Amazing Meals From The Pantry #10

 

Fall has a way of stirring up my appetite and sending me back into the kitchen to whip up some delicious and nutritious meals.  Cooler temperatures make me hungry for things I’ve not eaten in a while and motivate me to get cooking again.  This month I was able to spend a lovely morning meal prepping a few things to add to the pre-made meals I have tucked away into my kitchen freezer.

 

One of the items I was eager to make up was to put together and bake ten gorgeous stuffed bell peppers.  I had found these huge beautiful bell peppers on sale at my local supermarket and after cutting them in half and cleaning them up I stuffed each pepper half with my meatloaf mixture.  After baking them for an hour I allowed them to cool completely before they headed into the freezer.

 

Once they were frozen I vacuum sealed several of these for the deep freezer to enjoy later on this winter while the rest I put into Ziploc bags.  These will be perfect to reheat and serve alongside a baked potato or some rice pilaf and some veggies or a nice crisp green salad.  I love quick and easy to prepare meals, especially when I am busy or just don’t feel like cooking.

 

While I had the oven on I also mixed up a batch of pecan cranberry pumpkin muffins.  I was able to bake eighteen beautiful little muffins from that batter which I placed into Ziploc bags and put away in the freezer for a quick snack or to accompany eggs or some fruit for brunch.

 

The last item on my list that morning was to put together two small low carb sausage, cheese and broccoli crust less quiches to use up some extra eggs as well as the end of a block of Colby Jack cheese I had in the fridge.  I froze them raw and then wrapped each one in plastic wrap.  I will be able to thaw and bake these later whenever I wish.  I might even have to serve a pumpkin muffin alongside a slice.  Yummy!

 

Repeats from last month - so good!

The last month has been a very busy one for me so quick and easy meals were a high priority for me.  The cooler weather made me hungry for chili and hot soups too so I was able to utilize quite a few jars from my LTFS to heat up for dinner.  I love having a variety of readymade soups to enjoy and I served them along with half a sliced turkey, tuna salad or grilled cheese sandwich.  Delicious!

 

Tacos too!

Hamburgers with lettuce and sliced tomato and a serving of my homemade fries made an appearance a couple of times too.  Much tastier and healthier than fast food, not to mention a whole lot less expensive too!  I’ve really been enjoying the Hero low carb hamburger buns and breads.

 

Bagels & cream cheese! 😍

What wonderful meals have you been making as the weather has been cooling off?  What is on your list to make soon?  Have you done any meal prepping?  I’d love to hear about what is cooking in your kitchen.

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 185

 

Hello!  How is everybody doing today?  I hope you enjoyed a fabulous week.  I sure did simply because that is the choice I made regardless of whatever else is going on around me.  NO Bad Days!

 

Even though I had worked all day on Friday for some reason I got home with a lot of unspent energy.  My Chewy order arrived Friday and I was able to get all of the canned kitty food unloaded and onto the shelf in the garage where I store the cat food and supplies for them.  You will be very proud of me because the Chewy shipping box is residing in the recycle bin.  I did not keep it!

 

After dinner I was still feeling energized so, of all things, I pulled out the Christmas décor and went through it.  I had originally planned to do this in about a month from now, much closer to when I’d actually be decorating, but reason hit and I decided it would be much more pleasant for me to do this before it got really cold out in the garage.  I ended up purging a lot more than I thought including a box (sentimental item alert) of ornaments I had handcrafted out of felt and toilet paper tubes when I was in high school.  They were falling apart and it has been more than 40 years since they have graced a tree so I said goodbye to them as well as to some of my grandparent’s and kiddo’s stuff, none of which were particularly special.  Guess what?  I actually feel better after doing this.

 

I separated out the two foot mini tree, its lights and ornaments too, so now all I have in the big bin is what I actually use at Christmas.  I made a much smaller separate bin for the mini stuff (I also sorted through and decluttered some things) and put it away in the downstairs bedroom for now because I have plans for it in the not too distant future.  I have a lot of “future” ideas and plans swimming around in my head these days and I’m trying to sort through and organize some stuff in order to make sense of what I am planning to do.

 

Donation box is full again

Over the weekend I really allowed myself to relax and enjoy some much deserved downtime.  I puttered about the house doing some housekeeping tasks, a little bit of cooking and a load of laundry.  I read a book, I watched TV and I snuggled with my kitties.  It was a perfect weekend.

