My Apricot Tree Moment: In the jar.

So, as some of you know, Mike and I are trying to be extra frugal. We have medical bills overflowing our mailbox right now and we want to pay them off as soon as possible. 

A few nights ago, Mike was mentioning that was going to be getting paid in the next few days-
 I said, "Cool, I'm going to run to the store tomorrow and get a few things, we need eggs, milk and some other stuff." 

Then, he stopped and looking up from the dishes he was doing (such a good guy) he skeptically said "By other stuff.... do you mean a peach tree?"

Ha! .... Let me explain. After moving back into our house, we noticed spiders EVERYWHERE. We also had weeds growing in our grass and a few dead spots where we had fertilized, but didn't know the sprinklers weren't working properly as we weren't living there- (fried, yellow grass.. blah) anyway - So, I went to IFA to get some supplies.... but not just any IFA, or the one that is less than 15 minutes from my house... but I had to drive more than double the distance to go to 'Lindon Nursury' .... aka tree and plant HEAVEN. :)... what? I knew I wasn't going to buy anything.... I was merely going to get a few ideas for next year... ehem. I bought the fertilizer, bug spray and weed killing stuff.....packed it in my car and was about to go for a walk around the nursery when Sammy spotted and ran towards a big, cool cart.

Well, "Why not?" I asked myself, I was just planning on walking around real quick, but it was 104 degrees outside, so it may be nice for the kids to just sit there instead of getting more hot by walking around. I wasn't going to buy anything, it was going to be just a quick stroll around the plant and tree heaven. .....

Then something happened..... all of a sudden I was in Fruit Tree Forest. I don't know if it was the 104 degree weather or being tired from hauling 3 kids around all day  - but all seemed right in the world. The birds were chirping.. Sam was sneaking fruit s from the trees...... and I weaved in and out of all of the possibilities... I mean trees..... Cherry! Peach! Apple! Plum! ... and all of the exact type that I wanted........  And THEN I spotted it!..... The perfect apricot tree. :)  It was big, it was beautiful and already had fruit on it that was almost ripe!

You see... 3 years ago when we moved in, we bought these silly trees.....

A Pink Lady apple and a pear tree..... along with a peach and apricot tree that died... (may they RIP)

As you can see.... they basically just sit there looking silly. - This year we  have a few pears growing! Hooray! ... but I was feeling a little robbed. 

Last year, Mike spent months on a retaining wall around the back of our yard and creating this beauty for me....

It will one day be overflowing with fruits and veggies... that is a big garden.
 We moved during the planting month, so... here it remains... :)

I only say this to tell you that this is the only thing I can look back and assume I was thinking when I plopped a huge, beautiful apricot tree in the cart next to Sam. ... I'm lucky that Claire and Ben were in the cart too, otherwise I may have put more in there! I was seriously in a state of pure innocence and excitement.. I felt completely justified in my actions.

 "This isn't like a new purse or piece of decor for my home.. it's a fruit tree!" I said to myself... as if I was actually being frugal by buying it... as if I was really going to spend $70. on apricots this year, so this really was a steal of a deal.... right? :)

Well.... 

Wam. Purchased.

I was so excited... almost giddy! I sang "Popcorn Popping" to my kids and drove off....

Then came the guilt..... What just happened? I can't afford a tree right now! I just spent all day the day before making baby food to save a few bucks... and I just bought a tree???

Needless to say, I felt bad. I sent the picture to Mike and waited...and waited.. and waited for a call back... nothing! So I called him with an "I'm so sorry" response as he said "Hello" ... turns out he was in a meeting and hadn't seen the picture yet. I was hoping he'd laugh with me and be excited for a new tree...but he was clearly in his right mind.... "A tree,hu?" He said in sweet tone.... he wasn't acting mad at me or disappointed, just sort of... well .. blah. He was still sweet and kind, just not helping me feel better about the situation.

