The goal this week is less meat.  It's not good for you and it's expensive.  It may look like I'm still using quite a bit, but having any dinner that is meatless, is huge for us. Today we had small baked potatoes with steamed broccoli and melted cheese for lunch and it was so good!

Monday

Lunch- sandwiches, grilled or cold

Dinner- spaghetti, no meat in sauce

Tuesday

Lunch- leftovers or sandwiches

Dinner- beef roast, steamed carrots, potatoes, dinner rolls

Wednesday

Lunch- Leftovers

Dinner- Jasmine rice and pinto beans

Thursday

Lunch- Rice and beans or sandwiches

Dinner- Baked potato and steamed veggies

Friday

Lunch- Cheese quesadillas

Dinner- Large salad with grilled chicken, French bread

Saturday

Lunch- chicken and black bean wrap

Dinner- Sauteed veggies over Jasmine rice

Sunday

Lunch- Leftovers or sandwiches

Dinner- Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Fruit for snacks this week: Honeydew melon, red grapes, Gala apples

Monday

Chinese Stir fry with Jasmine rice

Tuesday

Our Brazil dinner for school, Brazillian beans and rice, Brazillian Coconut Pudding for dessert

Wednesday

Pasta with Texas toast, salad

Thursday

fried pork chops, egg noodles and green beans

Friday

Pizza! Yay, mom doesn't have to cook!

Saturday

Breakfast for dinner, bacon, eggs and toast

Sunday

 Burritos or quesadillas

This is our blueberry buckle cake!  It just came out of the oven about 30 minutes ago and I put the icing over it and had to post it.  The children are all drooling to have a piece but we're waiting for Daddy to get home from work first. 

I got this recipe from my step son's mom, and she got it from a friend at work.  Here it is:

2 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

2.5 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup shortening (I used butter crisco stick)

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

2 cups blueberries

Mix all the above and beat for about 30 seconds.  Gently stir in two cups of blueberries.  Pour in greased and floured 9 in. round cake pan.

Top with:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup softened butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

some peacans as desired (I used chopped walnuts)

Mix all ingredients together until you have a soft crumble type topping.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes

Ice with:

1 cup confectioners sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3-4 teaspoons hot water

Drizzle icing over cake back and forth, up and down with spoon.

Enjoy!!  It's still blueberry season in some areas...get picking and baking.

Monday we all went and picked blueberries and raspberries at a local farm.  The last two days I have been baking with the blueberries, we made 2 types of blueberry muffins and blueberry scones.  Today we used our zucchini from the garden to make 2 loaves of zucchini bread,  yum!  Yesterday Alexis was a big helper and today Caitlyn and Brett helped me cook.  I used to get frustrated with little ones in the kitchen, but I try and relax about it now.  I know we're making memories together, ones I didn't get to have with my mother, as she was a working mom and always very busy...never mind NO ONE was allowed in her kitchen.  : )

I do so wish I had more homemaking skills, but homeschoolblogger and other sites and many great books have helped me get this far and I hope I give my daughters (and sons) a good start in running a home.

I made homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam today!  OK, my daughter Alexis helped.  We were working up a sweat, I tell ya!  We used our own rhubarb from our garden, but had to buy the strawberries from the grocery store.  It was a bit of work, but when all was done I said "well that wasn't so bad!"  All our little jam jars look so cute.  I gave a jar to Amy so if her family eats some and doesn't get sick, then I'll make some more.  We're going to eat some tomorrow for breakfast and if we survive I'm giving jars to my neighbors. :)

I also planted my tomatoes today and the girls planted our potatoes.

Well I gotta run...we have some errands to run and then we have to shower and eat dinner and off to ballet rehearsals. 

I've finally had a few moments to get my thoughts together about what I'd like to work on changing in 2006:

1.  Make better use of my time

2.  Work harder/more with my garden

3.  Learn to preserve what I grow

4.  Learn more about herbs-growing/drying/using

5.  Have the children make better use of their time

6.  Read through the Bible this year, spend more time with the Lord

7.  Make Latin a bigger part of our education

8.  Read more, and write more in my book journal

9.  Work on my homemaking skills

10.  Look for ways to make my husband happy and content (thanks TamInAz!)

Today Jody took the four oldest kids ice skating and left me with Brett, who doesn't want to learn to ice skate.  The house was so quiet!  Brett and I switched the laundry and then I made a red velvet cake for the first time.  It is so yummy!!!  Here's the recipe:

Red Velvet Cake

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)

2 tablespoon cocoa

small bottle of red food coloring

2 1/2 cups flour (I sifted it first)

~Cream oil, sugar and eggs.

In a seperate bowl make a paste of the cocoa powder and food coloring; add to creamed mixture and blend in.

Add buttermilk, then salt, then flour to mixture. Add vanilla, baking soda and vinegar, blend all together.

Put batter in 2 - 9" cake pans that have been greased and floured.

Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Frosting:

1 box confectioners sugar

  1 8 oz. box of cream cheese

  1 stick of butter (softened)

  1 cup chopped walnuts

  Cream together and beat until fluffy

Frost bottom layer and add top layer and frost.  Enjoy!  This makes a wonderful cake to give as a gift!

We also made peanut butter cookies with kisses on top, called peanut butter sombreros.  Did I spell that right?  Anyway, those came out wonderful too and we gave some to our neighbors across the street.  Brett was a huge helper liking the beaters and bowls for me all afternoon!

The kids came hom and had had a wonderful time skating, they were cold and hungry and since I had the kitchen in such a state, we ordered a pizza for them.  We're all in the living room now watching Arthur's Christmas. 

We've still been doing school work but today the older two didn't get much done and the little ones didn't do any.  I think this will be it until after Christmas.