Baby Trail Mix

My 9-month-old daughter's school doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day. "Friendship Week" is somehow more politically correct I guess? So her class doesn't swap Valentines (too bad I had already made the mailboxes before I found that out), instead they'll do a snack swap on Friday.

Favorite snack? She's a baby! She eats puffs!?!

I send in canisters of puffs all the time, so it felt kind of lame doing that for a special occasion. Instead, I created a baby trail mix of some of her favorite finger foods.

"Recipe"

1 cup "yellow box" Cheerios

1 cup chocolate Cheerios

1 cup puffs

1/2 cup yogurt melts

This made just enough to fit into my empty puffs container!

So tell me, what would your little darling enjoy in his or her trail mix?

Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!

We just finished studying the Great Depression and are starting my favorite time period in history, World War II, tomorrow. I'm not sure what it is about this time period in world history that intrigues so many people. I know I'm drawn to the stories of individuals, just ordinary people who fought oppression, hatred, and evil. The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw is a wonderful compilation of many of those stories. I need to take that in and share it with my students.

Anyway, the kids have a short week this week because Friday is a teacher work day. I decided to seize the chance to maybe give them a glimpse into what scarcity really was like. 

Propaganda Posters are a lesson by themselves.

My buddy Nelson actually gave me this idea. I emailed him and asked him how exactly he worked the simulation, but he basically just laughed at me and implied he made it up as he went along. 

I could have done that on my own. I started brainstorming with my dream team colleagues last week. Luckily for me, they're really supportive and are all for playing along, even if it inconveniences them this week.

Step one: Remove all desks and chairs, stacking them wherever you can find space. (Hilarious side note- we have, like, NO janitorial staff, so one class is awarded a trophy each afternoon for leaving the room neat and tidy. Guess who won on Friday? :) )

Step two: Move all consumables out of reach of students. I have a little cubby hole area in my room that I placed my desk in front of to block the possible black market dealers.

Step three: Establish your general goods store and determine prices. In four days, my students will get two pages of ration stamps, 48 per page. I set the prices high purposely so they will have to be smart in their decision-making. I also have limited how many of each item I will have available each day. For example, for my first block I have 7 groups of four (each will be considered a "family" for the purposes of this simulation) but I only have 10 pencils available. I also planned activities during the course of the week that require certain items, like scissors, rulers, or calculators, that will force them to NEED the things I have for sale. Quite the opportunist, aren't I?

Step four: Create your ration booklets. I am incredibly lucky- I actually possess two ration booklets that belonged to my Great Grandfather. (Strangely, I discovered you can buy them on eBay if you really want an authentic artifact.) Print them at 4x6 inches and staple. I did a front, two pages of stamps, one page of gas rations (they must use one every time they want to go anywhere, like the library or bathroom. heehee) and then the back, which has the instructions.

Step five: Let's see how the kids react tomorrow. :) I'll continue to journal the logistics. I've put a lot more thought into it than I have listed here, but it makes more sense to talk about it chronologically.

(Go check out my "Great Ration Experiment" post for the day-to-day journal of how it worked)

Copycat Smart Ones recipes

In my quest to be healthier, I've done a pretty good job of cutting processed foods out of my diet- EXCEPT for Smart Ones. If I have a beef with Weight Watchers, it's that the foods with their logo on it are some of the worst processed foods on the shelves! Yes, they're low points, but at what cost? The reason I buy them is because I like to spend ZERO time in the morning packing my lunch.

But I know I could do better.

I am going to take my favorite Smart Ones meals and make them freezer meals so that I still have the convenience that I love, but much healthier. As an added bonus, right now I can't use them doing Simply Filling, but if I make my own, substituting the less appealing choices with better ones (such as brown rice instead of white), I don't have to count them toward my weekly points!

Take one, Santa Fe Style Rice and Beans. LOVE it. Eat it at least twice a week. I get fresh lettuce and tomato from the school cafeteria (I may be a school lunch critic, but they have a lovely salad bar) and bulk up the meal without bulking up the points.

Here's a copycat recipe I found at the Extraordinary Life blog, with some changes I made and points included.

Santa Fe Rice and Beans


Ingredients:
^ 2 cups brown rice, uncooked (32 points)
*4 cups Water
^ 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce (0 points)
^1/2 cup salsa (usually 0 points, avoid fruity salsas with added sugar)
*2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (see Pin here)
^ 1 can black beans, rinsed (4 points)
^ 1 can kidney beans, rinsed (5 points)
^ 1 can corn (4 points)
*1 teaspoon salt
* pepper to taste


To serve- optional:^ 1/2 cup fat-free grated cheese (2 points)
^ 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream (2 points)


*seasonings are typically 0 points, as is water^ indicates a Power Food 

Directions:

• Combine all of the ingredients (except dairy) in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.  
• Cover and cook on low, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Optional- Add cheese and sour cream and mix well.

