The 89 Cent Treasure

With Thanksgiving around the corner, there is much talk of turkey.

The grocery stores are running sales on the popular thanksgiving bird.  The wild turkeys are still meandering about our backyard and they are remembered daily in prayer in our house as the two year old prays, "Dear Dog... Tank you for da turkeys backyard".

... Perhaps he understands more than we think as our oldest seems determined to one of these years provide the turkey, one he has hunted himself, for our Thanksgiving table.  Maybe Noah knows that the turkeys might need protection from his big brother.  That's beside the point...

Feeding five mouths is not always easy, and is never cheap.  I am always looking for ways to create easy, economical meals and all the talk about turkey prompted me to share this tip.
One of the best ways I have found to accomplish both easy and economical meals is to take advantage of the oven roaster chickens that go on sale for about $.89/lb. from time to time.

When that sale runs, I stock up.  These chickens freeze well.  I thaw one for a few days in the fridge and after it has had time to thaw, I place one in the crock pot early in the day.  No liquid needed (in fact, if your crock pot is small, adding liquid may cause the pot to spill over).  Simply add salt, pepper and perhaps some poultry seasoning is all.  Left on the low setting until dinner time the chicken cooks perfectly.

Though you certainly can, we do not often simply eat the chicken this way as I find I can stretch it further if we use it in other dishes.  I have, over the years, compiled a large collection of recipes involving cooked chicken.

After dinner (yes, after, as I rarely plan to use this bird for this meal so as to save time), I debone the chicken.  I separate the meat into meal sized freezer bags.  I find that I can get at least six meals out of a good sized chicken.  The skin, bones, and juice all get put back into the crock pot and are refrigerated until the following day.  The meat is refrigerated or frozen for future use.

The following day, I add water and vegetable scraps to the carcass that has sat in the fridge.  This is left to simmer, again on low, all day in the crock pot.  At the end of the day, the liquid is strained.  The solids are tossed in the garbage and the broth that remains is saved and frozen for future use as stock, or broth for soup.
This stock is separated into several tupperware containers to be later used as soup broth.  Smaller, one-cup amounts, are saved in recycled yogurt or margarine containers to be used as stock or broth for casseroles, etc.  This all freezes perfectly.

Not only do I eliminate the need to buy broth or bouillon, but also I am able to very quickly thaw already cooked chicken and whip up a quick casserole, chicken pie, or stir fry.  It is also leaves me little excuse to be unprepared for dinner.

"She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens."  Proverbs 31:15

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord..." Psalm 92:1

The Meal Plan

It saves us tremendous amounts of time and money.  It wastes less, and makes us better stewards.

It's the weekly meal plan.

I write it out on Sunday and begin by using what I have in the house.   I add to that what's advertised on sale at the local grocery shop and make my weekly grocery list accordingly.  

I plan dinners first, and plan them based on Dan's schedule.  If he will be home for the evening, I plan meals that may take a bit longer to prepare or that require more clean time to clean up.  If he is home for a quick dinner and has to head back to work, I plan something quicker and easier.

Our kids are picky eaters.  If they won't like what we're having for dinner I try to plan a breakfast they will enjoy.  Lunch is planned last and is usually a meal that is easily prepared and requires little clean up.

By having our meals planned, there is little temptation to eat out.  There is far less food wasted because there is a plan for all that is purchased.

We buy what we need and use what we buy.

I don't find myself dragging my feet at dinner time because I don't yet know what to prepare, and I'm rarely caught without what is needed to prepare a meal.  Grocery trips are kept to once a week at most, therefore saving tremendous amounts of time running in for this or that.

When planning the weeks meals at one time, it really only takes a matter of minutes.  I go through the recipe binder that contains only the recipes that have been tried and tested - and have passed the test.  Included there is a list of easy meals for which no recipe is needed.

Trying something new is easy when it can be fit into the week on a day with extra time, and all ingredients can be planned on and purchased in the regular weekly grocery trip.

It may seem that to be planned requires additional time, but that ten minutes spent on Sunday afternoon saves perhaps hours of time during the week, and oodles of cash for the week to come.  We find that by planning ahead, we enjoy a greater variety and we eat healthier too...

