Menu 2015: February 2-March 1

This month is going to be incredibly busy. I've got my regular duties - homeschooling, part-time secretarial work (4-6 hours a week) , housework, church work, etc. - and I've also got two weddings and a missions trip to work on . I am very excited about both the weddings and the trip but it just adds to some of the stress. With that in mind, I'm going to try to keep things a little more simple. So here goes...

Goals for 2015

I haven't done New Year's Resolutions in a long time. Instead, both the hubby and I make a lists with the goals that we plan to work toward throughout the year. You can see last year's goals here. I did fairly well with my goals last year and am hoping to make progress toward this year's as well. So here goes (better late than never), these are my goals for the year. Oh, and please check up on me from time to time to see how I'm progressing. 

Creamy Turkey and Rice Soup

We enjoy brining and roasting turkey for Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving since my hubby isn't a huge fan of ham and grilling steak for 6 people isn't as cheap as turkey. The only problem is using up the abundance of leftover turkey. There's only so many dishes that you can throw together, oh so I used to think. I came up with this recipe a few months ago and it has continued to be a big hit with our family. It's an inexpensive meal and my kids usually eat one and sometimes even two helpings without a fuss, which is always great.

[Gluten Free] Blueberry Balsamic Chocolate Cake

The hubby and I really enjoy to cook for and entertain friends, and tonight was no different. We had a

childhood friend of Jared and his sweet fiance down for fittings, a visit, and dinner. They have changed their lifestyles and eating habits in a way similar to us so we wanted to make something delicious and low-carb for both dinner and dessert. We served grilled tuna steaks (chicken for the kids) with mango pineapple salsa and wasabi, wild rice medley, and a garden salad for dinner. It was so good, mostly because my hubby was in charge of the proteins. Miss. E. helped me prep the salad and wild rice medley early in the afternoon so that my portion of dinner prep would be done in advance. That way I could focus on wedding gown and tuxedo fittings, which I think I enjoy a little too much. :)

I knew dinner wouldn't be difficult to do low carb and low calorie, but dessert tends to present more challenges in regard to that. We got some beautiful balsamic vinegars from Fat Louie's while we were on our 10 year anniversary getaway last October and I have been dying to try them in dessert. I looked up a few low carb chocolate cake recipes (because chocolate and balsamic pair really well together) but none of them were just right so I went to the kitchen to play like a mad cooking scientist. :) What I came up with was absolutely delicious. It was decadent, yet it didn't leave you with that feeling in your stomach like you overdid it. The cake was almost fudgy in consistency yet not overly sweet, the blueberries added a nice pop of freshness, and the chocolate balsamic glaze gave it the perfect balance of bitterness, sweetness, and tang to cut through to creamy cake. The best part of all was that it was simple to make. Here's what I did...

Menu 2015: January 5-February 1

Did you know that January is considered:

• National Hot Tea Month
• National Oatmeal Month
• National Soup Month
• National Slow Cooking Month
• National Baking Month
• National Fat Free Living Month

With these in mind, I'm going to attempt to put a few more of these dishes in my menu. Here is a printable copy, as well as an editable copy (Word document).