This morning...I sent off my ScoutMaster
AKA...Mr. Smith
to Scout Camp for four days.
I miss him already
and dinner wasn't the same without my hubby.
Oh well at least it's only four days.
Life is SO GOOD,
but it will be perfect once this handsome man is home safe and sound with his family!!
This week I realizedhow many of my recipes use "Mirepoix"
(combination of carrots, onions and celery) and I am down to my last bunch of celery.
I remember noticing a few months ago when Tracy and I were out shopping "Freeze Dried Celery" and that is something I am definitely going to be adding to our food storage for times when we don't have celery on hand.
Little did I know that our Bountiful Basket this week would include CELERY!!
YAY! I'm feeling like I'm going to survive our 3 months of no shopping.
Speaking of Shopping...
I went and helped my hubby pick up a few odds and ends at the grocery store for Scout Camp and I cannot believe how EXPENSIVE food has gotten. It's been quite awhile since we have bought much at the grocery store and I'm feeling very blessed for our food storage and for my knowledge of being able to make the majority of the meals I feed my family from scratch.
Here are some of the food highlights from our week.
My Sweet Friend Connie posted a recipe on her Blog a few weeks ago for whole wheat blender pancakes. (click here)
I was intrigued with this recipe
as it is a way to use up your whole wheat and also a way to make pancakes if you don't have any buttermilk or milk in your fridge.
These were such a hit with the family and Tracy has added this to his recipe collection for weekend breakfasts.
DELICIOUS!!
A funny tidbit about Baby Bok Choy...I dished up our Chow Mein and also put steamed Baby Bok Choy on all of our plates and the kids fought over the plate that had the biggest piece of Bok Choy.
I can't say enough how blessed I am to have kids that are NOT picky eaters!!
Our summer luncheswouldn't be complete without Smoothies!
Throw in whatever fruits you have and puree until smooth and you have a healthy lunch that any kid would love.
Our Homemade Chow Meinis in our top Five favorite meals we make for dinner.
SO easy, so healthy and SO good!
(click here for recipe)
Adding a few FUN meals to each monthreally is exciting for the kids and keeps you from having the desire to eat out.
I keep packages of Canadian Bacon and Pepperoni in the freezer for making Calzones and homemade pizza.
These are SO easy to make, delicious and the leftovers are great for lunch the next day.
(recipe coming shortly)
I used the last of our Vanilla Yogurt this week as the kids had bowls of yogurt with fresh peach slices on top for one of their snacks.Ethan begged for more and so I compromised and made up Tapioca pudding and chilled it and then put peach slices on top of this the next day.
This was a great alternative to yogurt.
(obviously not as healthy, but I had to get creative)
I really think I'm going to have to try and make my own yogurt this summer as I am realizing how much my kids REALLY enjoy yogurt to eat.
Bless Ethan's heart...he accidentally rolled the Honeydew off the counter and it broke in half before it was completely ripe.
SO, I just cut it all into chunks and put it in a container in the fridge and then made two different smoothies with it.
I just found a new smoothie favorite...
honeydew, pineapple, fresh peaches and honey.
Very Refreshing!
Thursday nightI baked up some Pork Chops in our toaster oven while we went to Ethan's Tae-Kwon-Do and it was SO tender and yummy for dinner.
I saved aside two Pork Chops and sliced them real thin and put them in the fridge.
On Friday I made a sandwich for Tracy for lunch and then used the remaining Pork Chop and made burritos for the kids for lunch.
DELICIOUS!
