Garden Shed & Photos

Note: If you are scrolling through my main blog page, you may be seeing the roasted red pepper photos duplicated, below.  Simply click on this blog header to go to the full entry with correct photos.

We've made significant progress on the garden shed (and that's the universal "we" - as in HandyMan has done most of the work).  Once the windows go in (selvaged from replacing the windows in the house), the roofing asphalt goes on, and the door is framed out, it will be ready for storage!  I'm sure HandyMan has a few more steps in there, but thats the nutshell.

This week  I'm going to let the veggie photos and captions speak for themselves.[gallery columns="2" orderby="title"]

This post is linked up at An Oregon Cottage's Tuesday Garden Party.

September Batch Cooking

9/10/2010 Note: If you're visiting from MoneySavingMom, I posted this when I did my batch cooking last week.  The providence of this shone true this week when chaos hit our house this week!

Over the summer I've fallen off my batch cooking wagon and my meal planning habits. Now, it is time to get back into shape in the kitchen and get back into shape myself! In order to get myself in better shape and to keep HandyMan and Gbaby's hollow legs full, some meal planning is necessary so that we don't break the bank.

I've added more proteins in my diet and more vegetables to all of our plates. The biggest change in our meals is to have the carbohydrate component as a side to the veggies and proteins, so that we can all get what we need at the dinner table. My all in one type dishes, like lasagna and enchiladas, will carry more veggies and minimal carbohydrates per serving.

Since I'm batch cooking around the whims of a toddler, the days of getting the once a month cooking done in one day, are not a reality.  I've broken my plan down into projects per day:

Monday: Baking Kits (Biscuits, Cornbread), Instant Oatmeal Kits, Veggie Quiches

Tuesday: Batch cook Black Beans & Pintos, Coconut Beans & Rice Kit, portion Beans for freezer

Wendesday: Ground Beef Meals (Lasagna, Taco Packets, Cowboy Beans kit, Chili Kit, Beef & Barley Soup Kit)

Thursday: Cook Chicken, Chicken Enchiladas, chicken kits for salads, Soufflés, Macaroni & Cheese sides

Friday: Finish whatever wasn't done and clean up the mess!

I've linked up my recipes and the recipes I've found elsewhere on the net.  The other's I'll share next week.  Stay tuned, I will post later in the week to let you know how things are going.

Sunday Sunshine: Kid Adventures

Practicing contentment by remembering the graces of the week and practicing gratitude by giving.

This week was week 2 of HandyMan's staycation.  It brought more progress on our garden shed with the help of friends.  A day of rain brought some extra time for me to work on inside projects.

GBaby and I were treated to a fun visit to a local butterfly conservatory.  It was such fun watching GBaby take it all in and then begin to explore the new environment.  We headed south for the weekend to visit with dear friends who were "nearby" from out of state.  We had a great adventure at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.  I'm really not sure who had more fun - GBaby or the four adults who tried to keep track of her amongst the many exhibit and other kids!

We wrapped up our weekend visiting with HandyMan's mom where GBaby happily played in the water fountain on the back patio for many hours!

I hope you can look back, and forward, to find the joy dotting your story!

Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light.” (James 1:16 -The Message) May the light of the Father brighten your week!

Easy Caprese

When fresh tomatoes and basil are in season, there is nothing better than a Caprese Salad. I had hoped to have fresh mozzarella to use for this years first Caprese, but instead, I used the  ricotta and it was just as heavenly! Here's the “recipe”.

Easy Caprese Salad

1 plate of Tomato Slices

Fresh Mozzarella slices to match the slices (or dollops of ricotta!)

20 + fresh Basil leaves

3 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbs Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Layer the tomatoes on the bottom, top with cheese and basil. Drizzle the stacks with the oil and vinegar. Follow with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

This post is linked at GoodCheapEats - What's on Your Plate and It's A Blog Party: Delicious Dishes