Reed Family Plan 12-14 to 12-20 with Calzone Recipe :)

This week is going to be busy, but fun as we wind down to winter break!  This coming weekend is our annual Christmas with the Reeds.  We celebrate Christmas with most of Nick's brothers and his parents the Saturday before Christmas.  This year, each family is bringing something to contribute to the meal and we are bringing calzone.  The recipe is at the end :)

Monday: chicken and rice enchiladas
Tuesday: turkey tenderloin and mashed potatoes
Wednesday: chicken and vegetable fried rice
Thursday: meatballs, spinach, pasta
Friday: breakfast
Saturday: dinner at Nick's parents, we're bringing sausage and cheese calzone!

Sunday: dinner at my parents :)

Calzone:
Pizza dough (store bought or homemade, I've used both and they work equally well)
Pizza or Marinara Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Toppings: Almost any pizza toppings will work, but I'd stay away from pineapple.  And I would not over do it with the toppings, either.

Preheat oven to 350*F and lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
Sprinkle flour over work surface and roll out your dough to big rectangle.  I use a large cutting board as my surface so I can easily remove the calzone at the end.
Assemble as if making a regular pizza (sauce, cheese, and toppings).
Fold each side over about half an inch so you have a crust of sorts.
Starting on the long side of the rectangle, begin rolling the dough tucking in the sides that you folded earlier.
Roll all the way and carefully pinch dough together.
Roll the whole calzone off of your work surface and onto a cookie sheet.
Bake until the pizza dough has a nice golden color.  This can take up to 45 minutes, but check the calzone often to ensure it doesn't burn.
Let cool, slice as if slicing bread, and enjoy!

Banana Bread Recipe

Here is our favorite banana bread recipe:

Banana Bread (Recipe by Eva Lynn Marshall Ewing, my great grandmother)

Cream together: 1 c. sugar
                           1/2 c. butter

Add: 1 egg and beat.

Add 1 c. mashed banana (the riper the better) and beat.

Add: 1 3/4 c. flour
         1/2 t. soda
         1/2 t. b. powder
         1/2 t. salt
         1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees 40-45 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Use a knife to loosen edges from pan. Remove from pan to cool.

Note: This recipe makes one loaf, but I always double the recipe and freeze one loaf. Also delicious with mini chocolate chips. 

Farm Fresh Food

Hi all,

I just thought I would post this here, in case anyone is interested . . . I buy a lot of my meat in bulk from a "coop" of farmers.  (I have a freezer in the basement.)  I will tell you now that it is expensive, but it is grass-fed meat straight from the farm, so the quality is exceptional.  If anyone is interested, check out the website (sevensons.net) and let me know if you would like to ever "go in" on an order with me.  There are "packages" that you can order that make it much cheaper.  So, for example, we could order a 10 or 20 pack of chickens or ground beef (everything is frozen and vacuum-sealed) and then split them up.  I usually use the Libertyville pick-up location, and I have no problem being the "pick-up person".  (As a disclaimer, I will say again THIS IS NOT CHEAP.  So I am not offering a way to save money on groceries . . . just a way to possibly buy some really high quality food! We "severely ration" our meat in our house . . . otherwise we'd be broke, well, more than we are now, ha!)  :)

Anyway, I just ordered a load for pick-up next weekend, so I will not be ordering again for a couple months . . . but I thought I would mention it just to see if there is any interest for next time.  :)

Oh, in addition to meat, there are also other things . . . their eggs are really good and A LOT cheaper than buying comparable eggs in the store.  And I LOVE their drinkable yogurt.

Kathy

Booher Plan

Whew!  We have had a very busy week, culminated by one of the busiest Saturday's we've had yet AND a 4-day visit from the in-laws.  Everything was great, but I am enjoying taking a deep breath after getting the grandparents on the road this morning. (I am also tired of feeding everyone 18-million times a day.  I think we'll have cereal for lunch, and dinner too . . . )

We're in the middle of our weekly plan right now, as this month's "week" is Wed to Wed . . .

Wed:  Salmon, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted cauliflower
Thurs: Hamburgers, oven fries, veggies and ranch dip**
Fri:  Chicken and broccoli Alfredo
Sat:  Lasagna, salad, monkey bread
Sun:  Tortellini soup, Irish soda bread (ha ha.  We'll see.  See aforementioned comment about cereal . . . )
Mon:  Leftovers and/or homemade pizza
Tues: breakfast for dinner  

**I have finally "perfected" an easy homemade ranch dip that we all love: mix equal parts plain yogurt, mayo, and sour cream with salt, garlic powder, pepper, and dill to taste.  Easy to mix up on the spur of the moment and very good!  If you want to use it as a salad dressing, just shake it in a jar with a little buttermilk (or plain milk with a dash of vinegar) until it is pour-able.

