The Apprentice

Nicholas loves it when I make cakes.
So of course he has to help.

He will be my little baker someday....hopefully. I think it a valuable skill

He's so proud.

The finished product. We decided they are worms on the cake.

Love this store

I first became a fan of Aldi while living in Germany. We had one right across the street where we lived.
While my husband went to post to work and I had no transportation to go anywhere and knew no one, I walked across the road to Aldi. I picked up a lot of German words.
And now that I am back in the States, I still love Aldi. They have super cheap prices and carry some German products which I miss dearly.
The only problem is the closest is 40 minutes away, gasp! So I don't get there often.
If you haven't been...GO! Take a quarter for the cart, you get it back. They only take cash or debit. And bring your own bags otherwise you will have to buy them.
They carry the brand Fit & Active. In which I have found an all natural fruit snack for Nicholas. He loves fruit snacks. And if you look at the label of Welches and other brands, they are full of sugar. But not these. No sugar added, all natural sugar.
Their other Fit & Active brands are good to.
The last time I was in I found little Nuremburg bratwurst. So super yummy. I really miss the German bratwurst.
So go check out the Aldi near you. You won't be disappointed.

Staples

No I am not talking about the office supply store.
But instead about the staples you keep in your fridge. The items you buy immediately when you run out. Besides the obvious milk, eggs, bread, I keep real Parmesan. Not that jarred, pre-grated fake stuff. No a block of real Parmesan cheese.
And a must have is the microplane grater. I have this style shown. I use my Parmesan on pasta, rice, bread, in breadcrumbs, meatballs, etc etc etc.
I am telling you, buy the real stuff. It lasts Forever! And if it gets a little mold on it. Just cut it off. It's cheese after all.





















While searching for a picture of Parmesan cheesed I found this picture of cheese making. I did this. When I studied in Switzerland we made cheese. I am the one that got to scrape the curds out of the vat. We used a cloth like this but I had to hold one end in my mouth as well. It was a tough process but so much fun and an experience I will always treasure.

Another item always in our fridge is hummus and peppers. My son LOVES this. If given a plate of food such as hummus with peppers, chicken nuggets and pasta. He will eat the hummus and peppers first. And usually ask for more. I have to tell him to eat his nuggets.

He also loves cheese wraps, with the shredded cheese. So to keep all the cheese from falling out, I spread the tortilla with hummus first. He devours it.

Roast Chicken

I LOVE roast chicken. It is super easy to make. It tastes great. It's healthy. And with the leftover meat, I can make numerous dishes all week long. Like soup, casseroles, sandwiches, the list goes on. I'll even eat it cold...for breakfast.
If you think you can't do it, you totally can. Buy a bigger roaster that has a pop up timer and it's that much easier. You don't have to temp it or be afraid it's under- or overcooked. I am telling you, you'll love it.
The hardest part about it is picking all the meat off the bones.
You can even make broth from the bones. I usually don't do this but you can.
So roast yourself a chicken tonight. Impress the spouse.

A Classic

What college kid didn't love Ramen noodles?
And who would have thought they make a great kid food too. (isn't that a great picture?)
I make them by cooking them in chicken broth. Then I either skip the seasonings (that's the stuff that is really bad for you) or use just a pinch to season a little.
They're fast and easy and what kid doesn't love noodles. Especially ones as fun as these.

I am not pleased

Looking in the mirror is not so pleasant these days. I know, 5 weeks after having a baby. But still, I want to feel good about myself.
I think of myself as a pretty good eater. I incorporate veggies and fruits, balance grains and protein. So I started tracking my food on Livestrong.com. A program called my plate that calculates calories, fat, nutrients, etc.
Let me tell you the calories add up quick. My downfall is the sweets. I have a serious sweet tooth. And being home all day, I just want to snack. It's a boredom breaker. It's not that I am not busy. With two kids I am. But trying to play with a non attentive toddler gets boring.
So any way. Try this just for one day. It may shock you at what you actually put in your mouth.

Food budgets

If you have a family to feed, you spend a lot on groceries. I was emailing a friend some tips for cutting your food costs. I thought I would share them with the world.

1. Make a menu every week. Try to include all meals so you don't miss anything. Also this keeps from over buying things. If you can plan them around what is on sale that way you aren't buying pricey items. Start simply with recipes you know and are easy. Then it won't be so overwhelming. It takes some time in the beginning but it will save time throughout the week because you aren't thinking about what to fix every day and not be prepared. I'll do it once I sit down at night and watch some tv (if you get this time).

2. Take advantage of sales and stock up on things. Especially canned goods.

3. Buy in bulk and buy meat only when it is on sale. Freeze the extra. I break up the packages In freezer bags so I am not thawing too much and then wasting it because it doesn't get cooked. Don't buy pricey cuts, go for the cheaper ones. They can be just as good. Meats can really drive-up the bill so stretch the amount you use in the dishes you make, soups and casseroles are good for this.

4. Be creative and substitute with what you have on hand, don't Always buy what the recipe calls for. You can typically substitute and it is just as good. This is also a good way to use up little amounts of things you have leftover in the fridge. If you can't use it right away, freeze it.

