Desperately Seeking Comfort

It is no secret around my house that I feel terrible. A not so wonderful souvenir of the Vegas trip. The full on flu. There is really not a symptom that I do not have right now. I am hacking away like a two pack a day smoker! I am firmly planted on the couch with blankets, pillows, Costco quantities of Kleenex and of course my girlfriends...Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte.

I am desperately seeking comfort today. Lamar is at work dosing out medicine to all the other sick people in this city. No one home to care for me. Of course, Nora Beth will bring me an unlimited supply of goldfish crackers if I ask, but not quite what I am after.

I want comfort food. Warm, creamy, sweet, comfort food. As a kid my grandmother would make me rice pudding whenever I did not feel good. As an adult, I seek this comfort. I wanted someone to make it for me. After throwing my own little imaginary tantrum on the couch, I emerged from my blankets and pillows and ventured forth to the kitchen and made it myself. It was delicious. I had two bowls. Comfort achieved. Back to the couch with Season 2.

So what is your comfort food?

Food Budget, Day 25

I have spent so much time talking about breakfast and dinner over the past few weeks and not spent much time on lunch. Today I made a wonderful BLTA (bacon, lettuce. tomato, avocado) sandwich. My homemade bread with organic veggies and local bacon. It was truly delicious and exactly what I was wanting.

For dinner I made chicken cutlets with couscous pilaf and steamed zucchini and carrots. I breaded the chicken in cracker crumbs and cooked on the stove then drizzled lemon juice on them. This is a favorite of Lamar.

I went to the grocery store today and spent $57.82 on groceries. Primarily organic produce and dairy products. I also spent $4.50 on a dozen local eggs.

I go round and round on what local grocery store to purchase my groceries. Fred Meyer and Safeway both have organic options, but both are mass corporate companies. WinCo has the best prices, but very little for organics and not always the cleanest store in town. Roths has a great selection of organics and local products and excellent customer service - the downside is that they are the most expensive place in town. Today, I went to Roths since I wanted primarily produce. I feel good about my purchases and Nora Beth got a free cookie to keep her happy while we shopped.

I really wish that we had better options for grocery shopping here in Salem. A store that gives the best of all worlds...local products, great customer service, reasonable prices, organics and ethical company policies. I know that I am asking for quite a bit. Oh yeah, I also want this store to be in close proximity to me in West Salem. Now I know I am dreaming!

Food Budget, Day 24

I mentioned last week about the wonderful farm fresh eggs I am getting now. These eggs come from chickens that are truly free-range that can eat feed, grass and bugs as opposed to the battery hens that live in cages that they can't even turn around in. The shells of these eggs are beautiful shades of tan and so much stronger than the grocery store eggs.

The yolks are also a very deep yellow/orange color. So much richer than the factory produced ones. We even got a surprise from this egg - twin yolks! The eggs also have a much richer flavor.

For those of you who are local to me, you can get your own eggs by e-mailing Matt at polskafarms@gmail.com. He is located here in West Salem.

So what did I do with these eggs this morning? I made a Dutch Baby Pancake. So easy to do and a nice change from the normal breakfast routine. I served it with some homemade applesauce that I had canned in the fall.


As for food for the rest of the day. Lamar, Nora Beth and I ate up some leftovers for lunch. By dinner time I was feeling terrible from the yucky bug I brought home with me from Las Vegas. I was competent enough to make some macaroni and cheese for the girls, of course, paired with peas. I have them convinced that you cannot eat mac and cheese without peas! Shianne made the comment that I must not be feeling good, because I never make this meal unless I need some comfort myself.

TWD: Carmel Crunch Bars

This weeks recipe was chosen by Whitney of What's Left on the Table. I was really excited to make these. I am a huge fan of Heath bars. Now to add these to a cookie with additional chocolate and a crunchy shortbread cookie...this is bordering on perfection for me.

Of course, I did not have the Heath bars on hand, so I called Lamar to pick two up while he was out running errands. He of course made a comment on "pregnancy cravings" and agreed to do it. He knows better than to argue about food with the pregnant version of me, I just may make him drive to Corvallis (40 miles away) for Juicy Orange Sorbet like I did when I was pregnant with Shianne! As asked, he came home with the candy bars having no idea that he would benefit from this one.

I did not have any really good chocolate in the house and, again, it does not fit into the food budget experiment. I used some chocolate chips that I had in the pantry.

The dough came together easily, and since there was no eggs in it, I was able to sample it raw...yum! I did not bake it with the aluminum foil like the recipe calls for. The foil imparts a negative energy into the food (sorry, the Ayurvedic training coming out!). I put the dough on a well buttered baking stone that I recently got and needed to be seasoned. This worked perfectly.

After dinner we cut into these. Lamar made the comment that I could make these again anytime, in fact, he went back for seconds! Nora Beth would not eat them, but she does not like a lot of sweets - I am not sure where here taste buds came from!

Another great recipe from Dorie. Whitney, thanks for trusting your kids on the important decision of choosing this recipe!

Food Budget, Day 21 and 22

It is time to play catch up from the trip to Las Vegas. I am happy to report that Lamar did really well while we were gone. No fast food. He even made a veggie tray for the poker party he hosted. I know that he made spaghetti one night and pancakes one morning. He did not take the easy way out and go to the store for convenience food.

