More Winter Preparations

Last Saturday the girls and I headed off to the orchards after work to get some farm fresh fruit for canning.  I bought a box of peaches and a box of pears.  They had the most beautiful green bell peppers too so I bought four of them to dice up for the freezer.  The girls each picked out an apple to eat when we got home.  It is a special time for us and a nice drive into the country.

 

 

Usually we would plan a second trip out there next month for apples but because we have plenty of applesauce left from last year we won’t be doing that this time.  We are in the same shape for pumpkin puree too.  We’ll use the apple and pumpkin money to stock up on something else. 

On Sunday morning I started my day off by getting a load of laundry going and a pot of coffee brewing.  Once I had coffee in hand I made a batch of rhubarb jam.  I have never made it before so I am hopeful it tastes okay.  The recipe made 10 half-pint jars of jam.

 

I had purchased grated cheddar cheese (5 pounds for $10.69) so I wanted to divide it up into sandwich size zipper bags and get it into the freezer.  I put two cups of cheese into each bag and ended up with ten packages.

 

Next I made up four whole wheat pizza dough balls, placed each one into a fold top sandwich bag and then all four went into a gallon zipper bag and into the freezer.  When I am ready to make pizza I will set one dough ball in the refrigerator in the morning to defrost and it will be ready when I get home that evening.  It really gives me a good head start on dinner.

 

I made two loaves of whole wheat bread, one for now and one for the freezer.  While the bread dough did its thing in the bread machine I picked all the ripe veggies that were ready in the garden and ended up with enough cucumbers to slice up and make a small batch of bread and butter pickles.  Since I am the only one in the family that likes them a small batch is just right for us.

 

Last, but certainly not least, I made a chocolate zucchini cake.  The recipe makes more cake than we should be eating at one time so I divided the batter in half and baked one half in a smaller pan and the rest in cupcakes for the freezer.  The cupcakes will be great in our lunches. 

My tomato plants are loaded with green tomatoes and the squash and cucumbers have tons of blossoms.  I hope the weather holds out for a few more weeks before we get a big freeze so we can get our tomatoes to ripen and a few more cukes and squash.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Zucchini Bites

I found this recipe on Food.com.  I love this site!  Of course I had to tweak it a little bit, but not too much.  The best thing about this recipe is how much my girls loved it.  They ate these up and asked for seconds!  With all the veggies in it I wouldn’t have thought it possible. J 

Zucchini Bites 

4 strips of bacon, diced

2 cups grated zucchini

1 grated carrot

½ c. finely diced onion

½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

½ cup self-rising flour

¼ cup cream or milk

3 eggs 

Brown the bacon. Add onion, carrot and zucchini and sauté, set aside to cool.  Meanwhile combine cheese, salt, pepper and flour in a large bowl.  Stir to combine.  In a one cup measuring cup measure the cream.  Crack eggs into cream and whisk until thoroughly blended.  Add cooled bacon and vegetables to flour mixture.  Stir to combine and then add egg mixture.  Stir again until thoroughly combined. 

Drop spoonfuls into well greased muffin tins.  Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes.  Allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.  Makes about 16 to 18. 

Oh my gosh these are good!  Great for breakfast, lunch or supper and all your food groups are accounted for too.  We just loved them!

 

As I was getting ready to post this my youngest came up behind me and said “Ohhhhhh those are gooooood”. 

 

 

Leftovers & Food Waste

My refrigerator.  The bottom shelf is used to store leftovers and flour. 

Notice we've used up all our leftovers.  Time to get cooking!

In spite of the astronomical amount of food in my home I have a relatively empty refrigerator most of the time.  If I can see space on the shelves, that is a good thing.  If my refrigerator is cluttered and the shelves are full it means one of two things.  It is Thanksgiving Day or I'm not doing something right.

Leftovers are an integral part of my meal planning process.  I not only embrace them but I depend on them.  Leftovers are great!  I use them for additional meals and to pack school and work lunches.  I also freeze them for future meals.  I love to cook in big batches, but because we can't possibly eat it all at one time I like to freeze a portion in containers and serve them the following week or month.

This not only saves me a lot of money on groceries but also a lot of time spent in the kitchen preparing meals.  Saving time on meal preparation, especially during the week is very important to me.  I have a lot to do and not much time in which to get it all done.

The Leftover Shelf

I also find I waste a whole lot less food using up leftovers.  One of the best things I did was to designate a shelf in my refrigerator as the shelf for storing leftovers.  It really helps me keep things from getting lost in there as well as lets me know at a glance that if the shelf is getting full we need to have a "leftover buffet" for supper that night or I need to put some things in the freezer.  If the shelf is relatively empty then I know I am doing things right and utilizing our food properly.

Keeping your refrigerator organized and routinely going through it to take an inventory helps a lot too.  I try to go through it once a month, remove everything, clean the shelves and crisper drawers and then put everything back where it belongs before I do my monthly grocery shopping.  I also organize the pantry that day too.  This way I have it fresh in my mind what I already have on hand.  Then I update my grocery list one final time and off to the store I go.

Fortunately our food waste is relatively nil and now that we have the chickens they help us too so that stale bread and limp veggies have a more useful purpose than the compost bin.  After all, one can only use so much bread crumbs.  Most of our compost is yard debris, coffee grounds, dryer lint and vegetable scraps the chickens don't really care for.   I'm pretty proud of the lack of food waste at our house.

