Homemade Strawberry Jam

During strawberry season this spring, it seemed anytime I thought of the words "strawberry jam" together, that song "Strawberry Wine" by Deana Carter started going in my head... That's a blast from the past, huh? Anyway, homemade strawberry jam is sooooo easy. Make it once and you'll wonder why you didn't realize before how easy it was. You'll also be sold on how stinking delicious it is and will swear to never buy store-bought again. Maybe not, but that's pretty much been the case for us! Last year I made a bunch but didn't know how much we would need to get us through the year. We barely made it and had to buy a small jar or two. Ours was much better, though. This year, I tried to do the same (but didn't write down how much I made last year, so I had to guess again...), but then we had a TON of rain during the season, which ended it and left us without quite as much as I wanted. *Sigh* And where is that rain now...?

Anyway, strawberry season is over here, but it is still in season in many other areas, so if you want to make some... Go for it!! Here's how we do it.

First, go get some strawberries! Get a bunch. From a local farm (that doesn't use pesticides) where you pick them yourself. That way will get you the best strawberries. And it's fun. :) If you're around the Triangle, our favorite is Phillips Farm. Here are pictures from our picking trips. We made plenty.

2011 April ~ Strawberry season!

Then run to the store to get some pectin. We tried out a couple brands but didn't get to try out a third one that looked promising. Strawberry season ended abruptly due to too much rain. I'll let you know what we thought of the two we tried.

Pectin #1 SureJell

Smash the berries. Don't puree. You want some chunks.

Add sugar. Does it look like a lot of sugar? Well, that's because it is. (There is a low/no sugar variety, but we haven't tried that one.) Basically, this one uses more sugar than berries... 2 cups crushed fruit + 4 cups sugar.

Boil some water with the pectin. This only means cooking for a minute or so, but there is some cooking involved...  

Mix that in with the fruit/sugar and pour into your jars. Sit overnight to set the jam before freezing. 

Pectin #2 Ball

This one uses twice the berries and less than half the sugar. You can see the difference in the amount of sugar if you compare this picture to the one above... 4 cups of berries + 1 1/2 cups sugar.

No cooking at all. Just combine ingredients and stir!

And there you go!

I did a blind taste-test with Ryan to determine which jam he preferred...the one with more sugar or less. He chose the one with less. He didn't know it was the one with less sugar, but he said he thought the other was sweeter and good..but this one had more of a strawberry taste. It does use more berries, but when you pick them from a farm yourself...that doesn't mean much more cost at all! So, that was fine by us. Of course, we didn't know the season was going to end early, so we ended up with a little less than we wanted. The Ball pectin also makes a jam that is slightly softer than the other, but it's not a huge difference and not one that bothers us.

I did have some Pomona's Pectin to try. This is more natural, has no preservatives, and you can adjust the amount of sugar (or honey, etc) that you use. But we didn't get to try it out in the end. You would think we had enough berries, as much as we DID pick, but...we didn't.

Here are some other details, in case you're interested.

• Pectin costs...  SureJell: $3.37 for a 2-pack / Ball Pectin: $2.32 for a 2-pack (less sugar AND cheaper!) Unfortunately, I didn't write down how many boxes of pectin we used, but each packet of pectin gives between 3 and 3 1/2 pints of jam. 
• I also had to use jars for freezing, of course. They will run about $8 or so for a case of 12 wide mouth pint-sized jars or about $6 for a case of 12 8-oz jelly jars. I already had most of these but did buy another case of the pint-sized jars. I ended up freezing 21 pints of jam... You can use other containers, of course, but if you go with glass, make sure it's freezer safe first.
• Strawberries from a nearby farm $1.50 per pound. We bought 81.56 pounds of berries, totaling $135.99. (We did buy 15lbs from another farm that had a few berries left after our favorite had run out, and they charge a bit more.) 

This gave us 21 pints of jam and 40 cups of frozen berries (2 cups per bag, 20 bags).

I was totally going to try to figure out how much it cost me to make the jam versus buying, but...it was getting too complicated. Trying to figure out the cost of the sugar and berries (when I measured per cup and bought per pound) and...blah, blah. It's probably cheaper to make it, esp since we buy organic strawberry jam; either way, it does taste better, and it's nice to have a big stash in your freezer whenever you run out.

If you're wondering how in the world we use so much jam over the year... Well, no we don't eat that many pb&j sandwiches or that much toast and jam. We use a bit of the jam in plain, homemade yogurt instead of buying flavored (way less sugar that way, too!). Every now and then when I need a decent lunch right now and don't have something made up, Aiden loves peanut or sunflower butter in a bowl with a bit of jam and then eaten with crackers. It's great as an ice cream topping, as well.

We've also made some blueberry jam (not sure if I'm going to be crazy about that one) and mango jam, when there was an awesome deal on champagne mangos at Whole Foods. Love those things! I only made half a batch of each of those, about three half-pints.

These are frosty because I took them out of the freezer for the picture... In order: Champagne Mango, Strawberry, and Blueberry jams

Kale Chips

So, you may have heard some of the buzz about kale chips... There seem to be posts just about everywhere, and here's another one!

These things are super easy to make, they don't taste half bad, and they're way more than super healthy for you. Even if you don't think you would like them, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try them. And actually...if you don't care for them the first time, try them again. I did *not* like them the first time we made them, but after someone mentioned them a few months after that, I decided to try it again. And hey - I'm a big fan now!

Kale chips fresh out of the oven. YUM.

If you look around online, you'll find a lot of similar recipes, and the cooking times and temps will vary. You really just have to find what works with your oven and your tastes. Here's what we do...

Kale Chips
adapted from 100 Days of Real Food


1/2 - 1 bunch of kale (organic - kale is one of the dirty dozen!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp sugar
(Honestly, I don't really measure. Except the sugar. I try to make sure I don't use much more than 1/2 tsp with a big bunch of kale!)

And yes, there is sugar. It's a very small amount, but it makes them taste so good! You can leave it out and add a bit more salt instead. After they're done, you can add some Parmesan cheese. Or toss in some garlic powder with the salt. Try some other spices you like. You can make it however you like. I love it with the sugar. My dear hubby does not. He doesn't really care for them in general, but he likes the sugar version least and likes them more with the Parmesan.

I got the idea for using a bit of sugar from this roasted broccoli recipe. This stuff is also addicting. There are never any leftovers because I eat them ALL. Love it. The sugar caramelizes a bit as the food cooks in the oven. And just like she says about the broccoli and sugar...if you really feel that this tiny bit of sugar is going to ruin all the goodness you're getting from the veggies, well...yeah, I feel for you. We don't eat a lot of sugar around here, so a bit here and there will not cross out the wonderful benefits from eating things like broccoli or kale! (PS, we don't use bleached white sugar, though. Blech.)