June 6th – 12th Sunday—
Blender pancakes and fried eggs
Minestrone soup with Quesadillas
Rhubarb Crisp and homemade ice cream
Monday—
Steel Cut Oats
Grapes, string cheese, Minestrone Soup and Toast
(Snickers DARK candy bars/Pringles…pulled these from food storage for a treat to eat after we took the kids swimming to Heise Hot Springs)
Bottled Tomato Soup, Tuna Pattie melts
Tuesday—
Steel Cut Oats
(Tracy—leftover Minestrone soup, French Bread, string cheese, apple)
(Kids—apple slices, string cheese, fruit smoothie, Bean and Cheese Quesadilla)
Chow Mein and Baby Bok Choy
Wednesday--
Steel Cut Oats
Vanilla yogurt with fresh peach slices
Leftover Chow Mein, bananas, Chocolate cookies
Calzones
Thursday—
Steel Cut Oats
(Tracy---Calzones, Tapioca Pudding, Banana, Apple)
(Kids—Calzones, Honeydew Smoothie, Fresh Peaches, Tapioca Pudding, Apple Slices)
Green Salad, Corn on the Cob, Baked Pork Chops
Friday—
Steel Cut Oats
(Tracy—pork sandwich with tomatoes/lettuce, Green salad, apples)
(Kids—yogurt, olives, Breakfast burritos)
(Took kids to the movies “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and they had popcorn and pop for $1.00)
Honeydew Smoothie, Garlic Cheese Bread
Saturday--
Apple Slices and String Cheese
Southwestern Chicken and Rice Tacos
Snacks
Ranch Popcorn
Carrot Sticks
Tapioca
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Blueberry Muffins
Looking forward to having my hubby home safe and sound!
LIFE isn't the same without Tracy here.
I miss him making me laugh every time I turn around, I miss daily walks, talks, his curly hair, electric blue eyes, and gorgeous smile!
I miss the JOY each night as he walks in the door and the how EXCITED the kids get when he comes home.
I miss his kisses... I MISS HIM!!
Dinner-time just isn't the same without Tracy!
Besides, half the fun of cooking,
is cooking for my hubby and I always enjoy his comments and feed back on what we are eating.
Cherishing and savoring
each and every moment with my kids this week while my awesome hubby is making a difference in the lives of the boys he took to Scout Camp!
Count your Blessings...name them one by one!
Tracy, Jade and Ethan...
my greatest blessings call me
Wife, Sweetheart & Mom!!
Your quest continues and is so amazing!
ReplyDeleteI didn't order a BB last week. I was afraid it would go to waste. I was disappointed this week.
I definitely ordered last night.
The meals look so yummy.
Sorry Tracy is gone. It's not too much fun is it?
Hope he gets home OK. There is a special place in heaven for Scoutmasters. A week with stinky boys and charred food.......yuck.
I'm sure they love him though.
I hate it when my husband leaves even for a few days (mostly to hunt!). Still, it's no fun when your best friend leaves! I agree with the comment above, your meals do look oh so yummy!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, groceries are WAY too expensive!!!! We are still working on our food storage, but I am getting a better idea of what we do and don't need in it! Keep up the great work :)
P.S. Have I told you that I LOVE your blog?!
Kimmie,
ReplyDeleteI so admire you! You're eating really well for not going to the store! Your pancakes look better than mine!
I'm glad I'm back from China so I can check out your blog! I learn so much from you!
Kimmie I just started commenting on blogs again! I think I was too late to get this post in my Google reader so I came looking for you!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone told you lately that you are incredibly amazing? Wow!
I just want you to know that if we had to eat out of our food storage right now we would be starving!! How do you keep your kids out of your food storage? (or maybe you don't) That is a huge problem for me around here with my kids ( and their friends!). I totally need to find a better solution!
You really really inspire me!
So organized and so many great recipes and menu plans! And all stuff that your men love - I am in awe!!
You are such a great example and I may have said this before but I want to be just like you when I grow up!!
I so wish we would get those baskets around here - do you know I have never used baby bok Choy - it looks really delish:)
I bet Tracy is an awesome scoutmaster ! They usually pick the best of the best for that calling because it is so important! It is such a busy calling but the boys really need those super great leaders!
He'll be back before you know it. Until then I hope summer has come your way - Enjoy your week!!
Love ya,
Cherie