thoughts from a soldiers wife...

Weekly menu (Menu Planning Monday)

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:54:00 +0000

I've been really good the last several months about making a weekly menu. It has really helped me to stay on track and the family likes looking at it posted on the fridge each morning and seeing what is scheduled!

I try very hard to have no preservatives, and as local and organic as possible. I am not perfect though and neither is my menu. I do make almost everything myself, so while there is a lot of grain items, they are normally freshly ground, whole wheat and as healthy as I can make them. Breakfasts for my son, which is what is listed, does normally have a good amount of carbs. He is diabetic and his lunch block is late in the day and after PE. We have found this works the best for him, to keep his glucose stable in the strived for levels so that he doesn't have to miss class, being in the nurses office, eating snacks and checking his glucose every 15 minutes to make sure it is high enough to keep him "normal"

Here is our menu for the week:

Breakfasts:
biscuit with cheese, banana, milk
wheat waffles, milk
eggs and toast, milk
pancakes, hot tea
oatmeal bar, milk
sausage and veggie omelet
cheese toast

(lunch box)Lunches: We use Laptop lunch boxes and love them!!We've had the same ones for 3 years now, and they are still going strong.
my husband normally brings leftovers from the night before, so these lunches are for my son.

peanut butter and banana wheat waffle sandwich, unsweetened applesauce, cheese stick, iced green tea
2 pizza roll up (made these several weeks ago and froze in portions for lunches), kiwi, mini homemade lara bar, water
turkey and cheese wrap, baked veggie chips, oatmeal raisin cookie, plum, iced green tea
peanut butter and homemade peach jam sandwich, unsweetened applesauce, cheese stick, water
cheese quesadilla, raisins, broiled chicken pieces, iced green tea

Dinners:
Ginger (local free range)chicken, brown rice, mixed veggie salad
bean and cheese burritos with various toppings and fresh veggies
BBQ (local pastured)pork chops, mac-cheese (my recipe), sliced cucumbers
Greek (local free range)chicken, bake potatoes, roasted tomatoes (still getting a few tomatoes from my garden)
spaghetti with marinara sauce, garlic bread, sliced peaches (enjoying the last of my local peaches)
(local, grass fed) steak, grilled potatoes, green beans
(local pastured) pork tenderloin, fresh made whole wheat pasta, veggies(picked up from Saturday's farmers market)

This post is linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Settling in....

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:27:00 +0000


Downtown building

We are now in SC. Our daughter is now all moved into the dorms and in NYC. My son is happily enrolled in a new school, and my husband is back at work after 30 days off for the move!


Welcome to our Home!

We've been working on building a chicken coop..and we have our chicks ordered. We ordered 5 Buff Orpington chicks after reading, and talking to several people. If anyone has any advice for backyard chickens, please share! We have so much to learn.

pick up from co-op

I have been pleasantly surprised by this area of SC. I admit I wasn't very happy about leaving Virginia, although as an Army wife, I know staying in the same place is normally not an option. We chose to leave about 40 minutes away from the post, in a smaller town, and we are loving it! The Farmer's Market is great! We've joined a weekly co-op for fresh produce, and I've found several good resources for pastured and grass fed meats. We have an Earthfare, and a nice local organic store with legal raw milk! So very excited about that :)

I'm working on a small fall garden and am hoping for some success. I inherited one when we moved into our new house, so I've been able to harvest tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, lavender, and lots and lots of basil.

Earlier this year, we lost our Collie-Shepherd Lizzie to old age. She went very peacefully and although we know she went pain free, it was still a very difficult time for us. After moving here, our son asked if we could get another pet, and we found Sebastian :) He is about 1.5 lbs of love, and is fitting into the family very well!


Sebastian

Sadly neglected little blog

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 11:59:00 +0000

Life has been so busy that the blog has been not on my mind...at all. We are all packed and ready to head to our new duty station tomorrow morning...and I'm pretty sure this PCS is real, we won't be back to Virginia this time...or at least not for a few years!

My daughter graduated high school, and in a few short weeks we will be dropping her off in NY for university. I'm so very proud of her. She received several great scholarship offers, and made her decision on some very impressive personal factors, but I'm still having time accepting the fact that I'll be living in SC now...and she'll be up in NY. ...and she turns 18 next week! Where did all the time go?

