Cranberry Orange Bread

Makes 1 loaf


2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup orange juice(or orange pineapple juice is even better!)
2 TBS vegetable oil(I use organic extra virgin olive oil)
1 egg, well beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup cranberries(I chop 1/2 cup super fine, coarsely chop another 1/2 cup and leave 1/2 cup whole)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan.
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Stir in OJ, oil, egg, and vanilla. Mix until well blended.Stir in cranberries. Spread into loaf pan. Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pan, and cool completely.

Pecan Tassies

Not sure where this recipe came from originally, but I got it from my mom, who got it from her mom! They are awesome! This recipe makes about 3 dozen.

Crust:
1/2 cup butter(softened)
3 oz cream cheese(softened)
1 cup flour

Filling:
2 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together the butter and cream cheese until blended. Add flour, and mix well. This should not be sticky. If it's sticky, add 1 TBS flour at a time until not sticky. Roll into small smooth balls and press into mini muffin tins in the shape of cups. Make sure it's not too thin on the bottom.

Break eggs slightly, do not beat. Add vanilla and sugar, mix with fork. Do not beat. Add 3 TBS pecans.

Sprinkle small amount of pecans into crust, then fill with 1 tsp of filling, followed by more pecans.

Bake at 350 until crusts are golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.

Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Frosting

Ok so this is the chocolate cake and frosting I always make. I've been using this recipe for like 6 years and haven't found anything I like any better! I have made this substituting the all purpose flour for whole wheat, and applesauce for the oil, and it worked out fine. I also often replace the vegetable oil with organic extra virgin olive oil and that turns out fine as well.

Cake:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in the boiling water. Pour into greased and floured 9" round pans(2), or a 9"x13". 
Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup cocoa powder  
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa powder. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency. Add vanilla and beat. Frost cake.

Brownies

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour(can substitute whole wheat flour)
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350. Grease 9"x13" pan.
Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs, beat well. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Spread evenly into pan.
Bake 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center is no longer wet.

recipes!

Ok so all of the sudden I got like a ton of recipe requests from some friends on FB, so that's why there's a huge invasion of recipes all at once, in case anyone is wondering! :)

laundry, laundry, and more laundry

So I absolutely hate laundry, and boy am I in the wrong business for that! Around here I have to do about 4 loads of laundry every day to keep caught up, plus a load of diapers. I always forget to switch the laundry out, which means I usually only get 1 or 2 loads a day done plus diapers, so I'm almost always behind. Probably once a week we'll have a slow day around here(which for us just means that we aren't going anywhere and only have to do the regular house hold stuff plus homeschool) and then I'll get caught up. Today is one of those days.

So as I was folding clothes(the clothes MUST be folded and put away STRAIGHT out of the dryer under penalty of death!) I was pondering why I hate laundry so much. I think its because it's one of those jobs that's never actually done. Even if all of the laundry is actually washed, dried, folded and put away, which only happens in our house when we are going on vacation, you can rest assured that any minute someone is going to come in with dirty clothes from their room, the bathroom, or they will change their clothes. I like to finish a job and stand back and see my handy work, laundry definitely doesn't fit that description, so it just sucks.

Sometimes I get the feeling that I am literally washing the same outfit over and over and over again. This is the worst feeling in the world. Sometimes it's because one of the kids has developed a favorite outfit, and just HAS TO wear said outfit everytime it gets washed(usually a girl child). However, I have discovered another reason, the most heinous act EVER. Some of my children apparently(to my dismay) would rather put their clothes back into the dirty laundry bin instead of folding and putting them away(GASP). This truly has to be one of the cruelest tricks they could ever play on me. First, it makes more work for me, but second and even worse, it makes me question my sanity. Did I wash this yesterday? Did they wear this yesterday? Is this deja vu? Am I actually losing my mind? It's just plain mean! HAHA!

