Couscous Salad

Need a quick and easy lunch? Couscous is our favorite side dish that we usually eat with some variety of chicken. It is super easy to make: Boil water, put couscous in pan, stir, turn off heat, let sit for 5-8 minutes, and fluff with fork. That's it! You can find it in the rice section even though it is a pasta made from wheat. We buy a big container of RiceSelect Original Couscous and spice it up the way we (I) like it--usually boil it with a chicken bullion cube and once done add parmesan cheese, ranch powder, and garlic salt. Lots of parmesan....we go through it real fast. This is a light but filling meal that is great for summer time when you can get fresh ingredients to go in it. I need to go raid my parents garden soon for some fresh tomatoes! Here is how this recipe goes:

The amount of broth/water depends on how much couscous you want to make. It is a 1:1 ratio. Usually one cup of couscous is enough for hubby and me with a little left over. We will go with 2 cups for the recipe.

Place 2 cups chicken broth/ or water with a bullion cube on the stove and bring to a boil.

Once water is boiling add in your 2 cups of couscous, stir, cover, turn off heat, and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Once the 5 minutes is over get a fork and fluff up your couscous. It looks very dense but once you start fluffing you will be amazed how light and how much it bulk up. I also always add a little butter when fluffing up the couscous to keep it from getting too dry.



Cut up and add: 12 grape tomatoes, 2 green onion sliced, 1/2 cup feta cheese, 1/4 cup red onion minced, and 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese. Toss with a fork and Enjoy--see super easy

Now the fun comes in when you start adding and taking away ingredients to make it  the perfect meal for you. I like to add shrimp in my salad for a little protein. I have done many different varieties and loved most of them. There were a few that were placed on the do not repeat list!

Let me know if you try this and what your perfect recipe combo has in it.

--R

L and his feeding tube

L has a Mic-key GJ Tube (a tube that bypasses his stomach) that provides all his nutrition because he will not/cannot eat enough to keep himself alive. L didn't get his tube until he was 16 months old and we had tried everything we could and followed every advice we could to try to get him to eat and gain weight. Getting his feeding tube was something we knew had to be done but we waited until we had exhausted every other idea before we consented. He started with a Gastric Tube (GT) that put formula into his stomach. He couldn't keep the formula down and was tiny because he couldn't gain weight so we switched to the tube that bypassed his stomach. He started gaining weight and became a happier healthier boy! This is the short side of the story.

We struggled with his eating, weight gain, reflux, vomiting, and many other things until he was almost 2 years old. He will have had his GJ Tube a year in August and even though life is easier, we still have our struggles. L still won't eat and only drinks about 1-2 ounces of fluid (usually water) on a good day. He is in therapy at his daycare and S L O W L Y takes little steps toward our goal of getting rid of his feeding tube. We are about to do one of the last tests to check him for something that may be causing his swallowing problems. After that we are going to really push eating and drinking and maybe do an intensive feeding program. I will say that one thing hubby and I both agree on is that if L has to be tube fed his whole life, we are okay with that. He is a miracle little boy who has an amazing story of God's healing in his life. With all that "could have been" we are so thankful that this is his only major lingering issue. There is so much more that I could write about but it would take months to get it all down!

There are many things that hubby and I want to use this blog for: sharing our thoughts, saving you money, sharing yummy recipes, and technical stuff I have no clue about! I also want to talk about what we go through with a son with a feeding tube. There are very few resources/information for children with feeding tubes and we want to share what we find. The more people that talk about it, the more attention it will receive, and more resources will become available! Even if you don't have a child with a feeding tube, chances are you will run into someone who does or a friend of a friend will surface that could use information. I hope that we can become a place where people can turn to for information!

I LOVE MY TUBIE AND HIS TWIN!

-R

Vinegar Rinse

Back to the fresh strawberries! I heard from friends about rinsing them in vinegar to make them last a little longer. I decided to try it and see if it worked. I got a half flat of strawberries from the farmers market and they were beautiful. I was working and couldn't get to them for several days and by the second day they were starting to get soft. I decided to freeze most of them but wanted some to take to work the last day.

I got a big bowl and put the strawberries that I wanted to keep fresh in it. I got a measuring cup and did 1/4 cup vinegar and 3/4 cup water. I dumped that in the bowls with the strawberries and gently hand tossed the berries in the water. I let them sit while I cleaned and cut up the berries I wanted to freeze. After I finished with those berries I returned to the berries sitting in the vinegar water. I drained the water and rinsed them with running water. I ate the few that were already getting mushy with no bitter vinegar taste and placed them into the fridge.

I was very surprised that 3 and 4 days later I still had beautiful strawberries that hadn't molded or turned to mush! I will be doing this every time I get some fresh fruit. I am pretty sure this will work on most berries but don't know about other fruits like peaches or plums. I can't wait until peaches are in season and I can find out!

-R

NFL - Please Take My Money!