I did find out our new home is zoned so I'll be able to have a small backyard chicken flock! I'm so excited about that...and I'm hoping with the longer warm weather there, I'll be able to start a small fall/winter garden.

All of this will hopefully keep me busy so that I don't dwell on my daughter being away, or the fact that my baby will be 16 in a few months! NO!!!! How could this be??? I'll have to tackle that thought another day :)

The time is flying by....

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:39:00 +0000

I can NOT believe it is already the middle of February, 2012! We only have a little more than 3 months before our oldest graduates from high school! She has received her college acceptances, and some wonderful scholarship offers from most of the schools, but has now made up her mind...our little girl is going to be attending university in New York City! She was accepted at Fordham University and St John's University, and will be hearing from New York University on April 1. A change from the last few years when she was positive that she wanted to go to Catholic University in DC. She was accepted there and offered a great scholarship, but after a lot of thinking and research, she has decided on St Johns or NYU. I'm so proud of her, but a touch sad that she is growing up so fast...and growing away! We've found out we are on definite orders to South Carolina this summer, so we'll be moving farther away from NYC, but we have confidence in her! And I'll enjoy visiting her in the city :)

Having a high school senior stress!!

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Thanks goodness she's a great daughter! We are living, breathing, continuously talking SAT, GPA, transcripts, and college applications! She has applied to 5 so far, and has about 5 more on her list...received an acceptance and a very generous scholarship offer (Pretty awesome in about 2 weeks of time...thank goodness for priority apps), that I'm not able to talk about yet on facebook because she hasn't told her friends...Of course she did just receive it on Friday, so hopefully I can share the news soon :)

Working on graduation announcement ordering...so early in the year, but I guess time flies, and guest list for graduation party. We are combining our daughter's party with her best friends, so the two families are working together.

I really hope to start blogging again. It helps to just get my thoughts out, but right now I can't even find the time to have thoughts!!

Hello from....Germany...oh wait, nope....hello from Virginia!

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 22:28:00 +0000

By now, I thought we would be in Germany. The kids would be attending an American school, and I would happily be shopping through all the fresh markets in our little village.

Well, that didn't happen, but not until after we had packed up our house, put our second car in storage, dis enrolled the kids from school, said all of our goodbyes, and set up to see family and friends before flying across the Atlantic.
I'm not sure of the details, and I probably never will be, but in the end after everything, the decision was made that there was not adequate medical support for my son. I really do not think he would have been the only diabetic in the military population of approx. 100,000, but oh what do I know???

To make a long story short, we had to come back to Virginia, and wait to get the Germany orders deleted completely so that my husband didn't have to go without us and wait for our new assignment....2 weeks later, they let us know that we can stay in Virginia, right in our same area until next summer!

By God's mercy, we were able to get a spot back for both children in their school and now my daughter gets to graduate with her class, and my son gets to attend high school where he has planned for the last 3 years, and we were able to get housing on the Air Force Base. Tuesday our house hold goods come back to us, with the exception of our Unaccompanied Baggage which is still in Germany for the time being!

Anyhow...wanted to do a quick update, and I look forward to catching up!

Final Pack-out Day

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:44:00 +0000

This is the 4th and final pack out day at our house. This afternoon, the rest of our household goods will be leaving in crates on a big 18 wheeler. I'm not expecting to see them again for a few months. We are moving in peak PCS season. We'll be staying at the base Inn for a few days, and then as we make our way south, we'll stop on the way for a few college tours, just to make sure that CUA is the right fit for my daughter. Hopefully all will go well and we will be flying out to Germany the first week of August.
I'll work better on updating and sharing pictures as we start our new adventure!

For all those going to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter 7-2, have a wonderful and safe time! The kids are going, while we use that time to finish cleaning after the movers have left!

heading out for a long weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:23:00 +0000

The kids and I are going to start driving today up to my sister's so that we can bring my Dad. We have found him what looks like it's going to be a great place for him. My husband will be following tomorrow with our pet, Lizzie. I know my sister is going to take care of her while we are gone...but it feels like we are leaving a member of the family :( It's the best for her though, she is so old that the overseas trip and the indefinite kennel would not be the best course for her.

On our way back, we are stopping for a night in DC and have an appointment to tour Catholic University of America and my daughter has an appointment with an admissions counselor. I can't believe we only have a few weeks left to get everything done!

Happy 4th of July!

