A few thoughts from the day:

• It is WAY easier to have one child then two, why did I ever think that having one child was so hard?  Grammie came and picked up Kaelyn for the day yesterday, so I just had Bren and it made things much easier for me.  We even went to the grocery store in the middle of the snow with bad roads, something I would NEVER do with two kids in tow! 
• Going to the grocery store in the middle of your baking day will cause you to not get as much stuff done. Duh! I really wanted to make meatballs and on my shopping trip last week realized that it was too early to get ground beef to use this week without freezing it in between, and I didn't get to the store earlier this week, so I chose to go yesterday when I only had to bring one child.  But, that obviously affected how much cooking I could get done. 
• Babies NEVER take naps when you want/need them too.  Yesterday B slept for a total of 1 1/2 hours during the day. 45 min. in the morning and 45 min. in the afternoon, not really enough time to get anything significant done.  He actually woke up from his afternoon nap just as I was plunging my hands into the meatball mixture.  I had to let him cry for a few minutes because my hands were all gross. 
• Most of the recipes I planned to make, I have never made before.  This makes things a little harder too, because there is always a learning curve with new recipes.  So, some things took me a little extra time because I didn't exactly know what I was doing.  That's all part of the process though - learning new things! 

Here's what I accomplished yesterday: 

-make meatballs (made 48 meatballs and a small meatloaf)
-make chicken nuggets (cut out breasts from the whole chicken, cut up and ready to go)
-bake pumpkin muffins (made a double batch and froze 25 muffins)
-make tortillas (dough is in the fridge, ready to be made today)
-cook whole chicken and make chicken stock (made 11 cups of stock and got 3 cups of shredded chicken meat for chimis)
-make chimichangas (waiting on making the tortillas)
-bake crispy cheese crackers (These are pretty good, but kind of a lot of work - especially if you don't know what you're doing)
-roast butternut squash (need to puree and freeze for baby food)
-bake apple squares

So, today I need to bake apple squares, roll out and fry up tortillas, make chimis, and make chicken nuggets.  Really not too bad.

The worst part of all this is that I basically did nothing else around my house yesterday, and the kitchen is still pretty messy.  I did clean up some last night, but I was pretty tired and there were A LOT of dishes, so I didn't get them all done.  Somehow I have the feeling that I'm not going to get them all done today either - we'll see. And meanwhile the laundry is piling up, the kitchen table is covered with stuff, The house is just kind of in disarray. :(  So, that's not fun to know that I have that to take care of on top of the rest of the cooking.  At least it's Friday, and I know I have lots of yummy food to show for my hard work!

Also, I tweeted a bit yesterday throughout the day as I cooked and baked.  Yes, I am on twitter now. :)  You can follow along with me (@liverenewed), and others bloggers who are baking and cooking over the weekend with the hash tag #oamc.  You can also follow along at Life as Mom and Money Saving Mom for their February Freezer Cooking Days.

I was already planning to make this meal and post the recipe this week, and then Katie announced that she was hosting a skillet recipe "The Meals that Hamburger Helper was Trying to Imitate" carnival and I knew that this fit in perfectly. I really like that this recipe has a Mexican twist on what is traditionally an Italian type meal.  

Mexican Chicken Pasta Skillet
2 cups penne or rotini pasta (we use whole wheat)
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks (I just use one large breast and it is enough)
1-2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 1/2 - 2 cups salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 c chopped green pepper
1/2 c chopped colored peppers (optional)
1 can kidney or black beans (or use 1 2/3 cups cooked dried beans)
onion salt, garlic powder and paprika to taste (about 1/8 tsp. each) 
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to directions on package.

While pasta is cooking, melt 1-2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil in a skillet. Add chicken and cook and stir for 2 minutes, until outside of chicken is mostly cooked.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except for cheese, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover, simmering for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.



Drain pasta, return to pan and add chicken mixture.  Stir to combine and top with 1/2 cup of the cheese. Cover and allow cheese to melt.  Stir and serve topped with remainder of cheese sprinkled on top.


A few notes:

• Obviously, this is not quite a one dish meal.  If you had a super large skillet you could probably add the pasta and some extra water to the skillet and cook it that way too.
• I sometimes add colored peppers and sometimes not, depending what I have on hand, this time I used some red pepper I had in the freezer along with the green pepper.
• Use cooked dried beans, it's MUCH cheaper!! 
• A little pre-prep work makes this a snap to throw together at dinner time, just pull everything out of the freezer to thaw - chicken cut into bite-sized chunks, diced pepper, cooked dried beans, corn - and you're ready to go!  
• You could also use real onion and garlic instead of powder.  We don't handle much onion in our house, but as I was writing this I thought, Why didn't I put fresh garlic in there instead of powder? 
• My hubby said, "This is really good."  I have a great husband, but he is not a big encourager in the cooking/food department.  He usually just eats what's in front of him without a lot of comment, good or bad.  So, the fact that he made a positive comment about this means something, at least to me. :)
• As this is a pretty complete meal-in-one, I'm having a hard time figuring out what to serve with it.  It looks so lonely on the plate all by itself.  Any ideas for me? 

