Thanksgiving Weekend

Hope you all had a great weekend filled with yummy food and fun times with loved ones. We had a very low-key holiday. Cooking and eating on Thursday, packing and relaxing on Friday, and decorating on Saturday. Get ready for the photo dump!

Red Lobster biscuits

Pumpkin Pie

Turkey

Aaaaand Andrew ate none of this haha

Sparkling Juices

Starting out the cooking!

Homemade stuffing

Snicker Salad

Green Bean Casserole

Cheesy Potatoes

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I cannot remember where I found this recipe, but I tried it for the first time last week and I loved it! Hubby's reaction? He took one bite and his exact words were "Oh my God."

....So I'd say it's worth a shot ;)


Recipe:

• 4 diced large red potatoes
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 diced ham steak
• bacon bits (we fried our own and chopped it up)

Toss this all into your slow cooker, mix it up and set it on low all day (I think I let it cook for around 8 hours - just make sure the potatoes are soft and it's ready to go)

About 30 minutes before you eat, add:

• 1.5 cups milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• as much shredded cheese as you'd like

**The only thing I would change about this recipe is to add some diced onions. I did end up adding in some onion powder which definitely improved the flavor but I think the actual onions would be really nice! You could saute them and add in with the dairy at the end!

You can also add sour cream and cheese on top of your portion to eat!

Overall, it was absolutely delicious and I definitely recommend it. We will be making it for sure in the not-too-distant future.

Enjoy!

DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte

...because I cannot get enough of all things pumpkin!

I found this at FoodNetwork.com and it looks SO simple and delicious, I may try it with decaff coffee just to see if it's as good so I can drink them more often, hehe :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons pure pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup hot espresso or strong brewed coffee
• Sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Combine the milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in a medium microwave safe bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and vent with a small hole. Microwave until the milk is hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk vigorously until the milk mixture is foamy, about 30 seconds.

Pour the espresso or coffee into a large mug and add the foamed milk. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Noodle and Sausage Skillet meal!

This is one of my favorite meals to make. It’s yummy, it’s a bit of a comfort food and it’s easy to make – not to mention it has veggies which is always a plus ;)

You will need:
• Smoked Sausage (I use Polska Kielbasa)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cups (one package) of frozen broccoli/ cauliflower/ carrot mix – we use the ones in cheese sauce
• About 2 cups uncooked Rotoni – we use the veggie noodles by Barilla
• 1 can cream of chicken soup, condensed
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ¾ cup water
• Marjoram
• Black Pepper
- We also use seasoned salt, salt, oregano, garlic and a bit of paprika to season it.

You’ll want to sauté the onions and sausage (cut into small disks) in butter or oil until the onions are soft, then add everything else to it. You bring the whole mixture to a boil and then take it down to simmer with a lid on and let it cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are cooked. Then enjoy! It’s so delicious! Hope you enjoy! And happy weekend!

<3

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Since anything chocolate sounds delicious lately, here’s this yummy recipe from allrecipes.com. I haven’t tried it yet but banana bread and chocolate? What’s not to love???

• 2 cups flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 T milk
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• ½ cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan, preferably glass.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir bananas, milk, and cinnamon in another bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a third bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs to butter mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir banana mixture into butter mixture. Stir in dry mixture until blended. Fold in chocolate chips until just combined. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Making a meal stretch

So, we certainly have a lot of blessings in our life but money is not one of those things, haha - and it's fine. We certainly make it work one way or another. A large part of our financial situation has to do with me being a stay-at-home mom and trust me, I rethink the situation at LEAST once a month. Honestly I just fell into it. 

We decided to move to FL the summer of 2012 and basically 2 months before we would be IN Tampa I started applying for jobs. Hubby found work within about 2 months of moving and my mother (who moved down with us) got a job a few months later. I, however, searched for TWO YEARS. Granted since our son was due in December, I stopped applying for the holiday season, but yeah. Two years. At least 3 jobs a month. I emailed, called, applied... and not even a word back from 98% of them. It sucked. 

But after two years I got fed up and asked Jesse what he thought of me just staying at home (I had already been doing that for about a year and a half at that point) and he basically said he thought it sounded fine. He wasn't super enthused, nor was I. 

Now, almost three years into it, neither of us can imagine it differently. I do still look into job openings and think about applying for jobs but until I finish my degree it really just doesn't make much sense. With the cost of daycare what it is I would be making probably under $100 by the end of the month and never see my husband, not to mention hardly seeing my son. Plus we want to have more kids so until I get my degree or can publish my book, etc., it looks like this is what I'll be doing. 

That being said, we definitely have found ways to make things stretch. One of them being meals.

