Today was originally supposed to be spent at the New Hope Renaissance Festival with our dear friend “E”. Unfortunately, those plans fell through.

But, we got a good deal accomplished today. Gamer Dude did a ton of laundry for the girls. And I did my usual once-a-week cooking.

As I’ve mentioned Gamer Dude & I have both been on a quest to regain our health and lose a lot of weight. Five weeks in since we jumped on the road of “straight & narrow” and so far we’re doing really well.

Gamer Dude is down 14 pounds and I have lost almost 12. We have a long way to go yet, but we’re sticking to our eating plan, eating a lot healthier than we have in years, and seeing results which helps us stay motivated.  Which is a good thing as odds are it will take us until at least New Year’s to hit our goal weights.

This week’s entrees include:

• vegetarian chili, which will be served over corn pancakes left over from last week
• red lentil dal over brown basmati rice, rich and yummy as our lunches this week
• Kosheri, a family favorite, a mix of rice, pasta, and lentils topped with tomoato sauce and caramelized onions
• Vegetable Lo Mein, stir fried spaghetti in a home-made sauce with onions, garlic, ginger, zucchini and carrots with some egg and oven-baked tofu for protein enhancement

Unfortunately my sinus infection/crazy allergies are still acting up.  My energy is really low and I just feel cruddy.  But, the plan is to try and hit the Ren Faire tomorrow if I can get my weary self out of bed in the morning.  Wish me luck.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:once a week cooking

I am spending the first day of Spring doing what I do most Saturdays – doing my once a week cooking.

The menu this week includes:

• Dal – lentils stewed with onions and fresh tomatoes, Indian spices, and finished with coconut milk* to be served over jasmine rice
• “Spanish” chicken thighs – skinned and trimmed of excess fat, topped with crushed tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, and well seasoned with dried herbs and minced garlic
• Poached chicken breasts – to be the main source of lean protein for GamerDude’s lunch each day
• Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms – the last time I made meat sauce will be the last time I make meat sauce for quite some time and so rather than just making a plain marinara I wanted something with a deeper flavor
• Tomato Soup – defrosted the last of the season and will have it for dinner one night this week, next winter will find me making a vegetarian version of this

I also defrosted some ham that has been in the freezer since New Year’s.  Originally the plan was to turn it into a casserole, but I just cant bring myself to do it as I am doing so wel with my healthier eating habits.

For now it is on the “lunch shelf” in my ‘fridge so that my Dad can nibble on it, or eat it for dinner when what I serve (like the dal) doesn’t appeal to him.  I might fry some up tomorrow as breakfast for the girls with some eggs.

Miss Artistic has a friend coming over later for a sleepover and Princess Nature is on a playdate (which includes a dinner invite).  Mr Grumpy is going out for dinner with friends, so its looking like a quiet evening ahead once I get everything done that needs doing.

Enjoy the day!

Blessings

Mama Kelly

* I am aware of how high calorie and high fat the coconut milk is.  But, when added to a high fiber, meat-free dish I feel that it still has a place, if nothing else because there is no way to capture the flavor and texture otherwise.

Written by Mama KellyTags:cooking, food, once a week cooking

Yesterday was a particularly busy day – a fitting end I guess to what felt like a really busy week.

I worked 6 hours, finishing up my 40 hours and earned a nice amount of commission for the week as well.

I picked up Miss Artistic early from school. She’s had a cough that I originally attributed to allergies after her weekend away camping over Labor Day. Except instead of getting better it gradually got worse. The past week has seen it really kicking up especially during exercise. So, I brought her to the Dr. who prescribed some antibiotics, more as a “just in case” than anything else.

Then we went food shopping. I overspent. Granted I stocked up on a few items that were on sale that will see me well beyond this week alone. Granted I purchased a lot of meat, toiletry items, and more goodies for our friend “D” who is serving overseas. His box is as full as it is going to get at this point, and will be being shipped out soon.

We came home and in the midst of unpacking the car and putting away groceries I did a quick straightening of my pantry, filling a bag for Princess Nibbles’ school’s food drive collection, and my ‘fridge. At this point Miss Artistic ran off to the Mall with her friend “S” and I was in the middle of dishing out food for leftover night when Mr Grumpy announced that he wanted access to our bedroom today so he can start replacing our windows. Now, I’ve mentioned before how the 4 of us live in the upstairs of my dad’s house. I’ve mentioned before that I live surrounded by clutter, that I am gradually dealing with. I’ve also explained that we are trying to dismantle the room we use as a mini living room of our own so that Miss Artistic can have her own room. Needless to say my room was a sight!!!