I got home, pulled it out of the van and in one hand, I wanted to hug i!.. It looked so beautiful! On the other hand, I wish I could've just taken back... but, I'd only get 50% back on it.... so.. I went inside.

I started making dinner and felt kind of dumb. How did that just happen? I have never been one to make purchases without talking to Mike, and  am usually REALLY good at not spending money...Although we totally had the 70 bucks, it could've been just that much extra on those medical bills. 

I wanted to put all of these feelings into a jar so I could open it up every time from here out IfI get swept off my feet again like I did in the 'forest of fruit trees.' -

It wasn't an overly "guilty" feeling... just sort of surprised at how easy it was for me to slip away from my common sense. 

Isn't it beautiful? 

Do you have any Apricot Tree moments?
 I have to say that I am grateful now that I did buy the tree... only because I never could understand why it is so easy for people to spend money they didn't really have on silly things- it was good for me to feel what it felt like to be swept away like that... whether it be a new electronic device, purse, outfit, tree... it happens! We are just simply not perfect. - I guess we just have to look at the good in the situation and do what we can to remedy it. Return it? Adjust our budget for the week or month (beans and tortillas for a week?:) hehe) ... I don't know. This isn't a post on how to avoid these things or to fix a mistake that has been made... It's just my attempt to put the feelings I had into that jar I was talking about... guilt and all. I'll leave it all here. I will do this to stop feeling guilty for something that is already done. What's done is done.. and also to have something to remind me... I'll seal it tight and pull it out and open it the next time I'm tempted to do something that could thwart my progress toward the grander goal. :)
So no, Mike. I won't be buying that peach tree today!

Soon I will post my favorite apricot recipe... super simple and SO yummy. Keep an eye out for it!

I hope you have a great day :)

Cara

Pillowcases and Cans of Food

Since our most recent move and then move back episode, along with our lives being turned upside down... I have found myself feeling like this:

A LOT

And especially THIS:

Anyone with me? Last week was the worst! I found myself losing my temper so easily... My kids were OUT of control! I felt so frustrated and irritated at what was going on here. I felt panicky .... "HOW did this happen?" I kept asking myself. I was so grateful to have stumbled upon this quote on pinterest:

(http://muchlove-anna.blogspot.com)

Apparently Miss Jeanette Winterson is a British writer... I'm not sure about the content of her books - but this particular quote has had a great impact on me.

Unselttledness..  this word described my family to a "T".  I felt that among the absolute chaos, I had turned into my children's slave. They seemed to have no respect for me and would fight to the death if I asked them to do anything to help. - This quote made me calm down and stop worrying that I had raised monsters and to realize that they are human just like me. They truly are entitled to their own feelings and I needed to recognize that. I knew that of course, but this is what made it real to me. They were feeling unsettled and unsafe as they were unsure of the expectations and boundaries we have for them. (and so were we) 

One night, I was talking to my husband. I was sobbing on the couch thinking that this was all a reflection of my parenting... and I had obviously failed (I become somewhat irrational past 9:00 pm after a hard day).  Mike kept telling me, "I am so sorry honey, that has to be so hard" ... when I said "Sorry doesn't fix it, I NEED advice, WHAT should I do??" ... (poor guy.. really.. some days I don't want him to just fix it, other days I don't want sympathy, just a fix to the problem.... any one else super grateful their husbands put up with them? :) ) We talked and talked and came up with "The Plan." ... it is simple and won't fix everything, but I really feel like it's a start. And let's be real, you can't get anywhere without first starting. 

Wake up before the kids .. they wake up SO early and after a night of beeping oximetors and a screaming baby... I have sunk into the habit of letting them rummage around the kitchen for cheese sticks, apples and gogurts while watching Bubble Guppies as I tried to get in a few extra winks before Ben would wake up.

Get as ready as possible (if possible) and make breakfast.

