Spaghetti Saurus Rex

I know I've mentioned this before but my husband LOVES spaghetti. Our youngest, Lucy seems to be following in his foot steps. :) My father in law calls my husband "Spaghetti Saurus Rex" if that gives you any idea how much he likes it and how long his love for it has been growing. haha

Tonight I made his favorite version of it and a friend of mine asked for the recipe so I am sharing!

I made a couple of substitutions based on what we had on hand that I will list at the end.

Ingredients: 

1 lb ground beef, 1/2 C chopped onion, 1/2 C chopped green bell pepper, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 - 16 oz cans of diced tomatoes, 1 - 6 oz can of tomato paste, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp thyme and salt and pepper to taste. 

Directions: 

Brown meat with onion, pepper and garlic then drain.

Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or desired consistency.

We just picked up our basket of fresh fruits and veggies yesterday morning from a food coop that has drop off locations in our town, www.bountifulbaskets.org, among this weeks ingredients were green peppers, onion and tomatoes!

So my substitutions were that I used fresh diced tomatoes and then added some tomato sauce and a small can of tomato juice that we had on hand. It turned out perfectly! 

Thanks for reading!

~Casey

A little about how I do what I do with our money

Hi all--
After my post the other day I got to thinking maybe someone out there somewhere would be interested in how (more detailed how) I've been making changes in our home to help save money and pay off debt.
So, today's post will be about our budget. A couple of strategies (if that's the right word) we are currently using are from a course I took several years ago through our old church in WA, it was Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. The pieces we are mainly using are trying to budget for anything we are spending money on. The idea is that most "surprise" expenses aren't a surprise at all. For example, we didn't used to budget for dog food but every month we buy it or we didn't have a real plan for sports or school photos but they aren't surprises, we knew they were coming. So now, we track where our money is going and budget accordingly for these expenses.
Another piece of Dave Ramsey's course is to start by getting money in your savings for emergencies so that you aren't struggling when those emergencies/unexpected expenses to come up. His course recommends $1,000 in that fund at all times while you're working on paying debt down.
After completing the emergency fund our goals are set on paying some debt down as fast as possible. Dave Ramsey's course talks about snowballing debt starting with the smallest first and then rolling those payments into the larger ones as you get them paid off. Our debt is a little different because we have a few that are small but aren't gaining interest and the larger ones are so we have decided to start with one that is costing us a lot extra in interest/penalties and then when that's paid we can focus on the smallest to the largest from there.
Another Dave Ramsey principal (looks like we are following his guidelines more than I realized!) is to budget to 0, if your bills and expenses are all accounted for and you have $5 extra at the end of the month it shouldn't get spent but paid toward whatever you are working toward getting done. This one is hard for me and I am working on it, my instincts want a cushion in our account and if we have extra I want to spend it! Gotta keep your eye on the prize. My prize is being able to be an at home mom and I just keep telling myself that's what my hard work is for.
Here is an example I found online that is similar to how we budget...

I have also started utilizing our online banking bill pay option and a free website called mint.com that helps you budget and categorize your expenses easily. Another Dave Ramsey principal is to use cash. I do use cash for our groceries but using cash for everything in our family isn't doable. But this is helpful to be aware of what you have and not using more than that. I think that covers our budgeting, if you have questions don't hesitate to ask. I'd be happy to help anyone else trying to make the same changes we are! I'm not sure what the next post will be about, maybe how our meal planning is going and saving us money.
Thanks for reading!
~Casey

Ideas... Ideas...

So along with my new years resolution has come brainstorming, seems like I can't stop it lately...
The other day I did our weekly grocery trip and went over by $40 and this has been plaguing my thoughts!
It is AMAZING how quickly $40 adds up, 3 things alone made us go over. So that got me thinking, how can I prevent going over in the future on items like these. The 3 extras were a gift card for my nephew for Christmas (late!), a clearance toy and a splurge on a new years eve "party pack" (which wasn't even worth it because it didn't come with all the promised items! Goes without saying, I plan to return this one!!).

So, some ideas I came up with to avoid these items in the future... May seem obvious to some but maybe helpful to others.
1) Only buy gifts if we've planned and budgeted for them! (sigh) Other ways we can cut back is by maybe getting a less expensive gift or gift card or making something homemade...
2) Don't buy things on clearance, even if it's a great price. If you didn't PLAN to buy it then it's too much (may be easier said than done).
3) Research ways to decorate for holidays with things we have at home, I am sure a quick trip to pinterest would have resulted in much better stuff then the junk I have to return anyway.