So instead of eating, instead of putting my feet up on the recliner, I wound up doing a mad dash clean of my bedroom for the next 2 hours. Sad thing is that, it still has as much clutter in it as before, but now its an organized clutter and it gives me a head start on spending time in the coming weeks finishing the reorganization of our upstairs living quarters.

The plan for today’s once a week cooking includes a pot of meat sauce (with meatballs and both hot & sweet sausage), a batch of tuna casserole, Swedish meatballs (some of which are going to a neighbor’s house as he had asked for them some time back), and roasted pork loin. I fully expect to be able to freeze some of it when I am done.

In the meantime dear readers I wish you all a glorious weekend filled with blessings that carry you all through the Fall.

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:cooking, food, life, once a week cooking

It is only 2:30 and I’ve already had a rather productive day.

I slept in and woke up with a headache for the third day in a row. I took a hot shower, took 3 Advil, had a cup of coffee and started on a round of once a week cooking.

I put up a batch of pot roast based on this recipe of Ina Garten. I used a different cut of meat, a different mix of vegetables (I used onions, mushrooms, carrots, string beans, and potatoes), and used beef stock/boullion instead of chicken. I also had no cognac and used 2 TBSP extra wine in its place. It is currently simmering on the stove and when served over egg noodles should be 2 full dinners as well as leftovers for a couple of lunches. It smells (and tastes) fabulous!!

I also put up a batch of clam sauce. Lots of onion and garlic. Canned crushed tomatoes and the juice from 3 cans of clams. The clam meat itself won’t be added until the end so as to avoid it turning into rubber.

In the oven I have 2 disposable pans (I use them a couple of times before tossing them into recycling) with chicken thighs roasting on a bed of potatoes, onions, and carrots. It has a half spring of rosemary in each and I will be straining hte pan juices out and turning it into gravy.

Additionally, I made a double sized batch of chocolate pudding (from scratch) based on this recipe. The only thing I changed was that since I used skim milk, and the pudding looked like it might not set as firm as I wanted, I added 1 egg to the mix. Oh yeah, and I accidentally added too much vanilla when my hand jumped. We had finger licks off the mixing spoon before I washed it and OH SWEET GODS was it good.

And finally, we made a batch of brownies (from a box) that Princess Nibbles brought with her to a sleepover tonight.

The only things left to do tomorrow is to whip up a batch of tuna casserole and to mix up a batch of chicken salad so there is something to bring as lunch for the girls at school and me at work.

Now, I am probably off to do some cleaning or de-cluttering upstairs. Though what I really and truly want to do involves curling up and either watching TV or napping. LOL

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:once a week cooking

My plan this weekend is pretty simple. Clean a bit, cook a bit, do some things that need to be done and focus the rest on rest and relaxation.

This morning I have already tidied my ‘fridge, put the remnants of onion soup in the freezer, tossed a few scraps out, and washed a sink full of tupperware. I am showered and will be leaving shortly to hit my food shopping stores (I need TVP, tomatoes, milk, eggs, cereal, chicken, as well as canned fruit and vegetables).

I am doing a significantly scaled down version of my usual Once-a-Week Cooking Extravaganza this weekend, choosing instead to defrost 2 dishes from my freezer (chicken soup and pasta sauce which should be enough for 3 meals), finish up some other leftovers (or freeze them too, I haven’t decided), and use up items from my pantry. I have homework to do in my English Composition class and Lady Rose is visiting tomorrow. I need to list more books on Amazon (I still have books listed here on 2 Witches too) and I also plan to tackle some tidying, even if I am only able to clean one drawer it will be progress, right?

I am slowly (slowly!) clearing out the clutter. The bedroom that GamerDude and I share is the holding spot for most of it and energentically I am sure it plays a role in my inability to get any truly restful sleep at night. At this point I think the only solution is to empty it out and put things back in an orderly fashion – which will lead to a pile of crap in our upstairs hallway and much bitching from both GamerDude and Mr Grumpy until I get everything back in place. But, I don’t see any other way to effectively get it done. 