Rinse and dry the kale leaves. Then, remove the leaves from each stalk. It's easy to do quickly. Hold your thumb and finger pinched at the base of the leaves, and then slide up the stalk, taking off the leaves. Pull apart into smaller pieces. Toss in a large bowl, drizzle over olive oil, and sprinkle on the salt and sugar, if using. Toss it all around, and then "massage" each leaf to make sure it is covered with the oil. Place leaves on parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure not to put them so close they are touching each other. Roast on 375 for five minutes, turn over each leaf, and then bake another five minutes.

I've seen some people state to cook for up to 20 minutes. The thing is, it all depends on your oven, etc. There's a fine line between having these babies done and burning them. It really takes a matter of seconds to cross that line. Seriously, the other day I took not quite 15-20 seconds after the timer went off before pulling out the chips - they weren't quite burnt but they were starting to get there! So, watch closely the first couple times and you'll find what works. You do want them to turn brown-ish, just not burnt.

Then sit back and enjoy! They do have a very different texture and will basically fall apart in your mouth. It's kind of odd at first. Not bad, just different. Lots of folks say they're like chips. Sorry, but I disagree. They're nothing like potato chips or veggie chips - texture and crunch is totally different. But I still like them. I can eat an entire bowl in no time at all, and I'm suddenly wondering why I didn't make a triple batch...

Here's a cute video that shows some visuals, if you're interested. (Stay tuned at the end for outtakes!)

Is that girl not adorable?! I love how her mama is teaching her to eat so well! And what a neat way to do it - by eating a rainbow every day. They also have a website Today I Ate A Rainbow! Or visit their facebook page here and "like" their page.

And yes, after you mix them all up and get them on the baking sheet, rinse your hands just enough to get the seasonings off. Or, if you just used salt or sugar to season, rub that into your hands before rinsing off. It's a wonderful sugar scrub! (I make my own sugar scrub, and that's about all it is...sugar and oil.) Then take advantage of the olive oil still on your hands and rub it in. Great moisturizer! ;)

Now, I will be honest... Not everyone in this house loves these things. Camden doesn't like them. Ryan says he doesn't but will eat a few. (I've told him he will learn to like them. I have my ways.) Aiden...well, he says he likes them and he will eat one or two tiny pieces. He doesn't like big pieces - has to do with the texture and how they will crumble in your hands if you squeeze them. He eats more each time I make them, it seems. He never says "blech" or acts like they're awful, so that's a sign that he likes them but is getting used to them, which is enough to make me happy. And honestly, I don't mind having most of them to myself! The other day I offered some to the little toddler I watch. While she ate small pieces, she was singing one of our lunchtime songs: "Yummy, yummy, yummy in my tummy, tummy, tummy." I'd say she liked them.

Warnings...

• Little ones can make quite a mess if they pinch the "chips." They'll have tiny fragments of kale on their hands and face. (I think this is part of what makes Aiden hesitant. He likes to be clean.)
• Don't go anywhere after eating these before checking your teeth. Don't assume that before you're on the way to a birthday party, your husband will warn you that there are bits of kale in your teeth. (Thank goodness for mirrors in the car, huh?!)
• These can become addictive. Very.

Have you made them? Let me know what you think or if you have a different way of making them!

Happy Birthday, Camden!

 Camden turned 12 on June 28th...

My big, beautiful baby boy. This was taken by a family member while I was still in recovery, before even I got to hold him.

Just for fun... That's where that 11lb baby boy was hiding!

12 years ago, my biggest dream was made reality. I became a mother. The two of us have been through so very much together. My life would not be what it is today without him. Every single day, I am thankful that God trusted me to care for this little guy that is all too quickly becoming a young man.

He's always had those big, beautiful eyes...

My precious baby, who hasn't been a baby for quite a while now.

Here are pics from his birthday party. Lucky kid had a party that lasted nearly two days...

Camden's Birthday

We had a cookout Friday night, where he invited his three closest friends and their families. Boys were invited for a sleepover, and then we swam all day Saturday. It was a lot of fun! One of my favorite parts was when Camden opened his gift from me and Ryan. We couldn't give him the actual gift because it's a destination and won't take place until September, so we gave him a note with the information. After quickly reading it, his response was, "I don't get it..." It took him a few minutes, but he figured it out and was very, very excited.

Camden and Ryan are going to a Packer's game in September!

My baby boy today, at his birthday party.

It blows my mind how quickly children grow up.

Homemade Hummus

A couple of the guys in the house like hummus. I *wanted* to like hummus, but as much as I tried it, I just couldn't.

Until I made it myself. Now I kinda love it.

Homemade hummus is soooo easy to make. You might have heard that from folks who make it and didn't believe it. Maybe you just have to try it to realize how easy it really is. So, do that. Try it!

I tried a couple different recipes before I found out how we liked it. I realized we need to go much easier on the lemon juice than most recipes. And I think I now know why I don't like store-bought...the tahini is made from sesame seeds. I like sesame seeds just fine, even roasted. But apparently I do *not* like tahini made from sesame seeds, which doesn't really make much sense because the only added ingredient other than sesame seeds is a bit of oil. Go figure. Anyway, I like tahini made with sunflower seeds. It's a subtle difference, but enough of a difference for me! Ok, so let's get to making this stuff...

I don't have pictures of how to make tahini, but it is ridiculously easy, as is all of this. And you make a couple cups at a time and only use a bit of it with hummus. It will last quite a while in your fridge, which is a good thing because you'll want to make more hummus and will need that tahini!

For the tahini, you simple roast either sesame seeds or sunflower seeds for a short amount of time. Put them in a single layer on a baking pan, pop them in the oven, and it doesn't take long at all. You want to get the oils coming out of them, but you don't really want to get them roasted. Here's a recipe we like for tahini made with sunflower seeds. I might have used a little less oil, since another recipe for regular tahini used a lot less. I basically combined the two methods to get it how I wanted. Use whichever seeds you prefer. I get both from the bulk bin at our grocery store, and the price for each is about the same.

Then you move on to the actual hummus.

NOW...you can either buy a can of chickpeas OR you can buy them dried and cook them yourself. I happen to avoid canned goods whenever possible, and I get our chickpeas from the bulk section at our grocery store, which is also much cheaper than canned. I buy a bunch and cook them all at once. Then I freeze them in pint canning jars that are freezer safe. One jar equals a can (with maybe a few extra beans in there; no harm in that!). I have plenty of "canned" chickpeas ready to be used whenever I want, there's no concern of BPA from the can lining, and I know they are nice and fresh. Plus, I think they taste a heck of a lot better! I didn't like chick peas when I tried them from the can. When I pull out a jar of them to thaw for hummus, I have to really make an effort not to eat them all before making the hummus.