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

The first time I made this, my youngest daughter was about 18 months old. I gave her a bowl of this, got up to get drinks for everyone, and by the time I got back, she had eaten all of hers, and had stolen my bowl and eaten most of mine. I guess she liked it! :)


1/4 cup butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped baby carrots

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 (10 ounce) can peas, drained(or 1 cup frozen peas)

4 cups diced, cooked chicken meat

2 cups buttermilk baking mix

2 teaspoons dried basil

2/3 cup milk

(you can substitute any biscuit recipe you want for these 3 ingredients, just add the basil to your favorite biscuit recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook and stir the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots in butter until tender. Mix in the flour, sugar, salt, 1 teaspoon dried basil, and pepper. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, boil 1 minute, reduce heat, and stir in peas. Simmer 5 minutes, then mix in chicken. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the baking mix and 2 teaspoons dried basil. Stir in milk to form a dough. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 balls. On floured wax paper, use the palm of your hand to flatten each ball of dough into a circular shape; place on top of chicken mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake for 10 more minutes. To serve, spoon chicken mixture over biscuits.

grilled soy lemon chops

Ahhh the answer to the age old question... What's for dinner? Well this is it, for tonight anyway!

enough pork chops to feed your family(we prefer the boneless ones but it doesn't matter)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Mix the garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, pepper, and oil together to make a marinade. Marinate pork chops for 20 minutes. Grill on low or med/low for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
We had this tonight with brown rice and stir fry veggies!

Christmas Spirit!

I absolutely LOVE Christmas time! I love all of our family traditions, all the time we get to spend together, and most of all, all the time I get to spend teaching my children about the love of Christ, and what he has done for us! Not that I don't do that year round, but I love that we really get to concentrate on it, because of all the Christmas excitement!

We don't do santa at our house, not because we're opposed to him or anything, just because I grew up knowing there was no santa, and so did T, so we kind of figured, what's the point? We as parents have had so much fun taking the traditions from our own families that we loved, adding them together, and then adding new ones over the years.

Our Christmas fun starts with the tree of course! We really like to go get our tree and decorate it as soon as possible after Thanksgiving. The kids each get a new ornament each year(a tradition from his side), so they get to put all their ornaments on the tree along with all our family ones.

We do an advent calendar with verses and candy starting Dec 1(a tradition from my side). A few years ago I found a wooden cabinet style advent calendar with little drawers to put candy in, and this has saved us a ton of money since we have 5 kids, and each calendar with verses and chocolates runs you $4. each! Plus, we get to pick which verses we read each day. We keep little slips of paper in there with the verses all typed out so the kids can take turns reading them. 

Last year, in an effort to save money, we decided that the kids should do secret santa. I thought that this was a genius idea since we were paying for each kid to get 4 other kids a present. Add that up! Owch! So they each pick a name of a sibling out of a hat(or a bowl) and they are supposed to try to do nice little things for that person until Christmas. They get to go to the store and pick a present to put under the tree for that sibling as well. Then on Christmas morning when they open the present, they get to guess who their secret santa is. Last year only 1 kid guessed correctly who their secret santa was! It's so much fun to watch them find ways to be sweet to each other. They secretly make each other's beds, make cards and letters for each other, leave candy on the other's pillow. It's just so sweet!

On Christmas eve we try to find a candle light service to go to and the kids get to open one present. It's always the same present, a clean, washed, new pair of pajamas to wear that night. The funny part? They are always surprised! You would think last year with the oldest 3 being 9, 7, and 5 that they would have remembered from the year before, or the year before that! This tradition is one we thought up because we were tired of the kids looking terrible in all of our Christmas photos. You know how it is, someone inevitably picks the rattiest, or smallest jammies they can find, and there they are in all your Christmas pics, looking like a welfare baby. You know what I'm talking about! 

Christmas Eve we also read the whole Christmas story out of the Bible during advent calendar time, we try to remind the kids what Christmas is all about, not presents, or toys, candy or stockings. It's about Jesus, and that He is the Son of God, and He came down as a baby, to die on the cross for our sins, and was raised up again on the 3rd day. It is so important for me, that the kids get it, that we are celebrating the birth of their Savior! Christmas is so over commercialized that Jesus gets lost and left out on His own birthday!

Christmas morning the kids can wake up and get into their stockings, and eat whatever they want, and play with all the stuff in it. They get to do all this while I'm making breakfast, because we could not make it through Christmas present opening without breakfast. The little ones would have a melt down in the middle of the floor!(again a tradition we thought up to save the day!) I usually try to make something special like biscuits and gravy, or cinnamon rolls, or Swedish pancakes.