Progress has been made! (sort of)

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:22:00 +0000

Well, we now have OFFICIAL orders, that show with dependents. It does not yet say concurrent travel, but we are hoping that changes next week. Since my husband does have orders, he has a transportation appointment this morning...which means we will know today when our household goods are getting packed up. I'm not sure yet if they will let us know about shipping our vehicle, or if that is a different department. I guess we'll know today!

In the meantime, I think I've gotten a pretty good list of what we'll be storing here during our time in Europe. All of our appliances, all boxes in storage shed, dining room furniture, extra car (with sister), extra sofa, computer desks (get rid of desktop computers).

I can't decide if I should take my stand mixer and plug into a transformer, or to purchase one over there so that it can be plugged in wherever....hmmm....decisions!

As things get into high gear, I hope to blog more about how things are going.

It's getting close....

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:35:00 +0000

We are down to about a month before we leave Virginia. We are not planning on leaving for Germany until the 1st of August, but we need time to go and visit family, up and down the east :) My son has finished middle school, and had his 8th grade graduation last week....very happy and sad time. He's my baby, my young one and now he's going on to high school. My daughter is taking final exams this week and will finish 11th grade on Thursday. She finally broke down and told her friends and teachers that she was moving. She had to do it on her own time....needless to say, it sounds like we'll have a lot of teen visitors next summer :) which is okay with me!

We have found my Father what looks like will be a great place for him in Michigan, just a few miles from my sister. We'll be bringing him up there in a few weeks. I just couldn't leave him in Virginia with no family here. I think he'll be happy there, except for the cold winters.

I haven't been doing a lot of "cooking" cooking the past few weeks. We have had family here almost non stop since April, so while I've been cooking "real" food for them, not a lot of the more experimental things. My nephews did go home and let their Dad know that their Mom now knows how to make homemade waffles and bread, lol

We are excited for the most part about the move. We have so many places we want to visit while we are in Europe and are enjoying reading different tour guides.

I'm off now to enjoy a day where I don't have quite as much running around to do.
Happy Tuesday!

so much for posting on a regular schedule....

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Fri, 20 May 2011 15:36:00 +0000

Guess I know that I really don't have too much worth saying :) Things are just crazy here. We are finishing up with school. The kids are busy preparing for final exams, and my son graduates middle school in a week *sniff, sniff*. My baby will be in high school!!!

My daughter went to the prom last week! Where did my little girl go? Wow! I still can't believe she'll be a Senior next year.

We have our appt for passports next week....cutting it close, I know. This assignment has worked a little differently than our previous ones. I'm not sure if it is because it was a nominative assignment or what...but even though the orders are done, we still don't have hard copies. Not having the hard copy really makes getting things done difficult in the military world. I feel so bad that we are having to move just a few months after moving in, but these things can't be helped. We are still making decisions about cars to take and how much traveling to do here before we fly out. We really need to see the families that are scattered out, but I also feel like we should try to stay here as long as possible for the kids to see their friends. They've been here almost 5 years which means they have made some close, important friends. I feel like at their age, it's important, so we'll see how things go.

In the mean time, we are starting our Rosetta Stone German, and studying for our USAREUR drivers license and trying to start thinking in Euro. Wish us luck!

How do you downsize?

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Mon, 02 May 2011 15:13:00 +0000

From what we have been told, and while looking at housing available in the area in Germany we are moving to, it seems we'll be moving into a much smaller home for the 3 years. For those of you that have moved overseas, or to a smaller place, for a few years...how do you decide what to store and what to bring? I'm assuming that we should probably only bring one table...but do we bring the kitchen table, or the dining room set? Do we need to downsize to full beds? The military will pay for one car being shipped. Do we pay for the other out of pocket, or do we store one and buy an old one once we get there? How do you decide which car to bring, which to store...or do we sell one of the cars? We just bought our daughter a car a month or so ago. Should we leave that one here, so that if she comes back in a year to attend college in the states, she'll have one? Oh...decisions, decisions....so many how do we questions....

Transitioning into a different direction...

