Saving money by cooking at home

One of my New Year's goals is to save more money this year. I've been doing pretty good with price-matching, couponing and rebates but in order to save even more I know it's best when I cook from scratch. I recently saw that a 10lb. bag of pancake mix at the grocery store sells for $7. This homemade version below costs a fraction of that and it's a little healthier too because it has wheat in it. I store this in my fridge and try to use it at least once a week when we have pancakes or muffins.

Homemade Bisquick Mix:
In a LARGE mixing bowl combine 5 cups whole wheat flour, 5 cups white flour (you can adjust this however you want to get your family used to it). Add 1/3 cup baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon salt then stir around really well. Add 2 cups butter flavored shortening and use a pastry blender till crumbly (you'll get a nice arm workout). Store in airtight container in your fridge for up to 6 months.

"Now what do I do with it?" you ask.

Pancakes:
In mixing bowl combine 2 cups mix, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, a dash of cinnamon, and a dash of vanilla. This works well with powdered eggs as well and no one will know the difference! Cook on a hot griddle like you normally would. I like mine with a thin smear of peanut butter and some syrup. Other times I like a thick layer of applesauce and powdered sugar on top. Add some turkey bacon for a side and everybody's happy.

Blueberry Muffins:
In mixing bowl combine 2 cups mix, 2/3 cup milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 Tablespoons oil, 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 mashed banana to make it moist and after mixing it all fold in 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen). Pour into a regular muffin tin (greased or use the paper liners) and cook in preheated 400 degree oven for 13-18 minutes. 425 degrees for high altitude but you'll want to check it and possibly cover it with aluminum foil the last 5 minutes so as not to over-brown the tops. Is that even a word? Oh well, you won't care once you're eating them. I like serving them with hard-boiled eggs. Kids LOVE cracking eggs.

There are few things more rewarding than being able to say, "I made that". As women we love to create and share. Cooking is a great way to do that. Now go get on your apron and try these new recipes!

Just because it's homemade doesn't mean it's cheap

I just got back from JoAnn's. I used several coupons and the other stuff I bought was already on sale and yet... I still spent more than I thought I would. It would've been cheaper to buy the dresses at a store but I want my daughters to have a dress made by their mother for their special day. I'm making E's baptism dress and the new baby girl's blessing dress. Now I'm terrified because I've never sewn satin before. I just have to keep telling myself, "I can do this". I feel like a big, pregnant blue engine looking at a big mountain made of white satin.

M4865 is the blessing dress and M5793 is the baptism dress (I'm doing the sleeved version but tweaking the design just a bit by adding a sheer skirt overlay) Check out these cute patterns (I got them for $1 each)

BTW, I've almost finished the shimmery lavender afghan (just need to decide on a decorative edge), made the diaper bag New Year's Eve and I've cut out the burp cloths so those should be done this week. Oh, and the carseat cover is done too. Check them out!

Baby Sewing Projects

Can I just start by saying it is so much fun planning for a baby girl? I'm a little giddy at the moment. Here's my list of things to sew:

*Mei Tai pronounced may-tie. The last one I made was gender neutral but it would be nice to have something that screams "GIRL!" I want to add a hood, pocket and have it rounded at the top since my last one didn't have those features. Here's the one I have now that was a lifesaver (and a workout) when we hiked last summer: (half the time he fell asleep) *Quilt & burps. I found some cute pink "bubble" fabric that's so soft and cuddly.

*Carseat cover (basically a blanket that attaches to the handle part) Below is the tutorial but I'll add flowers where it attaches to the handles and jumbo rick-rack around the hem. You use a whole yard for each side. http://awednesdayafternoon.blogspot.com/2009/04/summertime-car-seat-cover.html

*Slipcover for the actual carseat. I found a used one for $30 yesterday - see below. (They are still selling it at Walmart for $150 - score!) The dark brown matches the fabric perfectly so I'm just changing the pattern part. Took me awhile to cut (no pattern) and pin (we had canned soup that night for dinner... at 8pm) but I'll hopefully get it sewn in today. Here are before and after shots: *Nursing cover with boning - done! I made it reversible and did ties instead of D-rings. I'm not that well endowed so I adjusted the boning to 12 inches that way it's not gaping open for EVERYONE to see but I can peek & baby can still breathe. http://www.shannonmakesstuff.blogspot.com/2009/04/nursing-cover-tutorial.html

*Coordinating diaper bag. I like the tie on the nursing cover to I'll add that to the bag handle. I have a secret bag-craving. If I wasn't married, half my closet would be full of different bags.

