My Attempt at Making Ezekiel Bread

“Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it."

Ezekiel 4:9

Have you ever hear of Ezekiel bread? Well one day while I was watching a Youtube video a lady made some Ezekiel bread using the recipe in this books:

To be honest I had been intimidated to made this bread. It seemed too complicated. But this books make it much easier to make than what I thought it would be. 

It is a great recipe. It has a recipe to of 4 grains and 4 different beans that you mix together and then put through your flour mill. You can smell the beans being found up. Here is a photo of what all the grains and beans looked like. This mixture of things made 8 1/2 cups of flour and I used it all in the recipe. 

The bread dough ends up being a batter bread that is poured into the bread pans. 

You don't want to fill up the pans too full - because the bread will rise and it is best to keep it at least 1/4 of an inch from the top of the pan - if you let it rise any more than that it could overflow. 

I was very happy with the results. One thing I learned from this first attempt at making Ezekiel bread is that I will probably grease the bread pans with shortening from now on. I just sprayed Pam and it was a little touch and go for a bit on getting the bread out of the pans -but thankfully only one of them stuck a bit on the bottom but not so bad I can't enjoy the loaf. I am very happy with the results! I am happy I finally tried it out. 

When I was measuring the ingredients out for the flour - I measured out stuff for an extra batch of grains and beans- and put them in a jar. Next time I want to make this bread it will be SO much faster with out having to measure all that stuff out - 8 things. Next time I have to measure stuff out - I plan on doing more batches so that I can always easily make up this bread. 
 

I think my husband enjoyed his breakfast this week!

 Years ago when I worked for my Mother-in-law at her bakery - she would make kolaches. We made a special dough and we would roll the pieces of dough big enough to fit the little link in the middle- some of them we would add cheese. Then we would roll them up nice and tight so that the cheese wouldn't leak out. Well last week we had some crescent rolls in the fridge that needed to get used up so I decided to use some of our hot dogs and make up some kolaches. And I think they turned out pretty good. My husband has taken  a couple to work each day for his breakfast. Anyway I thought it was a pretty good idea and wanted to share what new thing I tried this week. Enjoy! :O) 

Money Saving Idea - Homemade Taco Seasoning

There are many benefits to watching youtube channels. They inspire me to learn new things and to think outside the box. And today's post is just one thing that I have done as a result of watching youtube. 

As someone was showing all the things that they dehydrate and such and had them in canning jars - I thought about my homemade taco seasoning that I make. I have a set of these Tupperware Spice containers, which I love! So here is my taco seasoning: 

I believe it holds about 1/2 cup or so of seasoning so I had made my recipe fit this container. Well after watching some youtube videos and being inspired - I decided to increase my recipe so that I could fill up a pint jar. This way any time I run low in this container I can go get my pint jar of it and refill it. This will save me time. 

So I added all my seasonings to this jar and this is what it looked like, minus 2 tablespoons of cumin. I ran out and had to buy some to finishing this batch up. 

Here is my recipe: 

1/2 C. Chili Powder 

6 T. Cumin 

7 T. Paprika 

1/4 C. Onion Powder 

3 T. Garlic Powder 

So I measured everything out and put it in my jar. Then I put the lid on and shook it up really good. 

There you have it a pint of Taco Seasoning! I am so happy to have this all made up waiting for me. It will save me time in the long run instead of sometimes having to make up a batch when I am needing to make something. I may eventually make enough to fill up a quart sized jar, but for now I am happy with this amount made up. 

You can adjust it to what ever matches your taste better. 

Freshly Baked

Last week I spent some time in the kitchen baking bread. A friend of mine bought and gave me some yeast and when I offered to pay her she said some fresh bread would be great! So since when I see her - I also see a couple of other ladies - I needed to make up at least 4 loaves of bread- one for her, one for me and one for each of the other ladies. 