Serve immediately or from the freezer, reheating in the microwave, atop a bed of romaine lettuce and diced tomatoes if desired.


Total points for this recipe- 49 (with dairy), divided into seven servings is just 7 points a serving, one point less than the Smart Ones meal! 

Busted!

I went to Weight Watchers confessional today. I admitted that since I started doing Simply Filling six weeks ago, I haven't tracked a thing. Since this week's theme was all about tracking, it seems like a good time to reinstate good habits.

I love how Lisa, our leader, keeps us motivated through her positive energy. This week she introduced the "Magic Tracker" (it's magic because if you use it, you lose weight. Ha!). One person per week will use it and report back the next Monday. I was nominated/volunteered to go first. I thought I was just volunteering to track for a day, not the whole week, but I need the kick in my rather large butt anyway. You may not know this about me, but I'm a tad bit competitive, so give me a task and I will complete it to a T.

I went back and tracked what I ate today. Pretty easy since I generally eat pretty much the same thing at work every day. Breakfast sandwich (Jimmy Dean's turkey sausage with egg white on whole wheat English muffin) this morning, Black cherry jello for a snack, Sante Fe rice and beans with lettuce and tomato on top, with a side carrots with roasted red pepper hummus for lunch.

Dinner. *sigh*

I had nothing planned, so I checked my stockpiles and decided to make a light stroganoff. I did a side of steamed baby carrots ($0.49 for a 2-lb bag at Aldi's. I'm STILL excited about that!) and leftover pineapple (in its own juice, no syrup!).

Here's my stroganoff recipe:

Cook 2 cups noodles according to package directions (I had something brown on hand. They look like egg noodles, but they must be whole grain. What did I buy?!?) while preparing stroganoff.

Brown about 1 pound ground turkey and drain any excess fat (if you have the extra lean like I did, you may not have any fat to drain.) Alternatively, you may use Boca crumbles to keep the points value low.

Add one can cream of mushroom soup and one cup of skim milk. Heat through.

When noodles are done, add to the mixture and stir thoroughly.

Stir in 1/2 cup light or fat free sour cream.

Four servings, 9 points each.

SUPER easy, less than 20 minutes from idea to table. I got my food mill out and mushed some up for Squirt. She LOVED it, had seconds and ate half the carrots off my plate too!

I used my juvenile divided plate (Have you seen it? Great idea if I do say so myself!) to keep my portions under control and made sure to fill up on the carrots and pineapple rather than go back for the creamy stroganoff.

At the end of the day, I have four points left over (I get 29 points a day) plus I took a walk with the family after work (2 Activity Points) and did the elliptical after dinner (2 more Activity Points).

And yes, I tracked it all.

Day 1 - Success

Thought for the Day: "You're not a dog- don't reward yourself with food."

I'm rewarding myself with a bubble bath. And perhaps a glass of wine. After all, I still have points left.

Hand and Heart

Squirt's school is having Teacher Appreciation Week soon and requested artwork from each of the students. Her first response when given a crayon is generally to eat it, and I really don't think Crayola poop is what they had in mind.

I came across a very cute pin recently and thought, aha!, as soon as I saw it. I knew I could replicate this very easily and it would suffice. As a teacher, I know that my favorite gifts from students are cards and letters. As a preschool teacher, I'm sure anything with the babies' handprints on it is cherished.

The first step was to trace her arm. Easier said than done, but I got a good enough outline to make it work. I made the mistake of tracing it on regular paper. Don't do that. Trace it on card stock, which will come in handy later.

The next step is to wait for nap time, because you can't get anything done when you have to stop every three seconds to say "stop chewing on the electrical cords."

Nap time has arrived.

"I may hold your hand for but a moment, but I'll hold you in my heart forever." Cute, right?

My next step and your next step will be different. I realized later on, while cutting and cutting and cutting red hearts, that I wanted some sort of cute poem on it. This was after I had already layered the paper. I had to take it apart so I could send just one sheet of paper through the printer. Well, actually I tried sending both sheets through the printer and was very lucky I didn't break the thing. The grass didn't feed through, but didn't jam the feed mechanism. That would have been hard to explain to tech support!

I wanted to do a more literal interpretation of an outdoorsy scene, so I went through my scrapbooking paper looking for just blue and green. I was surprised to find I actually had paper that looked like grass and clouds! I didn't have enough clouds for eight (4 teachers, plus extras for the other staff members), but I had other blues that would do. In the end, I liked the abstract blues better. The grass was pretty cute though. They requested that the end artwork be no larger than 8.5 x 11, so I cut down the scrapbooking paper to fit. The grass is 4 x 8.5, following the photography rule of thirds. 

