homemade pita bread

Yesterday I made hummus which of course meant I needed pita bread to go with it.

That was this morning's project. I used this recipe.

I don't think I'll use it again.... next time I want to find one with whole wheat flour. I also want to do better letting my oven preheat all the way (I'm really bad about that but this recipe needs it). And I think I'd like a recipe that calls for a little honey or sugar. So all that being said...if you are a pita maker and have a good recipe please let me know!

Making pita bread was super easy and very quick to do as far as breads go. So this is something I'll try again.

My pitas didn't really puff much at all and certainly nothing close to the beautiful puffiness of the picture of the recipe I was following.... oh well!

It was an interesting experiment.

favorite blogs: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

So it's been six months since I last posted on here... OOPS! I just kind of unintentionally took a blogging hiatus. However, in the last few weeks I have had several things that I've thought... "hmm, that would be fun to post about." So I'm back.

To kick off my return, here's my new favorite blog!

Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

1. NORMAL family friendly recipes
2. pictures of EVERY dish
3. lots of cooking from scratch (=frugal!)
4. easy to navigate and browse categories

Love it.

who needs a pool

While we love going to various local pools with friends some of them cost, a membership would definitely cost, and it takes time, energy and gas to load up in the car to go somewhere.

Since we are in an apartment and don't have pool access I came up with this fun way for Baby Girl to splash around on a hot day:

1. Take a plastic storage bin and fill it with just enough water that it's not too heavy to carry outside.

2. Throw in a few toys.

3. Set it outside in the shade and put the baby in the tub!

We did this for a full hour!

She doesn't look too thrilled in the picture, so if you're not convinced that this is fun check out this video:

I know it looks very dangerous that she's standing up in this thing... I was holding on to it the whole time so she wouldn't knock it over!

For more fun and frugal tips head on over to Life as Mom.

blessings of frugal living

While there are many blessings to living frugally (less "stuff," more quiet, healthier eating, focused stewardship, etc.) here is a picture of how our errands today played out:

1st stop- Post Office= Martha Stewart Living magazine, Parents magazine (both free subscriptions found online)

2nd stop- CVS= razor for Jon and tylenol (we MADE $0.60)

3rd stop- Staples= two (500 count) reams of printer paper, pretty pens (yay!), 2 rolls scotch tape, photo paper (after rebate we will have MADE $0.06)

What a blessing that with a little time and forethought we came away from our errands with more in our pocket than when we left home. And all for things we need or can use!

Many thanks to www.southernsavers.com and www.moneysavingmom.com for making me aware of such great deals!

monday menu- eating from the freezer edition

We are trying to clean out the freezer and pantry... it's going to take while. Here's how we're starting:

Monday- soft tacos (with kit that was the penny item at Publix a while back) with taco meat (freezer), spanish rice (freezer)

Tuesday- $2 Moe's Burritos... Sorry... I think this a local thing :o(

Wednesday- Quesadillas with rice and beans(freezer) using up the leftovers from Monday (and yes I did check with my husband to make sure he was okay with Mexican three nights running... he was... he eats anything... I'm blessed)

Thursday- Homemade pizza (sauce in freezer) with peppers (freezer), onions, and fresh basil

Friday- Clean out the Fridge

Saturday- Broccoli Stir Fry (freezer) with rice and homemade bread (freezer)

Sunday- Jon has something with work... I'll probably have cereal :o)

Check out Organizing Junkie for more meal plans.

staycationing is the thing

Vacation with...

NO travel

NO packing

NO unpacking

NO excessive laundry pile-up... wait that happens anyway...

LOTS of family time

LOTS of relaxing

LOTS of exploring where we live

This has got to be my new favorite thing!

We staycationed from last Friday through Tuesday and it was AMAZING! I have never felt so relaxed in my life! This is what we did/ didn't do:

1. Didn't put pressure on ourselves to "do." Friday we just vegged and didn't feel guilty as if we were missing out on a new experience or place to explore.

2. Did make our meals special. We went out to one nice dinner and cooked other foods that are special to us.

3. Didn't try to keep up with the house completely. While I kept up with laudry and dishes we didn't worry about vacumming or bathroom cleaning or dusting or the like. This was vacation after all!

4. Did do something fun each day! Saturday we had a family photo shoot (compliments of a friend who is starting a photography business). Sunday we went swimming. Monday we went swimming and blueberry picking. Tuesday we went on the lake with friends.

5. Didn't spend a lot of money. Our dinner out was with an 80% off Restaurant.com gift card. Swimming was free. Blueberry picking cost but works into our food budget.

6. Did enjoy just being together. While Baby Girl was sleeping we watched some movies, read out loud to each other and just enjoyed the calm and quiet.