Spontaneous Praise

It was a rushed dinner.  A family dinner at the table, as always, and as always it began with the insistent prayer of the two year old, "Dear Dog... Tank you for my food, my friends my fam-a-yee and Jesus.  Amen.", but it was rushed none-the-less.  Dan had come in from work, long enough to share the meal with us, but then had to head back out for a meeting.

He wouldn't be here for family worship time.  I'm not sure he had thought that through, having had a busy day and a busy night ahead.  Regardless, we'd finished eating and before we got up from the table he suddenly started singing "Father Abraham".

Perhaps you remember... Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham.  I am one of them, and so are you.  So let's just praise the Lord - right arm, left arm, nod your head.... "

The giggles and laughter of the little boys permeated the dining room.  Everyone acting silly, up and out of their seats, spinning and nodding, arms and legs waving.  Poor Noah, still in his high chair trying hard to follow along... while laughing and chewing a raw carrot.  The only interruption was me saying, "don't choke honey!  Chew what's in your mouth!"

The song ended and more songs of praise sprang forth.  Isaiah and Elijah, while singing along, hopped back out of their seats to gather paper and pencils and both penned another of their very own songs of praise.  Isaiah planned to lead family worship time, as he does, in Dan's absence.

While we were all around the table, singing old sunday school songs that Dan and I were recalling from childhood, it occurred to me.  Perhaps this is what it looks like, an attitude of praise.

The days are long again with Dan working extra hours and the autumn air creeping in, the sun lower in the sky.  The kids have had never-ending colds, mornings seem to come too quickly- kids up coughing at night, money is tight, the kitchen floors were sticky thanks to spilled apple juice and chicken broth, the laundry is undone and the hour is late.

I'm far less bothered than I would have been years ago.  Dan was able to join us for dinner and should be home soon, the kids are getting better, our needs were met today as always, the floors got mopped, the laundry can wait, and the kids are all asleep; the house is quiet...

...and I smile, songs of praise continuing to play in my head - and I can still hear the sound of the children's voices praising the Lord along with their father and I.

Sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and he is to be feared above all gods.

1 Chronicles 16:23-25

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Popcorn {That Kids Can Make Themselves}

Microwave popcorn... without buying microwave popcorn?
Who knew!?
We recently discovered that you needn't purchase bags of microwave popcorn, but can instead make them yourself!  I guess I'd always assumed there was something special about the microwave popcorn bag, but apparently not - aside from unhealthy preservatives and toppings.

The kids have enjoyed making their own.
It's really quite simple.

Place 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels in a paper lunch bag, without opening up the bottom of the bag.
Fold the top down about an inch toward the bottom flap, and tape with one piece of scotch tape.

Place in microwave, tape side up and use the popcorn setting
(or set for 2-3 minutes and stop when there are several seconds between pops).

When it's finished, add salt and butter or whatever toppings you choose, or just eat it plain!

Not only is this version far more economical, but it's also healthier, assuming you go easy on the toppings!

These little bags are perfect for snacks.

When the bags are folded in thirds with the unpopped kernels inserted and they're neatly tied with twine or ribbon and maybe a gift tag, they look like an inviting treat, perfect perhaps for party favors.

Make several bags, add a new bowl and a DVD and they make a great gift set too!  

*Please be so kind as to join me here at Abundant Fruit & Olive Shoots if you have not already, and be entered to win a beautiful handmade baby hat and shoe set, by LisaCorinne Handmade.  Scroll below to the post titled "Giveaway" for details.  Thank you!

48 hours without?

The hurricane blew in, bringing back memories of Hurricane Gloria when I was perhaps the age of my oldest son.  Mom took us outside to be sure everything was tied down.  We saw, on the rope that separated the deep end from the shallow in the in ground pool, a little mouse hanging on with all it's might.  Later that day, we made candied apples and all sat together in the kitchen- the center of our home.  Climbing on the downed tree in the back was great fun after the storm had passed.

Sunday we enjoyed our homemade french toast and while doing so, the power went out.  Truth be told, Dan and I had to think of what to do with ourselves with no power - at least initially.

Unable to run the vacuum, the laundry undone, no hot water and a dishwasher full of dishes, no way to cook the food that was perishing in our fridge and freezer, and in the chest freezer I had stocked with meals before starting school with the boys...
My grand plan had been for this week to be "cleaning week" in preparation for beginning our "school year" next week.  I used to be a planner.  I now hold more loosely to my plans, because my plans seem to rarely be His plans.  Cleaning week has been cut short.

