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Life

Freezer Cooking Made Me Cry Yesterday

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Hey ya’ll its been a few days since I’ve checked in with you. I hope everyone is doing well. We are finally getting over these colds that have been passed around and around and around… you get the point. I’m tired of being sick and tired and of being around whiny kids who are sick and tired… yeah not a fun week at all but it has been productive even though I ended up getting this post out a day late… Oops!

We have been sticking to our goals and our Plan of Action that I made earlier in the month. The kids are listening and behaving better, well for the most part, even thought they’ve not been feeling well. We’ve been working on keeping the noise level down and I’ve found that my little friend Google has been AMAZING at helping me with this. I have been asking Google, ‘Hey Google, can you play me some music please?’. Note that I do use my manners  and she really appreciates that. When the kids can’t hear the music they know they are getting way too loud.

Continue reading Freezer Cooking Made Me Cry Yesterday →

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food, recipes

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

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**This post may contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. If a purchase is made through one of these links we may make a small commission which costs you nothing extra and blesses our family so we thank you! For full affiliate disclosure please click HERE.if a product is purchased through one of our links.

This recipe was adapted from a recipe that we found in the United States Cookbook under the state of Georgia. The original recipe was called ‘Peanutty Peanut Butter and Banana Bread’ and was baked in a loaf pan for 1 hour and 10 minutes at 350. Our recipe has some variations to the original ingredients but would probably be just as good baked in a loaf pan as well and would probably be even better with a sprinkle of chocolate chips added to the batter.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 c. all purpose flour
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/4 c. oil
  • 1 c. peanut butter (we used chunky and the kids loved it)
  • 2/3 c. brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1/2 – 1 c. chocolate chips, optional
  • 1/2 c. crushed peanuts, optional

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray your muffin pan or loaf pan with nonsitck spray.
  2. Mix the oil, eggs, bananas, sugar, vanilla and peanut butter together in a bowl until well blended.
  3. Mix the remaining ingredients together in another bowl.
  4. Stir the dry ingredients into the first bowl just until blended.
  5. Spoon or pour into your greased pans.
  6. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
food, Meal Planning, recipes

Chocolate Chip Applesauce Muffins

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Chocolate Chip Applesauce Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 c. Self rising flour
  • 1/2 c. Brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 c. Applesauce
  • 1/2 c. Milk
  • 1 t. Vanilla
  • 1/2 c. Chocolate chips

Directions: Continue reading Chocolate Chip Applesauce Muffins →

Family, food, homeschooling, Kids, recipes

Feeling The Pain of Undecorating…

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**Please note this post does contain affiliate links to which I may, possibly, earn a small commission from if you click on and purchase an item. For full disclosure click here.

Well yesterday went better than I thought it would in some ways. The kids were motivated to help clean up the house as they wanted me to help them open, assemble, and set up some of their new toys.

In 2 hours we had the tree down (I don’t usually take it down so early but it was taking up some prime space in our little house on the pond) and all the decorations put away on the newly reorganized porch. We also had 2 loads of laundry done up and a third in the washer. The kitchen had made good progress as well.

As the kids went down for quiet time I played catch up on some emails, updated some posts on Kirby’s Koupons, and finished the laundry. Well this morning it seems I was a bit overzealous in my attack on the house and I am feeling it in every little joint and muscle. Big time fibro flare… gotta love it.

So while I was stumbling around in the kitchen trying to fix a cup of coffee and find some ibuprofen Jacob came in. He told me it was Wednesday and wanted to know what kind of muffins we were going to have. (Gotta love the fact that the four year is reading the calendar and telling time on his new watch.) Continue reading Feeling The Pain of Undecorating… →

Family, food, Kids, Meal Planning, Parenting, recipes, Single Parenting

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

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So yesterday morning something was smelling really funky in my kitchen. I had a bowl of really ripe bananas that I thought may have been the reason for the smell. I decided to make some muffins with them but DS4 wanted chocolate chips in them too. He loves chocolate just about as much as I do so I thought it sounded like a pretty good idea.

