Cinnamon Craisin Oat Bread

Delicious!

I have loved cinnamon raisin bread ever since I can remember. It was always a special treat when we would visit my grandparents, who happened to live just up the road from us. I've wanted to attempt making some for quite a while now and today was the day, since I was out of bread and didn't want to take the time to load 4 kids in a minivan and run to the store for some. I didn't have any raisins on hand but had just picked up some craisins on Friday so I decided to try my own variation on the traditional cinnamon raisin bread.

Savor it!

Jared and I believe that God has completed our family and we do not plan to have any more kids. (We've heard it all where that topic is concerned so please do not judge, or at least keep your judgments to yourself with regard to our family's size.) With that said, my baby girl is now going on 14 months and I am officially done with the baby stage of life. I have never had one of those longing moments where I wonder if we made the right decision in choosing to have "only" the 4 kids, but I do think to myself quite frequently lately that I wish time would just slow down a bit... Mr. R. will start Kindergarten this year and Miss E. preschool. Miss A. is potty trained, and Miss S. is weaned and walking. They are getting so big so fast and lately I feel like they grow all the faster with each blink of an eye. I recently read an excerpt from a book and it made me think and reflect a bit, which I seem to be doing a little more of lately. 

The excerpt goes something like this, "life is not an emergency...life is our only dessert - too brief, too sweet, too delectable to hurry..." (Ann Voskamp)

In all my extra pondering lately, I have come to the conclusion that life is just too busy and I must slow down and savor the moments. I rush through my day to get everything "finished" - the house cleaned, laundry done, sewing work completed, shopping lists and menus filled out, etc. but feel as though I've missed out on some much needed and neglected TIME with my little ones. 

Yes, there are days where I feel like I am on the verge of insanity with the constant pulling in 5 different directions by the people I love so deeply. Yes, there are days that time cannot seem to move fast enough toward bedtime for my four little blessings. Then I think about the time that my own mother spent with my sisters and I reading books, working in the garden, and just being there for us. I want to duplicate that for my children. I am just forewarning any of you who follow my blog on a regular basis that posts may end up being a little late from time to time as I am learning how to balance my hobbies in light of the need for both my children and me to have more time (both in quality and quantity) with each other. I must learn to savor the moments (both mundane and exciting) and lean more fully on God's grace for the difficult ones.

[Chocolate] Banana Oat Muffins

[Chocolate] Banana Oat Muffins

This is one of my "concoctions", of sorts. I've learned how much of this you can substitute for that and such so I decided to try something new for one of our usual breakfast-on-the-go Sunday mornings. It turned out wonderfully delicious! Most of the kiddos had theirs finished off before we were even halfway to church.

Men's T-Shirt to Peasant Top Upcycle

I happened upon a $3 men's t-shirt at JCP a few months back and finally got a chance to "upcycle" it. :o) First off, I wear an XL and decided to buy a XXL so I'd have more fabric to play around with, but going up a full size probably isn't necessary. 

I started the project by turning the shirt inside out. 

cutting out the shirt front and back

"Philly Cheesesteak" Pizza

Bottom: Completed and delicious!
(BBQ Chicken Pizza is at the top of the picture)

I was making up homemade pizzas for dinner on Friday and Jared just happened to get home from work a bit early so he decided that we would attempt some homemade Philly Cheesesteak Pizza.

1 pound pizza dough (I had some whole wheat dough in the freezer from the local grocery store)
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic herb butter (just minced herbs, garlic, and butter)
1 1/2 tablespoons of flour
2/3 cup skim milk
1 dollop of light sour cream.
1/2 lb steak, thinly sliced
1/3 of a green pepper, thinly sliced
1/3 of a medium onion , thinly sliced
1 cup Italian blend cheese, divided
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Menu: July 30-September 2

It's been just another crazy week, especially for not having anything really on the calendar. I guess better late than never. :o)
Here I go, another attempt at a monthly menu. I'm trying to save as much moola this month as possible since we will be remodeling our bathroom, which I'm very excited about. I'm trying to plan simple, healthy, and inexpensive meals so this should be interesting... I'm going to be following a new format this time around, each week will feature different types of food i.e. Tex-Mex, Salad (lettuce or pasta), "Italian", Comfort Food, and Soup or Sandwich. We usually have one leftovers night and one out-to-eat night.

July 30-August 5

• Tex-Mex - Tacos with black beans and rice
• Salad - Grilled chicken salad bar and fruit salad
• Out-to-Eat Night
• Soup or Sandwich - Ham and cheese wraps with fruit salad and chips
• "Comfort food" - Pizza, side salad, fresh fruit and carrot sticks (we had bbq chicken stuffed crust and philly cheesesteak stuffed crust pizzas)
• "Italian" - Tortellini with pesto, chicken, and veggies
• Leftovers

August 6-12

• "Italian" - Bowties with creamy pesto and chicken, carrots, green beans, and french bread 
• Soup or Sandwich - Sloppy Joes, potato wedges, and fresh fruit (got to get as much in while it's in season) 
• Tex-Mex - Beef and bean chimichangas (we top our chimis with shredded lettuce and all the usual taco ingredients - guacamole, olives, salsa, sour cream, etc.)
• Salad - Taco Salad with homemade taco bowls
• Out-to-Eat Night - planning a double date with some friends
• "Comfort food" - Red beans and rice
• Leftovers

