The Magical Baby Girl and The Brokenhearted Woman

This is the story I tell my daughter every year about her birth story, the essence of the story is true, my hubby and I waited nearly a decade for the promise of parenthood to be fulfilled. 2 & 1/2 years before Kissi was born we suffered the loss of 3 babies consecutively and the heartache and loss nearly swept us away. It was only the loving hands of our Lord that kept us intact and the lessons we learned during those lean years still aid us in our walk today....

RECIPE WED: Chicken Tortilla Soup-Crock Pot Version

Chicken Tortilla Soup 

My delish version of a recipe I saw online, very delish and you can use your slow cooker!!

DELISH LOOKING SOUP

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (16 ounce) bag frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or  bottle dark amber beer
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with diced onions, undrained
• 1-lime juiced
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning {or homemade seasoning click for recipe}
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

Frugal Fridays: 3 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN PURCHASEING A Freezer

It has been way to long since I have been posting "Frugal Fridays", 

I really have been juggling quite a load lately. 

The household needs some SERIOUS TLC with all the surgeries, recovery periods, and now learning to cope with chronic pain "while homeschooling a precocious preschooler and special needs toddler, who only knows 2 speeds FAST & FASTER" & receives therapy 1-2/week for speech, occupational, & physical needs.

III YIII YII!! Some days I just wish we never needed rest or at least could feel refreshingly rested even after less than 4 hours of sleep...some women make that look easy, yeah, I am SO NOT one of them, I NEED 7 hours of sleep or I am one grumpy, unfocused, dingy, bear...

So ANYWAYSSSSSSS, Sheesh, I found some old frugal files from back in the early part of 2000's....

Each week I thought I would share some of the cream of the crop so to speak! :-)

Teach Me Tuesdays: DIY Conditioners & Deep Conditioning Recipes

Why do we condition hair- have you ever thought why? Or did you just wash your hair twice with a bubbly shampoo like the label tells us, then are left with such a tangled mess, scoop a HUGE glob of conditioner smothering your hair hoping the results would be a shinny and manageable mane like the commercials show us?

Picture Credit

The natural oil our hair possesses and needs gets stripped in the process of removing daily dirt and grime-conditioners restore the PH balance in our hair to its optimal level of 5.6 on the acidic scale. 

 But with all types of synthetic chemicals- 

what are we sacrificing?

Though I am still struggling with the "No-Poo Method" of cleansing my hair, it is a tanglely mess, not shinny, dull looking and doesn't feel good- I am pressing forward with this

However, keep in mind I have underwent 5 major surgeries, been on life support for 9 days, then in the ICU for 13 days, have been admitted to the hospital for a total of 60 plus days ALL in the past 2 years. I am currently still recuperating from the last surgery that was 6 months ago & still wearing a wound vacuum. 

Soooooo needless to say my body is so stressed and I am loosing my hair by the handfuls, even with the best professional shampoo & conditioner I was not seeing the bouncy and shiny hair I was used to {With 20 years in the salon business I have access to the best available}... Right now, I am just trying to rid my body of as much chemicals and toxins as I can. 

I am going to hang in there and try this for a few more weeks/month(s), even if I am just detoxing. What I have found to work the best for me lately (As of 11/20/12) is: 

1. Cleanse with the "No Poo Method" of choice found here 
2. Use one of the PH balancing rinse formulas below.
3. If you need more detangling or smoothing- use the conditioner formula of choice below as often as needed.*(Mainly because of the hair loss and my body's response to all the chemicals & healing I have gone through. I am using the glycerine & rhassoul clay conditioners every time)

 Here are a few rinses I am trying:

1. Apple cider vinegar. Apply (I use a spray bottle to concentrate o

   

   Picture Credit

   n ends of hair) after shampooing, then rinse.
   
2. Coffee grounds. Massage into hair to exfoliate. Rinse thoroughly.
   
3. Lemon juice. Squeeze fresh lemon into jar, or boil and strain. Apply and rinse.

This site offers a short video discussing the pH-restoring benefits found in lemon juice, coffee grounds, and apple cider vinegar.

The following is more conditioning:

1. Glycerin conditioner: {I am trying this one because of the tangling issues}
   • 5 oz. herbal water (infuse nettle or lavender leaves in water—see our this link for an article for instructions) or use 5 oz. distilled water
   • 2 oz. glycerin
   • 1 oz. lemon juice
   Combine ingredients in glass jar and shake well. Apply 1/4 - 1/2 C. after shampooing. Rinse with warm water. Stores in refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
2. Coconut oil. Apply to dry hair and leave in until the next wash. Coconut oil helps reduce protein loss in hair. See this article for more information.
3. Olive oil/egg/essential oil blend. This recipe is a conditioning treatment- protein rich eggs strengthen hair and help prevent split ends and damage. You can do this weekly or as needed.
   • 2 tsp. olive oil (moisturizer)
   • 3/4 C water
   • 1 egg yolk (softener)
   • 3-4 drops of essential oils of choice (optional)
   Mix egg yolk until bright yellow in color and thick. Mix water with Olive Oil then add essential oils. {Tea Tree, Rosemary, & Sage help dandruff. Sandalwood, Lavender, & Patchouli have a soothe a dry scalp and have a masculine scent. Peppermint will invigorate the scalp and citrus will help oily hair.}  Combine ingredients and apply to hair. Leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse using w/cool water, too hot will cook egg on your hair. Some sites say use this before you cleanse hair some say after.
4. Avocado-Coconut Milk: Deep Conditioner For Dandruff & Frizz
   
   1 Avocado
   ½ can of (fat) Coconut Milk
   2 tbsp of Organic Coconut Oil
   2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
   Optional extras:
   (1/3 cup of organic honey for extra dry hair)
   (1 lemon for hair loss)
   
   *Blend and apply in hair for 30 min to an hour 
5. Yogurt-Banana Deep Conditioner For Breakage-Prone Hair
   
   1 cup of plain whole-fat Yogurt
   1 Banana
   1 Egg
   2 tbsp of Jamaican Black Castor Oil
   
   *Blend and apply in hair for 30 min to an hour
6. Hot Oil Deep Treatment For Dry Hair
   
   1 cup of Water (Bring to a boil)
   2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
   2 tbsp of Jojoba Oil
   2 tbsp of Jamaican Black Castor Oil
   10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
   
   *Stir oils in water until warm. Massage mixture onto hair and scalp. Rinse after 30 min 
   
5. Rhassoul clay. This clay can also be used for deep conditioning of the hair. Feel free to adapt the following recipe to suit your unique hair needs. *This is the conditioner I am using, due to the condition of my hair, I am using this nearly every time I cleanse my hair-which is about every 4-6 days 

• 1/2 c. rhassoul clay
• 1/2 c. warm coconut milk {Don't keep on hand use warm water &  enough dry milk powder to make 1/2 C} 
• 1/4 c. rose water or herbal water (make your own infusion by pouring 2 c. boiling water over 2 tbsp. organic herbs or flower petals. Allow to steep for 30 minutes and strain.)
• 1/4 c. distilled water (double this amount if no herbal or rose water is used)
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil
• Tad of Honey

Mix all ingredients except oil. Once you have a paste, stir in the oil. You may add a tad of honey at this point for added conditioning treatment. Apply to hair and allow to sit with a warm, moist towel or plastic hair cap for 1 hour. Rinse and style as usual. 

