Cute, Cute, Cute Accessory

On Sunday the 19th, I am singing in our church's Christmas Cantata. The powers that be have decided that everyone should wear black bottoms and white, white tops that can be accessorized with Christmas colors. I do not own a white, white top, so hi-ho, hi-ho it's off to shop I go went.

This is what I found. Super cute, right? However, I was not happy with the pointy collar and my arms are really long, so the sleeves were not quite long enough. No problem! I am a crafty blog hound. I have seen many a restyled outfit. It is now my turn to restyle.

So far, I have gotten to removing the pointy collar and resewing the collar band, and removing one cuff. I have purchased material to make new sleeve endings and I will post as soon as I have completed my restyle.

But my big, big news is I made the cutest accessory. I found the instructions here at Infarrantly Creative. Of course, I took creative liberty and made mine more colorful. But I am in love with these necklaces.

Pictures in the Park

A couple of weeks ago, Bubbie Boy was invited to a birthday party that was held at a park we have never been to. It was the perfect place for pictures, so the kids and I went back and took (embarrassed gulp) 300 pictures. What? I was trying to get the perfect picture.

Menu Plan Monday -- Week of October 11, 2010

*Hosted by Laura at orgjunkie.com

I am starting our second week of making our main meal at noon. The days that it actually happened last week went great. It was a wonderful feeling to have the cooking for the day done in the afternoon. We went to our evening activities and I didn't feel rushed. There was a good meal waiting for my husband when he got home, and the kids and I enjoyed a hot meal together in the afternoon. (My husband is working a lot of hours at the current time, and doesn't get to eat dinner with us right now.)

There were a couple of days that I didn't get this accomplished for one reason or another, but my goal this week is to see that I am able to for at least Monday through Thursday.

Possible Breakfasts
oatmeal, cereal & cheese sticks, muffins, pancakes, smoothies, egg sandwiches

Light Meal
Sandwiches--PB&J, egg salad, tuna, meat, ABC (apples, bread & cheese)

Main Meals
Monday - Sausage Lentil Soup with Spinach, biscuits
Tuesday - Chili & cornbread
Wednesday - Chipotle Chicken Burritos
Thursday - Shredded Pork Sandwiches, carrot sticks, roasted cauliflower
Friday - Grilled Chicken, quinoa, broccoli
Saturday - Grilled Pizza
Sunday - Chicken Stew with cornmeal dumplings

Looks Yummy in the Week of October 4, 2010

I am going to try to make a post each week that will highlight recipes that I have found that I am interested in trying. This could potentially be a big post--I LOVE looking at recipes!

No Bake Granola Bars
Pumpkin Granola
Candy Corn Popcorn Balls
Caramel Apple Muffins
Homemade Cracker Jacks
Chocolate Malt Cake
Monster Mash

A New Plan of Attack

Two new things:

1) I am making our noon meal our big meal--the one I do all the cooking for. Our evenings are simply too crazy and getting everyone fed has been all but a nightmare. So, I will make a nice hot meal for the children and myself and fix a plate for my dear husband to warm when he gets home. Not the best thing in the world, but my hope is that I will feed him happier food this way. I know that I am pretty happy about it as it is our first day, and I have this feeling of weightlessness because I do not have to cook this evening. Also a bonus, the children and I had a nice sit-down meal together.

2) I have been looking at "Menu Plan Monday" for quite some time now. It is hosted by Laura at Organizing Junkie I never seem to actually menu plan anymore. That ended sometime around the time Bubbie Boy was born, I believe. However, I am not going to post my menu plan for the entire week. Hopefully each day I will add what I made that day. This is more for me to keep up with what I have cooked, and hopefully have a better source of ideas to pull from. So . . . here goes!



Monday

*Grilled Turkey Tenderloin
- marinated in soy sauce, apple juice, garlic powder, ground ginger and canola oil. Sorry this was an eyeball and dump kind-of recipe--that is the way I cook.
*Steamed Brussel Sprouts
*Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Tuesday
*Meatloaf
*Potato Soup
- I winged this one. Diced some potatoes, carrots, garlic and onions. Brought that to a boil in chicken broth, then reduced to a simmer to cook through. Added a can of drained corn and some half & half. Then pureed slightly.
*Steamed Broccoli

Wednesday
*One Pot Italian Pasta
*Doctored Green Beans

Thursday
*Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie
*Homemade Applesauce

Friday
Hubby called and said, "Let's go out tonight." NO PROBLEM!!!

Saturday
*Gourmet Hamburgers
*The Best Potato Fries

Sunday
*Grilled Pizza

It's the Great Pumpkin Muffin, Charlie Brown!

We LOVE pumpkin muffins around here. And, as you can probably tell, I try to make everything a little healthier. I think this one fits the bill.



The Pumpkin Muffin according to A Desire to be Heard

2 bananas
1 can (15oz) solid packed pumpkin
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1/4 c. oil + applesauce to make 2/3 c.
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. yogurt or buttermilk
2 c. white wheat flour
1/2 c. oatmeal, ground
2 T. flax seeds, ground
1/4 c. wheat bran
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
roasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds, optional

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease muffin tin or line with cupcake papers.

Using a hand blender (or other kitchen implement that will "smash"), combine bananas, pumpkin, whole eggs, egg whites, oil + applesauce, brown sugar and yogurt or buttermilk. Blend until very smooth.

In another bowl, combine flour, ground oatmeal, ground flax seeds, wheat bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Gently fold dry mixture into wet mixture--use a light hand.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Top each muffin with pumpkin seeds, if desired.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy! Makes approximately 18 muffins.

This is linked to Colleen's Kitchen Recipe Swap.

Menu -- Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bar-B-Que Stuffed Bell Peppers
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 can corn kernels, drained
Trader Joe's bar-b-que sauce (I used between 1/2 & 3/4 of the bottle)
bell peppers (tops cut off, cleaned, and boiled for 3 minutes)

In skillet over medium heat, saute onion in a little chicken broth. Add the ground beef and cook through. Combine ground beef with rice, corn and bar-b-que sauce. Stuff your bell peppers. If you have people in your household who won't eat cooked bell peppers, just surround your filled bell peppers with the rest of the filling and bake that way. Bake at 350º for about 30 minutes.

Apple Coleslaw
2 cups cabbage
1 medium grated carrot
1/2 chopped green pepper
1 chopped apple
5 tablespoons yogurt, lowfat
1 tablespoon mayonnaise, lowfat
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dill weed (I didn't have dill weed. I used celery seed and I was happy with the result.)

Wash the cabbage. Cut it into fine shreds, until you have 2 cups of cabbage.

Peel the carrot. Grate it with a grater. Chop half a green pepper into small pieces. Remove the core, and chop the apple. Put the cabbage, carrot, green pepper, and apple in a large mixing bowl. Stir together.

Put the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and dill weed in a small bowl. Stir together to make a dressing.

Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Butternut Squash
*Just baked this in the oven, then mashed it.