If you want to find out what the funky smell was click here.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

(makes about 24 muffins)

Ingredients:

  • 5-6 medium bananas, mashed
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 c. milk (I used buttermilk)
  • 3/4 c. white sugar
  • 3/4 c. brown sugar
  • 3 c. all purpose flour
  • 2 t. baking soda
  • 2 t. salt
  • 2 t. vanilla (optional)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 c. chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and spray lightly with nonstick spray or just spray the pan well.

Whisk together the dry ingredients and gently add in the chips and nuts. Set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and bananas. Mixture will be slightly lumpy.

Gently stir into the dry ingredients. Mix just until blended.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups or use an ice cream scoop.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the centers are slightly springy. (Or do the toothpick test.)

Cool slightly and enjoy.

 

Family, home organization, homeschooling, Kids, Meal Planning, Parenting, recipes, Single Parenting

PB & Jelly Swirl Muffins

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These yummy little muffins came about this morning after my four year old requested some PB & Jelly muffins last night. I thought about it a little and this morning I played around with a few ideas and ingredients to come up with this recipe. These will definitely be put on the rotating meal plans from here on out.

You could use chunky peanut butter and possibly add some chopped peanuts to the crumb topping, if you wanted to.

PB & Jelly Swirl Muffins

Ingredients:

Muffins:

  • 2 c. flour
  • 1/4 c. sugar
  • 1/3 c. peanut butter
  • 1 c. milk
  • 1 egg
  • 3 T. oil or melted butter
  • 1 t. vanilla (optional)
  • jelly, your favorite kind

Crumb topping (optional):

  • 1/4 c. brown sugar
  • 1/4 c. white sugar
  • 1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted
  • 1/2 – 3/4 c. flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease a 12 cup Muffin Pan.

In a large bowl stir together the flour and sugar.

Use a fork or pastry blender to cut in the peanut butter until crumbly.

Stir in the milk, egg, and vanilla until blended.

Fill muffin cups about halfway with batter.

Drop 1-2 Tablespoons of jelly into the center.

Spoon batter over tops of jelly.

Use a butter knife or fork to gently swirl the jelly and batter together.

Crumb topping:

Mix together the sugars and then blend in the butter.

Add the flour until a thick dough forms.

Use your fingers to ‘crumble’ the dough over the muffins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

You can also make a thin glaze to drizzle over the muffins by mixing 1-2 T. of jelly with a little water. This is completely optional but my four year old (official taste tester) says it makes them ‘more yummy’!

Note he also requested some Peanut butter glaze which was just 1-2T. of peanut butter mixed with a little milk until it could be drizzled.

 

Family, home organization, Kids, Life, Meal Planning, Parenting, recipes, Single Parenting, special needs

Eggless Nutella Muffins

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This recipe came about one Wednesday morning when I had not been to the grocery store in over a week. It was one of those days where I was feeling like a walkie zombie too. I had been tempted just to make some toast  spread it with peanut butter  and sliced apples for breakfast. My four year old would have no part in that because it was ‘muffin day’.

I knew I didn’t have any eggs, as I hadn’t bought any in a while nor had I checked the henhouse yesterday. That’s what happens when you don’t stay on routine around here. I did have mayonnaise though so I knew there was hope. Below is the recipe, that I thought was an utter fail at first, and I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does.

These could be made with eggs if you wanted to. Just replace the mayo and water with 2-3 eggs. You could probably also add in some white chocolate chips or nuts if you wanted to make these as a special treat. These are rich enough that they could probably be considered dessert!

These little yummies have a lot of potential and I’m sure you may see them popping up in various forms in upcoming recipes.

Eggless Nutella Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 c. self rising flour
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 1/2 – 2c. Nutella
  • 6-8 T. mayonnaise (or use 2-3 eggs)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray or line your Muffin Pan. (I haven’t made them in Mini Muffin Pans but they would probably be just fine.)

Mix together all of the ingredients, just until blended.