August 13-19

• "Comfort food" - Crockpot Italian Chicken, side salad, and fresh bread
• Salad - Grilled chicken salad bar and fruit salad
• Tex-Mex - Tacos
• Out-to-Eat Night
• Soup or Sandwich - Sub sandwiches and fresh fruit
• We've got a family reunion today, which should be lots of fun.
• "Italian" - Spaghetti, side salad, mixed veggies, and French bread

August 20-26

• Leftovers - We have a calendar planning meeting at church.
• "Italian" - Homemade Pizza
• Tex-Mex - Chicken Fajitas and Mexican rice
• Salad - Taco Salad
• "Comfort food" - Steak, baked sweet and regular potatoes, grilled veggies, and rolls
• Out-to-Eat Night - We've got a college/careers' activity.
• Soup or Sandwich - Pulled pork and slaw

August 27-September 2

• Tex-Mex - Cowboy Skillet (at the request of Jared)
• "Comfort food" - Chicken pot pie (making up a double batch and then freezing one pie for next month)
• Soup or Sandwich - Chicken enchilada soup
• Out-to-Eat Night - I'll be heading to a birthday party with the kids while Jared is at the wedding rehearsal.
• Leftovers  - We have a wedding tonight and Jared is officiating so the kiddos will  most likely be having leftovers with the sitter.
• Salad - Simple Italian Pasta Salad (rotini, grilled chicken, olives, cherry tomatoes, peppers, onions, homemade garlic herb dressing, etc.)
• "Italian" - Calzones and a side salad

Your turn: Do you have a usual pattern for you weekly/monthly menus?
As of late, I have had quite a bit of "menu" writer's block. Let me know if you have any recipes that might help. :o)

Temperance: Eating for Weight Control (Updated 8/2/12)

Update (8/2/12): On July 28, I ran my first 5k. I finished in 35:18 and really enjoyed doing it. Jared ran with me and only beat me by 1 second. I felt really good afterward like I could run another mile or two, which was very exciting for me considering the first time I ran for 3.1 miles I thought that I was going to die!

Unfortunately, my weight is up a bit (201.8) but I have been far busier than I should be over the last few weeks. I need to slow down some and focus more on doing what needs to be done.

Here are some pictures from our 5k.

Before the race

about 15 minutes after the race

I look just a bit different than I did at my heaviest.

Update from 7/6/12

Original Post 7/22/11

Menu: July 23-29

So, we've been experiencing internet issues ever since getting back from vacation, which is why this post is  so incredibly late. We had a service tech out this afternoon and he got things back up and running. :o)
Just a heads up, I am going to attempt a month of menus for August, but in the mean time here is this week's menu.

• Grilled chicken salad bar and fresh bread (Jared's request)
• Pretzel-coated walleye, roasted baby red potatoes, mixed veggies, garlic herb parmesan French bread, and dark chocolate cream cheese brownies - we had my FIL over for a birthday dinner.
• Spaghetti, mixed veggies, side salad, and fresh bread (Miss E's request was for "you know, the noodles that you swirl around your fork")
• Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, and tomato soup (Mr. R's request)
• Tacos (pretty much everyone's favorite)

Honey Oat Bread

We love breads! I'm sure this comes as no surprise considering that there is some form of bread on the  menu at least once or twice a week. So I've been experimenting on different kinds of yeast breads over the last couple of months and this is one of my favorites.

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 4 cups all purpose flour

Directions
This is where I deviate from most bread recipes. With there being a time factor in my house, I use my bread machine to do all the mixing and the first rising. So...

1. In the bottom of your bread pan, combine water, oil, honey, and yeast. Top with flour and oat, then add salt. Set your bread machine for dough and press 'Start'.
2. Allow the dough to go through the first rise and deflate cycle. Then empty dough out onto a floured surface, knead, and divide into two equal pieces forming into loaves.
3. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. 
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until bottoms of the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans, brush with butter or coconut oil, and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Menu: July 2-15

My littlest, Miss S, turns the big "1" today, but we aren't celebrating till Tuesday. It's also America's birthday so we will be celebrating 2 days in a row. :o) I've decided to do a 2-week menu as things are going to be a bit hectic with several fittings and 3 wedding pickups in these next 2 weeks.

Week 1 (July 2-8)

• Penne rosa with chicken sausage, baby carrots, side salad, and dinner rolls
• Grilled cheese sandwiches with variety of "extras" (pepperoni, ham, bacon, tomato slices, etc.), potato wedges, baked sweet potatoes, fruit & jello salad, and birthday cake ala mode
• Independence Day - Burgers, fruit salad, and corn on the cob
• Layered Torellini Pesto Chicken Salad
• Subs and fresh fruit

Week 1 (July 9-15) - only 4 meals this week as it's just me and the kids most of the week so we'll be doing leftovers more often.

• Pasta Primavera, side salad, and French bread 
• Grilled chicken bruschetta over pasta with steamed broccoli
• Pepperoni pizza rolls, salad, and fresh fruit
• Spiedini Hoagies with Caprese Relish (this is at the request of Jared), veggie tray, and  squash chips

I won't be planning a menu next week as I will be taking a menu-planning vacation to spend some time with my family, which is much needed after the craziness of the last few weeks. For some ideas, you can always check out the master list. 

Your turn: What are some quick, simple summer recipes that your family enjoys during these hot summer days?