Now, we are fortunate to have a Winn-Dixie nearby. We have a loyalty card there which gets us really great deals, they do have some organic stuff as well as all kinds of baby stuff we use and even has Seventh Generation products which we love. Also, we get fuel rewards points so after a weekly shopping trip, the next time we fill the tank we pay about 20 cents less a gallon or more. So it really pays to shop there.

For me, lunches are the hardest to buy for and plan. I honestly hate the idea of buying food specifically for lunches, I'd rather just eat leftovers. It's not quite as healthy all the time but it certainly helps save money.

If we have tacos for dinner Monday night, I usually make taco omelets (egg, meat, cheese, veggies) Tuesday morning and then taco salads Wednesday for lunch.

Say we have Fettucini Alfredo Thursday night - I will use some of the chicken I made for salads for another night and make chicken alfredo for lunch on Friday. And also I can use another portion of the chicken for a different night and pair it with rice and veggies.

When we buy hot dogs or brats we usually eat them for dinner one night and lunch another day. Often we will grill them for dinner and just boil them for lunch so that mixes the taste up a bit too. 

If I buy stuff for burritos I will usually use any leftover ingredients for breakfast burritos.

Even something like mac and cheese - if we also have leftover hot dogs, we can have mac and cheese for dinner on a night when hubby works and then for lunch I can cut up some hot dogs to go in it as well.

So, if I buy a package of hot dogs, a box of mac and cheese, 2 lbs hamburger, some alfredo sauce (we make our own pasta), tortillas and about 3 or 4 chicken breasts, I usually get more than 7 days of dinners and lunches (with some breakfasts covered as well). And depending on where you buy, that often only adds up to around $30, and for a family of three that's not bad. Now, I also usually buy juice, milk, applesauce, eggs, fruit/veggies and yogurts so that definitely makes the amount go up but for main ingredients it's not bad.

I'm definitely always looking for new ways to use leftovers so it's not the same old boring stuff day after day. And sometimes we don't have leftovers so we have sandwiches or eggs or toast and yogurt or whatever we have in the pantry or fridge. So anyhoo, if you have any other leftover suggestions, let me know!

Hopefully this was a bit interesting and not totally boring, haha! Just wanted to share some of my meal repurposing tips I've learned over the past few years ;)

TTFN <3

Yummy dinner recipe!

The other night we made fried Cod and sauteed Asparagus and it was DELICIOUS! So, we thought we'd share :)

Fried Cod:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 Large egg
• 4 6 -ounce cod or other white-fleshed fish fillets
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cracker meal or crushed saltine crackers
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt
• Grapeseed Oil for frying

Whisk the egg and milk in a bowl, add the cod and set aside to soak. Mix the flour, cracker meal, cayenne pepper and salt in a bowl or on a plate.

Heat 1 inch of oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the milk mixture and dredge in the flour mixture, turning to coat. Fry in the hot oil until golden, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain; season with salt and pepper. 

Asparagus:

Rinse the asparagus, trim the ends. Cut into pieces or keep whole. Heat oil in frying pan and then add asparagus. Once they are mostly cooked, add salt and lemon pepper and continue sauteing until you have some slightly charred pieces.

Our weekend!

Well, I didn't take many pictures but here's what I've got. 

This weekend we tried to relax a lot and just have fun. SO, Friday we stayed in with a movie, Saturday we grilled hot dogs and made s'mores at the pool, and Sunday we stayed out all day! 

First we went to Granny's house, helped her set up a few things and hung out, then we went to the mall which unfortunately was closing (sigh), and then out for pizza and watched some planes coming in.

Very low key but that's how we like it.

Hope you had a great weekend break! TTFN <3

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Yum. Seriously.

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (4-1/2- to 5-pound) boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (also known as pork butt), twine or netting removed
2 cups barbecue sauce (optional)

1.) Place the onions and garlic in an even layer in the slow cooker and pour in the stock or broth. Combine the sugar, chili powder, measured salt, cumin, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork and place the meat on top of the onions and garlic. Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 6 to 8 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.
2.) Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer and return the solids to the slow cooker. Set the strained liquid aside.
3.) If the pork has a bone, remove and discard it. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker, add the barbecue sauce, if using, and mix to combine. If you’re not using barbecue sauce, use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid, and then add 1/4 cup of the liquid at a time to the slow cooker until the pork is just moistened. Taste and season with salt as needed.

The GMO Revolution

This whole GMO thing has been fairly new knowledge for me. A friend of mine had her little boy early on during my pregnancy and posted a lot about organic food, products, etc. I had found the Babyganics product line, and was using their products, along with Seventh Generation for cleaning with Andrew and she and I discussed how great it was that products like that were available for our little ones. Later on, I noticed she had RSVPed to a "March against Monsanto" event. After looking at what they were about and what they were doing, I signed us up for the Tampa rally.

