Themed Menus and Experimenting with Coconut Milk Cheese

      Sorry to have gone MIA these past couple weeks. We started school over here to get a head start before the baby arrives in September. It has been going well and I have been learning a lot! ; ) I will definitely be writing more on that later.  For now, I want to share some of the interesting things going on in our kitchen!!!

       First off, I have found a great way to simplify menu planning while still being creative. If you are like me, you may find it overwhelming to sit down and come up with enough meal plans to fill the month's calendar.  I can sit down and write up a handful and then my mind seems to go blank. When that happens my ADHD kicks in and I get distracted by something else... and well the menu is left undone.  This month I decided to try something new. I came up with a different theme for each night of the week!

• Monday is Mexican Night- In order to save cost, I have every other Monday night marked as a beans and rice meal night, then the other nights I fill in with tacos, etc.

• Tuesday is Italian Night- I have scheduled basic things like spaghetti, mac n cheese (although I am not sure that really qualifies as Italian), and a couple more complicated meals like lasagna.

• Wednesday is Salad Night- This is the night I feel most healthy!  Grilled chicken salad, seafood salad, and BLT Cobb salad fill the menus on this night.

• Thursday is All-American Night-  Burgers, hot dogs, home-made fries... especially with summer I have tried to schedule all our favorite "grill out" meals.

• Friday is Pizza Night- This was the easiest night to fill out. I just picked our favorite toppings and scheduled them throughout the month.

• Saturday is Soup Night- Soups are a great way to stretch the budget and around here Saturday nights always seem to be busy. Although it may seem odd to schedule soup during the summer months, you can always plan cold soups. This time I stuck with the good old favorites like chicken noodle. I also have a couple nights with Thai noodle soup and spring rolls. Mmm... I love me some spring rolls!!!

• Sunday is Slow Cooker Day- We always get home from church starving! Having a meal ready to eat in the slow cooker eliminates the temptation to pick up something on the way home. Plus, walking in the door to the aroma of a delicious meal is amazing! I can smell it already. I tried a couple new recipes here beyond the normal roast. We have a couple whole chicken-in-a-pot recipes as well as country style ribs. Yummy!

       I am discovering that there are many additional benefits to "theming" the nights on my menu. The best of course is how it has focused my planning so I can get it done faster. I just take out my blank calendar page and think of 4 meals for each category and wah-la! it's done! I also love that it encourages creativity to go beyond just the cooking on each of the themed nights. I can dress up the table accordingly, wear funny hats, or pull out the CD collection and put on the Italian or Mexican instrumentals. Still haven't figured out what kind of music goes with soup night- guess it depends on what kind of soup! : )  Another bonus is that it is helping my little ones learn the days of the week. They are catching on that if we are having pizza then it must be Friday! They LOVE pizza night!!!


       Pizza night is where things get really creative in our house. First, our crust is gluten free. I personally have found that I like the Bob's Redmill Pizza Crust mix best. I press my dough out pretty thin, so from one package I can make up four 12" crusts. Then we have begun experimenting with dairy free cheese options. We tried the Daiya brand mozzarella shreds a few weeks back. They were decent but the price was so high for such a small amount. So I started looking up how to make non-dairy cheese alternatives. Most of the cheese substitutes out there have soy in them which we cannot eat. I finally came across a recipe for coconut milk mozzarella cheese.  It is made by boiling coconut milk with agar, vinegar, salt and tapioca starch, and then cooling.


       I used it last Friday night on our pizza and was pleasantly surprised by the final product. The picture at the top is actually the pizza we ate. It was more like using a fresh mozzarella over a shredded mozzarella. It had a good texture and tasted great.  The kids thought it was amazing and ate all but two small pieces out of the 2 pizzas I served. I froze the other two and will let you know how they defrost and bake up this week.  I am still very much experimenting with making the cheese and figuring out it's uses.  So far the one thing I've  noticed is that it's a greasier cheese due to the high fat content of coconut milk, so whatever you pair it with needs to be low fat/non-greasy.  I paired it with regular pepperoni since I found it on sale, but think it would have been much better with the lower fat turkey pepperoni I normally buy. Not a huge deal, but just one of those little things that make the overall end product so much better.


       I plan on writing an entire post about the coconut milk cheese and the adventures I am having with it. Please let me know what curiosities you might have about it. Maybe I can add a few more experiments to find the answers for you! : ) Next for me is making a cheddar version of the cheese and then making mac n cheese with it. We shall see what happens....