 This means I will more than likely be making more bread soon. Normally I make up several and I freeze several - to last me a while. But like I said I needed to make bread for friends. This is the Raisin/Walnut bread that I love so much! I hope my friends love it as much as I do!! 

Summers here in Texas are hot - but if I start my bread in the mornings then I can get the bread made before it gets too hot. It is a sacrifice I am willing to make to have fresh baked bread! During our really hot time periods - I have just put off making bread till the next week. 

Anyway that is just one of the ways I am keeping myself busy and out of trouble. How about you? 

In The Kitchen

Overnight Cauliflower Salad

small head of lettuce, shredded
large head cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 C chopped onion
1/3-1/2 C imitation bacon bits

1 C mayonnaise
1/3 -1/2 C Parmesan cheese
4 T sugar

In large serving bowl, layer first 4 ingredients in order listed. With a fork, blend mayo, Parmesan cheese and sugar and spread over the top of salad. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir well at serving time.

This is a recipe that I got from my husband's aunt. Then I tweaked the recipe a bit. It is pretty good.
I hope you all are having a good week-end. It has been a rainy one here in Texas. We really need the rain to make up or such a shortage last year. And plus the next few days look to be sunshiney and warm. I had really wanted to get my garden planted this week end but will have to wait a few more days. Ya'll have a good one! :o)

Corn Spaghetti

I shared this recipe a while back but since I made it for supper and could get a photo of it, I thought I would post it again. I found the recipe in a Parade magazine several years ago. I know it is not the healthiest recipe but sometimes you need comfort food and this stuff is yummy.

Corn Spaghetti

1 - 14 3/4 oz can Cream of Corn
1 - 15 1/4 oz can Corn with liquids
1 Cup broken spaghetti - uncooked 1/3 pound
1 1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
2 T. butter, melted
2 - 4 T. chopped onions
Preheat oven to 350*
Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl -except 1/2 C. mozzarella cheese - to be sprinkled over the top. Place in a 9X13 baking dish. Cover with foil. Cook for 30 minutes. Then uncover and cook an additional 30 minute. Enjoy! :o)

Day Two of Busyness

Good Morning everyone! So I made it through day one of my 4 days of busyness this week. I thought that you guys would like to see what 32 pies would look like - and a bit of the store that I work at.
We are so thankful that we have these 32 pies done. We will continue to accept order through today till closing. So who knows what we will end up with. So far it looks like we will be peeling and chopping 27+ cups of apples. We make Apple Cakes and this is for the Apples Cakes that we have ordered so far.

When I got done with all of the pies yesterday - I had to run to the grocery store to pick up some groceries. I had to get some stuff - since it will be Friday at the very earliest that I can make it to the store. So I am thankful that I have gotten the things that we need.

Last night I made up a pot of Lentils with onions, carrots and celery. I wanted to have some healthy food for my lunches this week. I also cut up some celery sticks.

Well I better get off of here and get going on my day. I hope you all have a wonderful day! :o)

Having a Beautiful Day/Recipe

Well we are having a wonderful day!! This morning I woke up to a lot of fog. I was a little concerned that I would get rained on - during my morning walk. But Praise the Lord! I did not. I did end up having a walking buddy. This buddy is not a normal buddy by any means. This one was only about a foot tall. A little dog that lives at one of the houses on the corner of a circle that I walk around. So he joined me on my second round. Normally I have been walking about 3- 4 rounds of that circle. So we walked 3 rounds -which brought me to my #4 round. He seemed like he wanted to continue to follow me so I went one more time. When we got back to his house the newspaper was at his house. Well since I live on a fairly busy street - I thought it would be a good idea to get him back to his owners. So I went up to the door and rang the bell - with the paper in hand. I waited for a little bit and no answer so I walked around to the driveway - put the paper on the trashcan by the back door and then I put the dog in the back yard. I started to walk home. I got halfway to the busy street and what do I hear - the jingle of the bells on my buddies little collar! He had gotten out and was following me again! Oh no- I don't want him to get hurt so I thought - One more round and hopefully his owners will be out by then. So we went around one more time. Sure enough his Daddy was out to get the paper by the time we went around the circle. And he went home and I was able to walk home. I had walked about an hours or a little more. I was tired! I have been walking about 30 -45 minutes per day. I am working up to 1 hour of exercise per day - because getting at least an hour of exercise each day is the best for a person. So I got a great amount of exercise today!! The fog lifted and the sun came out before I was done with my walk.

