Happy Birthday Gus!

Today was Gus' birthday. 

How do I save green for birthdays? 

We buy our presents far in advance.  I bought 2 toys at Target this past summer when they were clearancing them out.  I spent a total of $20 on a Matchbox set and a Fisher Price Imaginext set. 

We bake our own cakes.  I made his Cookie Monster cake for less than $10 which included buying a new pan and a couple of icing tips, which I will re-use.

How do I try to be greener on birthdays?

We don't have big elaborate parties.  I used to throw these with lots of party favors, kids, decorations, and we always ended up with a garbage full of trash, a kid couple of crying kids (usually ours), a lot less cash, and party favors that eventually ended up in the trash as well.  Now we keep birthday's with our immediate family and maybe 1 friend for the birthday boy and we do a fun activity like swimming or bowling.  We let the birthday kid pick.

We limit our present budget to $20, this keeps a lot of toy packaging from coming into our house and going into the landfill.

We wrap our presents with reusable or recycled wrapping, I have a big cloth bag that I reuse over and over in our house for larger presents, and I save and use the comics from the Sunday papers to wrap all birthday presents.

We bake our own cake, no big boxes from the bakery.

Small steps but moving in the right direction of being greener.

Fall Meal Plan 3

1. Macaroni and Cheese – Double the recipe for 1 to freeze and 1 to eat
2. San Francisco Chops
3. Buffalo Wings and Sweet Potato Fries
4. Pork Burritos
5. Chili
6. Basil Salmon

All Recipes in this Meal Plan

**Note: This week at Sunshine Foods pork is on sale as it is National Pork Month.  I plan on stocking up on boneless chops and will be using them in my meal plans for the next few weeks.

Cub Foods has a BOGO deal for boneless skinless breasts, tenders or strips.  If you don't like chicken wings replace them with boneless, skinless strips in the Buffalo Wing recipe.  Although even with the BOGO they are still $3/lb. I don't like to pay more than $2/lb. for chicken breasts.  If you check out Pocket Your Dollars - Cub Foods Coupon Matchups 10/3-10/9 You will find printables for $1 off chicken which will bring the price down to $2/lb.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Double the recipe and make 2 dishes – 1 to eat today and 1 to freeze for another meal.

Ingredients
1½ cups elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
dash pepper
2 cups milk
¼ cup finely chopped onion
8 oz. American (REAL CHEESE not “cheese product” like Kraft singles) or Cheddar cheese, cubed

Directions
Cook macaroni in boiling water 2 minutes less than recommended cooking time; drain. In saucepan, melt butter; blend in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk; cook and stir till thick and bubbly. Add onion and cheese cubes; stir until melted. Mix cheese sauce with macaroni. Turn into 1 ½ quart casserole dish.

Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes, or until heated through.

To Freeze: Do not bake. Either pour the noodle/cheese mixture into a freezer bag or place it into a disposable aluminum pan and cover tightly with foil. Date, Label, and add baking instructions (VERY IMPORTANT). Use within 2 months.
When ready to use. Thaw completely in refrigerator overnight (if in a freezer bag place in casserole dish) and bake as directed above.

San Francisco Chops

Ingredients

• 4 boneless center cut pork chops; ½ - ¾ inch thick
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced

For Sauce:
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 4 tablespoons dry sherry or broth
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

For thickening:
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

To serve:
• Egg noodles

Directions
1. In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients: 2 tsp. oil, sherry, soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper. Set aside.
2. Trim fat off pork chops; heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet and brown pork chops on both sides.
3. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute being careful not to burn it, add to chops.
4. Pour sauce over chops
5. Cover tightly.
6. Simmer 30 to 35 minutes. Turn chops over once halfway through cooking.
7. Check occasionally if sauce is cooking down to much add 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
8. Remove chops to platter.
9. Dissolve cornstarch in water and stir into the sauce in the skillet.
10. Cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
11. Pour over chops and serve over egg noodles.

These go well with any green vegetable and fresh fruit.

Buffalo Wings and Sweet Potato Fries

Another meal to go with a football game!

Buffalo Wing Ingredients

5-6 lbs chicken wings

½ cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
⅓ cup butter

Sweet Potato Fries Ingredients

2 lbs fresh sweet potatoes

Olive oil

Hungarian paprika

Sea salt and black pepper to season

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425°

2. Wash sweet potatoes, peel, and cut in wedges.

3. Lay on a pan in a single layer, drizzle with olive oil and season generously with paprika, pepper, and sea salt. 

4. Cut the tips off the wings and discard.  Cut the wing in half at the joint.

5. Place wings in a single layer on a pan .

6. Place both pans in oven and bake for 1 hour.

7.  In a small bowl melt ⅓ cup butter and add ½ cup Frank's Red Hot sauce.  Remove wings from oven and dip in sauce.  Return to pan.  Turn oven on to broil, move the sweet potato fries to the top rack and broil for about 5 minutes stay close and be careful not to burn the potatoes.