We got home on Sunday afternoon and I made bacon and Swiss stuffed hamburgers with potato salad. The burgers got rave reviews from Lamar and Shainne and were very simple to make. I just chopped some bacon and cooked it with some onion until done, but not crisp. I made two thin burgers and sandwiched Swiss cheese and the bacon mixture and sealed the edges. I then cooked them on the stove and finished them off in the oven. A huge taste with very little effort or cost.

On Monday I needed to make some bread. I ground my own wheat for this. I just love the flavor of fresh ground wheat in bread. There is something that is so satisfying to me on creating bread from scratch. I have finally troubleshooted my problems with rising. There is an enzyme in fresh wheat that will kill the yeast. I have found that adding gluten flour for rise and whey for tenderness produces a wonderful loaf.

I still have the Magic Mill stone grain grinder that I am borrowing from Linda. I do
not know what I am going to do when she wants this back - I have become so addicted to it!

Here is a picture of the wheat berries in the hopper as they travel down to the grinding stone.


Here is a shot of the wheat after it was ground. It has such a wonderful nutty smell.

For dinner tonight I used up the veggies that Lamar had cut up from his party. I just stir fried the veggies and added some pork from the freezer and served it with some soba noodles. A very simple dinner. Nora Beth even ate all her veggies!

I do need to make a trip to the grocery store for some fresh produce and milk. This should be my last visit for the month. We are still below budget!

Nora Beth the Ballerina

Nora Beth had her first ballet "recital" on Sunday. It was really not a recital, but more of a performance for a local retirement center. Nora Beth is new to the class so she did not have the costume that the other girls did. That did not stop her. She was so excited to perform. I wish I could have seen it, but Shi and I were flying home from Vegas.

I was so proud of her that she was confident enough to get up with the other girls, especially since she has only been in the class for 6 weeks. I was also really proud of Lamar. He got her to the recital with her ballet clothes on and even put matching barrettes in her hair. The teacher wanted all hair in ballet buns, but that was asking way to much for him to accomplish - I am not even sure if I could have pulled that one off!

Baby stuff

OK - I really do not have any baby info to report, except that the little one is growing on schedule. Here is a belly shot for proof!

What happens in Vegas....

There is a saying "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." That may describe many peoples trip to Vegas, but it is not the type of trip that Shianne and I had. So why did I take my 10 year old daughter to Las Vegas? It was a quick and easy get away location and there is really a ton of stuff for kids to do there. We went for a girls weekend with Lora and Brad (OK, Brad is not a girl). Lora's sister lives in Las Vegas with her family. She was nice enough to let us invade her house.

Shianne was funny as we were leaving on the plane out of Eugene. We were going through security and the security agent asked her where she was going. Shianne, of course said Las Vegas. The agent then asked her why she was going and Shianne responded, "To Party!" This caught the agent by surprise and had Lora, Brad and I rolling on the floor. We knew at this point that it was going to be a good trip.

The first night there we all went out for BBQ and then headed down to the Strip. Shianne was so amazed by all the lights. She was able to see the fountains at the Bellagio. She was blown away by the display. We kept her out late, just so she could have the full Vegas experience.

On Friday morning we started out by going to Red Rock park. The scenery was beautiful.


No trip to the strip would be complete without a trip to the top of the Stratosphere. I wanted her to see the area at night. She was blown away. We also went to the Excaliber and saw the Tournament of Kings show. Shianne of course loved this!


On Saturday we went to see more than any person needs to do in one day on the strip. Here is Shianne at the Secret Garden and Dolphin aquarium at the Mirage. We were able to see the dolphins do many tricks.

I also took Shianne to see the Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soliel Mystere. We had great seats for both shows.

Shianne was excited to see the M&M store. Four floors of M&M's - paradise for a kid! We brought home some pink ones for Nora Beth.

Shianne had so much fun on the trip. Of course, we saw so many things that I am not even able to write them all down at this point. She saw the Volcano, the new pirate show at Treasure Island (the old one was better) and took a gondola ride at the Venetian. She really enjoyed staying out late and sleeping in. We made it home on Sunday afternoon, barely able to walk and ready for bed.

Food Budget, Day 18

Today was another busy day for me. So much to do before I leave tomorrow. I met with two mamas, got both girls to their music class, cleaned around the house, went to bank and I am sure I did something else, but I am just not thinking clearly enough at this hour to list anything else.

I made the dinner tonight that I had planned on doing last night. I made a spinach pesto and potato gnocchi. To this I added some shrimp and served it all with some steamed zucchini. The meal was very green, but the girls ate it without any problems. Even Lamar who was so against this meal yesterday, enjoyed it tonight.

I am leaving tomorrow with Shianne for 4 days to Las Vegas. I am going without my computer, so I will update you on everything when I get back on Sunday. Lamar has grand plans of things to do with Nora Beth while we are gone - I am sure they will have lots of fun.

Food Budget, Day 17

I went to the grocery store today and stocked up on some food, mainly produce and some easy but healthy stuff for Lamar and Nora Beth while Shianne and I are in Las Vegas. I spent $83 on food. Yes, $3 over budget, but I was under budget for last week and I still have some wiggle room from last week.