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:02:00 +0000

image found here

I'm going to try to start moving my blog into a (slightly) different direction, at least for the next several months, I think.
We have recently been given the news that my husband is on orders for Germany, which means big changes for us. We are waiting for the official orders, which has to go through EFMP, because of our son's diabetes, etc. We don't foresee it to be a problem as they have a comprehensive military medical center there, so we are cautiously getting excited. The biggest obstacle is the fact that we will be moving between my daughter's junior and senior year. We have had stability these last 5 years, and that is going to be hard to give up. We discussed the option with my daughter of letting her stay with friends to finish up her senior year, but she decided (thank goodness!) that she didn't want to be away from us....so during the next few months, I thought I'd blog about the craziness that will be our life as we PCS overseas with two teen-agers, and a geriatric dog. We have about 2 and 1/2 months to get ready....and 1 deep freeze, and 2 fridge freezers full of food, so I'm going to be (finally) shopping much less so that we can eat what we have......

An Easy Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:19:00 +0000

My children love cinnamon and peanut butter, so sometimes for breakfast they have cinnamon swirl bread with peanut butter and cream cheese spread. I usually make the bread the day before, and then toast it the next morning if they would like it warm.

The recipe for Cinnamon Swirl Bread is as follows:

Ingredients
1 packet of rapid rise, or quick yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 tablespoons of sugar ( I used Sucanat)
3 1/2 cups of unbleached, all-purpose flour ( I used soft white wheat berries to grind the flour)
2 teaspoons of kosher or sea salt
1/4 cup of dry non-fat milk
2 tablespoons of butter, cut up into small pieces
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of luke-warm water (about 100 degrees)

1 tablespoon sugar (sucanat)
1 tablespoon of cinnamon ( I used 2 tablespoons. My family really loves cinnamon)

Egg wash:
One egg mixed with 1 teaspoon of water
Directions

Mix all the ingredients (except cinnamon and sugar) into your bread machine according to manufacture's directions and set on dough setting and proceed to step 4.
Alternately, mix the dry ingredients (except cinnamon and sugar) into a large bowl. Cut the butter in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse sand. Add the water and stir with a spoon until moistened. The dough will be a shaggy mess. Cover with a dishtowel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead for 8 minutes, or until dough is soft and smooth. Place in a greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for at least one hour, or until double in size. If your kitchen is cold or drafty, heat your oven to 175 degrees. When it is at temperature, turn off the heat, and place the bowl inside the oven to rise. Check after 45 minutes to see if it has risen enough.
Turn out the dough onto a floured board and roll to an 8x15 inch rectangle. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle liberally all over the dough, right to the edges. Roll tightly, starting at the shorter end. Tuck ends under and place seam side down in a greased standard-size (8 1/2 x 4 1/2) loaf pan.
Let rise for one hour more, or until dough has come one inch above the edge of the pan. About 20 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top of the loaf all over with the egg wash and place in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until loaf is golden brown on top and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom. If the bread is getting overly brown at the end of baking, it may be necessary to cover lightly with foil. Turn out from the pan and let cool on a rack. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Peanut butter & cream cheese spread
I don't use a recipe for this. I use about 1/2 a block of cream cheese with a few tablespoons of peanut butter. Sometimes I'll add just a small amount of honey as well. Blend it really well and then spread on warm cinnamon bread. If you put the spread in the fridge you may want to have it out on the counter for a few minutes so that it is easier to spread.

This post is linked at Full Plate Thursday

Pineapple Sherbet

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 16:44:00 +0000

I am making this right now for a sweet, but healthier alternative. This came from my Cooking Light Magazine, March 2011 issue. I adapted it slightly to better suit us, but the original is available on their website.


image from Cooking Light

Pineapple Sherbet
adapted from Cooking Light (via myrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1/3 cup Sucanet
2/3 cup water
4 cups cubed pineapple
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon golden cane syrup
1/8 tsp salt

Combine sugar and 2/3 cup water in a microwave-safe dish; microwave at HIGH for 4 minutes. Stir until sugar dissolves; cool completely. Combine syrup, pineapple, and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Strain mixture though a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Pour into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 2 hours or until firm.
*I just finished removing it from the ice cream maker and sneaking a little taste, am very pleased with it!

This post is linked at Real Sustenance Seasonal Sunday

Blueberry and Honey Cream Cheese Pannekoeken

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:27:00 +0000

picture credit here

We are Pannekoeken lovers here. In fact, although I don't use mixes often, I confess that I love the Honey Gold Dutch Pannekoeken mix from The Prepared Pantry.