Here's to a wonderful week and lots of yummy culinary adventures!


Ginger



    

The Organization Project Update... Do the Shuffle!

       You may be wondering what a picture of people dancing has to do with organizing a house. Well, technically, nothing! = )  However, I do think that I have found a great analogy for what goes on in my house when I try to organize... it's called the Shuffle!


       Although I cannot actually perform the dance well enough to link you to a personal YouTube video demonstration, I encourage you to go be entertained by those who can.  I saw some pretty cool videos on there and it looks like a lot fun. You move your feet as you scoot to the left, and then to the right, and then criss-cross, and then another little funky move... you get the idea. There doesn't seem to be any real script to how you put it all together, you simply move to the music.

       It's very similar to when I start working on just one room of my house. I shuffle some stuff to this room, and then to that room... and then I have to criss-cross the furniture to fit the new plan.  I can look very much like these folks dancing, moving in circles but not going anywhere. One move they do looks like a hip version of jumping jacks, and I certainly feel like I have been doing a few of those when I finish cleaning. = p  I certainly move to the beat of my own drum!


      Seriously though, I have figured out that one of the reasons my organization projects go "off course" is due to the need to constantly adjust for space.  It is hard to focus on just one room at a time, when in order to finish the first room you have to find space in another room to place the "extra" objects from the first.  So I shuffle, I work on one room until I am forced to work on another one or two. By that time I have recollected a pile of stuff to be organized/put away in the first room. The downside to this is that I never feel as though I have actually finished a project. Again, it is very much like doing  the dance, just going in circles with all my little fancy footsteps.  I guess all I can do is hope I look as cool as they do while I am cleaning! = )


       We have an adequate size home, but I realized the other day that every single one of the rooms in it are multi-purpose. (Which I know is a no-no according to some organization gurus!) The master bedroom is also the office, sewing room, and partially a new baby room.  The master closet is our family clothes storage (upcoming sizes for kids clothes, winter clothing, etc...), as well as our homeschooling supply and video storage. The playroom doubles as a baby changing, "up all night" staging area with changing table and rocker.  The two youngest will share a room with the closet that "stores all things", and our bookshelves (which my husband likes to tease is our own family library).  The older girls have the most focused room which is simply their sleeping room and their dress-up play area. Our living room has recently had a corner converted into a "schoolroom."  The dining room and kitchen are one in the same. And the utility room is also our clothes closet/dresser room (this is my attempt to simplify the laundry process- wash, fold, and put away all in one spot). The utility room also has a couple shelves for games and craft supplies. Some days I think it would be great to have the space available to multi-purpose less, but then I think about the additional housework that would require! No thanks!!! = )  Most days I can't keep up with the square footage I do have! 

      So instead I am trying to take the advice of Kathi Lipp, (from the book that started this project- The Get Yourself Organized Project: 21 Steps to Less Mess and Stress) and make zones in each room that are focused on just one thing, AND then make them as functional as possible.  Yes, I want a beautiful aesthetically appealing bedroom, but I also want it to serve our family fully.  So my "office" is now relegated to one corner of the room with an added cubby unit to store supplies and other essentials.  The sewing and baby stuff each have their own "zone" as well. I have done the same with each of the other rooms.  Grouping like items together in one space has required a little bit of "shuffling," but it has also clarified what purpose(s) the room is serving. This alone has really helped me to know when I have stuff that isn't serving any purpose, and needs to be passed on. So I guess I really am making progress, even if it just looks like fancy circles at the moment.

      I know that I'm not alone in using every last inch of space to it's fullest. What are some ways/ideas you have found to help create order and peace out of your multi-purposed space? I have really enjoyed seeing ideas posted online of creative "make-overs" that have turned wasted space into something functional.  What do you think of the zone idea? Do you think it helps decrease the chaos, or do you think it limits the ability to work with the space you have?

       Sorry for the lengthy post today. I really hope my post does not resemble the shuffle as well. Hopefully it is more like a line dance that has some direction and order to it!  Now that sounds like fun, I haven't lined danced in years.  Maybe it's time to push the furniture to the side and turn on the music! I hope you all have a chance to at least do the funky chicken in the kitchen when nobody's watching! = ) Whatever your "project" is this week, just keep dancing through it! Don't forget that you look the best when you are grooving to the beat of the music, so pay attention to your rhythm of life!!!

Ginger

Enough!!!