It was a really busy day for me today and I had great intentions of making potato gnocchi with spinach pesto. Lamar decided that this was not what he wanted to eat. Just for disagreeing with me, he got to eat leftover Sloppy Joe's from the freezer! I made some baked sweet potato fries and a fruit salad to go with the Sloppy Joe's. The family was fed and I was able to run out the door to my discussion group.

While at my discussion group, a local boy came in selling his eggs. He is raising free range organic eggs - and even better, he is in West Salem. I finally have a reliable and affordable source for the eggs I want. The only way to get them fresher is to have my own chickens in the backyard - I am sure Lamar would have something to say about that! I had intended on showing you a picture of what the yolks of a free range egg and a conventional egg look like side by side - but I am not that put together tonight. I will do it when I get back from my trip next week.

TWD: Devils Food White Out Cake

I was excited to try this weeks choice. Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater chose the Devils Food White Out Cake. This cake adorns the front of Dories own cookbook. It is beautiful to look at and makes a wonderful presentation. I made this for my family for Valentines Day. Definitely worth the effort.

The cake was actually quite easy to make. The recipe did call for 2 oz of bittersweet chocolate. I did not have any in the house and it did not fit into the current food budget plan, so I used some good chocolate chips that I had on hand instead and decreased the sugar a bit.

The girls were so excited to see this cake come together. The marshmallow frosting was a huge hit! I made a mess of the counter putting the crumbs on the outside, but that is OK.

I found the cake to be dense and moist. The frosting was delicious and light, but just a little on the sweet side for me right now - but I am not the best judge - my pregnancy taste buds are a little out of whack. Everyone else enjoyed it. I will definitely make this again when I can handle this amount of sweetness.

Universe, what is my lesson?

Universe, I know that you are always there to teach us something new. Something that we need to learn. What message are you trying to send me with these migraines. Do I need to slow down? Do I need to take better care of myself? Do the girls and Lamar need to learn to be self sufficient? What is my lesson?

The pounding in my head is getting really old. I am ready to accept whatever I have to learn. I am miserable with these migraines. My family is miserable. I have no true relief. I am just riding the roller coaster, and it is not a fun ride. Nora Beth is associating my not feeling well as the baby's fault. It is NOT the baby's fault. The last thing I want is for her to develop a negative connotation for the baby. Her adjustment is going to be hard enough as it is.

Universe, I am ready to feel better. I am ready to absorb my lesson. I am ready to no longer be at the mercy of the acupuncturists schedule. I am ready to feel good again. I want to enjoy every moment of this pregnancy. I want the pounding to STOP!

Food Budget, Day 16

I want to start out by answering some questions. First of all, the blender pancakes can be made with kefir instead of yogurt. Buttermilk would even work In a pinch you could even use regular milk with added whey. Other grains can also be used, really the sky is the limit. Check out the website www.suegregg.com for additional inspiration.

As for snacks - yes we snack A LOT! I seem to be ravenous these days. I mentioned before that Nora Beth would happily live off of plain Corn Flakes - three meals a day plus two snacks worth. I do not approve of the consumption of that many corn products. I at least buy her a natural / organic kind. For snacks other than Corn Flakes, we eat quite a few apples, I cannot seem to get enough of them these days. Carrots are a big hit. Along with granola bars, nuts, crackers and dried fruits.

For lunch, Shianne takes her lunch to school. She has a serious aversion to the food they serve there - she does not believe it is food (and I have to agree!). I eat quite a few salads, fruit and cheese trays and sandwiches. Nora Beth loves pasta, cheese, scrambled eggs and toast for lunch. Lamar usually takes leftovers from the previous nights dinner for lunch. All of this is included in the budget, but is not nearly as exciting as the one big meal I prepare each day.

Now, Monday nights dinner was not that exciting. This is a really busy week for me, and of course, I am dealing with another migraine. I tried to get in with the acupuncturist, but it did not work. With enough ice packs on my head, I was able to get the pounding down to a low throb. I made tacos with homemade tortillas and a salad of cucumber, green pepper, tomatoes and jicama. A very easy dinner. The hamburger meat I had pre-cooked in the freezer and I mixed it with some pinto beans and my own homemade taco seasoning.

For breakfast on Tuesday I will use the leftover tortillas and taco meat and combine it with some scrambled eggs for breakfast burritos.

Food Budget, Day 15

Everyone slept in this morning. Upon waking, I made veggie omelets with leftover veggies from last nights fondue. A very yummy breakfast.

The afternoon was spent doing projects around the house. I got the downstairs office completely emptied and cleaned out the hallway closet. We are now ready for Lamar to move his stuff downstairs so the baby will have a room upstairs. I also baked two loaves of bread.

For dinner I used some stew beef from the freezer, the remaining veggies from the fondue and added a few more from the fridge. I served this with some homemade style noodles and a Waldorf salad. There was just enough left over for Lamar to take to work tomorrow.

Lamar took Shianne to the driving range today. He was showing her how to swing the club. Her follow through was so good that she ended up hitting him in the head and sending him to the ground. He now has a large goose egg on the side of his head with a very painful headache.

