Have a Lucky New Year!

So, you already know I have been completely psyched for a week about the new year.  I have 2 things that have to happen on New Year's Day.  Number 1, my house needs to be clean.  I am like this about most holidays.  (I think it has to do with the fact that it is really hard for me to relax if my house is messy.  It's a disease, I think.)  But really, who wants to start the new year with a dirty house?

Number 2,  I have to have my Hoppin' John Soup.  I love traditions and New Year's Day is no exception.  For years I would have black eyed peas on New Years Day.  But if you are southern, you know it doesn't stop with the black eyed peas.  You are supposed to have greens and stewed tomatoes too.  A few years ago, I found a fantastic recipe that covers everything.  It's from the Neeley's and it's
Hoppin John Soup.  Honey, you want to talk about puttin' some south in your mouth?  Mmm Hmm.

It has:

• Black eyed peas - Brings you luck and good health
• Greens - Represents money in the new year
• Pork - Pigs are lucky, didn't you know? (I'm not making this stuff up!)
• Tomatoes - Represents love (I had to research how that happened, apparently tomatoes used to be considered an aphrodisiac!)

Serve with bread or cornbread, which represents sustenance of life, and you are all set for the new year!

Do I think all this works?  No.  I put my faith in God, who is slightly more powerful than a black eyed pea.  Would I feel crazy if I didn't have this on New Year's Day?  You betcha,  A little black eyed peas never hurt anyone.

Happy New Year, My Friends!
K

New Year, New You

I absolutely love the week after Christmas.  To me, it is the most exciting, hopeful week of the year. It's like I've taken a 5 hour energy drink.  Not that I ever have taken one, but this is how I imagine it feels. Maybe a little less jittery.

I love the feeling a new year brings, don't you?  There's so much promise, I kind of feel like anything can happen.  But we all know that nothing's going to happen without a plan.  Really and truly, sit down with a notepad (or better yet your dream journal if you did that this year) and think about the possibilities that await you.  And bring Jesus with you.  You'll be amazed at what He has to say!  Don't make plans and then ask God to bless them, make your plans with God and then you know they will be blessed!  Just so we are clear, we are not talking about New Year's resolutions, here.  We are talking about annual goals. For years, I have said that I don't make resolutions.  I think the reason I stay away from that word is because New Year's resolutions tend to mean something people attempt in the month of January and then they are done with it.  It's like people don't even expect them to stick.  Be done with New Year's resolutions. Start making annual goals to accomplish.  You have a brand new year ahead of you.  What do you want to do?  What would you like to change?  Don't wait for things to happen.  Make them happen.  All it takes is a plan.  But that is going to require some thought.

If you do make annual goals, review your goals from last year and see how you did. BE KIND to yourself.  If you have some things on there that you never got to, are they things you should try again this year?  Don't be discouraged.  And don't be afraid to look at the goals you set,  Be deliberate in looking back and think about what worked and what didn't.  Some of your goals might not have been reached because you forgot you even set them.  This year, make sure your goals are something you look at regularly and even more importantly, pick the top ones and put them on display so you see them everyday!  (more on this later)  Did you not accomplish some goals for another reason?  Are they unreasonable?  Are you truly vested in it or do you just feel like you should say "I need to get in shape"?   Don't be afraid to think about what you didn't accomplish this year and why.  Don't just transfer everything you didn't do this year to next year's goals.

Please, take time to pat yourself on the back for the things you did do.  If you didn't set goals, kind of just do a year in review mentally.  What are you proud of yourself for?  What made you happy this year?

Now.  Let's get to this year.  Set some time aside (no excuses on this one!) and take out a blank piece of paper.  I like to make 5 categories and start writing down goals for each.   Here are the categories I like to work with:

• Home - These are projects I want to do this year around my house or things I want to buy for the house.  It might be as large as re-placing your carpet or as small as making a photo gallery.  Think about your budget, don't just write down everything that needs to be done (that would be depressing!) and thoughtfully pick some things you would truly like to accomplish this year. 
• Me – Ladies, this is a hard one!  We tend to put everything and everyone in front of ourselves.  What are some things you want to do for yourself?  Do you ever go out with girlfriends anymore?  Is there something you have always wanted to learn how to do?  I usually have to save this category for last but once you get going, you may surprise yourself.  
• Health -  I was really proud of myself in this category last year. (Go me!)  Things that can go on this list....try infused waters, make one homemade something that replaces something processed you use (like coffee creamer), do your skin care regimen every night, get a skin care regimen, eat more fresh fruits and veggies, work out 1 more time a week than you do now (which for some of us would be 1 time a week...yeah).
• Social – These are things I want to do with other people, including the hubs.  Want to have date nights? Want to spend more time with friends?   Want to entertain more?
• Finances – Do you need to pay off some debt?  Want to go on a trip?  Start saving more money?  Start saving money period?