And Baking Day.  I told you on Monday that I was planning baking/food prep days for today and tomorrow.  Well, I did a lot of baking and cooking today, it didn't go exactly as planned, but that's okay.  I accomplished about half the things on my list, but also had to make a grocery run in the middle of the day.  So, I'm pretty happy with myself and plan to finish stuff up tomorrow, although it may be a little tougher with a certain 2 year old around.  I'm planning to post more about my kitchen adventures tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

Please visit Kitchen Stewardship for more One Skillet Recipes that are husband-approved.
And Recipe Swap at Grocery Cart Challenge

For me, one of the BEST things about green cleaning is that I don't have to worry about cleaning my house with my kiddos around.  I don't worry that they're inhaling toxic fumes from my spray cleaner.  Or that they'll touch something that was cleaned with chemicals and then put their hands in mouth.  I don't have to wait until they are sleeping and then spend those precious, quiet minutes cleaning - all you mamas know what I mean! :)  

In fact, I have been able to encourage my daughter to "help" me clean as I let her do things alongside me and teach her about doing chores. I have to take advantage of the fact that she actually wants and likes helping me at this age!

I recently started including her in different cleaning activities that I do throughout the day.  She helps me dust or wipe down the tables with a microfiber cloth and my multipurpose spray.
She helps me wipe the sink and the edge of the bathtub when I'm cleaning the bathroom.  She is learning how to fold her wipes that we use in the kitchen.
She helps me load and unload the dishwasher and the laundry.  And Brenden is always right there with us too, either in the sling or his exersaucer happily bouncing away.  Here she is "vacuuming" the rug that's sprinkled with baking soda while B watches.


I love that I am modeling and teaching my daughter (and son, although he's still a little young!) :) about responsibility, as well as valuable skills that will (hopefully) make my life easier as she gets older and able to help more on her own.  She is a great little helper, I am always so impressed by how serious she is about doing her job well, and how much she actually enjoys helping me.  None of this would really be possible if I was using chemicals and other junk to clean my house. 

Do you include your kids in your cleaning routines?  In what ways do they help you around the house, or what chores are their responsibility?

As we draw towards the end of January, (where does the time go?) I wanted to pass along some great links I have come across on the topic of homemade and green cleaning.  If there are still areas that you would like to work on in becoming more green in your cleaning and using more homemade cleaners, check out these links for ideas and inspiration!

How to Create a Paperless Kitchen at Simple Mom

If you're a step beyond me and are considering using cloth in the bathroom, this is a great how-to post - Cloth Toilet Paper (yes! people do this, I was shocked when I first heard about it too!)

Cleaning with Microfiber Cloths at Kitchen Stewardship 

Health, Home and Happiness shares some good, basic information about essential oils, which is something that's on my list to try out for cleaning and around the house in general. 

Passionate Homemaking hosted a Natural Housecleaning Carnival back in September - find more tips and links for homemade, green and frugal cleaning.

If you have any great links on homemade and green cleaning from your blog or another blog,  please share them in the comments!

I'm planning my baking/freezer cooking days for Thursday and Friday of this week.  My mother-in-law is taking K off my hands on Thursday (Thanks Susan!) and then on Friday I'll try to finish up whatever I don't get to on Thursday.  So those days will be simple meals of leftovers or even PB&J.

Here's this week's menu:

Monday - Baked Potato Bar

Tuesday - Making BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches for dinner with our small group

Wednesday - Mexican Chicken Pasta Skillet (look for this recipe later in the week)

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Chicken Enchiladas

Sunday - French Dip Sandwiches in the crockpot


And here's my plan for Baking Day - we'll see if I have bitten off more than I can chew. :) Check back for updates later in the week.

-make meatballs
-make chicken nuggets
-bake pumpkin muffins
-make tortillas
-cook whole chicken and make chicken stock
-make chimichangas
-bake crispy cheese crackers
-roast butternut squash
-bake apple squares

Most of this stuff is to make and freeze to have ready in the freezer.  Hopefully it will make things a little easier for me in February! Be sure to check back on Thursday and Friday for updates on my progress!

Check out more great meal plans at Organizing Junkie!

I've been making this hummus for a while and it's so easy and yummy too.  And it doesn't require tahini, which lots of other recipes do and is fairly expensive to buy.  One more thing to make at home and not have to buy store-bought!

