well, as it turns out, I DO! So for his birthday, I've created a filing system that he can use to organize his paperwork, do what he wants to do with it, and then stick it in an out box for me to file or throw away/shred. I immediately pictured those tall skinny boxes that look like trapper keeper folders and thought it wouldn't be too pricey to grab a few. Since they would occupy a contained amount of space, they could sit comfortably on top of the filing cabinet. 

And then I thought- heck! I could make them. So I solicited the help of the ladies at church, gathered several cereal boxes and made them pretty in a simple two step process: glue scrapbook paper over the outsides and packing tape the heck out of them- since again, this is the room where some of the baby stuff lives and while she doesn't have her own room, I'd at least like it to look nice as it fulfills multiple roles in our home. 

So here they are. And with them, the promise that all the miscellaneous papers, books, notebooks, binders, and stuff that's hanging out on the floor where the desk was will be sorted through and put away by MY birthday, I give you the cutest freest filing system known to man:  

Eyeballed the first one, and then cut the others to match

Forgot to start by taking "before" pictures, as usual.

This was once a box of granola bars.
 I wanted a smaller, wider one for receipts

All beautiful and finished!

It was fun picking paper that coordinated, but didn't necessarily match. Not that it took any skill- the paper came from a large collection that all coordinates together. They are bound in a book and you just tear off what you want to use. It was pretty easy for me to pick, since yellow, turquoise and red are the colors I've been using the most as I set up baby girl's stuff

Though not likely to be seen, the backs all bring in additional designs. I'm pretty happy with how they look. 

Lemon and honey

I've been sick for 14 days. The first couple were terrible and knocked me out of commission. I thought I had been overdoing it and was saddened that the time had come for me to need to stop being productive, when the symptoms finally evolved enough for me to recognize I had a cold. I started the lemon and honey immediately, almost around the clock and started to feel better to the point where less than a week later, I was much myself despite a still runny nose.
The last two days (day 13 and 14) my fatigue, headache, general malaise and the addition of feet swelling and back pain have me considering I somehow re-caught the same bug. Despite constant hydration, the mucous has thickened and the pressure in my head is increased. Of course the obscene part of all of this is the more I hydrate, the more I need to use the restroom so it means I can't really go anywhere to get anything done.
I believe that lemon and honey (I mix it in hot water like a tea) really does help when you can't take anything else- like I can't right now- so this is what my produce drawer currently looks like. Oh yeah, we're eating a whole lot of oranges as well. And now, I'm going to take a nap, that is, if I can breathe... and keep my bladder from rupturing long enough to fall asleep. 

Doing without but not forever

Something that has always helped me be hopeful instead of feel like I'm missing out, is to create a wish list.

I do still get asked from time to time by family what I would like for my birthday or Christmas. Having a list of things that have tugged at your heart over the months means you're not just getting stuff for the sake of getting stuff. It's something you've looked forward to for a long time.

So this week I made a kitchen gadget board on pintrest. It was the ideal format since I didn't have a clue what most of them are actually called, and needed to go by picture.

It has already removed a nagging, longing kind of feeling from the "but I want to have what I want!" part of my brain and relieved me of even the energy of trying to remember what it was that I wanted in the first place.

I have no idea if this link will work, but I'm attempting to include it here

Something to look forward to

A little wishing and hoping doesn't hurt now and again, right?

I'm getting my plans together to use my pasta maker for the first time today and so I'm looking up simple ravioli fillings online and came across this recipe that I'm pretty sure I need to make before I die. However, it doesn't make any sense to cook with Lobster in Michigan, therefore I am documenting here so I can refer to it the next time we visit my parents in New England.

If we make it this summer, local fresh lobster is quite cheap when it's in season so it doesn't need to be a splurge. Plus, my mom and I could make it together and who doesn't love cooking with their own mom?

Yes, please.

On accepting assistance

When I left the world of full time employment, it put the burden on my husband to support us- something he has been working towards and desiring but has not been in a position to do up to now. He is finishing his degree and while he's been working part time, it's basically a minimum wage job.

We knew the time was soon approaching when my salary would be deleted from our budget so he was already pursuing higher paying full time positions when I unexpectedly had to leave my job two months early. Things have worked out for us, and he's starting next week at a new, better job.

