Nourishing Heart & Home

Some neat freebies!

2009-11-11T10:38:00.000-06:00

There are a couple more neat freebies that I wanted to let you know about this morning before the day got totally away from me....

FREE EBOOK: My friend, Marilyn Moll, is offering her A Beginner's Guide to Baking Bread ebook for free...today only! Click here to go to Marilyn's site where you can download a copy. Sign up for Marilyn's newsletter while you are there!

50 FREE PHOTO CARDS: Get 50 absolutely free photo cards...yes they are really free! You can select 4x6 or 5x7, upload photos, etc. They even come with envelopes! Click here to go to the Freebies 4 Mom blog where you will find all the details, including the discount code to use. This offer is good until November 30th only!

I pray each of you have a wonderful day!

The Glorious Coming ebook - On Sale Today Only at The Old Schoolhouse Store

2009-11-11T06:58:00.001-06:00

If you missed out on the giveaway yesterday, you might want to get in on the special sale of The Glorious Coming ebook over at The Old Schoolhouse Store! For today only, you can buy this ebook for only $5.00!

Click here to go to The Old Schoolhouse Store to buy your copy today! (Just do a quick search for "The Glorious Coming" and you'll find it!

November eBook Giveaway Winners!

2009-11-10T06:54:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to the following three ladies who won a copy of this ebook this month:

Shelly R.
Michelle G.
Eloise B.

I will be emailing you ladies the download link shortly! Enjoy!

Be sure to check back at the beginning of each month for our monthly ebook giveaway! Have a wonderful week.

New eBook - The Duties of Parents

2009-11-09T09:05:00.000-06:00

A reader recently suggested that I add The Duties of Parents to my product list. I am so glad she emailed me about this wonderful little book by J. C. Ryle for parents. It is excellent! While it can be found online, I could not find it in a nice printable format. So I decided to go ahead and get it in a nice format for you to print, read, and study. I have also included some journal pages at the back for your use while you read through this ebook.

Click here to buy this ebook today for only $3.95!

Some Updates and Reminders

2009-11-09T06:00:00.023-06:00

I had a few items that I wanted to post about this morning:

1 - I have updated my website a bit! I rearranged a few things to hopefully make it easier to navigate. One big addition to my website that I will be working on in the days ahead is transferring all my recipes from my Nourishing Cookbook blog to my website. My "Recipes" section will be under construction for a while, but you can see what I have done so far! Hop on over and take a look.

2 - Just a reminder that the ebook giveaway will end tonight! Be sure to enter. I'll be selecting the winners tomorrow morning. Click here for details on this month's giveaway.

3 - The SpellQuizzer giveaway will end on Thursday night. I'll be selecting the winner on Friday, the 13th. Click here for the details on this giveaway.

4 - The special sale on Amy Puetz's book, Countdown to Christmas, will end Monday, November 16th! Click here to see all the details on this sale.

I pray each of you have a wonderful day in the Lord!

Reminder: Countdown to Christmas Sale!

2009-11-08T06:00:00.001-06:00

Just a quick reminder about the special sale that Amy is running for my readers....here is a repost about that sale.....

Special Sale for My Readers
November 1-16
Softcover book: $20 (normally $25)

Last year I purchased Amy Puetz's ebook, Countdown to Christmas, but was not able to use it all because we went out of town for the holidays. Well...this year I plan on working through each day with my kids...counting down the days until Christmas! I can't wait! There are stories to read each day, activities to do, games to play...it all looks like so much fun! I always plan a lighter school schedule during December, so we will have time to do some holiday related activities...this book will fit right in!

Amy now is offering her Countdown to Christmas book in a softcover version...and she is offering a special sale to my readers. This book normally sells for $25, but you can get your copy for only $20 (plus S&H), between November 1-16!

To get this special discount, use this discount code at checkout: C2CSheri

Click here to go to the product page for all the details on this delightful book!

Pumpkins - How To Make Puree and Recipes!

2009-11-05T07:57:00.002-06:00

I have never baked pumpkins and made puree before, so I did some research and found some instructions on the internet. Now I need to go shopping and see if I can find some "cheap" pumpkins! I thought I'd post the instructions here for others who may want to give this a try.

HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN PUREE

Baking the seeds. Start by cutting the top of the pumpkin off and pulling out all of the seeds. Remove all the seeds and put them in a bowl of water. Try to get off as much of the stringy stuff as you can.

Next put the pumpkin seeds in a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. You can add some salt to the water if you want, then you won't have to add as much salt to the seeds when you bake them. Once the water is boiling, allow to continue boiling for about 30-45 minutes. The seeds should start to change color when they are done. When that happens then you know they are ready to be baked.

After the seeds are done boiling, the seeds need to be drained and spread out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the seeds with some salt if you want. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour (you can test the seeds to see when they are done).

Making the puree. You can cook the pumpkin whole or cut into sections and place face down on a baking sheet with sides. Add some water to the bottom of the baking sheet - enough to cover the bottom. Bake the pumpkin at 375 degrees F for 1 hour (or until the inside is soft). Remove from the oven and drain any excess water. Scrape any remaining “stringy stuff” from the pumpkin.

Scrape the meat away from the skin and put it in a blender or food processor. Once in the blender puree the pumpkin until there are no more lumps. The end product will be nice and smooth.

Now transfer your pumpkin puree into freezer bags or containers and store in your freezer. You can store in 2-cup portions or in whatever portions you will mostly use in recipes.

Now you are ready to do some baking! You can try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (find recipes here and here) (which I made for breakfast today) or look through this huge list of pumpkin recipes here.

Our Fall Party

2009-11-04T08:10:00.000-06:00

Last Friday morning we had a Fall party with the kids. It was a lot of fun.I thought I'd post what we did to maybe give you some ideas for some fun things you could do with your kids!

The first thing we did was make some pumpkins to decorate our table for our party. These are those pumpkins you make by covering a roll of toilet paper (full) with fabric, then make felt leaves and a lunch sack rolled up for the stem. You can find the directions here. The kids had fun making these.

The next thing we did was read about a couple missionaries: Hudson Taylor and Amy Carmichael. After we read about Amy Carmichael, we played a little game. We rounded up a bunch of babies and Sarah hid them. Then the rest of the kids had to quietly come out and "rescue" these babies and take them back to their house (the playroom closet)...just like Amy Carmichael rescued baby girls from the temples in India.

Next we had a snack - snack mix (pretzels, fish crackers and candy corn), and homemade hot chocolate. Yummy!

Next on the agenda was a game of Thanksgiving Bingo!

After bingo and a few other table games, the kids colored in their Fall Party Coloring Book that I made for them. (I just printed out about 10 fall coloring pages from the internet; created a nice cover with a pumpkin graphic, their name, and "Fall Party Coloring Book" on the front; printed the cover on white cardstock paper; then put a blank white piece of cardstock on the back, the coloring pages in the middle, then stapled three times down the left side to make their own coloring book.) I fixed lunch while they colored.

When lunch was ready, the kids enjoyed a "picnic lunch" on the living room floor (eating lunch on a blanket) and watched a Little House movie. It was a fun morning with the kids!

fter the kids' nap, we went over to the church for their Family Fun Night. They had some huge inflatables for the kids to play on. Jonathan, Rachel, and Wesley enjoyed this slide. They climbed in, then slid down, I don't know how many times!

I have to share something kind of scary that happened though...after they had been playing on it for a while, all of a sudden the thing started losing air and deflating. Rachel and Wesley were inside, along with a couple other kids. I was thinking..I need to get them out before the whole thing comes down on top of them and they can't get out! Sarah was able to reach Wesley and pull him out, and I reached Rachel and pulled her out. The other kids got out as well. It really wasn't that traumatic, but it was for Rachel. She started crying. She calmed down once she was out.

What happened was that a couple guys were getting a popcorn machine going and I guess it flipped the breaker. They quickly got it flipped back and the big slide thing inflated again for the kids to play in. Rachel, however, was done. We couldn't get her to go back inside...I don't blame her!

After playing at the church, we went and picked up some pizza and cheese bread at Papa Murphy's for dinner. We came home, ate dinner, then played a game of "Hide the Pumpkins". Robert hid 60 candy pumpkins in our living room and dining room, and the kids had to come and find them all. They had a lot of fun.

I don't think Wesley wants to share ANY of his candy!

After the "Hide the Pumpkin" game, it was time for Wesley and Rachel to go to bed. It was such a fun day!

