Menu March 23-27

Posting my Menu for the week here is really helping with basic household organization, so here is what we are eating this week!

MONDAY

Breakfast- Pancakes/ O.J

Supper- Chicken corn chowder/ Buns

TUESDAY

Breakfast- Apple Strudel Muffins/Smoothie

Supper- Shepherds Pie/Salad

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast- Poached eggs/Toast/O.J

Supper- Taco Salad

THURSDAY

Breakfast- Waffles/O.J

Supper- Black Bean & Cheese Chicken Fingers recipe here

FRIDAY

Breakfast- Cold Cereal

Supper- GONE FOR SPRING BREAK!!!

Show and Tell (demanded)

Maryn and Max went on a rant this afternoon about how Julie is the Golden Child and has two "spotlights" and they have ZERO!

So here is a little show and tell to "Spotlight" everyone.

Russell and Elder Martinson just before he was transfered to Springville.

Maryn's Graduation proofs, so beautiful! It's hard to believe she will be graduating in June. Even bigger news, Maryn was accepted to TSTC ( a dental hygiene school in Texas). I will be so sad to have her gone, but I am excited for her to experience life away from home. We all know their is no way she will survive on her Banana Bread!!!

Max has had a lot of fun down in the ravine building things. He has had a couple close calls with random logs, and poorly built tree forts. I am just glad that he entertains himself and his younger siblings out in - 20 without killing anyone!!!! 

please refer to previous "Spotlights"!!!! She really is cute isn't she?!!

Shaina has been learning to snowboard this winter. She is starting to get her turns down and we all hope that she will be able to have some fun on our spring break ski/snowboard trip to Utah next week.

Dallin love love loves being outside. It doesn't matter how cold it is, the minute we get home from school he is begging to go out to play.

Sam loves his candy. Enough said.

Happy 14th birthday Jules!

Julie turned 14 today!!!

I think she had a fun day! We had a little Birthday Celebration after supper tonight. With all the stuff to do in the evenings it was kinda rushed and pretty low key, but we had the essentials...

PRESENTS!!!!

We bought Julie a camera. She likes to take pictures and is missing from many of our photos cause she is usually the one taking them! She also got new jeans and a cute scarf.

One of my very favorite things to do is wrap packages!

Sam bought Julie some awesome butterfly gummies. Very cute!!!

Max, who didn't even know it was Julies birthday ran downstairs just as we were about to open her presents and came back with the "Learners Manual" he slapped it down on the table with a big grin on his face. "Julie is 14" he said... thanks for thinking about her Max!!!!

And... cupcakes of course!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE

We love you!

More Food and Fun!

 In an effort to stay organized and "on top" of meal time... I've decided that I'm going to post my "Weekly Menu" every week. It will  be a great way to look back and  see what worked and what didn't, and  how often in a given time period I make the same thing more that once.

So to begin here is a picture of our Broccoli Soup we had last Saturday. It is a staple around here in the cold months. I decided to try making bread bowls to go with it rather that the usual buns. They were really good but... we concluded that Bread Bowls are an "adult party food" and are too much work to serve to kids who most often can't eat both the soup and then all the bread. I made them really small, but still, after a couple helpings of yummy soup, it was all I could do to eat the bowl and not have it go to waste. 

I should also mention that assigning a child to help with each meal was a great idea, but it only worked out once!!! Shaina helped with enchiladas, but after that their was always a roadblock and it just didn't happen. I figure maybe it is more realistic to have one night each week when the kids rotate helping to make the meal. We are a busy family just like all of you, but some how I would really like to teach my children a few more meal preparation skills!

Weekly Menu

• Monday
• Breakfast- Bagels and Fruit Smoothies
• Supper- Leftovers... my favorite!!

•  Tuesday 
• Breakfast- Bacon and Cheese Muffins. O.J
• Supper- Spagetti and meatballs with green salad. Shamrock cookies (recipe here)

• Wednesday
• Breakfast- Pancakes
• Supper- Teriyaki Chicken/Veggie Stir-fry with coconut rice

• Thursday
  
• Breakfast- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
• Supper- Lettuce Wraps

• Friday
• Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs and Toast
• Supper- Sloppy Joes. Veggies and Dip

• Saturday 
• Breakfast- Cold Cereal
• Supper- Tortellini Soup/ buns

• Sunday
  
• Breakfast- Cold Cereal
• Supper-  Salmon, Rice and Grilled Asparagus
  
• 
  

I  have a few pictures of the quilt that Maryn and I are working on. We are making progress and have everything cut. I am suppose to be cleaning up a space downstairs in the kitchen so we can get started with the sewing. It is very much a Srappy Patch Work Quilt, not matchy at all. I hope Sarah will like it! 