Food Budget, Day 14

I have spent most of this time talking about what I have been making for dinner, and neglecting the fact that I do make breakfast. This morning I made pancakes, but not the traditional kind. I made blender pancakes from Sue Gregg. My family actually really likes these, and they are simple to make. You do have to plan ahead since the grains need to soak overnight. Luckily, I did, and everything was ready to go when we woke up this morning.



Blender Pancakes
1 1/4 cup whole plain yogurt
1/2 cup warm filtered water
2 T melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup raw brown rice
1/2 cup raw rolled oats

Place in a blender and blend for 3-5 minutes. Cover blender and let set at room temperature for 12-24 hours

In the morning add to the blender
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

Blend for an additional 3 minutes

From this point, make pancakes as usual.

These make a thin pancake that is actually very tasty.

I topped them with some homemade blueberry syrup that we had made over the summer.

The first time I made these, I had to get over the idea of leaving a dairy product out on the counter overnight. I have been reading extensively about soaking grains and the history of dairy recently. The nutrients in the grains are more readily available for digestion. We are so brainwashed by the modern ways of food preparation in the past 100 years, that we have forgotten the traditional ways of eating and the benefits of doing so. Yes, I will admit that there have been some great advances, but as a whole, our food has less nutrition today than 100 years ago.

Now on to the rest of our day. Shianne had softball tryouts, both girls needed haircuts, I had a chocolate cake to make and I had to go to the grocery store. I got it all done and was home in time to make dinner. At the grocery store I spent 16.27, this brings my total for the week up to 66.27 - YEAH - UNDER BUDGET!!

For dinner I made fondue. We cooked zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, chicken, steak and shrimp in some of my homemade chicken stock. The girls love this meal. The novelty of being able to cook their own food always entertains them. Plus it is ultra healthy and budget friendly. I fed the girls first, then Lamar and I had a later dinner. For dessert I made a wonderful chocolate layer cake that I will write about on Tuesday. It turned out to be a great evening.

Happy Birthday Zara

Zara turned two today. Normally I would not celebrate a pet's birthday, but this is Zara, MY PERFECT DOG! She is my princess and must be treated accordingly. She was so cute when we brought her home and has developed into a wonderful family dog. She may have no redeeming qualities of a lab, but that is not important. She can breathe on command and does a great job of making sure the couch does not get away from her. She will also put up with anything that Nora Beth can dish out - she can play an excellent round of princess dress up. Happy Birthday Zara!

A scooter ride

Nora Beth and I went to Shianne's school to volunteer this morning for a special event. The sun was out so we decided to walk. Nora Beth wanted to ride her scooter, so I let her. She had no problems going down the hill to the school, but the ride home, uphill was a little more than she was willing to do. I ended up carrying the scooter the rest of the way up our street.

Food Budget, Day 13

I spent very little time today cooking. I am running very low on fresh produce, in fact, all I have is broccoli and apples. Very limiting. I used three pork chops from the freezer that I had gotten a while back (about $7) and decided to simply pan fry them in a little ghee. When they were done, I topped them with some curry jelly that I had made this summer. I steamed some broccoli and cooked some quinoa. A very simple, but tasty meal. The quinoa is nice for a change. It has a nutty flavor and is very easy to cook. Lamar was very excited to have meat for dinner tonight - his inner caveman was calling to him. He even raved about the curry jelly.

Food Budget, Day 12

I scrambled on what I was going to make for dinner today. What I had planned did not appeal to me at all today. I was really wanting some Italian food without garlic. I immediately thought lasagna. I did not have any ricotta and the thought of going to the store did not appeal to me, so I decided to make my own. It is really easy. I combined a gallon of milk, some salt and citric acid and heated on the stove. It begins to curdle and look like the top picture.
After it reaches the necessary temperature, I drained the whey out by hanging it in some cheesecloth. The below picture is of the finished product. It was so delicious. It had a very sweet flavor. So much better than the stuff you buy in the store. The whole process took about 1 hour, largely unattended.
I roasted a sweet potato, onion, carrots and two new potatoes until just browned and layered them with whole wheat noodles, the ricotta, cheese and homemade sauce from the freezer. The end result was just delicious. I also made some whole wheat focaccia bread and a salad. Lamar initially complained about there being no meat in the lasagna, but he then proceeded to go back for seconds!

Food Budget, Day 11

I tried something new for dinner tonight. I had found a recipe in one of my cookbooks for Cardamom Beef. I am a huge fan of cardamom. I did not like every aspect of this recipe, so I modified it - as I usually do. I took an onion, sliced it and sauteed it until it was caramelized. Meanwhile I seasoned the meat with salt, pepper and cardamom. I then thinly sliced the meat and added it to the onions. I continued to cook it until the meat was done, about 8 minutes. I served this with some mashed sweet potatoes and whole wheat biscuits. This was the comfort meal that Lamar was looking for. The meat was delicious and everyone had rave reviews for it.

The meat was locally raised and purchased from a local butcher in November when I did a large stock up on meat. A great way to save money on meat is to become friends with your butcher. He knows what I like and does not roll his eyes when I ask for grass fed local beef. He will order in whatever I want and when I buy a larger quantity he gives it to me for very close to cost.

