Meal plans and the week(s) ahead

I'm going to post for the next two weeks today since we'll be leaving for vacation in Arizona this week. I am beyond excited! I get to see my best friend whom I feel like I haven't seen in forever, even though its only been a few months! And we get to get out of this frigid weather! We'll be going to Scottsdale, Phoenix, Sedona, Tucson, Tombstone, Bisbee, and several smaller towns while we're out there. The forecast for much of the time we're there ranges from 74-76, the exception being Sedona at 60. Considering there were -15 degree wind chills these last couple of days, that sounds pretty fabulous right now!

We leave on Tuesday in the late afternoon and return just after midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning next week. We'll be going in to work mid-morning on Wednesday. We have Carson's first soccer class that evening. It actually starts this week, but we'll miss it. He is really looking forward to it! Thursday I'll be in Detroit all day for meetings. Friday is supposed to be my flex day, but I'll be working it since we're gone earlier in the week. No plans Saturday other than doing laundry and adjusting to our life back home again. :)

So this week we're cleaning out the fridge. I'll be stocking some things in the fridge for my brother-in-law while we're gone, too. And I'm planning to make some dairy kefir today so that its here when we get back next week... I'm guessing we'll really be missing our probiotics by then. :) So it'll be nice to have it ready to go when we get home. Anyway, here's the plan at this point....

Sunday - church
(finish laundry; pack; print out lists of ideas for things to do; make butter and freeze; make kefir)
B: yogurt; fruit
L: hot dogs; lettuce salad; mac 'n cheese
D: quiche with ham, broccoli, carrots, cheddar

Monday -
B: yogurt; fruit
D: grilled cheese sandwiches; tomato soup; raw carrots with ranch dressing; applesauce

Tuesday - leave for Arizona
(finish last-minute packing; do one last vacuuming of the house)
B: scrambled eggs with veggies
L: crackers with cheese; raw carrots with ranch dressing; kefir smoothies

Wednesday through Tuesday - Arizona

Wednesday - soccer
B: kefir smoothies
D: lasagna from the freezer

Thursday - Detroit
B: kefir smoothies
D: sloppy lentils from freezer; cornbread from freezer; broccoli

Friday - milk pickup
(soak grains; soak almonds)
B: apple slices with peanut butter
D: TBD soup in the crockpot

Saturday -
(dry almonds; make yogurt; make cottage cheese)
B: pancakes
L: leftover soup
D: pork roast in the crockpot with potatoes, carrots, and parsnips

Meal plans and the week ahead

I'm posting this a little early this week... so I can sleep in as late as possible tomorrow.  I've been battling a cold and really just need to sleep, I think.  So I figure I'll post now while I have a few minutes.  This is going to be a crazy week full of fun stuff!  Unfortunately, Kevin is traveling again, but hopefully the week passes by quickly.  We've got a lot of stuff to do to get ready for our trip to Arizona next week, plus lots of fun things. 

Tomorrow, we'll hopefully be heading to church.  We'll see how I feel in the morning.  We've got lots of cleaning to do tomorrow, too... last week ended up being a crazy week at work (the earliest I got home from work all week was 7:00pm... with it being 8:00/8:30 a couple of nights... it was a long week), so I didn't get nearly half of anything done that I wanted to accomplish.  Kevin leaves very early Monday morning for Virginia and Tennessee.  I'm off on Monday for MLK Jr. Day.  Carson and I have a lot of errands to run and I want to get the rest of the deeper cleaning done.  Tuesday through Thursday will hopefully be fairly low key... and I really hope I don't have to work too late.  Wednesday is the Governor's State of the State address, so I do expect longer days again, but I'm hoping I can at least leave on time and then plug in at home in the evening.  Friday is my flex day.  We have to pick up the milk and CSA order, then Carson and I are headed to Lowell to meet Auntie Sara for lunch. Then we'll probably go back to Saranac to hang out for a bit.  I'd also like to get to Adrian on Friday night so we can see my cousin, Allison, play hockey.  She plays for Finlandia University and this is her only game down state.  Hopefully we'll make it, as long as we're not in Saranac too long.  Kevin comes home late Friday night.  Saturday morning I am finally getting my hair done.  Its been soooo long since I got it done (November!!!) and it is driving me crazy!  I won't get too much of a change since I'm growing it out, but it will be nice to get it shaped up and the ends trimmed, plus some new color.  Then we're packing up and heading to Grand Rapids for another basketball game and dinner at my SIL's.  I also want to start packing some where in there... :) 

So here's the plan...

Sunday ~ church; cleaning
B: scrambled eggs; bacon
L: leftover chicken divan
D: chicken noodle soup

Monday ~ MLK Jr. Day; Kevin leaves for VA/TN; errands; cleaning
B: yogurt and granola
D: leftover chicken divan

Tuesday ~
B: muffins from freezer
D: leftover chicken noodle soup

Wednesday ~ Governor's State of the State Address at 7:00 PM
B: pumpkin scones from freezer
D: eating at my parents' house

Thursday ~
B: smoothies
D: tacos from freezer

Friday ~ flex day; milk/CSA pickup; Lowell/Saranac; hockey game in Adrian
(soak grains for pancakes)
B: scrambled eggs; bacon
L: Flat River Grill in Lowell
D: TBD

Saturday ~ hair appt.; Calvin basketball game
(slice pineapple; wash grapes; cut/soak apples?; make ranch dressing; start packing for AZ)
B: pancakes
L: crackers; sliced cheese; raw carrots and cucumber slices with ranch dressing
D: at SIL's... I'm bringing fruit; salad dressings; dessert

French Dressing

This past weekend, we met some of our family at a basketball game in Grand Rapids and then we all went over to my SIL's house for dinner afterwards.  We had a delicious real food taco dinner.  I brought along some homemade french dressing to make taco salads.  Its another Heavenly Homemakers recipe.  I love Laura's recipes because they're so simple, yet taste so great.  This was no exception.  It tasted really good, as written below.  I will definitely be making this often, since french dressing is Kevin's favorite (though he tolerates my favorite, ranch, happily, too).  This dressing should keep really well, though... longer than my ranch dressing... so I'm guessing I'll be making this dressing quite regularly. 

Anyway, like I said, this tastes great the way it is, but I think I will do a little playing around with it.  I just used organic store-bought ketchup this time since I need to make a new batch of lacto-fermented ketchup.  It'll be awesome to make this with lacto-fermented ketchup so that we can gain the benefit of the probiotics.  I also want to play around with the seasonings.  I think we'd probably prefer a little less celery seed and I want to add some smoked paprika and a little onion powder.  I think I'd also like to try this with different vinegars.  All in due time, though.  I'll be sure to post any updates if we find something we like even better.  For now, we are really enjoying this version!

Homemade French Dressing

3/4 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons sucanat or brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 Tablespoon ground celery seed

Put all ingredients directly into a pint sized jar. Put the lid on and shake it well. Refrigerate. Its best to make this dressing at least a couple hours before you need it.  Even better would be the day before.  That's what I did.  You need to give it time to meld together and really develop a great flavor.