Black Bean Hummus
1 can black beans, drained (or the equivalent in cooked dried beans, about 1 2/3 cup)
1 can garbanzo beans or chickpeas (or the equivalent in cooked dried beans)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. plain yogurt (I use my homemade yogurt)
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
3 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
water as needed

Add the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, adding water as needed to achieve desired consistency. I usually don't add any water, but a tablespoon or two should be enough.    I prefer my blender because I think it's smoother that way, but you have to add the beans slowly to the blender, otherwise it will be to thick.

I think this tastes best after it's been refrigerated for a while and the flavors can blend together.  So I usually make it the night before and refrigerate overnight.  So yummy with pita bread, crackers, carrots or other veggies, or spread on sandwiches. 

This makes a lot!  But, it can be frozen and still has a good consistency and flavor.  So I've been making a batch and freezing half to use later.   You could cut it in half, but then what do you do with half a can of beans?  If you used cooked dried beans, you could cut it in half more easily because you can control the amount of beans you're using.

Great healthy snack idea for upcoming Super Bowl parties!!

Recipe Swap at Grocery Cart Challenge
Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom

The first book I read about faith and going green was Serve God, Save the Planet.  It was this book that basically launched my journey to becoming frugally green, so I wanted to share a little encouragement from it this week.

At the very beginning of the book, the author, Matthew Sleeth, tells the story of watching an old woman who was sitting and begging outside Saint Peter's Basilica.  He watched as all different types of people passed by the woman, and then saw three nuns break away from the flow of people and one stooped slowly to place money into the beggars outstretched hand.  At the end of the chapter he writes,

"This chapter opened with my witnessing a simple act of charity by a nun in Rome.  Actions, deeds, and works of charity get heaven's attention.  The words spoken on earth that autumn day in Italy are now forgotten.  Yet the miracle I witnessed allowed me, for a moment, to glimpse what God sees - our hearts.  In that humble gift to a beggar, I heard the trumpets of heaven sound.  God's beautiful earth will not be saved by words or good intentions.  It will be saved by humble, anonymous acts like turning off the lights, hanging clothing on the line, bicycling to work, and planting trees.  People who are grateful for God's abundant gifts, people of faith who are not afraid to be held accountable for care of his creation, will save it." (emphasis mine)

I have written before about how I can get overwhelmed with all I think there is to do.  And sometimes it's hard for me to know how my family not buying paper products can make a difference when I see the amount of waste created in public bathrooms or fast food restaurants.   

But, now that I have taken these steps, made these changes, it's not just about what kind of difference it can make.  It's also about my heart, and the way that I choose to live.  I know that God has called me to live in this way, and I am honoring Him and bringing glory to Him through the actions in my life - big or small.  And as I encouraged us before, I do believe that the small and simple acts, that may go unnoticed by most, are being used by God for his purposes to create something bigger and better than we can know or understand.

Our actions can also have a ripple effect on others.  Maybe my family alone not using disposable products doesn't make a huge impact, but if we can inspire other families to do the same, and they can inspire their friends, and on and on it goes.  We cannot underestimate the affect that our actions have on others and how that effect can change the world. 

I also know that as a follower of Jesus, I am called to live in a way that points others to Him. May my actions cause others to ask why I live the way I have chosen to live, or why I do some of the things I do.  And may I be able to answer in a way that shows them Jesus through my life.  I pray the same would be true for you too.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16

I hope that you are making some changes, taking some baby steps, towards green cleaning this month! In fact, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in me hosting a round-up at the end of the month where you could post on your blog about the changes you have made over the month for the Change Challenge and then linking to it here with Mr. Linky, and then we can all read about others changes and growth and encourage each other.  If you're at all interested in that, please let me know in the comments.

So over the last week or so I've been thinking about some of the other green cleaning that I do and just wanted to share a few more tips with you. These might be kind of random and are in no particular order, but hopefully you get a new idea or two to use in your home.

• Baking soda is a cheap and easy carpet deodorizer and pet hair picker-upper.  I'll add a few drops of essential oil to my parmesan cheese container of baking soda and sprinkle it around on our rug (or carpets at our old house).  Let is sit for 5 -15 minutes and then when you vacuum it will freshen the rug, release the scent of the essential oil, and help to pull pet hair up out of the rug.

• Hydrogen Peroxide is a great disinfectant.  I bought a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a cheap small spray bottle from the travel section.  I put the spray nozzle from the spray bottle onto my bottle of hydrogen peroxide and use it to spray down my counters, sink and table after dinner is over and the dishes are done. You want to keep it in the dark brown container that it comes in, otherwise it will break down when it is exposed to light. It's not necessarily great for true cleaning, but it'll disinfect your counters and kill the germs that you don't want hanging out there.  I've also read you can mix it 50/50 with water which would make it stretch even farther. 
  