But....for this blueberry pannekoeken, I didn't use a mix. I made it in about 2-3 minutes and popped it in the over. It was so so delicious!

I have a pannekoeken pan, but you do not have to have one. You can use whatever you have available!
Try one...they are really simple and really good!

Blueberry Pannekoeken (from The Prepared Pantry Recipes)

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
3 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour*
1 cup more or less fresh or individually frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Place the butter in a pannekoeken pan or an ovenproof skillet with rounded sides.
2. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Put the rack in the center, not the top, shelf. When you turn the oven on, place the pan with the butter in the oven. When the oven reaches 250 degrees the butter should be melted. Remove the pan from the oven.
3. Whisk the eggs and the salt in a medium bowl. Add the milk. Whisk in the flour until nearly smooth. Your batter is now ready.
4. Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the blueberries over the batter.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top starts to turn golden brown. Serve hot with Honey Whipped Cream Cheese.

Honey Whipped Cream Cheese

4 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons honey or to taste

a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg (optional, I used cinnamon)

Directions:

1. Place all three ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft and smooth.

Enjoy!

*( I am out of soft wheat berries, so did not try substituting the flour with wheat, but plan on trying that when my bulk order comes in)

This post is linked at Fat Camp Friday

Some donation information for Japan

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0000

My heart was heavy when I woke up to this news just a few days ago. I can't imagine the feelings and emotions of the people affected by this. If you are interested in donating and not done so yet, here are a few sources that can help you.

Catholic Relief Society

CRS Ready to Respond to Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

Catholic Relief Service personnel throughout the Pacific are standing ready to assist those affected by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan early Friday morning.

“We know from 2004 the devastating impact that these tsunamis can have,” said Sean Callahan, CRS’ executive vice president for overseas operations. “As with all such disasters, CRS will help people recover from the emergency and stand with them as they recover in the months and years to come.”
Caritas Japan is beginning to assess the needs in that country where the tsunami has caused extensive damage. CRS has programs in the Philippines and Indonesia and works with Caritas Oceania that is active in numerous islands in the Pacific that might be affected. Central American countries where CRS works could also be in danger.
“We will reach out to our Caritas partners to help them in any way we can,” Callahan said.

Massive Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

Catholic Relief Services personnel throughout the Pacific are standing ready to assist those affected by the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan March 11th.
Our partner, Caritas Japan is assessing the needs where the tsunami has caused extensive damage. CRS has programs in the Philippines and Indonesia and works with partners in numerous islands in the Pacific that might be affected. Central American countries where CRS works could also be in danger.
Click here to donate.

American Red Cross
To Donate click here

American Red Cross Responding to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami

Saturday, March 12, 2011 — The American Red Cross is offering assistance to the Japanese Red Cross following Friday’s magnitude 8.9 earthquake and resulting tsunami that left towns and villages in Japan devastated.

The earthquake triggered fires and caused severe damage to buildings, leaving five million households without electricity and 1 million without water. Early assessments indicate that more than 2,500 houses have collapsed completely, with 2,500 more damaged.
In addition, as part of preparations for the impact of the tsunami on Hawaii and the West Coast, the American Red Cross provided shelter and comfort to people forced to evacuate from their homes. Red Cross chapters in California, Oregon and Washington opened evacuation centers supporting more than 2,500 people seeking refuge from the tsunami waves. Warehouses and mobile feeding vehicles remain on alert in case they are needed.
Since early Friday morning, we have been in close contact with our colleagues in the Pacific region to offer our support and learn more about the humanitarian needs. The Japanese Red Cross has indicated that it would accept financial support from the American Red Cross for its role providing first aid, emotional support and relief items to those displaced.
On Sunday, the American Red Cross will deploy a disaster management expert from its Washington, DC headquarters to Japan for a week-long mission. She will serve on a seven-person, international team focused on providing high-level support and advice to the Japanese Red Cross, which continues to lead the local earthquake and tsunami response.
To date, the Red Cross has not received any requests for blood from the Japanese Red Cross, the Japanese government or the United States State Department.
In the first 24 hours, the Japanese Red Cross dispatched 62 response teams. These medical relief teams – made up of about 400 doctors, nurses and support staff – are already providing assistance in affected areas through mobile medical clinics, as well as assessing the damage and needs of the communities affected.
More than 300,000 people who were evacuated before the tsunami struck have been housed in temporary centers set up in schools and public buildings where the Red Cross has distributed upwards of 30,000 blankets so far.
The damage caused to the Fukushima nuclear power plant has resulted in serious concerns. The Japanese Red Cross Society remains prepared to support those evacuated from the exclusion zone, and continues to closely monitor the situation.
“The Japanese Red Cross has diligently trained over the past decade, and are able to put their training into practice by assisting the affected people,” said Tadateru Konoé, president of the Japanese Red Cross Society.
Investments in early-warning systems and disaster preparedness and other training programs, including those from the American Red Cross following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, paid off in the Pacific Basin yesterday. Red Cross societies in Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Palau and Fiji, for example, undoubtedly saved lives by alerting and evacuating residents when the tsunami warnings sounded.

