Family Zoo Trip

My parents gave the boys a zoo pass for their birthdays this year so we decided to go as a family on Saturday. John Ball Zoo added an alligator and baboons this year to their exhibits so we saw those for the first time on Sat. Not too many pics, but here's a few.

Outside the aquarium looking at the big fish.

The zoo pass is perfect for our kids since a quick look is all they are interested in. We're able to get through the zoo in about an hour, but we can come every day if we want.

Joel, interested in the bears. The are the best exhibit at the zoo and they were both moving around on Saturday.

Trying to get a group shot.

A little better. :-)

Here's Nessie, firmly entrenched in the pond outside the zoo. It is now a permanent part of the zoo after being fixed up since it was taking on water. It was part of the big Artprize competition in Grand Rapids last fall.

What's Cookin'

Some dinner options...

Tacos with salad and fruit
Grilled steak, potatoes, sweet corn
Mac and cheese with hot dogs
Grilled burgers, chips, baked beans, carrots
Grilled chicken alfredo, green beans
Frozen pizza, salad

Meijer Deals this week

Here's what I see:

Tony's Frozen pizza on sale for $1~Go here to print a coupon for $1/2. I was able to print two coupons. Final cost: 50 cents each

Breakstone sour cream on sale for $1.29~Go here to print 55 cent off coupon. Final cost: 74 cents each

Bertolli Pasta Sauce on sale for $2 each~Go here to print $1.50 off 2 and print $1/2 from Meijer Mealbox to get these for 75 cents each (the coupon at redplum says 75 cents off 1, but it prints as $1.50 off 2)

If you like enchiladas, make these ASAP!

Found this recipe on allrecipes.com. They were truly awesome!

Here's the recipe:

Angela's Awesome Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into chunks
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package mild taco seasoning mix
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped, divided
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 (12 inch) flour tortillas
• 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives

Directions

1. Place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken pieces are no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Shred chicken by placing two forks back to back and pulling meat apart. Set the shredded chicken aside. Meanwhile, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and chili powder in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
2. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, half of the bunch of chopped green onion, and water. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, onion powder, and garlic powder; simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
3. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir 1 cup of the soup mixture into the skillet with the chicken mixture. Spread the remaining soup mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the chicken filling before folding the tortillas, reserving half of the shredded cheese for topping the enchiladas. Fold tortillas over the filling and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.
5. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Cover with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the reserved chopped green onions and the sliced olives on top of the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 25 minutes.

*Changes I made: Instead of using whole chicken breasts, I cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot with a little chicken broth, garlic powder, and pepper. I cooked it on low for about 8 hrs and it was fall apart tender.
I also used only 2 cups of cheese in the recipe instead of 3 and thought that was plenty.
I omitted the green onions and olives.

Instead of using store bought tortillas (which believe me, would have been a lot easier!) I used the recipe below from my newest Taste of Home magazine.

Homemade Tortillas (recipe from June/July Taste of Home)

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp of salt
1 c of water
3 T oil

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in water and oil. Turn onto a floured surface, knead 5-6 times. Divide dough into 8 portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 7 in circle (mine was a heavily floured surface since my dough was kind of sticky).
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook tortillas over medium heat for 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Keep warm.

These turned out good, but I may try store bought next time to save some time.

2010 Homeschool Track Meet

Last week Andrew and Noah participated in the 2010 Homeschool Track and Field day at Hope College track. I think they were overwhelmed with all the people! There were over 200 kids there from age 3-14. Now they know what to expect for next year. Their events were the 50 yard dash, obstacle course, broad jump, horsie relay, and tennis ball throw.

Here's Andrew. I think he's getting ready to do the broad jump.

Andrew with his group and "big person" leader getting ready to do the tennis ball throw.

Gearing up for the 50 yard dash. Its hilarious watching these kids run. They haven't grasped the fact that they are supposed to run as fast as they can so they kind of lollop along, watching everyone else at the same time.

Joel found a friend and a spare tennis ball.

Noah with his ribbons. He received one for participation and a 3rd place ribbon for the only event he would participate in, the tennis ball throw.

Andrew, waiting to see if he got any ribbons. I think he's getting a little anxious. There were 5 boys in his group and 3 of them got the majority of the ribbons.