I have managed to stick to my guns in terms of bringing very few “new” purchases into the home.  I purchased a pair of black slip on sneakers for $8 the other week as I had no plain black casual shoes and last night I picked up a speaker for my MP3 player at my local Dollar Tree store (so I dont need to be tied up in earbuds) that cost all of $1.07 including tax.  I have however come home with many items of clothing for Princess Nibbles (some has to be grown into) thanks to the generosity of a woman at work who has 2 incredxibly petite teenagers who have a habit of wearing an item once or twice and then never again.  Princess Nibbles now has two (essentailly new) brand name winter jackets that will serve her for the bulk of this season (her old jacket still fit but just barely) and will almost definately fit her next year as well – THANK YOU “V”.

I will be doing the bulk of my cooking tomorrow, as Lady Rose and I hang out in the kitchen for the most part anyway, but I will be making a revised version of my Chocolate Cheer Cake so look soon for some new recipes!!

Blessings

Mama Kelly

PS  Oh yeah, and I’m taking some time out to offer a vein to a vampire the local blood bank.

Written by Mama KellyTags:once a week cooking, weekend

With the last of the holidays behind us I am finally back on board with my habit (hobby?) of once a week cooking and am right on track with the plans I spoke of the other day.  I find that cooking this way allows me to cook much better food than I would otherwise be able to manage in the limited time between when I come home from work and when I want food on the table.  This way, for the most part, dinner time is a simple matter of heating up the main course and preparing a base (like rice or pasta) and/or sides (fruit or vegetables as appropriate).

I base my meals around what is on sale in any particular week.  This week the “loss leaders” at my local supermarket were canned tomatoes and chicken.  So I roasted two chickens and made gravy from the pan drippings.  I made a large pot of chicken soup with vegetables, and I made a pot of marinara sauce.  We also juiced 12 oranges by hand – Princess Nibbles had wanted to try this – and it was not a rousing success.  Not a whole lot of juice for the money spent and she didnt like its more “watery” taste.  Though I plan to try it again!

Tomorrow the forecast calls for snow, and I have work until 1pm but I have cooking plans upon my arrival home.  I plan to make the pound cake recipe from The Little House Cookbook that I’ve owned since I was a girl.  I wanted to try this version specifically because Princess Nibbles read the first book in the series recently and because it reflects the origins of the recipe by requiring a pound each of butter, eggs, flour, and sugar.  We also plan on breaking in a breadmaker I purchased (on clearance) years ago and have never gotten around to using, in part due to losing the instruction booklet.  I also still plan on making egg salad and reserved some boiled chicken to make a chicken salad as well.

I am hoping for a lovely day full of fun and family time and perhaps a rousing game of whatever the kids wind up picking out.

May your Saturday be filled with happiness!

Blessings

Mama Kelly

::written Fri night at around 8:30 PM::

Written by Mama KellyTags:once a week cooking

O Great Spirit of the East,
Radiance of the rising Sun,
Spirit of new beginnings,
O Grandfather Fire, Great nuclear fire — of the Sun.
Power of life-energy, vital spark,
Power to see far, and to
Imagine with boldness.
Power to purify our senses,
Our hearts and our minds.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
So that your powers may flow through us,
And be expressed by us,
For the good of this planet Earth,
And all living beings upon it.

excerpted from

four elements medicine wheel – ralph metzner

Today I am grateful for having survived another October.  It is always a rough month for me and somehow this year was a bit easier.  Granted I spent much of the month holding my breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop, but in the end nothing happened.

Today I am grateful for the new beginning here on our new domain.  I look forward to seeing where it takes us.  I look forward to meeting new people on our forum.  I look forward to using this site as an opportunity to be out of the broomcloset a little bit more every day.

Today I am grateful for the new year marked by the passing of Samhain.  May I be able to grasp on to hope and faith and find the energy and inspiration to start again in my efforts to reclaim and transform my life.  May I find the path to follow to allow at least some of my dreams to come to fruition.

Today, as always, I am grateful for being able to have food enough in my ‘fridge to feed my family this week.  This week’s once a week cooking was fairly limited by a flare up of some chronic pain issues.  I was only able to make two things:

• 2 trays of baked pasta – sauce and saucemeat from my freezer, 2 lbs. of maflada pasta, 16 oz of ricotta, eggs, and too much mozzerella
• kielbasa harvest soup – made up on the fly with homemade chicken stock, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, white cannelli beans, bacon and kielbasa
• later in the week I plan to toss together a few trays of macaroni and cheese with ham and peas* as well as a pork casserole (unless I freeze said pork and make it next weekend, which as I type this I realize that it is a great idea)

May you be blessed

Mama Kelly

* I wound up throwing this together Sunday morning.  6 boxes of Kraft mac n cheese, about 1/2 lb elbow macaroni (give or take) ,1 lb of ham, shredded leftover cheese (maybe .75 lb), butter, milk, 12 oz. frozen peas.  I filled 2 aluminum trays with the wonderful gooey goodness. YUM!