But even with that in place, we're going to be squeaking by. As such, we qualify for a few different types of assistance from our community. There are resources out there that help. It is a very new perspective for me to be on the applying/receiving end since I studied Child Development and have been a nurse in the outpatient setting for most of my career. I'm used to referring people to and offering these kinds of things. Not needing them.

But there is so much available!

My grocery list was basically cut in half this week because we got our food assistance up and running. What a huge relief. As it turns out, I've been anemic for a few weeks and getting the right fruits, veggies, and meats is becoming a big concern. My numbers aren't going up with my typical diet so I'm going to have to be more deliberate in what we eat this week. And the help we're getting financially is going to make that possible without being an added burden.

There is a reason these things are out there. Don't struggle. Don't get bogged down. Talk to someone at the health department or even your insurance agency and see what they can offer you.

I'll admit this has been easier for me to swallow since I have a huge baby belly leading out in all of the conversations I have. It is my "excuse" so to speak, when my pride needs it.

The dietitian I met with today put it this way- this is a system you've been paying into your whole life. It's just your turn to be on the receiving end for a little while.

And that's our plan. When he's done with school, my husband's career will pay for our needs. It's just for now, for the baby, when we need it most. And I'll tell you, since the moment it all went through my mind has been at ease, my attitude improved, my stress level decreased, my sleep is deeper and overall I feel more like myself.

Help is a good thing.

Saying things Out Loud

Since the experience I had with finding Salmon on special, and I feel like a few other items fell into that same wish list to on sale magic pattern, this week during my meal planning I REALLY wanted to make my Mom's italian vat-o-goodness which is just every kind of meat you can think of in a deep pan with red sauce, served over any kind of pasta noodle (but we usually use a thicker shape like penne or rotini).

I have pork and chicken in the freezer so the next best thing that would take it up a notch would be Italian sausage. I know our local meat market makes their own so that would be an option- meaning I could buy just ONE and have plenty while not having to over buy. But I wasn't going to leave it at that. I yelled to my husband, "I'm saying this out loud as an act of faith. I wish I could find a deal this week on Italian sausage."

As I combed through the weekly ads I found one, and then two, and then three different stores with Italian sausage- each better than the next- all on sale, in packages of 19 oz each. THREE people. And that doesn't even count whatever the price is at the meat market. I strongly believe that planning and preparing is a principle of faith and that it becomes a source of action for good in our lives. The good that God wants to give us if we just ask Him!

Great Leftover recipes

After reading my post on the chicken and rice soup, my mom strongly suggested the use of frittatas for using up left overs, particularly colored peppers, pasta, any kind of meat, and CHEESE. You can bury pretty much anything in one of these suckers.

My favorite recipe comes from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook and has a Mediterranean flavor. I used sour cream and milk instead of heavy cream and it came out perfect. This is a GREAT way to use up old bread or the crumbs in the bag of croutons.

I had bacon, goat cheese, and peppers to use up as well as the previously mentioned Basil. I just love the flavor in this. Feel free to sprinkle dry italian spices on top with the croutons. Italian bread crumbs would also do the trick. I omitted the olives because my other half won't eat them. As a result, he loved this, and even ASKED for it the second day when I offered him two choices.

The other magic recipe for recycling ingredients is Shepherd's Pie. We had corn and green beans in the fridge in separate containers and left over mashed potatoes. Not much, so I actually made another quick batch of instant to supplement. Grabbed the ground beef from the freezer (but turkey would be awesome too, and I think the original recipe calls for lamb, hence the name) and sprinkled it with steak seasoning and Al sauce as it browned. Combine in the baking dish, top with a little butter and heat through until potatoes are slightly brown on top. To make it look fancy, I dusted the top with parsley flakes. Easy, tasty, warm, and cozy. I did put this together in a small baking dish so it would be a decent thickness and not go too far. You don't want to end up re-purposing your leftovers again!

As you can see, I served it with apple slices and caramel sauce (which has been in the fridge for a long time and needed some attention). It was a filling, delicious meal!

Speaking of the Garden...