Neat Spelling Software: SpellQuizzer

2009-11-04T06:00:00.013-06:00

I wanted to let you know about a really neat and affordable spelling software that can be used with any curriculum: SpellQuizzer!

SpellQuizzer was not designed with any one spelling curriculum in mind. In fact, it should compliment virtually any spelling curriculum since you create your own custom spelling lists.

There is a page on the site specifically directed toward homeschoolers. You can check that out here.

SpellQuizzer's built-in spellchecker recognizes both US and UK English spellings. The spellchecker warns the user when creating a spelling list if they enter a word that appears to be spelled incorrectly. Because of this safeguard it's reasonably safe to let children create their own spelling lists guided by the curriculum they are working on.

There are some spelling lists on their site that you can download and use. You can find those here.

Users can easily export and import SpellQuizzer spelling lists to share with other SpellQuizzer users. This makes it easy for members of homeschool groups to share their lists rather than everyone having to record their lists individually.

Overall, this program is simple and easy to use! I like the fact that you can make your very own lists, depending on what curriculum you are using for your homeschool.

You can also download a free 30-day trial so you can see what it is like. I highly recommend it!

Now for the exciting part....I will be giving away a free license for SpellQuizzer to one winner!

To enter, simply email me at sheri@school4jesus.com by Thursday night, November 12th, and put SpellQuizzer in the subject line. This giveaway is not to be confused with my monthly ebook giveaway. This is another totally different giveaway...so enter both! I will be using Random.org to choose the winner on Friday morning, November 13th.

Recipe: Chicken Soup & Dumplings

2009-11-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

I just love cooking delicious homemade meals! This time of year, I love fixing all the yummy soup recipes that I have collected in my Recipe Notebook. I like soups especially because of all the fresh veggies...the spices...the homemade broths...oh yummy. I love cooking with spices. My daughter and I have this thing with the spice cupboard...we go over and just open the spice cupboard...then drink in all the yummy smells. Ok...so we are a little funny...does anyone else have this "thing" with your spice cupboard? Anyway, I love making soups and thought I'd share this yummy recipe with you. This is a new one for me and my family really liked it. With all the colds and flu going around, this soup is a good one to make often! Enjoy!

CHICKEN SOUP & DUMPLINGS

CHICKEN SOUP:
12 cups chicken broth (if you don't have homemade broth, then you can use water and chicken bouillon)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 T. chopped fresh parsley (or dried parsley)
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
½ t. poultry seasoning
1 t. salt
pepper to taste
1-2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped

In a large soup pot (I use a 4 1/2 qt. pot), add chicken broth, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, parsley, potatoes, and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender. Stir in chicken meat, then add dumplings on top and cook as directed below.

DUMPLINGS:
2 cups flour (I use whole wheat flour when I can)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water or milk

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in oil until blended, add milk or water, slowing stirring to make a soft dough.

Scoop 1/2 cup dough for each dumpling into soup or stew, cover and steam for 10-15 minutes or until dumplings are done.

Free Holiday Idea Book from The Old Schoolhouse!

2009-11-02T06:35:00.008-06:00

The Old Schoolhouse has put together a wonderful holiday idea book...and you can download it for free! It is filled with ideas for menus, gift making, making memories, and much more.

Click here to download your copy today!

November Sale - Our Christmas Journal

2009-11-02T06:18:00.001-06:00

Do you desire to have fun making memories with your children this holiday season? Do you wish you had a fun and easy way to document all those special memories? I don't know about you, but this is my desire as we head into the holiday season. While I still want learning to be taking place, I don't want to be so caught up in "doing school" that we miss out on LIFE --- on all the opportunities we have over Christmas to build relationships and make memories with our children.

I wanted something that we could use to incorporate some language arts into our December, as well as provide a way to document our memories. I also wanted to keep Jesus at the very center of all we did over the holidays.

Our Christmas Journal was my answer to my own need --- I pray it will bless you and your family as well!

Our Christmas Journal is on sale this month for only $5.00!

Enter the following discount code at checkout to receive the discount:

NOVSALE

Click here or on the cover graphic above to go to my product page where you can view sample pages too!

Free Audio Book at Christian Audio - Desiring God

2009-11-02T06:09:00.021-06:00

ChristianAudio.com is offering Desiring God by John Piper as their free download this month! They also have all their John Piper audio books on sale for only $4.98 until November 21st!