Ingredients (minus lemon juice)

My hummus recipe is based on Alton Brown's recipe found here. I've just made a couple small adjustments to make it suit us better. When his directions say it takes 15 minutes to make this...he's not kidding. Well, it doesn't even take that long, to be honest. More like five minutes or so.

Daisy's Hummus

• 1 can or jar of chickpeas (which would be between 1 2/3 - 2 cups cooked chickpeas)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or not...you're going to be putting them in the food processor anyway)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (most recipes I see call for a few Tablespoons; Alton's calls for 5! We like 1... We do not like lemony hummus)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup tahini (stir well before measuring out any)
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Place chickpeas, garlic, and salt in food processor; process for 15-20 seconds. Stop, scape down sides of bowl, and process another 15-20 seconds. Add lemon juice and water; process about 20 seconds. Add tahini; process another 20 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl periodically. I usually leave the processor running during all of this and pour ingredients in from the top while it processes, stopping every now and then to scrape down the sides. While processor is running, drizzle in olive oil.
 

Serve! 

So easy, we made it while still in PJs!

We all like to eat this differently. I prefer eating it with veggies, especially carrots. Or veggie chips. Ryan prefers to eat it with pita chips. Aiden..he'll eat it just about any way, sometimes even just with his finger or spoon. Camden doesn't like it. He's now the only one in that category. (Edited to add: Camden is starting to taste it every now and then. He'll eat a tiny bit on a tortilla chip sometimes. He's a consistency kid, and this is one of those consistencies he's not a big fan of..but hopefully he'll like it more and more as he keeps trying it!)

Edited to Add:

I've had some friends ask if this can be made in a blender, for those that don't have a food processor. So, I had to do it myself and find out! You can make it in a blender, but you don't follow the recipe as far as adding certain items at certain times. It will be too thick for the blender and will cause too much frustration. Add it all at once. Blend first with a very low setting to get it started. After you've done that for 30-50 seconds, blend at a higher speed. You want to really get it going! Blend for 45-50 seconds, stir, and repeat a few times until you get the right consistency. It takes a few times, and you need to be patient, but it will work! If you have a BlendTec blender, like I do, blend on speed 1 for one cycle and then speed 5 for a few cycles, stirring between turns. I have been doing it this way since trying it out because the blender is just easier to clean than the food processor...

Homemade hummus! Ready to be devoured!

Meal Plan

So, I've missed the last couple of weeks. Whoops! As usual...busy, busy around here!

Here's what we're having this week, though...

• Cookout with our neighbor friends Sunday night. We had so much food (and fun!) we all forgot about dessert!
• Chicken Pot Pie Soup (gluten-free version). It was ok. Nothing extraordinary, but the adults liked it. Camden liked it better the second night. Aiden never really tried it, unless you count his "finger taste." He just ate the veggies and hummus we had out those nights, along with some bread and fruit.
• Chicken Alfredo Lasagna and roasted broccoli. I used fresh spinach instead of frozen, and I used all of the Alfredo sauce. I use fewer noodles b/c I like a saucier lasagna than recipes usually make when followed exactly - I usually use 9 noodles instead of 12. I also put some water in the sauce so the noodles cook when you bake the lasagna instead of cooking the noodles ahead of time. It's unnecessary extra work, and I tend to do away with as much of that as possible. Just had this tonight..it was ok. Good but the sauce we used (hubby picked up garlic-flavored) was too garlic-y and too salty. Aiden "finger tasted" it, said it was ok, but then ate no more. He did eat the broccoli (well, the tops of the "trees") without us ever saying a word, though! Camden, who we all thought would love this, didn't care for it. We'll see how it is on night #2...
• Edited to add...this was much better night #2. Even the boys agreed. Aiden ate most of his, and Camden admitted it was better than the night before. I even had seconds. So, maybe next time we just make it one night and start eating the next? ;)
• Taco Salad. Camden's cooking. More about that later.
• Salmon burgers, roasted potatoes, and some other veggie. We got some premade salmon burgers on sale from Whole Foods. Not something we normally get, and they still were more than we would usually spend, but...something new. Hopefully they're worth it!
• I'm also making an extra regular lasagna to freeze. We made some last week, and I need to use up some sauce that was left over, so I'm putting one together and freezing it for another time. I should post the recipe to this because it is soooo good. And the one I made last week is probably the best one we've had. I've always used the same basic recipe with slight changes here and there. Anyone need a great lasagna recipe?

What's on your menu this week? 

Meal Plan

These posts are really supposed to be part of the whole "Meal Plan Monday" thing...but I never get them up on Mondays. I am tonight, though!

Here's what's on the menu this week...

Beef and Lentils with green beans and corn. One of my favorite main dishes ever! Growing up, I always ate this with green beans - or that's how I remember it, at least. They're not really my favorite vegetable, but they just seem to fit with beef and lentils now because of that. We had roasted potatoes on the menu, but it was all on the computer Ryan takes to work, so...I forgot, realized something was missing, and threw in some corn at the last minute.

Salmon with strawberry salsa, roasted broccoli...and we'll add in the roasted potatoes here, too.

Salsa Chicken with rice, tortilla chips, fruit. This is such an easy dinner! Thanks to my friend, Leigh Ann, for the recipe. :) Chicken, corn, black beans, and salsa...cook in crock pot; shred chicken as it cooks. Add in block of cream cheese during last hour; serve over rice. Yummy!

Sandwiches one night... We had this plan a while back to take one night a week to eat a cheap, cheap meal. We use the savings to add to what we give to a specific few charities.

Grilled chicken, potatoes, roasted broccoli. This is at the end of the weekend, so even if it seems like we're overdoing it on the potatoes and broccoli, we're not. Most of our meals give us leftovers... And like I said, I'm doing this broccoli often until these kids love the stuff!

Mango, avocado, and black bean salad with lime dressing. This is lunch for me. 

I also made this gluten-free Quinoa Breakfast Cake. Oh yum. Everyone wants it! Seriously, I am ALL about this website lately! Everything I have made has been delicious...and not just as gluten-free food. It's delicious food. Period. Last week I also made the strawberry rhubarb crumble...so good. Next time, I'm making the balsamic vinegar version.

Meal Plan

The week is almost over, but I thought I would post it anyway. It's been harder and harder to find time to get on here to blog, but I do have lots of things to post when I get the chance... Some day...

Instead of putting up our schedule, here's a quick (or not-so-quick) run-down of what we're having this week.