Next I got some old magazines and tore out pages with browns for the arm (tree trunk) and reds for the hearts. I ended up needing more than I thought I would, so tear out plenty the first time around.

Now you will need to use your arm template to cut out tree trunks. I used the negative space so I could see what I was cutting out. As you see, I did the same thing with heart shapes, but I figured out pretty quickly that it was much easier to simply cut the hearts out of the red much like we did in elementary school- fold along the line of symmetry and cut. I was able to utilize more red space and they had cleaner edges.

Forget the heart cut-outs. Save time and improvise!

I used a small piece of scotch tape to help keep the template from shifting.

I ended up using mod podge to glue everything down because magazine print is hard to work with. If you choose to use scrapbooking paper (which I seriously considered halfway through - it's not a bad idea) you could probably use a glue stick. Still, if you're not going to frame or laminate the final product, mod podge is the way to go.

Working with the hearts was trial and error as well. What I finally decided worked the best is to have a large pile of hearts ready to go, put a thin layer of mod podge down, quickly place your hearts, then another thin layer on top of everything. Later, I went back and cut smaller hearts to fill in the gaps as needed. Lay flat to dry, and count on at least one hour to get fully dry. 

Look who's up from her nap! Good thing, she needed to "sign" the back. 

 See, crayon in the mouth.

Final product! I hope her teachers like them!

I made my standard Friday night grocery run after Squirt was in bed tonight. She doesn't really nap at daycare, so she's usually in bed no later than 6:30. Tonight it was 6:00. That may seem like heaven, but it actually makes me sad because I only get to spend a couple hours playing before bedtime.

Anyway, I digress...

So, shopping. The sales this week were pretty blah, so I didn't anticipate having a good run. Plus, I needed dog food which always throws off my total. Still, I like to make a night of it because it's generally the only time during the week I have to myself with no one saying, "Mrs. Merrill, Mrs. Merrill, Mrs. Merrill..." or "mamamamamama." I know, I've reached a new low when grocery shopping is relaxing. But it really is! And I love competing with myself to save money.

I started out at Target, as usual, as went straight to Starbucks, as usual. I had not so much as made it to the freezer section when my latte, completely unprovoked, JUMPED STRAIGHT OUT OF MY CART AND ONTO THE FLOOR.

Tear.

I took a deep breath, acknowledged that it was purchased with a gift card from a student (one over $10, but he moved this week, so I'm pretty sure it was ethical to accept it) and went on with my life.

Scratch that, I'm still upset.

I should have taken a picture of my cart before I checked out. I didn't have that many items, but they included:

• a 33-pound bag of dog food
• three large boxes of diapers
• a large box of wipes
• a jumbo pack of toilet paper

That's just the big stuff. I had regular groceries too! I was convinced the whole thing would come crashing down before I reached the checkout. After all, that's how my night was going. But I made it all the way to the car sans catastrophe.

Grand total at Target:

Spent: $199.72

Saved: $78.87

Gift cards for future purchases: $20

Not bad, considering! The dog food is usually the hardest thing to get a good deal on, but tonight wasn't bad. On a normal run, I get the 20-lb bag of Iams for $17.89, or $0.89 per pound. Tonight, I got the 33-lb bag on sale for $29.99, plus I had a $3 Target coupon and $3 manufacturer coupon, for a total of $0.72 per pound. Win!

However, my favorite deal was on a pack of Archer Farm coffee. It was regularly priced at $6.89, on clearance for $3.44 (pretty sure it's been there since November, but the expiration date is in July. Probably won't last a week at school), plus I had a $1 Target coupon. Final cost, $2.44! I also got Alexia sweet potato fries (Super Bowl snack) for $1.09.

Next stop, Publix. My goal at Publix is always to save more than I spend. It's a lot easier to do there than Target. I had to buy formula, so I didn't think that was going to happen. Plus I bought alcohol (Mike's Lite Hard Lemonade was on sale. Like I wasn't going to buy some? I have to have something to drink on Sunday.)

Grand total at Publix:

Spent: $78.51

Saved: 79.30

Gift cards for future purchases: $10 (I was able to use the $10 off $100 coupon because my total before coupons was over $100)

My best deal was on a bottle of method baby shampoo. I love method products, and this was marked down from $5.29 to $2.65 and I had a $1.50 coupon! $1.15? Yes, please!

I also got 8 jars of Beech Nut baby food for $0.70 total (regularly priced $4.40), Ritz munchables for $0.50 a box (regularly priced $3.00), Oikos vanilla Greek yogurt for $0.20 (regularly $1.75 each), and Frizz-Ease styling spray for $1.38 (regularly $5.50).