I keep this in a glass jar in the fridge and will bring to room temp before I use & will place in a pan of hot water to gently heat.
 
Rhassoul clay is excellent for ethnic hair as well, as seen in this video.

TEACH ME TUESDAY: When it's time to say WHEN!

(RETRO POST FROM MARCH 2012)-

WOW, what a crazy 10 days it was been! Kids have been super sick, all my ambitions have been laid aside and my mommy's intuition and home remedy know how put to the test as well as my nerve to actually use it....

I am willing to try alternative "crunchy" ideas and recipes when it comes to foods, house cleaning products, beauty/body care items, my pet, my health, but when it has come to the health of my pregnancies and my children...ERRRRRRRRR (that is the sound of breaks being pressed the floor and the break pads smoking!)!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yet, when my daughter woke up screaming and writhing in pain holding her ear, I remember all to well the many times my momma would hold my head on her lap 

and drop warmed "sweet oil" aka olive oil in my ear and run a blow dryer over it and 

"AHHHHH" the relief I felt...

I went to the pantry and to grab my EVOO,  then I remembered I had made garlic infused EVOO and had it in my fridge, 24 oz to be exact... 

pic from this site

I heated up a mug of water then placed a smaller cup inside w/a small amount of garlic infused EVOO, when it got to a nice temp I tested it on the inner part of my wrist. 

Using a dropper I placed 1-2 drops it in my daughter's ear and did a lymphatic drainage massage 

• within 5 minutes she was calm and wanted to sit up on my lap, 
• within 10 min she was asking for some water to drink...
• within 20 she was up and playing with her dollies...

So began my first steps towards using alternative practices to help me kids

Lymphatic Drainage massage in for earaches:

1. First, have the person lay on his or her side with the aching ear facing upward.
2. Next put the ear drops (garlic oil, onion juice, colloidal silver, etc.) in the ear. 
3. Grasp the lower part of the ear and begin stretching and massaging it. This helps the remedy reach the eardrum and begins the process of lymphatic drainage.
4. Finally, after a few minutes of massaging the ear, begin using a "milking" technique to increase lymphatic drainage in the neck and throat. 
5.  Place your finger in the indentation just under the ear and behind the jawbone. 
6. Gently stroke the neck downward from this point. 
7. Gently massage the lymph nodes in the throat area, too. 
8. You'll know what they are because you'll feel hardened, lumpy areas in the neck and throat. These movements will dramatically increase the flow of lymph moving away from the ear.
9. If the first round of this procedure doesn't completely relieve the pain, be patient. Just keep repeating the same process once every hour or so.

Within that hour my son wakes up SCREAMING his left ear red as ruby on fire. 2 days before he had the beginnings of pink eye, he typically gets this ever other month bc of a tear duct issue, he will get it lanced as soon as he is breathing freely enough to tolerate the anesthesia, I drained the ducts as I usually do and make sure it stays gunk free...

Then his temp spikes to nearly *105/106...scary!! *{DON'T ALLOW YOUR CHILD'S FEVER TO GET THIS, HIGH IMMEDIATLY GET MEDICAL ATTENTION IF TEMP SPIKES THIS HIGH!!} I remember reading in one of my old home remedy books I downloaded from amazon to my kindle originally published in the 1700/1800's:

"...  the feet are ice cold and the head raging with a fever to wrap the feet in a thin cloth soaked in apple cider vinegar and rub the feet until they were warm... "

by the time his feet were warm his temp was down to 102, then within 5-10 min he was in the 99 range...

Since then I have heard several other remedies:

• To place a cut potato cut side down on forehead to draw fever
• Slice an onion and place on soles of clean feet and put on clean socks-by the time onion turns brown fever is gone- don't know if I would do this to my young children, but I would try it with me and hubby 
• To use cloth soaked in egg whites on forehead and on feet as well as a burn soother/healer and purportedly will prevent scaring
• Cool bath, which i remember with some ice being done to me as a young child.

Then I read a site that included nearly all the remedies on EHow

• 4 eggs
• 1 small white onion
• 1 tbs. of apple cider vinegar
• Socks
• 2 washcloths or handkerchiefs- I used old diapers I only used for burp clothes not prefolds but the thin ones you would have to fold into prefolds, perfect texture for lintness clothes

1- Separate the yokes from the egg whites carefully and discard the yoke.  

2- Chop the white onion finely and mix the pieces into the egg whites.  

3- Add 1 tbs. of apple cider vinegar and stir gently.  

4- Soak the handkerchiefs or washcloths in the mixture. While a bit messy, you want the cloth to be dripping with the liquid allowing plenty of absorption into the skin. Be sure some of the onion pieces remain on one side of the washcloths or handkerchiefs.  

5- Wrap the washcloths or handkerchiefs around your feet with the onion touching the skin and place socks over the cloths. This natural remedy will quickly pull the temperature down to your feet, where it can do no bodily harm, naturally relieving a fever.

Monitor the fever carefully to watch for changes. Reapply the soaked cloths to the feet if the fever begins to return.

Tips & Warnings

• Egg whites are also a natural and helpful way to reduce pain and scarring from burns. Coat the affected area with a light layer of egg whites, and reapply once dry. You will feel instant relieve from the heat of the burn.
• If the fever reaches above 104 degrees Fahrenheit and does not break, see a doctor.
• I would coat the foot in light neutral oil to protect a child's skin before I applied the mixture and wrap in plastic wrap to further press the cloth into skin and help with the mess a bit, 
• Plus lay a towel under the feet to protect from egg white contamination issues even with socks on I would still lay a towel under the feet...

WHAT I have learned:

1. Before seeking medical attention, it is good to give a child a cool bath, to try to bring down the body's temperature along with the poultices. The water should be lukewarm; not cold, and they should respond by telling you it feels good to them. However, if after the bath their temperature begins to rise again, it is time to seek medical attention.
2. A temperature of over 104 degrees F is usually considered very high. You should also seek medical attention if you experience confusion, painful urination, a stiff neck, convulsions, trouble breathing, or severe vomiting or diarrhea.
3. Fevers as high as 103-104 degrees should be dealt with immediately by a medical professional. If this event occurs during the night, the child should be taken to the emergency room. At the hospital, a doctor will evaluate your child visually, and will often perform various tests to make sure they are not suffering from a more dangerous illness, such as meningitis. They may take a urine sample to make sure they do not have an infection, or a strep screen, to make sure tonsillitis or strep throat is not the issue. 
4. Never treat a child's fever with aspirin. It can trigger a rare but potentially fatal disorder known as Reye's syndrome.
5. If your child is not able to keep liquids or solids down and is vomiting, this is not a good sign. They are in danger of dehydration, especially when they are not able to urinate or defecate.
6. If they experience difficulty breathing, or their heart rate becomes unusually fast, this is also a symptom of a dangerously high fever.
7. A rash on parts or all of their body, or "blotches", which is also in response to a fever.
8. In some rare cases if the fever is very high, a child may experience what is called "a febrile seizure" or convulsion; which can be extremely dangerous.
9. At the hospital, a doctor will evaluate your child visually, and will often perform various tests to make sure they are not suffering from a more dangerous illness, such as meningitis. They may take a urine sample to make sure they do not have an infection, or a strep screen, to make sure tonsillitis or strep throat is not the issue.
10. Some infections to not appear right away, and may be difficult to detect. It is important to watch your child carefully and return to the doctor or emergency room if their symptoms return.

