ShE's NoT yOuR aVeRaGe MoM: TiP fOr TuEsDaY

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

TiP fOr TuEsDaY

As I'm sure everyone missed my TiP fOr TuEsDaY segment last week due to technical difficulties, be rest assure it is alive and well again today! SHAZAAM!! ;0) Honestly though, it has been difficult to get everything done and blog as well...I blame it on the time of year. What is it with Fall? I mean I LOVE Fall with a passion, but it seems no matter how hard I try to get everything done I would normally have to do and then the fun stuff too, I fail miserably. Take yesterday for instance, I washed 3 loads of laundry, I blogged, I picked up the house, I went to an appointment after shuttling everyone to and from school. I made dinner, I cleaned up after dinner, I went grocery shopping and put everyone to bed and when I looked at the clock it was 10 pm! Where on earth did the time go? Aww...it seems it was sucked into the vortex that is Fall!
Not only does it seems like there is not enough time, there truly isn't. The days are shorter in length and activities for school compile into piles not unlike the giant leaf piles we used to rake up in our backyard as kids. "I have a birthday party to go to...", "I need help with a project for school"..., "I need a ride to practice"...it truly is ongoing. Aside from overly involved kids, there is always all the fun things that associated with the season. Making Halloween costumes, decorating the house, baking up some goodies, carving pumpkins, corn mazes, family fun...super fun and exciting is it all...or it would be more so if I wasn't so blasted tired, right? Here's a few tips for staying on top of it all and maintaining your sanity (sure....):
Make a list.
Be it an "on paper" type list or mental type, take a few minutes to list what you want to accomplished for the season.
Decorate the house, check.
Make Halloween costumes, check.
Bake up some goodies, check.
Toilet paper neighbors house, check, check!;0)
Of course, I'm kidding about the last one (or am I?...hmmmm...) but you get the picture!
Enlist some help.
The kids want to go visit the corn maze or local haunted house and your house is a wreck, so what do you do? Make them help clean it up. Set aside an hour before they want to go somewhere and do some intense cleaning and make the fun stuff the reward. You give a great lesson about being rewarded for your efforts and the house gets some attention as well. Win, win if you ask me!;0)
Be realistic.
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to get everything accomplished, you can't. The key is to be okay with that. We as mothers and women sometimes put way too much pressure on ourselves to be "perfect" and "accomplished" and...and...I know there are times that I do as well. I want everyone to be happy and sometimes I end up making myself crazy in the process. Prioritize your list and make sure to include some fun stuff too and if you know you can't get it all done, then be okay with that too. If the kids are happy and the house is semi-clean and you had a little fun too, then folks, you've got it made I say!;0)
HELP! I'm being sucked into the vortex of Fall...but hey, the love of the season makes up for it and with my list, enlisted help, and realistic view, then by golly I'm set! Shazaam!! That's your TiP fOr TuEsDaY!;0)

1 comment:

Cara said...: I'm being sucked into the vortex too. If I didn't live by a list I'd never get anything done. :); October 12, 2010 at 3:16 PM

qUiCk ReCiPe GuIdE

Being Gluten-free rocks!

Honey Lemon Barbecue Sauce (gluten-free)

3 tablespoons clover honey
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons brown mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Recycled Chicken Enchiladas (gluten-free)

2 to 3 pieces of leftover cooked chicken
small can of diced green chilies
1 lrg green onion (chopped)
1 can black olives (halved)
1 can black beans
1 can authentic red chile enchilada sauce (Las Palmas)
1 package corn tortillas or Frito's corn chips or 5 minute rice
2 to 3 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese
sour cream

Heat chicken, green chilies, and onion in skillet over medium heat...stirring occasionally. Add black olives and black beans and red chile sauce, simmer for 10-12 minutes on medium/low heat. Wrap in corn tortillas and cover with cheese and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Serve with sour cream. OR serve over bowls of Frito's corn chips, cover with cheese and sour cream. (kid friendly) OR serve over instant rice with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Ham and Potato Soup (gluten-free)

1/2 large onion (chopped)
1/4 margarine or butter (soy butter works as well)
2 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill all purpose flour (gluten-free)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dill
2 cups water
4 to 5 medium red potatoes
1 lb cubed ham (or turkey ham)
2 cups milk (dairy or soy)

In the bottom of your large soup pot combine margarine and onion and saute till onion is translucent. Remove from heat and stir in flour, salt, pepper. Add water and potatoes and return to medium heat. Stir in milk and bring to a boil letting simmer about 5 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken. Add cubed ham and garlic and dill and reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer 25 to 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Serve when potatoes are no longer firm.

Pumpkin Bread (Gluten-free)

(I actually converted this recipe from a traditional pumpkin bread recipe, if you don’t need gluten-free just use regular all-purpose flour and enjoy)

1 can (15 oz) of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 2/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla (not imitation)

4 large eggs

3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free All purpose Flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ raisins or chocolate chips if desired

Move oven rack to lower position to ensure tops of loaves will be in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of (2) 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ loaf pans or (1) 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan, (Pam spray works)

Mix Pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl till blended. Stir in the remaining ingredients (minus raisins, or chocolate chips) until blended. Stir in raisins or chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly between pans.

Bake 8 inch loaves 50 to 60 minutes, 9 inch loaf 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack.

Loosen sides of loaves from pans. Remove from pans and place topside up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to 10 days.

The best vegetable soup ever, no kidding (courtesy of the Today Show) *this recipe is naturally gluten-free as well!

Mark Bittman, New York Times columnist and author of "The Food Matters Cookbook"

Ingredients

3/4 cup olive oil, more or less
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch parsley, washed and chopped, thick stems discarded
2 or 3 cabbage leaves, chopped
1 bunch chard, preferably white, washed and chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cans white beans (such as cannelloni) with their liquid if possible

Preparation

Put about a third of the olive oil in the bottom of a deep pot and turn the heat to medium.

Add half the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, which takes about 10 minutes.

Add about half of the remaining oil and repeat the process, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.

Add the remaining oil with the parsley, cabbage and chard and cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is softened but not browned.

Add the tomato paste and stir.

Mash the beans so that they're about half mashed and half more-or-less whole. Add this mixture to the pot, along with any bean cooking liquid and enough water to make the whole mixture stewy but not watery.

Continue cooking, tasting and adjusting the seasoning as necessary, until all the vegetables are very tender and the soup is hot. Serve hot or warm.

Serving Size

Makes about 10 servings

Impossible Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup gluten free baking mix ( I like Pamela's)
2 table spoons margarine
1 13 oz can evaporated milk (or 1 1/4 cups Coffee Rich)
2 tea spoons gluten free vanilla
2 eggs
1 16 oz can pumpkin
2 1/2 tea spoons pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350. Beat all ingredients until smooth-1 minute in blender. Pour into a lightly greased 9 or 10 inch pie pan. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, checking at 45 minutes.
Optional: add 3/4 cup chopped pecans in mixture before pouring into pan. Garnish with whipped cream.

ShE's NoT yOuR aVeRaGe MoM

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

TiP fOr TuEsDaY

1 comment:

Search This Blog

Labels