Disney Shopping Bags

I found the PERFECT solution!

I purchased ten of these bags at the Disney store for $2.50 EACH!

They have a big wide base and aren't too tall. I'm loving these!

We have really gotten our shopping down! Since we fill a cart when we go, right before checkout, my son grabs a second cart (empty) and we push it through to the checker. Then we unload our cart and she has an empty cart to load (like Costco does). Then she doesn't have to stack all the bags on her shelf, waiting for us to unload. It is streamlined!

We keep our shopping bags in the backseat of the van. Then on shopping day, move them to the front seat so I don't forget to take them in. What a huge convenience and I feel good about reusing them. It makes hauling the groceries inside a lot easier, too.

UPDATE: 01/16/2013...I need to put "grocery bags" on the top of my shopping list so I don't forget to take them into the store!

Easy Chili and Cornbread

Super quick and easy chili and cornbread...the recipe was given to me by my friend Barbie who helped me see that I needed to actually cook for my family in the first place. That's what started this blog. I'm so grateful for her!

I make browned hamburger and put one pound ziplocs in the freezer when I can. Easy to add one pound ground hamburger to any recipe by pulling it out of the freezer. I like to use ground turkey in this recipe, though I use twice the amount of meat because turkey doesn't have the bulk/fat that the beef does, it is just more tender.

Phillip's Chili
1lb ground hamburger browned (I prefer more protein. I can add 2lbs turkey in addition because it shrinks, or another pound of hamburger for my carnivore family)
saute onion and garlic
3 cans black beans
3 cans pinto beans
1 can garbanzo
plus 1 can water
1 small can corn
30oz tomato sauce
1T coriander
1/4C chili powder
2t cumin
Bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes. EAT!

Cornbread
I think I made the cornbread recipe on the back of the corn meal box but added a half cup of sour cream to make it more moist. I poured the batter half full into a large muffin tin. Add butter and honey. :)

UPDATE 01/12/2012: We are loving the cornbread (I did not add sour cream, it doesn't need it!) and I usually pour it into a 9x13 pan as the portions are too big in the muffin tin.

Salad System

I started eating a salad once a day starting in May of this year. Recently, I did some "salad evaluation" to make my salads more efficient. It seemed I was always running out of one thing, while another item went bad before I could eat it all.

Here's what I like on my huge salad. Yes, I weigh everything, every time so I know my calorie intake.

75g chicken breast (ziploc in freezer)
75g romaine (bag)
25g spinach (bag)
50g cucumber (pre chopped in glass container)
50g celery (pre cut in glass container-chop fresh daily)
50g red pepper (pre chopped in glass container)
15g red onion (pre chopped in glass container)
4 sliced snap pea pods (chop fresh daily)
50g garbanzo beans (glass container)
20g salsa
1 hard boiled egg
35g salad dressing (my favorite is Newman's Own Lite Balsamic)
7g unsalted Hoody sunflower seeds
10g sesame stix
5 craisins or fresh blueberries
This is about 400 calories, 30 protein, 30 carbs, 16 fat, 10 sugars, 9 fiber

Fills me up until dinner! I don't like it really cold, so I make it early in the afternoon and let it sit out for a bit before putting on the dressing and dry ingredients.

I decided to buy bag-o-salad and prepare chicken ahead and freezing the portions in ziplocs. Each day when I make my salad, I pull out a ziploc of frozen chicken and put it in my salad box for the next day. I have to pay attention to inventory control on the cucumber, celery, red pepper, red onion and snap peas, but that isn't too difficult now that I'm doing the grocery shopping.

The garbanzo beans last a few days, so I pour them into a glass container with a plastic lid. The hard boiled eggs are easy because I do several at a time. The salsa and salad dressing are easy along with the seeds, stix and craisins. I have a large plastic "shoebox" in the frig to hold all my containers. Making a salad everyday is EASY, just pull out the box! A little planning and refining have made having a delicious fresh salad everyday possible!