So there are a few recent $ saving thoughts of mine.

Thanks for reading!
~Casey

Beep Beep!

That, my friends, is the sound of me tooting my own horn! lol

Tonight we made Lylli's dinner pick which was hamburgers. Believe it or not, I have never made a burger on the stove top before. We BBQ them in the Summer but I just never had the urge to cook one inside. Since this was Lyl's pick I had to find a recipe and look up instructions so that I didn't mess it up. Let me just say that my research paid off and our homemade burgers were a SUCCESS!
I used this gal's recipe:
 http://www.food.com/recipe/kittencals-juicy-hamburger-burger-208583
We have tried a few of her recipes and have found that her tastes are right in line with ours so I have come to the conclusion that if she has a recipe for what I am wanting to make that the odds are I will like it! Her burger recipe didn't disappoint. We cooked them on the stove top over medium heat and I'd say we ended up doing about 7 or so minutes on each side (maybe more). I like my meats cooked through but I like them to still be juicy. I found that one of the keys to this is a good meat thermometer  I was reluctant to get one because they aren't super inexpensive but the difference is amazing. Not having to cut open what we're cooking to check for pink means the juices stay in and keep the meat deliciously moist. That has been the case with 2 turkeys, baked chicken and pan fried burgers (so far!). So if you've been considering purchasing one but have been dragging your feet like I was, take it from me... Well worth the $$.
Here is the recipe in case you don't feel like clicking the link above, we didn't use step 9 and our burgers were still wonderful. I also mixed the ingredients and formed patties and let them sit int he fridge for a few hours before cooking which I am sure didn't hurt the flavor. :) **UPDATE: We also didn't have an envelope of dry onion soup mix so I just used the same amount of onion powder as I did garlic powder.


2 lbs ground beef
1 egg, slightly beaten
0.5 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix (can use the whole package if desired)
2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (or use 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs (or crushed soda cracker crumbs, more if needed) (optional)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 -2 tablespoon Frank's red hot sauce (or 1-2 teaspoons crushed chili flakes, or can adjust to heat level) (optional)
Directions:

1
In a bowl crumble the ground beef with clean hands.
2
Add in the dry soup mix, egg, garlic, breadcrumbs or crushed soda cracker crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and hot sauce (if using).
3
Using clean hands mix until combined, add in more breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs if needed to just hold the mixture together (do not overwork the meat or it will be tough).
4
Divide the ground beef into 6 equal patties (or make 8 small patties).
5
Using your large finger or the back of a small spoon make a shallow dent into the center of each patty (about 1-inch wide).
6
Place the patties onto a large plate or a small cookie sheet; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours or up to 24 hours to blend flavors.
7
Grill or pan fry the burgers as desired until cooked through (if desired sprinkle a small amount of seasoned salt on top while cooking the patties).
8
Serve burgers in toasted buns with choice of condiments.
9
TIPS FOR EXTRA JUICINESS; shape the hamburger into a ball, press 1 tablespoon cold butter into the middle then seal the meat around the ball then flatten into burger shapes ----or add in 2-4 tablespoons raw finely grated potato into the hamburger mixture then shape into patties, use no more than 4 tablespoons for 2 pounds of ground beef or the burgers will take on a meatloaf texture.

Thanks for reading!
~Casey

Happy New Year! I resolve to...

I am sure there are millions of people blogging today about what their New Years resolutions are... It's been a while since I blogged and I thought my resolutions for 2013 seemed like a good place to start back up!

The past couple of weeks we have been moving into our new home (yay!), here's Lylli running toward our home sweet home!

Anywho, the more time I spend in our own home the more I long to be a stay at home domestic goddess once again! I have noticed that owning our own home lights a fire of pride under my tush. I have plans and dreams for our home that I never had for a rental. I am sure I am not the only one who has experienced this phenomenon. More so than ever I am dreaming of the day I can be a stay at home mom and wife again. 

So with all of that said I guess I have one primary resolution and a few secondary ones that support my primary one.