I told you this last year but it bears repeating...you HAVE to write these goals down.  My goals take up a whole page. Some are really "small" and some are going to require more work.  Now that you have them written down, you have to look at them.  At least monthly, if not weekly.  You can't just say "I want to go out with my girlfriends more" and wait for that to happen.  But re-reading it weekly and seeing it on the list will make you say "Hey, I'm going to text Kim and see if she wants to do something next week!" (she does, trust me)

This year (2015), I decided to put my most important goals in a picture frame.  I saw this idea here originally New Years Goals Photo Display and totally loved it.  I changed it up a little bit. My categories look like this:

• Start:
• Stop:
• Learn how to:
• Be More:
• Project:
• Trip:
• Bucket List:

I loved how this covered my "main things" and felt it was a great way to focus for the year.  Buy a collage picture frame (mine is from Hobby Lobby, $12).  I simply went into PicMonkey, to design and selected 4x6 canvas.  There you can make a background color (or keep it white and just print it on color paper.  You can put text in all different fonts.  You can make patterns, frames or add pictures like hearts, stars, etc.  It's pretty fun to work with!  Print those bad boys out and trim to fit your frame. Word of advice...you may want to think about where you are going to hang it.  Mine is in my bedroom, in a place where I see it often.  Unfortunately last year, I thought about this AFTER I printed it and it totally did not match my bedroom at all!!  But that's ok, it still worked.  It's also nice that you can write notes or check marks or anything you want on the glass with a dry erase marker.  Hopefully you can see my pen marks on the one from 2015.

2016 Goals...Already on Display and Ready to Rock It!

Be fierce in 2016.  Aggressively go after the life you want.  You have to have a plan and you have to take the time to figure out what you want.  Then you need to review that plan, OFTEN.  I truly pray that God helps you start living the life you have always wanted!  Be blessed!

Here's to Being Unstoppable in 2016~
K

December's Menu

I have some great recipes for you this month!  And I am happy to say that after 6 hours, I have 23 meals in the freezer, ready for one of the nuttiest, busiest months of the year!

It's pretty overwhelming to do that many meals at once, I'm not gonna lie.  There were 6 of us this time and while that makes for more work, it also makes for more hands.  I don't think I would have gotten 23 meals done by myself in that time!  And I certainly would not have enjoyed myself so much!

If anyone is interested in doing freezer meals with a group and wants to know "how we did it", feel free to email me and I will send you some info. If you are local and want to join a session, that's cool too.

With freezer meals (maybe with all meals!), the key is organization.  And man, it takes a whole lot to get organized for a month of meals.  Feel free to take it small and freeze a couple things on the weekend.  Several meals made 2 bags so you can have one now and one later:

• Honey and Spice Glazed Pork Chops
• Orange Beef Stew 
• Best Ever Meatballs
• Bacon Jalapeno Stuffed Grilled Pork Tenderloin
• Monterrey Chicken
• Cilantro Shrimp

That's like a two-fer.  Just sayin'.

As always, you can bypass the freezer and just throw it in your crockpot the morning of (or mix it up the night before and turn it on the morning of).

Here is this month's menu.  The Bacon Jalapeno Stuffed Grilled Pork Tenderloin is special enough to make for Christmas Eve or Christmas day.  I have shared my Christmas Day menu with you as well. It's pretty fancy, but the rest of the meals are quick, easy and delicious!  Please share if you tried any and how you liked them!  I love feedback!

December Menu

Grocery List by Recipe

Master Grocery List - All

Take some time to get prepared this month.  It is so crazy with the parties, errands and running around.  If you take a minute to do some planning, you might avoid spending a fortune on eating out! Take it from a girl who learned her lesson (and gained extra pounds!) last year.