Now, here is the kicker:

Wake up the kids at 7:00 am. Say Wah???? Did I just say wake up the kids???? Crazy, I know.. but hear me out... I wake them up together at 7:00 am. Before they can have breakfast, they have to say their prayers, make their bed, go potty, and wash their hands and face. Okay- I know it sounds like a LOT. Especially at 7:00 am.... but it really doesn't take that long and it really is a great habit for them to be in.... and to be honest... te hehehe, for some horrible reason it gives me pleasure to wake them up when they are asleep... it's like payback. Mwa ah ah ah ah..... (don't tell them I told you that...wink... and the fact that it makes for an earlier bedtime doesn't hurt either! :))

Along with these decisions, we decided that the kids needed to have some responsibility and asking them do help on a whim here and there during the day just wasn't working.... and looking back, I don't blame them! When I'm really in the middle of something and they are constantly asking me to do things unexpectedly, I get bugged too!

Well, a few weeks ago, I ran across this great idea from http://www.lemonsqueezyhome.com/2012/08/chore-charts-diy.html

Isn't it beautiful? I loved the idea of having a "to do" and "done" area for them to visualize what they have to do and what they have accomplished.. and to have it posted for everyone to see how hard they have worked.. I loved how simple it would be to change up the chores to keep them from getting sick of one or the other....
So! I started thinking of how I could make this work for my family. I knew I needed to have pictures instead of words. As much as I love the magnets and beautiful frames... I knew I only had a certain amount of time. This is where I struggle. Sometimes I get this perfect picture in my mind and can't get it off my mind until it's done... so... to be real in my circumstances right now... it turned out like this....

(mind you, they are the ones moving them around all day :))

It's not quite how I had planned it, and it certainly isn't the trendiest of decor to have right in the dining area of our home... but! My kids have loved it! I simplified down from cute painted wooden nickles with magnets to clipart, construction paper, lamination and tape.... I've had to bring myself to reality to see that my kids don't need their chore chart to look fancy. They just need to know what they are expected to do. I don't say this to belittle all of the beautiful creations you can find on pinterest- it's just where I'm at in life right now.  The point is: They know what is expected. They know from the moment they wake up and come into the kitchen for breakfast. They each have their specific "chores" that they do every day: prayers, make bed, brush teethe, hair, get dressed.. etc.. Then I have general chores (the yellow cards) that rotate. I only give them a few a day to keep it from being overwhelming,but they do have to be done before the tv gets turned on and the toys get pulled out.

Some examples of chores are:

Dusting

Vacuuming (they love this)

Setting the table

Washing the table after meals

Straightening the bookshelf

Making sure the dog has enough food and water (Claire's favorite)

Laundry duty: Switching out laundry when asked, but especially making sure all dirty laundry is in laundry bins

Garbage patrol: This person is in charge of keeping our house free from garbage other then in the garbage cans. My kids are too young to bring the garbage bags to the garbage bins outside, so it's just a matter of keeping the garbage off of the ground.

Helping me make dinner

Putting toys away (the both get this one every day)

I also have a picture of a bucket of cleaning supplies... this is basically what ever I ask them to do like cleaning the baseboards in a room, or sanitizing door handles and light switches.

You know what your kids can handle. I especially like how easy it is to change them out every day. They may hate washing the table after meals, but, it's just for the day. like I said, I only give them 2 or 3 other then their personal chores (getting ready for the day)

(If you are at all interested, I'd be happy to email you the document that I have the images that I used, but I just used google images and can't cite every single image.. so I don't feel comfortable posting it here.)

But how do you actually get them to do the chores? You might ask..... well... this is where the pillowcases and cans of food come into play..... I got this great idea from Parenting in the Latter Days at http://thegoldenseven.blogspot.com/2010/01/work-i-can-do-my-part-fhe-lesson.html 

Before introducing the chore chart to my kids, I took all of the little cards I had made and taped them onto cans of food. There were quite a few of them. We all gathered our pillow cases and I had the kids take turns identifying which chore each can represented to be sure they knew what each picture meant. Then I had Sammy come up with his superhero pillowcase and gave him "his chores" for the day... which ended up being every single chore. With each request, I placed the can in his pillowcase. When it was all the way full, I told him to go and do his chores! Surprisingly he was really excited about it and said "where should I start?!" .. I was really surprised. - But then he tried to lift it all up. 