• Hydrogen Peroxide is also a great blood stain remover. I've only tried it on whites, it could bleach your colors so be careful.  
  

• Lemon juice in your load of whites helps to whiten and brighten - again, careful with colors. 
  

• If you have hard water stains on your toilet like we did when we moved into your house you can buy a pumice stone at the hardware store that with a little (or a lot, according to my hubby who actually did it, bless his heart!) elbow grease will take the stains off without any harsh chemicals. 
  

• Microfiber cloths are great for dusting!  Especially because you don't have to use any dusting spray or cleaners. 
  

• I can't remember if I mentioned this before or not, but white vinegar is great in the rise aid compartment of your dishwasher and also in place of fabric softener in your washing machine. 

 Check back on Thursday for some encouragement for your journey! 

Anything to add?  Have any homemade or green cleaning tips to share with us?  

Sorry for the lack of recipe links this week.  I originally posted my weekly meal plans as just a way to hold myself accountable and make sure that I planned meals each week and stuck to my plan.  That's still the main reason that I post my meal plan - so this week it's mostly for me. :) I'm planning a baking/food prep day next Friday the 29th, and I'll try to post lots of links to things I'm making as well as my plan for the day to, again, keep myself accountable.

Here's this week's menu:

Monday - Baked Salmon, rice & veggies

Tuesday - Pizza with our small group

Wednesday - Breakfast for dinner

Thursday - Spaghetti and Buttery Bread Machine Rolls (meatless meal)

Friday - Baked Teriyaki Chicken with homemade chicken rice-a-roni

Saturday - Ribs, cheesy potatoes, corn and rolls - having friends over for dinner

Sunday - Taco Soup and homemade bread


Check out more great meal plans at Organizing Junkie!

I recently read the book Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck.  As part of trying to be frugally green, as well as through a lot of the blog reading I do, I came across the concept of eating a whole foods, or traditional food, diet.  This is the first book I've read on the subject, and I know I still have a lot (I mean A LOT) to learn.  But, I wanted to share this book with you because I thought it was really good, it made a lot of sense to me, and it has inspired me to hopefully make some changes in the way our family eats in the coming months and years.

The book has specific chapters on dairy, meat, fish, fruits and veggies, and fats and goes into great detail about the difference between whole, real foods and the industrialized foods that have become standard in our diets.  She has done her research and is very thorough in her explanations of the health benefits, as well as the harmful health effects, of each of these categories of food.  In some cases it is very eye opening and even stomach turning to read about the processes of industrialized food.  If you are looking for a reason to move away from eating industrialized, processed food, look no further.  In fact, working on eliminating processed foods from our diet was one of my first goals after reading this book. 

I was talking to my mom about this a little bit over the holidays and she said that you can't know what to eat and what not to eat because the "experts" keep changing the rules on us. Nina does a great job of dispelling myths about everything from butter vs. maragarine, to eggs, to saturated fat vs. trans fats in relation to overall health and specifically heart disease.  There is even an entire chapter on cholesterol, and while it got a little wordy for me at times, it was still really interesting to read because all I've ever known about cholesterol is what I hear on the pharmaceutical commercials, and I think they might have some kind of ulterior motive?  Hmmmm...

Anyway, she does write a lot about evolution and the way that our ancestors ate and how we evolved in different ways because of our diets.  While it was interesting to me to read about ancient human diets, I don't believe in evolution, so when she would go into some explanation for eating (or not eating) something based on evolution, I would just think about it through my understanding of God as Creator and that He would create us to eat things that are good for our bodies, and also give us, in His creation, food that would supply the nutrition we need to keep us healthy.

In fact, this is one of the reasons that the way of eating that this book promotes makes sense to me.  In the creation account in Genesis, it says that God gave every seed-bearing plant and all trees with fruit to Adam as food (Gen. 1:29-30).  When God created the world and created man, he also created the food that man would need to live.  In the book Nina writes about how amazing it is that a cow needs nothing more than a patch of grass and can provide us with milk, cream, butter, yogurt, cheese and meat that is full of all kinds of essential nutrients and protein.  I don't believe it was by accident that cows are such efficient converters of grass and vegetation (which humans can't eat), to quality fat and protein that are so good for us.  It's not magic, it's the design of an awesome Creator.  God has given us the food that we need to keep our bodies healthy and strong - real, whole food.  Nina's definition of real foods is two-fold - foods that are old, meaning we have been eating them for a long time, and foods that are traditional, meaning the way we used to eat them. (pgs. 1&2)

The only food she didn't write much about, that I wish she did, was sugar.  She talks about refined sugar as "the most villainous" of industrial foods, but doesn't go into much detail or research about why, or what to eat in place of refined white sugar.  I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for that information. 