Now, bring us some figgy pudding!

K

What's On Your Table?

Thanksgiving.  It's one of those great holidays that is full of traditions.  I am a traditions kind of girl and Team Holmes has no shortage of them!  I love the things that make our holidays special to us but I also like to throw in one or two new things each year.

We always start our Thanksgiving by watching the Macy's Day parade.  I am usually able to mostly watch it (meaning I don't have to start cooking yet).  I try to make something for breakfast the night before so it is ready in the morning.  Besides, who wants to cook breakfast when you are going to have to make Thanksgiving dinner all day?  Not me.  Here are a few of my fav, EASY overnight breakfast ideas you can throw together Wednesday night:

Pumpkin French Toast Bake

Easy French Toast Bake

Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

One thing I am thinking of adding to the docket this year is Apple Cider Mimosas.  I love the thought of having these while watching the parade.  HOWEVER....champagne is not known to be a great motivator so...not too sure about this one.  This might turn out to be an epic fail.

The Turkey
I make many of the same things for Thanksgiving every year and have for a looooong time.  You will never believe what I change up every year....the turkey!  I have been brining it (soaking in a high salt marinade) for years now and I love this method. But I keep finding recipes that sound too good not to try!  This year, I am going in with this one  Maple Cider Brined Turkey.  Did I mention the recipe comes with a Bourbon-Cider gravy? Be still my heart.

The Sweet Potato Casserole
No, the old miniature marshmallow thing is not for me.  I seriously love my yams though!  I adore this recipe and would chop my arm off before I went without it.  With nuts, coconut and amaretto...nothing can go wrong!

The Mashed Potatoes
Also one of my favs AND another recipe I change up every year!  (Don't ask about the year we decided to make gruyere mashed potatoes and my neice and I searched the town over for gruyere cheese!)  This year, I am going to try this recipe.  They had me at make-ahead.  

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

The Stuffing
Our stuffing has sausage in it because that's how we roll.  I have made this stuffing recipe for as long as I can remember.
This year, I am gonna try changing it up with one I recently got in a cookbook...dried cherry and sausage dressing.  See, I kept the sausage.  Can't change too much!

The Green Beans
Forget about french fried onions. This is another one that I would chop my arm off rather than go without.  If you want to try just one of my recipes, THIS IS IT!  This is a cold green bean salad that is absolutely amazing!

The Cranberry Sauce
I hated cranberry sauce for years.  That's because my mom bought the jellied kind in the can and sliced it.  (For the record, that is not cranberry sauce... eww)  Geez, the 70s...who knew any better?

Well, cranberry sauce is such a great compliment to turkey.  And REAL cranberry sauce is delicious!  If you have never tried it, you really should.  This homemade sauce is TO DIE FOR!  AND...it is super easy.  You could have it on other things too! (think english muffins, ice cream...etc)  If you have leftovers, by all means bake some brie and put this on top!  Yummm!  I said IF you have leftovers...

White Wine.  No recipe needed.  Add more as necessary.

The Pumpkin Dessert

Dessert has always been my maple pumpkin cheesecake.  I am pretty well known in these parts for my cheesecake,  I gotta tell you.  This recipe is fairly easy as far as cheesecakes go but if you've never made one before, this is not the time to start.  Again, I have decided to buck long-standing tradition and try a pumpkin tiramisu.  I haven't announced this yet.  Not sure how it is going to go over.  I am pretty sure my BFF is crying right now.

So there you have it.  A run down of the HolmeStead menu, the old and the new.  I hope you found some recipes you can try!  Whatever you do, don't overdo.  Enjoy your time with your family and friends and don't be stressed.  The day is not about the meal, it's about the fellowship.

After sharing our meal and cleaning up, we of course, like the rest of the nation, want to take a nap.  But we don't eat until about 3 so by the time our show is over, it's just too late for naptime.  We do get into our jammies and hit the couch though!  We really love Christmas but I just can't get down with it until Thanksgiving is over.  Well, almost.  Our last Thanksgiving tradition is our holiday season kick-off.  We sit on the couch in our jammies Thanksgiving night, all fat and full and thankful, and watch A Christmas Story.  There is no better way to start the Christmas season than learning how to NOT shoot your eye out.