Now our weather is great. It is overcast and about 67 degrees!! We opened our windows up yesterday - it was not this cool yesterday though. I love weather like this. I love having our windows open and enjoying the cool breeze.

Well I wanted to share another recipe that we have been eating about once a week. It is probably high in sodium but it is a recipe that my Husband loves and I am able to fix it - and then remove part of it and then add the cooked ground beef to the rest of it for my husband.



The original name for this was 7 Can Soup - but I have found that I like it better with and addition of one more can - so now it is:

8 Can Soup

2 cans Campbell's Minestrone Soup
2 cans Ranch Style Beans
2 cans Whole Kernel Corn
1 can of Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 can of Black Beans

Take all the cans and just dump into a big pan. I simmer this for a while. In the meantime, I defrost ground beef. And I cook it by boiling it in water and then draining off all the water and grease. I take out part of the soup for me and then I add the cooked ground beef to the pan and cook for a little more. Now I usually make up some brown rice as well. And so when I eat this I put some brown rice in my bowl and then add the soup(without meat, of course.)

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we have! :O)

An Idea of What I am Eating...

So after my seminar one day - I looked on my shelf to see what cookbooks I had that would be good resources of recipes to help me in my journey to a healthier me. Well here is one of several cookbooks that I have.
This cookbook - I just happen to have bought in the last 4 months. Someone was talking about how much they liked it and I really thought that I should get the cookbook. It looks to have a lot of really good recipes. So far I have only tried 2 of them but have liked both of them.

So just in case some of you are wondering how I am eating now - I will share one of the new recipes that I really like!
Coconut Curry with Greens

1 small onion, chopped

2 - 3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated or chopped fine

2 tsp. salt

1-2 tsp. curry powder

1 medium carrot, sliced

2 C. chopped fresh greens, OR 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, drained

2 C. cooked black beans (or Lentils or Garbanzo beans)

14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 can coconut milk

1 C. golden raisins(optional)

1. Place onion, garlic, ginger, salt and about 1/4 -1/3 cups water in a medium sized kettle. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes.

2. Add the sliced carrot; cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.

3. Add the chopped greens and simmer 3 more minutes, adding a little more water, if needed.

4. Add beans, tomatoes, curry powder, milk and raisins. Heat and serve over rice.

Makes about 8 cups.
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When I make this recipe, because our family is not really big on using ginger, I do not put the full amount in. And I know that the raisins at the end are optional - but the flavor of them pop in this dish and well worth the addition of them!

This makes enough for our family that we eat it for a meal and then I have left overs for at least 2 more meals. And that is a good thing because then I can have them instead of being tempted to eat something not quite so healthy. You will be surprised at how good this is and just remember there is so many nutrients in this dish.

This recipe is from my "7 Secrets Cookbook" by Neva and Jim Brackett (pictured above)

"Where's The Beef?"

I have thoroughly loved reading "The Little House on the Prairie" books. I am about half way through "The Farmer Boy" book right now. I have really enjoyed my time spent reading it. It really amazes me of how they knew just the right time to do certain jobs. And when that job was done they knew what they needed to do next. They knew just how much of the different things that they needed for the year. That is just amazing, to know just how much of things you will need. Sometimes I misjudge for what we need for a weeks time period. I also think that it has been neat how different members of the family had different jobs and they all worked together and got things done. There does not seem to be major stressing out to get things done and all. And maybe it was just that from the kids point of view there was not a lot of worrying or maybe the fact that there was not a lot of outside distraction that it helped them feel more content with what they had and where they were. TV, radio, and the Internet sure do influence us - sometimes in a good way and sometime in bad ways. I, for one have experienced being a quite a good mood and then I see, read, or hear something and it tries to change my mood. That is really interesting to me because I had not thought of that being the reason why there seemed to be so much more peace many years ago, maybe that is one reason why I love to watch some of the older shows.