And now I don't feel like I need a vacation from vacation!!

For other money saving tips check out Frugal Fridays over at Life as Mom.

hoodie towel

Our pastor's wife made one these for a friend recently and I LOVED it! I went out the next week and made my own for a shower gift and am making another soon for Baby Girl's first birthday! I should have taken step by step pictures... I'll do that next time!

Basically though....

1. Buy a towel and washcloth (TJ Maxx and Ross have nice thick ones much cheaper than Wal-Mart or Target in my opinion).

2. Choose some sort of decoration. If it's a print towel this wouldn't be totally necessary. You could do a strip of grosgrain across the hood or, like I did, applique a strip of fabric across the hood and then applique initials on the back.

3. Sew! This is going to have to come in a separate post with pictures... I tried to type it out and it doesn't make much sense to me unless you can see it! If you're desperate leave me a message and we can have a quick lesson!

The thing I really love about this as a gift is that it can be used for a long time! Baby Girl isn't even a year and has already outgrown her baby towels. This will last her for years!

Sadly... Blogger is (yet again) making my pictures flip! GRRRRR!!! I wanted you to see the adorable dalmatian print monogram on the back of this fire engine red hoodie!

Sorry for the odd angle!

kids don't need fancy toys

Shiny. Easy to hold. Make noise when you hit it... what is there not to love?!
If you need more proof:

*** Please note that if torn metal pie plates can have sharp edges! It took Baby Girl several weeks to damage this one enough that I felt like it needed to be thrown out.***

For more Frugal Friday tips check out Life as Mom!

baby "splat mat"

In our apartment our baby's high chair sits on carpet... not good! Since Baby Girl is now tackling finger foods this is really not good! I started searching online for a mat to put under her high chair to make clean-up easier.

$44

$26

$35

WHAT??! For a piece of plastic or oilcloth!! I was in shock.

While shopping one day my Mom ran across this vinyl tablecloth for $4.99.

It was cute, not the typical red and white check or floral patterns that you usually see.

It was cheap.

It was HUGE... I could cover the whole dining area floor if I wanted to with this thing.

Instead I cut it down to an appropriate size.

Then I hemmed it with a zigzag stitch all the way around.

Done... that was it! It works great! It isn't quite as heavy-duty as oilcloth would be... but I have so much table cloth left that whenever this mat wears out I can make another one very quickly and easily!

On a side note... I also made a bib to match! (Though it's way too big and probably won't really fit Baby Girl until she's 5... or 9... oh well!

For more Works for Me tips check out... We are THAT Family!

black beans and rice

Yum! We love this recipe. It's great all by itself with cornbread or as a side to a Mexican feast with friends!

1 onion, chopped

1 T. oil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup rice

In large saucepan saute onions in oil until soft. Drain tomatoes and beans reserving liquid! Add water to this liquid to equal 2 cups. Add this liquid and all other ingredients to pan. Bring to a boil and then let mixture simmer about 20 minutes or until rice is done. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

We love topping our rice and beans with sour cream and/or grated cheese.

over 250 pieces of fruit

What do you do with over 250 pieces of fruit?

Especially when you have two days to get rid of it before you leave town!

My husband works on a college campus. At the end of each semester parents can pay (big bucks) to send an "exam care pack" to their student. An outside company takes these orders, sends the boxes to the university and a student organization my husband works with is responsible for distributing them. Here's the rub... many students never come to pick up their box.

First of all this makes me sad for the parents who send the boxes.

Secondly this makes me sad because of the extravagant waste!

Thankfully much of the prepackaged candy, cookies, chips, etc. can be saved and given out to student workers and kids at camps this summer.

But the fruit... the fruit!!! It makes me cringe.

I willingly took on the task of doing something about it all. There were over 250 green and red apples and oranges. Some were already going bad. I had to act fast.... what to do?

1. Give it- this is obvious but harder than you might think. Because we live on a college campus and all the students are gone, we have no neighbors... I've been passing as much as I can off to the housekeeping staff. I've also called several friends who are swinging by on their way home from work to pick some up. And we made a few special deliveries earlier today.

2. Eat it- this is obvious too. We're having some folks over for lunch between graduation ceremonies tomorrow... guess what we'll be serving?

3. Juice it- I'm planning to take a lot of the oranges home to my parents' house this weekend and will borrow their juicer.

4. Puree it- Applesauce anyone? Baby Girl LOVES applesauce... this might be enough to make her never want to see the stuff again! I'll be making this at my parents' since they have an apple corer/peeler/slicer thing and I am not about to tackle this by hand!