So, one Saturday morning, we packed up Andrew and headed out. All I can say is that it was the coolest thing I have ever been a part of. Upon arriving we were a little confused and unsure what was going on, but everyone was super friendly and welcoming. We were given 2 T-Shirts for about $5 (They were made by one person and he was giving them away for whatever you had to spare). People had brought extra signs, so we were given a few. Water was being passed around, people offering sunscreen, face painting, etc.

Soon we got started. It was a HUGE long walk with chanting things like "Hell No Gmo", and passing out flyers. They had water stations every so often and the police kindly showed up to make sure we could cross all the crosswalks safely. They were also very nice and helpful and were thanked by almost everyone as we walked. At the end we stopped in a park where local organic restaurants showed up with plates of GMO free food that was delicious! People gave each other rides back to their cars, played music, etc. It was so peaceful and just a really neat experience in general.

All I can say is that the benefits of eating all organic/ GMO free waaaayyyy outweigh any of the cons. Yes, it's a bit harder to find (though getting easier all the time) and it can be expensive (though I have done cost comparisons and really there are very few items that are more expensive). It is better and safer for you and your children to be eating organic/ GMO free and if we can do it on $100 or less a week for three people and be eating comfortable, most people can afford it. Even WIC will let you use your $10 for veggies and fruits on organic stuff.

IF we can make an effort to be buying more organic food not only are we supporting our local economies more, but organic food will be easier to get and cheaper. With Monsanto holding organic seeds hostage, it's very hard for organic farmers to do what they do, but they do it for us and the planet. So why not support them?

Check out the event page here! -- please commit to buying your groceries for the week/ month, etc all organic/ GMO free on November 30th, 2014. After Black Friday on Friday, Small Business Saturday the day after, we can add 'Save the Food Sunday' on the end.

List of GMO free brands to buy -- not as hard to find as you may think! Even Ben and Jerry's is on the list! :)

http://www.gmofilm.com/

Interview with the GMO OMG director:

"There are two sides to every debate, what would you tell the naysayers who are in support of major companies like Monsanto and GMOs?"

"You may support them, but they couldn't care less about you. Because, at the end of the day, these companies aren’t concerned about you or the earth, about sustainability and farmers, they care about profit. Whatever they can do to secure more profit, they will do. They spend millions convincing us, and the farmers they are bleeding dry, that we need them and that they have our best interest at heart. It’s propaganda, not science. And if the naysayers naysay these facts as my own fiction and the passions of a misinformed dunce, I would point to the hard facts about GMOs turning up every day around the world. No increased yield, no drought tolerance, no flood resistance, no sustainability, not practical or affordable for smallholder farmers in most places in the world. The growing evidence cannot be ignored. Unless, in fact, the naysayers are really blind believers unwilling to face the truth."

Photo dump from our awesome weekend :)

Whew! What a weekend. We had a blast running around.... Friday we did the usual grocery run and then we headed to the Tampa Bay Yankees "Back-to-School" game. They had the Tampa Kids Market in the concourse, $2 tickets, fireworks after the show and they won by one point at the bottom of the ninth. Slow start but awesome way to end the game!

YAY THEY WON! Andrew was crying because of the loud cheering.....

Saturday we headed to the Lowry Park Zoo's birthday bash for their one-year old Elephant calf, Mavi. We got to see her and her mother be released to their "Birthday Cake", had some actual birthday cake, and played in the splash park. 

A whole splash park, but he had to play with the stroller wheels, lol

Then he needed to ride the train....

Birthday cake!!

The Llama's expression. Priceless.

After lunch and a nap, we headed to an annual family party at USF for the Alumni Center Administration. It was SO much fun! They had a DJ, lots of games, some yummy food and lots of fun things to take home.

Once we arrived, Andrew saw the margarita maker and instantly freaked because blenders=smoothies, of course. Ha...Also, after finishing his hot dog he started a tantrum and no matter what we tried we couldn't figure it out. We tried feeding him multiple other things but other than A bite of my hamburger he would not eat or drink anything. After about 5 minutes Jesse got up and brought back a second hot dog. We cut it up and instant calm. He scarfed that one down too and then finished a good amount of his other food. Oh boy.

He also wet himself really badly part way through and we only had a onesie packed so he ran around in a onesie and sandals for about 90 minutes. We also made the mistake of showing him the fountain so long story short he went home with his whole front soaking wet haha.

Balloon artist made him a Minion :)

Loot!

Some ducks crossed our paths. A is smiling so big, while hubby is like "Keep your distance, ducks."

Sunday my mother watched the little man while hubby and I attended church, and then he surprised me with a movie date! We got a whole bucket of popcorn and hunkered down for "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", which was really good.

Hope y'all had a great weekend full of fun! TTFN <3