Written by Mama KellyTags:once a week cooking, prayer

May the winds bring us happiness.
May the rivers carry happiness to us.
May the plants give us happiness.
May night and day yield us happiness.
May the dust of the earth bring us happiness.
May the heavens give us happiness.
May the trees give us happiness.
May the sun pour down happiness.

excerpted from a larger prayer found on worldprayers

by taittirya aranyaka

I am grateful that I have managed to sock a little money away out of my weekly pittance of a paycheck (more than half goes to pay for health insurance) that I am on target for taking off 3 days the week of Christmas.  As of right now I should be able to only work 3 days that week and take off Xmas Eve and Miss Artistic’s B-day in additon to being able to “pay myself back” for the company being closed on Xmas itself.  This is my “big” gift to my family this year - I will be home for the holidays.  It is also my gift to myself – permission to enjoy said holidays.

I am grateful for the joy that attending TaeKwonDo gives my youngest, Princess Nibbles.  Yes I miss my morning trip to WaWa.  Yes the monthly payment is going to hurt (really and truly) but it encourages her to be physically fit, it boosts her self-confidence, and her face literally shines with happiness during each and every class.

I am grateful for the happiness that Miss Artistic had yesterday as a result of going to a friend’s Halloween party.  She dressed up as a “rave-er” with spray -on hair color, big sunglasses, and glitter everywhere.  I am grateful that the same outfit is going to serve double duty for trick-or-treating as it saves us a few dollars.

And as I am every week I am grateful for the ability to buy and cook enough food to fill my ‘fridge and feed my family well for another week.  My goal this week was to make at least a couple of things I could freeze for next week as attending the PA Rennaissance Faire with Lady Rose next weekend precludes my usual cooking day.  This weeks once-a-week cooking (for those who follow along) included:

• a huge vat of meat sauce – enough to eat at least twice for dinner this week, have a couple of lunches worth, and enough to freeze to make a large baked pasta (I use mafalda instead of ziti) next week.  It has sausage, spareribs, and over 4 lbs. of meatballs in it.
• a pot of chicken stoup – aiming for thicker than soup (Princess Nibbles hates soup) but not quite stew.  Made with 4 split chicken breasts, 3 lbs of carrots, celery, potatoes, and seasoned with fresh onion, minced garlic and powdered tumeric.  This will be served over egg noodles.
• a very large meatloaf – over 4 lbs of meat, 5 eggs, milk, breadcrumbs, and 2 packages of onion soup mix.  This will be served with baked potatoes and vegetables.  I plan to wrap and freeze half of it for next week.
• On the fly meals include hot dogs and beans, english muffin pizzas, and quiche.  This will allow me to stretch the other meals as far as possible, saving food for next week.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:once a week cooking, prayer, TaeKwonDo

I am grateful to the fairies who guard things lost in the deep recesses of closets who allowed me to find in near perfect condition both a fall and winter coat that Princess Nibbles outgrew a couple of years ago.  It gave me much joy to pass them on to a co-worker and know that her little girl will be warm this winter.

I am grateful for the small blessing of finding the large plastic cauldron in its attic hiding spot this year.  I missed not having it last year, but as Mr Grumpy was the one who hid it I had no clue where to begin hunting.  I look forward to happily filling it with candy, dressing up like Molly Weasley (in the sweater Lady Rose made me for last Yule, my wool cloak and the hat that is coming from Amazon), and handing out my yearly offering to the spirits children.

I am grateful for dollar stores, farmer’s markets, and “loss leader” sales that allow me to pinch pennies both for our weekly needs and for my holiday shopping, which I have already started out of self-preservation.  I happen to love the selection at my local Dollar Tree.

I am grateful for a family that is willing to try new dishes at dinnertime, who are willing to risk trying brands from the aforementioned dollar store, and who eat even my failures. 