Spoon the batter, which will be thick, into the muffin pans. 2-3 Tablespoons for each cup.

Gently press the batter down if it is really thick.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. (8-10 minutes for minis.) They will look a bit gooey but that’s ok.

Remove and let cool for 5-10 minutes. (The middles may fall in but that is OK too.)

Enjoy!

**I will be trying these with some ripe bananas too. I will probably use 2 mashed bananas and only 1-2 Tablespoons of mayo. I will be sure to post that recipe after I try it.

Family, home organization, Kids, Meal Planning, Parenting, recipes, Single Parenting, special needs

June 4 – 10, 2017 Meal Plan

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This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crock pot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.

I have started trying to do easier meals on days that I have square dancing obligations. This helps me to be able to put a nice meal on the table without feeling guilty about having some much needed ‘Mommy Time’. Some of these meals may also help with those that have busy or irregular schedules due to work or extracurricular activities.

I do have ‘Snacks/Desserts’ listed as well. I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or table for the kids to snack on. Sometimes I will make a special snack or treat for us to enjoy.

Sunday 

Breakfast:

Overnight Coffee Cake, scrambled eggs

Lunch:

Soup, grilled cheese

Dinner:

Easy Chicken Casserole, steamed veggies

Snacks/Desserts:

Boiled Eggs

Monday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

Tuna Salad, Veggies

Dinner:

Chicken Nachos , Salad

Snacks/Desserts:

Fruit

Tuesday

Breakfast:

French Toast

Lunch:

leftovers

Dinner:

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches, Salad , Chips

Snacks/Desserts:

Jelly Toast/Pizzelles (** I will try to make a few extra to take along for refreshments at the dance.)

Wednesday

Breakfast:

Basic Muffins

Lunch:

PB & J, fruit

Dinner:

Mexican Tortilla Skillet, Spanish Rice, Black Beans

Snacks/Desserts:

Muffins

Thursday

Breakfast:

Pancakes

Lunch:

Egg Salad Sandwiches, chips

Dinner:

Oven Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Peas

Snacks/Desserts:

PB Crackers

Friday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

Hot Dogs, mac n cheese

Dinner:

Crockpot Italian Chicken, Rice, Salad, 30 minute Rolls

**(This is a fairly quick meal to put together as Momma has a class/dance in the evening)

Snacks/Desserts:

Cupcakes (** I will try to make a few extra to take along for refreshments at the dance.)

Saturday

Breakfast:

Monkey Bread, scrambled eggs, Bacon Grits/Cheesy Grits

Lunch:

Pepperoni pockets, salad

Dinner:

Breakfast for dinner: I plan on making 7 Up Biscuits, with Tomato Gravy, and maybe some bacon or sausage.

Free Day

Snacks/Desserts:

Popcorn/ German Chocolate Pie** (new recipe, link will update soon.)

home organization, Meal Planning, Parenting, recipes, Single Parenting

February 19- 25, 2017 Meal Plan

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This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crock pot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.

I do have ‘Snacks/Desserts’ listed as well. I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or table for the kids to snack on. Sometimes I will make a special snack or treat for us to enjoy.

Sunday

Breakfast:

Blueberry Oatmeal Bread

Lunch:

hot dogs, mac n cheese

Dinner:

Creamy Chipped Beef Over Toast, Scrambled Eggs

Snacks/Desserts:

Mama’s Banana Split Dessert

Monday (National Cherry Pie Day)

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

Egg Salad Sandwiches, veggies

Dinner:

Cheesy Crockpot Chicken and Veggies, Buttery Bread Sticks

Snacks/Desserts:

Cherry Sonker

Tuesday

Breakfast:

French Toast

Lunch:

PB & J sandwiches, fruit

Dinner:

Pepperoni pockets, Salad

Snacks/Desserts:

Peanut Butter Toast

Wednesday

Breakfast:

Muffins

Lunch:

Scrambled Egg Sandwiches, veggies

Dinner:

Chili Dog Casserole, Chips, Cole Slaw

Snacks/Desserts:

Muffins

Thursday

Breakfast:

Pancakes

Lunch:

leftovers

Dinner:

Daddy Can’t Wait Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Corn Muffins

Snacks/Desserts:

Fruit/Veggies

Friday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

Grilled Cheese

Dinner:

Crockpot Tortellini Soup, Buttered Bread

Snacks/Desserts:

Boiled Eggs

Saturday

Breakfast:

Waffles, Sausage

Lunch:

tuna salad sandwiches, fresh veggies

Dinner:

Crockpot Cabbage Rolls, Grandpa’s Fried Potatoes, Green beans

Snacks/Desserts:

Cookies

home organization, Life, Meal Planning, Parenting, recipes, Single Parenting, special needs

February 5- 11, 2017 Meal Plan

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Family, home organization, Meal Planning, Parenting, recipes, Single Parenting

January 22-28, 2017 Meal Plan

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This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crock pot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.

I do have ‘Snacks/Desserts’ listed as well. I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or table for the kids to snack on. Sometimes I will make a special snack or treat for us to enjoy.

Sunday

Breakfast:

Blueberry Oatmeal Bread, scrambled eggs, sausage

Lunch:

scrambled egg sandwiches, veggies

Dinner:

Easy Burrito Casserole, rice, salad

Snacks/Desserts:

Blonde Brownies (National Blonde Brownie Day)

Monday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

PB & J sandwiches, fresh fruit

Dinner:

Chicken Pillows, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies

Snacks/Desserts:

Boiled Eggs

Tuesday

Breakfast:

French Toast

Lunch:

leftovers

Dinner:

Laura’s Sweet Pork, Cheese Potatoes, Cole Slaw, Rolls

Snacks/Desserts:

PB Toast

Wednesday

Breakfast:

Peanut Butter Muffins (National Peanut Butter Day)

Lunch:

ramen noodles, grilled cheese

Dinner:

Sweet Pork Quesadillas, salad, Rice, Beans

Snacks/Desserts:

Muffins

Thursday

Breakfast:

Pancakes

Lunch:

tuna salad sandwiches, fresh veggies

Dinner:

Mom’s Oven Stew, 30 minute rolls, Rice

Snacks/Desserts:

Fruit

Friday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

hot dogs, mac n cheese, veggies

Dinner:

Free Day **use food from the pantry or freezer or order out for a special treat

Snacks/Desserts:

Sopapillas

Saturday

Breakfast:

Breakfast In a Cup, Toast

Lunch:

Egg Salad Sandwiches, veggies

Dinner:

Weenie Roast, S’mores, Potato Salad….fixins…. (We do this every 3-4 months when the weather is nice. If it’s not nice outside I will usually cook the hotdogs on an indoor grill and make S’more in the microwave.)

Snacks/Desserts:

Cookies

holidays, homeschooling, Kids, Life, Meal Planning, Parenting, recipes, Single Parenting, special needs

Pumpkin Muffins

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This is a great way to use up any frozen pumpkin you may have in the freezer. You don’t have frozen pumpkin? Am I the only one with an overabundance of frozen pumpkin? Don’t answer that, please. If you don’t have the frozen you can use canned pumpkin.

I have also added the instructions for a crumb topping which is optional. My kids love muffins, especially Cinnamon muffins, so I add this to them to keep them happy.

Pumpkin Muffins

  • 3 c all-purpose flour
  • 2 T pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 t baking soda
  • 1 1/2 t salt
  • 1 1/2 c sugar
  • 2 c. cooked pumpkin
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 c oil
  • 1/2 c orange juice, or water

Crumb Topping: (optional)

  • 4 T all-purpose flour
  • 1 t ground cinnamon
  • 2 T butter or margarine
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Line 24 muffin cups or grease the Muffin Pans.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a large mixing bowl combine the pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice, beat just until blended.

Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stir just until moistened.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.

**If using the crumb topping:

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean.

Cool on wire racks for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm or store in an airtight container for later.