Meal plans and the week ahead

We have a pretty low-key week this week. We're headed to church this morning and we're planning to do some cleaning and throwing out of junk this afternoon... I also have some work to do. We're headed to Sears tonight to buy an elliptical (they have a special friends and family sale from 6-9 tonight). I also need to make something to take in to work tomorrow to celebrate a colleague's marriage. Tuesday afternoon is my WAPF chapter meeting and I'll be going out to dinner with some friends from high school. Friday we'll go pick up the elliptical. Saturday morning we're planning to go see my niece and nephew play basketball.

I am hoping to get a lot of planning and cleaning done this week. We'll be leaving for Arizona before we know it and I feel like we have so much to do before then. I want to get the packing list done this week and finish up some shopping for a few things we may need. I also need to make some more progress on Carson's new bedroom. Not sure what else, but I hope its a productive week!

Here's the plan...

Sunday - church; clean/de-junkify; Sears
(make something for Therese's celebration; make grain-free granola; make yogurt; boil eggs; make egg salad for lunches; clean out refrigerator)
B: muffins from freezer with soft cheese
L: zucchini parmesan; side salads with homemade dressing
D: beef roast in the crockpot salsa meatloaf; peas; salad; pickles

Monday -
(make steel cut oats; make start packing list)
B: yogurt with granola
D: peanut turkey burgers (mine will be wrapped in lettuce); green beans sauteed with garlic and butter; corn on the cob from freezer leftover meatloaf; baked potatoes

Tuesday - WAPF; dinner with the girls
B: steel cut oats banana; milk
D: K&C - leftovers organic mac & cheese, ham from freezer; S - Mongolian BBQ

Wednesday -
(clean bathroom thoroughly; work on Carson's new room)
B: yogurt with granola
D: mahi mahi with roasted corn; broccoli; side salads

Thursday -
(clean kitchen and dining room thoroughly - scrub floors, wipe down walls, clean windows, etc.)
B: chocolate peanut butter banana smoothies
D: shredded bbq beef (from leftover roast) sandwiches; asparagus; corn

Friday - milk/CSA pick up; pick up elliptical
(dust entire house; assemble elliptical)
B: steel cut oats
D: baked potato soup; side salads

Saturday - niece's and nephew's basketball games
(make soft cheese; make butter/buttermilk; work on Carson's bedroom; clean living room and play room thoroughly - clean windows, wash walls, etc.; make yogurt; clean out refrigerator)
B: yogurt with granola and fruit
L: pesto pea salad with tuna
D: chicken divan

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

I have discovered that I love split pea soup.  So does Kevin.  Carson tolerates it.  I wouldn't say he loves it, but he does eat it without too many complaints.  :)  I've tried a few different recipes for split pea soup.  One of which I posted a while back.  Since then, I've tried a couple others, one of which I found on A Year of Slow Cooking, which seems to be our favorite.  I don't make it exactly the same way each time, it just depends what I have on hand, but its generally the same.  It doesn't look too appetizing, which is why I always thought I wouldn't like it, but it is seriously delicious!  And its a great, easy meal to throw in the crockpot and let it cook all day.  I usually make this when I have leftover ham.  I have never tried it with bacon, but I'm guessing it'd be pretty good with bacon, too.  We like a more veggies in ours, so I usually double the amount of veggies that Stephanie recommends when I make it... I've posted it the way I make it below. 

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

16oz package of dried split peas
1 yellow onion, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups diced carrot
1 cup leftover ham or bacon, diced
ham hock or ham bone if you have them
4 cups broth/stock
1 cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

I soak split peas the way I do lentils.  Cover them with water and add about 2 Tablespoons of whey.  Let them soak for about 7 or 8 hours, rinse them, and they're ready to go. 

Dump the peas, diced vegetables, ham/bacon, broth, and water into the crockpot.  Add the salt and pepper.  If you are using a ham hock or bone, add that now.

Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high for 4-6. Mine almost always cooks 12-13 hours on low.

If you used a ham hock or bone, scrape off any remaining meat and discard the bone.  Use an immersible hand blender to make your soup a bit more creamy and to have an even consistency.  I usually only do a few pulses of the blender so we still have a good bit of chunk with our veggies and ham in the soup.

Whole Wheat Noodles

I have been wanting to try making some homemade pasta for quite some time now.  I have been debating about trying a sourdough recipe, or this whole wheat recipe from Heavenly Homemakers.  My SIL, Mary, made the whole wheat noodles a few weeks ago and loved them.  I decided I was going to give the sourdough noodles a try.  Then my husband asked me what I was doing and I told him I was going to make sourdough pasta.  While he's been a trooper through all of my sourdough trials... and generally likes most of the sourdough things I've made... he asked if I could make something "normal" for once.  So I changed it up and made the soaked whole wheat noodles.  We were all very happy with the result, too! 

These noodles are very easy to make and don't take much time at all.  I really like that they are soaked, therefore increasing the nutrition and digestibility of the grains.  I made some lasagna noodles and made a pan of lasagna for dinner last night.  This was seriously the first time I've ever eaten lasagna where I didn't get an upset stomach afterwards.  It was great!  I'll definitely be making these again and again.  Although, I will be making the sourdough noodles this week so that we can compare. 

Whole Wheat Noodles

2 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup water (or an acid medium (buttermilk, kefir, yogurt, whey) for soaking)
1 teaspoon olive oil

To soak grains:

Use the same ingredients, substituting the water with an acid medium like buttermilk, plain yogurt, kefir, or whey. Mix ingredients as described below in a bowl.  I started out with a spoon and then just used my hands.  If your dough is really sticky (mine was), add in a tablespoon or so of flour at a time and mix in.  You don't want the dough to stick to your hands or the bowl... once you get to that point, you'll know the dough is ready.  You also should keep in mind that whole grains will take a bit of time to absorb the liquid/moisture.  If you're not sure about your dough, let it sit for about 15 minutes or so and then go back and check it.  If its still sticky, add a little bit of flour.  If it seems too dry, add a splash of buttermilk/acid medium and knead it in.  Knead for a minute or two, then cover with a towel and let it sit for 12-24 hours. You'll pick back up with the rolling step below.

To make without soaking grains:

First mix the flour and salt together in a bowl and make a little”pit” in the middle. Beat your eggs in a separate bowl, then pour them into the flour mixture. Add the water (or acid medium) and olive oil. Stir well until the ingredients are mostly combined.  Dump the noodle dough out onto a floured surface and knead it a little bit to get the ingredients combined well.

(If soaking grains start here after dough has soaked.)

Make sure your surface has a LOT of flour all over it so that your noodles won’t stick when you roll out the dough. Sticky noodles are not fun.

Use a well floured rolling pin and roll and roll and roll until your noodle dough is very thin, about 1/16" in thickness. You may need to keep tossing some flour under the dough as you roll to keep it from sticking.

Use a pizza cutter to cut long strips in the noodle dough. Cut your noodles any length you want... short, fat, skinny, wide, etc. 

Once you’ve cut your noodles you can either use them right away, or you can let them dry so that you can store them and have them ready for when you need them.

You can use a dehydrator to dry the noodles, or you can just leave them on the countertop to dry if you want. It will take a while…like several hours or even an entire day. You may also need to turn the noodles over after a few hours so that the under side can dry.  I used my dehydrator and they were dry within a couple of hours. 