I don't think I will EVER allow my children especially mini-moose with the CCM issues to have a fever this high again, it could have triggered the above mentioned " febrile seizure" or convulsion; which could have be extremely dangerous & life threatening especially to him.

We didn't go to hospital, his temp was reduced within minutes with the ACV soaked litness cloths, I would be willing to try the above mentioned remedy plus use the cut potato on forehead...
Plus good to know about the egg whites for burns...will file that one away for reference. But I doubt I will ever allow his temp to go that high again.

I feel like the bacteria went from his eyes to ears to  his ears 

it took 2 applications of the oil to calm him.

I dropped the oil in his ears, he was still inconsolable 

so it took him 2 more applications and about 60 min to calm him down 

and remove the red from his ears, 

I think point 10 mentioned about was what we saw happen in Izak.

All weekend I have been using onion,garlic, and ginger poultices on the children,

PIC From this site

1. Applying a light coating of EVOO on backs, chests, and feet. to protect delicate preschooler/toddler skin. 
2. I sliced an onion, smashed up 3 cloves of fresh garlic, and grated 3 T fresh ginger 
3. Placed in pan with a little water.
4. Saute on low until veg starts to steam and very warm--do NOT over-cook, only open up juices and enzymes, really heating up a light simmer.
5. Then I placed the mixture in a thin cotton cloth (old dipes not ever used as dipes, the old fashioned kind you had to fold into a prefold shape)
6. Wrapping like a burrito.

I placed on back for up to 10-15 min as long as Kissi-cat let me, checking skin every 2min garlic can cause burns. I placed other poultices on chest and foot I placed a qt size freezer bag over to hold in place. Mini-moose wouldn't allow me longer than 2 min of application.

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Kissi-cat still has lingering cough, but sounds a lot better. Mini-moose was so bad I had to to admit...

WHEN IT WAS TIME TO SAY WHEN  

and take him to doctor.

I could feel the rattling in his chest as I held him that past few nights as he miserably moaned and groaned and gasped...I was so torn, my gumption wants to hold out for the poultice to draw the mucus out as it has for Kissi-cat, but I can hear the weak cough tinged with the mucus, non-productive cough that surrenders in defeat.

The pediatrician heard the rattling in his chest and now Mini-moose is on breathing treatments, within one treatment his breathing improved and for the first time in 8 nights we have a quiet night, no one is hacking, coughing or gasping. {We did this for  one  month and has yet to need another treatment}

Kissi-cat is still phlegmy so as I read her night time story 

I applied the "Why does it smell like Garlic in here?" poultice as we call it now-a-days in my house.

 It is working for her, so...

I have learned sometimes u have to use your intuition and go ahead and use what you know and sometimes you have to know when seek help.

Teach Me Tuesdays: Laundry Soap

I have been making my own laundry soap since late fall-early winter, so about 9 months now. 

Pic from this site

I have tried using regular body soap & natural hand made soap grated into my laundry soap and I honestly don't like the thick gloppy soap, I think this isn't good for the washing machine. So this time I bought Zote laundry soap I have read that some people had troubles with the zote soap dissolving and leaving clumps. 

The first time I used the zote- I allowed the zote soap, washing soda, and borax come to a boil that you can't stir down, then I allowed it to continue to boil for 30 minutes. It worked great, kinda runny but worked awesome!

I had no issues with clumps of Zote soap and we had good results even with my husbands greasy metal flake dirty grimy work clothes. 

The second batch with Zote I didn't allow it to come a 

full roiling boil and we have chunks of soap kinda floating on the top. 

My hubby says he sometime will have to rewash his clothes to get the clean,it hasn't lasted very long.... 

so I don't think I will make that mistake again.

This time I decided to try the powdered version, Here is what I did:

• 3C Borax
• 3C Washing Soda
• 3 C Baking Soda
• 6 Oz bar of Zote Soap, Grated 

1. Mix all of the above in a gallon container, I used an upcycled ice cream container (THINK WHALE of a PAIL) that has a lid and handle. Mix well for 1-3 minutes until WELL combined. 
2. Use 1-3T per load, depending on load size and "dirtiness" of the laundry.
3.   I make sure I place the powder is as the washer is filling up & then add my clothes. I have used with ALL temperatures, only use HOT with white (FOR whites I have another formula see this post.)

So far this has worked well, I was using baking soda for extra stain lifting power so I just added this into my formula  and so far:

• No build up on clothes, 
• They smell clean,  
• So far all stains have washed out!

Teach Me Tuesdays: Making Staples for the week

Sundays are my day of accomplishing whatever tasks I have had in mind all week to do, but for some reason haven't been able to 

& for preparing the week's grocery staples. 

I of course go to church and spend time with the family, 

however we try to designate Saturdays for Family Fun Days, 

so I multitask on Sundays after church while Mini-Me-Moose is napping.

This day I made: loaf of bread, started dough for bread throughout the week, made homemade yogurt, dried orange peels for diy citrus scrub, whey infused ranch dressing

I. Making Homemade Bread Products From ABI5MD (Artisian Bread in 5 min/Day):

• making the last loaf of bread from my bread dough I have in the fridge 
• making a new batch to set in fridge for me to provide fresh baked bread products for the week (Pitas, Flat bread, Naan, Chibata, Bule, Sandwich bread, Flour Tortillas, Gooey Cinnamon Rolls, Bread Rolls).  
• I might have to make a fresh batch mid week, yet I always am making a fresh batch on Sundays.

I have 2- 5 LB bag of un-bleached flour in the deep freeze, but I forgot to get it out and it won't rise properly if the temp is that low, so I threw in 1 & 1/2 C of ground flax meal not sure how that will affect the gluten and baking chemistry over all. Don't know if that will affect the dough as it rises, or bakes or the chewiness, but u know I don't do a lot of things bc of fear of failure. I won't loose out on much, and I will gain experience and knowledge...we will see, maybe I will come across success to? Saw that Wal-mart has 25 Lb bags of unbleached flour for $16 that is on my list...

(UPDATE: the flaxmeal an interesting addition, it added an crispiness to the dough, especially since I use EVCO to grease my pan, I REALLY liked the toasty nutty flavor this gave the crust!)

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SIDE NOTE:
I did learn something that extra-virgin Olive oil (evoo) is NOT a good substitute for extra virgin coconut oil (evco) for  non-stick baking when using the wet dough of The Artisan Bread in 5 min/day. Ughh!