I hope you all are in the middle of a great weekend!  :)

Kathy

How many more bites?

Sound familiar?

I've found a small answer to a seemingly endless question. Let me set the stage: The adults have finished their meals and the kids are still staring and a full plate of food. All of the taupe- and yellow-colored foods have been nibbled away from the rest of the rainbow. And then the question, "Can I be done?" is answered with a patient but firm, "No, you need to eat more." The child asks forlornly, "How many more bites?" 

I know that kids feel comfortable with routine, but this nightly routine is one that gets old more quickly than peas get cold.

Never fear! I have found a working solution! And, it is great on many levels. It provides a flexible "out" for parents, as they see the kids are legitimately struggling, and gives kids a lesson in nutrition and in adding money. No, I'm not paying my kids to eat. I know you were thinking that. And, you were considering it too, weren't you? I knew it!

Here's my new system. When the meal isn't a favorite, and things seem to be going downhill, the question is inevitably posed, "How many more bites?" My response has become, "You need to save up a dollar," (or whatever monetary figure fits your child's addition skill level). 

I tell my kids they are like piggy banks and the food is money. They can "save up" by eating.  (We had been to the bank earlier that day.) Each type of food, or size of bite, is worth different amounts. For example, a small bite of grain such as rice is only worth a few pennies, while a bite of protein like egg or ground beef is worth much more. It's a great chance to explain how different foods keep you fuller, longer. I was surprised that my kids seemed to have no concept of this because I had been explaining it at least twice a week during challenging meals! We have had fun adding up the cents on paper (we're working on double digit addition right now) in between bites. 

The only drawback of this system is that it requires a lot of monitoring by the parents. I try to teach my kids be as independent as possible, but this system works so well, it's totally worth the hand-holding, in my opinion. Plus, when they're tired and low on energy, it seems loving (and helpful) to give a little extra TLC at mealtime. 

Tonight, my kids both ate most of a meal that is historically a struggle. My little guy just wanted to get to the dollar mark as soon as possible, so he ate five huge bites and nearly cleaned his plate. My daughter was being very finicky, but right away, she saw how slowly her bites of rice were adding up so she started to add spinach into every bite. 

This could be one of those things that doesn't work for every family, but it was such a success that I just had to share. Hope it helps! 

Wamsley Meal Plan 11/6-11/13

I think maybe it was the change in the weather, or that my kids were begging me to go to the grocery store because, "We have NO food."  Either way I was inspired yesterday to meal plan before I went to the store, (this may be common sense to most of you, but normally I do the reverse and shop what looks  good or is on sale in the moment and then try to make meals with it the rest of the week.)  Okay so now  you all have a peek into what my life is really like... :)

Also I tend to shop on the weekend so we have a good variety of lunch box foods for Monday when we have to pack lunches, so this menu is Saturday to Friday.

Saturday: Potluck at church Mexican foods theme -- Taco soup
Sunday: Grilled sandwiches and fruit
Monday: Leftover Taco soup (I think I can get away with this because my kids will have other options  at the potluck and may not eat the soup.)
Tuesday: Pasta (Spaghetti squash), meatballs and sauce.  Homemade bread
Wednesday: Balsamic/onion pot roast in crockpot
Thursday: Roasted Veggies and Salmon
Friday: Huddle dinner potluck -- Buster bar (We have families that we get together for each week for a potluck dinner.  I am bringing dessert this week)

Bing Family Menu for the Week of 11/1

What a great blog!  Thanks for inviting me Kathy!!  Here was/is our meal plan for this week:

Monday:  White Chicken Chili- This is a little spicy but shockingly not one of my kids complained.  I always double this recipe.  It is quick and easy to make.  

Tuesday:  Spaghetti and Meatballs with a salad.  My mom is 100 percent Italian.  There is no actual written recipe, but one of these days I will pay close attention when I make it and write it all down.

Wednesday:  Chicken Fajitas with homemade flour tortillas.  Making your own tortillas adds an extra 20 minutes to your meal prep, but it's worth it.  You can make the tortillas without a tortilla press, but the press makes it go a lot faster.  I got mine off Amazon for around 30 dollars.  The recipe calls for whole wheat flour and coconut oil but I substitute regular white flour and I use vegetable oil instead.

Thursday:  Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus

Friday:  Pizza

Have a good weekend,
Christen