September 19 - October 2, 2007

19 W – Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs, Jasmine Rice
20 R – Spaghetti & Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread
21 F – BBQ Chicken, Baked Beans, Salad, Rolls
22 S – BCM Reunion
23 U – Pappas House - We're bringing Potato Salad
24 M – Saucy Parmesan Chicken , Buttered Noodles, Green Peas
25 T – Taco Meatball Ring, Salad, Refried Beans
26 W – Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes , Broccoli
27 R – Black Bean Chicken Tacos, Salad
28 F – Layered Enchilada Bake , Salad
29 S - Crab Lasagna Rolls Ups, Salad
30 U – Slow Cooker Tex Mex Chicken , Rice
1 M – Sloppy Joes, Broccoli, Mac & Cheese
2 T – Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Peas

Down on the Farm

I like having parties at my house. When I was in college, I spent 5 semesters living with a gal who loved to throw them as much as I did. We turned our dorm room into an place to welcome our friends several times. One Christmas we collaborated with our next door neighbors and threw a big party using our rooms and the area between them.

I also like to make cakes and cards. I've thought in the past that they might be good ways to generate extra income, but I've discovered that both take more effort than people are really willing to pay you for, so it's better to just save that effort for those I love most.

For Caleb's 2nd birthday I considered several possible themes, but finally settled on a barnyard theme inspired by one of his favorite books "Duck on a Bike". I bought several copies of "Duck on a Bike" on eBay to include in the goodie bags. Decorating was easy - I just rounded up all the barnyard related toys!

I made these barn cards for invitations.

I made cupcakes decorated like sheep, pigs, and chicks. I got the sheep pattern from Family Fun magazine and the pigs and chicks from Taste of Home.

Caleb's Little People Barn was a great backdrop for the cupcakes.

The whole spread: We had a "vegetable garden" tray, pumpkin roll ups (sun-dried tomato tortillas rolled with american cheese and a sprig of cilantro), and chicken salad.

This was pretty much my only completely original idea for the party - everything else was an assortment of things I found in magazines or on the internet. I made these goodie bags out of inexpensive burlap fabric and wrote on them with a sharpie. Inside were the books, farm stickers, some bubbles, and a cow lollipop.

The cow lollies were really easy to make. I bought a cow mold at a candy store.

Finally, Caleb helped me make these thank you notes. I did the big pig and he did the little ones. It's pretty tricky to work with a hot pink ink pad and a toddler, but we didn't make too big of a mess! The inside reads, "Thank you very much!".

I had a lot of fun getting all this together. I think we'll do it again...in a few years!

Snacking

Being pregnant means I'm hungry...oh about every 20 minutes. Sometimes I'm not proud of the choices I make, but I've found that if I get in a habit of picking a certain food attribute (calcium rich, high in fiber, etc.) at the same time each day, I snack a little better

One decadant and seemingly sinful treat I've discovered is The Skinny Cow Fudge Bars. They were voted best overall in a fudge bar comparison I read about in a magazine. There are plenty of "No Sugar Added" fudge bars out there, but this one is pretty note-worthy. In addition to only being 100 calories and 1 gram of fat, it has 10% RDV of Calcium! Wow!

Another snack I enjoy regularly is stove top popcorn. I started buying the stove top kind many months ago when I was looking for ways to cut back on our expenses. Now, even when microwave popcorn is buy one get one free, I opt for the old fashioned kind. Popcorn is a whole grain and high in fiber. If you make it on the stove top, you have complete control over how much fat and salt you add. I've found I like the way it tastes if I cook it in about 1 tbsp of oil (**Canola oil is cheaper and healthier than olive oil**) and salt the unpopped kernels with popcorn (fine) salt. Somehow it tastes slightly buttery even though I don't add butter. It isn't difficult to clean up. Add enough oil to your pan to coat the bottom and don't use more kernels than can cover the bottom one layer thick. Cook over medium heat and you'll keep from burning it. It takes a little practice to get (almost) every kernel to pop ;)

September 5-18, 2007

5 W - Mini Meatball Subs, Salad
6 R - Chicken & Broccoli Casserole, Salad
7 F - Out on the Town
8 S - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Carrots, Broccoli
9 U - Pizza, Salad
10 M - Catfish, French Fries, Hush Puppies, Pickles
11 T - Baked Chicken Supreme, Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli
12 W - Grilled Pork Chops, Mac & Cheese, Broccoli
13 R - Tacos, Refried Beans, Salad
14 F - Southwest Chicken Foil Packets
15 S - Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs (Pilsbury CB 172), Jasmine Rice
16 U - Caleb's Birthday Party (finger foods)
17 M - Spaghetti with Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread
18 T - BBQ Chicken, Baked Beans, Salad, Rolls