1) Resume my full time position as a homemaker
     2) Be uber, super disciplined with out budget
     3) Significantly reduce debt
     4) Create and stick to meal plans

So, there it is ladies and gentlemen ... Although I think I may have listed those backwards because 2-4 will help me reach my #1 resolution but I don't care because #1 is my #1 goal for 2013!! The past 2 weeks (after taking an eye opening look at our bank account and where our money has been disappearing to... eeep) we have REALLY buckled down and been watching our pennies and eating at home. This is delicious but difficult for us because eating out is both mine and my hubby's weakness. :-/ I have been reading some blogs I found on pinterest and getting ideas and one of the tips I came across was having each member in your family choose a dinner they want for the week you're planning for. This has been a great help for me since I am the one who does the meal planning and shopping, it takes the thinking out of at least 3, maybe 4 dinners a week. So, in long, I think I have regained my motivation and am starting out 2013 with a successful foot forward! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thanks for reading!!
 ~Casey

My husband's new favorite!

Wow! Mission "dinner impossible" day 5 ended with my husband having a new favorite meal! That is saying A LOT. My father in law calls my hubby "spaghettisauras rex" because he love spaghetti so much and always has. Well look out spaghetti, there is a new favorite in town!
Dinner tonight was baked pesto chicken with garlic noodles and bread.
This picture really doesn't do it justice. Imagine chicken breast smothered in pesto sauce, baked to perfection then topped with a tomato slice and mozzarella and popped back in until melty cheesy goodness is reached. mmmm

So there it is people. Dinner 5, so simple and so delicious! ~Casey

Mission "Dinner Impossible" and a few other things

I missed a couple of posts... So for those of you following my mission, "Dinner Impossible" meals 3 and 4 were "bubble pizza" and a new take on "tuna noodle casserole".
The bubble pizza was a hit and super easy. It's made in a 9x13 dish with refrigerator biscuits on the bottom as the crust, ground beef mixed with spaghetti sauce and topped with cheese. This was even easier because Luke had already browned the beef on our prep day! It was easy, tasted good and the kids loved it. Can't beat that!
Here is a not so appetizing picture of the bubble pizza. lol It was like a spaghetti pizza if you can imagine that.

The tuna noodle I forgot to take a picture of and it is gone already! There wasn't anything really special about it, it was tuna noodle casserole. haha It was made with cream cheese though which made it yummy. Again, everyone loved it!
I'd say this mission is getting easier to stick to. We know we CAN, plus the kids are responding really well to it too and that is awesome!
On a non-dinner note, Lucy has her first tooth, can clap and can play peek a boo. All within the past 24 hours! GO Lucy!!
Here are a couple of pictures of our wonderful children, for your viewing pleasure. :)
Here are the big kids playing and getting along even! Please disregard our pitiful lawn!

 Here are my girlies. How sweet are they?!

Thanks for reading! ~Casey

Super Mom!!

I had so much energy yesterday! It is amazing the difference it makes when Lucy doesn't wake up 3 times a night! I slept straight from 10pm until 6:45am night before last and my energy level sky rocketed from it. Yesterday I cleaned and organized (more than the bare minimum!) and worked too, and then the normal ins and outs of running our home. To you it may not seem like much but to me this felt so good.
Ok, down to business. Mission 'dinner impossible' day 2 was chicken stroganoff with salad and garlic bread.

I forgot to buy the mushrooms so our stroganoff went without. Luke and the kids didn't mind not having mushrooms, but I would have liked them. lol It was really good otherwise though, even Cody cleaned his plate and we all know how picky he can be with food! As far as meal preparation goes, this meal was slightly less complicated than the porkchops. I took the chicken out of the freezer the night before and organized the ingredients we would need so they were easily accessed when needed... Another thing we did was we purchased ready to eat lettuce and frozen bread to save us time the day of.
Now I want to share my before and after pics of my refrigerator, I am so proud!

Before (what a mess!):

After (so beautifully organized!):

I am using that little red bin on the bottom left to hold our ingredients for the following day's meal. Right now it is holding items to make "bubble pizza", kids are excited for this one and they really like being able to look at that saweeeeeeet dry erase menu I made and know what we are eating for dinner each night.

~Casey

Deliciously complicated...