I had the privilege of writing a guest column for one of my favorite blogs, Fangs Bites, which does a great job covering sports media and broadcasting.  Follow the link below to see why I want to give the NFL my money:

Guest Column: NFL — Please Take My Money | Fang's Bites

Swimming Holes

It is HOT! We do not have a pool (except a small plastic one in the back yard) and we do not have access to a pool that doesn't cost an arm and leg to join. I stumbled on this website when looking for cheap/ free alternatives to a community pool since my boys LOVE the water. It is http://swimmingholes.org and you can search for parks and off beat swimming holes in your area. Some of them are close to home and others you can take a day trip to go swim and enjoy the summer.

The website tells you many things like what town it is close, a link to Google maps, what type of water it is (hot spring, swimming hole, wading area, park), descriptions, and directions. Some have pictures attached and if there are facilities on site or near the area.

Here are a couple examples for states across the country:

Georgia:

Hike through the Cochran Mill Park along a medium-sized creek (Bear Creek) with several beautiful waterfalls and rock slides. Not really a swimming place, more a wading, water-play and sliding place. There is also a nature center here

Florida:

Rainbow Springs is a large spring and is the headwater for the Rainbow River. Can swim and snorkel (tube also but only at the campground) in the river. A beautiful park (used to be a private tourist attraction) and well worth a trip to visit this first magnitude spring and the Rainbow River, which is crystal clear over it's entire length. Great hike through the park also.

Utah:

Beautiful falls which drop 126 feet into a cool desert swimming pool. Three mile hike each way. Not much elevation change but it can be hot and much of it is on a sandy trail which is tiring. Popular hike, lots of people on weekends. Park at campground (may be crowded parking on weekends)and pay day use fee. Follow the well-marked trail north about 3 miles (each way) to the waterfall. May be shallow late in season. 

New York:

There is a very beautifully developed official swimming beach (with lifeguard) here in a glacier-scoured, spring-fed "kettle" lake. 

Arizona:

There is a very beautifully developed official swimming beach (with lifeguard) here in a glacier-scoured, spring-fed "kettle" lake. 

Hope you find some place nearby that you can enjoy! If you go, take some pictures and send them to us!

Saving money on TV - Roku install with pictures

I will have a number of posts detailing how we have saved money on TV and entertainment by "cutting the cord" and surviving without pay TV (cable/satellite/IPTV). You will learn about how much free and low-cost (legal) streaming content is available to supplement or replace your current TV and movie viewing.

The Roku streaming player is a small device about the size of a hockey puck that connects to your TV and brings a huge amount of the videos, music, movies, games and TV shows available online straight to your TV screen. By purchasing a Roku (multiple models that currently range in price from $49.99-$99.99), the one-time cost gives you access to over 500 different entertainment channels. Roku players are very quick and easy to install, connect to virtually any TV, and require only AC power and a wired or wireless Internet connection. I recently installed a new Roku 2 XS and have provided pictures to show how quick and easy installation is:

Here is the Roku 2 XS box

Here is the TV that I will use with this Roku. As you can see, it is an older TV (at least 8 years old) and does not even have an HDMI input. As you will see, Roku works with new or old TVs.

Here's what the inside of the box looks like

A closer look at the Roku 2 XS and its remote

Here is a look at everything that's included - RCA (video and audio) cables, batteries for remote, AC power adapter, Roku 2 XS (rear view) and remote control

A closer look at the back of the Roku 2 XS

Closer look at the included accessories

Extreme close-up of the Roku 2 XS. Micro SD card slot for additional storage and future expansion (optional - Micro SD card is not needed for setup or normal use), standard size HDMI port for digital audio & video connection, A/V out for use with the supplied RCA (yellow, white, red) cable, ethernet port for a wired Internet connection, manual reset button, and DC in to connect the supplied AC power cable.

Note the time on the clock. After opening the box and taking a few pictures, we began the install at 6:42pm.

Another view of the Roku 2 XS and accessories. The AA batteries give some perspective as to the size of this incredibly powerful and awesome device.

An extreme close-up of the connections I used to install the Roku 2 XS. I only needed the power cable and used the A/V out with the supplied RCA (yellow, white, red) cable for video and audio connection to the TV.

A look at the back (and very dusty) connections available on the TV

Once connected to power and the TV, the Roku automatically begins the setup process

Rear view of the remote control

Front view of the unwrapped Roku remote control

First step is selecting a wired or wireless Internet connection. I used a wireless connection - the Roku lists the available wireless networks and I used the remote to enter my network password.

After connecting to the Internet, you are prompted to choose your local time zone

Once your time zone is set, the Roku automatically checks for updates and downloads any that are available. You must set up a free account at the Roku website to complete activation (and provide payment information in case you purchase any paid channels).

Before I knew it, updates were installed and the Roku was ready to use! The latest generation of Roku players allow game play and some come with Angry Birds pre-installed.

And here is the finish time - 7:28pm. Total setup time took me 46 minutes and that included extra time to take lots of pictures, about 5 minutes of rearranging and rerunning wires behind the TV, and my first game of Angry Birds.