But he placed 3rd in the broad jump and got a red popsicle! I think he had fun and it was good for him to be around other kids. There were a lot of homeschool kids from church there also and it was a beautiful day! Looking forward to next year.

Good Granola

Not sure where I got this recipe, but we really enjoy it.

Granola

3 c rolled oats
1 c slivered almonds
1 c pecans
1/3 c coconut
1/3 c sunflower seeds
1/2 t salt
6 T brown sugar
1/4 c maple syrup
2 T honey
1 t vanilla
1/4 c vegetable oil

*Preheat oven to 250. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, pecans, coconut and sunflower seeds. Toss in salt.

*Heat brown sugar, maple syrup, honey and veg oil on high 1 min in microwave. Pour over granola and stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over granola and stir. Dump mixture onto sheets and press down lightly. Cover lossely with foil. Bake for 40 min and switch sheets. Uncover after 1 hr and bake 15 minutes. Cool completely.

~I leave out the sunflower seeds and I've substituted walnuts for the pecans. I made a double batch yesterday and its a third gone already. :-) Not sure how good this granola really is for you, but its really yummy. I like to add more coconut and eat mine with raisins or dried cranberries. Yum!

One of the many problems of abortion

Story about a man who forced his wife to get an abortion. Read it here.

What's Cookin'

Dinner options...

Chris's bday dinner tonight~Spaghetti, brussel sprouts, carrots and broc, salad, his mom's white cake with white frosting
Mac and cheese with hotdogs for boys and daddy
Wed is church dinner~need to bring a side or salad
Angela's Awesome Enchiladas from allrecipes.com
Leftover frozen pizza, salad
Grilled steak, baked potatoes, spinach (I have a huge bag!)
Leftovers

The Best Lemon Bars

Recipe from here:

The Best Lemon Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 
  
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 lemons, juiced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/12 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green. After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.

*Change I made: I used 1/2 a cup of lemon juice in place of lemons and 1/3 cup of flour in the filling instead of 4 T of flour. Next time I may up the lemon juice to 2/3 of a cup like other recipe commenters did.

From allrecipes.com (I find tons of great recipes here!)

False Alarm

I felt like I was having contractions Sat night so we spent a couple of hours in triage at the hospital. I was having contractions 3 minutes apart, but when I left they were 5 minutes apart. I came home and drank lots of water Sunday and haven't felt any contractions since last night, so things have slowed down/stopped. We are thankful that all is well and are praying for a safe delivery whenever this baby comes.

Meijer Deals this week

*Crystal Light~Look here to see how to get 3 Crystal Light Pure Fitness and a 12 pack of Meijer bottled water FREE!

*Kraft Mayo $2~Use $1 off 1 from Meijer Mealbox to get it for $1

*Kraft dressing $1.89~Use $1 off 1 from Meijer Mealbox to get it for 89 cents. There were also 55 cent off coupons in the Sunday paper recently which would make the dressing 34 cents!

Here's where I go to get my Meijer Mealbox coupons. I can choose exactly how many I want to print and it prints off much easier than the Meijer Mealbox website. You do have to become a member of the forum.

Andrewism

Andrew: "Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not have any other gods before Me."

Mommy (thinking): "Wow, that's great that he knows those."

Andrew continues: "Thou shalt not pop a balloon. Thou shalt not commit adultery."

Mommy (thinking): "Ok, maybe we have some work to do."

Great Pro-Life Story

Read it here.

I like how the pro-life advocate went out of her way to help this young woman. The pro-abortion side likes to paint pro-life people as uncaring, which is totally untrue.

Meijer Deals

Got some good deals at Meijer this week.

*Oscar Meyer Lunch meat $2.50~Had 2 $2 off coupons so paid $1 for two packages of lunch meat

*Keebler Wheatables~On sale for $2.59. Many boxes have a buy 1/get 1 free coupon on them, plus I used a Meijer Mealbox coupon for $1 off 2, plus there is $1.50 off coupon on coupons.com. So I think I paid about 9 cents for 2 boxes! I was only able to print one $1.50 off coupon, but I know others were able to print 2. So you should be able to get 4 boxes of crackers for less than 20 cents!

*Bulk 1 lb roll of ground sausage (forgot what brand) is on sale for $1.89. I had two coupons for $2/2 (somewhere on the internet) so I got 4 packages for 89 cents each. Will be making this into spaghetti sauce soon.

