Fun With Food---Take One

 

Here is my first attempt at making fun faces with food...I won't be winning awards any time soon for my food art buuuuuut I made my kids smile!  I will keep at this because the food art out there is so amazing and I want to get better......hope my kids are up to my experiments :) 

Save Time and Money With Monthly Meal Planning

Our monthly meal plan...it's not pretty but it works!

I will start out by saying that monthly meal planning does take some work but it will save you TIME and MONEY.  The saving money part is because the less time you physically spend in a grocery store each month equals less money you will spend at said grocery store.  Following your plan will also cut down on the food you end up throwing away and wasting. The time part is because after you complete your monthly meal plan you will no longer face the "What's for breakfast, lunch, dinner?" dilemma!  We have been planning our meals using a monthly system for several years now and I have streamlined our planning to fit our family. Here are some ideas that you can use to start creating a plan for your own family.

My favorite tips:

Designate a night each week for a certain dish that you will enjoy each week.  For example, every Tuesday is pasta night, every Wednesday is soup night and every Friday is pizza night.  This may sound kind of ho hum for meal planning but think of all of the different pastas, soups and pizzas that you can create....plus your family will come to expect certain dishes on certain nights and there can be comfort in the routine.

The crock pot is your friend.  Cook a whole chicken in it for a delicious meal one night and use left overs for tacquitos the next night.  Cook a pot roast one night and wa-laa with left overs you have the beginning of shephard's pie the next night.  Nothing makes coming home after a busy day away than the welcoming smell of a meal prepared in a crock pot.  This makes for easy clean up too!!!

Create a master grocery list.  Put items that you always buy on it and leave a little room for misc. items that are special to that months meals.  Print one out at the beginning of each month and start circling or highlighting items that you will need to purchase at your next big grocery visit.  This is the beginning of your monthly grocery list.

Each weekend look ahead at your meal plan and see what perishables (fruits, vegetables, dairy) that you will need for that week's meals.  This will make your trip to the grocery a dash in and dash out kind of  trip and sometimes you may not need to go at all...you may be able to rely on canned or frozen produce depending on what meals you have planned and how stocked your pantry is. 

I happen to love magazines and I subscribe to a few foodie ones....they give me ideas for meals that are fun and new to try.  This keeps my recipe rotation exciting for my family to enjoy.  My favorite magazines are Taste of Home and Taste of Home Simple and Delicious.  I also love going to different websites and checking out recipes when I have time.  I really enjoy The Pioneer Woman's website at  www.thepioneerwoman.com and All Recipes at www.allrecipes.com   

Include your kids in your meal planning when you can.  I usually ask my kids what their favorite breakfast is (pancakes!) and always include what they say somewhere in the month's meals.  They enjoy having input and I figure it is step one in teaching them how to plan for their own families someday.

Five Fun, Inexpensive (or FREE) Things to do on the Central Oregon Coast!

Fish Food!..Alsea River Fish Hatchery

Oregon Coast Hatchery and Research Center at Fall Creek-28 miles E on Hwy 34 Turn left (if you are heading E on 34) on Fall Cr. Rd. This is a beautiful place to visit anytime of year but especially pretty during the fall months.  You can purchase a handful of fish food for 25 cents and feed the fish.  I love watching the feeding frenzy when you throw a handful of food in!  There is also a small visitor center which is fun to wander through.

 Big Spruce Trail at Cape Perpetua

Alsea River Fish Hatchery----This hatchery is located 43 miles E on How 34.   Turn left (if you are heading E on 34) on Fish Hatchery Rd.  This is a fun place to visit.  The hatchery raises trout that will be used to stock local lakes.  You can purchase a handful of fish food for 25cents and feed the fish....again it is fun to watch all the flipping and tail slapping that occurs as the fish rush to eat the food at the surface!  There is a tank which holds sturgeon and an enclosure that houses different varieties of pheasant. 