Spaghetti with quinoa noodles & salad. We're really liking the quinoa noodles (they're made with a mixture of organic quinoa and corn flours). They taste just like regular noodles, quinoa is really good for you, and you can't tell they're gluten-free. My only complaint is that (with the spaghetti noodles, at least) there's only enough for one night with a little bit of noodles left over. We make meals to last at least two nights, so... I'm glad the quinoa noodles are good because Aiden still doesn't like things with marinara sauce. I don't get it. This time I was smart enough to give him noodles by themselves and some sauce on the side. He ate the noodles.

Salmon, asparagus, and corn... Well, this meal got scrapped, actually. We were supposed to grill burgers Sunday night, but we ran late at the grocery and grabbed burgers on the way home. Kind of ironic to go to Whole Foods, load up on whole, organic, healthy foods...and then get fast food to eat for dinner. But that's what we did. So, we did the grilling on the night we were supposed to have salmon. We were supposed to also keep the asparagus on the menu, but mama just forgot all about it. So, we'll put it with another meal this week - probably tonight. We got the asparagus at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, and it still looks fabulous! We also are going to a different FM now...the big one in Raleigh might be big and open every day, but there is one in Morrisville that is much smaller BUT seems to mainly have either organic produce or produce grown without pesticides (meat at both places are primiarily grass-fed with no added hormones/antibiotics, but there are actually more folks with meat at this FM). While we found a couple places that had pesticide-free produce at the big FM, most of the vendors seemed to react negatively when we questioned their use of them - not to knock that FM, really. But...we're going where the good stuff (and *more* if it) is.

Tacos, rice, fruit salad (with strawberries, champagne mangos - man, I *love* those things!, and kiwi).

Veggie Lentil loaf, mashed potatoes, and...we'll put the asparagus with this meal instead of the frozen peas we were going to have. I found the recipe for the veggie lentil loaf (like meat loaf...but no meat and gluten-free) in KIWI Magazine. Surprisingly Camden saw it on the menu and even saw the recipe...and didn't make any nasty comments and is curious to see how it tastes. Score! Also, I've been wanting to try out this magazine. I guess you could say it's kind of like a Parenting/Parents mag, but it focuses on more organic, eco-friendly kind of things...you know, right in line with me! My friend, Becky, saw one of those deal-of-the-day sites offering it for a great price (it's not the cheapest magazine...not super expensive, but when you realize it only comes out every two months, it's not too cheap), I jumped on the chance to subscribe. I've only gotten one magazine so far, but I *love* it! Totally my kind of magazine, and I'll definitely want to keep subscribing!

Sesame chicken, rice, roasted broccoli. This was a homemade version of sesame chicken, meant to be healthier b/c it wasn't breaded or fried. More like stir-fry type dish. I got it from my Food Network magazine, a recipe by Ellie Krieger (who is known for making healthier versions of things). And I didn't have chili paste and didn't want to buy it to try out a dish for the first time (I might try to find it for next time, though). But we really liked it! Aiden ate it up, too - and he's not always keen on dishes made primarily of meat (except for burgers). It's definitely a weekend dish for me because the prep work isn't all that fast. I'm also getting addicted to this roasted broccoli dish. I could eat those babies just about everyday! The boys think they're ok...and I'm hoping with keeping it on the menu fairly often, they'll soon love it, too.

Let me know if you want any of the recipes for dishes with no links. A couple were from magazines, and I couldn't find them online but am happy to share!

We're also doing a new thing with veggies. I'm keeping sliced raw veggies, such as carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, celery, etc in the fridge and pulling them out every night at dinner. If the kids aren't loving what we're having, they have those on the table to pick from. I put out hummus and some dressings, too. Both boys have been eating them up like crazy! Even veggies they normally wouldn't really be crazy about...just having them there to eat if they want (we put them out but say nothing about it - it's within everyone's reach, and they grab what they want!). Camden eats a lot of carrots and zucchini. Aiden eats a mix of stuff with hummus. It's pretty great. Plus, they have less reason to complain if they don't like dinner. And since there's no pressure, they eat more than they normally would. I'm definitely going to keep this up! We usually eat these veggies throughout the week, but I noticed very quickly last week that we suddenly were going through these veggies a LOT quicker than we usually do.

Who says Gluten-Free can't be delicious? Breakfast Bars you simply MUST try!

I was writing this JUST before that tornado hit...just hadn't added pictures and hit publish yet. But here it is now. The yummiest thing I've eaten in quite a while!

I made a new gluten-free dish the other day. It sounded good, the picture on the website looked good, and I hoped it would be good. You just never know... But oh man, it exceeded my expectations by...well, a LOT.

And I even left out the chocolate.

Goodness. That's what this is.

I linked to this recipe in last week's menu plan, but I wanted to devote a whole post to it. If you eat a gluten-free diet, you HAVE to try this. Actually, regardless of eating GF or not, you should have this. I'm not sure how many non-GF folks have things like xanthan gum in their house, though. The ingredients in it are easy to find at a local health food store, like Whole Foods, but xanthan gum isn't the cheapest thing to get, esp for just one dish. Just being realistic... If you have it, though, or don't mind forking over the $8 or $10 for it, then make this. [Edited to add...Just rechecked the price for xanthan gum at Whole Foods. Here it was $11.99. So...if it's something you won't use otherwise, find someone who already has it in their pantry instead of buying it for this recipe. It only takes a teaspoon.]

Please.

I followed directions exactly, being the first time I made this. With a few modifications....so it wasn't exactly followed, I guess. I did use eggs. I did not use chocolate because we wanted Aiden to be able to enjoy this, too. (We aren't giving Aiden chocolate yet. Go on, tell us we're depriving our child. Like he won't have YEARS to eat the stuff. Children's taste buds and food habits are formed mostly in those first few years. So, we're trying to make them the most healthy possible. Trust me, he gets sweets. Just ones we decide are ok. We ARE the parents, after all. And he is not deprived, I assure you.) :) Plus, this is a breakfast dish, and I'm not too keen on regularly giving the kids chocolate for breakfast. Me, on the other hand... We used dried cranberries and chopped walnuts instead, which were great. I don't have vanilla powder; she says you can use whatever vanilla you want in the same amount as called for, so I used vanilla bean paste, which was also gluten-free. It does have a bit more sugar than I would like, but I think using a bit less would be fine. I'll use a little less each time I try it to see how low I can take it.

The baking pan I used, a gift from my wonderful mother-in-law

And I don't have an 11x9 pan, so I used a 13x9. I did have to cook it a bit longer, but I'm not sure if that was pan size or what (I would have expected to cook it a bit less when considering the different pan size, so it must have been some other factor). I was worried the edges would burn when I kept having to cook it longer after so many times checking the middle, but it came out *perfect* and did not last long at all...due to being so ridiculously yummy.

