Snow has a great way of making us play like kids again! We all had rosy cheeks and chilly toes and a great time! We went sledding in Big Bear, CA during break,


...and we are lucky to live very close to Mt. Charleston, NV to get in some MORE sledding!

I have always loved that cold air on my face, and the first sip of hot cocoa after a great run down! Turns out Charlie prefers a coke!

(PS He really didn't drink any, don't be mad mom!)

We've been working on cleaning out the freezer as well, so there were some leftover tamales, and a soup night. Last night however, was a TREAT! A friend recommended this delicious recipe for Tikka Masala,

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/chicken-tikka-masala-by-pastor-ryan/

We used organic chicken (Costco sells these beauties for much less than Whole Foods!!), organic yogurt, cream, and butter (not really that much more $$ than non-organic dairy), organic onions, garlic, tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro (organic cilantro is SUPER dirty, must wash 2-3 times!). Rough estimate (that means I have no idea how to figure it out) our dinner last night was 80% ORGANIC! Woohoo! My wallet wasn't aching, cheaper than Indian take-out, and left overs!

I wasn't thrilled about paying for organic hummus this week, so I bought organic chickpeas in bulk AKA garbanzo beans and am boiling them to make my own hummus. I bought 2 lbs for 1.29/ lb and a rough estimate....mucho hummus! I'll freeze some and let everyone know if it's a keeper! I'm also working on a peanut butter granola bar recipe and fixin' up my empanada recipe.

I'm feeling good about my purchases, trying not to go overboard. I remember switching all my cleaning supplies little by little so I didn't break the bank or feel overwhelmed. It's a process....I'm just happy my husband doesn't think I'm a looney...most of the time anyway!

Organic chickens are not cheap! This chicken from whole foods was a little over 4lbs, and I guess had lived a healthy lifestyle before coming home with me....The plan: NOT TO WASTE ANY OF IT!

Hubby gets all the credit for chopping it up (don't whole chickens kinda freak YOU out?)
Thighs and drumsticks were for Chicken Curry/ Cous Cous

Breasts were going to be boiled for Enchiladas Verdes/ Mexican brown rice (Yes, it was ORGANIC too!) (the pic below is horrible I know! Forgot to take a pic BEFORE we had eaten it!)
Wings were sent to the freezer to wait for another set of wings to make for a yummy pizza night!
....and the nasty bones all went into the pot to make some ORGANIC chicken stock!

Each meal was enough for 4 and mighty tasty! Doing the math, it makes sense. The $16.00 isn't so crazy, just going to our local Indian restaurant sets us back $40. The hardest part I think is going to be the planning. First week has been easy and our schedule was normal, no last minute change ups or upsets. I can say without a doubt that organic chickens will be welcomed into our home again. If I don't feel like cooking there's always Chipotle or The Curry Bowl (both use organic chickens). Need to find more take-out options for when this plan falls apart......i mean IF!

I like the word 'goal' more than resolution. Less of a let down, resolution sounds too grown up and too hard to stick to. Goal is a hopeful word, one that you can throw around casually! lol What I really mean is "I'm not a grown up yet and would really like to experiment with some 'goals' this year"! For example, as a family we've set a goal to eat responsibly. We're shootin' for 50% of all ingredients to be organic, as local as possible, hormone/antibiotic free, and prepared in our kitchen! *sigh* It's a GOAL remember?! So far we've had the Pioneer Woman's beans and cornbread. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/08/beans_and_cornb/
Organic pinto beans, nitrate free bacon, organic cilantro, and hormone free sour cream. For the cornbread, organic milk and organic buttermilk. Not bad right?


The meal was delicious and made for great leftovers as Enfrijoladas (google it!) the next night. We've began planning this year's garden with lots of improvements and are talking about worms again! I'm beginning to chicken out on this worm bin.....we've been ready to welcome these worms for a year now, (pregnancy and travel postponed the craziness!) and I can't stare at the empty bin any longer! So that has also turned into a GOAL for 2010....
Stay tuned for the $16.00 chicken!

My little guy has been so busy this month! Apart from rockin' the ever so handsome sweater vest collection, he has been rolling and crawling all over the place! He's sitting up on his own, reaching for everything that is NOT an approved baby toy and leaving his trail of drool on each family member including our dog Daisy! Teething hasn't been too bad, he's pretty good with his rings and blowing raspberries seems to scratch the itch! His favorite Christmas gift were the stacking cups from Santa, funny thing...they seem to be Jacob's favorite too! He's had bananas, avocados, acorn squash, carrots, and homemade applesauce from the orchard in WY! Each day we realize how lucky we are to have Charlie in our family, I can't even imagine him not there 6 months ago! Being able to see his smile when Jacob calls to him, is worth all the dirty diapers and sleepless nights in the world!! Happy 6 months Charlie!