Mommy Octopus

 

Another week and I’m still pregnant!  38 weeks!  I’m using up the rest of the food we have in the house in prep for getting another Bountiful Basket this weekend!  Love using that to get my produce.

Monday: Jalepeno Pork, kale

Tuesday: Cheesy Bacon Chicken Cauliflower, asparagus

Wednesday: Italian Chicken Legs, macaroni and cheese, salad

Thursday: Taco Pie (kids are requesting this AGAIN!  They love it!)

Friday: Cheesy Enchilada Quinoa in Crock Pot

Saturday: Chili, cornbread

Sunday: Leftovers

 

You all know how much I love cooking from scratch.  Everything just tastes better and I love knowing exactly what ingredients are in the food we eat.  On top of that, having a child with an allergy makes it especially important to cook from scratch to prevent any contamination.  The past times we’ve made spaghetti, we’ve been making the sauce from scratch.  It’s much easier and tastier than you’d think!  You can even throw in some cooked ground beef to beef it up a little.  On top of a yummy sauce, your house will smell absolutely fantastic!

Here’s how we make it:

Ingredients: 

• 3-4 cans of Crushed Tomatoes (28 oz. sized cans) OR 12-15 fresh tomatoes
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• Fresh Basil -4-6 Tbsp or dried basil (3-5 Tbsp)
• 1 ½ tsp. Black pepper
• 1 TBSP of Sugar (optional – I normally leave this out)
• 2 TSBP olive oil
• 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

Directions: 

• Heat the olive oil in a 5+ qt. pot over medium heat and add the minced garlic.
• Heat for one to two minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic.
• Add all the tomatoes, black pepper, basil and optional sugar.
• Stir often and bring to a low boil.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours stirring often.
• For the first half of the simmer time, leave the pot uncovered.  Cover for the last half.
• Add in the cheese, stir and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

This recipe will make the equivalent to 4-5 jars of sauce.  That works out to be about 2 meals for our family of 6.

Note for Fresh Tomatoes: If you are using fresh tomatoes you will need to get the skins off first.  A simple method for this is to score the skins with a sharp knife, and then boil them for about a minute and place in cold water.  You will want to do this in batches.  Once you the tomatoes have cooled, the skins should peel off easily.  Chop and blend in a food processor before adding to the garlic.

Canning Directions: 

• Fill your quart or pint jars with the spaghetti sauce. Wipe down the top of the jar before putting on the lid and ring.
• Slowly lower your jars into a hot water canning bath and allow them to boil for 40 minutes.
• Using your Jar lifters carefully raise your jars out of the bath and allow them to cool overnight.  As your lids seal you will begin to hear slight popping sounds coming from your jars.  Store up to 1 year.

So this is technically a tentative meal plan because there is a chance we may end up having the baby early this week.  There is a chance we will be waiting another week or 2 as well, so it’s going to be flexible.  I still like making a meal plan though so I’m prepared just in case.  We got our Bountiful Baskets on Saturday with tons of produce so I’ll be working on using most of that this week.  I got a conventional basket, lunch box pack, and a grill pack.

Some snacks we are trying this week:

• Garlic and Roasted Eggplant Hummus
• Roasted Shishito Peppers w/dip
• Lots of fruit based snacks 🙂

Monday: Hamburgers, grilled corn and asparagus

Tuesday: Roasted Poblano, Onion, and Jack Quesadillas, homemade salsa and chips

Wednesday:  Meatballs and Portobello, Mushroom, and Kale Stroganoff 

Thursday: birthday party

Friday: Beef stew

Saturday: Grilled chicken, zucchini fritters, salad

Sunday: Dinner out

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Carter’s. I received a complimentary gift card to facilitate my review and thank me for my participation.

As my kiddos get bigger, it’s getting harder to find clothes for them that are in style and keeping them looking like a kid.  This is especially difficult for my 6 year old who currently wears a size 7 or 8 in clothes!  Thankfully Carter’s understands my needs and is now offering their great styles up to size 8 in clothing!  Carter’s graciously invited myself and one of my daughters into the store to shop around and check out what styles they offer in size 8.

We absolutely had a blast together!  So many fun styles that it was hard to narrow down our favorites!  I loved watching my daughter wander the store and find things that were her own style.  We ended up with a couple tops, some tunics, and of course leggings.  Leggings are always a win for my daughter since jeans can be uncomfortable for her.  We were very impressed with the many different styles of leggings and combinations of tops that could go with them.  Lots of mix and match pieces and even jewelry and fun shoes to match.

Her favorite outfit is the one below.  It’s nice for fall transition and had some adorable jewelry and shoes to match!  That’s a win-win in her little world 🙂

Something to take note of is their current Bright Now Sale where they are offering 40% off the entire store from 7/14-8/4.  In this sale you can stock up on new fall arrivals!  It includes $5 and up doorbusters, with $5 baby short sleeve tees & shorts, $6 for toddlers and bigger sizes, $6 Pants, $6 Leggings $6 Slogans & $12 Hoodies!  That’s a lot of potential savings!

If you’re heading to Carter’s or shopping online, be sure and show the coupon below to save 20% off your purchase of $40 or more.  Online, use the code CRBLOG20.

For more information or to shop online, visit Carters.com, the Carter’s Facebook page, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter. You can also search by hashtag #8isGreat to see other fun clothing options offered by Carter’s.