Taken out of the oven at 9pm Thursday night; this is what was left by 2pm Friday...

For the recipe and directions/tips/etc, please visit the original post from Gluten-Free Goddess, found HERE.Check out some of her other recipes while there - she has LOTS, and they all look incredible! I intend on trying out loads of them, especially after this success.

Not only did this exceed my expectations, but I couldn't believe how moist and soft it was. It wasn't dense or grainy or gummy, like some gluten-free goods can be. It didn't have that tell-tale taste of most gluten-free flours. Really, you cannot tell this is gluten-free at all! I will be making it again very soon. I would have made it again this week if it hadn't been for no power. It's back on by now, of course (every time I open the fridge, Aiden exclaims, "Look! We have POWER!"), and I will be enjoying this again before the next week is over. This or maybe the banana bread recipe from the same website... I hope you try it, too!

Tornado

I'm not sure how much news everyone has seen about the tornadoes in North Carolina... I can't write much at the moment; we're at Ryan's office to access some electricity so we can check email and charge our cell phones. Plus, I really don't know much. We're trying to catch up on the news while we're here. We've been out of power since 3:30 Saturday and aren't sure when it will be back on. I think I just read they'll try to have it on sometime Monday. The lines are down just a mile from our house.

And yes, a tornado did hit our area. Our subdivision was hit at 3:30 yesterday. We were extremely lucky with just a tree broken and the basketball goal being knocked over. Ironically, when the wind was picking up, Ryan moved the cars to the side of the road in case the basketball goal fell, so it wouldn't damage the cars. The goal did fall but in the other direction. And the tree that broke and fell...was right next to where he moved the cars. It also happened to fall away from the cars. Others in our neighborhood did not fare as well. A lot of houses with siding torn off, some with a little more. Lots of trees uprooted, etc, etc.

The road that our subdivision turns off of has a lot of damage. We've heard the subdivision next to us is REALLY bad, but roads are blocked off, so we can't see any of it.

We are realizing how lucky we were. We didn't even know there was a tornado until after it happened... We were watching the news, and just as they were telling that the storm was heading toward Holly Springs, the electricity went out. We went upstairs to get the flashlight and could hear the wind outside. We got the light and came back downstairs to get in the closet under the stairs, but it was already over by then. The thing that scares me is how much we didn't know until after the fact. After seeing the damage in our area, that is really scary to me and I'm very thankful we're ok! We will post some pictures once we get electricity back and are able to get onto our computer.

And trust me...we'll have things ready for next time so we don't have to go upstairs for a flashlight. On our way home, we're going to buy a small battery-operated radio to keep in the hall closet and will hang a flashlight in there, as well. It scares me to know that in the time we went upstairs, where we weren't as safe, just to get a flashlight and then come back down...in that extremely short amount of time the tornado came and went. We got lucky. Very lucky.

We won't be here too long at his office, so we won't have internet access to check email, etc for much longer. If anyone wants to reach us, just text my or Ryan's phone. We're trying to save battery power, so we're not talking on the phones much, since we can't charge them. We've just gotten to read a bit of the news, and I think I saw they are trying to get power on by Monday maybe.

I hope everyone else that was around any of the tornadoes is fine!

Potty Time?

One day this week, Aiden needed a diaper change. (Ok, so that doesn't mean he needed a change only one day this week. He gets changed several times each day.... Haha!) I needed to put the clean diaper on him, and he was trying to get away. Here's how it went down...

Mommy: Aiden, you need to either put on a diaper or go on the potty. (When he complains about having to put on a diaper, we tell him that sure - he can go without...once he starts using the potty. So, he gets reminded about it often. It's his choice!)

Aiden: I don't like those choices! Go potty or put on a diaper... I don't want to.

Mommy, trying not to laugh at what the little thing just said: Well, then what will you do when you need to go pee?

Aiden: I just want to stand up.

So, he doesn't always make sense.

I waited a little bit, which means I let him go without anything on for a while, and then returned to the conversation. He decided he wanted to wear underwear (he knew he had some in his room...for when he starts going potty) and that he would pee on the potty if he needed to go. We gave it a shot. He waltzed around in underwear for a couple of hours, never peeing in them. He thinks underwear is the coolest thing ever right now. I put him on the potty before naptime, and he peed!

This isn't the first time. A few weeks ago, twice he peed on the potty...times he was trying to put off bedtime, really. But the thing we noticed was that he was controlling it. He would watch as he used his stomach muscles to make himself pee. And he did that again this time. This week, he's spent a good amount of time many days in underwear. Not more than a few hours at a time, and he certainly doesn't sleep in underwear. If he says he won't pee on the potty, he's choosing to wear a diaper. He hasn't asked to go potty, but just about any time we put him on it, he will pee. One night at dinnertime, he didn't want to put on a diaper, so he came to the table with underwear on. At one point he stopped eating, looked up, and said "I peed" as if he was a little worried. I checked...no pee. So, off to the potty we went, where he did go.

Kind of exciting!

Who knows if this means anything about potty training. And I don't think we could even call it "training" because we're letting Aiden take the lead here. (Actually, in some circles now, it's called potty learning, which does tend to make more sense. It's about them learning, not so much about them being trained.) We're taking a very relaxed approach to this. Aiden will be ready for using the potty when he's ready. And he'll know more about when that is than we will. So...if he wants to go, great. If not, that's ok. We will not push it. Besides, this is one of those things toddlers will control if you try to push too much...there's no point trying too hard when it could just backfire on us. And since we use cloth diapers, we're not in a hurry to get rid of a diaper expense (because there really isn't one!). Sure, we have to do a couple extra loads of laundry a week, but that's really not a big deal.

So, yeah, it's kind of exciting. We'll see how it goes, though. It's totally up to the little guy. It is really cute to see him running around in underwear, though. He prefers to be in ONLY underwear, of course. I need to get a picture to post... ;)

Meal Plan

Finally getting back into this...
I haven't really planned lunches out for specific days this week. I'm making some chicken broth in the next day or two, so I'll use some of the chicken to make some chicken salad. We'll have some pasta and peas for another day. Some avocado to go along with whatever else another day... And then there are leftovers. Etc, etc. Oh, another favorite of Aiden's is a "regular sandwich." The boy who doesn't really even like sandwiches... One day he said he wanted a "regular sandwich" for lunch. We weren't sure what in the heck he meant by that, so we went through a list of all the types we would normally offer him. He finally said yes to a turkey and cheese sandwich. What makes this so funny is that he NEVER eats turkey and cheese. So, it's not really "regular." Toddlers...