I'd love to know of any favorite recipes or traditions you have for the Thanksgiving holiday!  Don't be afraid to try something new once in awhile.  Go ahead!  I triple dog dare you.

Have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving!  Gobble, Gobble!
K

Finding our Bridge

This past Sunday, hubs and I celebrated our 12th anniversary.  We had one of the most relaxing, nicest anniversaries I can remember.  Maybe it was because we were out of town.  Maybe it's because we celebrated friends getting married the day before.  Or maybe it was just because we found our bridge again.

Inn at Corolla Light

The past couple of months have not been the easiest for us.  Hubs' classes this semester are killing him, which is therefore killing me and it's not doing much for the "us" either.  We went from a season of never fighting to having arguments like we were just dating again.  We went from being "here" (as in "we're here" - mentally) to you're here, I'm there and I don't know where that bridge is that goes between us. Someone throw me a line.  Please.

These last few months, things have been hard and stressful for us and I finally had to recognize that we are in a different season now.  And that is ok.  The reason it is ok is because I am hopeful.  I know that this too shall pass.  I know that the end result will be worth this brief time of struggle.  We have a plan.  No one said that plan was going to be easy.  Most things that are worth it aren't.  I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. So many things are temporary and we just have to stay hopeful and positive in the waiting.  Which ain't easy, believe me, I know.  And this weekend, as we walked down a pier together in the morning and stared at a lighthouse, I knew, as I had all along, that everything will be ok.  We found our bridge again.

The thing is, it can happen to anyone.  You know how people say marriage is work?  I think that's the work part.  Keeping it up.  It's not that loving someone is hard.  The work is not getting caught up in routines and life and neglecting that other person.  It's making sure you take that time to nurture the relationship.  That's not easy because we are all so busy.  I made it a point this year to schedule a date night for every month on my calendar in January, when I got my calendar.  I just picked the last Sat of every month.  It might not sound romantic to schedule dates, but it's the only way I can make them happen.  And it worked.

People often tell us that they envy our relationship.  This always makes me smile.  Not because that statement makes me feel good, but because I know the truth behind our relationship.  Hubs and I are very close but we have gone through a lot.  And I am okay with that.  I wonder if people would be envious if they knew all the tough times that we went through?  Maybe not.  But no one said that marriage was going to be easy.  Most things that are worth it aren't.

Take time for each other on a regular!
K

I Like Coffee with My Cream !!

The only thing I love more than coffee is creamer.  I used to be completely obsessed with Coffeemate Vanilla creamer.  We went through a large 32 ounce container in 2 weeks or less.  I mean really, I could have been their poster girl.

I really felt like creamer was way too expensive and had often thought of making my own.  Then, one day, it happened.  Like any other thing in my life. Someone who was trying to lose weight was trying to cut out creamer and I laughed to myself at what a little thing that was to cut out.  Is it really that many calories?  Then I did it.  I turned my bottle around.  I don't remember how many calories or grams of fat it had, but I saw the list of ingredients.  Eww...what?  What is sodium stearoyl lactylate and do I really want to drink it?  I'm going to guess no.  Um, my beloved creamer was pretty gross if you got down to it.  So...just like other things I have started making, once I get grossed out, there is no going back for me.  And thus I began the hunt for the perfect homemade creamer.

I found a lot of websites that had quite a few creamers.  Some pretty simple, some more complex.  I have tried quite a few flavors and have pretty much liked all of them. I have to admit, my first cup of coffee without my store-bought creamer did not make me happy.  But I very quickly got used it and now, if I used store-bought creamer, that does not make me happy.

I always start with a half and half base.  I have seen all kinds of bases out there, many of them combos (1/2 c sweetened condensed milk to 1 1/2 cups half and half).  It looks like you can use any type of milk, half and half, whipping cream, or combination thereof that you prefer.
One of the reasons I wanted to make my own creamer was that creamer was really expensive.  (At least the way I was tearing through it!)  The reason I did not like the sweetened condensed milk option was for the expense.  From what I have read, it adds a creaminess and I felt like I could live without it.

It's funny, but before, I liked vanilla and peppermint mocha flavor and that was it.  I thought the other flavors I tried tasted too fake and rarely liked any of them. Now, I have a different flavor each week!