To respond to the needs of those concerned about relatives in the affected regions International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is encouraging those living overseas to make use of its restoring family links web page: www.icrc.org/familylinks.
Those who want to help can go to www.redcross.org and donate to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. People can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

Donors can text “Japan” to 80888 to donate $10 to Salvation Army efforts. They can visit mobilecause.com for terms and conditions and should respond “Yes” to a “Thank you” message they receive.

Donors can text “Redcross” to 90999 to donate the same amount to that organization.

Donations can always be made online to www.redcross.org or www.salvationarmy.org.

The following are just a few other charity groups in the mix for Japan relief donations. They also meet the BBB’s charity accountability standards:

* Oxfam America - www.oxfamamerica.org

* World Vision - www.worldvision.org

* Catholic Relief Services - http://crs.org

http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2011/03/donating_to_japan_earthquake_r.html

what's for dinner this week?

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:11:00 +0000

Here is what we are planning for dinner this week at our house! Lent starts this week, so this will be reflected in the menu.

Monday-
Honey Grilled Ribeyes (From Sunday Dinner with Adam Levine of Maroon 5)
Cheesy Potatoes (from Modern Alternative Mama In the Kitchen- Real Food Basics)
Steamed Broccoli
Wheat yeast Rolls

Tuesday-
Shrimp Po' Boys
fresh french fries
Red Velvet Ice Cream

Wednesday
pasta with cheese
green beens

Thursday
fresh pizza
salad

Friday

Riz National (from Haiti)

Riz National is from Operation Rice Bowl

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup rice, uncooked
2 cans kidney beans, drained
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp oregano
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2½ cups water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Fry onion, garlic and green pepper in oil until tender. In a separate bowl, combine and mix all remaining ingredients. Add the onion mixture to the bowl and stir well.
Pour mixture into a medium-sized casserole dish. Cover and bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about an hour. Stir before serving.

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at Org junkie.com

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Review

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:40:00 +0000

Several weeks ago, I was sent a quart size of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. Unfortunately, it has taken me a little longer than I would have liked to write about it, because I was in the middle of having my deployed husband return (Yay!!!) and moving. I did get the chance to use the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil in several different recipes though and it was delicious! It is definitely my must use now for my bread making, as well as my roasted sweet potatoes and russet potatoes. I also used it to saute some broccoli and onions with garlic. It gave the veggies a slightly exotic taste and scent. Very good! There are so many great recipes available to make chocolate, fudge, candy bars, and although I haven't made them all yet, the "mounds" candy bars that I did make were delicious. When I make our breakfast smoothies, I add a bit of the Virgin Coconut Oil while blending and we are able to get the healthy benefits of the coconut oil, with a slight coconut taste! It goes great with the berries in the triple berry smoothie, and for a yogurt parfait, it is wonderful with the easy granola recipe. I am looking forward to making curries with this and since Lent is almost here, I'm going to use it in my curried lentils and sweet potatoes, substituting the coconut oil instead of the olive oil. For a quick meal, scramble some eggs with veggies in a little coconut oil for delicious and healthy.

At first, I was a bit disappointed, as I didn't think the scent of the oil was coconut-y enough. After a few minutes though, I realized this was a good thing with my family. They all claim to intensely dislike anything coconut, but without the strong coconut scent, they didn't even realize that most of what they were eating had coconut oil in it.

I decided to try conditioning my hair with it as well, and was very pleased. It left it very soft and shiny looking. I have a lot of hair, but it is fine and knots very easily. This was a nice way to deep condition it, and I will be doing this about once or twice a month from now on.

