Pancake Making - Simplified for Little Hands

My family loves pancakes!!! While we may not all agree on the best way to eat them, we do share in the belief that they are good for any meal. Not only can the dry ingredients be mixed ahead of time and easily stored for later use...fresh pancakes can be frozen, then microwaved on busy school mornings.

Pancakes are inexpensive, easy to make and great with fresh fruit, but dispensing the batter onto the griddle can be tough for little hands. Well....last week I stumbled across an idea on the internet (Real Simple, I think.) suggesting that empty, squeezable ketchup bottles make great pancake dispensers. As luck would have it, we emptied our ketchup bottle Friday and this morning I made pancakes. The hardest part, was transferring the batter to the bottle. I found that the spouted cup that I use for measuring wet ingredients worked the best. I was able to get the entire recipe of batter into a single 24 oz. bottle with very little mess. A simple 3 count resulted in perfectly round 2 inch pancakes with no drips on the griddle or on the counter. The batter remains in the bottle, unless squeezed and clean up was a breeze. I just filled the bottle with water, gave it a shake then rinsed it out. A little more water, a squeeze of dish soap, another shake and rinse...and the bottle is ready for the next use. Simple!!

And what did the kids think? My oldest (age six) was able to squeeze the batter onto the griddle and my youngest (age 2) eagerly embraced her job of cleaning the bottle. Kids love to cook and the ketchup bottle dispenser made the process easier for all of us. This one is a keeper!!

A few quick tips:

1. Go here for my families favorite pancake recipe.

2. Remove as many lumps as possible from the batter before pouring into the bottle.

3. Sprinkle fruit and nuts onto batter immediately after dispensing.

Bringing Simplicity to the Dinner Table

Why do we as wives and mothers think that every meal has to be a masterpiece...the intricate result of hours spent slaving over a hot stove? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for baking and cooking and actually enjoy experimenting in the kitchen...but...for me lately...simple meals are the key to bringing peace to my kitchen. I must give credit to my wonderful husband on this one. A while back, he suggested that I create a single menu, of family favorites, that we could enjoy each week. I am all about menu planning, but it never occurred to me that my family would be satisfied with eating the same foods week after week. What about variety? Wouldn't they get bored?

I can't tell you what a blessing this has been in my life. This menu is time saving, money saving and has put an end to the question, "What are we having for dinner tonight?" I used to spend a pretty good amount of time scouring the store ads each week, building my menu from the weekly sales. Then there was the coupon clipping and the list writing...it was time consuming. Because my new menu is constant, only the side dishes and breakfast items change. My pre-shopping prep. time has been reduced drastically. I have also found that this method of menu planning also saves a lot of money. While the price of the items on my list can rarely be reduced with coupons, they are usually inexpensive to begin with. When I find them on sale, I stock up!!

What about variety? While my evening meal main dishes are constant from week to week, my side dishes and breakfasts are constantly changing depending on the weeks sales. We eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables...making those favorite, comfort meals a little healthier. Boredom...does occur occasionally. When we tire of a dish, I simply replace it with something else. While I know that this method of menu planning won't work for every family...it certainly works for me and helps to add even more peace to my home.

The Joy of Simplicity

I have always been a "too many irons in the fire" girl and that finally caught up with me. It was hard for me to admit, but I had taken on too much and was settling for mediocrity in everything. My home was in chaos, my children weren't getting the attention from me that they needed and my spiritual life was suffering. I was feeling less than successful in all categories...spiritual, marriage, mom, friend and home. It was way past time for a change.

As I began to work on creating a peaceful, orderly home...I came face to face with the boxes (and boxes) of projects that had been put away to finish another day. Every closet was packed to the gills with stuff. I was finding things that I didn't even know I had...or hadn't used in years...or just couldn't throw away. At first it was difficult to get rid of things. Should I have a garage sale? Sell things on ebay or craigslist? Finish the projects? No...it was time for something more drastic. The stuff had to leave my home, the quicker the better.

CVS and couponing...on hold, at least temporarily. The last thing that I need to do right now is bring more stuff into my home. Sewing, crafting and creating...those things will have to wait for another day. I am in the process of purging my home of all things unneeded and unused. I have given, donated and trashed what seems to be a ton of stuff (and I'm not even close to being done). So far I have learned that a clean, organized pantry is a thing of true beauty...that an empty closet is much better than a full one...that less is easier to keep clean...that "things" of true value can't be purchased in a store...and that I love simplicity.

I'll probably get back into couponing eventually, but right now I am enjoying the process of clutter removal and peace creation. For the first time, maybe ever, I feel like the term homemaker describes me and I take great pride in that.

Sometimes You Gotta Stop and Take a Break!!

I find that every once in a while, I need to sit down and re-prioritize. Usually I do it by choice...occassionally something happens that forces me into life evaluation mode. While I don't want to bore you with the details, about a month ago I found myself needing to make some important decisions and changes. I needed to take a little break from blogging and look at the things that are most important in my life...faith, family, friends, home and health.

While everything has turned out okay...those events have helped me to realize who and what should take top priority...and that I wasn't giving them the attention that they deserve and need. I also know that I was trying to do too much...and not really doing any of it well. I'm not completely settled into this new routine, but I definitely feel that I'm heading in the right direction.

So what about blogging? It's definitely not one of my top priorities, but I enjoy it...so I'm going to give it another shot. You will see a few changes over the next couple of weeks as I inch back into it. Hopefully you will enjoy what you find.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! See you in the morning.

Weekly Grocery Deals - Another Great Week for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables!!!

These are the best grocery deals that I see in my area (NW Houston). Don't see your local market? Go here to check out the Grocery Gathering hosted by BeCentsAble. If you are a fellow blogger and would like to share the deals in your area, leave a comment below.

Food Town - go here to see this weeks ad

• Gala apples (small snack size) - 5/$1.00
• Lettuce (red/green leaf or Romaine) - $0.69/head
• Carrots (5 lb. bag) - $1.99
• Key limes (2 lb. bag) - $0.79
• Campbells tomato soup - 2/$0.88
• Fryer leg quarters (10 lb. bag) - $4.90
• Crystal farms cheese (8 oz. shred or chunk) - $1.66 (use $0.55 coupon from recent insert)
• Borden Milk - $2.69/gallon (use $1.00 coupon from recent insert)

Coming next...HEB

Don't forget that Walmart will honor the advertised prices of all competitors located within a 10 mile radius. While some stores do not require you to have your ads in hand, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Back to School and Back to Work!!

When things get crazy around my house, blogging takes last priority. School is underway and I'm itching to get back into a routine. After homework and household chores are completed later this evening...I will be posting about grocery deals and this weeks CVS opportunities. I hope that you'll check back a little later!!

Family of 6 eats for about $4 a week!

"It might take a few hours a week to clip coupons and browse supermarket aisles. But it's paying off for one woman who is feeding her family of six for less than $10 a week.

Kathy Spencer of Boxford, Mass., seeks out coupons, browses circulars and spends up to four hours a week at grocery stores. But she says she spends an average of $4 a week on groceries for a family that includes her husband, four kids, one dog, two cats and a rabbit. On a recent shopping trip, Spencer bought $279 worth of groceries for 39 cents."

Full article here!