He couldn't get it to budge.

 I let him try and try and try. Finally, we discussed how difficult it is for one person to do all of the work around the house. We talked about how much time it would take to do each chore and asked when in the world he would have time to color, read books or play with his super heroes! ....... 

We then emptied all of the "chores" onto the fireplace and split them up between us and the kids. Each of us were able to easily carry our bags. I went through Claire's pillow case and talked about how after each can or "chore" we do, the load gets lighter and soon we would have time to do the fun things. I talked to them about wanting to spend more time playing with them and that if we all did our part, we'd have much more time to do just that!

I couldn't believe how well it worked. I could see it click in their minds! It was a really good experience for all of us and has really helped our family out. Obviously, they are little and most of the work they are doing is just to show them that they are a part of the family and that families need to work together. They are no longer bribed to do anything... they just get the satisfaction of moving everything to the "done" side. 

We are still at the beginning and I am positive the novelty will wear off and they will start to dislike it for a while, but I'm determined to be consistent.  It is so much more then just a list of chores...... the whole "Plan" is to get them into healthy habits: waking up early, keeping their room tidy, taking care of their bodies, and being contributors but most importantly - giving them the expectations and boundaries that they crave to feel confident and secure. Giving them the experience of satisfaction that can be found through hard work and consistency. Giving them responsibilities without material gain because in REAL life, there are things that we do just because it's the right thing to do, not because there is something in it for us.. even though they will see the real prize that will be found in discovering their amazing capabilities. 

Easy Patriotic Fruit Salad

Patriotic Fruit Salad

I found this beautiful fruit salad last year on "Wit and Whistle" via pinterest http://witandwhistle.com/2011/07/05/cookie-cutter-fruit-salad/    

and have been dying to make it ever since! Last year it didn't happen..... but look how beautiful!

My family is having a BBQ tonight and I happily was assigned to bring watermelon! THIS was my chance!!! .. I pulled out my big ol' watermelon... pulled out the star cookie cutter .. and wam.. the most beautiful red star.... then the baby started screaming.... and then... well.. look at these cute kiddos-

Well....... to avoid this:

Cute Claire hiding in my bathroom... she dumped  out all of my makeup, had my dress shoes on and was according to her:  "just getting ready, mom" .... so cute... buttt.... Too much of my makeup has been ruined this way and I didn't want another lipstick to bite the dust. The dust from my powder that is :)./


And as to not miss cute things like this:

Claire using her Easter basket and chop sticks for drums

 Or this: ........ (Sigh...:) :) )

Clark Kent turning into superman.. (imagine the cutest 4 year old voice  singing to the Superman theme "dun da da dunnnnn "... got to love the glasses, right? And yes.. that is my messy home.. I thought about cropping it out... buuut.. I'm  just keepin' it real!

So... I just ended up with this:

I still think it's beautiful :) And it still dresses up the ol' American favorite: Watermelon! :) Maybe on a 4th of July in the future I'll have pretty star shaped watermelon... but in the meantime - this is good enough for me! :)

Happy Independence Day!! :)

Cara! :)

DIY: BABY FOOD :)

So true, right?

After buying about 20 dollars worth of jars and plastic containers of food for my daughter a few years ago... it dawned on me! I could do this... why had I never thought of it before? I looked to the label ... "prunes, water" ... "bananas, water, citric acid"  "pears" ... etc.... 

Wait, wait ,wait!

 why was I spending $.65- $1.15 on what was probably a 1/2 of a banana? ... I could buy a whole bunch of bananas.. or a whole bag of carrots and peas for the price of one measly jar!