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Oh and I wanted to share one more thing with you all today.

No one would be saying "Where's The Beef?" while using this bun!!!

I could not believe how very small this bun was. My husband and youngest son got home from their camping/fishing trip and brought in the food that they had left over. And this is what I found inside of the Mrs. Bairds packaging. Nothing said about it being a mini bun at all. It amazes me what companies try to do in order to make more money. So many things are the stores are getting smaller and smaller and the prices either stay the same or they get higher and higher, and usually it is the latter.

Sorry for the poor quality of the photo - I was taking the photo with my camera phone and trying to hold this just right.

I hope you all have had a good week-end! I have been going through stuff and getting rid of things that I have not been using, wearing or what ever. There can really be just too much stuff and that is where we are. I have a hard time getting rid of stuff because I think what if once I get rid of this - we need it and then have to go buy it again. Or with clothes I think well I may lose some weight and then I would really like this. Here is one scenario that happened just this year. Last year I had tried on a shirt and I felt like it made me look fat in it, so I packed it up. This year as I was pulling out my summer clothes - I tried this same shirt on and this year I like it. What changed from last year? I am basically the exact same size as last year, not much has changed at all. So who really knows? But I am thrilled to say that I have a trash bag of stuff to take to a local thrift store, about 3 walmart bags of stuff for my sister, and 2 walmart bags of stuff for my Mom. It feels good to get rid of the stuff but I have a ways to go still.

Sickness/Pizza and a Movie

Good evening everyone, I hope you all have had a good day. The last couple of nights we have not gotten hardly any sleep. My husband has been so congested and several - I mean several times during the night he would cough and be so congested that he would get choked up along with being nauseous. Well I am a light sleeper so I would wake up each time as well, getting up to try to find some medicine to help him. Well there is a problem with him taking some medicines now. One of the medicines that he is on for Parkinson's can not be taken with most cough meds. due to a certain ingredient. So he was not able to get much relief. Well today he was even worse and now he was running a fever of 101.8. So we decided that he would have to wait till Tuesday to see his Dr. so we decided to take him to CareNow. I am so very thankful that they have web check in. So we checked in and about 2 hours later they called. Then it took us about 30 minutes to get there. Once we got there we were only there for about 5 minutes when they called us back. They did chest xrays, throat culture, and a blood test. And then waited and waited. Come to find out he has an upper resp. infection along with bronchitis. Well he had to do a breathing treatment for a while because his oxygen level was down. Then they gave him a shot and a prescription for an inhaler and two meds. We have picked up the meds and are home. My husband wanted pizza for supper and so I made some. Here is the first one. My son just wanted a cheese pizza and my husband and I wanted veggie pizza.

Let me tell you what - This is the BEST pizza I have every made. The combination of everything that I put on it just came together and was delicious. I made the second pizza - the dough did not seem to spread out as nicely as the first one - partly my fault though because I forgot to cover it while it sat there. Anyway my husband loved the pizza but thought that adding some turkey slices would make it even better.

Jason bought me this Pizzazz Pizza Oven several years ago for Christmas and I am so thrilled he did. I love pizza but we just don't get it very often. So now I can make it when ever I want some! Yay!

Well I am one tired girl. I have a movie to watch and I look forward to spending some time in my sewing room as I watch my movie. I am hoping it is a good movie - "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day." It has been a while since I have watched a movie and after the day I have had I am totally in the mood to watch a movie.