The finished product - sitting nicely next to the Wii

Kids Eating Free

Right now J and L are small enough that they usually just eat off of my plate but very soon J is going to have to have his own plate. He is a growing boy and can eat enough food sometimes for both him and L. L is tube fed so he will occasionally nibble on a piece of bread or french fry but we don't spend money for his food at restaurants. As a one income family eating out is a rare treat and about to get rarer as we are tightening the purse strings! The last couple years have been crazy with having premature twin babies and we haven't done a very good job sticking to a budget. We are going to work one out and get back on track! One thing that I have found helpful is this wonderful website:

http://mykidseatfree.com/welcome.asp

All you have to do is click the "START YOUR SEARCH" tab, enter your state, enter the city you will be eating in, and what days you want to know about. Your choices are all days or pick one specific day.  I wanted to see what was around our town so I put all my info in and chose to see all days and I only got 5 choices. I know that there are at least 3-4 other restaurants that offer kids eat free nights around town and the website has a place to let them know so they can continuously update their site. I will have to go and verify a couple of them but then I will be sending them the info so others in my area can know about free eating too.

Now just for fun I looked at a town we were passing through (Nashville, TN) on our family vacation and was surprised that they only had 11 restaurants (including a couple neighboring towns) that they listed. I was sure they would have tons more. I just looked at New York, New York and they only had 9 places! I am not sure if it is because not many restaurants are offering kids eat free right now or because this website isn't well known. My guess would be a mixture of both leaning towards the latter.

Pass the word around, let the site know of your favorite kids eat free places, and go enjoy a "nice and relaxing" dinner with the kids.....haha! Or at least a meal where you don't have to pay for your kids!

Also a good point the website makes is always call ahead to make sure that the information is still correct and current. I would hate to go somewhere to find they had stopped doing it or changed the night!


Side Note: If you are a family that needs help getting out of dept, saving money, making a budget, and getting financially secure please check out our favorite person Dave Ramsey. I am sure hubby will be writing a blog about him and his plan very soon, He gets a little excited about that kinda stuff! (Yes I married a nerd but he is such a good looking nerd!)

Followers....

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Thanks,
K and R

Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

 

This is a copy cat recipe I have had for a long time and really like it every time I make it. My hubby who has an affinity for sweet breakfast foods really likes it too. It is supposed to be the coffee cake recipe for Starbucks Coffee Cake. I have not had Starbucks coffee cake but I may have to venture out and get some to compare!



Ingredients:

Box Yellow Cake Mix (plus ingredients on back of box)
2 Sticks cold salted butter
2 1/4 Cups flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 ¾ Cups brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

PREHEAT oven to 350.

PREPARE cake mix according to directions on box. Spray 9X13 pan with non-stick spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until center is just barely set.

WHILE the cake is baking, prepare crumb topping. In large bowl combine butter, flour, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla until all crumbly.

IMMEDIATELY after cake is removed from oven, break crumb topping into marble size pieces with fingers and sprinkle over top. Put back in the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (topping will begin to look a little less wet/raw). Let the cake cool fully and the then dust with powdered sugar.

CUT into squares and serve.

This didn't last long at our house before our boys were born. J has the some affinity for sweet breakfast foods so if you don't claim your squares they will be gone in a blink!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

 Nothing is better than fresh strawberries straight from the fields. The only problem is that fresh strawberries can turn bad very fast so you have to eat them fast or freeze them to use later. This is a great recipe to use up your strawberries and very tasty. The combination of the salty pretzels, smooth cream cheese layer, and the sweet strawberries are very close to perfection. I have found that it is best eaten after a day of sitting but still good anytime. After a couple days the pretzel crust gets a little soggy but still is very good. This has become a stable at most of our family events and hardly ever is there any left. That is the only negative--no leftovers. So if you are planning to take it to an event and want to have some left for desserts during your week--MAKE 2!


What you need:
CRUST:
2 cups crushed pretzels (not too fine) (Rold Gold is our favorite)
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:
8oz. cream cheese block
1 cup sugar
2 cups cool whip

JELL-O LAYER:
1 large package strawberry or other red jello
2 cups boiling water
2- 10 oz. packages of frozen strawberries or 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (or your self frozen berries)

Crush your pretzel into little pieces--not too fine, not too large. I use a gallon zip-lock bag and a rolling pin to crush my pretzels. Mix together the crushed pretzels, melted butter, and sugar. Press the pretzel mix into a 9x13 inch dish and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes-don't over bake. Let it cool. With a mixer beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold the cool whip into it. Spread the mix over the cooled pretzel crust. Now mix the Jell-O and boiling water and stir until Jell-O is completely dissolved. Add your berries. If using frozen berries immediately pour mixture on top of cream cheese layer. If using fresh strawberries then place Jell-O/Strawberry mix in the refrigerator for 30 minutes until slightly thickened and then pour on top. Refrigerate and let set at least 4 hours before serving.


**I am not a patient person so the first time I made this I didn't wait long enough for the Jell-O to thicken. The result was still good but the Jell-O seeped through all the layers and made the pretzel crust soggy a lot faster. From experience waiting on this one is the best so your layers stay defined and delicious!