"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!)

Starbucks-style Frappuccino!

Oh my - this is yummy..............!

I adapted the below recipe slightly - instead of the ice and instant coffee (cause if you know my husband he doesn't do instant coffee in this house!) - I froze sweetened coffee in ice cube trays and used that. And because I wasn't sure if I had made the coffee sweet enough, I did go ahead and add another 1-2 TB of sugar to the mixture.

Oh - go try it - you'll love me!

Starbucks-style Frappuccino

makes 2 grande (16 oz each)

• 3 cups ice
• 1 1/2 Tbs. instant coffee - I use decaf. A good national brand tastes best, but even the cheap stuff will make you regret you ever paid $4 for a frap.
• 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup heavy cream - Not strictly necessary, but makes it even yummier. Try this at your own risk.

Blend til smooth and enjoy. Drink with a straw. Remember to share, because this was 2 large servings.

options:

1. Mocha: add 2 Tbs. of unsweetened cocoa powder.
2. Java Chip: blend in chocolate chips
3. Caramel Macchiato: replace the sugar with a 1/3 cup of caramel sauce.
4. Get really fancy and top it with real whipped cream.
5. Try drinking it all yourself.

thanks to This Blog!

a thought for this week

As I was cleaning out some stuff I came across this quote I printed and was reminded once again of it's timeless truth and thought I would share it.

"Busyness is not Godliness. God is not impressed with your production capacity as much as He is concerned that the product of your home--your own children--be chiseled and molded and perfected to the best of your ability. You may tire of this mundane task, but the Lord admonishes you not to grow weary and promises to supply the energy and strength as needed in this all-important task (Isaiah 40:28-31). God's strength is for what He plans for you to do--not stamina for everything you might want to do."

--Dorothy Patterson

Do not grow weary in doing good - Keep on keeping on - Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.

Quinoa Taco Salad

This post is part of "Pennywise Platter Thursday" over at

The Nourishing Gourmet

I love making "taco-seasoned" quinoa and I decided to get creative this week and I made it into a taco salad. It turned out pretty good. This recipe would probably feed 4 adults, or maybe closer to 6 with some kids in the mix. Keep in mind when you make it though, it doesn't keep well, make what you can eat 'cause the leftovers get pretty mushy!

Quinoa -

Cook 1 cup of dry quinoa according to the directions (2 cups boiling water, add 1 c. quinoa- simmer and cook till water is absorbed)

Add taco seasoning -

I usually do something along the following, but add what spices you like - it's pretty forgiving!

1 can tomato sauce

1-2 TB BBQ sauce, chipotle flavor is my favorite

couple dashs of Chipotle Tabasco hot sauce

2-3 TB chili powder

1-2 TB cumin (vary depending on your preference for hotness)

1-2 tsp garlic powder - or fresh garlic

1-2 tsp onion powder - or fresh onion (I like red onion best)

Mix throughly

Prepare 1 head of lettuce in a large bowl

Add a couple chopped tomatoes (fresh is best but especially in taco salad you could get away with canned if you had to, I would add to the quinoa above and mix there)

Add 1-2 cups crushed/broken up tortilla chips

Add 1 cup cheese

Add 1 cup of kidney or black beans

Add quinoa mixture

Mix everything together and serve immediately.

We all enjoyed this and even my 2 year old ate a full serving and my 4 year old declared it his favorite salad!