*Mott's apple juice~my sister-in-law says this is the best, is on sale for $1.66. Meijer mealbox has $1 off 2 coupon.

Waiting...

4 weeks and 1 day until this baby arrives, DV. I'm waiting...

What's Cookin'

Tonight we had dinner with Chris's folks. Was so nice, especially since I was planning leftovers again! Andrew ate almost two hotdogs, a hamburger on a bun and ice cream. But he needs the protein and fat. :-)

Some dinner options (so not inspired this week):

Pea soup, breadsticks (I've had this on the plan for almost a month and I still haven't made it yet!)
Chicken nuggets, fries, salad for Wed when my sister and mom come and help me clean for the day. I doubt I'll feel like moving by the end of the day!
Worcestshire chicken, au gratin potatoes, carrots
Grilled chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli
Frozen pizza, salad
Spaghetti, breadsticks, salad (make a double batch to freeze, especially since bulk sausage is on sale with a coupon this week at Meijer. Final cost will be 89 cents per roll.)
Leftovers

A Salute to a Veteran

Check out this story.

"The Brisenos are proud of their son's service despite the price they all pay for it now."

More 3 Men in a Tub

The Fortune Cookie Sneak

Found this boy going through my purse...

and eating the fortune cookie he found.

I'd say he's pretty happy about the whole thing!

The Pious Potty Trainer

Absolutely priceless.

Meijer Moneymake on Nabisco 100 Cal packs

Check out this deal at Give Me Neither. I just tried it and I made $2 on 4 boxes of Nabisco's 100 Cal packs. Become a fan of Nabisco 100 Cal packs on Facebook and print off 2 B1/G1 free coupons. Spend $4 bucks and get $6 back OYNO. Yay! These come in very handy when I take the boys out for an extended morning or day. Just enough for a little snack and they love the individual packages.

Tomorrow's Dinner

I'm really excited about tomorrow's dinner. I'm actually salivating right now. Here's what we're having:

Cuban Chicken, corn tortillas, black beans and rice

Pioneer Woman's Restaurant-style salsa (This is really good and super easy to make!)

Cranberry Iced Tea

Pineapple, strawberry, and mango fruit salad

I hope to post pics of the process tomorrow night!

Meijer Catalinas this week

My absolute favorite ice cream is Edy's double chocolate brownie. This week at Meijer if you spend $12 on Edy's (there was also other pint ice creams included in the deal), you receive $4 OYNO. I bought 5 containers of Edy's at $2.50 each for a total of $12.50 and received $4 off my next order. So $1.70 per container. Definitely worth it to me.

Also, you can still buy 3 Breakstone's cottage cheese doubles for $3 and receive $3 bucks off your next order. I believe this goes through 5/12. These have 1/2 the sugar of yogurt.

What's Cookin'

Dinner options...

Chicken Alfredo, carrots and broccoli
Grilled hamburgers, fruit, potato salad
Pea soup, breadsticks
Grilled chicken, wild rice, veggie
Tacos, salad
Leftovers/out

Ham 'n' Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Ham 'n' Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Recipe from Taste of Home's 2002 Quick Cooking Annual Cookbook, pg. 63

2 cups mashed potatoes (I made a double batch of PW's Creamy Mashed Potatoes. I had enough potatoes to make 3 casseroles, two larger and one small.)
3/4 t garlic salt (I just added a couple dashes of garlic powder to my mashed potatoes)
1 cup cooked diced ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of whipping cream, whipped

Combine potatoes and garlic. Spread into greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with ham. Fold cheese into whipped cream; spoon over ham. Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for 15 min or until golden brown. Yield: 4-6 servings.

*My casserole was cold so I baked it for 35-45 min at 350 degrees and it was perfect. Definitely not low cal, though. :-)

Walgreen's Freebies

Check out the back page of the Walgreen's flyer. At least 3 freebies this week.

Caution: I used a RR to pay for my Skintimate shaving gel and the RR did not print for it because the RR I used was from the same company. So watch that if you want your RRs to print (which I'm sure you do). :-)

Free Kraft Cheese 100 Cal Packs at Meijer

Check it out here.

I recently discovered this blog and really like it because it has local deals. I think the author is from Spring Lake.

