Blastin' through breakfast...

Do you make breakfast for only one or two people? Do you like pancakes and waffles? Do you hate doing dishes? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, this little miracle spray can may be what you've been waiting for.

It's called the "Organic Batter Blaster" and it's a little controversial. Some people don't quite see the need for something so, well, Jetson-like, but if you've ever tried to make pancakes for just yourself, you know that even just using one egg that mix turns into a lot of breakfast. With the Batter Blaster you point and shoot your way to a one or two pancake meal with no wasted batter. And, might I add, only a pan to wash instead of bowls and measuring cups. (Do I sound a little lazy here?) The can is recyclable so that makes the material waste a little more tolerable. Did I mention it's organic? I mean, anything that says "organic" has to be wonderful, right? ;)

As far as the actual pancakes go, they are a little different from what you would make with a more traditional method. The company talks about "light and airy" pancakes, and they're right--the air in the can certainly adds to the "air" affect, and the cakes end up somewhere between pancake and crepe. They are not the traditional thick cake, but they're not completely flat, either. I like them, but I'm a little wierd when it comes to texture. Here's the finished product:

Normally this one can sells for $4.99 at Publix. I would never pay that much for this convenience. Currently (until next Wednesday) the cans are BOGO (buy one get one free) and there is a $1 off coupon you can print as many times as you want by following this link: John Tesh Radio Show Offer (While you're there, check out the cute promo video!) The final cost is $2.99 for two cans, and as each can produces approximately 28 pancakes I calculate each cake to cost around $.05. So, that's not too bad to try something new and to get a little break in the morning. The current cans don't expire until the end of March, so there's plenty of time to use them as well. If your Publix is out of them, don't forget to request a rain check!

NOTE: I had to search a while to find the cans--they were on the top shelf near the coffee creamers.

It's a bird...it's an odd center piece...

...it's my new set of feather dusters! And I love them!

Who knew dusting could feel so...chic? :)

Saving Dinner!

November is Meal Planning Month over at the FlyLady site and it couldn't have come at a better time for us. We have just finished a Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) session and the meals we prepared need to last until after the New Year, so if I don't plan well we may be out of food before Thanksgiving!

My meal planning strategy is facilitated by knowing what is in my freezer. I took the list of meals we prepared at OAMC and I printed a blank calendar from Outlook. I also opened our family calendar to see which nights we would need dinner as well as which nights we might not. I noted any evenings where one or more of us would not be home as that changes my cooking plans, and I recorded anything important on the no-longer-blank calendar. I then tried to complete the meal calendar by assigning dishes to the remaining days. A typical week looks something like this:

• Monday: Sweet Soy Chicken with Rice
• Tuesday: Mexican Torta
• Wednesday: Ekklesia (This is our church's weekly dinner--yay! No cooking!)
• Thursday: Chicken and Rice Wraps (My husband would night be eating with us that evening due to a meeting, so we would have something easy to prepare in small quantities. These are great just defrosted in the microwave like a burrito!)
• Friday: Pizza or Spaghetti (We eat this every Friday night and it is not a freezer meal)
• Saturday: Panko Parmesan Oven-Fried Chicken Salad
• Sunday: OYO (On Your Own) Night! We eat whatever we want, but it's every man for himself. Usually, this is my cereal for dinner night!)

I write any side dishes or ingredients that I need on the calendar as well as any thawing instructions, then I stick the finished chart on the freezer so that I can see it any time.

If you're new to meal planning and are unsure where to begin, may I also recommend SavingDinner.com? You'll find a link to it on the left side of the page. Leanne Ely publishes a free daily e-newsletter that provides recipes and helpful tips for feeding the family, and if you're interested she also has an enormous selection of freezer recipes for purchase that take minutes to prepare. If you need LOTS of help with meal planning you can purchase a weekly Menu Mailer where she gives you recipes and shopping lists for the entire week. Personally, I have purchased several of her freezer recipe sets including Chicken for the Freezer and Heart Healthy for the Freezer. The Moroccan Chicken with Honey Couscous is a favorite in our OAMC group. (Sorry for the advertisement, but I really do love Ms. Ely's products!)

So, that's what works for us! We eat well and we don't spend as much money at restaurants anymore...what works for you? Check out Crystal's site for more helpful hints!

Toys We Love--Maple Landmark

I absolutely love the Maple Landmark company in Vermont! They make classic wooden toys and home decor along with a slew of other neat gifts. Their products are American-Made and guaranteed safe for our little ones.

This year we are giving our son a Midget Train set and a few Scoots. Who could resist a train that's called the "Chocolate Pudding Train?"

Midget Train

Fire Truck and Police Car Scoots

We are also giving our son and our nephew one of their Semi-Trucks. Being a Kentucky girl, I fell in love with this one as soon as I saw it!

What on your Christmas list this year? Check out Rocks in My Dryer for other great toy ideas!

Snack Time!

We're on the road this week, and in our car, the choice of snacks is almost as important as the gasoline in the tank. (I guess that's a bit of a metaphor, too.)

Here's our list of munchies for this trip:

Trail Mix made with freeze-dried fruit from Just Tomatoes
Sun Chips
Juice Boxes
Pizza-Flavored Gold Fish Crackers
Triscuits Thin Crisps
Candy Corn (Mommy Emergency Food)
Marshmallows (Toddler Emergency Food)

What do you like to eat when you travel?

I should be arriving at my destination later today, so be sure to check my blog this week as I hope to blog from the road!

Just Too Good...

I'm blogging right now to get away from the box sitting in my kitchen. I ordered an assortment of freeze-dried fruits and veggies from Just Tomatoes, and it finally arrived today. I was expecting something good, but I had no idea how addictive it would be...

I heard about these in my favorite toddler cookbook, The Toddler Cafe, by Jennifer Carden. She uses them in homemade trail mix and I decided to give it a try. We're going on a fairly long road trip in a few days, so we need snacks and I would prefer that they be somewhat healthy.

I ordered the following: Just Cherries (WOW), Just Grapes (thankfully not as good as I'd hoped, but good enough to eat them all anyway), Just Veggies (corn, peas, peppers, tomatoes, and delicious), Just Strawberries (just like the kind you pick out of cereal), Just Raspberries, Just Blueberries, and Just Blackberries. The first four came in little easy-to-open bins, and they are what I'm having a hard time avoiding. My son is, too--my two-year-old keeps circling the table saying, "Box, box, please, please!" He really likes the cherries. So do I.

The last three on the list came in non-resealable plastic bags because I ordered smaller quantities of them, and that is the only thing keeping them from being devoured--my perfectionism will only allow me to open a non-reclosable bag at the perfect time so that they can be enjoyed perfectly. At least it's working for me in this case.

So, do I recommend Just Tomatoes? YES, particularly if you live near me and we can order together. The more you order, the cheaper the unit price, and if you order more than $100, shipping is free. Any takers??? Please???

OK, I've gotta go. My son just nabbed the strawberries and he's waving them in front of me...it's healthy, right?????