*Might make a reversible wrap carrier. These truly are the most comfortable and versatile but it's tricky getting it wrapped on w/o getting the tails dirty. I just need to find some brown jersey knit for a decent price (use a w/ a coupon) and it won't take me more than 15 minutes to "decorate" it. Check out http://www.etsy.com/shop/loveyduds She has beautiful designs in case you don't want to make one yourself.

*Last but not least, I need to make a white blessing dress and crochet a blessing afghan. I'm thinking lavender would be pretty.

Product Recommendation

I never do this but... this is so cool! This Jeep stroller is the new Wrangler Unlimited g-edition. The g stands for green - the fabric is made from 40 recycled 16 oz. water bottles... How cool is THAT? It's good for up to 50 pounds, has 2 side pockets, 1 back pocket and undercarriage storage area for mom and 2 little side pockets by the kid so they can keep a few small toys nearby. N is a little tall for his age (3) and yet there's still room for him to use it another year or two. He's been falling asleep in the car lately and it's really hard to carry a sleeping toddler when you're pregnant so I needed something like this. It's great for taller people so you're not hunched over and it's an umbrella style so it will fit in any car. It came with a travel carrying case but it also has a tough fabric handle on it so you can easily carry it comfortably with one hand when it's folded up. Did I mention it's only 16 pounds? N has been sitting in this for the past hour watching a Christmas show on TV. It's obviously comfortable and it also reclines. "OK, ok, where can I get it?" you ask? I ordered mine yesterday, got free shipping and it came within 24 hours. LOVE IT!

http://www.diapers.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?productId=20907

The most wonderful time of the year

I love the way fresh fallen snow sparkles in the morning light - truly mesmerizing.

I love watching my kids rush to play out in the snow for 10 minutes then come inside begging for hot cocoa only to go back out again just so they can come back in another 10 minutes for MORE hot cocoa.

I love going to Festival of Trees and know I'm supporting a good cause. I was exhausted near the end but the kids seemed to have fun. N went in the bubble machine 6 times!



I love finding the perfect Christmas gift for someone and imagining their faces as they open it Christmas morning.

I love seeing my neighbors and visiting with them as we deliver neighbor gifts - we never did that in Arizona. Is that just a Utah thing? If so, I'm not leaving.

I love seeing the lights at Temple Square and listening to amateur singers perform beautiful songs that touch my heart and remind me of the true meaning of Christmas. (My brother Scott came with us.)

Thanksgiving

I think we should have bought our own plane when we first moved to Utah. We go down to Arizona at least twice a year and the drive down is OK but going back is brutal. My favorite part driving south is coming thru this canyon area and then it suddenly opens up completely to a view of the Grand Canyon. My favorite part coming home is driving around point of the mountain and seeing the Jordan River and Oquirhh temples amidst the see of sparkling city lights. Draper seems to be hiding the best because you have to wait and look to the other side.

This Thanksgiving we drove straight to Safford to spend time with the Young Family. This was our first year without Grandpa and my nephew is on his mission as well so we didn't even try to ask Grandma if we could do a group picture. The food was great as always, too much pie (as always) and we tied and finished a quilt to give away. The cousins had a blast playing together. Sadly, this is the only picture I took that day. I ended up making the shirt & skirt the day before we left... crafting sounded so much funner than cleaning the bathrooms.

Things I am thankful for today

I'm thankful my pregnancy fears are starting to dissipate as I am now able to feel the baby move throughout the day. Creating life is truly a miracle and I feel so blessed to be a co-creator with my Heavenly Father. I don't feel worthy or prepared to take on the responsibility of raising another child but I also remember I wasn't prepared for the first one and how that would change my life. Motherhood is a constant learning process. I'm thankful that I have dirty floors to clean, that I have loads of laundry to do almost everyday, and that I have mouths to feed - I can't imagine life without my children. They make me grow in ways I never imagined. (And I never thought I would use algebra again but it's true - you'll later have to teach your children how to do it)

I'm thankful to have my new 72 hour kits ready to go and it's been nice that my kids have had an array of "free snacks" to munch on whenever they're hungry. It's such a peace of mind knowing that we are prepared should any emergency arise.

Saving the best for last... I am so grateful for our Savior's eternal plan of happiness. I have so much more to learn about the gospel but I try everyday to become just a little more like Him. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I move forward, but I'm always trying my best. I'm thankful that families can be sealed together forever in His holy house because otherwise this earthly life would be for naught. Sometimes it seems easy - pray, read your scriptures, go to church, keep the commandments. Sometimes I get caught in the "thick of thin things" and forget what's really important. This life is test and the time is passing quickly. I ask myself, "What have I done with the time the Lord has given me today?" and challenge you to ask yourself that same question and then... do something about it.