8. Remove from oven and serve with ranch or bleu cheese dressing, and celery.

Serves 6

Don't like wings?  No problem!  Try this recipe for Boneless "Wings":
Ingredients
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in ½ inch strips
½ cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Mix the cut up chicken and all ingredients in a large sealable bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Preheat a grill or broiler. Remove the chicken from the bag and cook for 3 to 4 minutes a side until lightly browned and cooked through.

Pork Burritos

Ingredients
1 boneless pork shoulder roast (3 to 4 pounds)
1 can (14½ oz) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies (like Ro-Tel), undrained
¼ cup chili powder
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1 teaspoon salt
10 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
Sliced avocado and sour cream, optional

Directions
• Cut roast in half; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. In a blender, combine the tomatoes, chili powder, garlic, lime juice, honey, jalapeno and salt; cover and process until smooth. Pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender.
• Shred pork with two forks. Using a slotted spoon, place about 1/2 cup pork mixture down the center of each tortilla; top with avocado and sour cream if desired. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Yield: 10 burritos.

Pork Burritos Recipe at www.tasteofhome.com

Chili

Sorry, I am not giving out our chili recipe it is a family recipe.  It was developed by my dad and is the only secret recipe I have!  I am sure a google search will have you inundated with many wonderful chili recipes.

Basil Salmon

Ingredients
1½ cups fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons minced garlic
¾ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 4 teaspoons shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
4 salmon fillets (6 oz. each)

Directions
• Preheat oven to 400°
• Combine the basil, oil, garlic, pepper, lemon juice, salt and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped.
• Place the salmon in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread 2 tablespoons of the basil mixture over fillets. (Cover and refrigerate remaining mixture for another use.)
• Bake, uncovered, 20-22 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 2-3 minutes longer until cheese is melted. Serves 4.

Basil Salmon Recipe at www.tasteofhome.com

Buying Spices

I ordered spices today and wanted to share how I save money on them. I use a lot of spices and I do not buy them from the grocery store, they are way too expensive. 2 years ago I began ordering spices from The Spice House they are less expensive and such high quality compared to what is at the grocery store. However, shipping can increase the cost so I only put in big orders 1 (maybe 2) times a year. This was my order today and it should last me at least until next summer:

• ½ cup (1.5 oz.) Mustard Powder, regular yellow
• 8 oz. Onion, toasted, minced
• ½ cup (.5 oz.) Oregano, broken leaf, Fancy Greek
• ½ cup (1 oz.) Thyme, broken leaf, French Select
• ½ cup (1 oz.) Rosemary, cracked needle
• ½ cup (.6 oz.) Basil, broken leaf, organic sweet California
• ½ cup Dill Weed, dehydrated
• ½ cup (.2 oz.) Nutmeg, ground
• ½ cup (1.5 oz.) Ginger, ground
• 1 cup each Cocoa – Natural for baking and Dutch for Hot cocoa
• ½ cup (2.5 oz.) Korintje Indonesian Cinnamon
• ½ cup (3 oz.) Pepper Lemon Seasoning
• ½ cup (.5) Italian Blend of Dehydrated Seasoning Herbs
• 1 cup (8 oz.) Chili powder
• 1 cup (8 oz.) Cayenne Pepper, ground
• 1 cup (3 oz.) Crushed “Caribe” Red Pepper Flakes
• 8 oz. Black peppercorns, Tellicherry
• 26 oz. Sea Salt, La Baleine, coarse

With shipping, I paid about $75 for spices, I order the refill bags and use jars I already have.  I did order about 15 new glass jars this time though to replace the plastic ones I have been using (spices store better in glass).  Therefore, I spent an extra $20 on jars bringing my total (with shipping) to $97.49.

Other items I order but didn't need this time are: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and Crystallized Ginger Nibs.

If you are just starting out I highly recommend the Basic Spices Deluxe Gift box for $34.95 with 10 jars of spices and herbs the price and quality just cannot be beat in a grocery store.

Cleaning out of the spice cupboard to take inventory for my order.  Notice all the mismatched jars and labels?  I replace those with this order and will have mostly glass jars to put my spices in now.