       It has been over a week since I have been able to get on and write. All three of my children got sick right before I was suppose to leave for the Virginia Homeschool Convention this past weekend. I wasn't just leaving, I was leaving alone (no kids) for the first time since my oldest was born. The only other time I have been away overnight is when I went to the hospital to deliver a child. = )  It was not easy to leave last Thursday with my youngest still very sick. Thankfully, my husband kept pushing me out the door!

       I truly believe that God gave my husband both extra patience and peace, as well as persistence to make sure that I didn't stay home. I was meant to be at this convention this past weekend. God had some very important things to teach me.  I have so much I want to write and share with you, but I am going to start with the first major thing that God showed me. I hope it encourages and frees your spirit as it did mine!

       Lately, I have found myself defending the "topic" of our fourth baby. I usually find myself defending against the stereotypes of large families, or the criticism of having more than two children. However, as I began this weekend at the convention, I found myself defending our decision for this little one to be our last. As I was walking between workshops Friday morning God brought all this to my attention.  It seems like, regardless of the audience, I am constantly feeling the need to defend our choice to either have another baby or not to. And in that moment I felt God say, "Enough! Quit being so defensive!"

       I am the type of person who feels she must always explain herself. I cannot simply say no, I have to explain why I cannot say yes. I feel like I need to excuse, or defend the condition of my home. I feel I must have an explainable reason for everything I say and do.  Over and over this weekend I felt the Lord telling me,"Enough. No more. Quit living life, in such a way, just so you can give an acceptable answer to others. Enough. No more defending yourself for your choices. Your choices are between Me and you. Enough... If there is peace as you sit before Me and listen to My voice... then enough. You are enough!"

       What freedom! Why are we having a fourth baby but not a fifth? Because we (my husband and I ) feel that is what the Lord desires for us. End of discussion! Why do I choose to homeschool my child? Because that is what we feel the Lord has led us to do for our children. End of story. Why do I choose to let the house be second priority (or third or fourth...) compared to my children's needs or my husband? Because as I walk day by day, moment by moment with God, I am allowing Him to show me what is most important in that moment of that day for me and my family. Enough!

       Don't you think that it's time that we quit defending our choices, and start living the life that God has for each of us?  They are not going to look the same. What is best for you and your family may not be what is best for mine, AND that is okay!!!  Let's give each other the freedom to follow God's leading without feeling the need to defend ourselves. How much energy and time have we wasted defending our choices instead of living them out? 

Galatians 5:1 (NIV)- "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  

       Enough! Do not burden yourselves any longer. Enough! Rejoice in the freedom, God has given you through Christ, to live as He calls you to!!!

Ginger

The "Don't Come" Invitations

       In an effort to help our children understand budgets and the concept of money, we offered them a choice concerning their birthdays this year.  They could either choose to have a birthday party with their friends, or they could choose to go see Winter, the dolphin from the movie Dolphin Tale, at the Clearwater Aquarium when we go to Florida in the fall. They absolutely love that movie and all sea creatures, so they quickly chose the trip to see Winter. We wanted them to know that things cost money and that money was limited, so they couldn't do both.  I think they chose wisely.

       Fast-forward to this week. We are planning Allie's upcoming 5th birthday and talking about ideas for our family celebration. We have decided to have a girl's tea party with mommy's real tea cups, strawberry tea, and fruit salad.  Daddy will take Tyler to go do some "guy" things together, while just mommy, Allie and Anna share tea. Then Allie informs me that she needs to send invitations to all her friends, cousins and Jesus that say, "Don't come to my party because we are having a tea for girls and are going to see Winter." Lol  She is very sincere about this invitation and has no ill intentions, rather it's as if she thinks it would be rude not to inform them. Ummm... I am thinking I need to do some lessons on the proper etiquette surrounding invitations. So far all of my attempts have not changed her mind about the need for these invitations to be sent. So please, don't be offended if you get a "Don't Come" invitation, it is sent in the most considerate and loving manner! = )

       Oh, and just in case you were wondering how Jesus would get His invitation, Allie explains step by step how this occurs.

• Step 1- You put the letter in the mailbox.
• Step 2- The Post Officer picks up the mail and takes it to the post office.
• Step 3- The post office puts it on a spaceship
• Step 4- The spaceship flies up to space, up and around, and over to the side where heaven is.
• Step 5- The letter is left in heaven for Jesus.

And now you know how to mail a letter to Jesus!!!  Just make sure your mail is picked up by a Post Officer that knows how to fly a spaceship! 