5. Freeze it- I never knew you could freeze apples! I'm going to slice and freeze most of the green apples to use in pies, for baked apples, apple cake, etc. down the road. I'm looking forward to giving some of these goodies away as well when I'll be in town to bake.

While I hate that the students didn't get these boxes I'm very thankful this fruit isn't going to be left to rot and then chunked in a dumpster!

We may not all have 250 pieces of fruit dumped in our laps, but we can all do our part to not let food go to waste!

For other frugal tips check out Frugal Fridays over at Life as Mom!

favorite blogs: Southern Savers

Southern Savers is THE blog for great grocery and pharmacy deals if you live in the south. Which we do.

Jenny does an amazing job listing deals at local stores and matching coupons. I appreciate this blog so much because I don't waste my time skimming posts to find deals relevant to me. Typically, all of her posts (except for a few grocery stores we don't have nearby) are helpful.

There is also a link to the 2009 Coupon Inserts Schedule, as well as previews of coupons for each week. This is very helpful to me as someone who just buys the Sunday paper for the coupons!

The website is super organized, easy to follow and easy to use. I highly recommend!

freezing chicken stock

I recently learned about the merits of chicken stock. And have made batches twice in the last few months. I love the idea of not wasting the chicken carcass and boiling out all the nutrients possible!

Here's what I do:

- boil the chicken then take it out of the pot and take the meat off the bone

- put the bones back in the pot

- add a whole onion, quartered, skin and all

- add carrots and celery (I save the ends of these in the freezer until I make stock that way I am not wasting a perfectly good carrot)

- add some whole peppercorns

- add a little salt (I know, I know... not super healthy but I love it)

- add some bay leaves

Then just let it all boil... and boil and boil.

Drain well using a wire mesh strainer.

Pour the stock into pitchers and put in the fridge overnight.

Next day, skim the fat off the top.

Then... here's the best part... I pour approximately 1 cup of stock into plastic cups on a cookie sheet. Then I put the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once frozen I pop out the stock and store the chunks in freezer bags.

It's so helpful to not have to use a freezer bag for every cup of stock I want to freeze and it's very easy to just take out however many "cups" I need for a recipe.

Check out Life as Mom for more Frugal Friday tips!!

cloth diaper update: prefolds

A while back I wrote about my experience with cloth diapers.

I then updated with my thoughts on how solid poo affected my feelings about cloth diapers.

In the past few months I decided to purchas some prefolds and covers to inexpensively increase our stash in the hopes of not using our Bum Genius diapers as much in order to prolong their lives.

I've learned that I LOVE PREFOLDS!

Who would have ever thought it?!

When we first decided to cloth diaper and I began researching all my options I was way too hesitant to try prefolds. They just seemed too complicated to me. But in some ways I have decided they are actually simpler:

- Prefolds are less bulky when traveling. Because they are flat and you don't have to have a ton of covers they fold up very nicely.

- Less laundry. Because covers don't have to be washed after every use this really cuts down on the amount of laundry.

- Prefolds dry more quickly. I hang the covers and they dry in no time on the line the prefolds themselves fluff up quickly in the dryer.

- No leaks! So far we have not had a single leak while using prefolds.

We have tried several different versions of diapers and covers and our preference at this time is:

- Chinese prefolds for day

- Kissaluvs contours for night

- Snappis to fasten

- Thirsties covers (these are by FAR my favorite)

For our next child I'll continue to add prefolds to our stash.

I only wish I knew "then" what I know now!

amazing tuna patties

• My aunt gave me this recipe and it has become a staple in our meal planning. Jon absolutely loves it... and so do I! Most of the ingredients are things you probably already have on hand.

• 1 pkg. (6 oz.) chicken flavored stuffing mix
• 2 can tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 cup shredded cheddar (I usually cut this back a tad)
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 2 Tbls. sweet relish
• 3/4 cup water

Mix all. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Using about 1/3 cup of mixture make into patties. Fry on a skillet over medium heat (spray pan with cooking spray! as they easily stick). Cook about 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

A few thoughts:

- You can also use chicken for this recipe (my mom made this and used one chicken breast to make the recipe)

- This mix up great in a stand mixer and that is much less messy. Otherwise it is helpful to mix with your hands.

- Since the mix has to sit in the fridge for at least 10 minutes this means you can easily mix all this up early in the day when it is convenient and let it set in the fridge until time to cook them up at dinner. Very handy.

- All of these ingredients can be found at Aldi (that makes it an A+ recipe in my book!)

free Easter basket

Yes I know the picture is sideways... anyone have ideas on how to fix this?!?!