 I searched the web for baby food recipes and found a great site called:

"Momtastic Wholesome Baby Food' 

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/index.htm#.UdHy7jsslEI 

It seriously the best site I found. - it goes through the different stages and has great recipes. It even goes through a big list of fruits and vegetables and  what nutrients are in each of them. It also has a guide as to when is a good time to start feeding it to your baby

. - If you are really wanting to do this, explore this site, it has so much good information! :)

My first encounter, I had the site up on my counter and followed it to a "T" .... then I realized that I could make what ever I wanted for her! .... Today, I just made Stage 1 foods. Stage 2 recipes can be found on the above website.... and your imagination :).

Today I made:
Mixed veggies
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes with corn
Prunes and banaas
Apple Banana oatmeal
Peaches and oats
Pears
Pears and oats
Carrots
Peas

It all took me just a few hours!! (and would've been much quicker if I wasn't trying to entertain and take care of 3 kids 4 and under :) )

 I get a kick out of all of the fancy baby making food kits there are out there....

you certainly don't need this....

Or this

They do realize those are ice cube trays right? ...  
I mean... you can buy them at the dollar store! I'm not trying to mock the product..... some people need kits to get themselves motivated, but let me spare you a few bucks...

It is so easy and you probably have everything you need on hand ..

• A blender or food processor
• Ice cube trays
• A freezer
• Gallon baggies, or something to store the finished product in.
• And of course the food you will be making! :)

Simple enough right? 

Gather and prepare your food... (I ended up not using the avacodos, and I added a few other things... buuut.. here's a visual for ya anyway :).......)  

I guess the point is to see how much baby food can be made with so little....

First I started with the sweet potatoes... peal, chop, boil or steam.....

  While that starts softening up.......

 I play with this little Sweet Potato

(first time in his high chair today! :) ...)

 Okay! Now! Time for business! The sweet potatoes were boiling, so I started on another food...

I plopped an entire carton of prunes and 2 ripe bananas in my Cuisinart - then blended those suckers!

 Blend, Blend, Blend! 

Prunes have a tough skin, so you need to blend them a lot - Then, you add water while blending until you find the consistency you want for your baby.

I chose to add bananas with the prunes to kind of counteract the extremes... bananas cause constipation and prunes .. well... you can imagine..... so! 

Blend them together and what do you get?? 

Bibbity, Bobbity BOO! 

Baby food with lots of great vitamins and nutrients!

Taste test!

I think it's safe to say, it was a hit! ..... Can you believe how easy that was?

You will soon get a feel for what the prep will be for each item. 

Whether or not you need to peel them... if you need to steam or boil them... you get what I  mean.. 

This is pretty common sense and some if it is just up to you. For instance, the website I posted above suggests to peel and steam the pears - I peeled mine, only because Ben's still pretty little... but I definitely didn't need to cook them down. Some moms to this to help break it down to make it easier to digest... it's up to you... I didn't think it was necessary.

Now on to the sweet potatoes...... I decided to boil them rather than steam them for sake of time. What's great about steaming or boiling, is that you can use the water to thin out your pure'. This helps put back the nutrients you lost while it was cooking.

It's that simple... pure'... add water to the right consistency.. and wammo! Baby food!

I blended half of the sweet potatoes plain, then added cooked corn to the other half. "Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Corn" is one of Ben's favorites!

Carrots and peas I steam..... pure' and add water to correct consistency ... (seeing a pattern here? :))

For the apple banana oatmeal, I just pure'd bananas and applesauce, then added baby oatmeal to it. (You can make your own baby oatmeal by putting regular oats in a blender or food processor).

Bananas and pears loose their color.. you could chose to put in lemon juice to avoid this.. but it really is just for looks.

I used a few jars of peaches that I bottled last fall to make the peach pure'. I hadn't done that before, and man! Even though I had drained them, it was still really runny, so I added oats to make it thicker.. and a more filling breakfast. You could even add a little cinnamon or cardamom for a peach crisp flavor.

The mixed veggies was a last minute decision... I was looking in my freezer for something and noticed a bag of mixed veggies.. so! I steamed them, pure'd them.. yada yada... SO EASY.