      Before I say goodbye, here are a couple short "funnies" that came from my 3 year old Anna this week:

• Very perplexed Anna informs me, "Mommy, Mater is a tow truck, but he doesn't have any toes!" (Very true!!!)
• My husband was explaining to the kids why he doesn't ride his motorcycle in the rain. Jesse explained, "My motorcycle doesn't run well in the rain." Anna interrupts, "Daddy, that is because your motorcycle doesn't have any feet!" (Can"t you hear the drums "budump bump!" She's too funny. Maybe stand-up comedy is in her future! lol)

       Stay tuned for next time when Allie explains why she was late coming out of my belly and more! That's it for this Sunday's edition of the "Family Funnies!" 

Ginger

Harmonious Bedtime

       I just finished tucking all my little ones into bed, and all but one are already fast asleep. I started singing to my children at bedtime every night back when I just had one tiny newborn in my arms. I know many said not to rock them to sleep or do anything like that, but I couldn't help but steal a few minutes each night to snuggle and sing.  

       I decided I didn't care what the experts said, my baby and I needed that time together, it's what was best for us!

       I had actually started singing a couple familiar songs when I was pregnant with my first. I used it as a simple way to connect each night with this little person growing inside me. It was amazing to see how she would quiet down when she heard those songs after being born. The same was true for the little ones that followed after her. They would quiet down and look around with a relaxed expression of recognition. I am constantly in awe and wonder of all that happens while a little one develops inside my womb!

       Our bedtime routine has expanded and transformed over the years to meet the needs of our little family. The one constant that has remained through it all is song time. We usually read a book or two (this depends a lot on whether or not they have lost this priviledge in the hours preceding bedtime), then say prayers together, and end with singing while stroking their back or arm. On nights when my husband is home, he will come in and join us. He has an amazing voice and harmonizes beautifully. I love the time we spend just blending our voices while watching our children drift off into peaceful sleep.

       It doesn't matter what kind of day we have had, whether we have been at odds and frustrated or working together smoothly, as we end our day we set all that aside and take the time to connect.  Singing allows us to remember what matters most, the love and bond between each of us. I find it very difficult to sing a lullaby to my child and be frustrated with them. It is such a wonderful "reset button" of sorts for me, especially after a long challenging day.

       Tonight after rocking our youngest (who does not have the patience for booktime just yet), my husband came into the girls room to join our song time. Even as she kept her eyes closed, I saw a grin spread across my 3 year olds face as she heard her daddy's voice. It hit me how we weren't just taking time to show affection to our children, but also giving them a nightly "audible picture" of the unity between their parents. As they listen to the musical harmonies, they are reassured of the literal harmony between their mommy and daddy. 

       It is not that we are perfect parents, nor do we have a perfect marriage. In fact, I think it's all the imperfections that make this time so special. We have a moment each night to sing, connect, and often times apologize for the wrongs we have made against each other, before going to sleep. (It's amazing what slowing down, and recentering on what matters most does to convict you.) What started out as a new mommy just wanting a few more minutes to hold her tiny newborn before laying her down, has grown into a gift that benefits our entire family in numerous ways. Regardless of how out of tune our day has been, we get to enjoy a time out and a harmonious bedtime!

       I hope this encourages you to do what is best for each of your little ones, and not just what the newest research or expert advises!

Good night and sweet dreams~

Ginger

Organization Project Update: My New Equation!

       Do you remember the theme song from Gilligan's Island? The song ends repeating the phrase "A three hour tour, a three hour tour..." It is that comical yet slightly haunting reminder of what it was suppose to be before the ship wrecked.  That is how I feel about my room during this Organization Project! Wasn't this only suppose to take a week to get done?  Yet, here I am starting into my third week on the project, with only about half of the room completed.  I find myself humming, "The one week project, the one week project..." = )

       Being the "analytical" type I have come up with a good equation for figuring out how long the project will really take. Take the number of weeks suggested in the book (1) and then add a week for every child you have!!! Lol  In my case, that means that each project will take a grand total of 4 weeks, or 5 if you count the one growing inside me. Ahhh, with that pace in mind, I am right on schedule! I feel better already. Okay, so if there are 21 projects and you select 3 each week, then the original plan would take approximately 7 weeks to complete. Now if I multiply that by 4, it means I have 28 weeks to completely organize my home. When I look at it that way, I am not sure whether to be excited or depressed that it will take me 6 1/2 months to get organized!!! Gulp, is my home really in that bad of shape? I don't think I am ready for the answer to that question. Lol  = )