 

This post is shared as part of Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist and the Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS.

Crispy Pecans

I've been soaking and dehydrating all of the nuts that we eat for quite a while now.  I've posted crispy almonds, crispy pine nuts, and crispy cashews, but realized I've never posted crispy pecans, walnuts, or peanuts when I've made them all.  I guess maybe because they are pretty much the same recipe as for the almonds and pine nuts.  I made a batch of crispy pecans the week before Christmas to use with my smoked salmon spread, so I figured I'd snap a quick picture and post them.  These are great to snack on and use in recipes.  Pecans are my favorite nut, I could eat them every day.  Carson loves them, too.  And I feel much better about eating them after they've been soaked and dehydrated. 

Crispy Pecans

4 cups (1 pound) pecan halves
2 teaspoons sea salt
water

Mix pecans with salt and water and cover the bowl with a plate.  Leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight.  I usually soak them for at least 12 hours, but usually closer to 18-24 hours.  Drain in a colander.  Spread the pecans on a baking pan or dehydrator tray.  If you are using the oven, put them in on the lowest setting (150 degrees) for 12 to 24 hours, stirring once in a while, until completely dry and crisp.  I always use my dehdyrator for about the same amount of time.  Although I've found that pecans usually seem to dry more quickly.  Store in an airtight container.

Meal plans and the week ahead

Back to work this week - BOO!!  I'm not ready to go back yet.  It was so nice having a 4-day weekend!  At least I'm off this Friday, so the week won't feel quite as long.  We don't have a ton of things to do this week, but it's busy enough.  Today we're headed to church and then we'll be enjoying our last day of family time.  Tomorrow is my 30th birthday, so we might go out to dinner... or we might go out tonight and save the lasagna for tomorrow, we'll see.  Thursday I am headed to Windsor for some meetings. Friday is my flex day and our last day of Kindermusik this semester.  The last class is actually next week, but since we only go every other week, this will be our last class.  We'll also be doing the normal CSA and milk pickups.  We might go paint shopping, too.  I need to pick out a color to paint the furniture for Carson's new room.  Saturday afternoon, we're headed to Grand Rapids for a Calvin basketball game followed by dinner and playtime at my BIL's and SIL's house.  We are debating on whether we want to head out early to check out the Princess Diana exhibit at the GR Art Museum.  We'll have to get our tickets ahead of time if we do.

I made homemade noodles last week, both shorter skinny noodles and wider noodles.  I'm anxious to try the wider noodles in some lasagna.  The shorter noodles we had last week were awesome.  Assuming the lasagna turns out well, I think I'll make a new batch of noodles later this week to have on hand.  I'm going to make some sourdough pizza for dinner on Friday.  I'll be making a double batch of the dough so that I can experiment with freezing the dough.  I am planning to freeze some dough for future pizza crusts and breadsticks.  I'm trying to figure out the menu for Carson's birthday party(ies)... right now its a toss up between pizza/breadsticks/salad, taco bar, lasagna with homemade noodles, or soups/salads.  It'll depend on whether I do one or two parties, too.  But I'm hoping to make a decision in the next week so I can get planning... I'm feeling a little pressed for time for party prep with our trip to Arizona coming up.  But I'm sure I'll get it all done. 

We also have to make some serious progress on Carson's new bedroom.  I want it completely done before his birthday and we still have sooo much more to do.  It has become a collecting place for lots of miscellaneous stuff... rather junk.  So I want to find new homes for things and throw out some stuff.  I also need to clean out the closet.  We cleaned the basement thoroughly last week, so now I can focus on Carson's new room.  I also need to work on a little sewing this week. 

Anyway, here's my plan...

Sunday ~ church
(cook burger meat and prep sauce; boil eggs; make homemade mayonnaise)
B: yogurt smoothies
L: leftovers
D: lasagna with homemade noodles... or out?

Monday ~
(make steel cut oats)
B: sliced hard boiled eggs on buttered toast (hold the toast for me)
D: lasagna with homemade noodles... or out?

Tuesday ~
(prep noodle dough; remove junk in Carson's new room)
B: steel cut oats with fruit from freezer
D: crockpot corn and spinach enchiladas from freezer

Wednesday ~
(roll out and dry noodles; continue cleaning out Carson's new room)
B: yogurt and fruit from freezer
D: leftover lasagna; side salads with homemade ranch dressing

Thursday ~ Windsor for work
(thaw sausage; saute mushrooms, green peppers, onions; cook sausage; prep pizza dough)
B: steel cut oats with maple syrup and crispy pecans
D: chicken and quinoa from freezer

Friday ~ Kindermusik; CSA & milk pickup; paint shopping? 
(shred cheeses; make cottage cheese; make butter/buttermilk; sewing project)
B: scrambled eggs with veggies and cheese
D: sourdough pizza with mushrooms, peppers, onions, and sausage; sourdough breadsticks

Saturday ~ Grand Rapids; Princess Diana exhibit?; Calvin basketball game; dinner/playtime at SIL's
B: pancakes for the boys (fried egg over easy for me) and sausage patties
L: leftover pizza, unless we're already out in GR
D: at SIL's in Grand Rapids... we're having a taco/nacho/salad bar.  I'll be bringing something, just not sure what yet shredded raw cheese, chopped lettuce for toppings or salad, homemade french dressing, and ranch dressing

Happy New Year!

I have been debating about posting any goals this year.  But I figured I might as well post them.  I always set goals for myself.  I don't always achieve my goals, but I generally do fairly well.  I did fairly well with my 2010 goals, I think.  I never came close to some of them (especially the running the races goal) since I developed a severe case of plantar fasciitis in both of my feet.  But that's ok.  Thankfully, my left foot is healed as a result of the cortisone injections.  But unfortunately, my right foot is far from healed.  It is still very painful as I continue to work on rehabilitation.  I might have to give in and do physical therapy this year if I don't feel any further improvements soon.  We'll just have to see how it goes. 

So anyway, here are some goals for myself this year... in no particular order.  I have others, too, but figure this will be a long enough post with just posting about these goals.  :)   

Cheesemaking.  I've made a few different types of soft cheeses with our raw milk already, but I want to make more.  Kevin is making me a cheese press, so that will allow me to make some hard cheeses.  I can't wait!  I got the book 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes for Christmas and I'm very much looking forward to getting started with some new recipes!  I'm starting this week by making some homemade cottage cheese.  Yum!  I've also checked out The Complete Guide to Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt at Home from the library and plan to buy it at some point.  Its another great resource with some good recipes.  I'd like to make at least one new cheese each month for awhile.  Until I get into the groove and figure out which cheeses will be staples in our house. 

Fermented Cod Liver/Butter Oil.  I've been taking this for quite awhile now, but in capsule form.  I recently got some of the gel since its more economical.  It costs about the same as a jar of capsules, but you don't go through it as quickly.  Or at least I don't think you do.  I still need to figure out how much to take.  My goal is to stick with the gel form... I'm afraid it's going to be difficult, but am really hoping it's easier than I think it will be.  I'm also going to have Carson start taking the gel.  He's been taking the gummy fish periodically for awhile now, but they're pretty silly, in my opinion since he'd have to eat quite a few of them to get an adequate daily dose.  Plus, it was hard to get him to eat just one of them every day... he would usually only eat them 2 or 3 times a week... since they have pretty fermented fishy taste to them.  So we're done with the gummy fish. 