Camden's away visiting family over his track-out, so we're having some meals we like that he might (haha - he WOULD) normally complain about. ;) Here's what's on the menu this week.


Sunday
Lunch: Leftovers - Choose from taco soup or lasagna toss. Thanks to my friend, Becky, for sharing the lasagna toss recipe. It was a big hit, especially with Camden!
Dinner: cheese burgers on the grill, roasted potatoes and beets, and yellow mango. YUM.

Monday
Beef and lentils, roasted broccoli (we tried this recipe while my mom was visiting, thinking the kids would like it...not so much, but us adults LOVED it; to be fair, I don't think Aiden even tried it. Camden said it was better than regular broccoli but that he still didn't really like it.), and corn (because you've gotta have something you KNOW the little kid likes, though he usually does just fine with the beef and lentils dish, but you really never know). 

Tuesday
Beef and lentils leftovers

Wednesday
Bean Soup and cornbread - trying a new recipe that uses white beans, lots of carrots, and turkey sausage. We want to see if we think Camden might like this version better than the other we usually make...which is a very basic bean soup.

Thursday
Deconstructed broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken breasts (using chicken left over from making broth, so they're not breasts but chunks of chicken - I like it better this way, anyway, and it's actually a lot easier to make!) and sweet potatoes.

Friday
Leftover bean soup.

Saturday
Lunch: whatever is in the fridge, leftovers, sandwiches... I'll actually be at a friend's baby shower having brunch, so the boys get to fend for themselves. :)
Dinner: leftover broccoli/cheese/chicken, sweet potatoes

AND I'm now, once again, on a gluten-free diet, so we're making adjustments for that... We're trying to keep it easy and plan *around* gluten so we don't have to rely on a lot of substitutions (or so we don't have to buy a lot of extra flours, etc, just yet). BUT....oh, but we ARE going to make THIS. It just looks so good. We got the ingredients we didn't already have today. For some reason, silly girl that I am, sent my mom back home with a lot of my gluten-free things, which actually included some of the necessary ingredients for this dish. Yes, very silly. Oh well. Monday happens to be my birthday, and since Whole Foods didn't have this incredibly awesome gluten-free cake that my mom and I got while she was in, I'm making these babies. By the way, if you are ever at WF and see in their bakery section...where they keep the cakes...and they happen to have their gluten-free chocolate carrot cake - GET IT! It in no way tastes gluten-free, and whoever thought of making a chocolate carrot cake?! OMGoodness it is the best thing ever! But hopefully the quinoa breakfast brownies will be good, too...

Then later we're calling WF to try to reach that bakery buyer to see if she'll order a cake for us. Maybe they'll have it in time for Ryan's birthday. We're exactly a week apart, so that would work. :)

Oh wait....I just did a search to see if I could at least link up to this awesome gluten-free chocolate carrot cake..and I found it! You can order it from their site, too. And looks like they're in Asheville, NC. Now, we bought a much smaller cake at WF, so it wasn't this big or expensive. Ours...you could just barely (maybe) wrap your two hands around it - that's how small it was. And they also had some regular g-f carrot cakes. I want to get one of each next time to compare. But if you want to check it out, HERE is the "World's Best Carrot Cake"...and it might just be. Really.

They grow up so fast

The other day, Aiden made me laugh a number of times... (Ok, I wrote most of this almost three weeks ago and just saved it for some reason. Then we had company, etc, and then I just forgot about it. So, this was more than just the other day, but still.)

While playing outside, this child of mine came running up to the porch, smacking his hands together the way you do when you're trying to brush dirt off of your hands. He made a "pbth" noise and said, matter-of-factly, "I don't like dirt." And then he walked over to the little girl I watch a couple days a week; she's a year younger than Aiden. He got really close, leaned down and in a bit so his face was right next to hers, and said in a cutesty voice, "Look at you! Aren't you CUTE!"

While we were outside, he also came and got me at one point and said, "I made an A!" He took me by the hand up to the porch, where he had in fact written the letter "A" with sidewalk chalk. What?! I was shocked. And quite proud. This was a first for him, and he wasn't prompted, either, making it an even bigger deal.

Later, while I was fixing dinner, the child discovered the vacuum cleaner was out. He's a big fan. No kidding. He rolled it over to the outlet, took the outlet cover off (what good are they now?!), plugged in the vacuum, turned it on (ok, so he needed some help with this. He could push the button to turn it on, just not hard enough for it to *stay* on), and then proceeded to vacuum the kitchen.

He's watching his reflection from the oven...

Then a bit later, when he was done with that, he was over near the stairs (where I couldn't see, since I was still in the kitchen). I can't remember what was said to begin with, but Camden said something to Aiden and was walking up the stairs. Aiden retorted...well, more like yelled, "You're not a parent, Camden!" (Something he's heard us tell Camden on more than one occasion.)

At dinner, he didn't want to try something. I asked him if he would try with his finger. This is his new way of accepting the challenge...if he can simply touch it with his finger and then taste that, whatever he actually got on his fingertip. So, he tries it that way. Then he says, "So, what do you think?" in a cute voice. Apparently I say that a lot, too... You never realize how much you say something until your children start repeating it, huh?

A different night, Aiden was drawing on some notepads, and he was explaining what he was drawing, when he looked up at me and asked, "Does that make sense?" (as in, "do you understand that?"). Another thing I say a lot and hadn't realized it.

This isn't meant to be a post on the things I say and Aiden repeats. I could go on and on about THAT! The whole point of this post is....how quickly our kids grow up! I realize it goes by quickly. Hello...I have an eleven-year-old! And as much as I have NOT rushed things with Aiden, he suddenly isn't a baby anymore. The other day, when most of the above happened, I couldn't help but think...where is my baby?? Just all these little things he does and says that reminds me he really is growing up. And then he was acting even older than he really is, too, which was really, really funny to watch and hear...but it also makes me want to tell him to slow down even more.

Oh, and he learns plenty of things from big brother that make him sound older, too. On the way to the grocery today he said something. I asked him to repeat it because I didn't hear him, so he said something again. I then turned the radio down even more (he had earlier asked us to "please turn it up a little" so he could hear it better), and I again asked him to repeat himself. He just sat there for a while. I started to think he either didn't hear me or was just not paying attention. "Aiden, what did you say? Can you tell me again because I didn't hear you?" Aiden's response? "Nothing."

*Sigh*

Too fast. They really do grow up too fast.

Dirt and sweat and sunshine

"I think kids should be kids and childhood should be filled with ... you know that smell, when your kids come in and they smell like dirt and sweat and sunshine? That's what I hope for my kids." ~ Julia Roberts

Aiden. Dirty feet. From playing outside. Barefoot. LOVE.
(Photo taken August 2011.)