Do you have a useful tip you would like to share?

 

You might enjoy revisiting Food Storage Containers.

Need Some Self-Rising Flour?

I rarely ever use it so I never buy it.  Occasionally, however, you come across a recipe you really want to try that calls for it and because you don’t have any you don’t make the recipe.  So, make your own. 

Self Rising Flour 

In a wide-mouth one quart canning jar place: 

3 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt 

Cover jar with a lid and shake to combine.   

Measure out the amount you need and you are good to go!  How easy is that?!

 

The Girls Are Really Growing Up

How quickly they grow.  Our girls are nearly full grown and will be laying eggs here in a few months.  We just converted them from chick mash to laying pellets a few weeks ago.  At first they were not impressed with those pellets.  We mixed them with the mash for awhile until they came around.

We continue to give them plenty of time outside the coop, although lately it hasn't been as much as they were getting before school started back up.  They seem to be fine with it but I do love to watch when my daughters go out and greet them every evening and get them fresh water and food.  The chickens are so excited to see them and mine loves to jump into the first available lap for some much needed attention.

There is no doubt in my mind that these future eggs will be golden.  They certainly won't be economy eggs.  I could get eggs at the store for much less than these eggs are costing us but it doesn't matter at all.  These chickens have a much higher value to us than the eggs they will produce.

They are our pets and our little feathered friends and we love them dearly.  What they have given us in joy and entertainment alone is immeasurable.  The lessons we have learned in building the coop and caring for them is a huge bonus.  They give back to us far more than what I think we have given them.  I hope we will always have chickens in our little backyard.

 

They are such fun!

Update

Sorry I've been absent.  We've all been sick with head colds.  First the youngest came home from school Monday with a runny nose and she shared with Mom.  I woke up Tuesday morning feeling awful and completely stuffed up.  Then last night the oldest one started coming down with it.  I think I got hit the hardest with it though.  The girls seem to consider it a minor inconvenience and have been feeling plenty sorry for poor old Mom.  Lots of hot tea and soup seem to help the most.  Wish I could taste. 

At work I am busy setting things up, creating files and getting my filing done, pricing eyeglass frames and getting them into inventory as they come in and getting organized.  I've already had my first customer and written my first order which was terribly exciting.  When I took my first deposit into the bank this morning the tellers cheered.  So fun!  It is just so neat to see how supportive everyone is.  Even the UPS driver is rooting for me.  Too cute! 

Marketing is my next big task and I will be going to work on that next week .  It will require some serious footwork and handing out of coupons.  We all love coupons!  I am really proud of this place, the prices and great selection of eyewear too.  People will come in and feel that they really got a good deal and a good product for the money they spent.  I am really excited about being able to provide that to my customers.   

If any of you are interested, we have a website.  www.idoleyesoptical.com and a facebook page too.  If you want to go there and Like us I would love it. 

With everything going on I still manage, somehow, to get the laundry done and keep the house up.  Even with a cold I am managing to sleep well at night and stay pretty rested.  For me that is a huge accomplishment in itself.   

 

My first Bunco night of the season is tonight and I am very excited about that.  We have so much fun when we get together.   I can hardly wait. 

Life is good!

Coming Up With A New Routine

Our life has changed so much this year, especially in the last two months.  Now, as we prepare to open the doors of our new business, I need to develop a new routine for navigating through my days.  My work hours are different, thankfully daycare is now out of the picture, our commute is practically nil – only 5 minutes!, and I am now my own boss.  Could things be any different? 

I tend to be a workaholic so I know that separating work and life while finding balance for both will be a constant struggle for me.  After working non-stop every day for six solid weeks I told myself I needed to take Sunday off for a family day.  Actually, a really good friend told me – four times.  I thought she was serious so I paid attention.  She was right.  I really needed a day off at home.  We all needed it.  Not only were we all tired but we were also feeling a little fragmented too. 

Sunday has always been a day I like to set aside as a family day and I need to get back to that.  I feel it is really important to have time to regroup, prepare for the week ahead and reconnect with each other.  Watching football or car races and movies or playing games and having a really nice Sunday dinner with dessert is an important part of our special day. 

We start with a nice breakfast and a few chores together.  The girls and I will also take a little time to refill drink containers and make up a few items for school lunches.  Then we slow down and do some more enjoyable things.  We talk a lot and if someone feels the need for a little solitude we try to respect that.  I usually spend a great deal of time in my kitchen on Sunday because I love to cook and bake. 

Sunday is the day I change the sheets on the beds and get all the laundry and ironing done.  I run the vacuum cleaner upstairs after all the beds are remade and the laundry is put away.  The girls shower on Sunday after supper and then we will settle down together for a favorite program or play a game before bedtime.  It always feels good to crawl into a freshly made bed after a bath or shower knowing you have plenty of clean clothes to wear for the week ahead.  I think I actually sleep better too. 

So we will definitely be getting back into our Sunday routine and as the next few weeks play out I’ll be focusing on developing new routines to make life and work come together.  For me, having routines helps me to be more productive and keeps me sane. 

How important are routines in your life?