Good Eats - Menu Plan

Oh how a menu plan can save my life!  It's not just knowing what is for dinner and having a schedule, it's the money I save when I know what's for dinner and what is coming next!

With that said, here's what is on the menu for this coming week, complete with links to recipes:

Sunday:  Sausage and Cabbage
Monday:  Mini Meatloaf
Tuesday:  Spaghetti Carbonara
Wednesday:  Out to Eat
Thursday:  Roast, Potatoes and Carrots in the crock pot
Friday:  Cheese Enchiladas
Saturday:  Create Your Own Pizza

I promise to get better about taking photos for you guys!  Dinner always seems to be a bit of a rush - so I always forget!

Let me know what recipes you try and what you like - and if you have any good recipes for me to try, leave them in the comments!

Cheater Tomato Soup

Oh, how I wish I had the time to make everything from scratch!  I've gone through seasons of my life where this has been a possibility.  A couple of years back, we had an amazing garden that allowed me to can and make a lot of things from scratch.  Our garden didn't do so well this year, and with the age and stage of my littles, making everything from scratch is a lot more difficult.

For some things, I will admit that homemade and homegrown are still priorities... for others, I've learned to cheat a bit.

One of our current favorites is Cheater Loaded Tomato Soup.  It's a super simple recipe and easy to whip up on a cold night.  I often serve this if friends come over for lunch and it is always met with rave reviews.

Cheater Loaded Tomato Soup

Ingredients:One jar of pasta sauce - We like this Muir Glen Organic Pasta Sauce
One carton of chicken or veggie stock - We like More Than Gourmet Veggie Stock

Directions:Mix ingredients together in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Depending on the sauce you use, you can add seasonings to taste.  Once it starts bubbling, cover and simmer for 15 mins.Serve soup immediately with a variety of toppings.  I like to mix cheese and sour cream into mine to make more of a bisque, but Stone and Holden like to eat theirs straight.  This is so much better than anything out of a can.  Plus, even though it is a cheater recipe, you can control the ingredients.  Stone and Cash can't have gluten, and most tomato soups sold in the supermarket are thickened with flour.  This is an easy way to get around it!

Enjoy!

Don't know why it took me so long....

One of the hardest things about having a food allergy is being prepared for outings.  Especially when you have kids with food allergies (Stone is now dairy and gluten free too).  I always have snacks in my bag, but I get a big, sinking feeling when another mother pulls out a plate of cookies to share at a playdate and all I'm armed with is an apple.

On the reverse, I also don't want to be the mom who always has cookies then doesn't share.

My friends who know me well are always so sweet to let me know what they'll be serving and ask if the kids can have it.  If I know what's going on ahead of time I can always bring something of my own, but baking a plate of brownies for every playdate got a bit taxing and we always wound up with extras.

So, it hit me.... freeze 'em!

I individually wrapped each brownie, then put them all together in a large zipper bag.  Now, I just pull out a few frozen ones, pop them in a bag and we're ready to roll!  Since it's hot as blazes here in Texas, I don't have to worry about waiting for them to defrost!

I don't know why it took me so long....

Pizza Dinner, Chambers Style

In our house pizza is a great way to sneak in veggies. Say what?



Yep! This slice is loaded with squash, rainbow chard, spinach and fresh tomatoes. I made the sauce a while back and froze a bunch. It was totally loaded, just the way I like it!

I used one of my Big Lot's find Bob's Redmill Mixes to make the gluten-free crust, then poured on a thick layer of sauce. From there I added a layer of chopped spinach and diced, steamed squash from our neighbor's garden. I topped everything with a boat load of freshly grated mozzarella, baked and allowed the kids to devour.

It's pizza: they're happy, I'm happy, win-win!

Frugal Friday - Closeout Stores

If you aren't gluten free, you might not appreciate this post.  If you are, or know someone who is, you'll totally get what I'm about to say.  Eating gluten free can get expensive.  I cook mostly from scratch, so I'm pretty sure that our average grocery bill is right in there with the majority of Americans, but when we had to change to gluten free, our personal grocery budget went up tremendously for us.

Convenience foods and mixes became a thing of the past as I learned to cook more and more gluten free items through the help of websites, blogs and overall experimentation, BUT man, it's nice to have some convenience every once in a while.