At the end of the book Nina gives her advice for eating a real, whole foods diet, and this is what will be motivating me as I seek to make changes in what we eat at our house.

• Eat generous amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables daily  
• Eat wild fish and seafood often
• Eat meat, game, poultry, and eggs from wild, pastured and grass-fed animals often
• Eat full-fat dairy foods, ideally raw and unhomogenized from grass-fed cows, often
• Eat only traditional fats, including butter, lard, poultry fat, coconut oil, and olive oil
• Eat whole grains and legumes
• Eat cultured and fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, miso and sourdough bread
• Eat unrefined sweeteners such as raw honey, evaporated cane juice, and pure maple syrup in moderation-Real Food, pg. 273
  

There is much, much more to the book than what I could cover here, and I highly encourage you to read it if you are at all interested in where our food comes from, what's actually in some of the stuff that's sold as "food", and how what we put into our bodies affects our health and well being.  

As I said, I am just beginning to learn about real, whole foods and will probably not be posting a lot about it because there is still so much that I don't know about, and so much that we don't follow as far as eating goes at our house.  I just wanted to share this great book with you.  I encourage you, if this whet your appetite (no pun intended) :) for more information on whole foods to seek out real food blogs.  There are tons out there, but the one that I have been reading and loving lately is Kitchen Stewardship.  She has a great series she just started called Real Food Face-Off where she's interviewing different real food bloggers.  I'm sure you can find a blog you'll want to follow through this series. 

How I Haven't Bought Paper Towels in Over 6 Months
As part of the Change Challenge series, I want to tell you a little bit about how I do things on a day to day basis at our house.  Not that I think that how I do things is the best or only way to do things.  I just  have been getting lots of questions lately from friends and family about how I do some of the things that I do.  So, I thought maybe my blog readers would have similar types of questions. I think sometimes the idea of starting to do something like not buying paper towels is overwhelming to people and they don't even know where to start, or what it looks like to not use paper towels on a daily basis. Since we're tackling changing our cleaning this month, I'll start with how I handle cleaning cloths around my house. 

My mom was just telling me the other day about how my grandpa used to rinse out his paper towels, hang them to dry, and reuse them, so I guess it's just kind of in my genes!  But I've taken it a step farther by not buying paper towels at all. 

To begin with, you can read this post, where I explain what I use for different tasks around my home that others may use paper towels for.  By using these different types of cloths, I haven't bought paper towels in over 6 months.  I bought a package when we first moved into our house for the original cleaning that we would do, and haven't bought another package since then.  I also don't buy paper napkins or tissues.  The only paper product that we use in our home is toilet paper.  

Recently, I had a friend tell me that she doesn't like to clean her kitchen with a rag because usually it's been sitting on her counter or sink for a few days and she thinks it's gross (which it probably is), so she uses paper towels.  Basically, I use several fresh, clean rags every day around my house.  I grab a clean washcloth to wipe K's face after breakfast every day, and if it's not too dirty, I rinse it out to reuse it for after lunch.  I use a clean dishcloth every day for washing dishes, and a clean washcloth for wiping the counters and table.  I don't reuse cloths that have been sitting around for longer than a day.  I have lots of all of the different kinds of cloths that I use, so I never run out before I've done a load of laundry.  I think that's one of the most important things - if you always have a cloth on hand, you won't be tempted to reach for a paper towel.

We also only use cloth napkins, even when we have company.  Our home group for our church comes over every Tuesday night for dinner, and I only offer cloth napkins.  I'm washing a load of rags every week anyway, it's really not a big deal to add 8-10 more cloth napkins to the load.  

Every night I gather up the used, dirty rags, usually there's a small pile on the kitchen floor by the door to the basement, and I throw them down the stairs into a mesh hanging laundry bag.  In the mesh bag they are able to air out and not get smelly or moldy.  

I would say I wash rags at least once a week, sometimes twice.  I have bleached my rags in the past, but am trying not to use bleach anymore, so I wash my rags in hot water on the heavy duty cycle with detergent and Oxyclean and an extra rinse.  

I do have some rags I could use and then throw away for really gross stuff, like if our dog throws-up.  They're usually Jer's old t-shirts that I have cut into rags and I'll use one of those to clean up a yucky  mess and then just throw it away.  

Also, it's important to figure out a system that works for you for storing your clean cloths.  I have almost a whole drawer and part of a cupboard in my kitchen dedicated to kitchen cloths.  I have a whole shelf in my hall closet for cleaning rags.  And I live in a small house with limited storage space - I have made room for what is important to me. 

