Menu Challenge

What a week!  I feel far more normal today, which is partially due to getting back into a routine now that school has started...although I could do without the super early mornings!!

Dinner tonight was minus my baby, since he was invited to go see the Cards game tonight.  With just the kids and me, I decided to just throw a bag of chicken tenders in the oven that I didn't realize was in the freezer.  (Gotta love surprises!)  Along with that, I fixed broccoli and noodles to use up a partial box of pasta and the bunch of broccoli that came in the produce basket this week.  That is one of my favorite things to eat.

A friend shared this link through Facebook a few weeks ago for single ingredient banana "ice cream," and I've really been wanting to try it: http://userealbutter.com/2010/08/12/single-ingredient-ice-cream-recipe/.  In the last co-op pick-up, I ended up with two bunches of bananas that went from green to overly ripe very quickly (I'm sure due to the heatwave we've had and the hot temps inside the house).  I went ahead and sliced them and flash froze them for a later date.  Today was the later date.

I made a very small batch of just plain banana, a bit larger batch with peanut butter, and the rest with cocoa and peanut butter.  All of my kids loved it (chocolate/peanut butter got the most votes), and my daughter said, "This is the bomb diggity!  Can I have more?"  One of my daughters doesn't like peanut butter or chocolate, but the banana was just too plain for her.  I think next time I might see what the consistency turns out like with strawberries or another fruit added.  Great solution for too many bananas!  (I get tired of freezing bananas for muffins at a later date.)  And a great solution for the three of us who are lactose-intolerant and want something frozen and creamy!

Veggies, Veggies, Veggies

This month is an odd meal month for us, mostly because of my hurried planning at the end of July.  I have another week's worth of menus in my plan for August, but obviously that won't cover us unless I either do more shopping or get creative.  As of right now, I'm choosing creativity.

For a few years now, I have participated in Community Helpings Co-op for our fruits and veggies (and a few other fun extras from time to time).  Monday was pick-up day, so I have a box worth of produce to implement into the menu.

Tonight I decided to make some pepperoni roll-ups for dinner, but I knew that with five of us at the table I needed more.  I had two jumbo (and I mean jumbo) carrots that I cut into sticks for my less creative (and more picky) eaters, and for the rest of us, I created this:

I had a partial box of whole wheat couscous in the cabinet, so I cooked that as instructed.  (This particular recipe used one cup of uncooked couscous, which yields about two cups when cooked.)  In a small skillet, I heated olive oil and added one peeled and diced sweet potatoes and a few slices of onion (which I also diced).  After the potatoes were tender, I added two leaves of collard greens that had been chopped and cooked for just a minute or so.  I also sprinkled the veggies with Emeril's Essence (a staple in my spice cabinet).  When done, I stirred this into the couscous, and I served some crumbled feta cheese on the side for any takers.  

Even my non-sweet-potato-liking husband liked this recipe, and my daughters asked me to make another batch so they could pack it in their school lunches for tomorrow.  For someone who had never cooked with greens in the past, I have found that I can throw them into a lot of different dishes.

Next up for some night this week: tackling the quinoa in the cabinet.  :)

Unit Study: Winter Olympics

For the 2010 Winter Olympics, the St. Louis County Library held a unit study as part of their Homeschool Exploration program.  It was a great time of learning about Canada, doing science and math experiments, and learning more about the sports in the Winter Olympics.  We came home and did a lapbook on the subject.

Coloring Pages:  http://homeschooling.about.com/od/freeprintables/ss/olympiccolor_all.htm
One of the fun things about the coloring pages is that you can add facts about the sports for older kids.  Have them do some research on the rules of the event, who is competing, etc.  This is very easy to make age-appropriate.

Mascots:  Look up the mascots for that year's Olympics.  The kids can make a mini book in their lapbook that shows the mascots and their meaning or significance to the host country.

Olympic Medal Chart:  http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/olympic_medal_chart.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/olympic_printables.htm&h=306&w=240&sz=20&tbnid=ZvjHPbRyXPpITM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=71&zoom=1&usg=__uLyRm70KhNG5-NVbyOfZL9LLVps=&docid=0lO1wVJZRyxz5M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Un4oUJPaAsWC2gX04oDYBA&ved=0CGoQ9QEwAA&dur=3092
I loved this idea of choosing 5 countries (or however many you choose) to follow during the Olympics.  This is great for a chart-making lesson!

Metrics:  This is a great time to do some conversions to metric for kids old enough to do so.