We have the farmer's almanac on hand to help us with timing and placement, but this is a good time to be brainstorming about garden planting for spring.

I have opted not to do my own starter seeds since the timing falls directly at the end of my pregnancy and first month postpartum. There are quite a few members of my church who do their own and often will offer up the excess. Otherwise we'll get them from the home improvement store where my husband is going to be working (employee discount, baby!).

So in an effort to not bite off more than we can chew (hardy har har har), we're going VERY SMALL this year. Our top choices that we can't live without and that's it. Just to get our feet wet, hands dirty, thumbs green, etc.

Cucumber
Tomato (not cherry)
Green Pepper
Carrots

And the herb garden:
Basil
Cilantro
Dill
Rosemary
Oregano
Chives (which were already growing this fall when we moved in so they may be free!)

Culinary adventures and Fresh herbs

So about that miracle Salmon...

The only splurge on this recipe was the puff pastry- which my friend graciously provided. Combining our resources was genius and a whole lot of fun. While the baking took place, her daughter instructed us in an art project. I had a blast and am very happy with how mine turned out. The salmon was a success. I'd make it again since now I have the steps down and it would really go quickly. Just needed to roll the dough out a little thinner so it cooks all the way through.

And now, a word about fresh herbs. This year I will be planting a small garden for the first time, and the plan is to never have to buy herbs again. But up until this point, that not being a possibility has always been a frustration for me because you end up paying a fortune for the 1/8th portion you need and they go bad before you can use the rest. 

I did, however, have a capricious experience this week when I accidentally made three meals that also call for fresh herbs. The aforementioned steak for Valentine's Day got a liberal dose of dill and basil along with a little butter for its searing stage. Then I made a frittata to use up left over colored peppers, onion, goat cheese, and breakfast meat. Fresh basil in that sucker makes it. Also magical about that recipe that I didn't calculate is that it calls for crushed croutons on top- and we just happened to have a bag with only crumbs left in the bottom. 

Finally, today I was watching "The Taste" and they did a Thai and Asian theme for one of the rounds that made me really want Red Curry Coconut chicken (another pantry only recipe I try to keep on hand) so I was almost not even surprised when I remembered the last step is to add fresh basil. 

Of course I bought it for the salmon recipe, but it just made me realize how helpful a digital library reference for herbs would be when planning meals. I did this by accident, but it's all gone! 

Now for the dill. Again, a generous portion was used in the salmon and also the steak. I made this cauliflower soup up one time back in the day for a fall soup party and it was a hit. It's another way to use up chopped veggies, and I always seem to have left overs of the selection featured in this recipe. The dill was almost an after thought during the original process, but now I'd say it's the star. Here's the original recipe. I'm tweaking it today due to a variation of spices and ingredients on hand. Likely it will be just sour cream and milk.  Also, I do have a food processor now, so it all gets creamed together at the end. I saved half out before adding the milk so I can freeze it as left overs. 

Head of cauliflower
celery stalks (2?)
a few carrots (baby or large)
1 onion
2 med potatoes
cook up veggies, smash the carrots and cauliflower (so you'll need to have them separate)
Put vegetable bullion, 1 T flour, salt, pepper and 1-2 T butter in the big pot (crockpot)I put the onion in there too. Warm till thick. Add veggies and 1 c milk/half and half, or more if you want it creamier.

Before we ate it I added sour cream, thyme and sage. And more salt. OH AND FRESH DILL. That was the kicker. I put kind of a lot in, with the potatoes and celery when they cooked.

If I had a large capacity food processor, it would have been all creamed.
Serve with cheddar cheese atop.



Another resource I've used in the past is the website Supercook, which lets you search for a recipe by ingredients you have on hand. I'm sure there are others out there, as well as apps for smart devices by now. 

Holiday Fun

Eric is sensitive about not making a fuss over commercialized holidays and February 14th is the most offensive in his book. So I try to tell myself not to expect anything. That if I want it to be special, I'm going to have to do it myself.

So I was especially grateful when he came home from work with these beauties, and even enjoyed more how proud he was of the deal he found (and stuck it to the man) on them, telling me, "You just gotta know where to look."