They have a lot of coconut recipes online here. My next recipe I'll be trying is Island Rice with Chicken. It sounds so good!

I know that most everyone has heard about all the great benefits of coconut oil, so I will not repeat them, and if you'd like to read more, Tropical Traditions has great information. They also have a wonderful video about how they discovered virgin coconut oil.

In my opinion, and from what I have heard from other customers, Tropical Traditions has great customer service, and they often run specials on their products. Like them on facebook and follow them on Twitter to keep up with them!

They have a great resource available, Virgin Coconut Oil Book, to new customers with their first order. If you would like to use my user ID,choose “Referred by a Friend” and enter my User ID: 6972736 on your first online order.

This is my very first review, and as such, I'm sure it's apparent that I'm not professional. What I am is a wife and a Mother who is trying her best to take care of my family in the best and healthiest way possible. I was very glad to review Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, and I am very pleased with it. I think the taste, texture, everything about it is superb, and I will definitely be incorporating it into as much of my food preparation as I can. I am happy that I've discovered this company, and I am currently working on an order now. They have several great specials going on currently and I plan on taking advantage of them.
I hope you'll give Tropical Traditions a try, and I think you'll be very happy with their products.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.

Coming soon.....

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:03:00 +0000

We have finally cleared base housing! Yay!!! What a lot of stress...I do this everytime we clear base housing, and it's always an over reaction as we are fine! Still....

Upcoming, I'm going to discuss how I'm slowly trying to wean my recently returned soldier off of junk food :) There may be some instances where I'm more likely to pull my hair out, but I'm hoping for a compromise that will make us both happy :)

I have really been enjoying my Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil that I received from Tropical Traditions. I've been cooking a variety of things with it, and will be posting my review of it this week. I'll also share what recipes I have been using it for.....and not all of it involves edibles :)

Tonight we are having slow cooked beef ribs, fresh wheat bread, baked beans, and potato salad!
I'm thinking of making a small treat, but do not know if I'll find time :)

What are you having this evening for dinner?

Dinner at our house...

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:15:00 +0000

Last week was an epic fail for healthy, local eating. In between the excitement of my husband being back home and moving, we depended on take out, and quick not so healthy meals quite often. While the unpacking and settling in is not complete yet, it has taken on the look and feel of home, so I'm getting back into the groove of things.
This weeks dinners:

BBQ pork chops, baked macaroni and cheese, crowder peas (from my garden last summer. I am so geeked still that I was able to grow these)

Roast chicken, roasted sweet & white potatoes with coconut oil (yummy), wheat bread, asparagus

Country fried steak, baked beans, steamed broccoli, kneadless bread
I will attempt gravy for the beef, but I fail the great majority of the time with gravy.

French Beef Stew, sourdough french bread, baked brown rice,

Stuffed baked potatoes, Caesar Salad

This post is linked with Menu Plan Monday

What's going on around here??

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 14:06:00 +0000

I've been absent this week, but don't forget to go take a look at the delicious sounding and looking recipes around the blogs this week. Over at Full Plate Thursday there are some really great links! There is a link for healthy homemade pop-tarts, that I have definitely got to try. My son loves pop-tarts and he misses them so much, but I just can't bring myself to even slide a little and give him the conventional ones at the store.

....also don't forget about Fat Camp Friday. There are so many delicious entries that I've been giving my printer a work out this morning. I can't wait to try the baked doughnuts, Tomorrow is Seasonal Sunday, and I'm sure I'll get some inspiration there!

What have I been doing this week? Well, I've tried to pack at least several boxes a room this past week, had my share of watching soldiers deploy, and anxiously awaiting my soldier's return tomorrow! I'm going to make some special treats today because it's been so long since he's had good, fresh, healthier sweets. Most of them involve coconut oil, which I have really worked into our daily routine. I'm looking forward to getting my order, I think today, of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions. This will be my first time using Tropical Traditions coconut oil, and I'm really excited to try it. I have read so many good things about it.
Some of the treats I plan on making: Homemade healthy "mounds" bars and marbled fudge. I am also going to make a batch of yogurt today and Easy Granola. We eat a lot of yogurt and granola around here...and my husband really loves it too :)
I'm still debating on what to make for Valentine's Day dinner. In a normal year, we would go out for a nice dinner, like The Melting Pot, which we've always enjoyed. This year, since he'll have just gotten home, we want to stay in and relax and enjoy being back together as a family. I'm thinking simple. We have some beautiful T-Bones that are in the freezer from the farm. I bought a simple red wine yesterday from World Market, and some (out of season for Va, but picked up yesterday in Florida) strawberries for a light dessert.