So where am I on the budget. I mentioned the $25 spent earlier in the week, Lamar spent $8 on food when he went to the bowling alley with the girls (although it was on crap food, it was well spent in my opinion, since I was completely incapable of cooking). I will estimate that the meat for last night cost about $6. This brings us up to $39 for the week. I still have $41 to get me through the next few days. I will go to the store on Friday for produce. I also need to come up with a great meal for Valentines day, since we are not going out for dinner this year.

I Sprouted and the Pantry

I sprouted! OK, let me clarify, we all know that there is a little sprout in my belly right now, but I also sprouted seeds. It was so easy. I got this screen that fits on the top of a Mason jar a while back, but for some reason it sat in a drawer for about 3 months (OK, I will blame that reason on pregnancy laziness!). I put about 1 Tablespoon of seeds in a jar and added about 1 cup of water, let them soak over night and drained. For the next three days I rinsed the seeds twice daily and let the jar sit inverted in the sink. Low and Behold, we have sprouts. The girls enjoyed this little growing experiment. Shianne and I have been enjoying sprouts on our sandwiches each day now. They are so yummy and fresh tasting. With nothing growing in the garden, the ultra fresh taste is a welcome addition right now.

These sprouts are also very budget friendly. The seeds cost about 25 cents for 1 Tablespoon. I have paid upwards of $5 for sprouts in the store. A huge savings with almost no effort.


I also baked a loaf of bread today. Nora Beth was so excited to help me knead the dough. I tried a different recipe today. I am still on the search for the perfect recipe for our family. The last dough had to much moisture for Lamar and this recipe is a little drier that I would like. I will try a combination of the two recipes for my next loaf.

Homemade bread just tastes so much better than the pre-made stuff in the store, plus I can guarantee the quality of ingredients. The smell of fresh bread is the best air-freshener for the house. We have some wonderful bakeries here in town, but I have a hard time justifying the cost of the loaves of bread twice a week especially when I can make a loaf for just pennies.

As promised yesterday, I will talk about my pantry. I am am firm believer that a few high quality ingredients will take you a long way in the culinary world. I keep all our staples in labeled glass jars and have them organized by grains, beans, pasta, cereal, canned goods, dried fruits and spices. By keeping everything organized I can always see what I have on hand and there is no digging for ingredients.

Above I have my grains and beans. For my main grains I have wheat, oatmeal, quinoa, popcorn, brown rice, white rice, millet and barley. For pasta I always have elbow, ziti, manicotti, shells, spaghetti and lasagna - all whole wheat. I also have orzo, couscous and soba noodles. My family really enjoys sprouted wheat pasta, but it is hard to find and usually much more expensive than regular whole wheat pasta. For beans, I have, kidney, black, garbanzo, pinto, white and lentils.

Below is cereals. I am not a fan of the highly processed sugary stuff (although Lamar thinks that is the only way to go). We usually have a Raisin Bran, Cheerios and Corn Flakes - usually the natural, organic brands. The girls are huge fans of oatmeal. Shianne likes the flavored kinds and Nora wants hers plain.

I always have some sort of tortilla chips for a snack along with some great tasting crackers. Granola bars and nuts (pistachios, walnuts and almonds) will round out our snack shelf.



As for canned foods, we really do not have much. I always have tomato paste on hand and a few canned soups. I do like to have canned pineapple and sardines, but usually just one of each. I can my own tomatoes in the summer, along with jams, jellies, fruits and salsa. I make my own coconut milk from dried unsweetened coconut.

As for spices, I will be the first to admit that I have way more than necessary. Good quality spices are the key. I label all my spices as to when they are purchased and never keep them more that 1 year. Spices that are past their prime are just a waste of space and effort in my opinion. Some good ones to keep on hand are salt, pepper, red pepper, rosemary, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and Old Bay.

I hope to plant an herb garden this spring so I can keep thyme, rosemary, sage, mint, parsley, chives and cilantro. Fresh herbs just taste so much better than the dried ones.

For fresh produce I always have onions, potatoes, garlic, ginger, carrots, salad greens, broccoli, apples, lemons, limes and bananas. I know that these are not always available local, but they are the basis for much of the cooking done in our house. I buy organic whenever available.

What is missing from my pantry is processed, premade food. I prefer to cook with whole ingredients. With a little bit of planning, real food does not take any longer to make than the boxed version.

These staple ingredients are just a sampling of what I feel are necessary for the way my family eats. This list of course will have variances for what your family likes to eat. Another great site to check out for pantry staples is Sustainable Pantry. They have a great list of pantry items and great recipes.

Yeah, IT CAME!!!

The girls get excited whenever a package arrives in the mail, even though it is usually addressed to Lamar or myself. Even if it is not for them, they get excited for whatever "present" is about to be unwrapped. Normally there is not this much excitement, but today was different. Nora Beth knew that there was a package coming for her. She could barely contain herself when I pulled a key from the mailbox that opens one of the larger mailboxes. I pulled a large box out and I could hear Nora Beth squealing in delight. IT'S HERE!! IT'S HERE!! She could not get out of her carseat fast enough when we pulled into the driveway and ran up the stairs, eagerly waiting for me to follow with the package.