Using cloth instead of paper towel has really just become so second nature to me around our home.  I don't miss paper towels at all.  It did take a little getting used to at first, but there has not been a time in at least the last 4 months that I've thought, "I wish I had a paper towel for this."  For me, I see no reason to throw away a paper that was only used one time when I can easily wash and reuse rags over and over and over again.  Not buying paper towels will save you money and save the earth at the same time. Using rags and cloths around your home instead of paper towels is definitely frugally green!

What do you think about using rags and cloths in place of paper towels?  Is it something you do, or could see yourself doing?  What steps can you take toward going paper towel-less this month?  

Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom

We got back late tonight from a great weekend in Michigan with my family.  It's always so great to spend time with family, but getting back late means I'm not feeling on top of things for this week.  The weather here has been super cold and really snowy and it makes me want to just bunker down and leave the house as little as possible and eat lots of easy, warm, yummy comfort food, so that's what this week's meal are mostly about. 

Here's this week's menu:

Meatless Monday - Homemade Mac & Cheese and homemade bread (I'm looking for a good baked Mac & Cheese - does anyone have one they can share or link to?)

Tuesday - dinner with our small group - making Cheesy Potatoes

Wednesday -  Lemon Garlic Tilapia, veggies, and rice (didn't make last week) 

Thursday - Creamy Chicken Caesar Pasta Bake

Friday -Chili, cornbread

Saturday - Leftovers or Fried Rice

Sunday - Crockpot Chicken Parmesan (from a few weeks ago - I never actually made it)


Check out more great meal plans at Organizing Junkie!

I found this recipe in my Southern Living Cookbook and we have made it a lot over the last few months, I've tweaked it and adjusted it to just use what we have on hand. I meant to take a picture when I made it last Sunday after church, but we were all starving and it just got eaten right up!

It is a great way to use up those pesky leftovers you have sitting in your fridge like veggies and meat.  I mean really, who wants to eat those things reheated?  Veggies just get mushy and meat gets dry and tough.  But throw them into fried rice and you have yourself a quick, easy and even nutritious meal! Especially when you use healthier fats, brown rice, and free-range eggs like we do at our house.

The trick to fried rice is to used cooked rice that's been chilled.  This helps it to keep it's texture during cooking.  This recipe is also great because the measurements don't have to be exact - just throw it together and it still tastes great every time! 
 
Here's the recipe as it appears in The Southern Living Cookbook:
1/4 c. chopped green onions or shallots
1 c. frozen English peas
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 c. cooked long-grain rice
1 egg lightly beaten
3 Tbsp. soy sauce

And here's how I do it:
 - Heat some coconut oil or a mixture of butter and olive oil in a frying pan. I use at least 2 Tbsp or more, depending on how many veggies I'm going to be adding.
 - Add frozen peas and whatever other leftover (or frozen) veggies I have in the fridge.  I've even put in some fresh veggies, like diced carrots, sometimes. We don't do onions at our house, so I just leave those out.
 - Saute for a few minutes until veggies are cooked/heated through.

- Add rice - I usually don't have anywhere near 3 cups.  I just use whatever leftover rice I have in the fridge, or I have sometimes made a pot of rice and put it in the fridge the day before in anticipation of making fried rice.  
 - Also, at this point I add any leftover cooked meat that we might have.  Sometimes we eat it with meat and sometimes without. I have added everything from diced chicken, to leftover pork roast, even a leftover turkey burger with cheese on it.  It was good every time!
 - Heat rice and meat thoroughly.

 - Make a well in the center of the pan by pushing the rice mixture to the sides.  Pour the egg into the well and cook. I usually use two eggs for extra protein, especially if I'm not adding any meat, and Jer likes lots of egg in his fried rice. The directions say to cook the egg until set, stirring occasionally, but I find that the egg doesn't cook that quickly and when I try to stir it, it all gets mixed up anyway.  So I usually let the egg cook until slightly set on the edges and then just stir everything up and keep cooking until the eggs are done.
 - Add soy sauce and stir everything together.  Use light soy sauce or it will be very salty.  And I don't measure, I just pour it around a little until it looks like a good amount. 

Enjoy! 

Do you have any standby recipes that you turn to when you need to use up leftovers?  Please share!


Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom
Recipe Swap at Grocery Cart Challenge

I have never been very good at using up leftovers.  I used to just stick them in some tupperware in the fridge and maybe try to eat them for lunch in the next day or two, but then they get forgotten, or I get tired of eating the same thing for several days in a row, and they start turning my fridge into a amateur science experiment.

I am not proud of it, but we throw away and waste way more food than we should.

Over the last month or so, I have really tried to figure out how to actually use up and eat our leftovers.