I asked the authors how to make the bread into loaf pans without using non-stick pans and Jeff Hertzburg assured me that using this one heavy commercial bakery loaf pan would help me along with heavily greasing it up. He uses EVOO, I had only used extra-virgin coconut oil as non-sticking agent up until 2day,  I thought I would give evoo a try, but NOPE, part of it stuck and as I tried to pick it off I accidentally placed my thumb on the pan and OUCH!! Searing pain immediately...

I placed a dab of evco, on my thumb and then added lavender essential oil and you know, I was so

• amazed that lavender actually helped take the pain away, 
• amazed that I didn't see a blister forming, 
• amazed that something natural actually works as purported to work!!

A Little FYI on Lavender: 

I have heard that the healing powers of essential oils was discovered when a french chemist had accidentally burnt his hands with some chemical mishap and dunked his hands in what he thought was water but was lavender essential oil. He noticed immediate pain relief from the natural occurring analgesic properties that lavender naturally posses and the healing properties helped heal the skin faster than the chemist expected. He then focused his search on the healing properties & recuperative properties of lavender and other essential oils.

I have 2 oz of Lavender I always keep it on hand I use it as perfume but now I will keep it in the kitchen for a first aid kit too. Plus I learned that evco works amazing as a non-stick agent, amazingly well, plus it helped my burn, it is barely even red, just kinda tingles...so cool I learned that some things actually work like I hear on the natural web. I will also be making a burn salve soon with evco and lavender within this week after that experience going to look up some recipes...

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II. FREE SUBSITUTIONAL INGREDIENTS:

 A. WHEY, MILK AND YOGURT-
I made tacos for Sunday supper and forgot to purchase sour cream so I took my plain yogurt and did the classic drain with a mesh strainer over a larger bowl trick to make the yogurt thicker like a sour cream product. It turned out great and no one knew of my trick, LOL! Now what to do with the whey left over, I have never given a second thought about throwing out the whey liquid in the past, but now-a-days who can afford to throw away anything that has nutritional value or possible meal enhancer quality or FREE substitutional ingredient.

Yes, I know i just made up a word, but really how many times have u found a FREE substitute ingredient in your pantry for something that typically costs lots-o-dough?? 

• Like when u make homemade stock and you place in fridge to cool
• remove the fat layer off,
• what do you do with that, throw it away? 
• NO!! 
• You finely dice an onion and render it with that chicken fat and 
• AND you have Matzo Ball soup starter, you pay a fortune for that in the store, 
• but this is a FREE substitutional ingredient.

That being said, the whey that I had drained I caused me to pause and ask myself, 

"This is a tangy nutritional liquid, do I throw it away or find a use for it??"

I make my weekly ranch dressing and add buttermilk subsitute (milk with lemon juice), but instead of that I added the drained whey...guess what it worked!! YAY!! It was a free substitutional ingredient and it added nurtrion as well.

I have read about making your own yogurt with pre-made yogurt and milk on the blogs. So I set about making the yogurt, it takes 10 min to cook the milk to kill off the bacteria in milk, then you cool it down so it won't kill the yogurt cultures, then you add the yogurt to the milk in a warm crock and wrap it with towels and blanket. Allowing it to sit overnight...in the morning walla homemade yogurt stretcher. We will see how this works, Jim was not happy to see me pouring a half gallon of the precious "white gold" in a pan and not into his cereal bowl. I am moderately anticipating that this work. I am only out $1.29 if this doesn't work, but I have spent $3.99 or $4.99 on yogurt we all hated, so we will see. (Update: It turned out great and I have been making my own yogurt for over 5 months)

 B. DRIED CITRUS PEELS:
I read from a blogger that she uses dried citrus peels to make a version of citrus scrub. Our family eats about 3 lbs of citrus/week I hate wasting the peels so I do grate the peel of limes and lemons and place in freezer for future use.  Just haven't really thought of what to use the oranges for besides making orange cookies, which we LOVE!, but now, we have a FREE subsitutional ingredient!!

I have orange peels drying (Jim thinks I am insane), but hey, once he sees us saving money, the essential oils will become more intense upon drying so it will smell awesomely gr8 too! (UPDATE: THE BEST WAY TO DRY AROUND HERE WITH THE HUMID WEATHER IS TO PLACE IN OVER- I HAVE GAS, OVERNIGHT AND BY MORNING IS PERFECTLY DRY)

• Once they are dried- 
• might make about a week, 
• then I will grind it in my bullet 
• add borax and baking soda to an upcycled large herb container with w/sprinkle lid

I LOVE HAVING a citrus scrub to remove the stains on my white ceramic sink which turns brown and stained even if I pour tea down the drain plus extra cirtus cleaning power to clean bath tub and sinks!! Pretty cool, huh? I have spice containers Jim thought I was nuts to save but now I have an upcycle purpose for them, I will place the mixture in those with the label I made from a free printable site.

So in less than one hours time, I made a loaf of bread, started dough for bread throughout the week, made homemade yogurt, dried orange peels for diy citrus scrub, & made whey infused ranch dressing

Teach me Tuesday: Adventures in Whole Foods/Organic Eating

Found an organic co-op in my area, now I am overwhelmed looking at the thousands of items that are offered, funny how seeing names and descriptions without pics make it harder for me to decide if we need it? I am not sure what I want to stock up on, what I really want to start with.


Since I am baking on a regular basis I am thinking that I want to try coconut sugar which is on sale 30% off, though I am not sure what the delivery and taxes will bring my cost up to as well as the one time fee of $10 to join the co-op and the $5 pick up fee if I don't regularly help unload truck. So I will have to add $15 right off the bat to my initial order plus shipping and taxes. They also strongly suggest you order minimum of $100 per month... Decided to save the money & go once a month up to Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Mustard Seed, & Earth Fare.

Anyhow, I am thinking I really want to try the coconut sugar reg in place of brown sugar and blonde in place of granulate sugar, xtra virgin coconut oil in place of my canola in all my cooking and baking & I think I replace shortening in cookies with coconut oil-will have to research.  I would like to find a sprouted flour for the bread I am making every other day that would be better. 

Plus I would like to find a wild sour dough starter, don't know if that would work in my bread making technique I have been using the Artisan Bread in 5 min. My husband cracked me up this evening as I inquired as to the children's supper, that he couldn't use the "new" bread to make Kissi's pb&j's, he was appalled at the mention of if LOL! He didn't want to "waste" that bread on that, he wanted simple sandwich bread, LOLOLOL!!! 

How funny was that? I informed him this was our new bread and Kissi loves it for sandwiches so I will try the sandwich recipe next time I make a batch which will prolly do by Friday. Will let u know how that turns out. I did make pitas with the Master recipe turned out gr8! Want to make tortillas now out of it, hopefully I can

The other area of concern is the kids snacks, I am doing Annies Homegrown bunnies seems like a good replacement for the fishies, would like to add the mac and cheese and their cheese ravioli's as well as the all starts, so when we are running late we have the convince items on hand that are healthy.  

I am thinking of ordering Keifer since it is on sale, that way I can give the kids kiefer every day and get some the health benefits going thru their systems and ours, I suspect if my husband drank some every day his IBS and mine would virtually disappear. I would like to get some Sprouted Ground Whole Wheat and pasta. 

Made the hand sanitizer, that was a BUST! Way too watery then I got the bright idea to add more glycerin...yeah now slippery and slightly sticky, so I think of adding my son's Simply Thick beverage thickener...ummm don't know if that helped or made worse. It does absorb eventually and my hands are as chapped as they have been, since we had Hand Foot and Mouth disease, ROTO Virus, Pink EYE, some throat virus (Jim and I are still battling), and sinus infections....so we have been using the hand sanitizer like it is holy water around here. Both of our hands are so raw and chapped it is insane.

My hands feel smooth and look good after a day of 10 poopy dipe changes and working, so perhaps it might not be so bad? Maybe in place of the pump dispenser I will use the spray bottle and it will not dispense so much? Might have to try that, bc it is still thin enough I believe it will spray, I think...

I did find another recipe from another blogger I recently discovered:

Searching For Hidden Treasure's Hand Sanitizer:

• 12 ounce bottle of 100% Pure Aloe Vera Gel {It must be clear and say 100% on the bottle!}
• 3/4 teaspoon of Tea Tree Oil
• Witch Hazel

In a glass bowl, mix Aloe Vera and Tea Tree Oil. Then add witch hazel until you have the consistency you want your sanitizer to be.

 The more Tea Tree Oil you use, the stronger the antibacterial qualities your hand sanitizer will have. But the smell can be overwhelming too. 

You can add other essential oils such as citrus, lavender or cedar wood if you'd like to have a sanitizer with a better scent.

Like what the glycerin did for hand protection, still might add like a 1/2 tsp and 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar for it's sanitizing properties. 

But will def start with a 12 oz base of Pure Aloe Vera Gel and Tea Tree is main add others maybe 1/8 tsp at time so it won't be so watery? Will let you know.

Teach Me Tuesday: When Ambition takes the backseat to LIFE...

{Found this draft from back in March 2012, I just hadn't posted it} 

I had so many ambitions, as last week was so chock full of appointments, tests, and procedures- I was looking forward to catching up on household chores, Kissi-cat's homeschooling, mini-moose' therapy and more ambitious whole foods cooking. It really takes time to, planning, and prep to cook more traditionally and I look forward to the process of it {Just NOT the clean up}

Then it all came to a screeching halt as I heard the rumblings  & rattlings & hacking & coughing, sure signs of upper respiratory inflammation starting up in Kissi-cat. Mini-moose has had congestion and sinus issues since last Wed, didn't know if they would precede with his MRI since he had to be sedated, but they were able to work out a good situation for him. But now his nose is draining like a faucet down his face and Kiss-cat is draining down her throat.

There comes a time, when you have to choose to allow somethings to go undone when you are needed by children or situations happen outside of your control. It kills me to not reach my goals for the day even if that just means washing the dishes, I LOVE my children, it might sound the opposite because I am giving myself permission to hold a sick child versus doing chores. Yet, I had to mentally give myself permission to leave somethings undone,  so we had store bought egg noodles instead my homemade version. I usually keep some in the pantry just in case, now this might be a cop out, if I didn't have it I wouldn't rely on it? Perhaps, I am not that hard core though, and there are times when life happens and ambition takes the backseat, you know? I hope to make homemade pasta when I make Spaghetti Bolaganse this weekend, but we will see, I do have store bought pasta in my pantry-some shapes you just can't make or roll thin enough.

In the past we would rush to the doctor who would say the same thing, use Vick's Vapor Rub on chest, back and bottoms of feet, use humidifier, elevate her pillows, elevate her bed, restrict dairy and phlegm causing food.  IF they get all croupy take outside for them to catch their breath, or turn the shower on full blast and all hot to get extreme steam to help clear the air ways...

All drainage is clear so I am not going to rush them to the doctor's and risk them getting some other bug... This time I am mustering up my courage and tapping into my mother's intuition, instead of allowing fear of ridicule from others keep me from making choices I know are right for my family. In any case the doctor would not offer much else than I have all ready heard dozens of time before.

I have been interested in alternative medicine for as long as I can remember &  have made a "lung butter" or a salve like the "Vick's" only not synthetic ingredients and petroleum to get ingested into their developing systems along with the trace amounts of essential oils. So this time I utilized my years of research and applied what I have learned. Below is some remedies I have used time and time again and some new ones I have had in my files for years but only used recently:

Here is a list of Essential oils and the medicinal effects or issues they work best for:

• Asthma: clary sage, cypress, eucalyptus, frankincense and marjoram.
• Chesty cough: Cedarwood, clary sage, eucalyptus, ginger, myrrh, pine and tea tree.
• Hay fever: chamomile, eucalyptus, pine and rose otto.
• Sinusitis/catarrh: cajeput, Cedarwood, eucalyptus, lemon, rosemary and tea tree.
• Headaches: chamomile, lavender and peppermint.
• Insomnia: chamomile, lavender, jasmine and ylang ylang.

* DIY Vick's Vapor Rub:
Adapted this recipe from An Encyclopedia of Natural Healing for Children and Infants, by Mary Bove, N.D. page 286.

• Pour 1 ounces of almond or olive oil into a small bowl or cup.
• Add 1/2 Ounce Melted Coconut oil
• Add 1/2 ounce whipped unrefined shea butter-can omit and just use 1 oz melted coconut oil, I just like the softer texture of whipped unrefined shea butter
• Add 20 drops of essential oil {You want to use 10 drops TOTAL of oil per 2 ounces if you are using this on small children and infants} – choose eucalyptus, hyssop, thyme, peppermint,  basil, or rosemary.
• {I use 5 drops of tea tree, 4 drops hyssop, 4 drops peppermint, 3 drops lavender, & 3 Drops rosemary plus 1/8t of myrrh powder. This formula works well on my children, 10 drops didn't seem to do enough and 20 was too strong for Kissi-cat's sensitive skin}

Transfer to clean sanitized tin and allow to cool, apply to chest, feet and back you normally would.

 I also have been giving Kiss-cat & Mini-Moose some tea, this tea is soo good and as long Kissi-cat doesn't see the grated ginger, pulp of lemons, and it is sweet she will gladly drink it- Mini-moose is a crap-shoot. Here is the Ginger-Lemon Tea recipe:

* Ginger Lemon Tea w/Raw Honey: This is my version of a tea I enjoyed drinking when I was fighting extreme nausea during some fertility treatments. I found out later the other medicinal qualities of the ingredients and we drink this when we are starting to feel under the weather- 

• Ginger is another traditional cold and flu remedy, & works well for that rattly cough that lingers because it  contains at least a dozen antiviral compounds. You can use fresh or powdered ginger for this recipe- I really don't think the compounds are as vital when they u purchase the dried, unless u have a reliable source, PLEASE NOTE:  Fresh ginger has higher levels of gingerol {If you want to know what gingerol is: chemically, gingerol is a relative of capsaicin and piperine, the compounds which give chilli peppers and black pepper their respective spiciness, this is LOST when using dried version!} as well as FRESH ginger’s active protease (it's anti-inflammatory compound) than using dried verions-FRESH IS ALWAYS BEST!!
• Lemon is a traditional sore throat soother, essential from all that hacking and coughing- so I steep the lemon slices, or if I have rinds in freezer I add them

To make the tea:
Add 1 heaping teaspoon of grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon powdered),
3 slices of organic lemons,
To 1 cup of boiling water. 
Allow to steep COVERED for ten minutes
Strain {OR add the above to a tea ball and just remove at the end of 10 min}
Add Raw Honey to taste-then drink. 

If I am fortunate enough to have Licorice Root or Wild Cherry Bark I will add to my tea ball. They work well as a medicinal tea:

• 1t of dried licorice root- a natural throat coat, an expectorant to help keep your lungs clear and a booster to your energy when you are tired from coughing.
• 1t wild cherry bark- for irritating cough from bronchitis, croup, asthma and whooping cough b/c of it's Anti-spasmodic; Sedative; Anti-tussive; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ( COPD ), Expectorant, Supports lung and respiratory function, Antispasmodic, Expectorant, Sedative, &  Stomach Tonic.

Onion-Garlic-Ginger Poultice: WHY USE  onion, garlic and Ginger?
* Onion is filled with phytochemical and quercetin which assist the body by moving and breaking up the mucus in the head and chest. The powerful odor causes the eyes to tear and the nose to run is the affect that stimulates the immune system to fight the virus or bacterial infection. This is helping your body shed the virus and reduce the inflammation from congestion.
*Garlic is known to have strong antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties… and there are no known side effects (other than smelling like garlic!), getting kids to eat this raw or adults for that matter is impossible, so using it as poultice works for my family.
*Ginger has antiviral and anti-inflammatory compounds as listed above

• Crush 1/2 of a small onion, 3-6 cloves of garlic in a mortar and pestle  or with knife to get all juicy 
• Grate or slice thinly 2 T FRESH ginger.  
• Place in a thin material, cheese cloth, old t-shirt, I use the thin cloth diapers I used as burb clothes on kids when they were babies (these are the perfect thinness) and fold like a burrito
• lay in a deep medium bowl
• And pour Very Warm-Hot'ish water, NOT BOILING
• Allow to Steep until comfortably warm.

I rub a neutral oil, like sweet almond seed, jojoba on the skin prior to poultice as a protector of the natural secretions check often because garlic and ginger can be very warm to skin and will cause a "burn". 

I apply the poultice to the foot of my young children. The foot is a great receptor of natural remedies and the healing properties enter their systems fast. I will sometimes wrap a plastic bag over the foot to aid in keeping the poultice in place, checking every 2 min for skin irritations or hot spots. I will also apply to back and chest alternating up to 20 min, some people will suggest up to 60 min, since my kids are so young we don't apply this longer than 20 min.

Additional Remedies I found online and lost the resources but this we recently tried and I am liking the way it is seems to help soothe my throat: 
 

* Sore Throat Gargle with Hyssop or Sage:
Sage & Hyssop are traditionally calming herbs & known for their 
anti-inflammatory properties

• One cup of distilled water 
• 20 Drops sage or hyssop essential oil 
• Add 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 2 t Food Grade Vegetable glycerin {My family won't use this without the sweetened taste glycerin gives the gargle solution, plus it helps preserve it longer}

 Store in the refrigerator for two to three days, gargling whenever you need some relief from your sore throat. [Not sure where I got this recipe, but have been using it and adapting to my family's tastes for years-kids haven't been able to gargle without swallowing so primarily this is for adults]

* Lemon Throat Spray:  is a traditional sore throat soother, and you can put into a spray bottle of any size (look for travel-size spray bottles to take some with you when you're on the go) and stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Combine:

• 15 drops lemon essential oil
• 5 drops peppermint essential oil
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 t food grade vegetable glycerin (again my family won't use this if it's not sweetened, so this is a must, it slightly sweetens and helps the taste)

[Found this in my files a few months back, not sure of where I got this, but we have been using this and it is very soothing.]

MENU MONDAYS: 12 + Flavorful Freezer Meals in 60 min Sessions+Plans +Shopping Lists

I am not sure how much I will be able to handle after my extensive, major, abdominal surgery.

So I am planning to about as many meals in my freezer as I can:

1. Afford
2. Fit in the my freezer
3. Physically & Mentally handling making*

~ One of those "little Interruptions"~!

*{ Note 6/11/2012: #3 is a new one for me, I never saw this as quite that taxing mentally or physically in the last 1,000 sessions or so I have done in the past 16 years!! Alas it has been 2 years since I have done a freezer session of this magnitude bc of health issues and time management issues [BTW , if you are thinking this- IT is NOT an exaggeration of sessions, it's actually quite modest. If you did a session a month for 16 years it would be 3,200 sessions] .



This post show cases how I typically plan my freezer meal sessions I: 

• Brainstorm
• List dishes my family really likes 
• Recipes I haven't made in awhile
• Recipes I have been wanting to try.

Sometimes budget constraints prevent me making all I want and planned on making because the main &/or important ingredients are NOT on sale at the time & simply too spendy to purchase in bulk otherwise.

Other times I plan on making something and the kids get sick, too many appointments that month & I just can't "swing it"... LIFE "happens"& these "interruptions" can change our best laid plans ... in that event I will freeze the protein in a 1-2 Lb increments and cook it later. 

There have been more times lately as I cover in another post, that all I do is: 

• Buy proteins on sale in BULK!
• Freeze in meal portions deciding later what I will do. 

This has worked for me lately quite well as I stock up dry goods constantly as they go sale, it is very easy to pull together a meal the night before or even in the morning with what I have on hand.

This has been a life changing concept for me, allowing more flexibility with my sessions has given me more freedom and keeps me from being so rigid & "Cranky" to my family when my plans do NOT go as I wanted them to.

This is 1/3 filled, still have about 75 more meals to go!

It is infinitely easier for me to make double or triple of a recipe, 

you get caught up in ingredients when you do too many recipes and it makes a better use of time for me to multiply the amounts of the recipes this way. 

I just mix it up and then divide the dishes and place into freezer container of choice or I open the freezer bags and dump ingredients as go.  

Freezer cooking this way allows me to  

crank  out 12 flavorful meals in less than 60 minutes time  

even if I am cooking portions of it before I freeze.

I also cook/assemble freezer sessions according to protein type to not only make it :

• Safe so as to not cross contaminate meats, 
• It makes it affordable [I only buy proteins on sale]  
• "Doable" with 2 young kids needing constant attention- it breaks the sessions into mini sessions. (More here in this post)

List of terms used:

• HEAT & EAT-{Heat meal in pan provided or dump into oven proof/stove top proof pan/skillet, reheat and eat}
• SANe-{Some Assembly Needed, is partially cooked will need some finishing time in oven or stove top and might need various ingredients}
• MEAL KITS- {Has all protein ingredients but at times might need cooked & might include starch, veggies, shredded cheeses &/or sauce in" kit"}
• CROCK POT/MEAL KIT- {Thaw ingredients overnight and dump into crock pot and cook, might need to add starch but rest of ingredients are present in "kit"}
• DUMP KIT- {Protein with marinade, all you do take protien dump in freezer bag size of choice & dump in marinade-FREEZE. Thaw in fridge overnight and grill, bake or crock pot cook} 
• ORGANIZATIONAL HELPS:
• COLOR CODE SYSTEM- { I place same type dishes in same basket/crate [red meat in one, veggies in another and so no] and  I will also write the meals in specific colors so at a glance I can tell what kind of protein or dish type it is: 

Love the look of Luggage tags

RED= Red Meat,  BLUE= Poultry,  PURPLE = Pork, 
GREEN= vegetarian, YELLOW= Side Dishes,    
BLACK= Breakfasts,   BROWN= Lunch,  ORANGE=Desserts/Snacks

• LUGGAGE TAGS- This is a new organizational element, TO ME anyway, I am going to use, I really like the way it looks and I will add this to my chest freezer and my fridge freezer.

 Proteins:

~Ground Beef &/Or Ground Turkey Breast Mix:
 {WILL MAKE 3X'S EACH MEAL AND NEED 27 GALLON SIZED FREEZER BAGS}

I. MEAL KITS:

{WILL MAKE 3X'S/EACH MEAL AND NEED 4 QT SIZED & 9 FREEZER BAGS}

Flash Frozen Salisbury Steak Patties

1. Salisbury Steak Patties w/brown mushroom onion gravy (4 Meals)
2. Romanian Grilled Minced Meat Rolls (MICI)
3. Meatballs ( 3 Meals)
4. Hamburgers (3 Meals 
5. Taco Seasoned Ground Beef(4 meals)

Shopping List:
24 Lbs Ground Beef/turkey, Beef Bullion, Worcestershire sauce, 7 Onions, 14 cloves of Garlic, 2-3 boxes (6 Cups) Beef Stock, Gin, 6 eggs, Garlic and Onion Powder, Salt, Pepper, 24 oz Mushrooms, Bread Crumbs, Parsley, Parmesan Cheese
___________________
Grand Total: $60/15 meals=$4.00/$0.70/per serving+left overs!  Still have to add in starch and veggies but won't be over $9/meal by the time I add in those numbers for sure!! SO YAY!!

II. HEAT & EAT:
{WILL MAKE 3X'S/EACH RECIPE & WILL NEED 6 ALUMINUM PIE PLATES,  6 ZIPLOCK GALLON SIZED FREEZER BAGS, 3 QT SIZED ZIPLOCK FREEZER BAGS}

Taco Seasoned Ground Beef-Used Mixture of Wild Tree Seasoning & MYO

1. Shepherd's Pie
2. Cheeseburger Spaghetti
3. Spaghetti Pie
4. Mexican Macaroni

Shopping List:
15 LBs ground beef/turkey (1& 1/2 Lb each meal), 5 LBS Yukon Gold potatoes, 24 oz Tomato Puree, 32 Oz Salsa or diced tomatoes w/chilies and onions, 3 sticks butter, 4-5 jars Ragu Double Cheddar Sauce, 3 Lbs Macaroni, 6 Envelopes Taco Seasoning, 3 Lbs Spaghetti, 2 Lbs Frozen Corn, 8- oz frozen French Green Beans, [8 oz puree of peas and carrots for shepherd's pie- kids & I won't eat the peas or carrots cooked], 1 box Beef Stock, 3 cans Cream of Onion Soup, Dill Pickle Relish, 6 C Monterrey Jack Cheese, 24-oz mushrooms, 3/4 C Half & half, Worcestershire sauce, Dijion Mustard, dried parsley, 2 Lbs Ricotta Cheese, 3 Eggs, Parmesan Cheese, Italian Seasoning, Brown Sugar, baking Soda,


III. CROCK POT KITS: Roasts/Steaks/Cubes-
{CROCK POT KIS: WILL MAKE 3X'S/EACH MEAL AND NEED 24 GALLON SIZED ZIPLOCK FREEZER BAGS}
*6/21/2012 Note: I don't think I will get to this part of my plan as my time is getting near I and I need to focus on other projects b4 the surgery. Beef prices are not co-operating with me! So I will leave this intact and perhaps use this meal plan when roasts are cheaper!

1. Mexican Beef
2. Chili Con Carne
3. Teriyaki Beef
4. Creamy Pot Roast 
5. Crock Pot Gyros
6. Super Simple Slow Cooker Steak Pizzaiola 

Shopping List:
36LBs Top/Bottom Round Roast, 60 oz can diced tomatoes w/green chilies, 12 onions, 1 C Pepperoncini Peppers brine, 11 Cups Beef Stock, 3 Cans Black Beans, 96 oz Tomato Puree, 3-cans Mexican beans, Chili Powder, Chipotle Powder, Smoked paprika, 4 C Pineapple Juice, Soy Sauce, Mustard Powder, Ginger, 4 bulbs Garlic, 2 Cups oil, black pepper, 6 cans cream of mushroom soup, Beef Bullion, 3 T fresh Lemon Juice, 3/4 C EVOO, Dried Oregano, cumin, 64 oz tomato puree, Parmesan cheese, Italian herb mixture, 24 oz Mushrooms,  Kosher salt, pepper,
 
~ Chicken:

 I. Crock Pot Meal Kits: 

{ALL MEALS 3X'S EACH Will Need 18 Gallon sized ZIPLOCK Freezer Bags}

1. Orange Chicken
2. Chicken Paprikash
3. Chicken Swarma
4. Greek Chicken
5. Chicken Tacos
6. Brown Sugar Chicken

 II. "Heat & Eat" & "SANe MEALS"-
{Will Need 3 8X8 Foil pans with lids and 12 gallon sized ZIPLOCK Freezer bags}

1. Chicken Enchiladas {H&E}
2. Chicken Piccata {H&E}
3. Chicken Scalapini {H&E}
4. Chicken Scampi {H& E}

Shopping List:
{KEEP IN MIND THIS LIST IS A COMBINED LIST OF ALL CHICKEN DISHES, CROCK POT KITS AND HEAT AND EAT, & SANe MEALS. I did have some ingredients in my pantry and fridge so I didn't list those, if you are following this meal plan you will want to check each recipe, double check the shopping list with the ingredients listed  and triple what is needed where you find a missing item}
3 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup, 3 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies, 3 bunches green onions, chopped,divided, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 9 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded,divided, 3 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste, 56 Lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 2 liter 7-Up, 9 onion, apricot apricot preserves, Catalina dressing, 3-onion soup mix, 3Lb lemon, 4 boxes chix stock, 6- 8 oz  mushrooms, 12 C Panko style bread crumbs, capers, white wine, dried parsley, balsamic vinegar, 3 red onions, 3 bulbs fresh garlic, butter, dried Oregano, cumin-- non food items: large 2"x4" mailing labels, wax sandwich wrappers, large gallon and qt size freezer bags, 3 small foil rectangle containers with lids, sharpies in red, black, green, and blue.
____________________________
Grand Total for chicken meals: $180.00 for 39 meals that will feed 4-6 ppl with left overs= $5.00/meal or $0.77person

Update: as of now: 6/10/12 { Didn't get to these 9 meals [WAS GOING TO MAKE 3 MEALS OF EACH RECIPE]-but did add on 3 different vegetarian meals I wasn't planning on}

• Chicken Parmesan {SANe}
• Chicken Perkelt (CROCK POT KIT}
  
• Greek Stuffed Chicken {SANe}
• Caprese Chicken {SANe} This one is a new one & I want to add this amazing recipe from a fellow blogger I just found.

Would need to purchase 12 more Lbs of FRESH LARGE boneless skinless Chicken Breasts*, 8 oz Cream Cheese, 12 oz Sundried Tomatoes in EVOO, 3- 14 oz frozen spinach, 6 C Chix stock, 3 Onions, 24 oz Mushrooms.
*Chicken Breasts I bought were very cheap, and they were filled with broth solution so once thawed they ended up being 1/4 less of the size and I ran out of chicken. Will ONLY used FRESH Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts! So needless to say I will have to purchase more to make these dishes though I did buy enough!!
_______________________________
SO AS OF NOW Grand Total IS: $180 for 33 meals that will feed 4-6 w/left overs= $5.50 or $0.92/person

 I. Vegetarian/Beans: 
{Want to make 12-18 patties each for several lunches or quick vegetarian suppers & 24 qt sized ZIPLOCK freezer bags}

Zucchini Patties

1. Falafel (12 patties)
2. Zucchini Patties-(12 Patties)
3. Quinoa Black Bean Burgers-(15 Burgers)
4. Refried Black Beans and Cheese Enchiladas (X2)

Quinoa & Black Bean Burgers

Shopping List:
4-5 Cans Chick Peas, 3 Cans Black Beans, 3 Zucchini, 3 Yellow Summer Squash, Carrots, 8 Eggs, Bread Crumbs, Parsley, Onions, 16 oz-Mushrooms, 1-Lb Quinoa, Garlic, Cumin, Fresh Cracked Pepper corns, Panko Bread Crumbs, EVOO
____________________
Grand Total: $14 for 11 meals= $1.27 or $0.03/serving!!



 I. Pork: 
{Will make 3 of each pork recipe and need 24 gallon sized freezer bags, ZIPLOCK BRAND!] 

1. Carnitas
2. Buttermilk & Mushroom Smothered Pork Chops
3. Balsamic Tenderloins
4. Barb-B-Q Pork

Shopping List:
24 Lbs Pork whatever is on sale, 24 oz Buttermilk, 3 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup, 48 oz Mushrooms, 3/4 White Wine 3/4 C Balsamic Vinegar, Dry rub for Pork{Brown Sugar, Cumin, Chili Powder, Chipotle Powder,  Kosher Salt, fresh cracked black Pepper,white pepper, Garlic & Onion Powder, Smoked Paprika, dry Mustard], 3 T butter, 6 T soy sauce, Check Freezer bags, need 24 ZIPLOCK gallon sized for this session
____________________________
GRAND TOTAL: $58 for  12 meals =  $4.83/meal for 4-6 ppl with left overs for next day's lunch or meal or $0.81/person  {Most ingredients I had on hand and pork sirloin roasts & boneless sirloin chops both were on sale for $1.99/Lb, $48 was the pork, $10 was spent on pantry items I didn't have}

I. Fish:
Not doing any ahead, just having frozen fish fillets in freezer with meals in mind to cook later.

I. Lunches: 
{MAKING 8 OF EACH RECIPE UP TO SANDWICHES, THOSE WILL BE 8-10 EACH, NEED 10 GALLON SIZED ZIPLOCK FREEZER BAGS}

• Taco Cups
• Mini Pizza
• Ham & Cheese Hot Pockets
• Meat Ball Sub Pockets
• Calazones/Pizza Pockets
• 2 loaves P.nut butter & Jelly sandwiches

Shopping List:
1/2 Lb Gr Beef, 2 envelopes of Taco seasoning, 1 LB Chip-Chopped Ham, 4 C Shredded Sharp Cheddar, Mini Meatballs, 10 oz Spaghetti Sauce, 16oz sliced Pepperoni, 4 C Mozzarella, 1LB Bologna, Mayo, Mustard, 1-pint Peanut Butter, 8 oz Jelly, 2 loaves of bread, 16 oz Ricotta, 1/3 C Prosciutto, Parmesan Cheese, eggs, Spinach, 1 Onion, 3 loaves of frozen bread dough, 1 Lb Frozen Spinach

I. Breakfasts:

1. Breakfast Tortillas{30 Tortillas}
2. Breakfast English Muffins{12 Sausage, Egg, & Cheddar Cheese w/Dijion Mustard Sauce}
3. Breakfast Mini Cup{in biscuits {20 Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Mini Cups- 4 were snacked on by the boys as I made them}

Shopping List:
3 Pkg- 10" Tortillas, 3 dozen Eggs, 3 Lb Sausage, 1 LB O'Brian Potatoes, 3 C Shredded, Cheddar Cheese,  2 Pkg English Muffins or 2 loaves English Muffin Bread, Lg pre-formed Sausage patties, Spinach, Shredded Swiss cheese, 1 Lb Bacon
*"Mini Quiches{In Biscuits or crust-less}"-This was on my "list" but don't think I will get to it.
 _________________________
GRAND TOTAL $14.40/MEAL SERVING 1/PERSON = $0.23/breakfast sandwich!!
*I had a lot of grocery times left over from previous session so didn't need to purchase as much plus I got 10 tortillas//$0.79, English Muffins for $0.85 for 6...Cheaper and easier than hand making-right now I am can't do as much homemade as I would like, I hate that but I needed to make decisions for my sanity.



I. Desserts:
1.) Slice and bake Cookies {Tip: For perfectly round cookies, shape the dough into logs, wrap in plastic, and insert into empty paper towel tubes. Going to try this tip!}
       * Oatmeal
       * Chocolate Chip
       * Peanut Butter
2.) Peanut Butter No Bakes

Shopping List:
Flour, brown sugar, 1 dozen eggs, Rolled oats, Sugar, Vanilla, 2-24 Oz Peanut butter, 1 box Butter, Milk, Milk Chocolate Chips, Baking Soda and Powder, Butter Flavored Crisco

Personal Note: 6/21/2012: 
Phewww! This is taking much longer than I thought I am just exhausted trying to get all of these meals prepped, packaged and NEATLY stored. I detest looking into a haphazard freezer then you can't find what just just spent hours loving preparing, that is sooo FRUSTRATING to find it months later all freezer burned and inedible all because you didn't organize the freezer contents! 

So I don't know if I will be able to accomplish all that I planned on, I will cross of what I didn't get to and give you an accurate list when I eventually post this. (OR I might just let you know what I did get to and leave the shopping list and meal plans intact if someone what to use those meal ideas it will still be easier to read.)

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