I knew that I could not put off opening this package. I unwrapped it and found her doll. While in Iowa she picked this doll out of Mary Ann's collection as her special one. Nora Beth named her Millie. It was fun to watch her excitement. She just looked at it for about an hour. Amazing how a doll that cannot be played with claimed so much of her attention.

I put the doll out of reach for fear that an excited dog or curious cat would knock it over. After Nora Beth's room is painted this month I will install a shelf for this doll so she can look at it, but still be out of reach.

We tried to call Grandma to thank her for mailing Millie, but there was no answer. Will try again tomorrow.

Tuesdays With Dorie, Floating Islands

This weeks Tuesday's With Dorie is hosted by Shari of Whisk: A Food Blog. She chose Floating Islands. While this dessert sounded good, I did not make it. I chose to pass this week. Meringue just sounds to sweet to me right now. Plus, my head hurts so bad right now that I can't even make dinner, let alone a dessert (see my previous post). I hope you all understand and I will be back next week.

Food Budget, Day 9 and 10

For Monday's dinner I used up the leftover root vegetable tagine from Sunday's dinner and made some Thai Green Curry with chicken and vegetables. I also used the leftover chicken from Sunday's dinner. I paired this with some brown rice. It was a delicious and simple meal.

For Tuesday, I really did not do much food-wise. I woke up with another migraine headache. The family had cold cereal for breakfast. I did make some yummy sandwiches for lunch. My head was so bad by afternoon, that Lamar took the girls to bowling just so I could have some quiet in the house.

I had intended to talk about a well stocked pantry and what it looks like for me, but my head hurts to much to think about that right now. I will hit this topic tomorrow.

These migraines are really getting old. I had to cancel on a client today. I really hate to do this, but I could not even listen to the dogs breathe today, let alone carry on a conversation. I know my family is tired of this too. When I am cranky, they all suffer, not just food wise. Lamar was great dealing with the plumbers and getting Nora Beth out of the house for me today. I am sure that I will even be able to talk him into a back rub tonight with the guise that it will make my head feel better.

As I mentioned, the plumbers came to fix the bathtub leak today. The leak was far worse that we had originally thought and they left with almost $700 of our money. This definitely did not help my headache! I did enjoy a bath this evening - it did not help my head, but it did relax me.

If anyone has a great remedy for pregnancy migraines, please send me your ideas. I have done acupuncture, massage, salt water, caffeine, Tylenol, ice packs, cold dark rooms, mediation and magnesium....I NEED HELP!!!!!!!

The World, According to Nora Beth

Nora Beth went to a birthday party at the Carousel on Sunday morning. She has been so excited about this party. In fact, when the invite arrived in the mail, she took it and has been sleeping with the invite - she did not want to miss the party! Of course, the party was so much more interesting since it was held at the Carousel - one of her favorite places! Happy Birthday Isabel!

After the party, we came home and started working on projects around the house. My office is almost completely moved upstairs now. I have done so much cleaning and organizing with this project.

While I was busy working, Nora Beth was keeping herself occupied with her art project. She was so proud of the picture of the World that she created. The large black spot on the lower left corner is where we live on the earth and she was able to point out all the houses of the other important people in her life (grandparents, Melina and YaYo). Her artwork is displayed proudly on the fridge - the best art gallery in town!

Food Budget, Day 8

This morning marks the start of Week 2! Lamar went to the grocery store and spent $12. He mainly purchased stuff for him to take to work, although he did get some ice cream and soda to make floats for dessert.

As for dinner, it appears that I put some extra effort into the meal, but it was actually very simple. I made a Roasted Organic Chicken with Moroccan Spices and Tagine Root Vegetables. I served this with some kashi pilaf. It was a delicious meal and very simple to prepare. For the chicken, I did not have the exact ingredients that were called for, so I improvised. I did not have any lemons or lemon juice, so I used limes and some apple cider vinegar. I did have some dehydrated lemon peel, so I used that in the spice rub. The end result was delicious. The recipe did call for a spice blend called ras-el-hanout. I had never used this, but a quick search on-line revealed that I had all the spices necessary to make the blend.

I used a wonderful organic chicken that I got a while back from a local farmer. He raises these amazing chickens. They are so flavorful and they truly live a great life of eating bugs and foraging around in the garden. His eggs and veggies are also delicious. The chicken is definitely more expensive than a conventionally raised one, but there is a real taste difference. I paid $13 for the chicken, so I will deduct that from the budget for the week.

After I roasted the chicken and cut the meat from it for dinner, I rinsed the carcass and boiled it with some carrot, onion and celery to make stock. I always have this on hand in the freezer and I feel that it is ridiculous to actually buy stock in the store - the flavor just does not compare! When the stock was done, I picked the remaining amount of meat off the carcass and will use this for chicken salad sandwiches today. The leftovers from dinner will be used in Monday nights curry dinner. Considering how much I was able to get from this chicken, the cost does not seem to be so much now - no part of it went to waste.

Counting Lamar's grocery trip and my chicken, we have spent $25 on food with $55 left for the rest of the week.

Food Budget, Day 7

Today started with a breakfast of the banana bread that I had made yesterday. It was actually a very laid back cooking day. Since Lamar was working, the girls and I just ate some soup and veggies for lunch. As for dinner, the girls went Lora's house while the adults went out. We were treated to dinner (thanks again Lora and Brad!) so I did not have to count that against our food budget.