I guess the trickiest part for me has been the spices.  I have tried straining these suckers out every way you can imagine.  I have gotten the finest strainer I can find (think tea ball infuser), I have strained multiple times.  I have tried straining thorugh a coffee filter (epic fail).  And I have tried just shaking it up and living with the spices.  If you go this route, might I recommend that you never take the last sip of coffee in your mug.  Just trust me on this.  I am currently in search of some cheese cloth and will let ya'll know if I ever solve my straining dilemnas.

Some have sweeteners added and some do not.  I generally am ok with just adding my own sweetener.  Another thing I learned through this journey..brown sugar is much better in my coffee than white sugar.

Here are my favorite flavors I have tried, with links to their websites:

Caramel Coconut Creamer

Pecan Pie (a little more labor intensive!)
Pumpkin Spice
Cinnamon Strudel
all found on:  Homemade Healthy Coffee Creamers


Chocolate Almond
Cappucino
Cinnamon Bun (one of my VERY favs!)
Pumpkin Spice
all found on:  Bacon in my Pocket

And, I even invented my own!

Butter-nut Maple Creamer
2 c base
1 t vanilla butternut extract
1 t maple extract

There are some on my radar to go to next:

Vanilla Caramel
Almond Joy
Salted Caramel
Eggnog
Peppermint Patty
Mrs. Happy Homemaker

Hoping yours is good to the last drop!
K

Freezin' with Friends

So I have started a new adventure...doing my monthly freezer meals with friends.  And I gotta say, I love it.  It takes a lot more planning with others but it's really nice to have some company and see how excited everyone is to have their meals all planned out!  I learn something each time I do it, and I think we will have this down to a science really soon!

We had to delay this month due to the hurricane that wasn't.  So without further ado, here is our October menu!

October Calendar

Remember, you can always try your hand at freezing a few things, or just make the recipe straight in the crockpot if you don't want to freeze at all!

List of all Ingredients (entire list)

Ingredients by Recipe

Let me know if you try and enjoy any recipes!  I love to hear from you!

Happy Fall, Ya'll!
K

That's Good H20!

I have been on an infused water kick since late Spring.  I found a fat flusher detox water on Pinterest and I was hooked.  Now, please understand, I don't know if my fat is really flushing. But, I do know it tastes good and I like the flavor.  And this makes me drink more water.  So how bad can it be?

I started by making a couple containers of water to take to work each day.  You can just throw the fruit in any old water bottle.  Now there are plenty of bottles with "infuser baskets" in it and you can certainly go that route as well.  I have both.  No preference, really.

I moved to making pitchers or big old jugs and keeping them in the fridge.  You can refill with water every day and usually keep for about a week.  It definitely gets stronger the longer it sits, so I like to almost empty it each day and add more water in the morning.  You can always add ice or more water if the flavor is too strong for you.

I got this jug at Christmas Tree Shops for $10.  My favorite thing about it is I can keep it in the fridge and just dispense when wanted.

Here are some of my very favorite flavor combos:

Strawberry Lime w Cinnamon  (the one that started it all!)

Pineapple Mint
Peppermint Grapefruit
Blueberry Orange
Raspberry Mint
Mango Ginger
Dr. Oz's Fat Flush water
Citrus water

Basically, you can take any type of fruit you like and give it a try!! Um...stay away from bananas though.  Eww.  Add things like cinnamon, fresh ginger, mint or other herbs.  Be creative or search away on Pinterest.  I have started thinking of combos I want to try on my own, a sweet with a sour (grapefruit and strawberry).  Side note:  I do prefer to use frozen blueberries and raspberries as they have more flavor. If you use fresh blueberries or raspberries, you may need to muddle (or smush) the berries somewhat.

I don't know if all the great benefits they tote are really happening to my body, but I know that water is great for me and I guess that is good enough.  My hubs swears if you drink the water while drinking alcohol it keeps you hydrated and you won't be hungover.  But we need more testing before we can make that claim official.  We'll get right on that.

Get Hydrated Friends!
K

School Lunch Survival Guide

I swear, I have been trying to post a blog since the beginning of September.  I am telling you when I go back to school, it is just nuts.  NUTS, I tell you!  I will try to get better, ya'll.  We are getting into our groove now, so I am hoping I can get back into my blogging groove as well.