I am hoping that my husband will sleep better tonight - and maybe I can get some sleep. I also hope you all have a safe and happy week end. Oh and by the way - A GREAT movie to watch this week end "Taking Chance." It is one of those movies that when you get done watching it, you are proud to be an American. I am so thankful to all the Men and Women who serve and protect America!! A Big "Thank You" to them all.

A How-to on Making Gluten

I was raised a vegetarian till I was 11 years old. Then my Mom had some health problems and the Dr thought that if she added meat to her diet - that it would help her. My very first time I had meat - I had Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. I remember her not telling us that it was meat till we were done eating and then being shocked that #1 we had eaten meat and #2 that I have actually liked it. Well I still am not a real big meat eater. I usually only like chicken breast, turkey breast and roast.

My husband was brought up totally differently than I was. Meat was at every meal. And he loved/loves it! But I am so lucky because he is ok with us not having meat at every meal. I do try to have meat at last half to more than half of the meals I make.


So today I want to share something that I enjoy making that helps our budget and gives us something good to eat - that is NOT meat. Meat is pretty expensive and the fake meats are getting very expensive as well. So I have gotten back to making Gluten. I love to make Gluten.

Gluten is the protein of wheat. So it takes the place of protein in your meals just fine. And there are a lot of ways you can use it. However; I usually like it one way - battered and fried.

Yes- there is a lot of work involved in making it but it is well worth the effort.

Let's begin.
First I measure 8 cups of flour into a bowl.
"8 cups hard-wheat flour(high gluten content) (may try using 1 cup gluten flour with 7 cups white flour OR half white flour and half wheat flour OR all wheat)" info from "Cooking By The Book" cookbook by: Marcella Lynch.


I am using my Large Thatsabowl from Tupperware - a favorite of mine. Then I add 3- 4 cups of water - I usually do just fine with 3 cups. Then stir it together. Once it starts coming together then get your hands right in there and knead it for 5 minutes. "Kneading develops the gluten and is important." Then I put the ball in a smaller bowl and I cover with cold water. Directions say to let sit for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
While the gluten is sitting, I will work on getting my broth together. You can really use any type of seasonings to use as your broth. This is what flavors your gluten. This cookbook that I have has 2 different recipes and if anyone is interested in them - let me know and I can get them typed up. But I have not tried these recipes yet because I started making gluten before I got this book and I have have a recipe that I use.

Ok - here is my broth. Normally I use more onions but I was out so I had to use dried chopped onions.

So after your gluten has had a chance to rest covered with water for at least an hour. Then it is time to begin to work again. This time you will take your bowl to the sink, dump out the water and sit it down in the sink under the faucet. As you can probably tell - I switched back to my Big Thatsabowl.
Then add fresh water and start kneading the dough. You will do this and change out the water until the water becomes more clear. At first the water will be pretty milky looking. But your goal is to knead it till the water is about clear. You will lose part of the dough - but what you have left is actually the gluten. And it should have a more rubbery consistency now. You will want to turn your broth up to a boil.

Now for this next part - I use a tortilla press. You will divide your dough into smaller sections.
I think that the gluten pieces that I let sit and rest for about 5 -10 minutes while I was rinsing out the next batch did much better at holding their shape. And take the little pieces into the tortilla press and press it flat. Then you will take the gluten out and put them into the broth. Once you have put all the gluten into the broth - you will want to turn the temperature down to a simmer. And cook the gluten about 45 minutes to an hour.

Then you will want to use a spoon with slots to get your gluten out - put them into a bowl or onto a cookie sheet to cool.

Then you once the gluten is cool - you can bag them up in amount that will be useful to you. I will write on the bag the date and also how many gluten patties I put into the bag.

My family likes it best when I treat it just like fried chicken and batter it and fry it. Yum-Yum!!

Truthfully, there is ALOT of work that goes into making gluten but the results are well worth it. And when I make it, I kind of feel like Ma in "Little House on the Prairie" because I am working hard to provide food for my family. Today I made two batches. I wish I could have made more but my neck was hurting - like between the shoulder blades. Since I knew that it would take about 10 minutes to knead the starch out of the gluten on each of the 2 batches that I made, I decided to stick to just the two batches. And I knew that was probably enough for one day.