What's Cookin'

Instead of planning each day, I'm giving myself dinner options this week. So here they are:

Meatloaf, mashed tatos, carrots
Pea soup, breadsticks
Ham n Cheese mashed tatos, broccoli, applesauce
Cheesy Beef spirals, green beans, salad (TOH)
Spaghetti Mac, salad (TOH)
Spanish Noodles n Ground Beef (TOH)

*My mom picked me up a Taste of Home book at a garage sale and I found a few recipes to try.

Free Coffeemate at Meijer this week

Check the Nestle Coffee-mate coupons here. Pair any of them with the $1/2 Coffee-mate from the Meijer Mealbox and you should be able to get free or almost free cream. Coffee-mate is on sale for 99 cents this week at Meijer.

What's Cookin'

Mon~Spaghetti with meatballs and marinara sauce, brocolli
Tues~Spicy Western beans, bread (Taun, this is GF!)
Wed~Pea soup (double batch so I can freeze some), rolls
Thurs~Chicken Wild Rice casserole (didn't get to this last week), carrots
Fri~Hot dogs, chips, fruit (mommy is probably gone)
Sat~Mac and cheese with ham and green beans (mommy might still be gone)
Sun~Grilled cheese, fruit or leftovers

Meijer Catalina

*Buy 3 Breakstone Cottage Cheese Doubles for $1 each, get $3 OYNO. Free! This runs for a week or so more.

Free Starbucks Coffee

Check it out here.

Meijer Deals this week

Here are what I think are the best deals at Meijer this week:

*Ronzoni pasta is on sale for $1/ box this week. I've been collecting coupons for the past few weeks out of magazines so I had a couple for $1 off making them free. Also, you can print off a coupon for 75 cents off here, here, and here. You should be able to print a total of 6 coupons. This is part of the buy 10, get the 11th item free deal at Meijer.
*Banquet brown n serve are on sale for $1. Buy 8 packages and use 2 of these coupons to get $3 off. Buy $10 worth of ConAgra foods, including Banquet, and mail in this rebate form to receive $25 worth of coupons in the mail. I bought 8 brown n serve and 2 Chef Boyardee, got another item free since they were all part of the 10/ get 11th free deal. But I'm not buying Chef Boyardee again! Tons of sodium and fat. But the boys did gobble it down for lunch. :-)
*7-UP is on sale for $1 and I used two $1 off coupons I printed a while ago to get 2 free.
*Planter's Peanuts were on sale for $1.99 and I bought 4 bottles and use 2 $1.00/2 coupons I printed off Facebook a while ago. Becoming fans of different products on Facebook is a great way to get cheap/free food. I got a coupon for a free bag of chips in the mail when I became a fan of Sunchips on Facebook.
*Old Orchard frozen juice concentrate was on sale for $1 and part of the 10/get the 11th item free. I had coupons for $1 off 4. May still be available here.

GREAT Ziploc Deal at Meijer

Select Ziploc bags are on sale for $1 each at Meijer this week. Buy 3 packages and receive $2 OYNO. That in itself is a great deal, but there's more! Go here and print the SC Johnson Rebate form and receive a $5 rebate. That's a net profit of $4! And you can submit this rebate 3x per household (just have to mail each separately). I already did it once with Glade candles last fall, so I'm glad I can do it again. Also, I believe there were Ziploc coupons in recent Sunday coupon inserts, but since we don't get the paper, I don't have those. More Meijer deals later, I had a great trip this morning!

What's Cookin'

Mon~PW's Chicken Parmesan, salad
Tues~Chicken Chili in magic pot, bread
Wed~Pea soup, rolls
Thurs~Out
Fri~Wild rice and chicken casserole
Sat~Frozen pizza, salad
Sun~Beef lombardi, green beans

Utterly Absurd

Check out this ridiculous news story.

Quote from the organizer:
Ty McDowell, who organized the march, said she was "enraged" by the turnout of men attracted to the demonstration. The purpose, she said, was for society to have the same reaction to a woman walking around topless as it does to men without shirts on.

These women have taken the nonsense feminist agenda, tripe from their college education and swallowed it hook line and sinker. Even my 5 year old knows there are noticeable physical differences between men and women. Personally, I don't want to be treated exactly like a man. I can't do everything a man can and they can't do everything I can.

