What kind of mom are you?

I belong to a parenting website that I joined a few years back that has helped me to sort of "define" myself as a mother in the sense that it has allowed me to develop views on things that I never would have even thought about before.

For example...who would have thought that I would grow up to be a non-circumcising, extended rearfacing, co-sleeping breastfeeder?! That's seriously not what I pictured myself being as a parent, I thought I was going to be much more...I don't know. Laid back, I suppose....but I'm not. I'm fiercely protective and anal about my children and I never thought I would be.

Anyway, I find in reading the website that I'm on that people tend to stick themselves in various catagories and I always wondered why...ex: "I'm a crunchy mama". I think it's possible to to define yourself in ways more than a parenting choice, if that makes sense (when talking strictly about parenting).

What kind of mom are you? Do you define yourself a certain way?

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Chop the following into large chunks and then pulse in the food processor:

1 lb container of strawberries
2-3 peeled kiwi
2-3 peeled apples

Voila! Fruit Salsa.

Serve with cinnamon chips:

Take one package of flour tortillas and cut into wedges (fairly small). Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spray with butter flavored cooking spray and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 until they look done (about 5-10 minutes).

Um, wish me luck with this one

So last night i took out stew meat to make beef stew today in the crockpot. Well I must have been smoking crack because I have NOTHING I need to make the stew I normally make. Sooooo....I put the stew meat, a can of cream o' mushroom soup, some marsala wine, and a packet of dry onion soup mix. I'm thinking.. Beef Burgandy, over egg noodles. Anyway, wish me luck. We'll see how this goes!

I have a question

What do you think is an appropriate budget for three people for groceries, for the week? I find myself spending about $100 and I'd like to cut some corners.

This weekend I shopped at Aldi and I liked how cheap it was- I've been pleasantly surprised at how good the food is, but i won't eat the meat. For some reason, it just didn't look good for me. So, any tips as to how I can cut costs on meat?

Also, does anyone here watch The Soup with Joe McHale? Last night I made chicken tetrazzini and all I could think about was the chicken tetrazzini clip. Lol.

Lame blog post? Yes. Help me out though :)

Herbed Orange Chicken with Olive Couscous

*Recipe adapted from e-mealz

For couscous:

One package of Near East plain couscous
chopped olives (at least 1/4 cup, but can add more)
Chopped parsley (at least 2 Tbsp, but as much as you like)
1/4 cup of chopped almonds
2 garlic cloves, chopped

Boil 2 cups of water (I always add olive oil, eyeballing about 2 Tbsp, otherwise the couscous can come out dry). I throw in the garlic before it starts to boil. After it boils, I throw in the olives, then add the couscous and cover. Let it sit for five minutes, then fluff with a fork and add the parsley and almonds.

For the chicken...

3 chicken breasts
Juice of two oranges (w/ pulp)
1-2 shallots, diced
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic, chili powder, honey, thyme

I coat the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme. No exact measurements, sorry :( Then I add olive oil to the pan and heat (you can also spray with cooking spray) and sear the chicken for three minutes on each side. I remove it to a pan on the side (do NOT let it cool down, keep it warm). Then I add the shallots, cooking for approximately one minute. I sprinkle with chili powder and saute for another 30 seconds. I add the orange juice which deglazes the pan, add some honey, allow it to boil and then reduce till it thickens slightly. Place the chicken in a glass pan, pour the sauce over it and allow it to cook 20-25 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken) at 375. (Oh yeah, pre-heat your oven).

Serve over couscous with plenty of sauce, salt to taste. :) Super simple, very delicious!!

Saturday Morning

I'm here with the two Spawn, Ben has the stomach flu and Nate is busy being adorable as usual :)

Anyway, I wanted to write about two things this morning while Ben is eating his yogurt and Nate is fascinated by his new discovery, Feet. My boy's a genius y'all, ya hear?? ;)

Anyway, the first is a website called BeFoodSmart.com. It was started by a software engineer and it's a good place to find information about food additives and their potential risk. The Carter household has been making an effort to eat more natural foods since Ben's birth almost two years ago, so I've been buying a lot of fresh fruit, organic crap, etc etc. But, like anyone, I have a weakness for processed foods. Who doesn't? Anyway, it's a great website for looking up additives that you have no idea what they are.

The other thing I would like to share with whoever is reading this is my favorite food blogger.

This is her website:

http://www.kaylinskitchen.com/

Here's a picture (Ok it's actually up top because blogger SUCKS) of her recipe for West African Peanut and Chicken stew that I make on the reg. Delicious AND cheap to make. How can you not love that?!

Nate Nate bo Bait, banana fana fo fate, me mi mo Nate....Naaaate

I just want to pinch his little cheeks!!!!!