Today also marks the end of week 1. I was able to stay on budget and it was really not that difficult. We ate well and I was able to resist the temptation to buy more that I needed.

Food Budget, Day 6 and SPAM on the brain

Just as I was sitting down to write this post, a segment came on the news about SPAM. No not the stuff that clogs your inbox every day, but that mystery canned meat that has become legend in Pop Culture. Apparently, as the recession is really hitting home for many, sales of SPAM have skyrocketed. I looked up what was really in this stuff and was appalled, but not surprised. It consists of chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added, salt, water, sugar and sodium nitrite. MMMMM..... There are 170 calories per serving with 140 calories coming from FAT! There are no measurable vitamins or minerals on the label. This is NOT FOOD, yet it is being served across the world as a meat substitute. No wonder peoples waistlines expand in times of recession.

I have completely regressed. On to what I actually made for dinner, and no, SPAM is not part of it. I had to go to Costco today, so I picked up a few things, keeping my budget in mind. I spent $22.27 on food - this itself is an amazing feat. I felt like such the minority in line, with only a few items, but each of my items was REAL FOOD. This puts me maxed out on my budget. No more shopping until next week, which should be easy, because I have plans for everything I purchased and it should get my well into next week before I need some fresh produce.



For dinner I made fish tacos. I had some Mahi Mahi in the freezer that needed to be used up. I just cut it into small cubes, tossed it in some grapeseed oil and taco seasoning. Nothing was measured. Any firm fish would work for this, even shrimp and scallops - really, you are only limited by your imagination. While the fish cooked on the stove, I sliced up some cabbage and green onions and added shredded carrot. For a sauce, I only had a little bit of sour cream, so I mixed it with some mayo and salsa - this made a delicious sauce. Some cilantro would have been yummy in this, but I did not have any. I put the veggies on a warm tortilla, added some cheese, the fish and topped it with the sauce. DELICIOUS! The girls commented on how good it was. I loved how easy it was, plus very budget friendly. Had I thought more ahead I would have paired it with some black beans and corn cake, but I chose to take a nap instead.

I also baked a loaf of whole wheat bread and a loaf of Banana Bread today. This should get us through the weekend. For those of you who think baking bread is difficult, you need to get the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. You can truly make bread with 5 minutes of effort. I will post more about my bread making efforts next week. As for me, I am off to spend the evening with some girlfriends, hence, why I needed the nap earlier.

Food Budget, Day 5

Today did not go as planned. I had hoped to get several projects done around the house, mainly moving my office and the laundry. Instead, I spent the morning and early afternoon laying in misery in bed with one of the worst migraines of recent history. It kept me up all night. I felt so guilty to have Nora Beth just watch TV, although she was thrilled with this situation. Sometimes you just have to do whatever is necessary to get through the day. I was able to get in with the acupuncturist this afternoon. This has been the only way I have found to get drug-free relief from the pounding in my head. Within 5 minutes of the treatment beginning I was feeling better. An hour later, no sign of a headache!

After my appointment I ran into the health food store. I picked up a few things on my list and only spent $7.10. I am at $57.10 for the week. Tomorrow I will pick up a few more things, but I still should come in under my $80 budget.

For dinner I made Jamie Oliver's 20 Minute Salmon. It was absolutely delicious. I had two small salmon fillets in the freezer. Since Lamar was not home for dinner tonight, it was the perfect amount for me and the girls. The rest of the ingredients were all staple ingredients from the pantry/freezer. There was only about 5 minutes of prep for dinner and 25 minutes in the oven. I had some leftover brown rice from last nights dinner so I toasted some pine nuts, added the rice and some dried cranberries for a simple pilaf to accompany the fish and veggies. A very tasty, healthy meal. The girls really enjoyed it.

I find that one of the easiest way to make this budget work is to have a well stocked pantry of simple, high quality ingredients. By keeping the staples on hand, meals come together easily. Food is not complicated. I will post more about this in the upcoming week.

Dear House, I am sorry

Dear House,

I am so sorry that I had a momentary weakness and cheated on you. It was so easy to be seduced by more square footage, gourmet kitchen, 5 bedrooms, large yard and excellent neighborhood. I know that we have a long history together. Our family has grown within your walls. You have kept us warm and protected us.

I know that I was wrong, but that is no reason to do what you did. You sprung a leak. The last time you did this was when I had thoughts of replacing the dishwasher that you liked so much. I had to remodel the kitchen and living room after that stunt of yours. Now you did it in the bathroom. That was the first room I showed love to in this house by giving you new tile. We just got the new water heater so we could fill your tub all the way up.

Again, I said that I was sorry, but you are causing us to hemorrhage money and I am not sure how long our relationship can last now. I love you dearly, but the time will come for us to part ways. Until then, please be kind to us and I promise to not flaunt my cheating behavior in front of you again.

P.S. Please self fix the leak you created, it would be greatly appreciated.