Seriously... I can't believe how much money I wasted buying baby food.

NOW to store it! :) There are a few ways you can store your baby food. Some people like to put serving sizes in snack size baggies, then flatten and freeze them...  My favorite is with ice cube trays. You can freeze them, break them out in their cubes and store each food in a big gallon or quart bag. Then, you can easily take a serving out and warm it up (or have your baby's meals out the night before to thaw). What is nice about this is you can mix easily... just throw peas in with carrots, and wallah! Mixed veggies! Bananas and peaches? ... Boom! :) - 

When I first started making baby food I would try to drop just enough in each little compartment to make sure the cubes would break out nicely... not necessary! :) I just glob it on there and use a rubber spatula to drag it across the tray, it all drops in and then you can scrape the sides when you are done... it definitely does not need to be perfect :) The cubes break out just fine :)

*Prunes are gummy and don't come out of the ice cube trays well, you can choose to use the snack size baggy system or just freeze them in their little jars. I still used ice cube trays, it's just sort of a pain to get them out.

I like to use these little containers when I feed him:

You can get them at Dollar Tree and they come in packs of 6! I LOVE these things :) - I use them for snacks for my kids all of the time! And they come with little lids, so you can take them wherever you go :)

Seriously! The longest part about this process was waiting for it to freeze! (Prunes are a little gummy so you need to freeze them longer... even over night) - 

See that bag of peas up there? Imagine that times 10 in just one afternoon and for only a few bucks! 

Can't beat that! :)

I hope this post was helpful! Have a fabulous night and don't forget to hit the "follow" button :) I'd love to have you around :)

Cara!

Living For Real... for real!

I've decided to begin blogging again. - This is a tough world - you let people into the insides of your soul and then they let you know if they approve or not.... but, I decided, I don't care.
Over the past 1 1/2 years - I have learned a lot. A lot has happened in my family that looking back.. well, frankly, it makes me sleepy! - BUT - nevertheless - I have learned a lot. Among it all I have learned a new meaning to "real" and "simplicity".  Through pregnancy and life threatening illnesses - Real as taken on a new meaning. - Real is what you can handle when you are doing your best. If that means mac and cheese is your best - then good for you for taking the effort to make it - if it means homemade everything down to the pinto bean and tortilla - two thumbs up!
I've learned that you can basically be afraid of everything. Preservatives, anything not organic - water, shampoo, carpet, ... the school system, government, computers, .... the list goes on. My new quest in life is to  See the GOOD in the world. https://www.facebook.com/groups/295848787193105/
I'm convinced that some people come up with new things to put fear into our hearts just to get new readers. - I'm not saying that trying to inform the public is bad - at all... All I'm saying is... let's be REAL. The world is a wonderful place to LIVE not to fear. We obviously need to do our best at protecting our families... but there is SO much good going on - let's not let fear overtake all of our efforts and energy by trying to avoid the inevitable. If we reversed fear to confidence in ourselves and our world - can you imagine the impact that would make? - People would be able to turn draining, energy sucking, negative energy into motivating, exciting, energizing, positive energy!! I'm sure if I searched for it, I'd be able to find some sort of statistic showing how much more productive positive energy is rather than the negative energy... but it would be a waste of time, we all know what I'm talking about, right?

