Crock Recipes

I fell short of my goal to come up with a week's worth of meals to fix in the crock pot. I found three and tonight's meal was one of them. It was really tasty and JillyBean gobbled it up like she hadn't had food in a week.

I'm posting this from memory...Also, I sort of changed it up a bit from the original recipe. I think that the original called for whole cranberries but I couldn't find them and used a can of whole cranberry sauce instead.

3-5 pound pork roast
1 can whole cranberries
1/4 cup of honey
a bit of ground cloves (maybe 1/2 teaspoon)
a bit of ground ginger (again, maybe 1/2 teaspoon)
about 1/2 tablespoon of orange rind

Season pork roast with salt and pepper and place in crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl then pour over roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. The pork was so yummy and tender. It fell apart as I took it out of the crock pot.

I served this with fresh green beans cooked the following way:

Add 2-3 tablespoons of coarse salt to boiling water then add fresh green beans and cook for 5-10 minutes (you want them crispy). Drain and put in a serving bowl. Drizzle beans with good extra virgin olive oil and serve warm. (this is one of JillyBean's favorite things to eat. she'll much on left over green beans at snack time)

Foodie

I don't know what it is but I usually feel compelled to snap pictures of Beanie while she's eating. We have an awful lot of pictures of her stuffing her face - including today's lunch of peas and cheese ravioli and an orange at snack time that she had to eat whole instead of sectioned. This may lead you believe that she weighs a ton. Thankfully that's not the case. In fact, she has really slimmed down these past few weeks. She used to have a bit of a belly on her and now she has a flat little tummy, so small that some of her clothes are now too big.

Still, the kid loves to eat and eat well. I had always said that I would not be one of those parents that makes one meal for the family and another for her. JB simply must eat what is presented to her and if she doesn't eat it, then tough. Thankfully we haven't had to battle her at breakfast, lunch or dinner time. She has gone through a bit of a phase lately where she won't eat dinner, but she doesn't demand anything else. She's simply not hungry.

I am amazed by how much JillyBean loves to eat veggies. There was a time when she didn't go a day without eating broccoli but that love affair has fizzled. Her fave things now are green beans and peas. I HATE peas but I'll be darned if I let my food aversions affect her. Two books were published a year or so ago that teaches parents how to "hide" veggies in their kids' food. On the surface that seems like a good idea, just to make sure they're getting the nutrients they need, but I think that it should be a last resort. I believe that it's important that kids get the chance to know what they're eating and we should find ways to make them try it. I don't think that many parents think about adding spice to their kids' food - ginger to cooked carrots, a drizzle of olive oil to beans, curry to peas. It gives the food a much more appealing aroma as well as interesting taste. Sure it takes a bit more imagination that many parents have at this stage, especially working parents, but it's worth letting the child know exactly what he/she is eating. The Petit Appetit Cookbook was a huge help for me. It is packed with fabulous recipes that start with beginner purees and takes you through the toddler years.

Backyardagains

I'm not familiar with the Backyardigans but apparently they're a cartoon on TV. Well, they also have a live show and it's coming to C'ville on Thursday, Sept. 18. Get your tickets by clicking here.

Still Summer

Thank goodness it's still summer. It may have been our last hurrah so Beanie and Beanie Mom spent the afternoon at the pool today. This picture isn't from today since it's a beach scene. Silly Mom didn't have her camera to click photos of JB running through the squirt park and floating in the big pool. Maybe we'll have good weather next weekend - it will be our final shot at pool life until May. Beanie Mom has decided that summer has got to be way better than Fall or Winter.

Dinner Bell

I ventured into the world of freelance writing a year after Beanie Dad and I were married . We got our first taste of strict budgeting very early on in our marriage since I was not contributing a steady income and it has proven to be invaluable. Shortly after I changed my career path, a Good Morning America segment aired that showed that the best way to cut a family budget was through your grocery bill. It was suggested that you make a weekly menu, make a grocery list that was comprised of only the ingredients necessary for those meals as well as other necessities, and stick to that list. Basically, if it's not on the list then you don't buy it. The exception to that rule, though, is that if there are great prices on certain items - like buy one pack of chicken breast and get one free - go ahead and stock up. It only means a smaller bill down the road.