Click here to go to their website and grab your copy today!

November ebook Giveaway: The Glorious Coming-A Jesse Tree Advent Celebration

2009-11-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

I would love to give three (3) ladies a copy of this ebook this month! These Jesse Tree devotions start the end of November, so...be sure to enter this month's ebook giveaway!

Click here or to go to my website to see details about The Glorious Coming.

I will be giving away three (3) copies of this ebook this month for our giveaway!

How YOU can enter to win this ebook:

Simply send an email to sheri@school4jesus.com with EBOOK GIVEAWAY in the title AND your first name and last initial in the text (I will not be publicizing email addresses of the winners…only the first names and last initials to respect the privacy of our participants!)

All entries must be made by Monday night, November 9th. I will use Random.org to draw the winner on Tuesday morning.

I will email this ebook to the winners, and post the winners here on my blog.

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I do so enjoy doing these monthly ebook giveaways! I plan to continue having a giveaway each month! If you know of anyone who would be interested in joining us...please send them on over to this site! My desire it to bless and encourage women to be all God wants them to be. Have a GREAT day!

Countdown to Christmas - Sale!

2009-11-01T06:00:00.009-06:00

Special Sale for My Readers
November 1-16
Softcover book: $20 (normally $25)

Click here to go to the product page for all the details on this delightful book!

Book Review: How To Begin Your Own Cooking Club

2009-10-30T06:00:00.004-05:00

I had the privilege this past weekend of reviewing a new ebook that one of my fellow readers has published: How To Begin Your Own Cooking Club. Lori McGuire has put together an ebook describing how she organized a cooking club. She and 5 or so other women plan out monthly swaps...each preparing several dishes for each member in the club. You can read all about it at Lori's website. It is an amazing idea and may be just the encouragement you need to get one going! The ebook is only $3.00 too!

You can also visit Lori at her website, At Home For Him, where you can find a bunch of great articles and homemaking helps. Thank you, Lori, for sharing your resources with me!

Preparing for Thanksgiving

2009-10-29T08:01:00.007-05:00

I just love this time of year...the weather is turning cooler, the leaves are falling, holiday preparations begin... I thought I'd share a few things you may want to consider including in your November this year as you prepare for Thanksgiving.

If you are looking for a wonderful read-aloud to read to your family either on Thanksgiving Day or during the
days leading up to Thanksgiving, then I would encourage you to look at purchasing Thanksgiving - A Time to Remember by Barbara Rainey.

Work through A 30-Day ThanksGIVING Journal with your kids.

Join the Gratitude Community and begin a Gratitude Journal! Learn what it means to live a life of gratitude...counting each and every gift whispered from heaven above...you will be changed!

Do a Thanksgiving Unit Study with your kids or work through a fun unit like this November Book Bag.

There are lots of ways we can prepare our hearts for the holidays...make plans today to include some special activities that will prepare hearts and make meaningful memories with your family!

Recipe: Brownies

2009-10-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know how many brownie recipes I have tried in the past and just have not come up with one that my family likes. We had been used to the Aldi brownie mixes...and yes they are delicious but in my quest to provide healthier options, I have been trying to find a homemade brownie recipe that tastes really good. Guess what...I think I have come up with one! I actually got the original recipe out of a book I had read aloud to the kids. I made the original recipe, then made it again with some changes to it. This is the recipe I came up with...and they are SO good! Yes, they do have sugar in them. You can substitute Sucanat or organic sugar if you want for a little healthier version. But for homemade brownies I am very satisfied and my family loved them. So...this recipe is making it into my Dessert Recipe Notebook! It's a keeper!

Brownies

1/2 cup butter
6 Tablespoons cocoa
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter and cocoa in a saucepan.

Add oil and sugar; mix well.

Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Stir in dry ingredients (except chocolate chips).

Stir in chocolate chips or sprinkle on top of batter after it is put in the pan.

Spread batter in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. (This makes pretty thin brownies. If you want thicker brownies, use a small pan.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

New eBook - The Christmas Cookie Plates Project

2009-10-24T06:54:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to announce another new ebook...The Christmas Cookie Plates Project!

Here is an excerpt from the introduction...