And convenience I got (and loads of it) when I stopped by my local Big Lots the other day.  OMGoodness!

I spent just under $200 ($199.42 to be exact, then I used a 20 percent off my order coupon on top of that!), and walked away with more than $600 worth of gluten free products.  The above photo is not a store shelf, that's my pantry.  We're stocked!

I also grabbed quite a few of these Enviro Kids bars, at $2/box how could I resist?

If you have a Big Lots (or similar store) by your home, I suggest you stop by often.  You never know what they are going to have!  There are some good deals to be had, but you also need to check expiration dates.   I found some that were just about to expire and loads that were good until Oct. 2012.  Just dig and look!

For more frugal living ideas, head on over to Life as Mom!

If you like this post, will you show some linky love? Just hit the button in the top right corner to instantly share this post on Facebook or Twitter. I appreciate your help in spreading the word about Living with Three Boys!

Frugal Friday - Make it Yourself

UPDATE: Entries are closed!

Ah summer! So glad you are here! In honor of the warm weather and outdoor fun we've been having, the boys and I set out to make Popsicles, but not just any Popsicles.... If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know these pops were packed with a healthful punch!

Like our signature smoothies, a Popsicle can be made with just about anything, and it works best when you make it with all of the things that you have on hand that are just about to go bad. That's what makes this frugal... use your stuff up, don't throw it away!

Here's what we had on-hand this time, mind you it changes daily. Usually I have some fresh spinach or kale to throw in, but we had gobbled it all up with our yummy salad mix, so we used a superfood replacement instead. The bananas were from the freezer. My kids don't eat mushy bananas, so I toss them in the freezer and save them for baking and smoothies.

I peeled the bananas and threw everything in the blender together. You could also use your food processor, mine was dirty from making chocolate LaraBar knock offs, so I went with the blender.

Now, here's the awesome part. Have you seen one of these? Genius! We just got this new Zoku Popsicle Maker and are totally in love. We haven't made anything fancy yet, but you sure can. Check this out!


* Photo from Zoku site

The pops freeze while you watch. It's so fun!

And they really do just pop right out!

Stone isn't the best smoothie eater, but he's always happy to eat a Popsicle, even if it's all of the same ingredients. Sometimes a little bit of fun helps veggies go down, I'm all for it!

Yummy!

Would you like a Zoku Quick Pop Maker too? I thought you might, so I'm giving one away! Here's how to win:

1. Leave a comment on this post
2. Tweet or Facebook about this post (with a link back to it), then leave another comment to let me know you did
3. "Like" Living with Three Boys on Facebook, then come back here and leave a comment to let me know you did
4. Blog about this post (linking back to it) and leave a comment letting me know... make sure to include a link to your blog!
5. Leave a whole new comment on this post letting me know your favorite post ever on Living with Three Boys. Click around... I'm curious!

Each separate comment will be counted as an entry and the winner will be drawn early next week!

This post is the last in a series of Frugal Friday posts which focuses on items that you routinely buy that you can actually make, cheaper, healthier and yummier! Here's the full list:

- Fancy Desserts

- Natural Cleaners

- Laundry Detergent

- Smoothies

- Yogurt

- Tomato Sauce

- Trail Mix

- LaraBars and Chocolate LaraBars

- Baby Food (I still can't read this post without laughing, then shaking my head in shame)

- Granola

- Pancake Mix (like Bisquick)

For more great ideas on how to live a frugal life, visit Life as Mom... she's full of good ideas! And if you're on the hunt for more give-aways, check out Giveaway Day over at Hip Homeschool Mom!

Disclaimer: I am purchasing the Zoku Quick Pop Maker with my own money. This is not a sponsored post, we just thought this was super fun for our family and wanted to share with you. You can go here to see exactly how the pop maker works.

If you like this post and want to share it with your friends, just click the Twitter or Facebook icons in the top right corner. Thanks for reading and sharing Living with Three Boys with your friends!

Processing... processing

I've never owned a food processor.  When Heath and I got married, we registered for a super fancy, way expensive ice cream maker instead.  I think we might have used it twice.  We got married young, can you tell?