That system has worked well for us over the past 5+ years and has become even more valuable as JillyBean has started eating "real" food and as I am no longer supplying a regular paycheck. Still, the rising cost of food the past year makes it challenging without compromising quality. I buy as much fresh fruits and vegetables as I can. We don't eat processed foods. We have fish at least one night a week. I buy organic when possible and when I know that it makes a difference. Heck, if Kate and Jon Gosselin can feed their family of 10 on $150 a week, also using healthy, mostly organic foods, surely I can feed my family of 3 on less than $100.

I'm always on the lookout for ways to create interesting menus while maintaining a tight budget. I was excited to learn about e-mealz. For $5 a month you receive a weekly planned menu, the recipes and a grocery list for either a specific grocery store (Kroger, Wal-Mart, etc.) or you can get a general list. We signed up for it a couple of weeks ago thinking that it was a minimal investment. It hasn't been as great as I had hoped. I receive the menu based on the specials at Kroger and the price for making that menu is pretty much in line with what we are already spending, once you add in milk, cereal, fruit for snacks, etc. Still, I thought it would be worth having someone else come up with the menu because, frankly, I get tired of doing it each week. Still, I'm not too crazy about the offerings. I tend to use one or two but that's about it. I am going to change the plan that we are on to the "low fat" and that may make a difference. By the way, if you're interested in trying it out, click on this link because I'll get credit for it:
E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families

Needless to say, I pay attention each time I see an article, tip or overhear a discussion on ways to trim the grocery bill while creating healthy meals. This segment from a recent Good Morning America is a great one. It gives recipes for lower-priced cuts and types of meat but the meals still look appealing.

Depending on how our e-mealz menu looks this week I have in mind to do a week's worth of crock pot meals. As much as I love to spend time in the kitchen, it is a tad bit difficult to do when you have a toddler tugging for your attention. The crock pot is fabulous - put everything in it in the morning and serve it when Dad gets home. I'll share what I do and give reviews along with my regular posts next week.

Play Groups Rock

Jilly Bean and I went to our first official play group today and now we're part of a mom's group, Mommy Needs a Glass of Wine. Great name, huh? What did our mothers and mother's mothers do before play groups? I guess there was more of a community? Were there more women who stayed home so they didn't feel so out of touch with the rest of the world? I don't know, but I do know that this is going to become an invaluable group for us. For one, Beanie will get to meet other kids, and hopefully I'll begin to feel a little more connected with the community here.

Today's gathering was at the home of a buddy from Kindermusik. We had actually gone over there last week to play one-on-one, but this was the first time with multiple kids. It was a lot of fun, although JB didn't interact too much with the other kids until it was time to leave. All of the moms there were fabulous and it was interesting to chat with everyone. All had careers before having children and have made the decision to stay home. Most are new to C'ville so it's good to have that common struggle of trying to figure out how to fit in here.

And just when I thought swimming pool season was over for us, another friend invited us to their club to swim for a bit. Who said staying home would be boring?

Gong to the Chapel

Beanie Uncle's wedding was a smashing success. The ceremony was lovely, it was great to reconnect with old friends and family, and Beanie was easily entertained by the lights swirling around the dance floor.

The bride had hoped that Beanie would walk down the aisle, but nope, she wouldn't even try. Heck, she wouldn't even keep the pretty white bow in her hair that the bride's mom made for her. It would have been a different story if was a hat, but the child wants nothing to do with bows. JB was very stylish, though, wearing an adorable black and white China doll dress from Shabby Baby.

It was a great weekend and JB got a chance to play with one of her cousins. It's funny to watch her play with boys and their toys. I guess that girls find trucks, trains and cars so interesting since they're not the typical toys they have at home. They spent much of Saturday night running up and down the halls of the hotel. Thankfully there were a lot of groups there making tons of noise so no one seemed to mind.

Here's a little Beanie family picture that has become a favorite. It's funny. When you have children you tend to have tons of pictures of them alone or with one parent or the other. Rarely do we have a good picture of all of us.