I have always enjoyed baking, especially over the holidays. I love putting together goodie plates to give to family and friends. As I was thinking and praying about what kinds of activities I wanted to do with the kids this coming holiday season, this idea came to mind.

Wouldn’t it be fun to bake a different cookie recipe each day for a couple weeks, then make up a bunch of cookie plates for family, friends, and neighbors? I thought it sounded like so much fun. As I was beginning to gather my recipes and make a shopping list, I thought that others might enjoy having all this information available in an easy to print and use format. So…here it is…a complete guide for making over 30 cookie plates to give away this holiday season!

This project will last four (4) weeks, beginning the last week of November. On the pages that follow, you will find instructions for each week, forms to use in your planning, the cookie recipes, a complete shopping list, instructions on assembling the cookie plates, and even gift tags and cards to print and attach to your cookie plates!

Are you ready for some family fun? Spread Christ’s love this holiday season with this fun and easy holiday project – The Christmas Cookie Plates Project!

Click here to buy your copy today for only $3.95!

Book Review: Celebrate our Christian Heroes!

2009-10-23T10:54:00.000-05:00

I was privileged recently to review a brand new ebook by Meredith Curtis called Celebrate our Christian Heroes! (Instead of Halloween).

If you are looking for an alternative to Halloween, then you will absolutely LOVE this ebook! Meredith has included instructions on how to celebrate Reformation Day (Oct. 31) or All Saints Day (Nov. 1) by having a Heroes for Jesus party, complete with information on 15 different "saints". Have someone dress up as one of your favorite church history heroes for the party - this person will read a script about their life, there are games to play, and more! There are even favorite fall recipes to include in your parties.

I am very impressed with the ideas and activities presented in this ebook. What a wonderful way to learn about church history and provide wonderful fun for our children as well.

Right now Meredith is having a special sale at Currclick - you can buy this ebook for only $5.00!

Click here to grab your copy today! Then begin planning your very own Heroes for Jesus party! I know I am!

Uncover Exciting History - Sale!

2009-10-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am reposting this today to remind you to be sure to grab your copy of this wonderful book! This special sale will end October 31st! See all the details below....

I have had the privilege of reviewing a copy of Amy Puetz's brand new book, Uncover Exciting History. Amy has some wonderful materials on her website, but this book is a real gem. Containing 25 short stories revealing America's Christian heritage, this book would make a wonderful read-aloud or reader for your children.

Click here to see a sample chapter!

At the end of each chapter, Amy has included a "Digging Deeper" section with questions and activities for those who want to dig deeper and learn more about the material covered in that chapter. What a wonderful way to learn American history!

I just LOVE it when I find excellent books like this to read to my children. It makes learning easy and fun as we dig into the chapters together. I can't wait to start reading it to the kids!

If you are studying American history this year (or plan on studying it in the future), you will want to grab a copy of this book! Check out below the special sale price Amy is offering to my readers!

Amy has graciously offered a very special deal to my readers:

Buy your copy of Uncover Exciting History between October 19-31, and use discount code: GRAHAM, and receive the book for only $14.50 (plus S&H)
(retail price: $18.95)!

Click here to go to Amy's website.

Add this book to your cart and use the above discount code at checkout to receive the sale price! This offer ends October 31st, so hurry over now and grab your copy while you can!

The Cozi Family Journal - A fun way to keep in touch with family and friends

2009-10-22T07:34:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share a really neat FREE service that I found recently. It is called Cozi. You can sign up for an account for free. Cozi has several different features: a family journal, calendar, to do lists, grocery lists, etc. But the one feature I want to talk about today is the family journal. The calender feature looks neat too, but the journal is really what I am interested in using.

I have a lot of family that live a long ways away and we don't get to see them very often. In the past I have tried to send out a newsletter in the mail with some pictures and updates on how we are all doing. But this past year I did not do a very good of getting that done. Well, now with the Cozi family journal I have an easier way to keep in touch with my family!

In the family journal you can type in entries, including a picture and text, just as you would in a journal. Each journal entry is kept in date order. You can share individual journal entries by email or post to your facebook account. But the one feature that I am going to use is just totally awesome! You can set up your family journal to email out a newsletter to your family and friends at the beginning of each month! Yes! I went in and entered the email addresses of my family that I wanted the journal to go to. The first newsletter will go out November 1, and it will include all the journal entries for the previous month as well as the link to your family journal webpage (yes, Cozi also posts your journal to your very own webpage. You can make it public or private too.) So the people you send the newsletter out to can either view all the pictures and entries in the email, or go to your webpage to view them all.

