Menu Plan Mondays *revised

First an update on last weeks menu: The goat cheese stuffed chicken meal--mixed reviews. I loved it. I thought it was delicious and simple. The kids didn't like it at all, and Jess said he didn't think it had enough flavor, but i think I'm right :-) I mean, my kids didn't even want the cheese grits that night--who doesn't want cheese grits?!? The Fiesta Chowder is always good, as well as the chimichangas, but my kids were just picky this week. Cheese tortellini in broth and calzones were gobbled up--should have made more. We didn't have the black bean soup or the pork this week so they'll carry over:

Tuesday: No cooking! We're going to visit Jess's brother and family who are visiting Amelia Island.

Wednesday: Pork au Poivre, roasted potatoes, creamed spinach, applesauce

Thursday: Jess is at Ft. Bragg, we'll eat frozen pizza

Friday: Chili Corn stack ups (another favorite of Emily's and I have chili in the freezer)

Saturday: Chicken fettuccine Alfredo with broccoli and bread

Sunday: Black bean soup, bread, salad

Monday: Chili Dogs, veggies, chips and dip

Tuesday: I think it will be this because I have the ingredients--it's from my catering friend Tricia so it's gotta be good:

Mu Shu-Style Fajitas:

1 T. butter
2 eggs beaten
3 cloves minced garlic
1 lb boneless pork-cut in thin strips
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 c sliced mushrooms
1 8 oz.can bamboo shoots- if desired
6 green onions chopped
1 t. lemon juice
tortillas warmed

In skillet melt butter and scramble eggs with garlic, salt, and pepper. Remove and set aside. Saute carrots in oil –set aside.
If you want to add any other vegetables( ie; zucchini, yellow squash etc) do so now then remove and set aside. Brown meat in oil. Add seasoning of choice (fajita seasoning or just salt and pepper). Add ½ cup water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and add eggs, carrots and remaining ingredients except tortillas. Cook 2-3 minutes. Warm tortillas. Put meat and veg. mix in tortillas with plum sauce if desired and roll up like a burrito.

Salad and fruit are usually our sides.

Plum Sauce:
In saucepan combine ½ c grape or plum jelly, ¼ cup sliced green onions, and 1 T cornstarch. Add 2 T dry sherry or ( I use dry white wine if I don’t have sherry),2 T soy sauce and 1 T vinegar. Cook until bubbly then stir and cook 1-2 min longer.

Might be a little too exotic for my crew, but it sounds good, and we need to break away from the Tex/Mex - Italian rotation.

I did it!

I MADE YOGURT. Really. I made it. Real. Live. Yogurt. This is so cool.


We love yogurt. I use coupons and buy up what I can, or I buy the bigger tubs of plain and we sweeten it with splenda and Grandma's jam. But we still run through it fast around here. I have been wanting to learn to make it for while, and then I found this on one of my new favorite blogs, a crockpot blog.

I followed her directions almost exactly so I won't repeat them here--you can check her blog out if you want to try this. For my starter, I accidentally got vanilla yogurt instead of plain, and was worried it would mess up, but it didn't. The only tricky thing was finding organic, NOT ULTRA PASTEURIZED milk. It's ok to have pasteurized, but not ultra, and the organics at a few grocery stores are ultra. Our health food store has 2 brands that were not ultra pasteurized. I picked

The crockpot lady said to start with whole milk, so we did. Later we might try lower fat milk with added powdered milk or gelatin to help it thicken. I even thought we could try goats milk so Adeline could have a taste! Can you tell I'm a bit excited?

Here is our finished 1/2 gallon of yummy healthy yogurt.

On the left, next to the milk, you'll see I'm draining the whey from one batch, to thicken it like a Greek yogurt. I'm using a coffee filter. I've read whey is excellent to use in baked goods but I'll have to research it a little more.

Here is our favorite yogurt tester. She wanted to eat it all even before I sweetened hers with a little splenda.

I would HIGHLY recommend this easy crockpot recipe. And let me know if you try it!

If you can't say something nice. . . .

I haven't blogged much lately because, well, Jess says I've been a little feisty and I promised I wouldn't get all up in your grill again after Halloween. (Man, I AM feisty. Sorry.) So I will just direct you to the link of the story I saw on the evening news about my pediatrician. I'm trying to get out of there as fast as I can.

In Curry news, right now, at 11pm, my hunk of a handy husband is putting up crown molding. And my children are sleeping soundly. As the sounds of the miter saw and hammering is practically shaking the house, I have one question: WHY then, do these children wake at the faint beep of my coffee maker in the morning?!?!?!?

Oh yeah, and while I'm asking questions, can someone explain to me what I did to turn on my car alarm today in the Cici's parking lot: Jess took the keys and kids with him while I stayed in the car to nurse Addie. When I opened the door to go, everything started honking and beeping and flashing and I couldn't figure out how to turn it off! So I took the baby and started to push through the crowd waiting in line at Cici's (it was out the door--popular place, for good reason!) to find Jess and the keys. Luckily a friend found him quickly but of course, by that time, I was "that woman with the honking minivan." I was thankful that I at least remembered to "get myself back together" after nursing!

I better go make sure the kids are still breathing. . .

Feeling blue?

Here's what makes me happy:

Menu Plan Mondays

I usually do my coupon clipping and plan my weekly menus on Mondays (commissary's closed) and shop on Tuesdays. Why not blog it? AND ask, no beg and plead you bloggers to show me yours. Emily did it for a while (no pressure, em, still fighting the femcha) but wouldn't it be SO FUN and EASY if we were able to plan a week of menus, and then get 4 or 5 weeks in return? I did this once with girls here in Savannah on paper and I ended up with some family favorites. So. . . I'll get the ball rolling.

Tuesday: Chicken Breasts stuffed with Garlic and Herbed Goat Cheese, Cheese Grits, Broccoli, sliced apples

Wednesday: Use slow cooker black beans for Black Bean Chimichangas, save the rest for Saturday (from Emily's menu Mondays!), corn

Thursday: Southern Living's Fiesta Chowder, bread sticks, use leftover toppings from wed.

Friday: Pork au Poivre, roasted potatoes, creamed spinach, applesauce

Saturday: Black bean soup, french bread, veggies and sour cream dip

Sunday: cheese tortellini in light broth with Parmesan crisps, Italian mixed salad

Monday: Calzones (sauce and dough already in the freezer)

Also baking: Apple Buttermilk Muffins and Banana Bread

Oh, and tonight, since Jess has a deacon's meeting, we are having Honey infused oat cereal in a light milk bath.

Praying for soldiers. . .

I wanted to take a sec and ask y'all to pray for a soldier, Rob Yllescas, who was seriously wounded in Afghanistan this week. I don't know the family, but we have mutual friends from our last post. The reason I mention it here is that Rob's family has started a blog, and besides your prayers, it is encouraging to the family to hear that folks are reading and praying and rooting for them. So when you think of it, pray for this family, and then go to their blog and just let them know you did! And while you're thinking of it, keep my friend Catherine and her husband in your prayers too. They have a long road of recovery ahead as well.

"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. . ."

Happy LATE birthday Addie! 6 MONTHS!

I'm really late this time. Adeline celebrated her half-birthday on the 15th. I don't quite remember where we were on the 15th. Somewhere between Savannah and Central Illinois.