That being said, let me recommend a book. Its called Womanly Dominion by Mark Chanski. He clearly outlines the importance of a woman's place in the home and describes how women should "play their position" and "win it." Its not a bad thing being different from men. In fact, its part of the reason why the church and Christian families work as well as they do. Don't let our culture take this precious gift from our sons and daughters. Teach your boys to be boys and don't attempt to masculinize your daughters. Their God-given differences are what makes them special.

What's Cookin' Next Week

So I didn't plan a menu this week and our meals weren't terrible, but definitely not as nice as if I would have planned ahead. So here's next week:

Mon~Cheesy Kielbasa and beans in the crockpot, salad
Tues~Chicken Parmesan and Fettuccine Alfredo, carrots, garlic bread
Wed~Chris's parents anniversary party-I'm bringing a veggie tray
Thurs~Tortilla Chicken Chili in my magic pot (I kinda forgot about this, so I'm trying to use it more), rolls
Fri~Chicken Hoagies in my magic pot, oven fries, carrots
Sat~Frozen pizza, salad, then Noah's bday party at night! He's going to be 3 on Sunday.
Sun~Beef Lombardi from my freezer, some kind of veggie, applesauce

Kraft/Nabisco Rebate Deal Total

I have finally bought all the products I need to turn in my rebate. Here's the rundown of what I spent:

1 Wheat thin 67 cents
5 Easy Macs $5
5 Koolaid Jammers $4
4 Cheese Nips $2
3 Wheat thins $4.62
2 Cheese Nips $3
-------------------------
Total: $19.29
Should receive a $20 rebate check meaning I got everything above for free!

Joel crawling

And because I just learned how easy it is to embed videos, here's Joel when he learned how to crawl:

Andrew's First Piano Recital

Here's Andrew playing a scale. Unfortunately, I missed the part where he said, "I am now going to play a scale."

Walgreen Deals this week

Huggies diapers~Buy 3 packs at $8.99, get $5 RR back. Use 3 $3 off coupons. Print two coupons off after becoming a fan of Huggies on Facebook and two more at this link.

Planter's Trail mix $1.50. Use $1.50 off coupons to get it FREE! Print two coupons off after becoming a fan of Mr. Peanut on Facebook.

Oscar Meyer Bacon 2/$6. Buy 2, use 2 $1.50 off coupons (no longer available), get $1 RR. That's 2 lbs of bacon for $2 after RR!

What's Cookin' Next Week

Mon~Beef and mushrooms over mashed potatoes, green beans, red cabbage
Tues~Meatloaf, potatoes, corn, applesauce
Wed~Pea soup, bread
Thurs~Beef Lombardi, salad
Fri~Worcestshire chicken, crash hot potatoes, carrots
Sat~Leftovers/Out
Sun~Chicken Alfredo in crockpot, green beans, bread

Saving $ By Dumpster Diving??

What's Cookin'

Mon~London broil, Crash hot potatoes, salad, green beans
Tues~Sherry's Aussie Chicken, red potatoes, broccoli and carrots
Wed~Leftovers
Thurs~Chicken parmigiana, salad
Fri~Chicken nuggets, french fries, corn
Sat~Meatballs and deviled eggs for Engelsma family reunion
Sun~Pork tenderloin, red potatoes, green beans

My Mom's Chicken Alfredo Recipe

Chicken Alfredo

4 frozen chicken breasts
1 jar of Ragu Alfredo sauce
Dry Italian or Ranch dressing
Noodles
Pepper

*Place the frozen chicken in the bottom of a crockpot. Brush liberally with melted butter and then sprinkle Italian or Ranch seasoning on top (I used about half of a package of ranch). Cook on low 5-6 hours or high 3-4 hours.
*When chicken is cooked, shred with a fork and turn to low. Mix in jar of alfredo sauce and ground black pepper (if desired). Heat through, about 1/2 an hour.
*Meanwhile, cook about 10 oz. of pasta (I used whole grain shells). Mix with chicken and sauce and serve! Super easy and my whole family loved it, plus there were enough leftovers for lunch today. I served this with carrots and french bread and I think the whole meal cost about 5 bucks.

Oscar Mayer hot dog deal

*Buy 2 packages of Oscar Mayer hot dogs for $1.50 each and receive $2 OYNO. That's 50 cents per package!

