Sometimes you feel like a nut....

Hummus

9:44 PM by Almen, Almond, or Almendra

I made my own hummus. I'll say it again, I made my OWN hummus! I feel totally awesome because I MADE my OWN hummus! and it was DELICIOUS! It wasn't a quick recipe but it also wasn't an impossible one either. I made 3 jars and here's the only pic I got...

Yes, that's an empty jar because we couldn't stop eating it!

Jake had pitas with hummus and veggies for lunch and I had a healthy handy snack everyday! Knowing where my food comes from and how it's being made has it's perks...TASTE!

Thanks to Family Fun this month for giving our family a "neat" idea! A family memory box. Every night we'll write a few sentences about our day on a notecard and store them in a box by date. We'll keep adding entries to the same card (For example: Next year's Christmas entry is added onto the same card as this year's) and year after year we can remember those silly one liners, fun playdates, and special moments that might have otherwise been forgotten! I really wish we would have started this sooner so as to have already been able to look at years past.

Sledding

7:43 AM by Almen, Almond, or Almendra

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!)

Week 2 on the Organic Crusade....

8:03 AM by Almen, Almond, or Almendra

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!