The Food Groups

Yes, yes. I know children don't have the four food groups anymore. However, the cut and paste project my daughter brought home from school this week was very much like the old food group art projects we used to do years ago.

Her favorite fruit was apples. Her favorite meat was steak. Her favorite vegetable was broccoli. Her favorite dairy was chocolate milk. Her favorite grain was pancakes.

This is where my friends get to laugh. Big, loud, rolling on the floor ones. Why? Because. Every Sunday, I make "made from scratch" pancakes. Not the ones from the box that says complete. But real honest to goodness made from scratch pancakes. My friend Kris who is in the food business once threatened to fly here to eat them. Considering she lives 18 hours from me it seemed extreme. I did not realize what a big deal these were. Until today.

It made me feel like a good mom.

A Few Good Men

I love that speech in A Few Good Men. You know the one I mean. Where Tom Cruise is giving Jack Nicholson a hard time. I almost know it by heart and every time I watch that movie I practice the speech.

I do a lot of public speaking in my life. Peronally and professionally. It always surprises me when I hear someone else tell me how frightened they are to stand up in a crowd to talk or to sing. My middle child had to get up on stage this week and boy was he scared. It was so strange to me. In my mind I was thinking, "Boy when I was his age I was singing in front of crowds of hundreds of people."

Three years ago I spoke professionally at a conference. There were 800 people in the room. I was thrilled and proud that so many people came to hear what I had to say. It was truly exciting. I couldn't believe it when my friends said that they couldn't believe I had the courage. Courage? Me? Are you kidding?

Sewing Again

I admit it. I haven't sewn in years. I used to enjoy it a lot. I also used to have a lot more quiet time in my life to concentrate without any interruptions. However, a custom job in my home has called my name. I needed to replace an item on my patio that provides shade and was destroyed by a windstorm. It is too expensive to replace the entire thing. I bought a canvas dropcloth at my local home improvement store, measured, chalked and cut. I pinned it together and began the sewing. I had forgotten what a wonderful feeling of accomplishment it gives you to make something with your own two hands. It was as if waves of calm were washing over me. What a wonderful feeling. I can't wait to finish this project that I had dreaded to begin.

Chemical Free Cleaning

There are lots of recipes out there on the internet that utilize four key ingredients for chemical free cleaning. Vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and baking soda are usually the most listed. These are cheap, easy and work very well. Recently, I took it to the next level.

Nothing.

What do you mean nothing? I mean a wet washcloth. With a twist.
Put it wet in your microwave on a plate. Microwave for 30-50 seconds depending on how powerful your machine is. Voila. Wipe your counter, wipe your floor, wipe your sinks, your appliances, anything.

It's easy. It's fast. I tried it on a linoleum floor that I wash frequently but because of high traffic of people and animal form it never seems clean.

You've seen those fancy steam cleaners on television on late night commercials. Same principles. Less money. It's amazing.

Try it.

Baby Food - Peas and Green Beans

A quick steam in the microwave and any kind of frozen peas or green beans can become baby food in a relatively simple manner.

Cook the bag of frozen veg as you would to eat for yourself. Steam in a pot or in your microwave. Place in your blender. Add a little bit of the water and blend.

Freeze in the ice cube trays and then pop out later in place in a freezer bag labelled with the date.

Wasn't that simple?

Need the math. My grocery ad this week sells a 40 ounce bag of frozen veg for $3.99.
The number one jars of baby food equal 2.5 ounces. Therefore, the per serving cost is 25 cents per 2.5 ounce serving.

I don't know any store that sells that jar for 25 cents.

This adds up quick. Also, you can make it faster than you can drive/walk to the store. Why wouldn't you?

Pre-made baby food doesn't save time or money.

One small caution: The above does not apply to carrots. This is the one exception you should not make at home.

Baby Food - Apricots and Pears

A quick addition to the recipe for peaches. Apricots and Pears can be processed in exactly the same manner. We'll do some veggies next.

How to Make Baby Food - Peaches

One of the things that annoys me about our advertising filled world is how much of what we buy is completely unnecessary. Why would you buy baby food? Baby food is made from products you already own and stored in containers you already have. I have taught several friends to make baby food. It's fun. It can be done in advance or on the fly. And, it's so much cheaper.

No. There are no cute jars with the adorable baby label. Wait a minute. You throw away or recycle those cute jars anyway, don't you?

Let's start slow and easy. Peaches. One of the first foods most people introduce. I've never heard of anyone being allergic to a peach so I know it was always the first fruit I began with all of my children.

At the store: Buy canned peaches packed in water or juice.
At home: Open the can, do not drain, pour in your blender. Blend.
To store: Pour the blender pitcher into an ice cube tray. Freeze.
Next day: Pop the cubes out of the ice cube trays into a freezer container or freezer bag of your choice.

Wow. That was tough wasn't it?

Here's an additional step that's completely optional but might surprise you.

If the little jars of step one food cost 79 cents in your grocery store and you use 10 of them that's $7.90.

A freezer tray will garner you about the same amount and will cost you the price of two cans of peaches $1.90. I don't figure the cost of the freezer because it is not additional to food you already store there.

That's a difference of $6.00 for ten servings. A savings of 60 cents per serving.

How many servings of baby food does your baby eat in one week? If it's 3 meals a day times 7 days a week then 21 servings multiplied by 60 cents a serving is $12.60 for the week.

Almost $50 a month. That's enough for a nice dinner date with your husband.

More soon! Happy blending.