After everyone has full bellies, we read the Christmas story out of the Bible, and talk about what Christmas really means, and why we give each other gifts. We try to focus on how we give gifts to each other on Jesus' birthday b/c we can't give him gifts down here, except our hearts. We like to take turns handing out gifts(a tradition from my side), so one of us starts by picking a present and giving it to who it is for, then that person, after opening their gift, picks a present for someone else and gives it to them. We continue, with a little help from mom and dad(sometimes we'll steer a child towards a particular present) until all the presents are gone. The rest of the day is spent hanging out, eating, and playing. Sometimes, being up in Alaska, we get to go sledding, or play out in the snow!

I just love Christmas and I hope that you have, or have made your own traditions too! It's really one of my favorite part of parenting!  

baked spagetti

So this recipe originally came from a friend, but I changed it a bit(it called for velveeta, tasty but soooo bad for you!) when we started trying to eat healthier!

1 lb spagetti noodles(I use the organic whole wheat ones from Costco)
1 lb ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce(or 1 jar of spagetti sauce but leave out the garlic powder and italian seasoning)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 TBS italian seasoning
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded motzerella cheese

Boil the noodles according to the package instuctions, drain. Meawhile brown the ground beef in a large pan, then add tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic powder, and italian seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes. Over low heat warm sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese until cheese is melted. Mix sauce, and sour cream mixture and noodles together. Place in a 13x9" pan. Sprinkle motzerella cheese on top, and bake in oven at 350 for 30 minutes.  

changes changes changes!

Wow! So I've totally been falling down on the job of keeping up with the blog! There's been so much change around here, that it's hard to even catch up! Where to start?
First, we pulled the kids from school to homeschool again! To explain this one I guess we have to go way back to the beginning of the kid's school years. Our oldest's Kindergarden year we were all set to enroll him into public school after 2 years of private pre-school. A week before school started I panicked, I couldn't imagine sending a kid that had been reading for a year already into a school where he wouldn't even be expected to know his alphabet. So, we homeschooled out of desperation since we couldn't afford private school. Then the next year, the same. Finally when he was in 2nd grade and his little sister was in Kindergarten we were able to afford to send them to private school thanks to extra deployment pay! The whole year I spent questioning whether or not their teachers were doing a good enough job. We made it through, I think to the benefit of my Kindergarten, who really needed that year of not learning from mom. The next 2 years we homeschooled again, the first year with a 3rd, 1st, and preschooler. The next year with a 4th, 2nd, and Kindergartner. This year we got a big portion of the private school we wanted our kids to go to payed by scholarship, and sold a TON of stuff to get the rest. Then, about 2 months into it, I realized there had been a shift somewhere, and instead of homeschooling being our last resort, it had actually become our preference. So, instead of denying it any longer, we gave in and faced the fact that we are indeed, a homeschooling family!
Another big change is a much welcomed and anticipated announcement that we are pregnant! We're due in July and just totally overjoyed with the news of this new addition to our family!
We also, just a few days ago, added another member to our family by brining home a puppy! He's a 7 week old malamute and already HUGE! He's alot of fun, and of course, alot of work. What can I say, we might be crazy, but at least we're having a blast!

The Switch

So we finally did it. We switched from disposable to cloth diapers(GASP). This is something that we've been considering since before we got pregnant with Jeffrey. My friend Rebecca got me thinking about it about 2 years ago, when she was preggo with her 3rd handsome little boy. I researched it, decided what I wanted to use, and then went back and forth for 2 years, over whether or not to make the switch. My biggest problem was the washing. Seriously, in a family my size, we go through about 4 loads of laundry a day, and that's if no one throws up or wets the bed, or on Fridays when we change all the linens in the house. So, the thought of doing any more laundry was a serious deal breaker for me! However, the last couple of weeks I've been able to stay on top of all the laundry, and so I've been back to thinking about it!

So, we went with Fuzzibunz(my top pick) and I'm super happy about it! I love them, and so does Jeffrey(and yes we've had poopy diapers already!). I'll update in a week or two in case we hate it by then! :) We also switched to cloth wipes, which I also love. Jeffrey's skin is so sensitive so this is a huge change for him! I've also committed to cloth diapering all the time, at home and while we're out, so we'll see how it goes after my first crazy day not at home! :)

pumpkin cream cheese muffins

This is a recipe that I got from my awesome friend Danielle! She rocks! It's for loaves, and they are super awesome that way, but I just made muffins from them and everyone asked for the recipe, so I'm putting it up in muffin form with the few little changes that I made, which is practically nothing! :)

Cream Cheese Filling:

8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup organic sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons unbleached flour

Pumpkin muffin:

3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 cups organic sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 - 15 oz can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven. Line muffin tins with paper liners(makes 24). Set aside.

