Classical Homemaking

Monday, February 8, 2016

Happy Homemaker Monday

I've been lurking at Sandra's Happy Homemaker Mondays for a couple weeks now and decided this week to join in and do one of my own! You can check out the prompts at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.

The weather.....
Today we were surprised by a bit of snow! Nothing stuck and it only lasted for short bursts, but the kids still had fun outside for the couple of minutes it lasted! A friend was in Joplin today and said they were getting snow and since we had a lot of wind, I guess it just blew south a bit!

Right now I am....
I've just finished up a government lesson with my 16 and 14 year olds. We are going through a US History book together as part of their homeschooling lessons and really enjoyed our time together. We tend to rabbit trail in all different directions so these discussions take much longer than planned. I'm thankful I'm blessed to be able to homeschool during this time.

Thinking....
The house is quiet and everyone is relaxing. I'm trying to decide if I want to read my book all evening or watch Merlin with Jamie. We just started re-watching the series. It may require ice cream. I'm trying to decide if I feel like going to buy some this late.

On my reading pile....
I'm currently reading The Treasure Box by Penelope J. Stokes. I don't love it but it's keeping my attention. 10 years ago I would have devoured it and ordered everything I could find by her. But now, I feel like I'm wasting time if I read fiction that doesn't have a firm base in reality. This one is kind of science-fictiony so I'm not that into it---but I'm trying to lighten up.

On my TV.....
I'm not sure what they're watching out there. I imagine it's probably The Bible series on Netflix.

Favorite blog post last week (mine or other)....
My favorite post from last week is my Stepping Heavenward review on my book blog, Belle's Library. That was such a great book!

Something fun to share....
Today my almost 7 year old, Avalon, received her first Math books in the mail. She grabbed them and squealed and ran around the house showing everyone. She immediately began working on them and only stopped for dinner time. After dinner everyone wondered where Avalon went. She was working on her Math.

Blog hopping (newly discovered blog)....
Today I followed a comment on one of my social media networks (or maybe it was on my book blog?) Anyway, I found Amy at Making a Joyful Home. I can't wait to see what she's got to share as my first visit to her blog was really encouraging.

On the menu for this week....
Six year old Liam has requested biscuits and gravy and tacos made in pita pockets. He also asked if we could have pork chops every single night forever. 11 year old Cainan is planning our Valentine's Day family party and dinner so I'm sure we'll have something special then, too.

On my to do list....
I have a large pile of sewing: 12 year old Elisha wants me to make his dress shirts cufflink-friendly. Cainan has some badges to go on his Royal Ranger vest, as does 4 year old Kynthia. I have a button to sew on pants for Elisha and Liam's super hero eye mask needs repairing. I also have a book review to put up and general housework/homeschooling. I'll do grocery shopping on Thursday.

In the craft basket....
I'm considering making some curtains for my kitchen window (that's actually a fake window looking into my boys' bedroom and currently sports a Spiderman blanket for a curtain). I've got some vintage handkerchiefs that I'm going to form into some kind of pretty treatment for my side of the window.

Looking forward to this week....
Other than ballet, we have a quiet week at home. This is always nice! Friday night I'll be visiting with a friend for awhile. That will be great! Sunday is Valentine's Day and we always do something fun for the kids here at home. This year, Cainan wants a special party so we'll need to do some crafty things ahead of time to plan for that.

Looking around the house....
It's funny because there are several clutter spots in my house that usually drive me crazy but this week I just don't care! I've begun focusing on taking in extra vitamins, kefir, fermented foods, healing teas, etc. this week and I just can't believe the impact it's made on my moods. I feel so peaceful. Even though I've got homeschool clutter and craft area clutter and a pile of clothes that need to be hung up, I don't have the guilt about it that I usually have. I've focused on health and family this past week and I feel good about that.

From the camera....

Here's a silly picture of the kids enjoying our 30 second snow!

On my prayer list.....
This week I'm especially praying for my friend, Sarah, who is battling Lupus and has been accepted into the Lupus treatment at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. She leaves on Sunday. None of her treatments have been effective so I'm really praying that God will use the wisdom of the doctors there to heal her and bring her relief and comfort. Please be in prayer for her, her husband, and their three young daughters.

Bible verse, Devotional....
I've just finished Courageous Gentleness by Mary Froehlich and am so encouraged to practice gentleness and kindness. I'm reminded of Proverbs 31:26--"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."

Make sure to visit Happy Homemaker Monday to see what other homemakers are sharing this week!

A Worry-Free Date Night and a Better For You Pub Mix Recipe #DataAndAMovie #ad #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #DataAndAMovie #CollectiveBias

There are a lot of things about my kids growing up that make me a little weepy and nostalgic, but it's also really great to watch them maturing into responsible young men and women. In the last couple years, I've had to give up a bit of my mommy freakout and let my teens grab hold of a little independence. One great thing about having older teens is the freedom it gives Jamie and I to have a date night now and then. With our affordable Walmart Family Mobile PLUS plan, we feel comfortable leaving our teens in charge because they have a dependable way to reach us, if needed.

The Walmart Family Mobile PLUS plan features Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data. It includes up to 10GB of 4G LTE data PLUS a free movie rental on VUDU every month per line for just $49.88. Sometimes I need to keep up with my social media while I'm out, so I love having the extra data. The affordability of the plan means we can have an extra phone at home so the kids can reach us while we're out. Even though we have contacts saved in the phone, I still leave a list of numbers and info. for them. This makes it easier for them to just pick up and dial if there's an issue and they're upset. It's also easier for the youngest kids to just type in a number rather than try to navigate my contacts.

