Strawberry smoothie!

Do you have a whole bunch of buttermilk in your refrigerator like I do?  Up until recently, I've not really known what to do with it.  Then I had the brilliant idea of using buttermilk instead of regular milk in the smoothies that I craved while pregnant.  It worked perfectly and added a different taste with a creamier texture and a bunch of added protein.  This is what I do:

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup frozen fruit (I usually use strawberries.  They were on sale at Kroger for $1.50 last week, so I bought a bunch and flash froze them.  That just means that I lined them up on a cookie sheet and froze them before putting them into a ziploc freezer bag.  The same amount of store-bought frozen strawberries runs about $3).
2 T. sweetener (honey, maple syrup, or even just sugar works).

Blend it all together and voila!  A yummy treat for a pregnant lady.  Or any lady who has a major sweet tooth and is looking for a healthier way to satisfy it.

Brief hiatus!

Hello everyone!  I had my fourth child 10 days ago and have been completely enjoying welcoming her into our home.  I loved my stay at the hospital and loved eating the hospital food!  I  know, I'm a little bizarre that way, but there is seriously nothing better than lying in bed and having people bring you 3 meals a day.  With dessert at two of them!  I didn't even have to clean up after myself.  I stayed as long as they would let me.  Then, my parents came to visit for a week and split the grocery bill with us, which meant that we got to splurge a little and eat really good food.  Oh, and I can't forget to mention the neighbors that fed my family while I was in the hospital and brought us meals for the freezer to thaw when we needed them.  I have felt thoroughly spoiled...unfortunately for the blog, that means I have had nothing to post!  My meals are running out, though, and so I'll be back soon...

Couscous

I had never heard of couscous until a friend of mine from college told me about it.  Her parents were living in Saudi Arabia at the time and she swore up and down that couscous was her favorite thing about Saudi Arabia.  So I tried her recipe and loved it!  I have forgotten about it over the years, but after making chicken a few nights ago, we had just one chicken breast left and I wanted a recipe would utilize that one piece and not make me have to buy a whole new bag (Yes, it's cheaper to buy a whole chicken and debone it yourself, but I don't quite have the stomach for it.  My husband used to do it for us when we were super broke, but once he got a raise, we treated ourselves to the luxury of boneless skinless chicken breasts/tenderloins).  Anyway, when I went to Morocco a few years ago (don't worry, I went for free...I'm still a poor person) we went to a fancy restaurant and they served us couscous!  I was happy that I recognized the meal and assured my students (I was teaching at the time and took a group of students to Spain and morocco) that it was good food.  So without further ado, let me introduce you to the fabulous world of couscous!

1 1/4 C. chicken broth (remember to stock up on this when it's on sale at Thanksgiving.  I usually buy a case and use it throughout the year)

1 C. uncooked couscous (you can find it near the rice.  It comes in a small box.  Be sure to get the plain couscous and not the flavored kind).

1 T. butter

1/2 c. olive oil

3 T. fresh lemon juice (or you could use it from concentrate, too)

1 t. salt

1/2 t. ground coriander (optional...I don't use it)

1/2 t. dijon mustard (optional)

1 large clove garlic (optional)

Black pepper to taste

1 c. cooked, diced chicken

1 large green onion, diced (I don't put this in)

1 1/2 C. diced celery

1 large granny smith apple (cored and diced)

In saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil, add couscous and butter.  Bring to a boil again and cover.  Remove from heat, let stand 5 min, fluff with fork and let cool.  In small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, coriander, mustard, garlic and pepper - mix well.  In large bowl, combine cooked couscous, chicken, onions, apple and celery.  Add olive oil mixture, toss to coat.  For aesthetics, serve on lettuce.  Great as a main dish or served with lemon chicken meal (omit chicken from salad).

This was the first time we've had it since my kids have been older.  We made a HUGE mistake, though, and put in flavored couscous.  So when we added all of the other flavorings to it, it was quite over powering even for us.  Our kids were troopers, though, and took a few bites.  Then they asked politely for us to never make it again.  :)   We told them that there were too many spices in it and the next time we make it, we'll leave some of them out.  They seemed okay with that.  My mistake.  Believe it or not, there are times when I let my kids get away without eating their dinner, and this would be one of those times.  

Kraft fresh take review

I know, I know.  You can easily make this from scratch for less, but when you're nine months pregnant and your sweet husband is doing most of the cooking, you want to make it as easy as possible for him.  Or if you just want to save a few minutes, this is a decent choice.  I wasn't planning on buying these, but when I was in the store, they were on sale for $2.50 and there was a coupon dispenser right next to it for $1 off.  So I bought two for $1.50 a piece.  Lucky for me, chicken was also on sale for half off.  If you want to try it, you can download a coupon here. 

All you do is thaw some chicken, and throw it into these bags to coat them and then pop them in the oven.  I wasn't sure how my kids would react, but my concern was not necessary!  My 7 year old said that it was the best chicken he's ever had.  My two year old kept saying, "Nummy!  Nummy!"  My 5 year old was hesitant, but when we mentioned that there was pie when her chicken was gone, she ate it all without even making a face.  We served it with corn and biscuits.

Frozen bread dough

I don't typically like prepackaged food.  It seems so silly to pay more for something that you can just make yourself (and doesn't have as many preservatives).  BUT, considering that I'm nine months pregnant, I make some exceptions.  You can buy frozen bread dough in the freezer section (obviously).  They are whole loaves of bread dough.  I bought some for about $4.50 and it came with 5 loaves of bread.  You just lay it out for a couple of hours and let it rise, and then you have "fresh" dough to work with.  Here are two ideas about what to do with it:

1.  SCONES:  break off chunks of dough, flatten it with your hands, and fry it in hot oil.
            Once you have your scones made, you can do a couple of things with them.  My mom used to make Navajo tacos, which is just taco toppings on top of a scone.  You could also just slather them with honey butter and forget about the lack of real nutrients and the majorly high caloric and fat content.

2.  PIZZA ROLL:  Once the dough has risen, flatten out the entire roll, fill with pizza sauce and toppings, roll it up jelly roll style, brush it with water and sprinkle with salt, then bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Yummy, fast and easy!

grilled peanut butter

Some days, you just want an easy meal that will please the masses.  We all know about grilled cheese, but have you ever tried grilled peanut butter?  Same concept, just spread your bread with peanut butter instead of cheese. The peanut butter melts and makes for a delicious ooey-gooey sandwich.  You could also just toast the bread and the spread the peanut butter on while it's still warm.  Same effect, fewer calories!

Saving Star

Are you familiar with Savingstar.com?  If not, you should be.  What you do is link all of your shopping cards to the website.  You then go through a list of available "coupons" and click on the ones that you want activated on your cards.  Then, whenever you go shopping and purchase those items, instead of money being deducted from your bill, they actually put money into an account for you that you can use on several different things.  These can be combined with ANY paper or electronic coupons, so you can get some major savings.  One of the deals they are offering right now is $5 back when you spend $15 in quaker products.

I used the  money in my account for an amazon gift card. I was able to use that gift card to buy my cousin a wedding gift from her registry.  It's nice to be able to give people good gifts (that are actually wanted) and to be able to do it without breaking the bank.   It makes me feel smart.