Cream Cheese Filling: In a food processor, or with a mixer, process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and process just until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, processing just until incorporated. Do not over process. Stir in the flour. Set aside.

Pumpkin muffins: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Add the sugar and melted butter and whisk until blended. Whisk or stir in the pumpkin, water or milk, and vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined. (A few streaks of flour is fine.) Do not over mix as it will make the muffins tough.

Divide the batter in half. Take one half and divide it evenly between the 24 muffins. Put an even amount of the cream cheese filling on each muffin. Top with the remaining half of batter. Bake the muffins 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Remove muffins from tins as soon as you can. Can serve warm, cold, or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or else freeze for later use.

Makes 24 muffins.

Salmon Chowder

I made this last night and it was sooooo delicious! It's off the internet and the only thing I had to change was using salmon fillets grilled on the BBQ instead of canned!

3 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups diced potatoes

2 carrots, diced

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 lb salmon cooked on grill or baked

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn

1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic powder until onions are tender. Stir in potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, pepper, and dill. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Cover, simmer 20 minutes.

2.Stir in salmon, evaporated milk, corn, and cheese. Cook until heated through.

I served this with whole wheat sourdough rolls. It was soooooo yummy! :)

going organic

So I am so impressed that I did our costco run in 90 minutes door to door with all 5 kids today! :) I found a bunch of deals on organic stuff that I wanted to replace in our house, so I'm super excited that it worked out, and stayed under budget(I was praying in the checkout line HAHA). I was laughing so hard yeasterday when hubby(who wasn't super sure about the switch especially when it came to sugar) said to me, "Hey, who ate all my sugar?" Yeah, he was talking about the organic cane juice! YES, score one for hippy mama! :) I also love that our kids are starting to look at labels, and talk about healthier options, and organic food! So awesome. I expected to meet a whole lot of resistance, and instead I've got almost all supportive comments, and praises over the food. This is so much easier than I thought it would be. The biggest challenge has been remembering not to buy the stuff I usually would, and figuring out how to make or buy everything we need! We're probably only 25% switched over so far, but it feels good to get started! :)

makin some hair stuff

Spending the day today ripping off a store that starts with a G and ends in ymboree! Haha! I found a tutorial online that shows you how to curl the ribbon like that super popular store does. My friend Stephany and I have been having a blast lately making a ton of them. The crazy part is ours are cuter, and way sturdier!


Anna had a great 2nd day of school, and today is FRIDAY!!!! I love Friday nights with my family, we almost always have a movie night, so much fun! :)

Anna's first day of school

In the past we've home schooled all of our kids, all but one year. Our preference would be private school but it doesn't always fit in the budget, so we home school when it's not going to work, either because of money, or moving(the Army likes to move us halfway through a school year). My hubby was pretty determined that he wanted them in public school last year so we gave it a go. That lasted all of a month and a half. First of all their attitudes were atrocious. Second, the teachers weren't even attempting to challenge my kids and they were bored out of their minds. So, we pulled them out and home schooled for the remainder of the school year. I love homeschooling, it's so much fun and so awesome to see your kids learn the way they learn best. I love that we can take breaks whenever we want, go on vacation whenever we want, and that my kids are always getting challenged and allowed to progress at their own pace instead of having their classes "dumbed down" to the slowest kid in the class. This year they are going to private school.

My youngest daughter, however, is homeschooling this year. She's pre-k age, and could go to school with the big kids, but the kid still takes a 2 hour nap everyday. I'm thinking in my head while trying to make that decision, do I really think that the teacher is going to be able to handle her if they have to wake her early from her 2 hour nap... uh, NO! She's super ready, and really will probably be reading by next week, but she's just not ready to give up that 2 hour nap! I really hope she's ready by next year... Haha!