Language Learning and Development - both for myself and for Carson.  I have been wanting to refresh my French language for quite awhile now.  While its not really necessary for my job, it would definitely come in handy since I work with so many french-speaking Canadians.  I also want to teach some basics to Carson this year.  We have some flashcards, a book, and music to start up our learning.  We had been starting to learn some Spanish words a few months ago using a book of spanish words that I got for free through the diaper rewards program, but I decided to start up again with French since it'll be easier (and more beneficial) for me.  I'd also like to learn some Spanish, German, or Japanese at some point.  We'll see how quickly and how far I get with French before I start with another language.  Kevin really wants to learn Spanish and German, so hopefully we can do that together at some point, too. 

Run a 5k.  This will be the most difficult (and most rewarding, in my opinion) goal for me to achieve this year.  With the pain in my foot, even walking a 5k would be quite painful and I'd pay for it for many days after.  But I'm going to try.  I have been making a point to walk on the treadmill at least 4 nights a week and have been doing some kettlebell and DVD exercises for a little over a month now.  It's a start again.  I just need to get back into the groove.  Walking on the treadmill is quite painful, though.  Each step impacts my right heel.  Its good to work through the pain, but there comes a point where I'm just causing permanent damage to my foot... and I'm afraid I'm there, or close to it, since its not getting any better.  We are thinking about buying an elliptical machine if we can find a good deal in the next few weeks.  There isn't any impact on my heels on an elliptical, so I figure it'd be a great way to get some exercise and conditioning in.  While we don't really want to spend the money, we feel like it'd be a good investment in my health and well-being.  Its difficult to get any good cardio in without impacting my foot, but an elliptical provides the perfect opportunity.  If I can just shed some serious pounds, I know it'll help my foot.  Less weight means less harsh of an impact, which means less pain for me and hopefully will allow me to eventually run a 5k! 

Buy a grain mill.  I have wanted a grain mill for several years now.  I have my heart set on the Nutrimill Grain Mill.  I would really like to buy it this year.  Although, it may completely contradict my next goal... :) 

Eat fewer grains.  I love grains and carbs.  Even though I often feel crummy after I eat them.  Which is one reason I want to limit them.  But I mostly want to limit them to help shed some pounds.  I need to lose weight.  Seriously.  I have been struggling with this for years now.  And I want 2011 to be the year that I finally get this under control!  I'm looking forward to reading and participating in the 2011 Weight Loss and Wellness Adventure over at Kelly the Kitchen Kop. 

P90X.  Kevin bought P90X last year and did part of a cycle.  He wants to start it up again this year and he wants me to do it with him.  I'll admit... I'm scared of it.  And I'm not sure I'll be able to make it through... because the guy that does the DVDs annoys the crapola out of me.  But I think I want to give it a go... though I'm not sure when.  Kevin wants to start this month, but I'd rather wait until after our trip to Arizona since I know we won't be doing it while we're there.  We'll see. 

Lose weight.  This seems to be a common theme with several of my goals listed here and several more that I haven't listed.  Like I said, I really want 2011 to be the year I get this under control.  I need to give a little more thought to how I exactly plan to do this, but I have some ideas to get me started.

Catch up on posts.  I have so many posts that I'm behind on and I'd really like to get caught up.  I doubt I'll post everything, but there are many that I definitely want to do.  Hopefully I'll make a dent in them this month. 

So anyway, there are some goals for the year.  I'll post periodically to let you know how I'm doing.  You'll probably see more posts about some things than others.

Chicken and Rice in the Crockpot

I've been wanting make chicken and rice in the crockpot for ages now, but never have gotten around to it.  Mostly because I didn't want to leave it cooking for 12 hours on a work day.  I had seen a recipe on A Year of Slow Cooking that looked good.  I used Stephanie's recipe as a base and adapted it to our liking and what I had on hand.  I changed it quite a bit, so I'll post the recipe below as I made it... which I believe is a much simpler way of doing it that the way Stephanie made hers. 

This was very good and went over well with all three of us.  Carson even had seconds.  And Kevin had no complaints about chicken cooked in the crockpot, for once!  He normally thinks chicken that is cooked in the crockpot tastes grainy and has a weird texture.  I have to admit, he is right sometimes, usually when smaller pieces are cooked for a long time.  That's why I haven't really made any chicken crockpot recipes for quite a while.  Unless its a soup.  Anyway, I am getting off topic here.  Back to the recipe...  :)

I did use a pint of my homemade cream of mushroom soup in this, but I honestly don't think it's necessary.  If I didn't have my own homemade, I would not have added it.  Maybe add a little milk in place of it.  I bet it'd help make it creamy. 

Chicken and Rice in the Crockpot

1 1/2 cups of brown rice (I used a brown rice medley from Trader Joes)
1 quart chicken broth/stock
2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 Tablespoons butter
1 pint cream of mushroom soup
2 cups frozen broccoli
2 cups frozen peas
4 frozen chicken breasts
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper

Soak rice for 12-24 hours for optimal nutrition.  Cover rice with water by a couple of inches and place a plate over your bowl.  Drain before adding to the crockpot. 

Pour rice into crockpot, as well as chicken broth/stock, arrowroot powder, butter, soup, broccoli, and spices.  Reserve the peas to add later.  Mix together.  Place chicken breasts on top.  Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours (probably on low for about 6-8 hours).  If you have some liquid leftover and your rice is cooked, just off-set the lid for the last 15 minutes or so.  Add your peas during the last half hour of cooking.  Remove the chicken breasts and fluff the rice and veggies.  Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Here is yet another recipe that I made for Christmas this year. I first had this when a colleague of mine brought it into work. It was soooo good! She just uses a recipe found on AllRecipes. I wanted to try making it with my own healthier ingredients... and I wanted to do it all in the crockpot. So I made some modifications and voila! Buffalo chicken dip... and I have to say I think it tastes even better than my colleague's! :) It was a hit at both Christmas parties that I took it to. It doesn't look too appealing, but once you taste it (and if you like buffalo wings), you'll be hooked!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 cups shredded chicken (I used some that I had shredded and frozen... and I just dumped it in still frozen)

2 cups soft cheese (or you could use organic cream cheese)

1 cup Ranch dressing

3/4 cup hot sauce (like Frank's Red Hot, Tabasco, etc.)

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Dump all ingredients into a 2 or 3 quart crockpot. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours. Stir before serving. Serve with celery sticks, crackers, or tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Sausage Cheese Balls

We had to travel two hours west for one of our Christmas parties.  I wanted to find something to take that was portable, tasty, and fairly good for you.  I couldn't decide what to bring, so I scoured the Whole Foods for the Holidays posts.  I came across these Sausage Cheese Balls on Titus2Homemaker.  They sounded very easy and portable.  So I tried them out.  I used our pastured, naturally-seasoned sausage, a mixture of whole wheat and spelt flours, my homemade cultured butter, and raw cheddar cheese.  They are more dough-y than I guess I expected and they didn't blow me away, but they were okay.  They taste like a biscuit with a slight cheese and sausage flavoring.  The naturally flavored sausage doesn't have as much spice as conventional sausage does, so maybe they'd have more flavor with conventional sausage... I didn't think about it in advance, or I'd have probably added a few spices. 