Here are a few of the ideas I have come up with:

-Freezing leftovers in individual portions.  When we have a lot of leftovers, I'll split them up into individual portion sizes and freeze them in those little snack size plastic containers.  When my family decided to come to visit at the last minute last week, for lunch I pulled out a bunch of these little containers and everyone got to choose what they wanted to have for lunch - Crock pot Enchiladas, Chicken Taco Soup, Chili, Chicken Spaghetti - it was so nice to have enough food to feed everyone well without actually having to come up with something to make.  Also, I can send a container with Jer, along with some fruit or veggies, and have a good, easy and quick sack lunch for him to take to work.  This has been the best way for us to use our leftovers and not get sick of eating the same thing for a week! 

-Freezing smaller portions of food to use later.  When I have some smaller amounts of food leftover from what I have used to cook, like half a red pepper, or a cup or two of tomato juice, or the leftover pumpkin when I didn't use the whole can, I just package it up and freeze it to thaw and use later.  The only problem with this is remembering what I have in the freezer to make sure that I use what I have and don't just go out and buy more.  It also requires a little bit of planning ahead because I have to defrost whatever I need before I can use it.

-Repurposing leftovers into new meals.  I've been trying to come up with ways to use leftovers in new meals.  I haven't been very successful with this yet, but I did recently find a recipe for Fried Rice that we all love and it is such a great way to use up all kinds of different leftovers.  Be sure to check back tomorrow for the recipe.

This is something that I'm still trying to work at and figure out how it works best for our family.  I am thankful for the food that God has provided for us, and I really want to learn to be less wasteful in this area.  Wasting food wastes both money and the precious resource of food.  I would love to get to the point where I basically didn't have to throw any food away, but I'm still not completely sure how to get there.  Any suggestions or ideas that you guys have to help me keep the science experiements out of my refrigerator would be greatly appreciated!!

Photo by Chiot's Run

Making your own homemade cleaners is a great first step to take towards becoming frugally green!  If you are new to this journey and just starting out this new year, this is one of those things that I think is pretty essential and foundational to being frugally green.  It's easy and cheap and doesn't require a ton of effort or commitment.  If you try it and don't like it (which I can't imagine you would) you can always use the items you bought for cooking and baking!

I challenge you to make the change to homemade and green cleaning this month! 

To begin with, there are a few different levels of homemade and green cleaning, so if you are ready to accept this challenge, first figure out which step you are on. Take baby steps and start out with just one or two and once you get the hang of those, you can move onto other areas.

• Baby Step #1 - Vinegar and Baking Soda - If you still have all commercial chemical cleaners in your home, this is the place to begin. 
  
• Baby Step #2 - Multipurpose Cleaners - Start making some different homemade multipurpose cleaners. 
• Baby Step #3 - Other areas of cleaning around your home

Baby Step #1 - Vinegar and Baking Soda
It doesn't get any cheaper or easier than this! 

First, get yourself some white vinegar and some baking soda, as well as an empty spray bottle.  (I bought a pack of spray bottles at Sam's, can't remember how much they were, but definitely cheaper than buying an individual bottle at Target or Meijer). And the next time you use up your parmesan cheese, save the container and wash it out.

Now mix vinegar and water in the spray bottle 50/50.  You can add essential oils to help it smell better if you want, but I don't bother.  Then fill up your parmesan cheese container with baking soda.  You could add essentials oils to the baking soda too, but it makes it a little bit clumpy.  You're all set to start cleaning!

Sprinkle the baking soda on any hard surface that you want to scrub - the toilet bowl, sink, bathtub, counter tops, cook tops, etc.  Use a rag, microfiber cloth, or one of those green scouring pads and scrub away (or your toilet bowl brush if you're cleaning the toilet, no need to use a rag on that! Yuck!) - no paper towels please!  You may need to get a second rag wet to wipe away the residue on the counter top or cook top, but in the bathroom you can just rinse it away. 

Or start spraying your vinegar and water anywhere that needs to be wiped down - sink, bathtub, mirror, counters, tables, floors, etc. (don't use vinegar on porous surfaces like granite). And again use a rag or microfiber cloth.

It really is that easy!

Baby Step #2 - Multipurpose Cleaners
Start making some different homemade multipurpose cleaners.  Make sure you label your bottles well, so you know which one your using.  You may find that you like different cleaners for different uses.

Here's a multipurpose cleaner that I posted previously.

And a new one that I have been using alot and loving recently: Water, Castile Soap, and Tea Tree Oil.
Fill a water bottle with warm water and add a few squirts of castille soap and a few drops of Tea Tree Oil. You don't need much of either, they are concentrated and a little goes a long way.  Use for all types of multipurpose cleaning.  I use Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild castile soap for this, which is unscented.  I'm not sure how a scented castile soap would mix with the scent of the Tea Tree Oil.  If you try a scented castile soap with this and it smells good, let us know! You can find both Dr. Bronner's castile soap and Tea Tree Oil at Target (the TTO is by the vitamins)!


