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Post Schedule 2013 Joyful Mom Blog

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My post schedule will look something like this:

Monday:  The Journey.  I write about how my life has molded me to be the person I am now and the woman I am growing into.   I really want to write to encourage women to be the best they can be–right where they are!  We are constantly growing and changing and if we embrace our true selves and strive to be transparent, authentic and genuine–then we will find peace.  I really do live “in everything, give thanks” –I’m not always joyful–I have my moments–I write about that too.  The Journey is the path we take to find joy.  It looks different for each of us.  I’m searching for my purpose, are you?

I walk this trail while we are on vacation. Each time I walk it I am blessed to be in such a sacred place.

Tuesday:  The Classroom.  Is about learning (verb)–not where (noun-place) you do it.  I have kids in “away” school and kids that are homeschooled.  My intention is that The Classroom will be an exchange of ideas and resources that will allow kids opportunities to learn in their own way.  I write more about it here.

Science: our cloud project–cutting, glueing, working on sensory issues when a drop of glue gets on your hand . . . and you can’t shake it off!

Wednesday:  My behind the scenes day–write, download photos, fold the mountain of laundry or maybe try to clear off my countertops!

Thursday:  The Cookbook.  I love cooking and I love sharing ideas about food.  The problem is that I use recipes as a guide not as an exact science–except for baking.  Baking needs to be exact, but when I write about BBQ Sauces . . . I like lots of wiggle room.  I think that you can be a great cook using just what you have!  We have a busy house with the 6 of us going in lots of different directions–but our family meal times are very important to me.  My goal is to cook healthy food, that appeals to everyone, stay on budget, and use my crockpot as much as possible.  I also love the idea of eating local but that is a challenge for me.

for this batch of chili I tried seasoning the caramelized onions as well as the meat to see if it would “hold” the flavor . . . this batch of chili never made it to the freezer so I’ll try it again.

When I do write about cooking it will be things that I have made–tried and true or a disaster!  In my own kitchen, with my own dishes and my own mess.  The idea is to share my love of cooking not my love of cleaning!

Friday: The Creative Home–using our resources wisely, green projects, projects that I start . . . and how they end up! I often have high hopes but then something happens . . . so I will write about that here–project success and project failures.  It isn’t always about the end product–for me it is the process of taking an idea and making it 3 dimensional.  I especially love to up cycle things that I already have into something I will actually use!

a top down raglan sweater made with local hand dyed wool! and the button are from a yarn shop in Grand Rapids, MI

I love to knit–but I’m slow at it, so I will share my projects and ideas with yarn. I really like yarn, fabric –the color and texture.  I like knitting for the girls–they dictate the design as it evolves so that I know they will be more inclined to wear it.  The think that I like most about The Creative Home is that I can share my ideas that I have for my home and you can make it work for your own home.  I find true beauty in the effort to create–not the creation.

Be Blessed as we seek joy and show gratitude for all of our gifts.

My Mom’s Skillet (Ultimate Recipe Swap)

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carrots, purple potatoes, onions, celery, stew meat

carrots, purple potatoes, onions, celery, stew meat

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the purple potatoes gave the gravy a deep, deep brown and the flavor was incredible I served it with biscuits, butter and honey!

I found my Mom’s skillet when I was cleaning out the basement–I have this basement project ongoing and I have friends helping me weed through years of stuff laden with memories.  I have friends who are generous and loving (both with the gift of time and emotional support) instead of being judgmental.  A blessing for sure.   So, this skillet . . . I’m still not sure if I’m going to keep it or give it to Goodwill but for now I have a couple of recipes that I make in it.

My stew recipe:

I browned Laura’s Stew Meat–I bought it at Target and it was very lean.

I added onions, carrots, celery and potatoes to the meat, with a little olive oil and sautéed them for several minutes–until the onions started to caramelize.

Add 3 tablespoons of flour and stir until everything is coated but you can’t see the flour.

Add beef stock–and bring to a boil, then simmer until the veggies are cooked.

I keep it on simmer until the gravy is just how I want it (some days I want it thinner and some days thicker).

Serve with biscuits, butter and honey!

Be Blessed.

Linking up with the Ultimate Recipe Swap and Thrive@Home.

Meals under $10

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Ultimate Recipe Swap with lifeasmom.com

I’ve been trying very hard to cook food for my family that is not processed–let me just say–it’s hard and I often fail!  I just bought Kraft Blue Box Mac and Cheese for  33 cents a box–preparing for those days of failure . . .

My cheapest meal is pasta with red sauce with a salad.  I can get a lb of pasta for $1 and red sauce at B1G1 free is $1.25 a jar, then organic romaine lettuce–not on sale for $2.99–I use this salad dressing but only if it is on sale with a coupon–today it was 2 for $5 plus I had 2 $1 off coupons–making each jar $1.50 each.  I keep the salad on the plain side but sometimes I add nuts or cheese . . . tomatoes from the garden–I never make any promises that one meal will ever look like the next!

kids love this–I like vinegar and oil

Total: $6.75 for the basic meal–then you can toss in other stuff in your pantry.

my favorite pizza sauce

Pizza Dinner:  I make 4 pizzas at a time–sauce is 50% off and I buy a bunch!  I also bought the cheese for 50% off–then I add some herbs from the garden or tomatoes–again no promises.  I do like a nice salad with pizza

I buy this as a treat when it is 50% off–in the summer with basil, or on pizza, or just by itself!

Total:  Salad:  $4.50, Flour $2.oo, $1.30 for organic pizza sauce, and $2.66 for fresh mozzarella–this is over $10 but I do make 4 pizzas and I could use cheaper cheese.

Pizza Dough:

1 cup water

1/2 tsp instant yeast

2 1/3 cups of flour

1 tsp salt

Add water, yeast and 1/2 the flour and mix until smooth.

Add salt and remaining flour–mix with your hands until it sort of is falling apart and then knead it for 8 minutes.

Spray a bowl and let it rest for 2 hours.

After two hours split the dough into 2 rounds, shape into a ball and let rise again until you are ready to use it–if you want to put it in the fridge you can–just cover it up!

I make the recipe in 2 different  bowls.

I think most of my meals can be made for under $15 for 6 people–the tricky part is that often times you need to buy 5 of something or 10 lbs of meat to get the best price–or 1/2 a cow!

Be Blessed as you nurture your family.