Sausage Cheese Balls

3 cups whole wheat flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat and 1 cup spelt)
1-1/2 Tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 lb. butter (I used homemade cultured butter)
1 lb. breakfast sausage, raw (I used pastured pork sausage with natural seasonings)
8 oz. grated cheddar (I used raw cheddar, a mixture of mild and sharp)

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. With your hands, mix in sausage and cheddar, adding a tad bit of water to make a dough. Form into 1″ balls (I used my 1-inch cookie scoop) and bake on a baking sheet at 375 for 20 minutes.

Smoked Salmon Spread

I had decided I wanted to make a salmon dip or spread for one of our Christmas parties this year.  So I went searching for a good recipe.  I settled on a Smoked Salmon Spread with Pecans on Heartland Renaissance.  I pretty much followed the recipe as written.  I did use my homemade soft cheese in place of the cream cheese and I used crispy (soaked and dried) pecans.  This was very simple to make.  I served it with some organic whole wheat crackers.  I thought it was very tasty!  I'll make it again sometime, for sure.  Kevin liked it, too.  People who like salmon would like this, too.  Its really not too fishy tasting, nor too smoky, but it has a really good flavor.   

Smoked Salmon Spread

One 1-lb. can of wild, Alaskan salmon
One 8-oz. package of cream cheese, softened (I used soft cheese)
2 teaspoons grated white or yellow onion
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used crispy pecans)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon horseradish
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, snipped (or 1 Tablespoon dried parsley)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Drain salmon, removing bones and skin. Flake salmon into a bowl. Combine cream cheese, lemon juice, onion, horseradish, salt and liquid smoke with salmon, mixing well. Chill several hours or overnight.

About an hour before serving, combine pecans, parsley and paprika. Shape salmon mixture into a log or ball and roll in pecan mixture. Chill. Serve with crackers, sliced baguette and sliced fresh vegetables.

Ranch Dressing

I have been making this Ranch Dressing Mix for awhile now... regularly for nearly a year.  It really is a great thing to have on hand.  We make our own ranch salad dressing quite often, as its my favorite.  I've also made dip with it for raw vegetables many, many times.  I've used it in other ways, too.  But I realize I've never posted anything about the actual salad dressing.  So I figured I would do a quick post.  Making the dressing is so easy.  Just whisk together some of the mix, mayo, and buttermilk or sour cream.  I've never made it with sour cream, I've always used buttermilk, but I'm sure it'd still be good.  This is the best ranch dressing I've ever had.  Way better than the Hidden Valley brand, which always seems to be a favorite conventional brand.  It's even better with your own homemade mayonnaise and buttermilk!  Yum!  Anyway, sorry for the poor picture, I mixed up a cup of dressing to use in a buffalo chicken dip I was making for Christmas Eve and just snapped a quick picture in the bowl.  Maybe I'll update someday when I take a better picture.  For now, you get the idea.  :)

Ranch Dressing Mix5 Tablespoons dried minced onions
7 teaspoons parsley flakes
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix together and store in an air tight container.

For dressing: Mix 2 Tablespoons dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream.

Yummy Yummy Coffee Cake - made healthy(er)

I have been wanting to try making the Yummy Yummy Coffee Cake a little healthier for awhile now.  I figured why not make it for a breakfast during the holidays?  So I made it to have for breakfast on Friday morning.  I used whole wheat and spelt flours and I soaked them in homemade buttermilk.  I also used homemade cultured butter, half sucanat and half cane sugar, farm-fresh pastured eggs, homemade vanilla, sea salt, and aluminum-free baking soda for the cake.  I used sucanat and cane sugar, plus cinnamon for the filling.  And I used unbleached powdered sugar and raw milk for the glaze.  Everything was organic and local where possible.  Its still not a healthy dish, but making it this way is much better for you than making it with processed, conventional ingredients. 

Yummy Yummy Coffee Cake

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar (I used half sucanat and half cane sugar)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1/3 cup sucanat
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup nuts (optional)

Glaze:
1 cup unbleached powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons milk

If you are soaking the flours, mix flours and buttermilk together in a small bowl.  You may need to add an extra 1/4 cup of buttermilk.  You want to have just enough moisture to cover all of the flour.  Cover the bowl with a plate or kitchen towel and let sit at least 8 hours or overnight. 

When you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan with coconut oil or butter.

Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. Add baking soda and salt.  Then add the soaked flour mixture.  Stir well. 

Mix filling ingredients in a separate bowl.

Put half of the dough in the prepared pan. Top with half of filling. Spread the remaining dough on top. Then remaining filling.

Bake 35-40 minutes.

While still warm, mix glaze and drizzle over top.



This recipe was shared in the Kitchen Stewardship Soaked Grain Recipe Carnival.

Meal plans and the week ahead

What a whirlwhind, awesome week last week was! We have had some great times with family and friends! We have our last Christmas party this afternoon, which will be a lot of fun again. We're really looking forward to seeing the Hollebooms again today!

Tomorrow morning, we may get together with the Holleboom cousins again, if Aunt Mary, Uncle Justin, and Rebecca stay in town overnight. Either playtime at Grandma's or maybe a trip up to the Flint Childrens Museum. Carson and I may go up to FCM regardless since I think Kevin will have to work (yes, he's supposed to be off for shut-down... hopefully he'll be working from home, at least) and will have another very stressful day. Tuesday and Wednesday I'll be going into work in Lansing. Thursday and Friday are holidays for me. I'm not sure what we're going to do.  Friday, we'll go to pick up the milk at some point during the day.  And Carson and Sara have a playdate in the afternoon with Sara's college roommate, Tiffany, and her boys, Evan and Tyson.  Friday is also New Years Eve, but we're just going to celebrate at home again this year.  We haven't decided what we'll do on Saturday yet. We might invite some family or friends over for dinner, but haven't decided yet.

We're hoping to get some things done around the house this week, but we'll see how the week goes. It will depend on whether Kevin ends up working all week, or just a day or two, too. We shall see. Hopefully he will at least have time to build me a cheese press! :)

For now, here's the plan...