So, of course school has been on my mind.  And with it comes....school lunches.  Instant groan.  I hate making school lunches.  (And I love to cook!) Everyone I know hates making school lunches.  So I am going to go out on a limb and assume the rest of the free world hates making school lunches as well.

Sure, if I could live with myself and give my kids Lunchables every day, I guess it would be easy.  But....that ain't happenin'.  If I let my kids buy lunch every day, that would also solve my problem.  I can't do it.  My youngest buys lunch on Fridays, but my oldest wants no part of it!  That's my own fault, I guess. So, what's a girl to do?

I tell ya' what I'm not to do.  I am not to make lunches in the morning.  I am also not to make sandwiches that look like moose or any other cute animals.  I mean, I will put the occasional note in my kids' lunch box but I don't have time for all that foolishness.  Just pretend your sandwich looks like a moose for cryin' out loud.

I recently received a cooking magazine that had an article on the cover "School Lunches for your picky eaters".  YES!  Finally!  All the answers!  More options!  Someone who will show me the way.  Um...yeah.  Here's one example of what they had:  The goat cheese and veggie pinwheel wrap.  Do you honestly think if my kids would eat goat cheese and veggies that I would be looking for school lunch ideas?  Where do they get these people?  I mean, seriously.  Here's another one.  Because I just can't let this go:  "Give turkey a makeover by adding guacamole, microgreens, sundried tomatoes, chopped olives and cherry pepper relish."  What the crap.  I don't even know what a microgreen is. What kind of kid eats like that?  I swear one of mine lived an entire year on chicken nuggets and ketchup (we counted that as a vegetable).  Hey, if your child eats these things, that's just wonderful. Stop reading now because this is not the blog post for you.  Just sayin'.

Here are a few of my favorite ideas/recipes for homemade kids lunches that I have found in the last year.  They helped me out and I hope they will help some of you too.

1.  Cook up some taco meat on Sunday (you got it, ground beef and taco seasoning) and refrigerate. Bag up 5 sandwich bags of tortilla chips.  Heat some taco meat up in the morning (that's my hubs' job, I got my hands full) and put it in a thermos.  Add a bag of tortilla chips to the lunchbox.  They now have walking tacos.  Oh sure, if they like anything else on their tacos, add that too.  But my kids....you know.  I pray for you that they will eat the same thing for more than one day.  In that case, you now have lunch for the week.

2.  I found this recipe and loved it.  It's easy.  I knew the kids would love it and it makes many so you are set for at least a few days, if not all week.  Add a container of ketchup for dipping (it IS a vegetable)

Corn Dog Muffins

I tried heating them up and putting them in a thermos but my daughter actually likes them cold.  Hey, whatever.




3.  Spaghettios make me gag.  I mean, literally.  When I open a can of them, I feel like I am feeding my kids dogfood.  My youngest loves them.  Of course.  Naturally, I had to figure out a way to make them myself.  Don't you dare scroll past this part.  Stay with me.  Here is a recipe that is super simple and makes A LOT of sauce.  So again, you can make this on Sunday and have plenty for all week, you can even feed a couple kids! We use ditalini pasta and again, make that in the morning.  Throw some sauce on it, throw it in the thermos.  Done.  This spaghettio sauce is good enough for you to eat too!  Hey! Make yourself a lunch too while you are at it!

Homemade Spaghettio Sauce

4.  Another one I love and do a lot in the summer when we hit the theme parks are "Not Too Messy Roll-Ups".  We found this in a Princess cookbook.  I don't know why, but I feel embarrassed to tell you that.  Super easy and healthy.  Could be a side with lunch, after school snack, breakfast or lunch. This is one versatile roll-up!  Not Too Messy Roll-Ups   


5.  If there is something you make that your kids love, like chili for example, cash in on this!  Make a big batch on a Sunday and set aside portions for school lunches.  If you have someone who will eat it all before they make it to the lunches, bag individually and freeze them.  Then take out the night before to thaw, heat up in the morning and throw in the thermos.

The thermos is clearly my best friend.