I found a great deal on steak earlier last week and had planned on different sides but I helped out at a wedding earlier in the day and was sent home with a lot of left overs so I used the mashed potatoes, salad and bread right up and it worked out great.

The deal I got on strawberries and cream was for this meal. I decided to put the little box of strawberry jello in the pantry to good use and this was the result.

After dinner, I was offered a surprise conversion of the spare room to a snuggle filled den. I got to choose the movie and he even found, filled, and placed my water bottle for me. He doesn't care much for Valentine's Day, but he sure likes me! We watched my all time favorite movie, Emma. He laughed more than once and didn't fall asleep. Dinner for two for under two bucks, and a free movie. Winning!

I love the blankets draped over the messy areas. :) 

The next day, being Sunday, I had planned brunch for after church to use up the rest of the strawberries before they go bad. To me, it was just a continuation of the love theme. Guys, these waffles are amazing, and a total ALL PANTRY ingredients option. It uses a lot of butter (two sticks) but I always keep some in the freezer from buying it on sale. Otherwise all you need is flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. It's fancy because of how it all comes together- very silky. And my personal favorite step, the egg whites are whipped separately. Makes them so light and fluffy. 

And the sausage- Johnsonville Maple Syrup flavor- are to die for. Again, we usually have some in the freezer. I've learned that breakfast meat on hand is the key to quick easy meals in a pinch. And this one in particular is one of my favorite meals ever. If I do say so myself. E opted for no fruit, which is fine. He took care of preparing the protein for us. It was so nice to work in the kitchen together and NOT be in each other's way! 

My secret ingredient is the fruit sauce. I use the last of whatever I have on hand and boil it down in a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar), usually add a little acid (either lemon or lime juice) and then freeze it in small portions. When we have pancakes or waffles, I pull one container out of the freezer and heat it through. It's best warm, so there's no worry about defrosting it quickly. So easy, and so good. 

So the strawberries were featured last week on Sunday with friends making sundaes, the salad and dessert from Valentine's Day Saturday, lunch Sunday, and in lunches this week for E to take to work, with vanilla yogurt. There are a handful left over and they are going straight into the freezer for smoothies. Viola!

Using up onions

I've never been that huge a fan of French Onion Soup, but the thought occurred to me that I might like it better if I made it myself. When I was faced with a mega deal on 3 lbs of onion (realizing that I'd save money even if I didn't use them all, at the price they were offered) I found my opportunity.

The onions are nearing the end of their one hour sautee right now so we'll see how it goes. I used this incredibly simple recipe, which has step by step instructions WITH pictures. It is a very low ingredient count meal, especially if you have beef stock on hand.

I halved the recipe since there are only two of us, and I didn't really have THAT much onion left. She explains later that it will amount to 6 cups of chopped onion so I chopped three up and it was just about half of that.

Hope it turns out good.

FYI, the half recipe was perfect for one box of pre-made beef stock (4 cups). You'd need two for the whole recipe.  

The miracle of the salmon

Something you might not know about me is that I'm obsessed with the culinary arts. Mind you, I've never been trained in anything other than 7th grade home ec (which doesn't even exist anymore) but lately I've been expanding my knowledge base, and with it my interest, via the food network and other such programs highlighting the skills of trained professionals and those aspiring to be like them. I even have a cousin who is a personal chef and works for the Boston Globe in the food section, so I contacted her and got some fun tips on online cooking courses, now that I have more free time.

So the other night I was watching children make salmon en croute for Chef Gordon Ramsay and decided I'd like to try it. But when I looked up the recipe online, I found so many ingredients that aren't on my budget list or in my cupboard that my heart sank and I had resolved to let it go- it was a want not a need and I have plenty of other meals to make that I can do without buying a ton of one time use ingredients.

Tonight I went to our ladies' night activity at church and one of my best friends and the originator of most of the good ideas I ever have which end up posted here shared with me that Aldi has WILD CAUGHT salmon in their freezer selection right now for less than 4 bucks. And when I told her how I had written it down as an act of faith that maybe when I was out and about I'd find a good deal because sometimes faith is like that...I shared with her my desire to make this meal and she totally agreed, offering that she actually has coarse mustard and is going to a specialty store this week that sells cheap puff pastry. And then we had the brilliant idea to make it together! Seeing as how we're pretty sure no one else in our families will want to eat it, we can pool our resources and enjoy it together.

