Kids Update

Recently I took Jaxon fishing. It's been fun learning together. He really loves it.

Here's Asher fishing with his friend, Kode.

Here's Finn and his friend Ruby.

This is Jaxon at the Cub Scout Blue and Gold banquet. He loves scouts and has a great time working on crafts. Check out his amazing headress!

So here is Finn, 3 years old, thinking he's hillarious by trying on mom's bra. He just cracks me up.

He can be so sweet one minute, then the next minute he's a little demon.

But more than our other kids, he's mature. Yesterday he had a dentist appt and sat still and had x-rays. At 3! Jaxon was almost 7 and Asher as more than 5 when he was old enough for that.

The new bad word in our house is "poopy diaper." It's only a bad word because it really embarasses Jaxon. It's actually kinda funny.

Orange Marmalade Part Deux

Did you know you can make marmalade out of any citrus? Yes! Grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, you name it! And it's really not too hard. It's cheaper than regular jam because you don't have to buy pectin because there is so much pectin in the fruit rind.

About a month ago, my friend Danielle and I made orange marmalade at her house. We use a difficult recipe (that says it's easy!) and it took us about 5 hrs to make 7 pints. There was the peeling, the slicing, the double batch, the boiling, the sugar, the boiling again (2 hrs!), then the attempt at canning with a pressure canner. So much work! So when my mom gave me 3 bags of oranges I decided to try a new, faster recipe.

So the faster recipe did have it's drawbacks. I had to stir a pot of volcanic marmalade for 20 in. Even reaching as far as I could and wearing an oven mitt, the hot jam splattered all over me. It was messy and dangerous. But, the results were delicious!

I've also found I like marmalade with brie on crackers. You should try it sometime!

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Here's a picture of the first recipe vs the second recipe. The first recipe cooked a lot longer and has a darker color, plus more pieces of orange rind because I peeled and julienned all the rinds instead of using the blender.

It's hard to pour the marmalade after it's cooked, so I cut out part of an apple container and cut a hole in the top. It worked better than my funnel which was too narrow. Necessity is the mother of invention?

Here's the place I cut out to make the plastic funnel.

Leftover Magic

I'm learning to use leftovers, which is something I'm starting to have now that I'm cooking again.

Thanks to the Food Nanny, Leslie's aunt, I've put more emphasis on planning, preparing, and cooking healthy food for my family.

And now we have leftovers!

So here are some of the meals we're having and how I'm using the leftovers (in addition to sending them with Mark for lunch). Note- this menu isn't complete because we'll have salad almost every night or add hummus and pita bread if the meal seems sparse, but you get the general picture. Also, I'm planning and shopping for 2 weeks at a time, which makes things a lot more manageable.

M- Pinto Beans and cornbread

T- Taco Salad (use some pinto beans and a can of chili)

W- Grilled veggies and pineapple

Th- Veggie Quesadillas (use some pinto beans and slice up leftover grilled veggies)

F- Pizza (use sliced grilled veggies, add feta)

S- Baked Potato Bar (wrap potatoes in foil and cook in the crockpot for 4 hrs on high. On the back porch if it's too hot inside)

S- Breakfast for Dinner- Eggs and Hash Browns (grate leftover baked potatoes and cook in coconut oil)

M-Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches (leftover grilled pineapple)

T- Spaghetti and Meatballs

W- Stir Fry with brown rice

Th- Enchiladas

F- Soup (if it's not too hot)

S- Tilapia and Lemon Rice

S- Chicken Bryan and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

These are just a few ideas. Do you have ideas for easy healthy meals and how to use leftovers?