Freezing Butternut Squash and Pumpkin

Today was the first chilly day of fall and the temp of our house when I woke up was 59 degrees.  Yesterday I purchased butternut squash and pie pumpkins at the farmers market so I thought, "What better way is there to warm up the kitchen than turn on the oven and start baking the gourds in preparation to freeze them?"  This is how I do it:

1.  Wash the outsides of them with a little dish soap and water, rinse well. 

 

2. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds.

Don't forget to save the pumpkin seeds for roasting!!

3.  Place cut side down on a large pan with sides.

For Squash -  I line the pan with foil for easy clean up.

For Pumkins - I add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the pan to prevent them from drying out.

4.  Bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes or until soft.

5.  Remove from oven and allow to cool about 30 minutes.

6.  Remove peel

For Squash: cut as shown and the peel will be pretty easy to remove with your fingers.  Use a small knife for stuck on areas.

7.  Transfer to a bowl.

For Squash: No need to mash or puree it.  Measure the amount you would like to store and place in labeled freezer bags, containers, or jars.

For Pumpkin: Puree it with a hand mixer first; then place it in in labeled freezer bags, containers, or jars.

8.  Place in freezer.

DO NOT PRESSURE COOK OR WATER BOIL JARS OF PUMPKIN OR SQUASH FOR PANTRY STORAGE!!!   The only safe method of long term storage is the freezer.  The jars of pumpkin above are being stored in freezer jars.

I have favorite recipes that I use pumkin and squash for so I freeze them in sizes that match the recipes.  Most pumpkin recipes call for "1 can of pumkin or 2 cups"; pint size freezer jars fit that size.

I use freezer bags for the squash because our favorite recipes use 5 or 10 cups of squash, or 1 squash and none of these measurements fit in a jar.

Our Favorite Squash and Pumpkin Recipes:
Butternut Ham Bisque
Butternut Squash Casserole
Pumpkin Bars
3 Can Silky Pumpkin Pie
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Another good link for your reference:
Foods That Do Not Freeze Well

3 Can Silky Pumpkin Pie

I found this recipe over 10 years ago in a USA Weekend from the Sunday newspaper. Thanksgiving never goes by without my son requesting this pie. It is his absolute favorite I must agree it is a really good recipe!

Ingredients
1 (15 oz.) can 100% pure pumpkin – we use fresh cooked or thawed frozen pumpkin
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
1 cup canned evaporated milk
1 (14 oz. can) sweetened condensed milk
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked

Directions
• Pre bake pie shell
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.
• Heat oven to 300°.
• In a saucepan heat: pumpkin, salt and spices to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.
• Add milks; cook until heated through.
• Puree eggs and yolks in a blender.
• With blender running, add pumpkin filling a spoonful at a time at first, then faster as eggs heat up; blend to form a silky texture. (If you add the warm pumpkin all at once the eggs will cook and you will have a scrambled mess.)
• Pour warm filling into prebaked pie shell.
• Bake until a thin-bladed knife inserted near center of pie comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Makes: 1 (9 inch) pie – (this recipe does not double well)

Butternut Squash Casserole

Ingredients
1 medium buttercup or butternut squash (about 2 ½ lb.)
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, if desired

Directions
Heat oven to 350°. Cut squash into quarters; remove seeds. In ungreased shallow baking pan, place pieces, cut sides down. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.

Spray 1-quart casserole with cooking spray. Scoop squash pulp from skin; place in medium bowl. Discard skin. Add brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and butter to squash. Mix with potato masher or fork until well blended. Spoon into casserole. Sprinkle with chives and ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until hot.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I have tried so many ways to roast pumkin seeds that I almost gave up trying to roast them, until I found this one.  It's easy and guaranteed.

1. Scoop out pumpkin seeds
2. Wash seeds and let them dry overnight on a towel.
3. Mix 2 cups seeds, 2 Tbsp. oil, 1 tsp. salt & 1 tsp. garlic or onion powder.
4. Spread seeds on a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 20 min.

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients
2 c. pumpkin puree; not pumpkin pie filling
4 eggs
¾ c. oil
2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions
Mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, and sugar. Add remainder of ingredients, pour into a jelly roll pan and bake at 350° for 25-30 min. Cool and frost.

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese
¼ c. butter
1⅓ c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend together & spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Organizing Toys

It is the start of a new month and at the beginning of each month we clean up Gus and Sam's room. This means about 2 hours of sorting and organizing toys.

Why? Because Organizing is Green

So this is what we do:
We keep their toys in labeled Rubbermaid tubs and we start by dumping out all the toys in the tubs that they have played with throughout the month and line the tubs up on the floor.