Just a little tender mercy from a loving God who saw I wanted to try something special and created a way out of no way. I was willing to "do without" but it looks like it will work out after all.

Here's the recipe if you want to give it a go. Good luck!

A Meal for 3

I got a call from the compassionate service coordinator at church yesterday asking if I could help provide a meal to a family of 3. I had actually seen the sign-up sheet go around the room on Sunday and let it go by because I'm trying so hard to pinch every penny in our food budget, I just couldn't see it working out. Even our left overs are accounted for in my meal plans.

So when I was caught there on the phone between wanting to help (and the pride of not wanting to say, I'm sorry, we can't afford it right now) and the work I've been slaving over to stretch everything so thin...I stopped and thought for a minute. I knew we had two big bags of potatoes and onions that we'll struggle to finish before they go bad. And that I got a whole package of pork for free last week.

So I'm making a big pork roast with very little meat in it and that's what I'll take over tomorrow and what my husband and I will have for dinner tonight. It caused me to shift some things around on my meal plan - potatoes were originally for the steak dinner on Valentine's Day, so I moved something else in there-  but it worked out. And I suspect we'll even have left overs.

So not only is the Lord providing for our needs, but He's seen fit to allow for ways to help others, even when we may be barely scraping by ourselves.

Poor man's pork roast:

3 small cuts of pork

1 c water

1 (or what remains of) left over package of herbs de provence seasoning

5 red potatoes

4 carrots

1/2 medium onion

salt and pepper to taste

I put the water in first, followed by most of the seasonings, then layered the pork, followed by all of the chopped veggies dumped on top and finished it off with the last of the seasonings on top. 

Cook on low all day in slow cooker, stirring once or twice to even out veggies.

Since my cooker is tall and skinny, I opted to add a little more water to try to coat it evenly, but in most cases, pork creates a lot of juice. Since I'm not taking this over until tomorrow, I have time to adjust the drippings. I could even drain them into a frying pan and thicken to make a gravy if it ends up too watery. 

Now my only problem to solve is finding a disposable container to take it over in. I think I have one small gladware square container left, but it might not be big enough. We got rid of all of our plastic containers in the move and switched to glass. This is where it's kicking my bum a little. But I did save some cottage cheese containers so that will work as a back up. Problem solved!

Post edit: Here is a picture less than two hours later after a stir. See how much the liquid increased?

When being poor gets hard

I've been able to keep my spirits up because I have so longed for this phase of life that I'm overwhelmingly happy to be home and done with work and that pretty much makes up for anything negative in my life right now, but there is a solemn truth that going without things takes its toll.

It is in our nature to want more, and to want what others have, but also to improve ourselves and see our investments in time and money yield something meaningful. Something we've been looking forward to. Something that excites us. Something at all...

I was sitting along side my husband at a hockey game. The local "minor league" team (not sure what the hockey equivalent would be called) was playing on the same night as the church youth group activity, so all the boys went. My husband is one of the leaders. They asked us to chaperone and provide rides in exchange for free tickets. It was an OK game- lots of action, but the score was very one sided and got a little depressing for the home team towards the end. I enjoyed the whole of it and was grateful for something fun to do, a night out, and for free. But about halfway through the third period I started getting weepy. You see, we had pulled into the parking garage to find a few gentlement manning the gate, collecting payment. When the attendant asked for 5 dollars and we were unable to produce it, Eric asked if we should back out. The gentleman waved us through and said, "Don't worry about it." It was so nice of him, and of course made all the difference in the world to us. But for some reason it kind of broke my heart. I mean, we can't even afford to park at a FREE hockey game? What has become of us! I was reflecting on how we wouldn't even be able to have done something like that without the boy scouts paying for it. And my little soul cried a little.

So it's hard some times. And wanting something you can't have is the pits.

But it's worth it to make wise choices. And things work out.

You should read my last post.

buying and selling

After going through the "new" budget and finding quite a large deficit, I made a quick brainstorm list of some things we might try to ease the large gap a little.

