Hamburger Cabbage Stir- Fry

Hamburger Cabbage Stir-Fry

Over the past three weeks, I've started cooking, baking and eating "cleaner" and healthier! I'm helping our family make a gradual lifestyle change so that our plan sticks and isn't just a phase. Indeed, we love "Paula Deen" kind of recipes, so it's been a challenge but we are all embracing it!

Sadly, I'm the one in our family working hardest at "cleaning" up my lifestyle and I've lost the least pounds (4). Josiah has lost 12 and Rob has lost 9 pounds. Now mind you, I didn't start this plan with the intention of dropping a huge amount of weight (although I have it to lose), I just wanted to feel better and healthier, but you know how it is....my head thinks, "If I'm eating this many fruits and vegetables, I should be dropping pounds!"

Click on the recipe name (Hamburger Cabbage Stir-Fry) for a printer friendly copy of this recipe that we gave a HEALTHY TWO THUMBS UP! If you have any recipes or other ideas on "cleaning up," I'd love to hear them!

That's all the BUZZ in our house!
Becky

Helpful Kitchen Hints (including 3 surprises)

I'm always happy to learn about a shortcut or tip that stretches our family's dollars further or simply makes life less complicated.  For example:  laying out your clothes the night before, rotating toys, having a menu plan, etc...so today I'm sharing kitchen, food, & eating tips that just might make your life simpler.

I created a printable shopping list (organized by category) that we keep on the fridge at all times.  As we run out of items we immediately add that product to our list so we can always depend on a well stocked pantry.  Feel free to share and make copies of it for your own personal use! 

Gracie & Josiah

Kid Kitchen Tips

• Cut food into kid sized bites using a pizza cutter .  These are just a few things we cut with a pizza cutter:  spaghetti, pancakes, hot dogs, chicken nuggets/strips, quesadillas, bologna, and cheese slices.  We learned this trick from my brother Rick :) 

• School Lunch idea-- Josiah doesn't care much for cold sandwiches when he takes his own lunch.  Therefore, I sometimes send milk, cereal and fruit for lunch.  I send his soy milk in a spill-free bottle and put cereal in a Tupperware bowl.  But, for those with kids not requiring soy milk,  your kids could just use their lunch milk to pour into their dry cereal. 

Saving time & money makes every one happier!

Money & Time Saving Tips

• Buy fresh herbs in a squeeze tube.  My favorite brand is Gourmet Garden.  You'll find these in the produce's refrigerated section at a major grocery store.  Time to time you need fresh herbs (like basil, ginger, Italian seasonings, etc...), however you only use a couple of stems and the rest ends up spoiling.  Not anymore....just buy a $5 tube of herbs and it will last for several months!  Plus, you don't have to spend precious time washing and finely chopping the fresh herbs either.   

• Whipped Cream in a Can.  I love a yummy, frothy Starbucks latte but they are spendy!  So from time to time I splurge on a can to add the creamy yumminess to my morning coffees or hot chocolate to treat my craving more economically.  It's also fun to add a dollop of whip cream to your pancakes, waffles or ice cream sundaes. 

Food Saving Tips/Stretches with 2 New Recipes

• Use leftover grilled chicken or steak to make quesadillas.  
• I use leftover rice to make family fried rice.  (Find recipe here).
• Leftover mashed potatoes makes the following hamburger pie recipe super quick to whip up. 

BBQ Meatball Recipe

I'm posting this recipe in honor of my twin sister, Barb (aka "Barby").  Although we are twins we are quite different from one another.  I like to describe our differences this way:  Barby reads the Wall Street Journal and I prefer to make pinatas out of the Wall Street Journal. 

Furthermore, she does not enjoy cooking or baking and I LOVE IT!  But in 2012 she made it her new year's resolution to start meal planning and cooking homemade meals for her family.  Last night she advised (via Face book) her family's favorite recipe during January was Rob's BBQ Meatball recipe so I'd thought I would pass it along to the rest of you. (I call them Rob's BBQ meatballs because he is the one that first made them when I discovered this recipe). 

Rob's BBQ Meatballs



Meatball Ingredients: 

• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 5 ounce can of evaporated milk (the smallest can you can buy)
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

Sauce Ingredients: 

• 1 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped onion (don't over do; sometimes we use instant onion)
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions: 

Mix all the meatball ingredients together (except the ground beef) in a medium mixing bowl.  Crumble beef over the mixture and mix well.  Shape into 1" balls; placed in a greased 9 X13 baking dish. 

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. 

Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Pour over the meatballs after they have cooked for 18 minutes.  Then bake meatballs covered with sauce for another 10-12 minutes longer. 

Yields:  4 dozen

Side Serving Suggestions:  hash brown casserole, tossed salad, any vegetable or spoon bread.  

