Learning Moments

With only one child around, it's easy for me to get caught up in tasks I want to accomplish.  A cleaner house has seemed almost within reach some days (though not this past week).  But perhaps, instead of pursuing my agenda, what I should be doing is taking the chance to sit down on the floor with my little guy or go outside together and play.  That is where some of the best parent-child memories are made.  And these tender, teachable moments are what mothering a preschooler is all about.  Right?

Sorting Coins Together

What is helpful is to have a plan for each day I spend at home with my three-year-old son.  Until they both went off to school this fall, he's always had one or more of sisters around to occupy him.   We've both had to adjust to their absence.

Hopscotch!

Several of our most enjoyable learning and play activities this month have come from these activity calendars from Quirky Momma.  They have helped nudge me along in the right direction and be more intentional as a parent.  Choosing just one simple activity to do together (in addition to reading books) adds fun and purpose to our days.

I'm linking up to Steady Mom's 30-Minute Blog Challenge this week.

Menu Plan for the Week of 9/27

It's going to be a super busy week for us, so I'm hoping to start preparing dinner earlier in the afternoon to make sure we're eating by six o'clock.  I'm thankful for a rice cooker and slow cooker to help me in my quest for timelier meals.  Speaking of which, it's time for me to pick up my girls from school and then return home to start making dinner.  So off we go.

-Monday-

*Tilapia
* Rice
* Brussel Sprouts
* Corn soup

-Tuesday-

* Slow Roasted Asian Chicken
* Rice

-Wednesday-

* Meatloaf
* Rice

-Thursday-

*Salmon Spaghetti Pie
*Tossed Salad

-Friday-

*Sloppy Joes

-Saturday-

* Grilled Chicken
* Sweet Potatoes


See many more menu plans at Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura.

Homemade Yogurt: A Tale of Eventual Success

After years of hesitancy, I decided to overcome my fear of failure and get serious about making yogurt.  So last month I bought a jug of organic milk.  Then it went sour before I did anything with it.  Strike one.

But last week, images from inspiring tutorials (including Alicia's) beckoned me to try making homemade yogurt again.  I bought a gallon of fresh local milk and finally began the yogurt making process.  After placing two empty Mason jars and lids in a pot, I began boiling away.  And though I forgot to save the web page with the instructions, I forged ahead with my plan.  Thankfully my More With Less cookbook contained an outline of the steps for me to follow.

I made do with this meat thermometer.

The biggest snag I hit was cracking a Mason jar.  I poured cold milk into a 200 degree Mason jar and...pop!  Out flowed the milk as the shards gave way.  Luckily, I had another empty jar around to serve in its place.  Lessons learned:

1. Let the sterilized jars cool before filling them with cold milk;
2. Heat jars gradually.

Hours later, my resolve paid off when I pulled these out of our big blue cooler (imagine them both full):

The following morning I spooned up thick homemade yogurt into each child's bowl, added honey, and waited for their reactions.   Everyone requested seconds, which was a good sign.  Even my husband wanted some.

I'll be heating up more Mason jars again soon I expect.  My kids have eaten many, many gallons of yogurt in their lifetimes; I only wish I had tried making it sooner.  No one in our household drinks dairy milk at home, but yogurt we down by the quart.

5 Ways to Be Resourceful with Newspapers

I have a guest post up today over at Money Saving Mom, one of my favorite blogs that inspires me to simplify and save money.  If you haven't seen the post yet, it's called 5 Ways to Repurpose Newspapers.  From the comments, I was able to gather even more resourceful ways to use newspapers.  Isn't it fun to share ideas?

Simple Tip: DIY Plastic Dish Scraper

I have purchased at least one dish scraper in my lifetime.  I found it a useful cleaning tool, especially when washing glass baking dishes and cast iron cookware.  However, instead of buying another, I decided to make a simple scraper by cutting a plastic lid into the desired shape.

Of the used containers I had on hand, the white plastic lid from a quart of yogurt worked best. Clear lids tended to be flimsier and peel apart after I used them a couple of times.  So my advice is to stick with white plastic.

Materials Needed:

• Sharp scissors or kitchen shears
• Plastic lid from a quart-sized round container

I'm linking up to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays at Tammy's Recipes and

Menu Plan for the Week of 9/13

After enjoying our time in Kansas City a week ago, we're back to thrift and a full week of home-cooked meals.  I  also plan to bake some more bread, since my children eagerly devour each slice.  It's a very rewarding return for the time and energy I invest, since they enjoy it so much, even if the loaf isn't perfect.