Some Healthy Recipes

Haystack Cookies

Mix:
2/3 cup Peanut Butter
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup water, cold
1 tsp. salt
Add:
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup oats, quick
4 cups coconut, flaked
1 cup nuts, chopped
2 cups dates, chopped

Mix together. Using a tablespoon, form balls, pressing each ball together lightly. Place each ball on to sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 60 cookies
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This is a great, healthy cookie recipe that I got from a cooking class that I went to. Each person that attended the classes got a "Diet & Stress Simple Solutions" cookbook/workbook. Wow - I just looked it up and I am SO glad I went to this class - cause it cost quite a bit to buy with the kit. Maybe they sell just the book for cheaper though. It is really more like a workbook with a few recipes added for each chapter. If I come across more recipes that we like I will share them with you all. Actually I do like another recipe of theirs.


Hearty Hummus

Place in blender;
1 -15 oz. Can garbanzo beans, drained, or 2 cups cooked garbanzos
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup sesame tahini
2 tsp. garlic powder OR 2 cloves, fresh garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water

Blend ALL ingredients thoroughly. IF you are using a conventional blender and not a stronger machine, such as a Bosch or Vita-Mix, blend recipe one-half at a time. Stop blender. Stir with a spatula. Continue to blend until creamy. Chill.
Makes 3 cups.

A Post of This and That

Well here in Texas is has been getting warmer and warmer. The last day and a half we have had our house shut up and the AC on. And it kind of looks like it will be that way for a while. If it looks like the temps might get into the 60's at night, I will open the house up and see how long we can have it opened up. I have really enjoyed this past couple of months with not having to use the AC or the Heat. During the past month - we have had to run our AC a couple of times for a few hours here and there. It looks like the temps will be in the lower 90's the next 7 days.

I have really been enjoying my crockpot this week. It really is neat to spend just a little time in the morning and get the stuff going and then having most of the meal made by supper time. We have found a few more great recipes. Well see - I find recipes that look like they would be liked by my family and then I make it the way the recipe says. Unless like yesterday a recipe called for 3 bell peppers - well I know that my family does not like a lot of bell pepper so I just put in a handful and it was the perfect amount. But like I said usually I make it the way the recipe says to make it. Then after we eat it - I find out what everyone has to say about it and at that point I adjust the ingredients to fit our family. I was so thrilled to find a recipe called Cheese Enchilada Stack this week and made it and it taste so much like the Cheese Enchilada's that I make - but SO much easier. And it will be so much healthier as well because I will not have to dip each of the tortillas in oil like I was when I made cheese enchiladas. I have a 4 Qt and an 8 Qt crockpot. I think. What is so funny is when my husband bought me the 6 or 8 Qt crockpot I really thought that I would not use it much. But I use it about half of the time. It is great to cook roast's and whole chickens and such. Right now because there are only 3 of us at home my 4 Qt one is working great for most of the things I make - except the list above.





In my Garden: Well last night I spent some time weeding it. It really needed it. I found a nice big cucumber - and one that is not quite ready to pick yet. I also found our first cherry tomatoes - something had eaten into a couple of them, but one was fine to pick and bring in. I am thinking that my zucchini and my yellow squash plants need some fertilizer so I gave them some yesterday. I will watch and see what happens. I might have to move the couple of boxes that are in front of my bookcase that has my gardening books in them. And pull my books out and see what I can find out.