Note:  These freeze well and they are a good meal to take to others, because it makes enough for 2 small/medium families. 

Taking A Deep Breath

I'm sorry for the long, unplanned break from blogging.  Our summer became more hectic than I expected.  I just keep going from one project or place to another and haven't slowed down enough to blog about our happenings.  So, this entry will catch you up on what I've been doing, thinking, crafting, cooking and planning....

I'm thankful for....God's mercy and air conditioning!  Wow, it has been blistering hot...on Tuesday it was even too hot for me to swim and sun...now that's HOT because I love the SUN!

I'm still missing...Cooper, our family pet.  I never expected to feel quite so empty without his presence. 

I have been inspired .......by Pinterest!  I love it!! It is a website in which you can catalog the things you want to make, do, read, like, buy, etc... Whenever you find something on the Internet you want to "save," rather than copying and pasting it in a word document and saving it to your computer you just click "pin" and save it to your "boards."  I have my boards separated into these categories (and will soon be adding more):  craft ideas, party ideas, recipes, quotes, books worth reading, for the home, my style pinboard, printables, etc... The other cool thing is you can follow other people's boards to see what they are "pinning."  If you want to join Pinterest, then you have to request an invitation.  It took me 10-14 days to gain access but it was sure worth the wait and is making surfing and organizing my ideas so much easier. 

We have celebrated....the 4th of July (at my parents' home), Rob's birthday, and "cousinhood".  Last week we had the privilege of hosting my niece's three children while she and her husband were in Kauai, Hawaii and I dubbed the week "Camp Cousin Week", in which I planned a whole slew of activities to do as cousins.  I will be posting all of my ideas and menu plan at a later date. 

I have been challenged....to workout more and pray more intently for Josiah.  My sister recruited me to run a 5K race in September and I reluctantly agreed to the challenge....so now I really gotta start running instead of just talking about it...ha ha :)  Lately as a mother, I have been ridden with "guilt" about parenting Josiah and during my quiet time one day, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that I simply need to start praying more for Josiah vs. reading more self-help books on how to raise him and/or become a better parent. 

I have been amazed by....the continued unconditional support of our family and friends.  God has blessed us by surrounding us with so many encouraging people!

I have been reading.... to Josiah Judy Moody, which we have both gotten a kick out of :)  For inspirational reading...I have been reading Warrior Prayers by Brooke L. McGlothlin, a book that is specifically written to help mothers pray for their boy(s).  It is an e-book that costs $4.99 and I definitely recommend it.  For "fun" reading...I have recently finished Pray For Silence (a mystery that involves an Amish family) and today started Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. 

We've been listening to.... Adventures in Odyssey (radio broadcasts developed by Focus On The Family Productions for kids),  Peter Furler's new CD titled On Fire and Laura Story's album Blessings. 

I regret....that I haven't read more books this summer.  Having Josiah home and with me all summer, has sure put a hamper on book time, but of course it's an easy sacrifice to make. 

I have been wanting....a new dress and I'm really pining for this V-cut maxi dress. 

I'm looking forward to..."The Smurfs" and "Sarah's Key" movie releases!  If you haven't read Sarah's Key yet...DO....it's a wonderful story!

Some new recipes I've tried...Easy Ravioli and Cheese Bake, this wonderful Pizza Sauce, and Cream Cheese Pound Cake.  I guarantee you'll love them and won't be disappointed!!  I made some adaptations to the ravioli dish by using frozen tortellini and adding more cheese and spaghetti sauce.  It's a perfect recipe to throw together and in the oven after a day of swimming.  And the pizza sauce is AWESOME!  The recipe makes enough for one medium pizza, but I quadrupled it and saved the leftover sauce in a jar in the fridge for other casseroles, bread sticks, etc... When I was at Mom and Dad's, I was craving strawberry shortcake so whipped up pound cake to create my own strawberry shortcake from scratch to enjoy on the 4th of July.  So rich and so wonderful!!!

I've been working on....Korissa's (my best friend from college) birthday gift.  I am making her chicken wire picture frames that are so cute and versatile.  I promise to reveal how-to make your own once I give them to her!  The next project(s) I will be working on is creating Camp Cousin memory books.  After that I will be working on formatting my cookbook (pictures and recipes) so I can get it ready for printing.  I still don't have a definite timeline on when it will be ready for distribution, but I'm hoping to give you an opportunity to have an ELECTRONIC "sneak peek!"  (again, more details to follow). 

I have been worrying about....Josiah's ear.  Around Father's Day he burst his left ear drum and it has been slow in healing and preventing us from our favorite summer activity...SWIMMING!  I'm worried about the long term affects. 

I am surprised....summer will be unofficially over in less than 1 month when Josiah will go back to school!