I've learned that REAL is imperfect, and that's okay. 2 years ago when I started this blog, we were debt free other then student loans and our mortgage..... then one car died, then another car died....after many many efforts to keep it alive (aka money spent)..
 a surprise pregnancy and a life threatening illness in my newborn.... needless to say, we were left with some debt.... it made me sick! - I immediately sought after perfection and tal
ked to my husband about selling our home, in which we had gained quite a bit of equity which would've paid it all off.... in that effort, we uprooted our family and moved away in hopes of selling the house quick..... I was excited for an adventure.. there were so many things that bothered me about my house
that I was ready to start over.... ready to build our "perfect" house on our "perfect" lot...... it didn't take long until I saw the error of my ways. It was right for us to move.. and it was right for us to move HOME. It was a lesson of embracing imperfection that I needed. No one is perfect and it is okay - This new positive experience has been blissful. My critical eye towards my home and debt as changed and I love where we are at. I love my home despite the snakes, mosquitos and clash to my decorating style... In fact... It has never been more beautiful to me- the big things are now little things and the little things don't even bother me. My husband is still baffled by this change in my attitude, and to tell you the truth! So am I! Nothing has changed. My house is still the same and our finances are just the same.... I have just simply accepted and embraced it. I feel absolutely blissful, I'm not blind to the challenges nor the effort it will take to stay on top of it all - but I see the good in it all and it has given a whole new purpose and energy to the phrase "worth fighting for." Imperfection is REAL. This means imperfections in finances, living arrangements, children, marriage and other  relationships.. etc.. It's important to note that this isn't to excuse working on them... just to excuse the fear of imperfection so we can feel confident and motivated rather then disappointed and discouraged.

We are still at the beginning of a beautiful Summer - I'm looking forward to spending that time with my family and friends.... learning new ways to improve our lives through self reliance, and happiness. I will continue to post money saving ideas, like this week I will be making baby food for my son... but with this, I have learned there needs to be a balance... let's be REAL. - There are things worth taking time to do.. like baby food.. and things not worth taking the time to do.... homemade crackers..... it is fun to do, but it's not worth the time or mess in my opinion, I'd rather spend the 2 bucks or just not have them at all... I can still post recipes for them, because some of them are really good and you get the pleasure of knowing exactly what you are eating... but, I'd rather spend the hour it would take to make a pint mason jar worth of crackers, playing "Candyland" or "Don't Eat Pete" with my kids. - The blog will now be centered around my adventures in embracing what is Real while raising my family.

It's good to be back and I hope you will all click the "follow" button and join the ride- Have a fabulous night!

"Here, eat this!"

Cleaning the kitchen, making dinner, throwing in a load of laundry, changing a diaper .... sometimes I find myself giving my kids food for distraction! ... I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this... but seriously - what are we giving them? Lately for me it's been chocolate chips, marshmellows, graham crackers.... (can you tell what I've been craving? .. Ssmmmoorrres) - anyway! I was thinking of all of the unnecessary sugar I have been giving to my kids, so I wanted to find healthier, quick, inexpensive alternatives. Here are a few of the more obvious ones:
Fresh or frozen fruits
Fresh or frozen veggies
cooked whole beans (my kids love munching on garbanzo and kidney beans .. me too! :))
soft nuts
cheese
etc.
While those are all awesome - sometimes they don't convince my kids that what they are eating is more fun than destroying my house as I clean it or climbing out of highchairs. - So I searched the web and found a quick easy winner :)

Oats and Nanners Drops by Karla

1 c quick oats
1 c ground oats (grind oats and make a coarse oat flour) I used 9 grain, you can do this in a grinder or in a blender
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon or ginger or cardamom (we'd try it with all 4 spices.)
1/4 t nutmeg
1 t baking powder
1 c (~2) overripe bananas, mashed The kids loved helping squish the bananas in a bag
1 t vanilla extract
3 T oil of choice I used canola
Directions: Mix dry, mix wet, add wet to dry. Drop by the spoonful onto parchment paper or greased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 min at 350. (adapted from a vegan cookbook)

NO SUGAR!!!! Sammy keeps calling these cookies and it is making my day! Both he and Claire love them and I have no guilt for giving it to them :)
Next time I am going to try adding walnut or pecan flour (I do this by putting the nuts in my food processor and grinding until it is like a flour) - to give it a nuttier flavor -
This is clearly no cookie, but the kids love it, and so does Mike! :) Enjoy!!