Instead, 48 hours passed without power.  The kids unable to attend to most of their chores, we did some errands, we cleaned and organized the boys rooms - closets and all.  We talked, we read, we imagined what life was like before electricity.  How did those who lived before do their laundry?  How did they see at night?  How did they wash their dishes?  I am sure they were far more efficient than I, their having the knowledge and tools to get along without gadgets and machines.

Evenings brought earlier bedtimes, Dan and I reading for hours by candlelight.  We all missed the iPod - the sounds that permeate through our home as everyone sings along daily.  In it's place, the children- all three- continued to sing.  Noah asking for "lights on" to read his books as it got dark, just thought we were not cooperating with him.  The weather perfect for sleeping we didn't miss the air conditioner.  The sky so dark we could see the stars.  The house so quiet, so peaceful.

We lost nearly all of what was in our fridge and small freezer.  What was at the bottom of the chest freezer was saved, but needed to be used because it had begun to thaw.  We brought dinner to friends, and yesterday was spent making batches of meatballs and browning hamburg. The crockpot filled to the brim with chicken.  We now have many meals prepared and returned to the freezer.  The fridge and freezers thawed and fully cleaned out.  I did say I wanted this to be "cleaning week", it's just not what I had in mind!

"Cleaning week" has begun!  Instead of commencing with chaos and craziness, it began with yes, a bit of frustration, but much peace and calm.  So quiet.  Tasks I had not planned on getting to were done anyway out of necessity.  We had 48 hours filled with time to read, to converse, to begin to pick up sticks and enjoy the fresh air, the smell of pine surrounds our home.  Errands were done that would otherwise have not been.

In one sense, it was 48 hours without.  In another it was 48 hours with.  48 hours we spent as a family.  Forty eight hours with nowhere to be, little work that could be accomplished.  Forty eight hours with no phone, no computer, no television, no distractions.  Forty eight hours with no laundry to fold, no cooking to be done, no vacuuming to do.  Instead, 48 hours of peace, quiet, calm, candle light, sweet children's voices and much laughter.  Forty eight hours to give thanks, for there was much to give thanks for.

 "Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”  As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil."  James 4:13-16

Praise Him in the Storm

A friend called yesterday.  "Did you know a hurricane's coming?" I asked.  The only response was laughter.  My husband chimes in from across the room, "where have you been?!"

Under a rock, apparently.
{I gathered my news from Facebook I think,
as sad as that may be}
The friend on the other end of the line adds, "Have you not turned on your TV?  It's the only thing on!"

With an impending storm, I sent the older children outside today to be certain all their toys and lawn chairs, etc. were put into the shed.  Dark clouds looming overhead, the threat of rain, sensed by even the animals who seemed eerily quiet.

The boys came in for lunch, having done more playing than cleaning up.  After our meal, they went back outside to tend to the task they'd neglected, or perhaps procrastinated from, the first time.

I was in the kitchen, the 1960's retro kitchen, baking cookies.  Watching the boys from the kitchen window - what a blessing that window is, with the perfect view of the backyard!  Someone knew what they were doing when they built this house.  I can picture a 1960's mom, sporting an apron, watching children from this same window perhaps two generations ago...

The sky opened.  Rain poured down as it hasn't in months, perhaps years, at least not that we remember.  I ran outside to help, hurrying to get everything in.  The boys dawdling, rather enjoying their romp in the rain.  Little Noah had followed behind me, happily splashing about in the puddles that had already accumulated in the bare spots of our patchy lawn.

Everyone made it back in the house, little boys muddy and happy were ushered quickly up to the shower.  Curious, we turned on the TV.  As little guys emerged from the shower, they were drawn to the bright screen like bugs to a bug light.  They parked themselves in front of it, eagerly listening to one weather report after another.

It didn't take long and the anxiety and chaos set in, then it seemed to take over the house.  I was finishing up the cookies in the kitchen while getting the play-by-play of the weather.  "Someone died from the storm", they said.  Next, images of people being swept off jetty's into the ocean were pictured.  Even little boys had sense enough to know that was unintelligent, to be on a jetty in a hurricane.  They informed me of the storm's track, it's timing, projected wind speeds and precipitation amounts.  They were sucked into the drama.

