Angel Food First Impressions

Got our Angel Food boxes today! They look so yummy! Quality looking stuff too! My husband was definately surprised how far the money we spent for the food went. We got the Bountiful Blessings Box and a popcorn chicken special.

Each location is a little different I'm sure, but at our location we just drove up, told them our name, and they loaded the food in our car. As we drove away my husband said, "Do they offer this service for groceries?" It was definitely the quickest shopping trip ever, it was awesome!

My husband already had plans to meet a friend for breakfast this morning so me and the boys ate some waffles and breakfast links. The links were from the angel food box and yummy! C decided to just eat the waffles but O ate both of the boys links! I was surprised once I got them that the links were chicken, not sausage like I've seen before, but they tasted the same! The texture inside was slightly different, but not TOO noticeable.

I'll let you know more once we get a chance to cook some more of it! So far we're definately planning on doing this again!

           

Yummy Homemade Vegetable Soup

Did I mention this is so yummy! My husband had a taste (thinking it would be bland) and said, "woah, this is tasty soup!"

I used the recipe on the back of the Kroger 14 oz. can of vegetable broth for a guideline but I tweaked it with what I had on hand and LOVE the outcome! Here you go:

Ingredients:

• 3 bags (12 oz.) frozen "vegetable soup mix" (Kroger brand)
• 3 cans (14 oz.) vegetable broth
• 1 can (29 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) crushed or diced tomatoes (if diced, run them through the food processor before adding to recipe)
• 3 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• 2 tsp. dried cilantro
• 3/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano

Directions:

• Add everything to a large pot (I used a pasta pot with the strainer removed)
• Turn the soup on high to boil
• Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and cover. Stir occasionally.
• Remove from heat once the vegetables are done (and your preferred softness).
• Remove 1 - 1 1/2 cups of vegetables from the soup along with 1/4 cup liquid and put into the food processor. Pulse until veggies are somewhat pureed. Add back to pot of soup and mix thoroughly.

This makes at LEAST 10 cups. We ate a few portions ourselves before I divided it out to freeze and still ended up with just under 8 cups to freeze. So the amount could even be closer to 12 cups! I'll add the exact amount next time I make it. Until then, just know it's a lot! This is a great soup to make ahead to freeze for nights that you don't have time to cook or to bring to someone who is needing friends to bring food to them.

Price:

This is a fairly cheap soup as well. The bags of vegetables are $0.88 a piece at Kroger. I forget how much the broth is but I don't think it's more then $2.00/can. In fact I'm thinking it's closer to $1.50/can. The tomato sauce is definitely under $2.00. And the diced tomatoes always seem to be hanging around my house even though I have nothing to use them for! Well, until now!!! Everything else is just seasonings we always have on hand.

Enjoy!

           

How Long Can You Cook From What You Have on Hand?

I've been trying to cook from only what we had in the house this week. It has been interesting for sure!

It all started because we had a small food budget this paycheck. So I purposely went to the store as soon as we got the paycheck and bought as much food "ingredients" (vs. cooked prepackaged meal items) as I could for as cheap as I could. I made sure everything I bought could go together to make a meal (instead of just buying items we liked). Also, I checked prices and made sure to get the best price I could on everything I bought and definitely got a lot of store brand when it was a good option. Something different I also did was order some food from Angel Food Ministries. We'll pick it up this saturday so I can't comment on how that went yet. I'll tell you how that goes once I have a chance to look it over and try some of it.

What has come out of it? A few new recipes and a LOT of hearty wholesome meals! And surprisingly, it hasn't taken MORE time out of my day. Instead of us waiting until we were starving and putting together the quickest thing we can (which probably wont fill us up), I'm cooking up something during nap time and it's all ready to eat when we're just starting to get hungry. Ed and I have both noticed that we have more energy the next day since we've been eating more filling (and rounded out) meals in the evening.

31 Days to Clean

Hey ladies!

Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try you just can't keep motivated to keep you house as it should be? I'm not talking about the over obsessive, wrap your kids in seran wrap so nothing hits the floor clean. I'm talking about the clean and organized home that blesses your family. The home that you can find what you need to in without getting frustrated. The home where everyone knows where to find something. The home where if friends want to come over, you don't cringe inside because it has been way too long since you vacuumed or mopped. If you too struggle with this (I know I do!!), then I encourage you to check out 31 Days to Clean. It's about changing your heart attitude toward cleaning, not just giving you more tips on how to clean. It's an e-book so no waiting for shipping and it's only $4.99! Really, you can't beat that price! So please, hop on over there and check it out!

           

Water Intake Tricks

We always hear that drinking enough water is very important, but actually doing it? That's another story all together! Now that I'm pregnant, I'm trying to be more aware of how much water I drink. I know that I tend to not drink enough so it's definitely a conscious choice to get in the recommended amount. Of course, I do live in TX, so with summer heat being right around the corner (didn't you know? We have summer 9 months out of the year here! he he), there's even one more reason to be diligent with my water intake. Here are some things I have done, as well as ideas from friends, to help reach the recommended amount of water each day.

• We have a water pitcher (w/filter) to keep us from using the taste as an excuse (Dallas does not have the best tasting water). We even have one with "flavor options" meaning you can push a button and the flavor of your choice will be squirted into your water. Personally, the flavors were too artificial tasting to me, but it did help my hubby drink more water for a while.
• We also keep water bottles around. I know they are not the most green choice but it is definitely healthier for my body then no water at all. If I don't have it easily attainable then I will quickly get side tracked and forget to drink it. We are very careful to make sure they all end up in the recycling cart. Please do recycle them if you go this route. That's a lot of plastic that adds up very quickly if you just throw it away.
• I also have a few reusable water bottles to take with me so I'm never without water, but you have to hand wash them every couple days. I tend to misplace them around the house, so inevitably, they are always in need of washing. If you go this route and are not a diligent hand washer, then I suggest you go with Nalgene bottles, or another dishwasher safe bottle, to keep them at the ready.
• My husband has a camel back from his army days that he still loves to use. He particularly finds it useful to hang on the back of his chair so he can drink while he is working at his desk. He found that this dramatically increased his daily water intake!
• After a while I still end up in a water slump no matter which method I use because, let's face it, sometimes you just want something with some flavor! I like hot herbal teas, decaf iced tea, and fruit juices (every now and then) so that helps some. Another thing I enjoy on occasion is a koolade type flavoring packet. I know they are super sweet, but again, I figure that is still better then no water when I'm in a water rut. Here's a trick for you, instead of buying those individual serving packets to throw in your purse, buy a canister of it (think country time lemonade). You can then divide it into water bottle size servings in snack baggies. Still individual serving sized, but much cheaper! To determine the right amount for your bottle (16 - 20 oz. if you buy bottled water, various amounts for reusable bottles), look at the back of the canister. It has a tablespoon amount for 8 oz. Just adjust that to the amount of ounces your water bottle holds and you've got personalized flavor packet on the cheap!
• A friend of mine had a cool little gadget to help her. She bought a reusable water bottle (at Target if I remember right) that had a digital screen on it. She programmed in how much she wanted to drink each day and it told her how much she had left. It helped her out a lot!
• Another easy way to get in more water is to increase your intake of water rich vegetables and fruits like watermelon.

Now that I have shared my ideas, PLEASE share yours with us! We can help each other be able to reach our water intake goals for better health!