But, I'm now the proud owner of a food processor.  A really fancy food processor, thanks to my sweet in-laws. So, for the next few weeks, please indulge me in my obsession to process.

I've already started and am SO excited about my creation!

Remember when I borrowed my neighbors' food processor recently to create my own LaraBars?  Well, I took that gluten-free, whole food, raw food yumminess a step further and created the perfect chocolate LaraBar knock-off.  Oh my!

My kids gobbled them, Heath and I are in love with them, you have to try them!

Here's how:

In a food processor pulverize 1.25 pounds of raw almonds and .5 pounds unsweetened baking chocolate
Remove into a large bowl
In a food processor, beat 2 pounds pitted dates into a paste
Add dates to bowl with almonds and chocolate and mix throughly with your hands until consistent all the way through

Form mixture into bars and seal in Press and Seal or plastic wrap... see how here.

Lick the mixture off your fingers.  Wash and dry your hands.  Think about sharing with your children and husband.

Store what you don't eat in the fridge.

If you like this post and want to share the recipe with your friends, will you show some linky love? Just hit the button in the top right corner to instantly share this post on Facebook or Twitter. I appreciate your help in spreading the word about Living with Three Boys!

Frugal Friday - Make it Yourself

 I grew up in a small town in Texas known for one thing... fruitcakes. No, no, not people who act like fruitcakes, actual fruitcakes.  Since 1896, Collin Street Bakery has been making and mailing fruitcakes all over the world.  I don't know who eats them, but I know they make a lot of them.

Since I grew up there, I don't eat fruitcakes.  You were kind of made fun of if you admitted to liking them, but Collin Street Bakery made a host of other yumminess that were a staple at every bake sale and baby shower.  Their lemon bars were always a favorite of mine.  I have no problem admitting that I could often be found by the lemon bar plate at any given party... and the big bonus was that they were always there!

My mom recently found a recipe for lemon bars and mailed it to me.  I have to admit that I was a bit leery to try to make them.  The lemon "custard" part was full of eggs.  Would I cook it too much?  Would I cook it too little and kill everyone with Salmonella?

I'm happy to report that, even after making a few adjustments to the recipe to make them gluten free, no one perished.  In fact everyone liked them... they really, really liked them!

I started with this basic Betty Crocker Recipe, but made a few exchanges and doubled the recipe (honestly who makes a dessert in a 9x9 pan?).  Here's my recipe after the science experiment in my kitchen:

Gluten Free Lemon Bars

You'll need:
2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour - second only to Pamela's, this stuff is a lifesaver
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus a bit extra for garnish)
2.5 cups sugar (yes, I did up the sugar.  Often a necessity when switching from regular flour to gluten free)
The juice and zest of 4 lemons
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs

To make:
Heat oven to 350.
Mix flour, butter and powdered sugar together and press into a foil-lined (and greased) 9x13 Pyrex.  Push some up the sides to create a crust edge.  Bake crust alone for 20-30 minutes.
While crust bakes, beat remaining ingredients together until light and fluffy - I just used a hand grater for the zesting and cut and squeezed the lemons by hand.
Pour lemon mixture over hot crust and bake an additional 30-40 minutes, until lemon mixture is set.
Let cool an hour before cutting into squares and serving.

The original Betty Crocker recipe suggested a non-greased Pyrex, no foil.  I could never cut pretty squares that way, so I lined and greased the pan.  Everything popped out easily and I had one less Pyrex to wash!

Yum!  You can refrigerate any left-overs you may have, but I wouldn't necessarily count on having left-overs!

And don't you dare going throwing all of these lemons away!  Sprinkle them with baking soda and get to scrubbing!  These are the perfect (frugal, natural) solution to the ring around the tub or the stubborn gunk that unshines your kitchen sink.  Then, after you're all done scrubbing, throw these down the disposal...nice and clean!

With the internet, so many things that we grew up loving are easy to recreate.  Just do a bit of research and have a willingness to try, and BAM, you've saved some dough!

Find more ways to stay frugal and sane at www.lifeasmom.com.

Beaming with Pride

When we first started noticing some delays in Stone, then again when we received the PDD-NOS (autism) and Apraxia diagnosis, there was a bit of a morning period for me. I somewhat feared life for Stone, and in all honesty, with Stone. I didn't know anything (really) about either, but I did know that I wasn't ready to pack up my dreams for Stone.