      I sure hope it doesn't take that long to get my home organized!!! I still have hope! I figure that because I started with the worst areas of the house (the laundry room and master bedroom), then organizing the other rooms should seem like a breeze. Right?!! = ) Many of the rooms in my house just need a little "tweaking" and purging of excess clutter to make them more functional.  Unfortunately, for some time now, both the master bedroom and laundry room have been the collecting ground for everything that does not belong in any other place.  So considering all that, I feel good that I have made progress on these spaces, without just shifting the piles and "collections" to a new location.  I have actually made decisions to get rid of things, create new spaces, and set up each room to be purposefully functional.

       So all that chattering to say... I am not ready to take any "after pics" but I am making decent progress.  Plus, with my new equation and time line in place I still have another week to finish! = p
Once again it comes down to my new motto- "It's about progress, not perfection!"
Hope your week is starting out with a smile!

Ginger

The Breakfast Challenge

       A high-protein breakfast is strongly recommended as part of a holistic approach to treating ADHD.  That doesn't sound too hard right? It shouldn't be, but when you add to it a laundry list of food intolerances and allergies, it becomes quite the challenge!

       So what would you make for breakfast (high-protein) for someone who cannot have gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats), corn, dairy, soy, or eggs?  Now you see my predicament!  A lot of people resort to eating leftovers from dinner for breakfast.  We usually use our leftovers for lunch or for another dinner, but it has been done on occasion at our house too.  The other trick I recently discovered was adding protein powder to your baked goods.  I use a vegetarian protein powder consisting of rice, hemp and pea protein.  For a lot of people with soy allergies the pea protein is also prohibited, but there are a lot of pure rice and hemp proteins out there. Some people use the powders in smoothies, but unfortunately the texture of these types of protein tend to be grainy which is a problem for a lot of us. Soaking the powder in warm water before adding to your smoothie helps with this, otherwise the texture is not a problem when using in baked goods.  To add protein powder to your favorite baked item just substitute part of the flour with equal amounts of protein powder.  Depending on whether you buy flavored or unflavored will determine how many things you can add it to.  I made the mistake of purchasing my first container in chocolate, but it has allowed for some creative snack ideas! = )

Here are some of the high-protein breakfast I have come up with so far:

• High-protein waffles with nut butter (I use a vanilla rice protein powder.)
• High-protein pancakes with nut butter (made in similar fashion to the waffles but with a thinner batter)
• High-protein Apple sauce muffins (also using vanilla rice protein powder)
• Peanut butter chocolate breakfast cookies (using chocolate vegetarian protein powder)
• Rice cakes, nut butter and apples slices (This is my quick go-to breakfast option.)
• GF Biscuits with nut butter and jam, served with fresh fruit (When I finish the protein powder I have, I plan on buying "unflavored" and adding it to the biscuits.)
• Sausage patties, fruit, and vegetable strips (bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers)
• Green smoothies made with fruit, kale, spinach, ginger root and a 1/4 scoop of the protein powder. (Somehow the mixture and soaking the powder helps hide the grainy texture better than just fruit and coconut milk.)
• High-protein Zucchini bread or any other "cake" type bread (the vanilla protein powder works fine in these)
• Mama's GF Chex mix- Rice chex, assorted nuts and seeds, dried cranberries, gf chocolate chips (I make this up with many different variations), served with apple slices or banana and a cup of coconut milk.  [I also use this mix for snacks a lot, especially when sending snacks to church, kids clubs or any other place my child needs to bring his/her own snack.]
• GF Rice Crispy squares made with nut butter, chocolate protein powder, chopped nuts/seeds, flax meal, and dried cranberries or raisins (I decrease the amount of marshmallows called for in order to lower the sugar content. I simply press down into a cake pan making them as compact as possible, then refrigerate. Keeping them refrigerated helps them stay together better even without a full bag of marshmallows.)

As you can see, some are higher in protein than others, but all of them are better than a simple bowl of cereal and milk.  I am fortunate that I can use a variety of nut and seed butters. I understand that many have allergies to nuts and this decreases the options even further. Sunflower seed butter is a great option for many who can't do peanut and/or almond butter, and can be found in most grocery stores now. 

      I would love to hear from you! What high-protein breakfast ideas have you come up with that are both kid and food-allergy friendly?  Here's to the culinary creativity that challenges like these inspire!!!

Ginger