It's possible to go all out for Easter baskets. I remember a friend in high school who got a new pair of (name brand) jeans for Easter one year. I was jealous. Now I'm just confused... I mean seriously... even if you roll them up real tight jeans can't even fit in an Easter basket!

Since Easter is most definitely not about the basket or the candy or the bunny we wanted to make sure that was not our focus so we're keeping the gifts simple... and in that we are also keeping it free.

The basket was mine when I was little. The "grass" is cut up tissue paper (I'm thinking she'll find this part most intriguing). As participants over at Paperback Swap I found two new to us board books (Runaway Bunny and Good Dog, Carl). Then I used some of a leftover giftcard at Belk to buy a pack of ruffly socks (which I already have determined are probably going to be exchanged for a bigger size).

Most importantly we're looking forward to talking to Baby Girl (even though she won't have a clue at this point what we're saying) about the real gift of Easter, the risen Christ!

Easter lunch

Since we saw my family last weekend and will see Jon's next we are opting for Easter at home this year which I must say I'm looking forward to.

For a while I debated cooking a huge, traditional Easter lunch... ham and all. Then I looked at the food budget and quickly changed gears. Here are our plans for a simple Easter lunch.

We're having three other couples over after church to celebrate with us. We're eating.... drumroll please... enchiladas. Yes folks, we're having a Mexican themed Easter lunch. I'll be cooking two kinds, chicken and bean. One couple is bringing a salad, another an appetizer and another dessert. I'll probably cook up some rice and beans as an extra side.

I borrowed a table cloth and napkins in a pretty springy blue last weekend and for a centerpiece will use my hurricane filled with hand-sewn eggs my Mom has made for me over the years.

It's simple, it's frugal, I'm using a lot of what I have on hand and am not being shy to ask guests to bring a dish to share.

More importantly by not messing with the fuss of a huge meal we can spend the day focusing on what really matters, celebrating the risen Christ!

Check back later to see the free Easter basket I am creating for my daughter and head over to Life as Mom for more Frugal Friday tips!

do it yourself

My frugal lesson for the week is DIY (Do It Yourself!). We recently discovered that our car's left rear brake light AND turn signal were out. Jon was busy with work and classes all week and wasn't going to have a good chance to look into it and I really wanted to relieve him of the burden to do so.... so I tackled the car issue myself!

At first thought I reasoned... it must be a short... if it's BOTH lights they wouldn't have both burned out at once, right? I called our mechanic (who is exceptional and very honest) who recommended trying to replace the bulb first on my own before bringing it in to the shop. It would be easier and cheaper they said...

Off to the autoparts store. I walked in... baby on hip... and explained my problem. They looked up what kind of bulb our car required in the computer... and the grand total was $6.09! News to me that the turn signal and the brake light are the same bulb! I also got them to show me which screws to undo to get to the old bulb.

Later that day Baby Girl and I trekked out to the car (we live on a college campus and don't have parking close by). I sat her on a blanket in the back so she could watch me while I worked.

I must say... it was rather anticlimatic. Within a few mintues it was fixed! Just like that!

Jon was thrilled and I have so much more confidence now to try fixing things on my own that I previously may not have tackled.

This post is in conjunction with Frugal Friday over at Life as Mom. Check out Jessica's blog for more Frugal tips and to share tips of your own!

happenstance recycling

Here's my Thrifty Green Thursday tip for the week. Check out Green Baby Guide for more tips!

At first glance "happenstance" recycling might not seem very green... we should be intentional about recycling! We do that too... don't fret... but we also recycle by chance.

We don't buy canned sodas in our house. Ever. We drink them occasionally when we're out but we don't buy them.

We have realized however that lots of other people buy them and leave their cans random places. Such as the ground, the trash, in bushes, etc.

So whenever we're out we just keep our eyes open. We pick up a can here and a can there and bring them home, crush them and put them in a bin. It takes a long time to fill up the bin, but we're not in any rush.

Once the bin is full we take it to our local recycling center where it's contents usually net us around 4 bucks... that's the thrifty part. (So after one and a half bins it pays for one meal at our local Japanese express place.)

The tortoise or the hare? We're definitely the tortoise but we're doing our part.

hitting the trail

I've invented the best trail mix ever! Before I go tooting my own horn too much... I must admit it was completely an accident.

We recently did Sav Mor where I stocked up on tons of dark chocolate chips and craisins. Then Jon has ended up with lots of odd packages of snack foods through his work. I felt like some trail mix so I used what we had:

Craisins

Dark chocolate chips

Pretzels

Peanuts

Sunflower seeds

Addictive! I'm eating some right now actually.

This new recipe is especially timely as we're hitting the trail for vacation tomorrow. Don't expect too many posts this week!