Our diligent research on schools lead us to Stone's current school-a place I can't credit enough for his amazing growth. We've had a ton of luck with a GF/CF diet and we've worked hard with individual therapists to get where we are... Which is an amazing place! But this? I didn't ever expect this...




On a recent visit to the State Fair, my kiddo volunteered to get up with Ronald McDonald and participate in a magic trick. Volunteered! He interacted with Ronald and the crowd, he was amazing!




Stone is a blessing to us EVERY day, but today... Today I'm beaming with pride. This is MY kid, my kid that has a diagnosis that says he should hold back, my kid who's had a lot of cards stacked against him, my kid that is pure perfection, crafted by God just for my family. My amazing kid!

Frugal Friday

When we went gluten free we became obsessed with LaraBars. Stone especially, he could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Considering they are made solely of fruit and nuts, no added sugar or other "stuff," this eating plan was pretty okay with me, but there was one drawback...at $1.50 per bar (at their cheapest) the cost was extremely prohibitive.

So, inspired by this post, I set out to make my own LaraBars. I followed her basic guidelines, but used my own combination of fruits and nuts, all of which I purchased on a whim at Target.







I think I could have done better (cost and selection wise) had I gone to my local health food store, but I needed some other things so I took the easy way out.



I borrowed this beautiful food processor from our neighbor and got down to business. First I chopped up all of the fruits until they were made into a paste. I removed the paste and then chopped the nuts into a pretty fine dust.



I added a dash of cinnamon to the mixture and started to blend. See that spatula in the corner? You won't need that.



Just use your hands and mush everything together until well blended.



I scooped the mixture onto some Press and Seal and wrapped the bars up tight.



After some time chilling in the fridge, the bars were ready to go!

The result was yummy and easy, and the cost savings was well worth the effort. I spent about $6.50 on all my supplies (not counting the cinnamon and Press and Seal, which I had on-hand). This batch made 17 bars, which in my opinion were a bit larger than a store-bought LaraBar. So, total cost per bar was around $.38 compared to the $1.50 to $2.00. What a cost savings!

So, I'm happy and Stone is thrilled to have his bars back!

Sweet potato cranberry muffins

I love to take something that's a staple for us, put a spin on it and create something new and super yummy - and nutritious, don't forget nutritious!




My kids have been devouring sweet potato muffins for quite some time now. They were originally pumpkin muffins, but this fall's pumpkin shortage led to the sweet potato improvisation.

The basic recipe is from the back of a box of Pamela's Baking Mix. It can be found online here. Pamela's is a gluten free Bisquick-like mix that is a staple at our house. I make the recipe with Turbino sugar instead of honey and add about a cup of baby-food consistency sweet potatoes.

Last night I made a huge batch for the next few mornings. I noticed a bag of dried cranberries on the counter and thought, "hey, why not?"

I threw a few handfuls in and YUM! I think you could probably use Bisquick as an alternative and it still work. Let me know if you try it...if you want to do it with Pamela's, it's readily available at Whole Foods and other major organically-minded markets.

Happy eating!

Tot School Tuesday

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun we had celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday in Tot School this week!

We, of course, had green eggs and ham, but also made a hat pizza - fun addition that I happened to run across in a parenting magazine  - which, as you know, I don't read too often, so it was a miracle find!

The boys devoured the pizza.  I used this gluten free crust recipe, which turned out super yummy, and we used a monster tomato I found at the farmer's market to make the red stripes.

I've been working with the little boys on color matching activities.  I used a set of flash cards and some pieces from our shape sorter set to set the game up.  The boys loved it and it cost me nothing, which is always good!

Daddy helped the boys make The Cat in the Hat  hats while they were in the tub - big hit!

Stone has been working on his lower case letters.  We pulled out the magnetic letters  and matched the little letters with their big counterparts.  For a first try on this, he did really well.  I think it has little to do with my teaching and a lot to do with his Super Why obsession!

We love this boxed set and visit the books often, even when it's not Dr. Seuss week.  The boys had a blast visiting some of their favorite stories this week.

I promise to update the materials in the left  banner soon, but in the meantime the links included above should give you access to all of the tools we used this week.