So all in all tonight I spent $278.23 and saved $188.17 (including gift cards I'll use later this month). That's a 40% savings! Definitely worth the hour I spent planning.

If couponing sounds interesting to you, check out local coupon guru Laurie's site at http://passionatepennypincher.com/. You can also coupon with my friends and me at school at 3 p.m. on Thursdays if you're around. Or just ask for help one-on-one. I love talking coupons. :)

Good deals make me happy. Spilling my coffee does not.

Cooking for newbies

I thought about titling this post "Cooking for Dummies" but that seemed a bit offensive. Plus most people I know who don't cook aren't intimidated by it, they're just too busy. I promise these are both quick AND easy!

I don't cook as often as I'd like, but I do have some parameters under which most of my meals fall.

1. I prefer to cook in one set afternoon and freeze the meals, thawing weekly as needed. My favorite resource for freezer meals is http://onceamonthmom.com/. Definitely go check it out! (They even have gluten free, vegetarian, and kid-friendly menus!)

2. I try to make healthy, nutritious meals, not just processed stuff. I could make boxed mac & cheese or Hamburger Helper every night, but if you're going to do that, you might as well go through the drive thru!

3. If I'm not thawing a freezer meal, I usually have an hour or less from figuring out what we're going to eat until dinnertime. Fast is a must!

4. Spend some time at the beginning of the week making a meal plan. You will be less likely to eat out or eat junk food! I found this great project on Pinterest to help me do that more often.

5. I stockpile groceries based on sales so that I have staples on hand when I need to come up with something to eat. There are plenty of websites out there that will let you insert the ingredients that you have and spit out a recipe. I like the Kraft website for this reason. Plus most of their recipes are inexpensive, have few ingredients, and quick to prepare! Obviously they're promoting their products above others, but I trust you're intelligent enough to work around that. :)

Here's what I stockpile at my house for meal planning purposes:

• Proteins
• chicken breast
• ground turkey
• deli meat (go for the low fat, low sodium options)
• Boca meatless crumbles
• We don't eat much red meat (my choice) or fish (hubby's choice) in our house, but if you do, go for the lean versions!
• Carbs
• Pasta, particularly spaghetti (I do equal portions regular and whole grain as a compromise for my picky eater)
• Brown rice, not the instant kind
• Thomas' Light English muffins
• Sara Lee Whole Grain White bread (again, best compromise I have found)
• La Tortilla Factory high fiber tortillas
• Produce
• Fresh onion, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, baby carrots, and fruits (Should I buy organic or conventional? Check out this list of the worst offenders!)
• Frozen mixed veggies, broccoli, cauliflower, Ore Ida Steam and Mash potatoes, green beans, corn
• Dairy
• Skim milk
• sour cream
• plain yogurt
• vanilla yogurt
• cream cheese
• shredded cheese
• sliced cheese
• Laughing Cow cheese wedges (Not technically dairy, but that's where you'll find it at the grocery store. Did you know it doesn't have to be refrigerated? Scary!)
• Canned items
• Progresso soups (look for "low point" options)
• marinara sauce
• "Cream of" soups (look for low fat, low sodium options)
• Broth

I have a few favorite entrees I always fall back on, served with steamed veggies or a salad and fresh fruit. Keep in mind we're very chicken-happy in my house because it's one of the few proteins that we can agree on. Here they are!

• Fiber-Fried Chicken Strips
• Easy Shepherd's Pie (substitute Boca crumbles or ground turkey for ground beef and use fat free cream cheese to lower the overall Points value. Use Ore Ida Steam and Mash potatoes.)
• Chicken Caesar Sandwiches (Use La Tortilla Factory wraps or whole wheat buns. I use very little dressing, but I prefer the Kraft Caesar Vinaigrette.)
• Weight Watchers Chicken Salad (I prefer shredded chicken to cubed. See this pin for directions how! You can actually use leftovers from the Chicken Caesar sandwiches if you want.)
• Pepperoni Rolls (Substitute turkey pepperoni for regular and buy the fresh dough at the grocery bakery. Serve with a side of marinara.)
• Cheddar Chicken and Rice
• Weight Watchers Chicken Souvlaki 

If I don't have time to cook and I'm starving, I try to avoid snacking. Instead, make:

• La Tortilla Factory tortilla (2 points) + Laughing Cow cheese (1 point) + deli turkey (1-2 points depending on serving size) + 0 points options (lettuce, tomato, mustard) = 5 points!
• La Tortilla Factory tortilla (2 points) + 1/4 cup low-fat shredded cheese (4 points) + salsa = 6 points
• Thomas' Light English muffin (3 points) + Laughing Cow cheese (1 point) + 1/4 Cup Egg Beaters (2 points) = 6 points

Coming soon, SNACKING!