School and Birthday Pictures

My baby boy turned 3 recently. We had Mickey Mouse waffles, went to our favorite children's museum, Discovery Gateway, then bought fun stuff at Build-a-Bear. He fell asleep on the way home. I think his pictures turned out so cute though I may be a bit biased. The next day the kids brought home their school pictures and thankfully we won't need to do any retakes. E's teeth are all falling out at this age so I begged her to PLEASE remember to do a sweet, closed-mouth smile. Gotta love that age! Our last trip to the dentist resulted in 3 repeat visits for cavity fillings and sealants. The one kid who didn't get cavities this time? "He'll need to get braces next time." Thanks for the warning.

N now likes to put his food that is on his plate into his drinking cup. Then he'll tell me, "Mom, look! Mmmm, Licious!" Umm, yeah, that looks real delicious sweetheart. :} The other day I was tending 5 year old twins and we were talking about their preschool. The boy said, "I get to ride the bus to the Helementary school". I couldn't help but laugh - I've never heard anyone make that mistake. I tried to correct him by saying, "You mean eLLLLementary school?" He couldn't pronounce it right so I gave up. Kids say the darndest things don't they?

Happy Halloween!

Don't you hate it when you almost finish a post and then make one slight edit on the Html and your post gets cut to 1 paragraph and your pictures are gone? Yeah, me too... Blogger needs an "undo" button, seriously. I also need to get a lock on my camera case since my almost-three-year-old can now pull it out and take pictures and change the settings to low resolution. Not good... I'm too tired to re-write so feel free to use your imagination. Happy Halloween! (I need some chocolate now)

Picking pumpkins at Farnsworth Farms Festival

Witch, Pumpkin, Z the werewolf and J as Darth Vader

Waldo & Wenda (I even had striped tights.) Wow, we look like dorks
Z's
Hubby's
J's N's
E's
Mommy's

Mom's Whole Wheat Bread

I made a few small adjustments to this but there's no real taste difference - I'll explain later. I remember my mom would make this only a few times a year. However, she would get out her heavy duty wheat grinder and grind her hard red winter wheat from the LDS Cannery. Then she'd mix up batch after batch of this recipe until all the countertops were full of loaves of bread. She'd slice them with her electric bread slicer (yep, I have one too) and bag them and put them in the extra freezer for later enjoyment. The house smelled wonderful when we came home from school. Don't you love how memories can flood your mind when you enjoy food? Now when I make this, the first loaf gets eaten within 5 minutes. I try to give one or two away and the last loaf is to save for the next day's sandwiches or eggs & toast breakfast.

Mom’s Whole Wheat Bread
Karen’s version of Joyce McCown’s recipe

In medium bowl combine:
5 tsp. yeast, ½ cup warm water, and 1 Tbs. honey. Set aside. I know this is just to proof the yeast and that I could probably just add it later but I like to stick with tradition.

In Bosch mixer, with dough hook, combine:
5 cups Whole Wheat flour (I use hard red winter wheat), 3 cups white flour, 5 cups hot water, and 1/3 cup Vital Wheat Gluten (my optional add-in)
Mix for 10 minutes to make gluten work and to allow yeast to rise.

In another medium bowl combine:
2 beaten eggs (those poor eggs), ½ cup canola oil, 1/3 cup honey (if you buy some from your area it will actually help relieve your allergies - cool, huh?), 1 Tbs. salt, and 2 Tbs. lemon juice (I found that this is a natural dough enhancer that helps the wheat rise). Mix and combine with wheat/water mixture in Bosch. Add yeast mixture. Scrape down sides. Gradually add 2 ½ cups wheat flour and 2 ½ cups white flour. Mix for 5 minutes to knead. Take out of Bosch and put into a large, greased bowl. Cover with warm, damp towel and let rise till double (1 hour where I'm at). After 1 hour, turn oven on to warm setting. With greased hands, punch down dough and form into 4 loaves, brush tops with PAM as well and let rise in pans till double (30 minutes in warm oven). Leave the pans in the oven and turn it from warm to 350 degrees for 30 minutes more. Remove from oven after cooking time then brush tops with butter and wrap in towels for softer crust.

It may look difficult at first but once you get used to making it, it's a breeze. I don't even need to look at the recipe anymore. Besides, what's better than to walk in your home and smell bread baking?

My daddy likes his with honey. My oldest son likes his with strawberry or raspberry jam, no butter. My Nana liked hers with sliced sharp cheddar on top and toasted. My grandma would put a thin layer of peanut butter on hers. The rest of them like it with butter. I'm good with any of the above because it reminds of those people I love. What do you like to put on your homemade bread?