I read that a few years ago, and it stuck with me because that's how I feel. Kids should smell like that because they should be out playing in the dirt and sunshine, getting sweaty, being kids. Doesn't dirt, sunshine, and sweat equal happiness??

The other day Aiden had been out playing for a while. We came in, and I took him upstairs to change his diaper. Normally shoes come off the second you come in the house (there are some things outside that shoes pick up that I do not want on my carpet, where my children play while inside - seriously), but I had carried him in and up the stairs, so he still had on his crocs when I put him on the changing table. When I took them off, there were all these little bits of grass and dirt on his feet. I just love that. Now, when he takes off his crocs and has stuff like that on his feet, he gets all "get it off!" (I think he gets this from his Daddy...) and takes time to pick each and every tiny piece off. It is cute and funny to watch him. That child doesn't like to get dirty. But as I was taking off his crocs and saw his dirty little feet, cute as they could be, I couldn't help but think of the quote above and smile.

I'm not that parent who doesn't want their children to go out and get dirty. Yes, play in the sand. Yes, sit on the chalk drawing you just drew (and get chalk on your clothes). Yes, help with the gardening and make more of a mess than is necessary (or I would make doing it all myself), getting dirt all over the sidewalk, yourself, and probably me, too. Yes, PLAY. If a little dirt gets dragged in the house when you come in (but please do remember to take off your shoes at the door!), we can sweep it up. If water droplets come in, as well, we have towels.

Now, if you're sweaty...while I might think kids should run around, play hard, and get sweaty...that doesn't mean I want you to come in and hug all over me, sharing said sweat. No thanks. (I kind of think it's gross to get it *on* me. I can hear Ryan laughing at me already. Apparently I think everything is gross, while he thinks none of it is. Of course, I also don't mind the messes that come with kids and outdoor activities, while he wants things a bit - or a lot - cleaner. Some of that kind of seems backward, doesn't it? Haha!) And I don't want you leaving your soccer socks on the stairs after you just came home from a game and they are filthy - it's not that hard to take them up the steps with you (you were going anyway!) and put them in the laundry basket, right?

I do love seeing those little toddler feet with sand and dirt and grass on them. I love seeing my too-close-to-being-a-teenage boy come in with red cheeks and sweaty hair sticking to his forehead, soccer ball under his arm, asking for his water bottle. It makes me happy. It reminds me that they're kids...being kids.

Fun times...

I'll get back into this blog thing, I will. Got some updates to post, and I need to get back to those VBAC posts I said I would start... We've been battling allergies like crazy over here.

It started to get warmer two and a half weeks ago, which was really nice (but didn't last long), so our fans in the bedrooms turned on. They're set to automatically turn on when the rooms reach a certain temp. Overnight, Aiden and I both became sick. (We hadn't yet put him back on his allergy meds, either, after taking him off for the egg-challenge.) I don't know if it's coincidence, but it makes sense with the dust mite allergies. And we've just been sick ever since. It got cool right after that, so the fans have stayed off since. Aiden just has congestion and sneezing, etc. Maybe him being back on Zyrtec has made a bit of a difference. I get the whole deal with my sinuses and was pretty miserable the second week. Sunday I started feeling a bit better. And then the fans came on again the other night....and guess who was up all night coughing and congested that same night. Well, guess which two of us were. Ugh.

And yes, the fans were turned off. We need to figure out how to make this better b/c we rely on fans during the summer a lot, running them pretty much nonstop. 

Then to top it all off, I had an allergic reaction to one of the few things I can take while sick (nursing mama's are pretty limited when it comes to medications and all that jazz). That was fun. We're still not 100% sure what it was, but we think it might have been the cough drops. Cough drops? Yep. I CANNOT STAND regular cough drops. I mean, I really hate them. So my mama had recommended these others because they taste ok and work (I think she feels kind of bad now, though she shouldn't - who would've thought?! Not me.). They're natural ones called Thayers - made with slippery elm, and I read (after the fact) that if you are allergic to elm trees..... I don't know if I am, but hopefully we'll soon find out. I've used them a few times before with no problems at all, but it still could be the culprit. It's really a bummer, too, because they really do help. I also use Sinusalia, a homeopathic sinus pain/pressure treatment (which works really well as long as you don't actually have sinusitus...just the part leading up to it. If you actually have an infection, it won't cut it).

I woke up Saturday and noticed my palms, fingers, and wrists were really itchy and red. It started off strong and would come and go as the day went on. It was driving me nuts, though! That night the itching kept me up all night long. All night. By morning, my hands were really swollen, and so were my lips. Not cool. Benadryl helped with some of the itching, but it didn't do anything for the swelling, which was mostly down by evening. Ironically, that was the day my sinuses felt their best and I thought I was finally getting a bit better in that regard. The sinus pain is back now, abut I can't take anything... First, we're not entirely sure what caused the reaction (and with it getting worse on Sunday, we really don't want to push it). Secondly, we're waiting to hear from the allergist...well, our primary dr actually b/c they have to call...and I don't know how soon they can get me in, BUT I can't take anything that will help my sinuses because of the antihistamines, which would interfere with any testing. Blah, blah.

Now Camden's getting sick. Aiden's had night terrors the last couple nights (regardless of how naps have been). And Ryan has had some allergy stuff, too. His is from outside, like most folks around this time. Pollen has covered everything outside. Doesn't hurt that he's allergic to our grass, and he mowed this weekend....

Oh yeah, we've been having some fun times here lately. I'm hoping the fun doesn't keep up much longer.

PS - If anyone knows of anything else I CAN take to help with the allergies/sinus problems, that would be awesome. Currently, I'm just using the NetiPot multiple times a day and taking ibuprofen when the pain is really just too much. I'd love to get over this already, though. With no more allergic reactions. ;)

Another PS - For those reading this in facebook, remember I'm not on facebook during Lent, so if you want to comment, please follow the link to the actual blog post and comment there. Otherwise I won't get the comment and won't be able to respond until after Easter. Thanks!

Egg Challenge

We had another egg challenge for Aiden....um, three weeks ago. We've been a bit busy since then, had company, dealt with allergies, sickness, etc. So, yeah, I've been absent. Here's the scoop now, though...

We did get through the challenge this time, I guess. Five hours away from home, three hours for the challenge, and a LOT of stress. But Aiden did ok with the eggs, for the most part. He didn't eat a lot, though. The dr said based on what little he ate and how he seemed to be doing, we could gradually start introducing him to some baked items *at home* and see how he does with that. We have to be sure he's ok with that before moving on to pancakes/waffles; and then pancakes/waffles come before just plain cooked eggs. So, we'll see.