I am grateful for another Saturday where I was able to fill my ‘fridge full of food.  My focus was, for the most part, on using up things already in my pantry, my ‘fridge and my freezer.  This weeks once-a-week cooking (for those who follow along) included:

• defrosting a container of french onion soup (enough for maybe a couple of lunches) and stretching it with more onions, chicken broth, beef boullion and wine into enough for dinner
• broiling some olive-oil sprayed bread slices and then melting swiss cheese on top to drop in said soup
• defrosting a bag of salmon fillets that I purchased over the summer and throwing it in the oven topped with a mix of sauteed vegetables (onion, garlic, tomato, mushroom, and yellow pepper) and bread crumbs to be served on a bed of tri-color orzo
• defrosting leftover marinara sauce (that came out so-so) and adding more canned tomato, olive oil, and garlic (that came out give me a bowl of it and a loaf of bread good) which will be served over popcorn shrimp (purchased 1 box, get 1 free) and linguini
• defrosting chicken legs purchased for under $1 a pound and cooking them in a buffalo wing sauce (less 4 I cooked in a lemon pepper seasoning for Princess Nibbles who doesn’t like spicy stuff)
• candying just a bit shy of 2 bags of carrots to be served with said chicken

Life is hard.  Sometimes the small gifts aren’t obvious until you look for them.  This is why I take part in this weekly exercise.  I really reccommend it!

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:once a week cooking, prayer

This week’s menu includes:

• Kosheri – an African dish of lentils, rice, and elbow macaroni topped with fried onions and a spicy tangy tomato sauce.  There are several steps so it dirties several pots but it is really cheap to make.  We’ve never eaten this before so I am hoping that we like it. A few taste tests were very …. well …. tasty. ***
• Baked Chicken – on a bed of onion and garlic, topped with melted butter, lemon juice, and thyme.  Whole chickens were on sale for $0.99 a pound and each chicken had a $2 off coupon attached giving me two chickens for about $9.00.  That is two full meals and all I have to do is add some baked yams (purchased at the farmer’s market for $.59/lb.) and a bag of frozen vegetables (purchased for $1). *
• Twice Breaded Pork Chops – my mother’s recipe.  I only make this a few times a year as it gets a little pricy – even when I am able to get the chops themselves for $1.99 a pound.  I dip the pork chops in beaten egg (seasoned with a little salt and pepper) and then into seasoned breadcrumbs and then back into the egg and back into the breadcrumbs.  These are layed on top of a bed of wedged potatoes and chopped onion and a bit of water sealed with a layer of aluminum foil and then baked until the potatoes are cooked and the meat is fall off the bone tender. **

As I’ve posted before I cook on Saturdays (my one day completely off of work) for the week ahead. I do this mainly to ensure that my family is able to eat real home-cooked food each night. Additionally it helps avoid the lure of pre-packed foods (though Hamburger Helper certainly can help fill in a meal in a pinch) and calling for take-out.

I was inspired by the book Once-a-Month Cooking. Lacking a chest freezer, I do not have the space to store a month’s worth of food, nor do I have a whole weekend to spend every month as I work 6 days a week. What I do instead means making 3 entrees (each with enough for 2 meals) on Saturday. Between actual prep, cooking time, and clean up I spend about 4-5 hours on this task.

For me and my family it is well worth it. To maximize the help to your budget plan your meals around what you either already have on hand or what is on sale at your local supermarket. Additionally stick to “peasant food” style meals to save even more.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

* The pan drippings, along with the onions and garlic, where poured into a pan and pureed using a Stick Blender.  I added cornstarch, salt, pepper, and a bit of tumeric and cooked until there was no longer a floury taste and it thickened.  The result is a “keep licking the spoon” delicious gravy that I cant wait to pour over my chicken later this week. Who needs to buy the jarred stuff!!

** For 12 pork chops I used up about 3 lbs of onions, 5 lbs of potatoes, 10 eggs, and a large container of breadcrumbs. $8 on ingredients before taking the meat into account, making this along the lines of $2 a serving.

*** We had this for dinner tonight and it was really good.  Princess Nibbles didn’t really care for it but the rest of us thought it was rather tasty.  Granted we wouldn’t want to eat it more often than say once a month, but it has definately earned a place on the “once-a-week” cooking rotation. I highly recommend it!

Other resources:

The Everything Meals For A Month Cookbook: Smart Recipes To Help You Plan Ahead, Save Time, And Stay On Budget

Cook Once a Week, Eat Well Every Day: Make-Ahead Meals that Transform Your Suppertime Circus into Relaxing Family Time

The Once-a-Week Cooking Plan: The Incredible Cooking Program That Will Save You 10 to 20 Hours a Week

Cook Once, Eat for a Week

Written by Mama KellyTags:once a week cooking