Sunday - church; Holleboom family Christmas
(prep grains for noodles)
B: leftover coffee cake
L: leftovers
D: at my in-laws' house, I'm bringing cheesy veggie casserole; buffalo chicken dip

Monday - Flint Childrens Museum? Play time at Grandma's?
(make butter; make yogurt; make noodles)
B: hard boiled eggs; fruit
L: leftovers... buffalo chicken dip with celery, salmon dip with crackers, cheesy veggie casserole
D: cream cheese chicken over noodles; green beans; corn

Tuesday -
(make beef stock)
B: fried eggs; veggies
D: spaghetti squash lasagna

Wednesday -
(prep grains for cinnamon rolls)
B: yogurt with granola
D: french onion soup

Thursday - off work
(make sourdough cinnamon rolls; make sourdough crepes)
B: sourdough english muffins from freezer with peanut butter
L: peas and cheese tortellini
D: cajun sausage and chicken casserole chicken and rice in the crockpot

Friday - off work; milk pickup; play date with friends; New Years Eve
(culture milk for soft cheese)
B: sourdough cinnamon rolls
L: leftovers
D: taco bar with sourdough crepes for shells

Saturday - New Years Day
(hang soft cheese)
B: sourdough cinnamon rolls
L: leftover tacos
D: tbd... depends on if/who we have over.... possibly a beef roast or brisket

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

One of the Christmas treats I made this year are Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles from Heavenly Homemakers.  These were so easy to make and I love that there are so few ingredients.  Not only are they easy to make, but they taste awesome, too!  If you love chocolate and peanut butter, you will love these!  This is definitely a keeper recipe!  I made the recipe as written, though I'd like to make them again sometime with some changes.  I'd like to try them with half carob chips and half chocolate chips and I'd like to try them with homemade sucanat powdered sugar (which I have actually made, but didn't have any when I made these, plus I had some organic unbleached powdered sugar that I needed to use up). 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

2 cups milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used raw cream)
2 Tablespoons butter (I used homemade cultured butter)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I used homemade peanut butter)
1/4 cup organic, unbleached powdered sugar

In a saucepan stir together chocolate chips, cream and butter over medium heat.  About the time the chocolate chips are almost melted, add peanut butter and stir until smooth.

Spread mixture into a pie pan and chill for about two hours.

Roll mixture into 1 inch balls.  I used my 1-inch cookie scoop and I actually only filled it half-way since the full scoop was too rich for me.  Then I just dropped them right into the powdered sugar to cover and placed on a serving plate.  Then chill them until they're set. 

Parabens... and my favorite lotion

I've been on a quest for quite a long time now to eliminate (or limit in some cases) the toxins that our family is exposed to. One of the first steps I took, way back when, was to eliminate the parabens in as many of our personal care products as possible. This was no easy task. Parabens are one of the most commonly used ingredients in personal care products. The only ingredient that is found more often than parabens is water.

Parabens are synthetic chemicals that are added to most personal care products as a preservative. This allows your shampoos, conditioners, sunscreens, deoderants, lotions, hair products, etc. to sit on the shelf for many months and years. This is a good thing, right? You would think so... but really it is very dangerous to your health.

Parabens have now been proven to mimic the estrogen hormone in our bodies. This can lead to extra fat storage/obesity, diminished muscle mass, and male breast growth. Many studies have also linked parabens to an increased rate of breast cancer.

The different types of parabens have different effects on your body, as well. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that methyl parabens are linked to developmental, metabolic, hormonal, and neurological disorders. Yet they continue to allow them to be used in products. Sadly, the power of money and the lobbyists for the personal care companies is huge.

I could keep going... it continues to be just as scary. But there are articles upon articles of information on the internet that you can google if you still aren't convinced. This was enough information to convince me, though.

So I started on my quest. Since I use lotion many times a day, I really wanted to find some good alternatives to the brands I used to use. I thought it would be a pretty easy step. I first went out to Trader Joe's because they are known for good quality products. I just grabbed a moisturizing lotion off the shelf, assuming it was safe. I was appalled when I got it home and saw a couple different parabens on the ingredients list. That was one of many wake up calls that many products labeled "natural" or found in health food stores really aren't any better for you than the national brands that you see at your local big-box store.

There are no federal or official guidelines for personal care products. So basically, anyone can claim their product is natural or organic. Yes, even organic products. Some products labeled as organic actually only contain a very small percentage (like single-digit) of organic ingredients! Truly organic products will not contain any preservatives, however they may contain some natural antimicrobial/fungal ingredients (like grapefruit seed extract) or antioxidant vitamins (A, C, and E). These ingredients will act as preservatives with no dangerous side effects.

Back to my quest, after the Trader Joe's lotion debacle, I tried out many other brands... and I always started by researching the brand on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Cosmetics Database site before purchasing it. I tried several brands, but just wasn't satisfied with them. They either left me feeling greasy or left my skin feeling dry. But I kept looking.


I finally found a lotion that I'm happy with while we were out in Colorado this summer. Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Lotion. It has an EWG rating of 2 (ratings of 0-2 are low hazards). Although, it does have ethanol listed as an ingredient, which isn't safe but it doesn't effect the overall score of the lotion. I like to use this lotion on my hands and body. It keeps me feeling moisturized and does not make me feel greasy. Dr. Bronners is known for using purely organic ingredients and seems to be an overall great company with healthy products.

I also like to use straight coconut oil as a moisturizer when I'm feeling really dry. It does leave a greasy feeling, which I'm not too fond of, but it does moisturize very well. And its totally safe. Its great to use in the winter and it'd be awesome to use on a pregnant belly, I think.

So anyway, if you are looking for some new moisturizers, I'd highly recommend the Dr. Bronners Magic Organic Lotion - and straight up coconut oil.

If nothing else, I encourage you to take a look at the ingredients list of your most used personal care products. If any parabens are listed as ingredients, I urge you to try some different, safer products. There is no question that the beauty products you use on a daily basis can and will harm you. The adverse effects of the toxic ingredients are compounded over decades. Please choose wisely and read your labels.

Menu plans and the week ahead

I can't believe Christmas is already this week!  Eek!!  This is going to be such a fun week.  I'm so looking forward to everything with Carson - he's just at such a fun age this year! 

Today we're headed to church.  Then we're headed to First Baptist in Grand Blanc for the Christmas program to see our niece and nephew.  Afterwards we're going over to my BIL's/SIL's house to celebrate my BIL's birthday.  Tomorrow night I'll be going out with my colleagues for dinner and happy hour for Christmas.  Wednesday, our office is having a Christmas breakfast party.  Thursday and Friday are holidays for me at work.  Kevin is taking Thursday off and his holiday shutdown starts Friday.  I'll be meeting some college friends for dinner in Grand Rapids on Thursday night.  Friday is Christmas Eve!  We'll be going to my Aunt Sharon's house in the afternoon/evening.  Saturday is Christmas!!  We'll do our own thing in the morning, then we'll be heading to Grand Rapids for Christmas with Kevin's extended family in the afternoon/evening.  We still have to figure out when we're getting together with my parents and sister.  My mom has to work later than she thought she might on Christmas Eve now, so I'm not sure what we'll do (we had planned on going over there before heading to my aunt's house, but it won't work now).  Maybe we'll have them come over to our house on Christmas morning, or we'll go over there mid-morning.  We'll see. 