We started our menu today, like I said yesterday we started with honey pecan porkchops, sweet potatoes and broccoli. I have to say that this was a MIGHTY delicious dish. The chops reminded me of my favorite McDonald's meal when I was a kiddo, chicken nugs with honey! Although this picture doesn't look so great, this was my 2nd helping. lol

Lucy likes it!

So, yes. It was very, very good but still not as simple as we need in order to keep up a good dinner routine. I am hoping that as we continue it will get easier and we will get better at knowing what we need to do and can do on our prep day to be ready and relaxed at dinner time. One of the items I made to help us stay organized is this menu, I saw this idea on Pinterest.com.

I took a dollar store picture frame that we had, I spray painted it, printed this printable menu and put it in the frame. We are using a dry erase marker to write the meals so that we can reuse it every week. I should probably also say that the site we are getting our meal ideas from is http://www.momswhothink.com/easy-recipes/easy-dinner-recipes-week-one.html. Thank you "momswhothink"!
Tomorrow we are having chicken stroganoff. I am hungry just thinking about it! ~Casey

Dinner. I dread it.

Oh man, it's been a while since my last post. The whole being a working mom thing isn't easy! Working, being a mom and wife and maintaining a decent looking home is difficult but doing all of that and planning, shopping for and preparing meals seems like an impossible task. Thinking about it overwhelms me!
I recently checked a book out at our local library called cooking once a month, or something like that, and the idea seems fantastic but it was written in the 80's so some of the meals don't appeal to us and also some of the items aren't available anymore. We have decided to try this on a smaller level though and with our own recipes and not cooking everything ahead of time but preparing what we can and know how to in advance to help cut down on the weekday evening burden. This week being our first week we shopped today (still missing a few items, hopefully we will get a better hang of things as we continue) and prepared some things for our dinners this week. We cooked some of our meats and chopped our veggies. Prep work is the worst when all you want to do is eat! Here are pics of Luke and baby Lucy helping with meat and veggies for the week!

So we have 7 meals planned for this week and a cute weekly menu to fill in (I will post pics!), tomorrow we are having honey pecan pork chops with baked sweet potatoes and broccoli. Luke will be doing a lot of the "day of" work since I am working afternoons and he is used to doing simple meals like spaghetti, chicken and rice or mac and cheese so this will be a change for him...  I know he can do it though!! Wish us luck~Casey

DIY task of the day: Homemade Fabric Softener

Since starting to make homemade laundry detergent for ourselves about a year and a half ago, I had cut out fabric softener because of the extra expense. I had tried using vinegar but just wasn't so pleased with the results that I kept it up. The other day I ran across a "recipe" for homemade fabric softener so I whipped some up today and it was SO easy and inexpensive! I haven't done any laundry with it yet, but it smells amazing so I know it will smell great in our laundry. The next thing I want to try with our laundry are those "dryer ball" things ...

They are supposed to help with static. 

Fabric softener:

I made a "how to" on the fabric softener, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tFQHXqhjdw&feature=youtu.be

Rainbow-Cakes (as Lylli called them)

We made fun "rainbow-cakes" for breakfast this morning! I was inspired by a photo I saw on pinterest of regular foods we eat a lot that had been fancied up with food coloring. This morning I made my favorite homemade pancake batter and the hubster and I experimented with the colors. The cakes were just as delicious as ever but just a tad more fun...

Luke's creation, the 4 on top are all cooked 

together to make one big "rainbow-cake"!

How fun would the pumpkins be around Halloween?!

Lyll-O-Lantern! haha

Homemade Mopping Solution

So today I decided to give a homemade mopping solution a shot. I had been using the reusable mopping wipey things but our floors just always seemed dirty still so when we ran out of wipeys I decided to bust out our regular mop and give it another go with a homemade solution. I found a site that had a few different "recipes" and this is the one I decided to go with:
1 Gallon warm water, 1/2 Cup white vinegar, 2 Tablespoons mild dish soap.

I mixed the solution in my kitchen sink and mopped from there...

Before pictures...

After pictures!!!!

I am so happy with the results! The solution got my floor much cleaner then the mopey wipers, AND I saved money because I had everything on hand to make the solution! !

For the other "recipes" go to: http://housekeeping.about.com/od/surfacefloors/p/homemademopping.htm

http://youtu.be/-VA4qdh5KSA