Celebrate Bigby's Birthday

Sign up at bigby.com for email updates and receive a coupon for a free tall drink on March 15 (Need to sign up by March 11). Get the Caramel Marvel, its my favorite! :-)

Meijer deals this week

*Barilla pasta $.89, use MM coupon $1/4=$2.56 for 4 (I'm getting the whole grain kind. Better for you!)
*Ore Ida potatoes 2/$5, $2 off at checkout, $1 off 2 with All You magazine coupon= 2 for $2
*Ragu Alfredo Sauce $1.50 each, use $1 off 2 when you sign up here = 2 for $2 (My mom's easy dinner recipe using a jar of alfredo sauce, spices, chicken and noodles coming soon!)
*Coffeemate $1.50, use $.75 off when you sign up at coffemate.com = $.75 each
*Dei Fratelli Tomatoes $1.29 for a 28 oz can, use MM $1 off 4 = $1.04 each (This is slightly cheaper than Aldi price which is $.55 for a 14 oz can.)

What's Cookin'

The chicken parmesan I made this week was great! Highly recommend the recipe. The boys loved it too.

Here's next week:
Mon~Mushroom Swiss steak, salad, broccoli
Tues~Forgotten Man Mission dinner, grilled cheese for boys
Wed~Pea soup, bread (didn't get to this last week)
Thurs~FREE dinner at the Rio Grande! (We won this somehow. I don't remember signing up for it, but I must have somewhere!)
Fri~Daddy and boys-hot dogs, chips, carrot sticks, Mommy out with friend
Sat~Pancakes, fruit, sausage
Sun~Pork tenderloin, potatoes, green beans, red cabbage

Some Goobers

Daddy with the boys watching nature videos.

3 happy boys in the fort mommy made for them.

Joel loves hanging out with his big brothers!

Bare chested boys after daddy shaved their heads (while mommy was gone!).

Cinnabon-like Cinnamon Rolls

I am currently making these cinnamon rolls...and they are starting to look ridiculously delicious. I made the dough in my new Kitchen Aid mixer and it turned out so nice and actually rose (I have problems with that sometimes). Now the rolls are all rolled out and in pans for the final rising. Can't wait to try them! Will post a picture later.PS These are not for you if you are trying to watch fat and sugar. There is an obscene amount of butter and sugar involved in this recipe!

******

Later...

Those were seriously the best cinnamon rolls I've ever made!
Here's some pics:


Here are about a third of them.

I ate the rest. :-)

Totally kidding!

Here's some more without frosting:

They were really good without frosting too. Definitely will be making them again, but definitely will need to limit my intake. :-)

What's Cookin'

Mon~Garlic chicken, stuffing, carrots and broccoli
Tues~Chicken pot pie (didn't get to this last week), applesauce
Wed~Barbecue meatballs for church potluck
Thurs~Chicken parmesan, cauliflower
Fri~Pea soup, whole wheat bread
Sat~Chicken fajitas in the magic pot
Sun~Meatball soup, homemade buns, jello

What's Cookin'

This week's menu:

Mon~Marianted steak with onion, potato wedges, spinach, carrots
Tues~BLT melts, salad
Wed~Sloppy joes with homemade buns, chips, carrots
Thurs~Chicken pot pie, applesauce
Fri~Ham and cheese turnovers, corn, applesauce
Sat~Breakfast for dinner
Sun~Beef stew, bread

Walgreen's Customer Service

I stopped by Walgreen's 3x this week to get some of their Huggies which were on sale with a $3 RR. They were out every time I went in, so the 4th time, I called first and they were still out and I was told they weren't getting any more in this week. So I shot an email to customer service on Walgreens.com stating my concern and the next morning the manager of my Walgreen's called me! I totally thought it was a shot in the dark to try and send an email, but he called and apologized and said the clerk was misinformed and that they had Huggies diapers on the shelves now. He even held two packages at the photo counter for me so that I could come pick them up whenever I was ready. Now that's great customer service!

Side note: Do not take husband into store when you are doing multiple transactions with coupons and RRs. He becomes frustrated and embarrassed of his wife. :-) But still happy deep inside that I'm saving him money!

3 Boys In a Crib (or How Daddy Keeps the Boys Warm After Their Baths)

First boy out of the tub...
2 boys out of the tub...

3 boys out of the tub!

Happy brothers!