While nights out are fun, usually we want to stay in and have a date night at home. We put the kids to bed early, make a simple snack, and play a game or watch a movie.

If you're like us and prefer an at-home movie night, this is a great time to take advantage of the new Walmart Family Mobile PLUS plan and get a free monthly movie rental to boot!

Back in the day, (like 1998) Jamie and I loved to browse the video rental stores and pick up a stack of VHS tapes to watch over the weekend. The 5 for $5 nights were the best! It's funny---we're the only generation who experienced that. Our teenage selves never imagined we'd soon be able to rent a movie and watch it without ever leaving our home. Usually our teens choose what's on the TV in the evenings but we'll have to wrestle it away from them when it's time for our VUDU movies!

We love putting together fun snack mixes for our at-home movie nights. Here's a great one that features some of my favorite better-for-you snacks.

Better For You Crunchy Pub Mix

2 c. veggie chips

3 c. sour cream & onion puffed corn

2 c. miniature pretzels

1 c. mixed nuts

I found the LG Leon LTE on Rollback for $69.82 (originally $99.82). When you go to pick up your phone, make sure you get a $25 starter kit, as well (located right above the phones). You can set up your service in the store or online. You can find a selection of phones and Walmart Family Mobile plans in the electronics section of your local Walmart.

Be sure to check out the Walmart Family Mobile PLUS plan and let me know what fun things you like to do on a date night at home!

Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/28aqc or your local Walmart for current pricing.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Homemade Chicken Stock & Broth -- Trim Healthy Mama Recipe

So what's the difference between stock and broth? Aren't they interchangeable? No. It's all about the seasoning. Stock is what you get from simmering the scraps of the meat, along with any vegetables you throw in. Broth is made when you add herbs and spices to season the stock.

Much of my cooking the last few years has involved various forms of soups and stews. When you've got a good broth base, a little bit of food can stretch a long way in a hearty soup. At first, I'd buy cans of broth---but when I was buying eight or more cans per meal, storage became an issue. Then I switched to bouillon cubes or granules---but the additives made me nervous and I had little control over the flavor. Last year, I started making my own stock and found it to be the least expensive, most flavorful, and healthiest option I'd tried. In fact, I spend just pennies every time I make a huge stock pot full, as I use scraps* that I've saved in the freezer.

Homemade Chicken Stock
Chicken, Vegetable, & Herb Scraps (frozen or thawed---doesn't matter)
3-4 bay leaves
splash of vinegar
water
large stock pot

Making your own stock is so simple that I feel a little silly writing this out. Still, it's something I didn't start doing until my mid-30s so I've got to assume this information will be valuable! So basically, just put your chicken, veggie & herb scraps, splash of vinegar (to draw out more nutrients from the chicken carcass) and bay leaves in the pot and fill it with water within 3 or 4 inches from the top. You don't have to cut anything up---just put it in there frozen, if you'd like. Put the pot on a back burner to boil. Once you've got a good boil going, turn it down to simmer and leave it for several hours. You'll know it's done when you've lost a few inches of water and the water has turned a beautiful golden color.

I use two straining methods to remove the scraps from the broth. I use my vegetable colander for the first straining, gently pouring the stock, a little at a time, through the colander and into a roasting pan. I throw the scraps away at this point, and then I clean out the stock pot and pour the mixture back into it---this time using a fine mesh sieve to get out the smaller stuff.

Now you can bag it in quart size bags and freeze, or preserve it in jars with a pressure canner. I'm thinking I'll start saving plastic food containers to reuse, but for now I use quart size bags. I usually get 5-6 quarts of stock each time I make this. I stand them up inside a baking pan and let them freeze, then I retrieve my baking pan and I'm good to go.

Using the stock is simple...just remember to thaw first!

When you're ready to use it as a broth base, add your own blend of seasonings. Some that we love include: salt, pepper, bay leaves, garlic, thyme, basil, and marjoram. I don't add any extra salt or seasonings when I'm making the stock because I don't always know what I'm going to use it for. This also helps me not over-salt the soup as I don't have to remember whether or not I salted each batch.

*A note on scraps:

Chicken: Oftentimes, I pick up a rotisserie chicken from Walmart to use in chicken taco salad or our favorite creamy chicken soup. If I go during the right time of day, I can get one from the day before at half price (about $2.50). I save the bones and skin from these in the freezer in a gallon-size freezer bag until I have saved up enough vegetable scraps to make the broth. Of course, you can always just pick up some fresh chicken on sale---but be sure to buy it bone-in and boil for awhile to get all the important nutrients out of the bones.

Vegetables: We always have a simple vegetable tray made up to serve with lunches. Usually just carrots and celery, with a separate bowl of cucumbers. When the carrots and celery start to dry out or turn a little brown at the edges, I put them in the freezer bag with the chicken bones. Onion scraps often come from leftovers on hamburger night (tomatoes, too) or from the other half of the onion when a recipe only calls for a small bit (this is becoming rarer---ha!).

Herbs: use stems and "less fresh" herbs from your garden.

Once you get in the habit of saving scraps, you'll find that there are actually lots of things you'd normally throw away that can be saved for a soup base or even a casserole.

Thanks for visiting the Homemaking Party! Have a beautiful week!

Looking for more great Trim Healthy Mama Recipes? Try these!

Got one to share? Let me know and I'll add it to the list.