Love,
Stacey

Food Budget, Day 4

Today was an easy cooking day, for me at least. I am not sure what was done for breakfast since I slept through it! Lamar had the girls fed and he left for work before I saw the light of day. I had appointments for the late morning and early afternoon, so Nora Beth was with her sitter. As for dinner, I used up the veggies in the fridge and made a vegetarian stir fry, paired with with some brown rice, miso soup and a green salad. Nora Beth was really excited about the brown rice and miso soup - two of her favorites. She asked during dinner where the "Sushi Man" was, since this is what she eats whenever we go out for sushi.

I am on the constant search for the recipe for the salad dressing we get at our favorite sushi restaurant. I have tried several so far and have come close, but so far, not quite right on. This is the one I made tonight

Miso Carrot sauce with Ginger

2 T grapeseed oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 T white miso
1 T dark sesame oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 inch gingerroot, peeled and grated
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately or store tightly covered in the fridge for several days.



I am in desperate need of going to the grocery store. I have no veggies left in the house. I am also running low on milk, eggs and bread. I will try to stretch it one more day and do my shopping while I am out on Friday. Tomorrow I really need to concentrate on some tasks around the house, primarily finishing moving my office upstairs.

Food Budget, Take Two

February has arrived, and as promised, I am revisiting the food budget experiment from August. I cannot believe the amount of feedback I have received from this. So many people are interested in saving money while still feeding their families fresh, organic, healthy food.

I have increased my food budget to $20 per person/ per week. Food prices have gone up due to fuel costs and the farmers market is not open yet. I am also eating a bit more these days due to my current pregnancy status - growing a baby makes me RAVENOUS!!!!!! Getting back to the point, I will construct a menu that will allow our family to eat for only $80 ($20 x 4) week. This includes all the food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I have started this plan as of Sunday, February 1st, and it will run for 4 weeks. I will attempt to post everyday about this. February works perfect since it has 28 days.

February 1st was of course SUPER BOWL SUNDAY - not a normal food day. Lamar did go the the grocery store and picked up a few food items for me to get us through the majority of the week. He spent about $50 on food for us as a family. For breakfast I made biscuits and gravy - something Lamar has been wanting for several weeks now. My stomach finally allows me to smell meat cooking. For the party, I made a big pot of chili. I soaked my own beans - a huge savings and made enough for the crowd and leftovers for us. The party was potluck style, so that really saved on the budget for us.

Monday was a lazy cooking day for us. Girls ate cereal, Lamar had some leftover biscuits and gravy and I made myself a smoothie. Lamar took leftovers from the party for lunch and I made Shianne a veggie tray for lunch. Nora Beth and I shared an apple, cheese and toast for lunch. For dinner I used up the leftover chili and made some chili-mac. I just combined the chili with some whole wheat pasta, covered in cheese, baked until bubbly then added some tortilla chips to the top for some crunch and served it with some corn. I was surprised by how well the family liked this slacker meal I came up with. I do not like to see food go to waste - bad for the environment and the checkbook.

As for today. The girls had french toast sticks (the healthy homemade kind I make) from the freezer and I had some oatmeal. Shi took an apple and peanut butter for lunch (PB that is not on the recall list) with graham crackers. Nora Beth insisted on scrambled eggs and toast. Dinner will be grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and a green salad. Tonight is a busy night for us. Lamar has bowling league, Nora Beth has ballet class and I have my environmental class to go to.

Tomorrow will be much more on track with real cooked food.

Buckeye Brownies

I got this recipe from a fellow food blogger, Jennifer of Cooking for Comfort. I was immediately interested when I saw these. I make buckeye candies for Lamar every Christmas, except this year, since we were traveling. You just cannot go wrong with the combination of peanut butter and chocolate.

For the brownie part I used Ghiradelli brownie mix and for the peanut butter I used a natural brand that is in no way associated with the current peanut butter recall. These came together very easily - a no-brainer, delicious dessert. I served them at the Super Bowl party. These brownies added to the need of a forklift to lift everyone off of the couches after the game!

Jennifer, thank you for posting such a delicious recipe - a new family favorite for us!

TWD: World Peace Cookies

It's Tuesday, so that means Tuesday's With Dorie! I was really excited about this weeks challenge. I was intrigued by the amount of chocolate and salt in these cookies. A combination that makes this pregnant baker very happy these days! I made these for our Super Bowl party, and no one was disappointed. I have come to the conclusion that I need to host a social event once a week just so I do not eat all these yummy creations myself!

This weeks challenge of World Peace Cookies was brought to us by Jess of cookbookhabit. These cookies were easy to make, but did call for a large amount of good chocolate...not something that would fit into this months food budget, so I made them the day before (sneaky me!). The secret ingredient is fleur de sel - an exotic salt that just makes these cookies. I had just purchased some in December so I did not have to run out to our local gourmet shop for this ingredient.

I found the dough to be a bit to crumbly to hold together for me, so I added a touch of milk and that did the trick. I rolled into a log and put in the fridge over night. They sliced up easy. I had to bake them for about 3 minutes longer than the instructions called for, I find this often since I bake on stoneware.

These cookies were delicious. Very chocolaty and indulgent. The extra amount of salt just makes the flavor come out and gives it a bit of distinction. I would have to say that this has been my favorite TWD recipe to date. Now, I just need to plan a party around these cookies....I am thinking girlfriends, martinis and chocolate!