Random Pictures and a Breakfast Casserole

I'm bit low on cash this week so I decided to make a breakfast casserole and some crockpot oatmeal for the week for Ben and myself. (I use steel cut oats, brown sugar, dates, and cinnamon).

I used a variation of Kalyn's kitchen: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2005/07/broccoli-cheese-breakfast-casserole.html

I changed it a little bit - for example, I only used 9 eggs, I used chopped broccoli, and I added garlic and oregano.

It was delicious, although I think because I used less eggs it was a little flatter than the one in Kalyn's pictures. :)

Videos :)

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!!