Shaina's Chicken Enchilladas! and PLAY DOUGH!!

It was Shaina's night to help with supper tonight. We made a new recipe. (Click here)

I really liked it, it turned out to be an even split down the middle For and Against!

Maryn, Julie, Shaina and I loved it. Max, Dallin, and Mark weren't"wowed" and Sam doesn't eat anything unless it is coated in sugar!

It definitely looked good!

 Sous Chef Shaina did all the chopping and grating and stirring. She was a great help and It was fun to work together!

Here are a couple shots of Sam's fun with his play dough this afternoon!

Honestly, I would never not have play dough at my house! It is hours of independent play time!

Sam doesn't do play dough the typical "roll balls and build snowmen" sort of way. It is usually just a prop in his never ending imaginary Star Wars/Marvel Hero escapades! I really need to video him sometime, he gets right into it and some of the stuff that he comes up with is just hilarious! I Love play dough!!

Here is my recipe for any one brave enough to try it!!

PLAY DOUGH

• 5 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 Tbsp. cream of tarter ( nice but not necessary)
• 4 pkgs. Koolaid! (gives it a nice smell and color of course)
• Mix all together in a large bowl
• 4 cups of boiling water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Pour oil into boiling water and then pour all on top of the flour mixture. Mix it together until it is incorporated then let it cool. When it is cool enough to handle, knead it until it is smooth. I do all of this last part right in the bowl. (you'll need a big bowl) 

Weekly Menu

Most people think I am super organised, I'm not, I just have a really short memory,  If I don't write stuff down it usually doesn't get done. Of late I have been trying to write out my weekly menu and stick to it as best as I can. I find this excersise helpful for two reasons:

1. It saves me from the what's for dinner question at 5:30 each evening. I don't mind cooking, but to be honest, if I could pass off a few chores making meals would definitely be up there with my never ending pile of laundry! So when I have a plan and it is written down I just find it a lot easier to follow through.
2. Having a menu forces me to make a grocery list which really saves on time and money! Since January we decided that we would try to be more conscious of how much we were spending on groceries each month. When I make a menu and only buy what is necessary to prepare the planned meals, I have been able to knock off a considerable amount from my grocery bill. (the money I save has then been used to build up our 3 month and long term food storage)

For my Creative Exercise today, I asked each one of my kids to give me a supper idea for this weeks menu and that child will then get to help prepare that meal with me! Here is what we came up with.

• MONDAY Sam's day
  
• Breakfast- Yogurt Parfiats and Banana Muffins  Supper- Brenda's Beef Stew and buns
• TUESDAY Shaina's day
• Breakfast- Bagels and fruit smoothies                  Supper- Chicken enchaladas/rice/salad 
• WEDNESDAY Julie's day
• Breakfast- Poached eggs and toast                         Supper- Shrimp and veggie linguini
• THURSDAY Dallin's day
• Breakfast- Pancakes                                                 Supper- Meatloaf/baked potatoes/salad
• FRIDAY  Maryn's day
• Breakfast- Apple cinnamon oatmeal                     Supper- Homemade pizza
• SATURDAY
• Breakfast- cold Cereal                                             Supper- Brocolli/cheese soup and buns
• SUNDAY
• Breakfast- cold cereal                                             Supper- Chicken crunch casserole/veggie

I generally don't write down the lunch menu for the week. We pretty much just do the same stuff each day... Sandwiches/fruit and a snack. Mark can't handle sandwhiches so he takes leftovers. Sam and I eat a lot of PB and J, he is going to have a really hard time when he goes to school and isn't allowed to take anything with peanuts! 

We are Canadian!!!

Yesterday we were totally tricked into thinking that the "Great Melt Down" had begun and that spring was just around the corner ( it was+7 and the sun was intense!)... NOT SO!!  

Today it's -15 with wind chill of -26. This is Edmonton however, and we are used to it!  SO... Sam and I bundled up to go walk the dog and "Play". I am always amazed at the imagination and creativity that exudes from my children! Here are a few pictures of Sam having a great time in, what is in my opinion, a wasteland of ice and snow! 

Hey, we are Canadians!!!

All ready to go!

A teeter-totter in the forest!

Harley loves the snow and cold.

Cutting ice bricks. Grandpa L would be proud!

Hiding spot under the spruce trees! " Come in Mom, It's warm in here" Yah right!!!

We played for about 45 minutes (remember how cold it is? CRAZY) 

This is definitley my creative exercise for the day!