You know there must be a whole lot of people going through trials right now because my Christian Radio Station has been playing all sorts of programs on going through the trials and stresses in our lives. It is so funny because it is like there are many different preachers that they play and most of them are talking about the same thing. Most of them have been very helpful. It reminds me I am not alone - as long as we are living on this sinful world - there will be trials and tribulation. This is not my home - I am just traveling through. Doing my best to hold on to Jesus in Faith - that He knows what is best for me. And I know a few of those of you that are reading my blog and I know for sure that there are several of you that are really going through some hard times - Please know that God loves you with an everlasting love! That means it NEVER ends! And as you hold on to Faith and Hope in Jesus - you will come out the other side like Gold. May we hold onto Jesus - for He is our Rock.

How Helpful A Menu Can Actually Be!

The last couple of months have been unusual months for us. First in January, our oldest son and his wife bought a house. This house is an older home that had been turned into a little salon. So the kitchen was lacking normal cabinets and there was no flooring- well the wood flooring but not in good enough shape to do what ever it is you do to just have wood flooring. Plus the home is a pier and beam home so it was best to put some sort of flooring down just to help with insulation. So anyway, to get back to where I was going. So for the month of January - my husband spent most of his off time at the house working, which meant that he was not home for supper. So I stopped making good home cooked meals. And we would do something quick and easy or go through a drive-thru.

Anyway before that I would usually spend a little time on Wed or Thursday making up a menu for the next week and writing out a grocery list. Now I don't write up a menu like most people do. I pick out about 8 different meals that we would probably like to have during the next week. I don't assign a certain meal to a certain day- sometimes I do but not all the time. Anyway so when Friday came along - which is my normal day for grocery shopping, I would have my list ready and coupons cut out and organized. I would be ready to go. But after a month of us not being home much, and then after that I think I just got kind of discouraged. Probably having a lot to do with not having good home cooked meals that are a lot more healthy for you than quick meals or eating at take out places.

Anyway this past week I FINALLY got a binder that I have out that I have ALOT of recipes in. And I looked through my Crock pot recipes. I have tried some in the past so I knew we liked some of them but then I looked and decided which of the others I would like to try. It just makes life so much easier and cooler if you start your meal in the morning and cook it slowly all day long and then right before it is going to be ready - getting the rest of the meal together.

It felt so good to go to the grocery store prepared - with a good list, knowing that I would be able to make good, tasty and healthy meals for my family. So this morning I got our supper going - which will be http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/cocount-beef-crockpot-recipe.html. It is Coconut Beef Crock pot Recipe from the blog - A year of Slow Cooking. This blog is a great resource if you too are looking for more crock pot recipes. She has every type of recipe that you would want - all using a crock pot. So it is slowly cooking in the kitchen. I also found a great recipe -on a secret recipe type website - can't remember the exact one but I found a recipe for "Toasted Ravioli's" like Olive Garden makes. So I made that for our lunch today. Was was really neat about that is that I had some left over spaghetti sauce and some left over corn. So I headed them both up and used the spaghetti sauce to dip the ravioli's into and the corn as a side dish. I had a salad made up in the fridge already so we had that too.

That is another great tip to eating healthier - Made up a salad - at least the basic salad - I like to put the lettuce and some cut up carrots in a bowl and keep it in the fridge. Then we can add what ever else we want to the salad when we eat it. And it helps us eat more salad. Here is a list of some great toppings to put we put on our salads: sunflower seeds, fake baco bits, walnuts, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, celery, garbanzo beans and I am sure there are a lot more things - I just can't think of any more right now.

Anyway still have not totally gotten to where I was going when I first began writing this post. There has been so much talk of a Home Management Binder and I am finding that it is a good way to at least keep a lot of helpful information together. So I have been working on putting one together. In my kitchen section I have made copies a monthly calender so that I can write down what we ate each day. That way when I am working on the menu I can refer back to this calender and I can see what we ate last week or last month. This not only gives me ideas of things that I want to add to my menu each week - it also helps me not to over do using any recipe too much. I have done that in the past and my family got SO tired of the recipe - I still love it. It is my "Onion Pie" recipe. I still love this. It tastes a little like onion rings and I eat it at least once every other week if I had to. Plus I think it is an economical recipe, but because I over did it when I first found the recipe - my family is not all that thrilled with it. I still try to add it in ever so often though. LOL :O)

So I have my Binder with a page for each month of the year and I am writing down what we ate and that way it will help encourage me and help me to make up my menu each week. This makes life so much easier. And I am actually happier when I have a plan. There is not many things worse -( well really there is but... ) than having to make a meal for your family and having no idea of what to make.

