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).

A Gift Idea: Hot or Cold, Not Lukewarm

Best travel mug EVER!

Update - this deal is no longer available, however, these are great mugs and worth they're normal $20 price tag.

I had hoped to post this deal for you a couple of weeks but just didn't have time and the sale ended. I'm sure you can relate. :) I was super excited to see that this sale was back for a limited time so I am determined to share it this time around.

Menu 2014: December 1-January 4

With this holiday filled season, I decided to get some help with my menu by using some of the national food days as inspiration for our meals. I had fun looking over the different "food" holidays and picking a few to add to my menu for this month. We've got lots going on with Christmas and New Year celebrations, but we still need to make time for some family traditions. What are some things that your family does every year during the holidays? One of ours is putting the kids in their new Christmas jammies (they get a new pair every year) and driving through a light display with a big thermos of hot cocoa and some snacks (cookies, bars, muffins, etc.).

KitchenAid Stand Mixer as low as $87.02+tax (ends 11/28)

The Classic - I have this model.

I absolutely LOVE my KitchenAid stand mixer. It is a great multi-tasker for my kitchen. I can use it's bread hook attachment to make bread, I use the whisk for whipped cream, the paddle for pretty much everything else, and then I bought a pasta roller attachment, which is so much fun. I am also looking to get the food grinder and sausage stuffing kit. With all that said, Kohl's has an amazing deal on all of their KitchenAid stand mixers.

Super "D" Brownies

Before you decide to make these, I must pass on the following warnings:

• Do NOT make these if you have little or no self-control as they can be highly addictive. 
• Do NOT make these if you are on a diet. 
• Do NOT make these if you are the only person home for the next 24 hours.
• Do NOT make these unless you plan to take them to or serve them at some sort of get together or party.

Product Review: My New Favorite Kitchen Gadget, the Aerobie AeroPress

We LOVE coffee over here (yes, even my children). We have a Keurig (which is really only used when we need a quick cup of coffee), a French press, and we'd like to get a Turkish coffee pot, too. Several people have told us how awesome the AeroPress was so we finally decided to pick one up (I had a 20% off coupon for Bed Bath & Beyond).