BBQ meatballs

I absolutely love the Pioneer Woman's website! This is what I'm making tonight. I was reading her recipe index this morning and salivating. I hope to try this soon. I would highly recommend any recipe on her website. Picture of tonight's dinner posted soon!

First, a couple of hams...
with the king of the hams...

and the leftovers from some of the best meatballs I've ever made.

My Two Babies

My two babies. Andrew was napping, Joel was done with his nap, and I don't think Noah napped!

Joel brings this hat up to me so I put it on and he still had it on a few minutes later.

Something he has never done before. I have found the other two boys sleeping in different places, but never Joel. Today he seemed really quiet so I went to check on him and he had fallen asleep in his pack n play. I put him to bed and he slept for almost 3 hours! Go Joel!

What a sweetie!

What's Cookin'

Mon~Oven-baked burritos , salad
Tues~Ranchero black and white beans with ham, carrots
Wed~Worcestshire chicken, potatoes, green beans
Thurs~Pancakes, bacon, fruit
Fri~ Kids get mac and cheese, mom and dad are going to Mol's couple's night out
Sat~Sesame pork tenderloin, wild rice or potatoes, veggie saute, something delicious for dessert (we're having friends for dinner)
Sun~Veggie beef soup, bread

Kraft Cheese coupon

I was able to print two more $1 off 2 Kraft cheese coupons here this morning. Use these this week at Meijer to get 4 8 oz. bricks of cheese for $3.34. Some of you are probably wondering what we do with all this cheese. It gets eaten, believe me. :-)

Cookies=Happy Boy

The instigator...

the eater...
the two culprits together.
I asked Andrew to give Joel a cookie and he gave Joel three cookies! Joel thought it was wonderful! I did take one away from him. :-)

My Meijer Deals

*Kraft Cheese
On sale 3/$5, when you buy 3, you automatically get $1 off. I had two coupons for $1 off 2, so I bought 4 bricks. Total: $3.34 for 2 lbs of cheese

*Nabisco Wheat Thins
On sale for $1.88. I bought 3 boxes and used Meijer Mealbox coupon for $1/3 and will save my receipt for the Kraft/Nabisco Rebate. I still have to buy 3 more boxes of crackers or cookies to reach my total, but I have until June 30. Total: $4.64 for 3

*Eckridge hot dogs
On sale for $1.25 each. Used Meijer Mealbox coupon for $1/3. Total: $2.75 for 3

*Philadelphia cream cheese
On sale for $1.25 each. Used $1/3 from Meijer Mealbox. Total: $2.75 for 3

*I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
On sale for $1.50, used $1 off coupon. Total: 50 cents

*Aunt Millie's Healthy Goodness Whole Grain White Bread
Buy 1 loaf, get 2 free. Total: $2 for 3 loaves

Ultrasound and Birthday

No pics, but thought I would give an update. Last week on my birthday I had an ultrasound (I am 21 weeks) and everything looked good! They couldn't see everything so I have to have another one the beginning of March, and also my glucose test. I'm trying to be really good before my glucose test because I do not want to have gestational diabetes again like I did with Noah, but its really difficult! Self-control is definitely something I have to work on. :-)
So, Chris told me he had taken the day off for my birthday and there was a restaurant in Newaygo he wanted to take me to. So after the ultrasound, we drove up to Newaygo. The whole way there, I'm thinking, This had better be a really good restaurant since we're driving so far away! We pulled up to this place called The Shack where there were only like 3 cars in the parking lot. Chris goes in to see where the restaurant was and comes out with a room key! He had surprised me by arranging babysitters and keeping it a total secret from me. I was blown away! It was a great birthday surprise. I would highly recommend going to The Shack. It was very comfy and the bedtime banana splits can't be beat. :-)
I came home to happy kids and a clean house thanks to my sisters-in-law. It was one of my best birthday memories and I am so thankful to Chris for arranging it all and surprising me!

What's Cookin'

Tonight we had meatball hoagies (which were excellent!) with spinach salad.
Here's the rest of the week:
Tues~Orange chicken, rice, corn, salad
Wed~Eggs and toast (don't think Chris will be home)
Thurs~Tacos, salad, chips and salsa
Fri~Cousin's Night Out-I have to bring a dessert and was thinking of making cheesecake.
Sat~Frozen pizza, salad
Sun~Beef Vegetable soup, bread