-Monday-

*Leftover roast venison with okra
* Rice

-Tuesday-

* Fried baked chicken
* Veggie kabobs

-Wednesday-

* Fajitas
*Rice

-Thursday-

*Turkey sausage and egg casserole
*Fruit salad

-Friday-

*Layered black bean enchiladas*

-Saturday-

* Tilapia
* Stuffed Peppers


See many more menu plans at Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura.

Weekend Adventures in Kansas City

Our family schlepped over to Kansas City for Labor Day weekend. My husband and I took Saturday to explore the city and celebrate our 10th anniversary.  Some "firsts" from our visit include:

• Wandering the aisles of the farmers market in downtown KC.  We left laden with sweet corn, a watermelon, and peaches.  Plus we picked up a new-to-us book at a library book sale--Angel Child, Dragon Child--which tells an excellent story of cross-cultural adjustment.

• For old time's sake, peeking at what was available at the nearby Asian supermarket.  Score!  They had frozen mangosteens from Thailand and fresh dragonfruit--two of our favorite tropical fruits.

• My in-laws visiting Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead with the kids, which was apparently loads of fun for all.  Neither the grandparents nor my kids had ever been there before, but a return visit is something all of us anticipate.

• Seeing Avatar at a theater in 3-D.  I'm guessing we were the only ones there who had never seen the film before.  We were in awe of the world we entered, and when we left the theater, it took a few minutes to find our bearings again.

What adventures have you had this month?

Reusable Sandwich Boxes

Did you know that you can recycle a plastic milk jug into a reusable sandwich box?  You can bid baggies farewell after making and decorating these cute containers for lunch boxes or lovely autumn picnics.

Materials needed:

• Gallon or half-gallon plastic milk jug
• Thin sharp knife or box knife
• Kitchen shears or other sharp scissors
• Assorted colors of permanent markers

1. Wash and rinse plastic milk jug/s.  Cut off top 1/3 of jug and set aside for recycling bin.
2. Take the bottom portion of the jug and cut a slit down each of the four corners, stopping about 2 inches from the bottom.  Trim edges to form smooth curves on the corner of each flap.
3. Fold flaps down and overlap to form a box.  Use a marker or crayon to draw curves on the top 2 flaps where the closure will be.  Cut a curved slit on the two top flaps.  Check to see that the curved flaps overlap to form a snug closure.  If necessary, cut a second curved slit to create a tighter fit (but be careful not to tear the plastic). 
4. Use colored permanent markers to decorate each sandwich box.  Allow marker to dry.
5. Open sandwich box, insert an appropriate size of sandwich or snack; close box until ready to open and enjoy the food inside.

I first came across the idea of making a sandwich box through Money Saving Mom in this link list.  We enjoyed making the sandwich box project our own by adding color and simplifying the materials list a bit.  My daughters really enjoyed getting to add their own designs to the boxes and can't wait to bring them to the lunch table!  I am also planning to decorate one myself to use in my husband's lunch bag.

I am linking this project up to...

Recipe for Mango Spoon Bread (Gluten Free)

This past week I embarked on a new kitchen adventure--making spoon bread. After two rounds of experimenting, I came up with the fruited version below, which is based on the More With Less basic spoon bread recipe.   Here's my take on a Southern classic:

Since it is so flavorful and nutrient-rich, I like to add molasses to any bread recipe that I can manage.  And in this case, molasses complements the cornmeal flavor beautifully.   The mango and pecans add fruitiness and a rich flavor that allow the spoon bread to be served as either a side dish or a dessert.

As a bonus, I discovered that making spoon bread is a great way to use up fresh milk!  We don't drink dairy milk, so I am always looking for recipes that can help me use up milk before it sours.  This recipe calls for 2 cups of milk altogether, but if you like, the ingredients can be doubled (or tripled) to serve more people.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk, divided
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 Tbsp. molasses
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 mango, diced
• chopped pecans, optional
• whipped cream, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat 1 and 1/2 cups milk with cornmeal, stirring constantly until thickened.
2. Remove cornmeal from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cold milk.  Add eggs, molasses, sugar, and salt.
3. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until center of spoon bread is set.
4. Remove spoon bread from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Then use a spoon to break up the spoon bread and mix in mango pieces.  Place individual servings in ramekins, if desired, and top with chopped pecans and/or whipped cream.