Cape Perpetua--Fee area $5.00 per day. Cape Perpetua is a beautiful recreation area just a few short miles South of Yachats.  There are a lot of trail heads that begin at the Visitor Center.  You can take a 2 mile trek and go visit a 400 year old Spruce tree, a 1 mile hike down to the tide pools (paved and stroller accessible the whole way) and others.  Make sure to go during low tide for tide pool accessibility.  Otherwise at high tide you can observe water spouts and splashing waves!

Yaquina Head Lighthouse--Fee area $5.00 per day.  This is a beautiful place to visit.  There is a wonderful interpretive center.  There are games for the kids to play, coloring for them to do and it is fun to tour around looking at all of the lighthouse history.  The drive out to the light house offers an incredible view and the tide pools are wonderful (make sure to go during low tide for best accessibility).  There is an area that is accessible for wheel chairs so all can enjoy being close to the ocean and tide pools.  One caveat is that the non-handicap accessible walk down to the tidepools is a bit of a hike.  There are many stairs and then when you reach the bottom you will be walking among small round rocks that are difficult to walk on.  Be careful!   The lighthouse can be toured during summer months.  This is also a great place to whale watch!

Agate Beach Recreation Site--beach access and a trail head for the Ocean to Bay Trail.  The trail head is located on the East side of the parking lot.  This trail is a beautiful one filled with lots of greenery, wooden bridges and is protected from the wind.  Bike accessible....but inexperienced bicyclists may need assistance in loose gravel.

It's Not to Early to Plan for Christmas Gifts Series..a Couple of Ideas

Family Conversation Night---how about a twist on the movie basket idea (you know the basket where you put popcorn, candy, pop, and a movie in a basket for a family to enjoy) and instead of a movie replace with a conversation game.  Here is a link to Amazon.com with some examples  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=family+conversation+games

Gift of the Month Club---You gift someone with a gift that comes monthly. These usually go for periods of 3, 6, 9, or 12 months.  There are candle of the month, dinner of the month, beer of the month, etc. clubs that you can purchase.  Here is a link with some gift of the month club ideas  www.flyingnoodle.com  orrrrrr you can do your own gift of the month club.  You could make a dozen cookies or muffins and deliver them each month to your giftee.  Who doesn't like to receive a gift every month??!!?  I have purchased gifts of the month from Flying Noodle and I have gifted homemade gifts of the month as well.  I have enjoyed doing both!

Big Grins, Bouncing on Beds and A Little Guy Reminding His Mama to Slooooow Down

Today I was changing RJ's diaper on the bed right before we had to leave to go to the post office.  There was a package there waiting to be picked up.  We had a half hour before the post office closed for the day and a ten minute drive to get there.  I was feeling a bit rushed so I hurried thru the diaper change while talking to my little guy.  After I finished his changing he stood up.  I was holding his hands and needed him to let go of my fingers so I could help him pull up his pants.  He held tight to my fingers and started to laugh.  Then he started to bounce on the bed.  He has figured out that if he holds onto my hands and bounces on the bed he can go really high.  I sighed to myself and was just about to tell him to stop bouncing because we needed to GO when I looked at his little face.  His eyes were sparkling and his grin was so wide that it seemed to be stretched from ear  to ear.  He was bouncing really high and kept laughing and saying "more".   He is a little guy who loves to jump!!  So what did I do....I let him bounce and I started to laugh too.   What did it matter if we got to the post office 5 minutes later than I planned.  What did it matter if I didn't pick up the package today at all and ended up picking it up tomorrow.  What did matter was that Rj was feeling the joy that only a child can feel...a kind of joy that says he has entered fully into the moment and that he is enjoying doing what he is doing right now with no other thoughts or worries pressing at him.  I needed to enter that moment with him.  I needed to feel the joy he was feeling and laugh with him.  He will never remember that moment on the bed when he was bouncing as high as his little legs could carry him and laughing with two year old abandon, but I will.  I will remember his happiness much longer than I would remember what was in the package I was in such a hurry to pick up.  So he jumped and I laughed until he stopped saying "More!".  And guess what we still ended up getting to the post office and picked up my package. But I would have been completely content for my little guy to keep bouncing and laughing and for us to pick up the package tomorrow!