We had our first day of school today, and she was so excited. Pre-k school at our house lasts all of 20 minutes. When they are getting that one on one attention with you, it really doesn't take that long. Shoot, last year even getting 4 to 1 attention, with a baby thrown in the mix, unless I had a kid intentionally being lazy, they could be done with an entire school day in 3 hours or less. I think people don't understand how easy it is to teach your own child. Yes, sometimes you get a kid like my oldest where everyday is a struggle b/c they think that they are so beyond schoolwork that their pencil eraser is more interesting. However, on most days, b/c you know your kid, and know what they like to learn, and how they learn best, you are their best teacher. Ever heard that saying that God gave the kid to you b/c you are the best parent for the kid, the same is true for teaching the kid. Otherwise, you'd never be able to teach the kid how to be an adult, and don't for a second think their getting THAT at school! Homeschooling is not for everyone, and even those it is for sometimes need a break. My kids HATE home school right now b/c it's all they've been able to do for 2 years and haven't had a choice. I anticipate at least one of them in the next couple of years coming back home for school, just b/c if you have the option of doing 3 hours of work vs 6, most kids pick 3. Right now all of mine are LOVING the classroom environment and all their friends. And I am loving my break! :) 

Off my soapbox now! :) My littlest girl had a great first day of school. We talked about the letter I and the number 1, did some flashcards, coloring, writing, talked about calendars and all that good stuff. She's so smart it's scary. I can't believe what a difference a few months make in a kid's motor skills. I shouldn't be surprised, we've taken a summer break every year and I've been homeschooling for 6 years, but it still amazes me. Last year she couldn't make that darn pencil do what she wanted, and now, 3 months later she's a pro. She even wrote her name a few times. I'm such a proud mama!

fruit crisp

This is so yummy and quick and can be made with pretty much any fruit! I'm not a big fan of pie crust or cobblers, but I love a good crisp! Tonight I made pear crisp, as I had 3 pears that were getting ready to go bad if they didn't get used. This is what I do with any fruit that's about to go bad(it's pretty rare at my house but it does happen occasionally!)

3 cups chopped up fresh fruit or 2 small cans(or 1 large) fruit
1/2 cup butter
1 cup whole wheat flour(or whatever)
1 cup oats
1 cup organic sugar(or whatever)
1/2 tsp cinnamon(optional)
1/4 tsp nutmeg(optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Put the fruit in a pie pan or similar casserole dish. Use a pastry blender or a fork to mix the butter, flour, oats, and sugar together until the butter is pea size or smaller. Sprinkle the crisp on top of the fruit, and bake for 30-40 minutes. It's done when the topping is golden brown and you can see bubbles going in the fruit. Enjoy! :)

Defiance

Wow! Have you ever had one of those days with one of your kids???? My youngest girl is always a challenge, I'm pretty sure she was born that way. I used to think it was because she stayed the baby of the family for so long. She has been a pretty sneaky kid in the past, but the last couple of days it's been head on defiance! Whew, it's a really good thing I'm really stubborn! That child makes me tired at night! :)

Whenever one of my kids is being naughty on a consistent basis, I tend to take a step back and see where I'm failing them. Right now, my husband is convinced that she is lacking attention. I'm not fully convinced. She gets more time with me that any of the others. She stays home with the baby of the family and I while all the older ones go off to school, and last night she even got to go off on a mommy daughter date for a few hours. Then today was probably her most difficult day in a while. I'm thinking I'm not being consistent enough! I think I'm letting her get away with stuff, so now she thinks she can do whatever she wants! Little stinker! :)

I'm hoping that when we get her pre-k books and start school, that it will help in the attention and the consistency department! We'll see...

flour, flour, and more flour!!!

So, apparently I seriously under estimated how much flour I needed for all that bread making. I went through 15 lbs of flour! I just had to send T to the store for another 10lbs! Oooops! On the upside, I got all the bread started, and I'm just waiting for it all to rise so I can bake it! :)

Off to clean the disaster of a kitchen I made while making all that bread!

Weight Loss

Ok so today I stepped on the scale and I lost 3 lbs this week! This has been a struggle for me, so I'm super happy to have got that 3lbs off! I've been working at it since I had our 5th child, but especially the last 9 weeks. So over the last 9 weeks I've lost 19lbs! I weigh the same today as I did 5 years ago when I got pregnant with our 4th child! :)

So today we have alot on our agenda. Mondays are always my baking day. Since we have decided to make as much of our own bread as we can, it's the day I bake all of our bread for the week, so that means for our family of 7 I have to make 4 loaves of whole wheat bread, 2 loaves of french bread, some sour dough rolls, and sour dough bread bowls, 2 batches of bagels, and a batch of pizza dough! Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it!