Baby Step #3 - Other areas of cleaning around your home
Try making one of these homemade cleaners:
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Homemade Laundry Detergent
Homemade Spray Starch
Homemade Disinfecting Wipes

Take a baby step toward homemade and green cleaning in one of these areas this week!  And check back here over the rest of the month for more tips, tricks and how-to's for frugally green cleaning!

Have you made the switch to using homemade and green cleaners around your home?  Do you have a favorite homemade cleaner recipe to share with the rest of us?  Any encouraging words for those just starting out with green cleaning?

This post is linked to: 
Tackle it Tuesdays at 5 Minutes for Mom
Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom

I came across a saying while doing some online reading and research.  I can't remember exactly where I read it, but I looked it up and it is a Japanese proverb that says, "Piled up specks become a mountain".  Meaning that many small efforts combined bring great success, or that little things add up to make something much bigger.

This was such an encouraging thought to me on my journey to being more green.  Sometimes I feel like I am not doing enough and could never do enough to actually make a difference.  But then I remember that it is the little changes that lead to big overall change, and that many of us making small changes together really can make a difference in our world.

I think sometimes it can be easy to think that what we do doesn't really have an impact - either good or bad.  We may think that the ways in which we are wasteful are not really that bad.  Or the ways in which we are conserving and being wise with our resources doesn't really help in a significant way.

I will admit that it is so easy for me to fall into this kind of thinking.  But I truly believe that we can and do have an impact on our environment, our world, and other people through our actions. 

I want to encourage myself and others to make small changes this year in our lives that will move us toward having made big changes by the end of the year.  I'm going to post a new Change Challenge each month focusing on different areas that we can make changes together.

Some of these Change Challenges will be things that I am already doing and want to share with you in easy and practical ways to help you make the change.  And some will be things that I am still working on and wanting to change for myself, in my own life and family, and will share with you as I learn. I'll also be posting more encouraging quotes and thoughts along the way. This will be a journey of change that we will embark on together this year.  I'm so excited about it, and hope you will join me on the journey!

Together we can pile up specks that will become a mountain of change for the better!

Is it just me, or does time seem to keep flying by faster and faster?! I really still can't believe that it is 2010!  One thing I know is that I'm going to continue meal planning this year and continue to tweak it and figure out the best way to make it work for me and my family.

If you don't already meal plan, I would really encourage you to start trying it this year. It is such a great way to plan ahead, know what you're eating every night for dinner, save money, eat healthy, and I'm sure there are lots more great things about it, I just can't think of them right now. What's your favorite reason for meal planning?

Here's this week's menu:

Monday -  dinner at church

Tuesday - dinner with our small group - making Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup in the crock pot

Wednesday - Pasta in Garlic Sauce with veggies, and Buttery Bread Machine Rolls

Thursday - Lemon Garlic Tilapia, veggies, and rice

Friday - Sunday - visiting my parents for the weekend!


Check out more great meal plans at Organizing Junkie!

Wow!

Isn't it so amazing to come to the end of a year and look back at all that has transpired and just say, Wow!

And it's so crazy to look ahead to a new year and have no idea what is going to come our way.

I went back and read my post from January 1, 2009.  I am absolutely amazed at the journey God has been leading us on.  It has had it's ups and downs, but mostly it has been an awesome ride.

Some of the highlights of our lives over the past year:
-We sold and moved out of our old house at the beginning of April.
-We moved into our current home, in a completely different part of town, in mid-May.
-Brenden joined our family on June 20th.
-We adjusted to life with 2 kids under 2.
-We helped to start our church, Riverside Community Church.
-We celebrated 6 years of marriage.
-Kaelyn turned 2 and has had her share of the terrible twos.

We had no idea at the beginning of last year the place that we would be in today.  We had no idea we would be in this house, that we would welcome our first son into our family, that we would be leading a home group for our church, and no idea about all of the lessons we would learn along the way.  And we had no idea that we would look back at all that has happened and know that we are in such a good place right now, the exact place that God planned for us to be. 

I shared last year how I was learning to trust God in the midst of unknown situations.  Those lessons were invaluable as we faced the changes and unknowns in our lives this year!  One thing is true, and will always be true, God is FAITHFUL!  Even when we cannot see where we are headed, or how things are going to work out, God is there.  And He knows.  And we can rest and trust in Him.  What an awesome blessing it is to know that God is always faithful.  I am so thankful for the journey He is leading us on, the lessons he has taught us and is continuing to teach us, and again, I am so excited to see what He has in store for us this year!  What an amazing blessing this life is! 

May you know and trust in God's faithfulness as you begin this New Year and look forward to all it has in store for you!