Both www.homeschooling.about.com and www.ActivityVillage.co.uk have some great printables to add to your activities, like word searches, craft ideas, snacks, etc.

This is a FUN unit study during an Olympic year!  Implement all aspects of your lessons (math, science, language arts, history (influential people, etc.), p.e.) into this and have fun!!

Birds of a Feather...

One thing I love about living in the woods is having ample opportunities to bird watch.  Yeah, maybe I'm strange that way, but I could lie on the side of my bed and watch the birds outside my window all winter and spring. (However, we do have a female Cardinal that harasses us from time to time.)

Bird Feeding in the Winter (ideas from Birds and Blooms)

• Garland.  String popcorn (best if out in the open for a day or two), fresh cranberries, green and/or red grapes, apple pieces, chunks of plain doughnuts, and raisins.
• Suet.  
• Add berries to suet mixture and cool in cupcake tins.  Hang the suet cups in the tree.
• Fill empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls with suet.  Cover one end with duct tape and freeze.  These fit well into suet logs.
• Apples.  Hang red and green apples by the stems.

Suet Recipes

• Melt 1 cup lard and 1 cup crunchy peanut butter.  Add 1/3 cup sugar to mixture.  Then add 2 cups quick cooking oats, 2 cups cornmeal, 1 cup flour, and 1 cup birdseed.  Form blocks and freeze.
• Melt 1 cup lard and 1 cup crunchy peanut butter.  Add 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup whole wheat flour, cream of wheat, or oatmeal, and 2 cups cornmeal.  (Optional ingredients:  raisins, sunflower seeds (without shells), dried fruit, or eggshells.)  Cut into squares and put in freezer.

Crochet Project: Gift Bags

About a year ago I decided I needed a new challenge with crocheting, since I only had taught myself how to make squared items, like scarves and blankets.  I was also looking for a way to use up bits of yarn that couldn't be turned into much.

Bernat has a free pattern on their website for a gift bag similar to this one.  (Their pattern has handles, which I didn't like when I made the first one.)  I know this wouldn't be much of a "challenge" to a seasoned crocheter, but I haven't been doing this very long.

Any leftover yarn I have from making blankets now gets turned into reusable gift bags that won't tear and end up in the recycling bin.  (This particular bag will have a different color tie eventually.)

This is a great small project to work on while waiting for an appointment or while picking up the kids from someplace.

Unit Study: Pancake Day

Pancake Day!!!  (Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday)  I'd celebrate pancakes.  :)

Lessons from books...great options for a day of study:
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/lamdmardigras-pancakedayusingbooksk4-htm/

Unit Study: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Preparing a unit study has always been my favorite teaching activity.  Below are links to print-outs for studying Martin Luther King, Jr.  Consider these for a notebook or lapbook study:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Word Search, Vocabulary, Crossword Puzzle, Challenge, Alphabet Activity, Draw and Write, Coloring Pages:  http://homeschooling.about.com/od/holidays/ss/mlkingprint_all.htm

Craft:  http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/mmlk.html

"I Have a Dream" Collage/Ideas for Black History Month (especially for preschoolers):  http://www.dltk-kids.com/viewers/dreamcollage.htm

"I Have a Dream" Speech Text:  http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/mlk_speech.htm

Martin Luther King, Jr. Rainbow Pin craft:  http://crafts.kaboose.com/martin-luther-king-jr-rainbow-pin.html

Drying Food

Tomatoes: Drying and Freezing
Have an abundance of tomatoes?  Here's a great article on how to preserve them:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2008-08-01/How-To-Dry-And-Freeze-Tomatos.aspx

General Drying Instructions
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2008-08-01/How-To-Dry-Food.aspx

A Clean Slate

To a writer, there is nothing like that fresh new journal...the blank pages waiting to be filled with her ramblings.  In this case, a fresh new blog may serve the same purpose.

Recently, I decided it was time to start writing again.  Carefully I chose a new journal that will eventually hold my thoughts, dreams, rantings, and joys.  A new start, yet a continuation of the same story.  The next chapter or the next installment in the series?

Those who know me understand that my interests are varied, and discussing any topic at any random time is how I roll.  This fresh new blog will be a way for me to organize those interests.  As I start a new installment in my "series," this will be a place where I will share anything and everything (within reason)...things that I want to have at my fingertips for future reference (like Pinterest), things that I no longer need but may be helpful for others (like home education resources)...things that I feel like talking about today.

Follow me if you choose...you never know what may come from the tapping of the keys on the keyboard.