We got back from the beach and the final preschool picnic is this week. Now we are moving into the days of summer! I love the change of the seasons.
This summer I am going to be doing some OAMC/Freezer cooking. My monthly meal plan is going to look a little different. I'm going to plan a list of meals for each week and not designate a specific day. Each week I'll work on checking each meal off my "list." I wanted a more flexible plan for the summer (or maybe from now on!)
I don't want to jinx myself, but these pumpkin plants are thriving! Who knew???
We are headed home tomorrow. I can't WAIT to see how the garden has changed. I know there are going to be many surprises--hopefully, growing surprises!
How has your garden changed? Have you been able to harvest anything?
I love a good fruit bar that includes real fruit and grains. What I don't love is all the crazy ingredients I read on the back of the labels of "said" bars.
I've been on a search/experimental journey to find a fruit bar snack to make my family happy :)
These fit the bill! They are delicious.
.
Oatmeal Fruit Bars
Ingredients
Crumb Mixture
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 c butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling
1 1/2 c fruit preserves (I used strawberry)
1/2 c coconut
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 glass dish.
2. Combine crumb mixture ingredients. Mix together with a stand or hand mixture until you have beautiful, fluffy like crumbs.
3. Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture and press the rest of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the baking dish.
4. Spread the fruit preserves evenly over the crumb mixture.
5. Sprinkle with coconut and even spread the remaining 1 c crumb mixture over the coconut.
6. Bake for 22-25 minutes until edges are brown.
7. Cool completely and cut into bars. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer (if you can keep any leftovers!). These are very good straight from the freezer--still soft and yummy!
Eat up!!!
What other quick homemade snacks to you keep around that are toddler friendly?
I've staked the peas--because laying them down was not working--
Next time I'll put the peas in a different place.
How big does the lettuce need to get exactly?
I have to keep telling myself that this is the first year of my garden and I should not be disappointed if everything does not thrive. I already had to pull out the spinach plants because it was just too hot. I know now that next year we will do seedlings inside (and hide them from the cats).
Some of my plants seem to be the same size, week after week...however, they were transplants from the farmer's market.
Is is normal to have some brown leaves on some of your plants?
The best part is that I am learning a lot and loving reading about other gardens. It's such a treat! It's so fun to have a new hobby that will benefit my family's heath--and I enjoy doing it.
I'm spending this week packing for our beach trip. I hope to have almost everything gathered so I can do a mini-baking day before we leave. One of the best things for our family about renting a house is that I can continue to feed our family our regular food. I hope to make some bread, muffins, and dry pancake and pizza crust mixes to take with us.
Tuesday- Sloppy Joes
Wednesday- Breakfast for Dinner
Thursday-Grilled Cheese, Fruit, Veggie
Friday-Spaghetti Night
Saturday-Leftovers--Clean out the Fridge!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday--Driving to the beach! Yay for Family Dinners!
Be sure to check out Orgjunkie.com for more menu plans!
I've decided to put Snacks on Sunday on hold for awhile. My ideas for these posts are not so snacky anymore, but either stories, tips, or recipes.
Everyone likes a good story right?
A couple of weeks ago I hosted a cooking party for ladies in my moms' club. Everyone contributed to the grocery bill to make Brown Bag Burritos.
We made 2 BIG ground beef batches, shredded chicken, and a vegetarian batch of burritos resulting in 105 burritos! Everyone went home with lots of burritos for their freezer :)
Tons of fun was had by all, especially me. I love entertaining, feeding friends/family, chatting, and hanging out! I especially love it when my kitchen is packed and busy!
Thanks ladies for coming over and I'd love to do it again!
Here's my version of the recipes, including homemade re-fried beans.
Brown Bag Burritos
Ground Beef, Chicken, and Vegetarian Versions
2 lb. ground beef, 1 pound of shredded chicken, or 4 c cooked pinto beans
4 c refried beans
1 1/3 c. enchilada sauce
1/2 c. water
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend,)
20-30 flour tortillas (medium or burrito size)- Room Temperature
1. Brown ground beef; drain. Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Spoon 1/4 c. beef mixture down the side of each tortilla. (I like to use my cookie scoop for this.
3. Roll up. Wrap each burrito in a paper towel, then wrap in foil.
4. Refrigerate or freeze. I like to pack them in the tortilla ziplock bag.
5. To eat—remove foil and microwave for 30 seconds in the paper towel. Remove paper towel and microwave for an addition 30-40 seconds. We enjoy ours plain or on a bed of lettuce or rice. You can also top with sour cream and salsa!
This recipe adapted from Amy’s Finer Things (http://amysfinerthings.com/brown-bag-burritos)
Refried Beans
1 lb pinto beans
8 c water
1tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 onion cut into chunks
7 cloves of garlic
1.Soak beans overnight
2. Drain, rinse beans before cooking
3.Add in remaining ingredients.
4. Cook on low in crock pot for 8-10 hours.
5. Drain, reserve a little liquid
6.Process in food processor until smooth add liquid to reach a good consistency.
It's been a couple weeks since I did a garden update.
Since then, we planted seeds--
Opal Basil, Lemon Basil, Green Beans, Yellow Beans, Okra, and Beets
Everything has sprouted--
and beans grow fast!! The okra plant is so cute. My sugar snap peas have gone crazy. I've had to lay them down and I don't think my spinach plants are going to make it. I think I should have planted them sooner. I still need to get my big tomato plants--hopefully this week!
It was nice to take a week off. I took a couple more days than I planned, but it was well worth it.
Now I'm ready to be back in action!
What's cooking in your kitchen this week? I really need to bake some muffins and cookies for snacks and lunch. I'm thinking blueberry muffins--maybe cookies with white chocolate chips and then some strawberry oatmeal bars.
Thanks Crystal, for passing this award along to me. Crystal is a mommy-to-be who shares all things domestic over at her blog Making It...Home. Check it out, she is cute, funny, honest, and you'll learn something!
The rules of the Happy 101 Award are--
Copy and paste the award on your blog.
List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog (or hyperlink).
List 10 things that make you happy.
Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know about the award.
Now--
Ten Things That Make Me Happy (only ten??)
My family--where would I be without David, Thomas, and my Stella??
My friends
My Kitchen--it's like my office :)
Being a Stay-at-Home Mom
All Things Domestic--really, I love to scrub, cook, and clean!
1- Out of Town
2- Out of Town
3-Spaghetti, Veggie, Bread
4- Veggie Burritos
5-Breakfast for Dinner
6-Easy "Kid" Dinner
7- Chicken Cutlets, Veggies, Potatoes 8- Baked Chicken Burgers, Homemade Buns, Salad
9- Mother's Day
10-Pizza
11-Tacos with chicken and beans
12-Homemade Mac and Cheese
13-Rice, Beans, and Meat Dish
14- Italian Chicken Melts
15- Baked Chicken Taquitos
16- Pizza
17- Cream Cheese Noodles
18- Sloppy Joes
19- Breakfast for Dinner
20-Grilled Cheese, Fruit, Veggie
21-Spaghetti Night
22-Leftovers--Clean out the Fridge!!!!!!!!!!
23-30 BEACH VACATION
Everyone in our house picked two nights to cook. All we have to prepare is two dinners + our kiddos food!
I love meals shared with family.
Our first dinner will be Brown Bag Burritos, Rotel Dip, Homemade chips and salad.
Our second meal we are planning a dinner of Wings and Appetizers.
After a week of fun, we will head home and summer can begin!
31--Memorial Day--BBQ/Grill
Baking List--
Muffins
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Granola
Banana Bread
Head over to 5 Dollar Dinners for more monthly meal plans and planners!