Next we start putting the toys in their proper tubs until they are all put away:

It is always exciting when we find a piece we have been looking for over the month:

Then, we put all the covers on the tubs and put them in the closet:

About a year ago I purchased a Rubbermaid Configurations Adjustable closet kit and set the shelves to the appropriate heights of the tubs.

Finally, we play with toys we have been missing for the last few weeks:

Why Organizing is Green

Because being organized means you are taking care of your things. When items are cared for it helps them last longer which reduces having to buy replacement items for those that have been lost or ruined.

Taking care of our items increases the chance that when we finally decide to donate an item it will be reused and brought home by someone else. Case in point: I recently donated an original Xbox to our local thrift store. We took good care of the item and when it was donated everything worked on it, it was clean and I even had the original box and manuals for it along with about 20 games in their cases. After I donated it, the store managers put it on the shelf and it sold in one week for $80. Great income to the charity the thrift store supports, great tax deduction for me, and great pleasure to the person who bought it. Do you suppose the same would have been true had I brought in a dusty old Xbox with no working controllers, missing cables, and scratched up games?

For little kids the simple act of sorting toys is educational. For you time spent assisting your little ones with organizing and cleaning now means they will be able to be more independent with clean up tasks in the future.  Plus, kids toys have tons of pieces and by keeping them together they will play with them more frequently.

Fall Meal Plan 2

1. Peanut Butter Sandwiches with a Twist, apples, & yogurts -
Yes you can feed your family peanut butter sandwiches for dinner!  Take a break and if it makes you feel better try one of the sanwiches "with a twist".
2. Tortilla Pizzas
3. Butternut and Ham Bisque with Cranberry bread
4. Octoberfest!! German Bratwurst, with Sauerkraut Mashed Potatoes, and Pretzels with Mustard
5. Southwest Chicken and Pasta

6. Sage Pork Chops with baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli

All Recipes in this Meal Plan

Peanut Butter Sanwiches with a Twist

Good one from Real Simple:
Peanut Butter Celery & Raisin Sandwich
Ingredients
2 slices white bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
½ stalk celery, sliced
2 tablespoons raisins
Directions
Form sandwiches with the bread, peanut butter, celery, and raisins.

Peanut Butter and Banana Panini
Ingredients
2 slices of hearty whole grain bread
2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
½ Banana sliced
butter
Directions
Preheat an electric panini or sandwich maker (I use a small George Foreman Lean Mean Grillin' Machine)
Spread one side of each slice of bread with a little butter and lay the slices butter side down on a clean work surface
Spread peanut butter on the bread, add one layer of banana slices, top with the other piece of bread butter side up. 
Place the sandwich on the preheated sandwich maker and cook according to manufacturer's directions
Cool slightly then eat the ooey gooey piece of heaven.

Want more Peanut Butter Sandwich inspiration?  visit: Peanut Butter & Co.

Tortilla Pizzas

This is a great meal for family night.  Spread out all the toppings and let everyone make their own pizzas.  You will only be able to fit about 4 tortillas in the oven at a time, but they only take about 6-8 minutes to cook each.
Ingredients
8 Burrito size Tortillas
2 (15 oz.) cans Pizza Sauce
4 cups (16 oz.) of your favorite shredded cheese for pizza
Assorted pizza toppings such as: diced bell peppers and onions, sliced mushrooms, pepperoni, cooked crumbled sausage, black & green olives, etc...
Arrange oven racks in the oven so you can fit 2 cookie sheets in at one time.  Preheat oven to 350.  Place 1-2 tortillas on each cookie sheet.
Directions
On each tortilla spread approximately 1/4 cup sauce on each tortilla, sprinkle on 1/4 cup cheese, and your favorite toppings.  Don't over top your tortilla or it will be soggy.

Bake in oven for 6-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and tortilla crisp.  Serve with fresh veggies and dip and cut up fresh fruit with yogurt dip for dessert.

Fruit Dipping Sauces:
Peanutty Yogurt Dip
Mix:
1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
4 Tablespoons peanut butter
Drizzle honey on top.

Apple Yogurt Dip
Mix:
1 cup plain of vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup natural applesauce
Try this one with celery as well as fruits.

Octoberfest!!!

See Taste of Home (http://www.tasteofhome.com/) for the following recipes and celebrate the first few days of October!  This is one of our favorite meals and goes great with a football game.
German Bratwurst
Sauerkraut Mashed Potatoes
Pretzels with Mustard