6.  While getting my recipes and thoughts together for this post, I did start thinking about those old Lunchables.  My daughter just likes the pizza one.  I used to send them on field trips.  But now, well, I think the astronauts could take them into space and they would never get stale.  I just kept thinking about it.  Why can't we make our own lunchables?  The answer is...we can.  Oh yes, we can.  I have a couple options for you:

1.  The Kim Holmes Option.  Make your own pizza crust into little small crusts.  Cook.  Make small containers of homemade pizza sauce.  Put some pepperonis in another little container.  Put cheese in another container.  OK.  I know none of ya'll are making your own pizza crust but me.  I'm not hatin'.

2.  The Everyone Else Option.  Buy a roll of Pillsbury pizza dough. Buy a jar of pizza sauce.  Assemble sauce, pepperoni and cheese in individual containers.  Follow instructions here for making dough.

Pizza Lunchable

Make your own lunchables for your kid.  Become Mom of the Year.  You know you want to.

Hope the first month or so of school is treating you and yours ok.
Conquer the lunch box!
K

Stocking Up for School - September's Menu

September is the nuttiest time of year for me.  I'm back at school and my kids are back at school and suddenly, we need to have a routine again.  When I tell you that teachers make up for those 2 months "off" in just the month of September, please believe it.  There is so much to get ready for and figure out, it's a little crazy.  If ever there is a time that I stock up, it is now.  In fact, September used to be the only time I did freezer meals all year!  I need all the help I can get in September and not having to cook, well...that's awesome. And I like to cook!

Check it out, ya'll are gonna be so proud of me...I finally figured out how to make a calendar this summer!  So...tada!  Here is September's menu!

September Calendar Menu

Everything on here is a freezer meal but remember, if you don't want to give freezer cooking a go, you can make any of these the morning of and throw it in the crockpot.  God bless ya for having time for that.  Here's your grocery list...itemized by meal.

September Grocery List

The highlighted items are items you need on the day you are cooking, for those who are planning on freezing in advance.  This year I decided to do something a little different.  I invited several teacher friends who have been big blog supporters and very interested in freezing meals to come over and freeze with me.  This took major planning on my part and I wondered if I was going to regret it. But we had a good time and although we were exhausted, we got 21 meals done in 6 hours.  We started by having a cup of coffee and writing on all our bags.  It was looking crazy in my poor little kitchen!

 

Here is a list of what you should write on all the bags.  You should always put the date on your meals as well.  I like to know what I am going to need to add on for the meal on the cooking day by just looking at the bag.

What to write on your bags

If you'd like to freeze these meals, here is our "agenda".  I break it down by meats and then I made a note if we had to do something (like cut or cook) or if we were just throwing it all in a bag (hence the word "dump" everywhere!)

Agenda for freezer day

I start with the crappiest stuff first.  Chopping and then any actual cooking that has to be done.  Like this.

But mostly this.

Man, that's a lot of onions.  It is for three people.  But still...glad I had a back porch to put these on!

Here is a grocery list for the whole month, in case you want to give it a try!  This list does NOT include the freezer french fries or pizza (dough or sauce) on the menu.  Because making that the same day as 21 other things would have been insane.  

Itemized Grocery List

Remember to start small if you've never done this before!  Try just doing the chicken section in one day.  Being organized is clutch in freezer cooking!  Good luck!  Enjoy and if you have any questions about freezer meals, please let me know!

Happy back to school!  

K

Who Wants S'more?

Want a cheap party idea that kids and adults both love?  Have a s'mores bar!  I think the only thing more American than s'mores is apple pie.  (And I personally would rather have the s'more.)  If you haven't had one in awhile, you are in for a treat.  Take a bite and you will not only feel like a little kid again, you will remember what's so great about them.

So here's how you go from just having plain old s'mores to having a s'mores bar!  Have a variety of:

• Graham crackers (you can even use some types of cookies instead of grahams, like Keebler Fudge Stripes)
• Flavored marshmallows (Wal Mart has a good selection)
• Candy bars (you could even try using Nutella instead of a candy bar)

I simply made a tray of chocolate bars (already split up) and graham crackers (depending on how many people you have, you could do a separate tray for the grahams). We had: Caramello bars, Cookies and Cream, Symphony, regular Hershey bars and Andes Mints, as well as chocolate and regular graham crackers.

I filled bowls with the different types of marshmallows we had: plain, chocolate and vanilla swirl, and toasted coconut.  We had a jar for our "sticks" (fondue forks in our case!  Which work great!).  