We thought the shirt was fitting for the occasion.

You can probably see where he was crying...

We were told to do it all gradually and take it easy - not introducing too much at a time or too often and just at home for now. It's been over a week now since the challenge, and we haven't made anything else with egg yet. He did have a bit of the "heated egg" dish they had us bring to the challenge (a baked good with egg in it). He didn't really eat much there, a couple bites maybe, but a couple days later at home, he ate a whole slice. Go figure! We were going to make some muffins with egg the week after the challenge, for a playdate we were having at home, but then Aiden came down with a virus. Playdate was canceled and so were the muffins - we wanted his system completely back to normal before introducing the eggs again.

 

Actually eating some egg...FINALLY!

It was very stressful trying to get Aiden to eat anything with egg. You know how hard it is to get a toddler to eat something he doesn't want to eat...then try doing that for three hours straight (and then add in some stranger trying to also convince him). Not fun. But he got a tiny bit of egg in him (sandwiched between some crackers) and ate a couple bites of a baked item they had us make. If he noticed there was egg, he spit it right out and then refused to eat anything. They even put some egg protein powder in a bit of yogurt that we brought (yogurt he normally loves!), and he wouldn't even consider trying that. Very frustrating...for us AND him. He only actually ate a little more than 1/4 of an egg during the visit, and he threw numerous fits. He did get red and had some hives on his chin where the baked item touched, and his upper lip was swollen, but eating the food didn't seem to do much, so there's a good chance he'll be ok with that. It seems like eggs touching him will give him a reaction still, but he should still outgrow that - and it doesn't bother him, which is nice.

Some of the hives on his chin (kind of hard to really see them in pictures) and a swollen upper lip from touching the baked egg product (pretty much like a sponge cake, just more egg-y)

So, I guess that was a successful visit. We were just all a bit exhausted from it and happy it's over. And while it sounds exciting to be able to start some eggs...it is, but we're going to take it one bite at a time.

Being cute with Daddy

This last week we received the official letter from the dr over the challenge at the hospital (for us, for our primary physician, and for the allergist). It kind of annoyed us b/c while there certainly was no serious reaction, the letter stated that there was NO cutaneous reaction, which is NOT true. I'm trying to figure out how much of an issue to make from that. (If you know me, it's hard for me to keep my mouth shut when I disagree.) The lady was out of our room for the last hour...in which the hives got redder and then were mostly gone before she returned. But we have a picture to prove it, as you can see in one of the pictures above. He did get hives on his chin and had a swollen lip from eating egg. That's annoying (the note from the lady over the challenge, that is). I realize our plan of action might not change if she was really aware of the reaction, but I don't like the main allergist believing Aiden had no reaction when he did have one, regardless of how small it was. He's had some muffins this past week with egg with no reaction. A recipe that made 23 muffins and had only one egg. But it's something.

(PS - For those reading this in facebook, remember I'm not on facebook during Lent, so if you want to comment, please follow the link to the actual blog post and comment there. Otherwise I won't get the comment and won't be able to respond until after Easter. Thanks!)

Meal Plan

The week is nearly over, but we did have a meal plan for the week. I have just barely had any time even near a computer this week, it seems. Or last week. Anyway, here it is...

Sunday
Dinner: Italian Sausage Soup. Not as great as we were hoping. Camden picked this one out of a recipe book we have, and it does sound pretty good. Maybe with a different sausage it would be better? Really the main flavor comes from the sausage you use. I couldn't help but think of fennel when I was smelling or tasting the soup. And I'm not really a fan of fennel. Not that I'm saying it was in the stuff...but that's what came to mind. Now, it wasn't as bad when we actually sat down to eat as what I thought it would be when I was cooking, but it still wasn't *great* either. Still, I'm glad Camden picked out something...other than some of his typical picks...and something that was pretty healthy, too.

Monday
Dinner: Apple, bacon, cheddar sandwiches with red onion mayo, carrot raisin salad. Doesn't sound like much, but the sandwiches are pretty filling!

Tuesday
Lunch: Chicken salad, crackers, and I was attempting to get some kefir smoothie in Aiden b/c he was getting over a virus. He ate the chicken salad and drank some electrolyte drink that I added probiotic powder to, so at least he got something... He did have some of the smoothie at some point.
Dinner: Deconstructed Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts, corn, mayo rolls. While the previous link is where you can find the recipe, I first found it on Once a Month Mom, who made it into a larger meal to be frozen (for four meals). I make two meals out of it and cook it in a 13x9 pan. We've made the stuffed chicken dish before, and while it's good...it's work. This is much easier. And instead of using chicken breasts, I used chicken that I already had in the freezer after making chicken broth from a whole chicken...I take it all off and freeze it in different amounts. I just used a couple cups' worth for this dish - and it was super easy and already in bite-sized chunks of chicken, so it was even easier to eat! The only problem...while Ryan and I really like it, the kids don't. WHY I have no idea! Aiden won't really try it, to be fair. This toddler phase is a lot of fun....

Wednesday
Lunch: Chicken salad, smoothie (same one from yesterday - apparently it was better today)
Dinner: Veggie beef soup (from the freezer - my favorite kind of meal!), peanut butter (sunbutter for Daddy) with honey sandwiches. I couldn't believe Ryan had never had a honey and PB sandwich...and I'm sure he's glad I'm saying that on here for all to read. ;)

Thursday
Lunch: Believe it or not, there was a tiny bowl of chicken salad left. Basically, Aiden eats this entire recipe on his own. I get a few bites here and there. He finished it off today.
Dinner: Leftover broccoli, cheese, chicken, corn and bread. I just made a loaf of bread yesterday for dinner and had to make another today just to have enough for tonight's dinner! I normally don't have to make it that often...

Friday
Lunch: banana slices with peanut butter, some kind of green smoothie (we're out of pineapple, which I always use, so I'm going to have to do something different...), and we'll see what else.
Dinner: Pigs in a blanket, zucchini slices, and roasted potatoes. This is all Camden. (Well, his idea. I'll be doing most of the cooking, if not all. Not because he can't help but he'll probably be at soccer practice.)

Saturday
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Cheese burgers (should be nice enough to grill!!!), baked fries, smoothies. We'll see if the fries get done. Mama will be volunteering at a consignment sale some friends run, and Daddy will be in charge of dinner. He's quite capable...but he's not made the fries before, and, of course, I don't do it exactly by the recipe. I'm sure he'll do just fine, though. :) I should be arriving home just in time for dinner!

PS - Locals should come out to the consignment sale! More info HERE! :)