Menu Monday

In the future, I plan on listing a weekly menu on Mondays but today I'm just going to share a few things that I've found while searching for recipes.
Normally what happens is...I do a google search for something and after clicking link after link arrive at something that catches my eye and  have no idea how I got to this particular page...and that's  how I found www.meatlessmonday.com!
The goal is to help you reduce meat consumption by 15%  in order to impove personal health. I think it's a good idea whether you are wanting to make the switch to a plant based diet or just to give your body a break one day out of the week.
Our family goal is to be on an 80% plant based diet so this is a good resource for me. I guess I'll have to start next Monday because I've already had bacon today :) Bacon GOOD!
Anyway...I find myself thinking "What am I going to eat if I'm not eating meat?" but the options are really endless.There is a ton of information available  at our fingertips.
Here is a recipe I found at www.mindbodygreen.com:
Vegan Protein Smoothie/Chocolate Almond Smoothie
1/2 serving Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer Chocolate By Vega - 37.8 Ounces
2 cups cold water OR 1 1/2 cups water and 1 cup ice
1 banana
1/2 pear OR 1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup almonds (soak raw almonds overnight)
You can send away for a Free Vegetarian Starter Kit at www.peta.org and find more information and recipes at www.eatwellguide.org
 If you live some sort of vegetarian lifestyle I would love to hear your comments or advice for someone that is just starting out.
Enjoy your Monday!

Adventures in Blogging

I really don't know what makes me think I have any business writing a blog. I'm just a housewife afterall, right? Scratch that. I'm so much more than just a housewife. I'm kind of a "woman of all trades" you may say. I run an organization that requires me to make hundreds of decisions every day. I'm a property manager, nurse, cook, accountant, project planner, chauffeur, and referee.

If you're reading this, chances are pretty good you could add most of those qualities to your resume as well. It's an unfortunate fact that society doesn't give us moms enough credit, so a prospective employer would look at you as though you've been at home twiddling your thumbs and eating bonbons for the past however long you've been just a houswife.

This year, I am adding teacher to that list. Yep, this will be our first year homeschooling the kids and, in all honesty, I think it scares the daylights out of everyone. If you mention homeschooling, some people act like it's a four-letter word that shouldn't be said even in a dark room. I'm the first one to admit we aren't your "typical" homeschooling family. My kids are not angels and I'm no Michelle Duggar by any means. But, we will be fine. Sometimes I refer to it as a God-thing. That's the only way to explain it. I heard God's little whisper and followed it, as crazy as it seems to the rest of the world.

SO, I thought to myself..."Self, Why not go ahead and add another thing to that list and start a blog", and here I am.

I'm just trying to do the best I can in this life that God blessed me with. I'm learning as I go, and I know I will stumble along the way, but that's ok.

It's my hope that this blog will be a help to you; a place you can come to for tips with cooking, meal planning, grocery shopping, coupon clipping, and money-saving advice. If you find something you like, please share it with your friends and if you have something to share please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for visiting my little corner of the world!

What's Cooking

I'm testing a few new recipes this week. Some wouldn't be considered "diet safe" so use your judgement when trying them for yoursef.
We found some bison meat at Kroger, so I made Bison Burgers for dinner tonight using this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/brad-sorenson/bison-burger-with-garlic-mayo-and-caramelized-onions-recipe/index.html?soc=share. They were absolutely delicious!
My husband got in the kitchen and made Crab Rangoon that was also quite scrumptious.
Items on the menu for the rest of the week, in no particular order...
Fried Green Tomatoes
Flat Iron Steak
Pizza Style Portabella Mushrooms
Catfish
Lamb Steaks
Ground Veal
I'll post the recipes as I make them.
What's on your menu this week?