Here's the plan...
Sunday ~ church; First Baptist Christmas program; BIL's/SIL's for birthday cake
(prep sloppy lentils (lentils soaked last night); make yogurt; make AP cleaner) 
B: dutch baby pancakes; sausage
L: salmon in parchment packets
D: pork chops; garlic-spinach mashed potatoes; asparagus

Monday ~ out with colleagues
(soak pecans)
B: pumpkin scones from freezer
D: K/C - leftovers; S - Irish Pub in Lansing

Tuesday ~
(dry pecans)
B: oatmeal with maple syrup
D: sloppy lentils over spaghetti squash

Wednesday ~
(soak grains for coffee cake overnight)
B: Christmas breakfast at work
D: pesto cheesy chicken with garlic scape pesto; veggies; applesauce

Thursday ~ off of work; dinner in GR
(make coffee cake; make truffles)
B: bruleed yogurt parfaits
L: tuna salad with crackers; sliced cheese; raw carrots and cucumbers
D: K/C - leftovers; S - at Papa Vino's or Carlos O'Kelly's in Grand Rapids

Friday ~ off of work; Christmas Eve at my aunt's house
(prep celery and dip; prep sausage cheese balls; make salmon spread?; prep breakfast for Sat.)
B: yummy yummy coffee cake (modified to be soaked and using healthy ingredients); yogurt
L: leftovers
D: at aunt's house in Fenton... I'm bringing pickles/olives; buffalo chicken dip with chips and celery; and cookies

Saturday ~ Merry Christmas!!  Christmas dinner in GR
B: sourdough cinnamon rolls or breakfast casserole
L: leftovers
D: at SIL's house in Grand Rapids...I'm bringing pickles/olives; sausage cheese balls; peanut butter truffles; and possibly a smoked salmon with pecans spread with crackers.

Cheesy Vegetable Casserole

We hosted a Christmas party at our home last weekend with some of my family.  We had a lot of fun and, of course, we had quite the feast, too.  Everyone brought some food to contribute.  I supplied the ham and some sides, all of which were as REAL as possible.  A few days before the party, I realized we didn't really have enough vegetables, so I was going to just make some roasted veggies.  But then I saw Kelly the Kitchen Kop post a recipe for a healthy broccoli cheese casserole.  I knew I wanted to try it!  So I made it for our Christmas party.  It was sooooo good!  Yum!  This is definitely going to be a regular dish at our house!  I used to make a similar dish with the fake processed cheese (Velveeta or Cheez Whiz), but haven't made it in a couple of years now.  I'm very excited to have a great substitution that tastes even better than the fake version! 

Cheesy Vegetable Casserole

8 Tablespoons butter
8 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
1 pint homemade cream of mushroom soup
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
onion powder, to taste
pinch of sugar/sucanat
4 cups chopped veggies, fresh or frozen
1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs, seasoned to taste

Start by shredding up some cheese in your food processor, or you can use a box grater.  Set aside.

Next make a white sauce/roux.  Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Whisk in the arrowroot powder.  Whisk continuously for about a minute.  Add the milk, about a cup at a time until it thickens, then add another cup until you've added all the milk.

Once all of the milk has been added, add the cheese.  Then stir in your cream of mushroom soup.  Next, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar.  Taste it and adjust as you see fit.  You really want to make sure you get the sauce right - it is what makes the dish.  Keep stirring as it continues to thicken.

Meanwhile get your vegetables ready.  You can use fresh or frozen.  If you are using fresh, you'll want to blanch the veggies for a few minutes.  I used frozen vegetables, some broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. 

Prepare an 8 1/2 x 11 inch baking dish by buttering the sides and bottom.  Next, place your vegetables in the bottom and pour cheese sauce over the top. 

Top with breadcrumbs. 

Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy! 

Note:  Kelly suggests melting another 8 Tablespoons of butter and stirring in 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs to make a topping.  Let your veggies bake without it for 10-15 minutes, then add the butter/crumb topping.  I'm sure this is delicious, but I was trying to save a step so I just added some homemade seasoned sourdough breadcrumbs to the top of mine (without the butter) before I baked it. It still tasted great!

Meal plans and the week ahead

Holy cow, its cold outside!  This week is going to be freezing!  Its way too early to have these kinds of temperatures!  At least we're getting some snow that should stick around a little.  But I could do without the 20s and worse yet, the single digit temps this early in the season!  :) 

Our Christmas party went very well yesterday.  We all had a ton of fun!  We had awesome food, the kids got some really fun gifts, we got to visit and catch up, and we busted out the Catch Phrase game, which is always a great time!  We can't wait for all the other Christmas celebrations we have coming up in the next few weeks! 

So this week is pretty low key.  Today we're going to church at my in-laws' church, at my mother's-in-law request.  And since we never made it to Journey to Bethlehem on Friday night (Kevin worked too late and didn't get home till almost 9pm), we're planning to go this afternoon as long as the weather isn't too crazy.  Tuesday night I'm going to dinner with some girlfriends from high school.  And that is about it for definite planned activities this week.  Kevin will probably be working late every night again.  We'll see what the weather is like on Saturday.  We might just stay home all day to get some things done... Kevin needs to work on the mower (weld the wheel shaft back onto it so that it's driveable again... and get it out of the garage and into the barn so we can bring the plow into the garage) and I could stay busy with some painting or sewing or cooking, I'm sure.  But we'd really like to get up to Longway Planetarium for the holiday laser show.  And we may go some where to see Santa.  So we'll see. 

I'm planning to do some cookie baking this week.  Definitely sugar cut-out cookies and probably some banana cookies, too.  I'm planning to modify both recipes to make them healthier.  I'll post the changes and results in a new post once I make them.  I am almost finished wrapping gifts, so I want to finish that up this week so I don't have to think about it anymore.  Carson and I will be making some Christmas ornaments this afternoon and finishing them up tomorrow after they've had time to sit and dry.  I'm planning to make some soft cheese this week, too.  I'd like to try making a cheesecake with it, so I may try that later in the week. We'll see what else I feel like doing or making. 

Here's the plan...

Sunday ~ church; Journey to Bethlehem
(make steel cut oats, wrap gifts, make ornaments with Carson, start soft cheese)
B: scrambled eggs with ham
L: leftover meatballs, layer salad, fruit salad, vegetables
D: white bean and ham soup

Monday ~
(finish ornaments with Carson; hang soft cheese)
B: steel cut oats
D: split pea soup in the crockpot (with leftover ham)

Tuesday ~ dinner with the girls
(finish soft cheese; make ricotta cheese)
B: smoothies
D: K/C - leftovers; S - Sam's in Rankin

Wednesday ~
(make sugar cookie dough)
B: steel cut oats
D: herbed baked eggs; roasted veggies

Thursday ~
(bake sugar cookies)
B: sourdough english muffins from freezer
D: spaghetti squash with pasta sauce; leftover roasted veggies from Wednesday

Friday ~
(decorate sugar cookies)
B: waffles from freezer
D: butternut squash soup; rolls from freezer

Saturday ~ Longway?  Santa? 
(make banana cookies; make cheesecake?)
B: sourdough skillet pancakes
D: beef roast with potatoes and carrots

Meal plans and the week ahead

This week is fairly busy.  Today we're headed to East Lansing for a Wharton Center family show with my BIL, SIL, and niece.  Tuesday we may go downtown for the Flint Holiday Walk in the evening.  Friday is my flex day and I think Kevin will take the day off, too.  We have Kindermusik, milk/CSA pickup, and the last cleaning and prep for Saturday.  We may go up to Faith Lutheran on Friday night for their annual Journey to Bethlehem - if we don't go Friday, we'll go Sunday afternoon next weekend.  We're hosting my dad's family for Christmas on Saturday.  We're keeping it casual and doing a mid-afternoon lunch/dinner combo buffet.  Mostly appetizer and some meal type stuff.  I've got a great local, nitrite/ate-free, pastured ham that I'll be making and I'll be using all real food ingredients in the other things I'm making.  My mom, grandma, and cousins are all bringing some things, too. 