We're also working on my crafty corner today, since T has the day off. So I have 3 boards that need to be covered in cloth and had tool hangers attached to them for the wall in my area! I'm really excited about this project since it gets me more organized, and when I'm organized I'm way more creative... weird, I know! I'm working on some really fun crafty ideas I'll share soon! :)

The last thing on my very long list is to go have some girl time with our youngest daughter! She's been acting out a lot lately which usually means she isn't getting enough one on one time with Mommy and Daddy! We used to do this thing called alone night which means each kid as 1 day a week that's their day and they get to stay up an hour past everyone else to hang out with us, but lately that's been a bust. T's been going to the gym after work, so by the time he gets home, we literally have 1 hour to get the kids dinner, showers and into bed, so they can be up by 5:30 to get ready for school! Ugh! Who knew having kids in school would be more exhausting and more work than homeschooling????

Lemon Cream Pasta With Chicken

This is def NOT a low calorie dish, but oh so yummy! :)

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite sized peices

1 TBS olive oil
1 lemon, quartered
2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (8 ounce) package whole wheat rotelle pasta
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1.Season chicken breasts with 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Squeeze lemon quarters over chicken and saute in olive oil in a saucepan.
2.Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, season the chicken broth with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
3. Stir chicken into cooked pasta, along with the cream and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir thoroughly before serving.

Baked Ziti

This one's off the internet too, but tweaked a little.

1 pound dry whole wheat ziti pasta

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork sausage
1 1/2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
salt to taste
1 (6 ounce) package provolone cheese, sliced
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup ricotta
1 (6 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese


1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2.Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in oil until tender. Stir in rosemary and garlic. Transfer to a small bowl.
3.Place ground beef and sausage in the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Stir in the onion mixture and the spaghetti sauce. Season with salt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
4.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In the prepared dish, layer 1/2 of the cooked pasta, provolone cheese, sour cream and ricotta cheese(combined together), and a little less than 1/2 of the meat mixture. Then layer the rest of the pasta, mozzarella cheese, remaining meat mixture, and Parmesan cheese.
5.Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated through and cheeses are melted.

This is the recipe that started my love affair with rosemary! I had never used it before and it is just beautiful and totally MAKES this! :)

Ham N Potato Soup

This one is off the internet and one of our absolute favs!

3 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons unbleached white flour
2 cups milk

1.Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2.In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3.Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Hippy Granola

This is the recipe that started the hippy jokes! Funny enough, it's my mom's recipe! Not that I'm calling you a hippy mom... HIPPY! LOL

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats
1 cup coconut
1 cup nuts and seeds
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup raisens or other dried fruit


Combine honey, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla in saucepan and heat until butter is melted. Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl. Pour honey mixture over and stir until coated evenly. Bake on a cookie sheet in the oven 350 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking. Store in tuperware or ziplock bag.


I like to use different nuts/dried berry combinations so there's a variety of cereal! :)
T's fav is cashews, sunflower seed, cherry.
My fav is macadamia nut, cherry.
The kid's fav is no nuts with blueberries.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

1 tsp organic evaporated cane juice
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 TBS active dry yeast
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve evaporated cane juice in warm water, sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the white flour until the dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with remaining four, and knead until all the flour is absorbed, and dough is smooth. Place dough in oiled bowl and turn to coat, cover with towel, and let stand in a warm place until double in size(about 1 hour)
3. When dough is doubled, tip out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 for thin crust, or leave whole for thicker crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise about 45 minutes until doubled. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Roll/spread onto oiled pan, Top and bake 16-20 minutes.

I want to try this with all whole wheat flour, but I haven't had a chance yet. I'll let you know how that turns out! :)

Blueberry Muffins

I've been making these for a few years now, but I just started to try to make them a little healthier and they are still so delicious!

Muffins:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice(or white sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup blueberries(fresh or frozen)

Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup organic evaporated cane juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with muffin liners.
2. Double sift flour, 3/4 cup evaporated cane juice, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Place applesauce into 1 cup measuring cup, add egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix gently with the flour mixture. Fold in the blueberries. Fill muffin cups to top.
3.Mix flour, butter, cinnamon, and evaporated cane juice with a fork or pastry blender. Sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes.