Simpicity quest, recipe #1

In my quest for simplicity, I have been going through some of my SIMPLE inexpensive recipes. This one, I LOVE. It is SO easy. It is COMPLETELY healthy and you and your kids will love it. :) Plus! It doesn't have an ounce of meat in it which is heart healthy and wallet healthy! :) Wahoo!

Now, I know white potatoes have had a bad rap for it's high carbs and starches.. bla bla bla.. sometimes I feel like "they" say EVERY THING is bad for you... Check out this website and you will understand the TRUTH about potatoes:

http://len7288.hubpages.com/hub/Health-Benefits-of-White-Potato

Baked Potatoes with Warm Black Bean Salad
Cara

4 medium potatoes (sweet or regular)
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 T olive oil
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
¾ t salt
¼- ½ c corn
Splash of lime juice
Sour cream
Cilantro

Prick potatoes with a fork in several places, cover in tinfoil (shiny side in) and bake at 375 for at least an hour. Meanwhile, in a medium microwaveable bowl, combine all of the rest of the ingredients, except sour cream and cilantro. Microwave until heated through. Use this “salad” as your toppings for your baked potato :). It is delicious, EASY and so good for you! :)

"'Tis a gift to be simple"

"Tis a gift to be SIMPLE tis a GIFT to be FREE......." --- Anyone else hearing a man singing opera in the back of their minds? Okay, maybe I'm wierd... but...

"SIMPLICITY IS THE ULTIMATE SOPHISTACTION - Leonardo Da Vinci

Living REAL (as far as "acting our wages... especially when you are tight) can be REAL complicated. It isn't easy. And sometimes it can feel like we are going against our natural desire to have fun and relax...... Here's a secret. Having fun and relaxing are SO good and SOoooOOO needed. On this blog, I post things that are helpful. Then it's important to choose what you can do and how you can implement things in your life. It isn't REAL to be perfect. None of us are as much as us perfectionists feel like it just MUST be possible. IT isn't.

Balance is the key.
If you don't think a monthly meal plan and shopping trip is doable, do it every 2 weeks, or heck, even once. Before I started this, I would go MULTIPLE times a week and decide what to make for dinner at about 4:00 ...or 5 or 6. ANY improvement is improvement. Throw yourself a bone! You are doing amazing! --- If making homemade laundry detergent isn't your cup of tea - adjust your meals, entertainment, miscellaneous shopping.. whatever to make it balance out. Remember BALANCE is the key.

Last week I had a HUGE light bulb turn on for me. This is going to sound lame... but hey! I'm new to this game. - I was feeling overwhelmed and WAY out of balance. Making fancy full breakfast lunch and dinners, homemade... well.. everything takes ALL of my time. It has never occurred to me that you can make simple meals on a regular basis... not just when you know it's going to be a crazy day! - I know. lame. My ultimate goal in REAL living is spending quality time with my family. I think it is AWESOME for our kids to see us working and working hard .. I want them to know that WORK is LIFE. Not just something I'm imposing on them. That work is what God intended life to be .... but we don't need to be picking up bricks and adding them to our back packs. That takes the joy out of work. Because, really work and be enjoyable and satisfying... Seriously.

So! In my quest to gain the gift of simplicity, I'm going to balance my life by making more simple meals... freezing them more often and CHILLING OUT. The glory of all of this is that with less ingredients you have for a recipe, the less items on your shopping list... with that, it doesn't hurt to buy a few store bought snacks here and there.

I am totally excited about this.

The only problem is that I don't know how to make very many simple, HEALTHY meals. Does anyone have any ideas? This will surely be a quest and I am totally excited about less dishes and more time building airplanes out of blocks with Sam and more time to chase Claire around and reading more stories.

If you have any SIMPLE, HEALTHY meal ideas, let me know! Email me at CaraJohnson25@hotmail.com and I will spotlight you ---- I know, I know, I had a separate email account for this blog, but c'mon - Tis a gift to be simple right? - I only want to check ONE email account :) hehehe. and i forgot the password.... ANY WAY!

What are ways YOU are trying to find balance in your quest to be REAL?