My Go To Breakfasts

I find that having breakfast be a no brainer is a great timesaver in the morning.  Here are my top 10 items that are ready to slide onto a plate or pour into a bowl right away. 

1.  Muffins---so many good recipes out there.  They can be baked the night before, they are portable and kids love them.  Check out www.allrecipes.com for some amazing recipes.

2.  Breakfast Burritos---make your scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage and fried potatos or hashbrowns the night before.  The next morning pour your ingredients (I usually do scrambled eggs, fried potatos, cheese and bacon) into a microwave safe bowl and reheat.  Then add a dollop of your egg mixture onto a warmed tortilla, fold one end up, then roll and they are ready to eat! 

3.  Fruit, Granola and Yogurt Parfaits---Preslice your choice of fruit the night before. We like strawberries and blueberries.   Keep yogurt and granola on hand.  Here is a link to my easy granola recipe.  http://happymommy-happymommy.blogspot.com/2012/07/granola-for-breakfast-easy-recipe.html  The next morning let your kids make yogurt parfaits out of the available ingredients.  Serve in fun bowls for extra smiles!

4.   Bullseyes--Make toast using your toasters light setting then cut out the middle with a fun shaped cookie cutter (I usually use a heart unless there is a holiday then I use a seasonal cookie cutter), butter your toast on both sides, then place in a pan that is heated.  Break an egg  and pour into the cutout center of your toast.  Cook until firm enough to flip over and then turn the toast/egg over and cook the other side until done. 

5.  Scrambles---The night before break eggs and place in a bowl along with your families fave ingredients. (We like cheese, bacon, fried potatos, diced tomatos and diced green onion).  The next morning pour into a heated pan, cook and stir and you have a yummy scramble for your family to eat!

6.  Hot Cereal----my kids love Malt o Meal and really love adding different toppings to it.  Their favorites are brown sugar and seasonal sprinkles.  Oat meal is fun to add different toppings to as well.

7.  Cold Cereal---they don't get this to often so it is a special treat when it is served and they LOVE it!  If we have to get into the car right away in the morning I add diced dried fruit to their cereal and serve in baggies or disposable cups.  Finger food!

8.  Whipped Cream--kids love to dip their pancakes, waffles, french toast sticks, etc. into a dollop of whipped cream.  Make it a really fun breakfast and sprinkle some colored sugar or sprinkles (you can use seasonal sprinkles or if they are into sports you can use sprinkles that are their favorite teams colors) onto the whipping cream!

9.  Smoothies--cut up your favorite fruit the night before (strawberries here please!).  The next morning combine your cut up fruit, yogurt and a splash of milk (I like a bit of crushed ice too) into a blender and serve!  Kids love these for two reasons 1.  Kids just naturally love smoothies! and 2.  they like choosing what ingredients go into their smoothies.  I find that the more they help me make meals and the more input I allow them to give me the more interested my kids are in eating their meals!

10.  Buttered Cinnamon and Sugar Toast---what could be easier than toasting your bread, slathering it with butter and sprinkling it with cinnamon and sugar.  If you want to be creative you can cut the toast into strips or use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes.  Yum!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These muffins are easy to make and quite good.  I make these several times a year as they are a favorite of my kids and quick to bake!

Here is what you need:                                          Photo Credit Kimber Miner

3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or you can substitute apple sauce)
2 eggs
3/4 cups canned pumpkin (or you can substitute 1 mashed banana)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners

Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water.  In a separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt.  Add wet mixture and stir to combine then fold in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. To fill your muffin cups neatly without those pesky drips onto your muffin tin....use an ice cream scoop!   Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes.