Living Well, Spending Less has a free holiday journal that you can download. I did download mine already - it is a great referance even if you don't use the whole thing and . .. it's free!!
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Holiday Planner
I work really hard every year at keeping track of gift ideas, spending, activities and more. I do this more so that when next year rolls around I can remember the important stuff and also budget throughout the year especially since we have two birthdays (One in October and one in December) that require planning too.
Living Well, Spending Less has a free holiday journal that you can download. I did download mine already - it is a great referance even if you don't use the whole thing and . .. it's free!!
Living Well, Spending Less has a free holiday journal that you can download. I did download mine already - it is a great referance even if you don't use the whole thing and . .. it's free!!
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
What We are Eating - Asian Steak Bites
I haven't done a "What We are Eating" post in awhile because I haven't made a whole lot of new recipes lately. Well, this past weekend I made a total of 8 new recipes between Friday and Sunday. None of them were total flops but only three of the eight are really note worthy. Isn't that it usually works?
Asian Steak Bites
adapted from Barefeet In the Kitchen
We've been eating a lot of chicken and pork lately . .. and I've been craving good old beef. This was a simple recipe that I prepped early in the day and then just had to cook it later. I used sirloin steak because it is less expensive than a Flank Steak and did not add Chili paste. I also let it marinate all day :-) The beef had good flavor and paired really well with fried rice.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 pounds flank steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chili paste
1-2 tablespoons light flavored olive oil
Slice the steak across teh grain into strips 1/2 " wide. Cut each strip into bit size pieces. Place the chunks of beef into a medium size bowl. Stir together the soy sauce, honey and chili pasted.. Pour over the beef and stir to coat well. Let the meat marinate for 20-30 minutes.
Heat a heavy bottom pan or wok over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add 1/3 of the meat to the pan and spread out in a single layer. Cook until done through. Continue cooking the rest of the meat. Serve hot.
Asian Steak Bites
adapted from Barefeet In the Kitchen
We've been eating a lot of chicken and pork lately . .. and I've been craving good old beef. This was a simple recipe that I prepped early in the day and then just had to cook it later. I used sirloin steak because it is less expensive than a Flank Steak and did not add Chili paste. I also let it marinate all day :-) The beef had good flavor and paired really well with fried rice.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 pounds flank steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chili paste
1-2 tablespoons light flavored olive oil
Slice the steak across teh grain into strips 1/2 " wide. Cut each strip into bit size pieces. Place the chunks of beef into a medium size bowl. Stir together the soy sauce, honey and chili pasted.. Pour over the beef and stir to coat well. Let the meat marinate for 20-30 minutes.
Heat a heavy bottom pan or wok over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add 1/3 of the meat to the pan and spread out in a single layer. Cook until done through. Continue cooking the rest of the meat. Serve hot.
1 3/4 pounds flank steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chili paste
1-2 tablespoons light flavored olive oil
Slice the steak across the grain into strips 1/2" wide. Cut each strip into bite-size pieces, approximately 1/2" - 3/4" in size. Place the chunks of beef into a medium size bowl. Stir together the soy sauce, honey, and chili paste. Pour over the beef and stir to coat well. Let the meat marinate for 20-30 minutes.
Heat a heavy bottom stainless steel pan or wok over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat. Add 1/3 of the meat to the pan and spread out in a single layer. Let it cook for about a minute, until the meat has browned. Flip the meat or toss with a spatula for an additional minute or two as it finishes cooking. Remove the meat from the pan to a plate.
Add half of the remaining meat to the hot pan and repeat the above steps. Add the cooked meat to the waiting plate. If necessary, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan before adding the remaining meat. Repeat the steps. Enjoy! - See more at: http://www.barefeetinthekitchen.com/2015/01/asian-steak-bites-recipe.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+BarefeetInTheKitchen+(Barefeet+In+The+Kitchen)#sthash.VqpaXLtX.dpuf
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chili paste
1-2 tablespoons light flavored olive oil
Slice the steak across the grain into strips 1/2" wide. Cut each strip into bite-size pieces, approximately 1/2" - 3/4" in size. Place the chunks of beef into a medium size bowl. Stir together the soy sauce, honey, and chili paste. Pour over the beef and stir to coat well. Let the meat marinate for 20-30 minutes.
Heat a heavy bottom stainless steel pan or wok over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat. Add 1/3 of the meat to the pan and spread out in a single layer. Let it cook for about a minute, until the meat has browned. Flip the meat or toss with a spatula for an additional minute or two as it finishes cooking. Remove the meat from the pan to a plate.
Add half of the remaining meat to the hot pan and repeat the above steps. Add the cooked meat to the waiting plate. If necessary, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan before adding the remaining meat. Repeat the steps. Enjoy! - See more at: http://www.barefeetinthekitchen.com/2015/01/asian-steak-bites-recipe.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+BarefeetInTheKitchen+(Barefeet+In+The+Kitchen)#sthash.VqpaXLtX.dpuf
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Teaching Tuesdays
This week we did not do nearly as well as last week. We had some extra stuff going on like a fun family day on Wednesday, haircuts and Library on Tuesday and snow on Friday. What? Wait. We didn't plan that but put the first snow flakes on Friday the 13th and . . wow. Crazy. HA!
The boys had their last gymnastics class for this session on Monday. I didn't take photos - it is a hard room to take photos in - but I was very impressed with their balance on the beam. Neither one can do a cart wheel yet but it isn't for lack of trying! They also had their last Tae Kwon Do class on Friday. When we started the semester, Josh loved it and Nate told me he didn't want to do it again. On Friday, as it ended, Josh STILL loves it and Nate informed me that he wants his uniform and he plans on testing for a new belt next semester. :-) They both impressed me with their ability to learn the moves and retain the information.
This past week the boys had several projects they had to do for their portfolios.
Both boys have been learning about the elements of shape in art. Josh had a project this week where he had to make 3-d art with texture. So, we all had some fun with some of the worst homemade playdough. (For real- the recipe was awful). We all worked on making an animal. Josh and I each made a questionable dog where as Nate created a very lifelike giraffe. I helped Josh . . .Nate did his on his own . . .I am not artistic. HA! We also attempted to make cups and cupcakes.
Here's a close up of Josh's dog.
And this has nothing to do with school but this is Josh and "his" cat. He loves this cat . .. too much sometimes :-) The cat loves him too and can run really, really fast when he needs to.
Back to school. Nate had to build a nature center piece for his science class. We all went outside and the boys went digging for stuff. Rocks, leaves, sticks and flowers.
We also had a fun visit from Darryl this past week (or I think it might have been the week before and I forgot to share it). Darryl had a pick up near our house so he stopped by home for a little bit since he had some down time between when he dropped the guy off in town and when he had to pick him back up. The boys loved being able to see the inside of his cab. :-)
This week the boys are gone for a few days with my Mother-in-Law. They will no doubt get some hands on science - she likes to take hikes, pick different things from their woods and look at bugs and birds. They always come home with new bits of knowledge that they share with me often :-)
The boys had their last gymnastics class for this session on Monday. I didn't take photos - it is a hard room to take photos in - but I was very impressed with their balance on the beam. Neither one can do a cart wheel yet but it isn't for lack of trying! They also had their last Tae Kwon Do class on Friday. When we started the semester, Josh loved it and Nate told me he didn't want to do it again. On Friday, as it ended, Josh STILL loves it and Nate informed me that he wants his uniform and he plans on testing for a new belt next semester. :-) They both impressed me with their ability to learn the moves and retain the information.
This past week the boys had several projects they had to do for their portfolios.
We also had a fun visit from Darryl this past week (or I think it might have been the week before and I forgot to share it). Darryl had a pick up near our house so he stopped by home for a little bit since he had some down time between when he dropped the guy off in town and when he had to pick him back up. The boys loved being able to see the inside of his cab. :-)
This week the boys are gone for a few days with my Mother-in-Law. They will no doubt get some hands on science - she likes to take hikes, pick different things from their woods and look at bugs and birds. They always come home with new bits of knowledge that they share with me often :-)
Monday, November 16, 2015
Make it Monday - The uses of Kool-Aid Lemonade
The "curse" of being blond . . .blond hair likes to suck up all the impurities in water. Whether it be rust or chlorine, blond hair will turn funky colors! Despite having a great water softener, my hair still starts to show the fact that we have really rusty water every few months. Periodically, when it gets really bad, I'll pay the money to have my stylist do some treatment on it - sitting under the dryer for upwards of 45 minutes to make sure it "really works." And it does, without a doubt, but it also costs money. Recently, a friend mentioned in passing that she did a rust treatment on her hair so I asked what she used. She told me she uses this:
Yep, that's it. Lemonade Kool-Aid. For real. Now, back in the days before you could spend $5.99 on dishwasher cleaner, I would use this same product (shown above) to clean my dishwasher and it worked like a dream for $0.22.
So, I took about 4 packets of this stuff (so just under $1.00 for this treatment), added a teeny tiny amount of water to make a paste. Then, took a long how shower. After getting my hair wet, I rubbed this all over it, put on a shower cap, and stood in that hot, steamy shower for 15 minutes to let the heat and "paste" go to work on my hair. I'll be honest, I figured it wouldn't work. My friend told me to leave it on for at least 20 minutes but I'll be honest, by the time it hit 15 minutes, my head was burning HA! So I rinsed it out. I could tell right away that something had changed because my hair was smoother. Then when I went to brush it out while it was still wet, it brushed much easier. As it dried, it was quickly noticeable that all of the rust color was gone - my blonde color was back! For real. I should have taken a before and after picture of the ends of my hair. So, I think I'll do this treatment ever 2-3 week just for up keep.
I also learned that this same product will clean rust stains out of your shower :-) Again about once a month I use Iron Out to spray down the shower and take away any build up. Iron Out works like a dream but stinks to high heaven. Well, the bowl that I used to mix up the paste, I had set on the shower floor upside down. When I picked it up later, that circle was completely clean HA! I think I'll be cleaning my shower with Lemonade mix from now it - it smells SOOO good!
Before you ask the question, "If it can clean like that think of what it does to your stomach." We all sing the praises of such products as baking soda and vinegar for cleaning - yet we all cook with them and, therefore, eat them. :-)
So, I took about 4 packets of this stuff (so just under $1.00 for this treatment), added a teeny tiny amount of water to make a paste. Then, took a long how shower. After getting my hair wet, I rubbed this all over it, put on a shower cap, and stood in that hot, steamy shower for 15 minutes to let the heat and "paste" go to work on my hair. I'll be honest, I figured it wouldn't work. My friend told me to leave it on for at least 20 minutes but I'll be honest, by the time it hit 15 minutes, my head was burning HA! So I rinsed it out. I could tell right away that something had changed because my hair was smoother. Then when I went to brush it out while it was still wet, it brushed much easier. As it dried, it was quickly noticeable that all of the rust color was gone - my blonde color was back! For real. I should have taken a before and after picture of the ends of my hair. So, I think I'll do this treatment ever 2-3 week just for up keep.
I also learned that this same product will clean rust stains out of your shower :-) Again about once a month I use Iron Out to spray down the shower and take away any build up. Iron Out works like a dream but stinks to high heaven. Well, the bowl that I used to mix up the paste, I had set on the shower floor upside down. When I picked it up later, that circle was completely clean HA! I think I'll be cleaning my shower with Lemonade mix from now it - it smells SOOO good!
Before you ask the question, "If it can clean like that think of what it does to your stomach." We all sing the praises of such products as baking soda and vinegar for cleaning - yet we all cook with them and, therefore, eat them. :-)
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Things my Kids say
I haven't done a "Things My Kids Say" post in awhile because, well, they haven't been as funny :-) Ok, that's not true. They are still funny but it's just because they are fun! (And I forgot to write things down.) Anyway, here's a few for ya.
Nate was discussing job options recently. He informed me that he was going to be a Pet Doctor. "Because, Mom, I don't want to be a people doctor. I don't like people - their stuff is all so gross. That's why I'm going to be a Pet Doctor.". I would agree, son, people are gross. HA!
Nate apparently likes to plan ahead. He has decided he is going to live in New York when he grows up. The other day he told me that we could come and visit him. "Mom, you will need to stop and pick Josh up on your way. Then, when you get into New York, I will meet you on the big road - just park your car on the side of the road and I'll drive you in my vehicle from there. I'll have plenty of room since I'll have a van. It will have 8 seats.". He has the whole thing planned out. :-)
Josh sings. Non stop. And most of the words are not right. Away in the Manger becomes, "The Capital ringing . . ." (Instead of "The Cattle are Lowing". I wish I could remember them all - Darryl will correct him. . I just sit there giggling, loving every moment of incorrect lyrics. :-)
Nate was discussing job options recently. He informed me that he was going to be a Pet Doctor. "Because, Mom, I don't want to be a people doctor. I don't like people - their stuff is all so gross. That's why I'm going to be a Pet Doctor.". I would agree, son, people are gross. HA!
Nate apparently likes to plan ahead. He has decided he is going to live in New York when he grows up. The other day he told me that we could come and visit him. "Mom, you will need to stop and pick Josh up on your way. Then, when you get into New York, I will meet you on the big road - just park your car on the side of the road and I'll drive you in my vehicle from there. I'll have plenty of room since I'll have a van. It will have 8 seats.". He has the whole thing planned out. :-)
Josh sings. Non stop. And most of the words are not right. Away in the Manger becomes, "The Capital ringing . . ." (Instead of "The Cattle are Lowing". I wish I could remember them all - Darryl will correct him. . I just sit there giggling, loving every moment of incorrect lyrics. :-)
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Family Fun - Carving Pumpkins
This is the first year that the boys really were excited about carving pumpkins. They had both picked out a good size pumpkin when we went to the Orchard a week or so prior . . .they also had two small pumpkins from our field trip.
Well, Josh was very attached to his big pumpkin so, he picked out his little one to carve. That big pumpkin is now the centerpiece in my dining room on the table . . .
Nate 100% completely designed his pumpkin face. He had the whole thing planned out in his head before we even sat down.
Darryl was given the task of carving out Nate's design. Nate tried to help clean out his pumpkin but, well, he has a weak stomach . . . he was totally grossed out!
Josh, on the other hand, loved cleaning out his pumpkin!
Hard at work getting the perfect face.
Josh also designed his pumpkin face and I carved it out - thankfully he kept it simple!
Nate and his pumpkin . He loved his design!
Checking them out and looking at the candles.
Our friendly pumpkins :-) We loved lighting them every night for a week. So much fun!
Josh, on the other hand, loved cleaning out his pumpkin!
Friday, November 13, 2015
Weekly Menu
There really isn't a whole lot to say about food this week :-) This coming week the boys will be at my mother-in-laws for a few days so I cook (or don't cook haha) a little differently.
Saturday - Asian Steak Bites, Fried Rice, and Zucchini cheesy casserole
Sunday - We'll have lunch at my mother-in-laws when we drop the boys off. To celebrate being kid free for a few days, I have some snacks planned. Bacon Crack, Crescent Wrapped Brie and Crackers, and Meatballs.
Monday - Tonight I have practice but, we still l need to eat. As far as I know, Applebees still has their 1/2 price burger night on Mondays so we'll just get a burger. It's about the least expensive thing we can eat!
Tuesday -Tonight we'll either go out to eat somewhere or I'll have Darryl bring something home - probably the second option just so we can hang out at home.
Wednesday - The kids come home sometime today. I love doing breakfast on Wednesday nights - I don't know why :-) I thought I'd do a breakfast pizza and apple fritter rings. Plus I can always throw a frozen waffle in for any kid who doesn't want to enjoy this goodness.
Thursday - Pan Fried Steak (we love beef!), Lemon Garlic Rice, roasted veggies.
Friday - Tacos
Can you believe that next week is Thanksgiving???
Saturday - Asian Steak Bites, Fried Rice, and Zucchini cheesy casserole
Sunday - We'll have lunch at my mother-in-laws when we drop the boys off. To celebrate being kid free for a few days, I have some snacks planned. Bacon Crack, Crescent Wrapped Brie and Crackers, and Meatballs.
Monday - Tonight I have practice but, we still l need to eat. As far as I know, Applebees still has their 1/2 price burger night on Mondays so we'll just get a burger. It's about the least expensive thing we can eat!
Tuesday -Tonight we'll either go out to eat somewhere or I'll have Darryl bring something home - probably the second option just so we can hang out at home.
Wednesday - The kids come home sometime today. I love doing breakfast on Wednesday nights - I don't know why :-) I thought I'd do a breakfast pizza and apple fritter rings. Plus I can always throw a frozen waffle in for any kid who doesn't want to enjoy this goodness.
Thursday - Pan Fried Steak (we love beef!), Lemon Garlic Rice, roasted veggies.
Friday - Tacos
Can you believe that next week is Thanksgiving???
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