And a menu or directions board!

You can get as crazy as your imagination will let you!  I think 4-5 different types is a good selection.  Believe me, everyone will feel compelled to try them all!  We honestly thought we might be sick, we just couldn't stop.  Here's what we came up with and I swear one was better than the next!

Samoa S'more (a nod to my FAV girl scout cookie)
chocolate graham cracker
caramello bar

toasted coconut marshmallow

Nutty Buddy S'more (crowd favorite)
regular graham cracker
Symphony bar

toasted coconut marshmallow

Grasshopper S'more (we considered renaming them the Thin Mint)
chocolate graham cracker
Andes mint
chocolate/vanilla swirl marshmallow

Cookies and Cream S'more
chocolate graham
cookies and cream bar
chocolate/vanilla swirl marshmallow

And of course...don't forget the classic!

I honestly don't know who enjoyed it more, the kids or the grown-ups.

Speaking of grown-ups, we went through a lot of trouble for you guys to see what kind of drink would actually work with s'mores!  We found 2 wines that we liked:

Great with Samao and Grasshopper

Liked with the Nutty Buddy and Cookies and Cream

Both can be found at Trader Joes for around $6.  You're welcome.  You know I am always here for you.

There's a little more than 7 weeks of summer left.  I'm sorry.  I should have warned you before I just busted off with that.  My point is...don't procrastinate too much longer on those summer things you want to do. Want to have a s'mores bar?  Get to it!  If you made a summer bucket list, this would be a good time to revisit it.  Remember...don't treat your bucket list like a checklist and stress yourself out about what has to be done.  That's not fun at all. Just make some decisions...what will you really regret not having done this summer?  Then, like Nike says...just do it!

Hope you enjoy S'more of your Summer!
K

When Life Hands You Lemons Week...

Well, this week's theme was...true to life?  I should have chosen a different name because on Monday afternoon two weeks ago, life did hand me a lemon and I threw my back out.  So lemon week was on a bit of a hold. But don't you worry, this past week we took that proverbial lemon and finally did get to make that lemonade.

Here's what you need for our lemon week activities:
lots of lemons!
(1 for each person for the science exp., 1 for writing, 1 for each color of paint for stamping, about 15 for lemonade)
food coloring
baking soda
dishwashing detergent

white cardstock
q-tips
an iron
various paints
white paper
sugar

Science Day
For our experiment, we made lemon volcanoes.  Super easy, fairly cheap and loads of fun.  The original experiment was found here:

 Lemon Volcano

I would advise putting in the baking soda first and then the food coloring.  That worked better for us. Also, we just poured more lemon juice on top whenever we wanted another "eruption", instead of stirring with a stick.  It went on forever!

Great colors and I think one of our favorite experiments yet!

Craft Day
This activity could really fall under science day or craft day.  We wrote secret messages in lemon juice on paper with q-tips and then exposed them later using heat.  The original idea came from here:

Making Invisible Ink

This was super easy and the girls loved writing secret messages.  After we let them dry, I ironed the messages (the iron needs to be very hot) and we got to see what they said.

If you want to make it a science experiment, you can talk about how the heat breaks down the acid in the juice!

Also, for another craft, we did lemon stamping.  We simply cut lemons in half and dipped in paint and stamped away.  We tried drying the lemons out and it didn't work as well as just cutting and stamping.

Field Trip Day
For field trip day we headed to the beach.  I had a very old friend who was vacationing there and we just had to go see her. Which has absolutely nothing to do with lemons.  Unless you count the fact that I packed lemonade in the cooler for my kids to drink.   Oh.  And I did squeeze lemon on my calamari that I ate.  So there.

Food Day
I found lots of lemon recipes to try but let's face it, sometimes I am just wiped out.  So, we did the most important one, which was making homemade lemonade.  The girls got to find out that making it homemade was a lot of work but so delicious!  There are lots of recipes out there but we used this one:   Homemade Lemonade Recipe

And just in case you aren't as exhausted as me from going to the beach and want to give it a whirl, here is the other lemon recipe I had my eye on....looks like a strawberry lemonade whoopie pie! YUM!

Strawberry Lemonade Cookies

I hope if you have a lemon week, it's all sunshine!

K