Well I hope that this has been easy to understand and just not me mumbling away. Sometimes it is the little things in life that make your life so much easier and more enjoyable. Ya'll have a great day!!

Home Made Macaroni and Cheese

Tonight - I made Mac and Cheese for supper. Let me tell you - home made mac and cheese can't be beat! I basically use the recipe from Betty Crocker Cookbook. If you would like to know what I do - just let me know and I will share. Usually it looks much better - this time I used some shredded white Italian cheese and a little cheddar cheese. Normally I just use cheddar on top and it browns prettier.

Along with a fresh salad, this makes a great meal!

I hope you all have had a nice day.

Onion Pie

1 T. oil
2 carrots, cut thinly on diagonal
4 onions, sliced on diagonal
2 - 3 green onions, chopped
1/2 water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 white or wheat flour
unhulled sesame seeds, optional

Saute vegetables in oil. Add salt, flour, and water. Cover. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often. You will make a pie crust or use a bought one - your choice. Put the veggie mixture from above into the pie crust and cover with the other half. Be sure and cut several incisions to allow steam to escape. Bake at 350* for about 45 minutes.

This recipe was from "Eat For Strength" cookbook. This is very good. I love this pie. It makes a great meal. I hope you all enjoy.

Keep these Meal-Planning Tips in Mind

1. Remember the daily need for green and yellow vegetables and the importance of contrast in flavor, color and texture.

2. If the main course is light, such as salad or soup, choose a heavier dessert.

3. If you are having a hearty main course, serve a light dessert.

4. When planning and entire day's menu, keep all meals in mind for total balance.

5. Consider your food dollar:
Plan meals before you get to the supermarket. Read the food ads thoroughly.
Buy family treats like sirloin steaks when they are on specials.
Go all out on a special meal and cut down on the next.
Keep leftovers in mind (look in the refrigerator when planning meals).

*Taken from "American Home All-Purpose Cookbook" page 24


I love all this cool information. In fact, I wish that I had have had a cookbook like this when I first got married. I have learned a lot from trial and error, from watching my MIL cook and from other people. And as I look at this cookbook I am actually learning some very cool and important information.

I love the idea of keeping leftovers in mind. In just the last year or two I have finally figured out if I make a roast one day then what ever left over meat I have - I will make beef tips over rice or beef stroganoff. When I get 2 meals out of a roast -it makes the money that was paid for the roast go a lot further. I also do not buy roast unless it is on sale. So that too is great advice. If you cook a whole chicken - then the next day I can use what ever is left over and make chicken pot pie. I am still learning possibilities of how I can use leftovers to save money.


I have a lot of ideas of things that I want to write about but just don't have the time today to get all my thoughts together to write a post. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

A Simple Guide to Planning A Dinner Menu

1. Choose the main dish first.
2. Select a starchy food-- potato, noodles, spaghetti, rice, etc.
3. Select a vegetable and/or salad.
4. Think about bread or rolls.
5. Decide on dessert.
6. Consider the extras, such as beverages, adding an appetizer, and making a special garnish.

If your main dish is a meal-in-one, all you need is a lovely salad ( a green one is delicious), a tempting bread, dessert, (if you like), and a beverage.

Taken from "American Home All-Purpose Cookbook" copyright 1966 page 24








A couple of weeks ago, I found this awesome cookbook at Goodwill and only had to pay $2.00 for it. It has a hardcover and has over 500 pages in it. Lots of cool charts and basic tips for cooking.

Today will be a busy day for me so I will probably not have a lot of time to spend on the computer. I hope you all have a wonderful day!