That 20 minutes would be enough.  TV off!

The quiet of the house returned.  Little ones returned to their chores, hovering first for a taste of freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.  Dan continued the painting of our bedroom furniture - an ongoing summer project- it looks gorgeous!  Noah pushed Chuck (his favorite dump truck) across the kitchen floor.

Does it matter?  The storm is coming, need we know more?  If we've done what can be done to secure the things that could be taken by the wind and cause damage, is not the rest in the hands of God?  Does it matter the exact track the storm takes?  Will we know, or care, when all is said and done that we got 8 inches of rain instead of 4"?  Sure, for those who live at the shore, there may be extra precautions that would vary depending on projected storm details, but for us - is it worth the chaos?  Worth the noise and the interruption?

The TV is off, the storm is imminent.  As it creeps in, we will marvel together at the power of God.  The God who can move the mountains, part the seas, and save us from ourselves.  We will praise Him, He whom the winds and the seas obey.

And since church is cancelled, we will sleep in, enjoy homemade baked french toast for breakfast, and enjoy the sabbath together - a rare treat for a ministry family!

Banana Bread

Ever since I was a child, my mom would make this  - the most excellent banana bread.  It has been passed down as a family favorite.

Last night, a cooler late-summer evening, I decided to make a loaf.  Two actually.  One with nuts another without.  Banana bread served with fresh fruit is one of everyone's favorite breakfasts.  I especially like it because it can be made ahead and leaves little clean up in the morning!
After the little guys had showered and Isaiah and I had cleaned up from dinner, they all helped me to prepare the batter.  I remember well my job as a child, to peel and mash the bananas.  For some reason little boys find that job particularly amusing.

Isaiah joined in the fun with his brothers, even though he was sure to inform me that he could have baked the bread himself.  He certainly could have, but he and I both enjoyed the time spent together mixing, mashing and laughing at Noah.  Poor Noah sounded as though someone had hit the repeat button..."I have some?   Peas {Please}!?  I have some?  Peas!?"

Of course, once the mixing is done every boy stands in line for what they call "a batter lick". 

The best part...

Mom's Banana Bread

1 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/3 c. shortening
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 c. bananas {2-3 mashed}
walnuts {optional}

Mix flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Cream shortening with sugar and well beaten eggs.  Blend with dry ingredients and bananas.  Grease loaf pans.  Bake in glass loaf pans @ 325 degrees for about 50-60 minutes.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

My $23.00 breadmaker is one of my very favorite kitchen appliances.  It's a small Toastmaster brand machine- the cheapest we could find many years ago not long after we got married.  It's nothing special for sure, but it makes great bread dough.  For years we have used it for making pizza dough, dinner roll dough, etc.  This past week my friend Beth - who I think should really be writing this blog because she's so full of great ideas- wrote down a recipe for us for this honey whole wheat bread.  I was skeptical at first, in part because my children are beyond what you would call 'picky eaters' ;)  I also was skeptical because I have not found that my trusty little machine makes great bread.  It makes great dough that we transfer to the oven, but the bread is typically unsuccessful.

Regardless of my skepticism, I gave the recipe a try.  It was really delicious and the kids enjoyed it!  An added bonus is that it's far more healthy than most store bought bread and is not filled with preservatives.  Oh- and the house smelled great too!  ;)

Here's the recipe should you wish to give it a try!

3/4 cup water, heated two minutes in microwave
generous 1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup milk
3 cups whole wheat flour (or 1.5 cups white bread flour and 1.5 cups whole wheat flour)
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast (or 1 packet)

Put in bread maker in order listed.  Set on the basic and light settings.

*To make this recipe super efficient - use a glass liquid measuring cup for all wet ingredients.  Begin by heating the water in the glass measuring cup.  Pour the water into the bread machine.  Then, while the glass is still warm, add the honey to measure.  The honey pours right out when the glass is warm.  Then add milk, to further help rinse honey from glass measuring cup into bread machine.  Then add dry ingredients.  Beth says she sometimes makes this at night, starts the machine and her family wakes to the smell of freshly baked bread and they enjoy it as it is or as toast for breakfast.