There is also an option where you can download a Cozi screensaver that does a slideshow of all your pictures in your My Pictures folder. This download also includes the Cozi Express desktop that puts an icon on your desktop that you can double-click and open up your journal in its own window. I open this window up and keep it minimized on my computer. That way when I want to do a quick journal entry it is already ready to go!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this service! I can post entries to the journal each day if I want, jotting down memories and things I don't want to forget...including pictures I want to share with family and friends. I don't have to worry about forgetting something later on when I would have been preparing a newsletter to mail out. I simply enter things each day if I want, knowing that at the beginning of each month an email will automatically be sent out to my family. Isn't that great? I love it!

If this sounds interesting to you, click here to go to Cozi's home page where you can sign up for your own free account.

I want to be...more and more like Jesus!

2009-10-20T07:04:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share something I wrote in my journal a while back. My 3 year old daughter loves watching the Donut Man videos. Well, one day she began to sing this song from one of the Donut Man videos...

"I want to be, more and more like Jesus. I want to be, more and more like Him." She sang it over and over again.

Then do you know what happened? She disobeyed me...and she was disciplined for it.

I didn't say it aloud, but in my mind I said, "If you want to be like Jesus, then obey me!"

Then the Lord stopped me short in that train of thought and told me the very same thing! Do I profess Jesus as Lord, do I proclaim His praises with my mouth....but my heart is far from Him? Do I not do this very same thing - Proclaim that I want to be more like Him, then turn right around and disobey Him?

Oh how the Lord uses our children to reach our very hearts! God used that little song that day to speak to my heart and convict me. Thank you, Lord, for our children and the lessons You have to teach us through them!

Kids & Herbs - A Simple Course for Parents!

2009-10-17T20:31:00.003-05:00

If you have ever wanted to begin learning about herbs and how to incorporate them into your daily life, then this Kids & Herbs course may be just what you need. This course contains video webinars, audio downloads, and ebooks. Learn how to use herbs for first aid, how to treat colds and flu, and much more! They even have some information about H1N1!

LearningHerb.com is currently running a special from Oct. 14-21....purchase this Kids & Herbs course and receive the Wildcraft game free! If you are not familiar with the Wildcraft game, it is a game the whole family can play where you learn about herbs as you play. It looks really neat!

As I mentioned already, they are currently running a sale from Oct. 14-21 - you can purchase this whole set (plus the free board game) for only $37! This is a great time, just heading into the cold and flu season, to start learning about how to treat your family naturally with herbs.

Click here for all the details on this comprehensive course!

Another step toward better health: A Meat Slicer

2009-10-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

We eat a lot of sandwiches for lunches in our family. Over the past few years we have tried to make our lunches healthier by omitting chips with our sandwiches and having fruit. I also went to making our own bread quite a few years back. So, the last item that I wanted to address what finding a replacement for the store-bought lunch meats.

Well...I found it! After researching different slicers, we settled on this Chef's choice slicer. We figured that we could cook our own meats (beef, chicken, pork, etc.), slice it real thin, and use it on our sandwiches. This week we cooked a pork loin, some chicken breasts, and a slab of beef. We then refrigerated it to get it cold and firm, then sliced it up with our slicer. It worked great! We have nice sized slices for our sandwiches. We are going to get some small re-usable freezer containers to put the meat in, then I'll just pull out a couple different kinds of meat at a time to put in the refrigerator. The kids loved the fresh meat too...and it is SO much better for them!

We also found out that the slicer does an awesome job of slicing my homemade bread! It doesn't tear the bread up at all and makes a nice clean cut. I can get the slices just the right sandwich-bread width too, which means more slices out of one loaf of bread! Slicing the bread doesn't dirty the slicer at all, so I can easily use it and not have to clean it all up like when I slice the meats. So, here is how I plan on using the slicer to slice my bread: I'll get a loaf out of the freezer when we need it, then when it is thawed I'll slice it up so we'll have it for sandwiches, toast, etc. It has worked great this week!