I know we have some returns to make and a few rebates that are still being processed so there's a little help coming. My main focus last week was saving the money we have, but this week I was looking into increasing the actual bottom line a little.

I've had a pile of clothes to be sold to a consignment store in the area, set aside for over 6 months. I had intended to do so before we moved so there would be less to take over to the new house. Eric added a few items since, and it's been sitting in the living room for way too long.

Additionally, there were a few items that we got as handmedowns from my friend for the new baby that are either the wrong size and season, or just not my style that were ALSO sitting in a box in the living room.

Yesterday was the day. We took them over (the stores are right next to each other) and I got $17.40 for just a handful of items. I'll keep the rest in the garage because
1) some are fall/winter that they aren't interested in stocking right now
2) the toys she said they just have a lot of currently but when the inventory runs low they would be interested
3) We can have a garage sale later in the year with more baby stuff she's done with, more of Eric's clothes and some things in the garage we aren't going to use in this house (a microwave stand and a chair, and possibly some other things).

So I'm limiting what I donate, which was always my go-to de-clutter method, and trying to exhaust any possible selling options first. I had a roommate in VA who sold her clothes and stuff online when she moved across the country. I thought it was a little presumptuous on her part initially, but really, why not try, right? I know she made quite a bit at the yard sale we had and she didn't stop there. So don't give up, and don't give it away quite yet.

This is an opportunity cost we can currently afford due to the extra storage space we have in the garage. Last year this wouldn't have been possible because we had nowhere to put it all.

And the best part of this story is that we walked into the paint store to get our pricing and make sure the color we want is actually still available, and were sold 4 paint rollers for less than the price of ONE at the usual price, and the total came to EXACTLY the amount I had gotten for my clothes at the women's consignment shop. To the penny. Crazy.

We have a 15$ off coupon, they are doing 30% off the kind of paint we want right now, and we have allotted some of our tax return for this project so whether I believe it or not, we might actually get this house painted this year! Again, it's all about waiting it out until the timing is optimal.

In the kitchen- pumpkin cereal muffins

I was in the mood to make pumpkin pie- snowy, dreary day- but we didn't have any condensed milk in the pantry. Normally I would have just run to the store for the missing ingredient. However, I've used pumpkin in cookies and muffins and breads, so I knew I could find an alternative.

I found this recipe for banana oatmeal muffins* and tried it two weeks ago. We liked it a lot, but I haven't bought bananas since. The other day Eric finished off a bag of cereal but there was a lot of broken up pieces left in the bottom and I knew I'd be able to find a use for them so I put them in my baking cupboard. I modified the banana recipe, used the cereal instead of oatmeal and pumpkin instead of banana, and added pumpkin pie spice.

I think they turned out great. And what a healthy breakfast option! Cereal, honey, yogurt, walnuts, pumpkin and eggs.

Look how much I got out of the bottom of the bag! Almost 2 cups. 

Cooling on the rack. I used the whole can of pumpkin and it made 17 muffins in all. 

*I also don't have any flax seed around so I substitute 2 T of whole wheat flour. My measurements are a little different than hers and I just use vanilla yogurt instead of plain (since we have that on hand) and omit the additional vanilla.

In the kitchen- stir fry

My "chopped" technique of using what I have on hand came into full force today. I had purchased some yellow and red pepper on special to go with the carrot, celery, broccoli, onion and shrimp I had left over from last week. (Actually, the shrimp was frozen from long before that).

What I didn't have was any teryaki sauce, and I know Eric usually uses that as his base in stir fry. So I winged it.

I sauteed the veggies in sesame oil, set them aside and then cooked the shrimp two ways- defrosted and cooked through in boiling water and then seared and seasoned in a pan with my new invention-
Soy sauce, Dijon mustard, black pepper, garlic powder, curry powder and ginger. After the shrimp was coated, I added the veggies back in and dressed it all in the sauce. Then, after determining that it was good but not strong enough, I recreated it in a serving dish and emptied the pan into that bowl when I was ready to serve, mixing to coat. It turned out great! Served over jasmine rice from the pantry, just a light meal before we go to a Hockey game with the church youth group tonight.