Most of the extras this week will be prep for Saturday's party.  But I'll also be doing some sewing, wrapping more gifts, addressing Christmas cards, and the normal cleaning.  I've already done some sewing today and will fit more in throughout the week... I have some things that I need to get done ASAP so I can ship them out to Colorado and Arizona in time for Christmas. 

Anyway, here's the plan...

Sunday ~ Wharton Center family show
(reserve bacon crumbles for layer salad; make mayonnaise)
B: pancakes with maple syrup; bacon
L: leftovers
D: out to eat

Monday ~
(make truffles?)
B: yogurt; granola
D: chicken noodle soup in the crockpot; sourdough corn muffins

Tuesday ~ Flint Holiday Walk?
B: oats
D: cream cheese chicken in the crockpot over noodles

Wednesday ~
(bake cookies?)
B: smoothie
D: homemade pizza on sourdough crust

Thursday ~
B: oats
D: leftovers

Friday ~ flex day; Kindermusik; milk/CSA pickup; Journey to Bethlehem?
(make sourdough gingerbread; make jello salad; prep breakfast casserole; bake cookies)
B: cheese and veggie omelets
D: crockpot chicken cordon bleu?

Saturday ~ Moore family Christmas
(make real whipped cream; make layer salad)
B: breakfast casserole
L/D: ham (me); meatballs (mom); lil' smokies (cousin); cheese ball/crackers (cousin); pickle/olive tray; nacho dip/chips (mom); layer salad (me); jello salad (me); sd gingerbread with real whipped cream (me); truffles (me); cookies (me); caramel cake (grandma)

Meal plans and the week ahead

I'm afraid this week is going to feel like a long week.  I have to work all week, which hasn't happened since October with all of the holidays we've had this month.  My 5-day work weeks feel long, regardless, but especially when I haven't had one in awhile... and especially after having such a short week last week with Thanksgiving.  But it'll also feel long because Kevin is gone again.  The good news is that he'll be home on Friday night and he's hoping he may not have to go back to Virginia next week... keep your fingers crossed! 

Last week was a good week.  Kevin had a productive week in Virginia and we got to spend lots of fun time together with family over the long holiday weekend.  We had Thanksgiving dinner with my mom's family on Thursday and we took a trip to Crossroads Village with most of Kevin's family last night for Christmas at Crossroads.  We got our Christmas tree up and our indoor decorations.  I'm going to pull all the ornaments off our tree and re-do it one night this week, though.  I need to pick up some ribbon that I like first, though.  Then Carson and I can have fun putting the ornaments back on it again.  We need to finish putting up our outdoor lights, too.  I picked up two fresh, local, pastured turkeys on Monday night last week.  I cooked one on Wednesday, which I chopped up and put into containers in the freezer for easy additions to meals.  The other one I butchered up, freezing some turkey cutlets, and grinding the rest and freezing in 1-pound packages.  I also made turkey stock, baked some bread, made sourdough corn muffins and corn fritters and froze some of each, made yogurt, made kefirs, made vanilla wafers, and baked a chocolate sourdough cake (at Carson's request).  I also got some candlesticks painted, did some crafts with Carson, got some sewing projects done and started some new ones, and made some progress on learning to crochet.  And I think I may have just about finished my Christmas shopping.   

We don't have a lot going on this week in terms of plans.  Carson and I will have to do lots of fun, creative things to keep us busy.  Maybe we'll start on some Christmas crafts.  Today we'll go to church and then we'll be putting up some more outdoor Christmas lights.  Thursday I might be going to Detroit for some meetings, but they're not definite yet.  Friday is milk and CSA pickup and Kevin comes home late.  Saturday we may head to Longway Planetarium for a laser show, but we're not sure yet.  We're planning to go to the Swartz Creek Christmas Parade on Saturday night. 

Anyway, here's the plan...

Sunday ~ church; put up outdoor lights
(make sourdough crepes; make deviled eggs for lunches this week; make steel cut oats)
B: scrambled eggs; bacon
L: leftovers
D: turkey crepes; roasted veggies; side salads

Monday ~ Kevin leaves for VA
(re-decorate Christmas tree)
B: steel cut oats with maple syrup and brown sugar
D: turkey and veggie quesadillas

Tuesday ~
(re-decorate mantel; start soft cheese)
B: yogurt with fruit
D: hot dogs; roasted veggies

Wednesday ~
(hang soft cheese; clean out refrigerator door and drawers)
B: muffins from freezer
D: eating at my parents

Thursday ~ Detroit for work? 
(make ricotta; make butter; clean out liquor cabinet)
B: kefir smoothie
D: pizza at my aunt's

Friday ~ milk and CSA pickup; Kevin returns
(soak beans; soak almonds)
B: steel cut oats with maple syrup and brown sugar
D: spinach and sun-dried tomato risotto

Saturday ~ Longway Planetarium?; Swartz Creek Christmas Parade
(clean out cars; dry almonds; make pumpkin ice cream)
B: sourdough pancakes; sausage
L: egg salad sandwiches; raw carrots with homemade ranch dip
D: chili in the crockpot

Traditional Ricotta Cheese

I really try to get the most out of everything when it comes to cooking and food.  So when I saw a recipe on the Fias Co Farm site for making ricotta cheese out of the whey that is leftover when you make a lactic acid or rennet precipitated cheese, I was all about trying it.  So the last few times I've made my soft cheese, I've done just that.  This is extremely easy.  The downside is that you really don't get a lot of ricotta out of a quart of whey.  But this is too simple of a process not to still make the ricotta... plus the resulting ricotta tastes awesome!  I've just been adding it to a container that I've been keeping in my freezer until I get enough to use in a recipe.  I've finally got enough to use and cannot wait to try it next week in a recipe! 

Traditional Ricotta Cheese (made from whey)

You will need:
whey leftover from making a lactic acid or rennet precipitated cheese
vinegar, optional
stainless steel saucepan
thermometer
colander
large bowl or pot into which the colander fits
2 pieces of 90-count cheesecloth or butter muslin

Pour the whey into a saucepan and heat to 200 degrees.  Once you reach this temperature, you should see very tiny white particles (the albumin protein) floating in the whey.  You may add a little vinegar at this point if you'd like (1/4 cup per 2 gallons of whey).  It's up to you, some people do and some people don't.  I've done it both ways and have not really noticed much of a difference.  Adding the vinegar supposedly makes the texture of the ricotta a little more grainy, but I really haven't noticed it.

Line a colander with very fine cheesecloth/butter muslin.  I fold mine in quarters so I have 8 layers (between the 2 pieces) of cloth.  You really need a really fine cloth because the cheese will pass right through if you don't.  Place the colander over a big bowl or pot so you can save the whey for soups or baking bread.  Carefully pour the hot whey through the cheesecloth lined colander.

Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together and hang the ricotta to drain for 2-4 hours.

When it has finished draining, put the ricotta in a bowl and add salt to taste.  Ricotta will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge, or you can freeze it until you have enough to use in a recipe. 

This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.