5. Check unit prices. Sale items are not always cheaper because they are name brands. The larger package is not always cheaper than something that is on sale. So always compare.

6. Join a wholesale club. The savings pays for the membership.

7. Clip coupons. You can print online, but I have found this tedious. I don't buy a paper because it would be a waste. I found my local paper will deliver a small section of ads and coupons on Sundays.

8. Make a list and don't impulse buy.

9. We don't like to eat the end slices of bread. So I throw them in the freezer. When they pile up, I grind them for bread crumbs and store them back in the freezer. I don't have to buy bread crumbs. I also throw overripe bananas in the freezer and make banana bread from them.
10. You can always go without something until it goes on sale so just improvise.

11. Try some budget recipes from websites such as, kraftfoods.com, all recipes.com, etc.

12. Plan. Plan. Plan.

I am always open to new ideas. So please share. I want to hear them.

Easy Beefy

I made this slow cooker beef last week. Out of it I made cheesesteak sandwiches then I used the leftover beef and juices to make a very good and simple Shepherd's Pie.
I wanted to share it all with all of you.
Here's a link to the original recipe for the slowcooker beef:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Italian-Beef-for-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx#

From this I made the Cheesesteak Sandwiches:
I sliced the beef and pulled it apart. Placed some on hoagie rolls. I sauteed some onions and green peppers, added those on top of the beef. Then some provolone cheese. Popped it under the broiler for just a minute or two (you have to watch it closely so it won't burn). We then dipped the sandwiches in some of the juice from the roast.

Then a few days later I made Shepherd's Pie from the leftover roast and juices.
I made a roux (take 2 tbls butter, melt in pan, add 2 tbls flour and wisk, let cook a minute or two) then wisk in the beef juices, keep wisking until thickened. Slice the beef and add to the gravy. Make mashed potatoes. Thaw some frozen vegetables. Pour the beef mixture into a baking dish, top with vegetables then potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.
Wah-lah! Wonderfully delicious

I'm lovin' it

So there is a McDonald's right down from the doctor's office. I am not a huge Mickey D's fan but lately...

The strawberry banana smoothies!

And I'm diggin' the grilled chicken snack wraps and the grilled chicken sandwich.

It just hits the spot.

Power of Suggestion

It's funny what you can accomplish with the power of suggestion.
We were having broccoli for dinner last night. I didn't even give any to my son because I didn't figure he would it. Well he saw we had it and wanted it but when I gave it to him he didn't touch it. Go figure.
Then I told him I was a Mama Dinosaur and I was eating the trees. I asked him if Baby Dinosaur could eat a tree? And he did!!!
He ate broccoli! And not just one piece either. As long as we told him they were trees he was good.
A small victory for Mom.

Kickin' It Polish Style

We are a meat-starch-veggie type family for dinners. But I get bored with starches.
Potato-rice-pasta-potato-rice-pasta
I throw in egg noodles every now and then. Sometimes couscous but it's not a favorite.
Well while looking for something on allrecipes.com, I came across baked peirogies.
Now we like peirogies but I usually only buy them when they are on sale, which isn't often.

So last night I made my own. This is what I did:

Made instant mashed potatoes (would work well with leftovers too) and added chives
Boiled some large shell pasta.
Coated a pan with butter, stuffed potatoes inside the pasta and placed in pan.
Sprinkled with cheese and baked at 350 for about 30 minutes (just so cheese is melted but they don't dry out).

Wah-lah!! Pierogies! They were good.

I'd try some different variations: sauteed onions, bacon, etc. You can also make with lasagne noodles and layer in baking dish. Or those canniloni noodles would work and pipe in the potatoes. How about sweet potoates even.

So if you are looking for something a little international and different. Give it a try.

You can't judge

So my son LOVES chicken nuggets. It's a staple in his diet. I know, worst mom ever! But seriously, if you don't have kids, you can't judge. Kids can be very picky eaters.

So we've tried several brands: Banquet (yuck!!! how can you remove all taste from a food?), Tyson (which wasn't bad...in the beginning, more on that later) and Yummy, Dinos.

Now we tried these Yummy, Dinos from BJ's Wholesale club because 1) they were cheap and 2) I had a coupon (always a reason to try something). And they were actually not bad. We all liked them. Then they ran out.

So I bought Tyson again because they were convenient and I had a coupon. They say 100% natural blah blah blah....they were SO GREASY. I couldn't believe it. We didn't notice before I guess. We struggled through the whole bag, Nicholas still liked them.

I bought the Yummy, Dinos again and started comparing the nutrition charts. OMG!! We'll break it down.

Tyson Nuggets Yummy, Dinos
Serving size 5 5
Calories 270 170
Cal from Fat 160 80
Fat 17g 9g
Sat Fat 4g 0.5g
Cholesterol 40mg 20mg
Sodium 470mg 360mg
Iron 0% 4%

Okay there you have it. Tyson is not so good even when it says All Natural, good for them and you. Check the labels carefully people.

Enough said.