We'll be in the new house by the end of next week, and I hope to start back with my menu planning, as it helps me to stay on track!

What are your Valentine Plans?

Herbed Wheat Bread

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 14:36:00 +0000

Herbed Wheat Bread

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup honey
2 packages of yeast
3/4 cup chopped scallions, green and white parts (about 2 bunches)
1/3 cup oil (the recipe says vegetable oil, but I do not use that type. I substitute with coconut oil, EVOO, or butter)
1 cup warmed milk
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley (about 2 bunches)
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 cups whole wheat flour
2-3 cups organic, unbleached, all purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (for greasing bowl and pans)
1 egg white, lightly beaten, optional for a glaze

This makes 2 loaves.
In a large bowl, combine the water and the honey. Add the yeast and stir until it dissolves.
Add the scallions, oil, milk, parsley, salt, dill weed, and whole wheat flour. Stir until the dough is smooth. Add enough of the all purpose flour to make a stiff dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth. Grease a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Place the dough in the bowl, cover it lightly, and let it rise in a warm place until it is doubled, about 1 hour. Punch the dough down and shape it into 2 loaves. Grease the two loaf pans with 1 tablespoon of butter each. Fit the dough into the pans, and let it rise, lightly covered, until doubled, about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375.
If desired, bursh the ops of the loaves with a small amount of the beaten egg white. Bake the loaves for 35 to 40 minutes, until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove the pans to a cooling rack. After 5 minutes turn the loaves out of the pans and let them cool completely.

This goes great with creamy soups!

This recipe is linked to Full Plate Thursday and Fat Camp Friday

Mozzarella,Raspberry, and Brown Sugar Panini

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:11:00 +0000

I missed out last week on all the blog activity with menu's and recipes :( I missed it, but I have been so busy, and we've been improvising a lot with menus. I'm slowly bringing over boxes, etc to the new house, so that there will not be quite as much to move when my husband gets home ( 12 days!), but I've collected so much stuff that it is hard to weed it out. This week is Catholic Schools Week, so there are extra activities at school just about each day too...so this week is shaping up to be a busy one. We won't even get started on the meetings on the schedule for me :)

anyway......here is a recipe I wanted to share for simple and delicious.

Mozzarella,Raspberry, and Brown Sugar Panini

8 (1/2-inch thick) slices bakery-style white bread ( I used my recipe for wheat, adapted slightly from Marilyn's Famous Whole Wheat bread)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup raspberry jam
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
8 ounces (2 balls) fresh mozzarella, drained and patted dry
kosher salt, optional
2 tablespoons light brown sugar ( I used Sucanat)

Directions

Special equipment: a panini press If you do not have a panini press, you can use a George Foreman, or improvise with a skillet. I use a George Foreman.
Preheat the panini press.
Using a pastry brush, brush the bread on both sides with the oil. Spread 1 side of each slice of bread with the raspberry jam. Sprinkle the rosemary over the jam. Cut the mozzarella into 8 slices. Place 2 slices of cheese on 4 of the bread slices. Season the cheese with a pinch of salt, if using. Place the remaining slices of bread on top, jam-side down. Sprinkle the tops with the brown sugar. Press in the panini press for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden and crispy.
Cut the panini in half and serve.

Adapted from Giada At Home

Easy Granola Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (a soldiers wife) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:18:00 +0000

While reading the The Finer Things in Life blog, I saw the recipe for Crystal's Lazy Granola. I decided to try it, as it seemed really simple and easy...and I had recently run out of granola for my morning yogurt.
Anyway, it's a hit here at our house. It was so easy, and delicious.
The original recipe didn't specify Coconut Oil, but that is what I used, and the flavor of the granola is great!

1/2 cup brown sugar ( I used Sucanat)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup raw honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
7 cups old fashioned oats

Mix the sugar, oil, and honey in small pan, and bring to a low boil.
Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon and vanilla.
Pour over oats in a large bowl. Stir until well coated.
Spread oats on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.
Take out and stir.
Return pan to oven. Turn oven off.
Go to bed.Wake up to granola!