"I don't know what that is Mama, but I'd sure like to find out!" ~Caeden

It's THIS!

Somedays.......... it makes the perfect afternoon snack! I gave the boys a couple bites with a spoon, it was a little thick :-) They loved it but I stopped when I remembered it did have coffee in and giving a 2 yr old and 4 yr old something with coffee in it probably wasn't the best idea! Alannah wanted some bites too so I gave her "bites" off my empty spoon and she kept asking for more!

Bugaloo giveaway

I found these online and would love to get Alannah a pair sometime. They are so cute!

Found a giveaway on another blog I read and thought I would share with you!

Go check it out HERE!

(these are my second choice!)

And these are the ones I would get Colm........ I think he can still wear the 18-24 month size judging from their sizing measurements. Maybe he would keep these shoes on!

Red Beans and Rice w/ Sausage

One of K's favorite side dishes is Popeye's Red Beans and Rice. I have been experimenting with a recipe trying to somewhat mimic it. This is what I have so far!

Red Beans and Rice w/ Sausage

Soak & cook about 2 cups of red beans, drain off most of the extra water

(Keep THIS in mind when you soak and cook red beans...........!)

In your crockpot - put in the beans (you want around 3-4 cups of cooked beans).

If you would rather use canned, use 2 cans.

Put in 1-1 1 /2 cups of dry, uncooked rice

(you could probably soak this first, but I didn't this time)

Add 4 cups of liquid - I used a combination of water and beef broth

Add 1 onion, chopped fine

Add 4-6 cloves garlic, minced

Add spices:

2 TB chili powder

1 heaping TB cumin (adjust this down for a little more mild spicy!)

1 tsp salt

1/2- 1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (can leave out, especially if you are serving little ones!)

2 TB dried parsley

If you like, add sausage. I used the large links, a mild Italian sausage. It would also be yummy if you cut these links into "rounds". I let the rice and beans start cooking for about 2 hours before I added the sausage, frozen.

(Because I knew we were going to be gone for the rest of the day and I didn't want it to over cook and my crockpot doesn't have a warm feature! )

This would also be a good vegetarian dish, just leave the sausage out!

Mix well and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. If you can check halfway thru you may need to add a little more water or broth as the rice cooks and absorbs most of the liquids. And really all you need to do is cook the rice and sausage, so once they are cooked you can serve anytime or turn to low and wait till dinner time!

Serve with fresh, homemade sourdough bread!

I let mine cook for a good 8 hours - we ended up coming home later then I had planned, so it was for sure done when we got back! Besides wishing I had had a way to add a little water a few hours earlier, it was still really good. The beans and rice were pretty mushy, but very flavorful and had a good spicy kick. If you don't care for too spicy, tone down the measurements above till you find a good flavor for you!

This post is part of Pennywise Platter over at Nourishing Gourmet!

meal plans

Meal plans..............

these are so helpful for me, I am not having to think of dinner off the top of my head. We eat with foods we have here and when I plan ahead the evenings seem a little less rushed and full of cleaning and cooking and dealing with kids at the end of a long day.

I tend to make a list of dinners and a list lunch and breakfast ideas for the week and then work off it as my week starts to develop. Some weeks I can tell you what we will have each day and other weeks I don't decide till that morning what I am going to make. But, I find it really helps to have a list of dinners for the week. And since I do quite a bit of breakfast "prep", making breakfast quick in the morning - knowing what I am planning on helps alot in the evenings too when I want to get things started.

I have toyed with the idea of main dish themes for each day of the week - Like "Meatless Mondays", "Vegetarian Tuesdays", "Beans on Wednesday" .......... or Chicken on Wednesday, Beef on Thursday, Fish on Friday, Soup on Saturday............. you get the idea. But, I never really seem to stick with it. And depending on our week we sometimes have more of one thing - like chicken or refried beans cause I make up enough for a couple different meals.

So, right now I am sticking with my rather generic lists. :-)

Lat week I wrote down what we had, thought I would share and over the next couple weeks I will try and share some of the recipes as well.

Monday

B: yougurt & leftover biscuits and gravy

L: pasta

D: smothered bean and cheese burritos with green chilies sauce and homemade tortillas

Tuesday

B: pasta & toast

L:

D: leftovers

Wednesday

B: eggs w/ gravy and tortillas

L: pasta/chips & homemade guacamole

D: Talapia and roasted potatoes

Thursday

B: yogurt muesli

L: cheese crackers and apples

D: cream cheese chicken and l/o roasted potatoes

Friday

B: French toast

L: yogurt

D: Cabbage soup and homemade bread

Saturday

B: yogurt/breakfast burritos

L:

D: Red Beans and Rice w/ Italian Sausage

Sunday

B: Eggs w/ green chili sauce

L:

D: Salmon w/ rice & cauliflower

Now, off to work on next week's list!

(We're having leftovers tonight......... your choice of cabbage soup, rice, cauliflower, red beans and rice and whatever else I might find!)