This recipe only makes 6-8 muffins, so I ALWAYS double this one!

Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip

I love to make this for potlucks, or parties! 

2 cups spinach(can use canned, fresh or frozen)
1 can(14 oz) quartered artichoke hearts
1/2 cup alfredo sauce(can use canned or prepared from powdered packet)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded swiss cheese

Baguette french bread, bagel chips, pita chips, or other tool to get the yumminess to your mouth! :)

Cook and drain spinach, squeezing with a fork to remove all excess liquid. Finely chop spinach and artichoke hearts. Combine everything but the bread in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours.

Beef Stew

This is a super hearty stew that's great for cold winter nights, or whenever you need a crockpot meal!

1 lb beef stew meat
2-3 large potatoes or 4-5 small ones
1 large onion, diced
2 can beef broth
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup green beans(I use frozen)
1/2 cup peas(again frozen)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbs tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients into the crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Italian Sausage Soup

This one all of my children LOVE even though it has a TON of veggies. I'm sure the sausage isn't great for you, but you could substitute it with something else, or since it has beans, you could leave out the meat! :)

1lb Italian Sausage
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 cans beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped carrots
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 small zucchini quartered and sliced
2 cans great northern beans
2 cups spinach, rinsed and torn

Brown sausage and garlic in a dutch oven, large saucepan, or stockpot. Add beef broth, diced tomatoes, carrots, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add zucchini and beans, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add spinach and remove from heat. Let sit, covered for 5 minutes to allow the spinach to cook.  

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

These are super delicious!

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups organic evaporated can juice(or 3/4 cup brown, 3/4 cup white sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/2 cup shredded coconut


1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Double sift flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, evaporated cane juice and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually stir in flour mixture, until JUST incorperated. Stir in morsels and coconut gently. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Oatmeal Craisen Cookies

You can really use any dried fruit in these, but we hate raisens, so the craisens work well for us! :)

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups organic evaporated cane juice(or 1 cup brown and 1/2 cup white sugar)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups oats
1 cup craisens(or other dried fruit)




Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat together butter and evaporated cane juice until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Combine flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Sift twice, then mix into the butter mixture gently. Stir in oats and craisens gently. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes.

Zucchini Pineapple Muffins

These muffins are super yummy, and really pretty good for you! This is not my recipe, it's one a friend of mine got off the internet, and then I switched it up a bit, enjoy! :)

4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups organic evaporated cane juice(or sugar)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups applesauce
6 eggs
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour 4 muffin pans, or use paper liners.
2.Double sift into a bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the applesauce, eggs, zucchini, pineapple and vanilla. Mix gently JUST until smooth. Fill muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full.
3.Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
-Makes 4 dozen muffins. These freeze really well, and make a healthy and quick breakfast. I take mine out the night before to let them thaw.

Being Productive

So with the baby of the family tucked into bed and the older 4 started on their movie night, I finally have some time for me. Tonight I am planning on being productive by adding some of my favorite recipes, and then maybe some crafty time before I crawl my exhausted behind into bed! :)


First I wanted to tell you a little bit about our day. Today is Sunday, which is our family day. We usually start our day with a big breakfast, then off to church, then lunch out, and the last 13 weeks, we've been going to a class called FPU(Financial Peace University) at our church. It's by Dave Ramsey, and the basic idea is: get an emergency fund going, get out of debt, finish your emergency fund, and then get a ton of money so you can give a ton of money! I love love love this class, and I would recommend it to ANYONE(and no I don't get a commission for saying that)! So far we have paid off over $26,000. in debt, and saved almost $500. (in 13 weeks!!!) If we can do it, YOU can do it! It's just such an awesome feeling to be on our way to being debt free, managing our money better, and knowing if there's an emergency we have some cash we could spend fixing it! So after our awesome last class, we headed home to get our beautiful children into bed.


Ok, enough with my financial crap, now for some fun stuff! :)

getting started

This blog is about our crazy life, family, food, and crafty stuff. Basically, it's about my life. Read on if you're interested, don't if you're not. Super real, all the time. If you see something on here you want to steal, feel free to steal away. Most of my ideas I steal from someone else first anyway. So.... here goes nothing...