 

I worked Monday afternoon and scored some goodies – a large bag of small ripe bananas, a bag of oranges and a large bag of bagels.  I brought the fruit home and washed the oranges to add to my fruit bowl for fresh eating.  Then I peeled and cut up the bananas and put those on a tray to freeze so I could vacuum seal them to use next year in my smoothies.  I currently have plenty in the freezer in my kitchen to use now in my smoothies so it will be very nice to have these tucked away in the deep freezer.  I could also use them in muffins or to make banana bread.  All of the peels and a couple of the bananas went out to the chickens.  I plan to parcel out the bagels to them throughout the next couple of weeks.  It was truly an unexpected blessing for which I am very grateful.

 

I laid them out on a cookie sheet and froze them before vacuum sealing

On the way home from work I did a quick stop into the grocery store to pick up some more fresh produce for salads and a half gallon of milk so I can make some more yogurt.  Bagged onions were less expensive than the loose ones so I went ahead and grabbed a bag.  I also stopped at Trader Joes right down the street to pick up a few items there to round out my shopping list.  I have now marked everything off of my October grocery shopping list and am thrilled to have my freezers, pantry and LTFS completely stocked for the upcoming winter.  Yay!

 

Winco

Trader Joes

Tuesday I headed to the mall to pick up a few items for Christmas gifts at Bath & Body Works.  I used a $25 gift certificate I got last year and that covered nearly all of my purchase.  On the way home I stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up some items to donate to the senior center to use as bingo prizes.  Practical and useful items are very much appreciated.  I’m collecting quite a few of these items right now as part of my Christmas charitable giving this year. 

 

Ssh!  Christmas presents 😊

Wednesday I made a quart of plain yogurt and a big batch of granola.  The BFF likes to have this as a snack before bedtime so he will be excited.  I also went to the post office and dropped off a package because I sold some more Pyrex!  I’m slowly, but surely making my way through to the end of the Pyrex sales.  Only a handful of pieces left to go!

 

Granola!

Senior Center donations

Thursday I worked all day taking a group of senior on a Fall ride into the country where we took in the changing leaves, went out to lunch, stopped in at a museum and then finished off at a winery.  It was a long day and they were pretty tuckered out when we got back, but we all had a really nice time.

 

Homemade Fish & Chips 😍

And that was that!  Another week is in the books again already and I am onto the next one.  How was your week?  I hope it was a good one.

My Fall & Winter To-Do List

 

It feels so weird.  For the first time ever in my life I don’t have a To-Do List written up with a pile of things needing to be done.  After a very productive spring and summer I am left with nothing pressing that needs to be taken care of.  Nothing.  It is a whole new experience for me.

 

With that in mind I decided to make a very different kind of list instead.  I made myself a list of fun things I could do during the Fall and Winter months.  On the list I’ve put down things that I may be interested in doing such as going out to lunch or going to happy hour at some of my favorite restaurants and watching a football game at one of the sports pubs we have.  I added going to a movie, visiting the library, the state capitol and/or a museum to my list.

 

This year I want to bundle up and take a nice long walk along one or two of the streets that are lined with historic homes and take in their holiday décor at Christmas.  I might take a winter drive to Idaho City just to enjoy the snow and have lunch at a restaurant there that I like and haven’t been to in ages.  I want to visit the local chocolate shops here in Boise and partake of some delicious truffles.

 

I hope to go to a town two cities over and visit their Winter Wonderland venue.  While I am there I will enjoy Chinese food at a small family owned restaurant and buy something from a local soap shop.  I may pop into a cute used bookstore while I’m there as well and make a day of it.  Visiting antique shops is also something I enjoy doing so I added that to my list.

 

With so many wonderful and fun options I should be adequately entertained and fulfilled.  No sitting around doing nothing while I wait for spring to arrive.  It is important to have things to look forward to, especially when the weather gets gloomy and cold.  I can hardly wait to get started!

 

A Tiny Home Makes Sense Too

 

I have had a long held love of all things tiny and that includes tiny houses.  I love the idea of their ease of maintenance and upkeep, the low cost to build or purchase and own, as well as their low carbon footprint.  Unfortunately, where I live, tiny house living has yet to be embraced, although they are working on it.  Right now they are doing some preliminary studies, but I’m sure we are a long way off before I’ll be seeing any tiny house communities popping up.  That isn’t the case everywhere. however.

 

I am still very much interested in tiny house living, especially the ones with the bedroom on the ground floor, no loft ladders for me thank you very much.  There are so many more options out there now too.  Along with tiny houses there are also park model RVs and shed-to-home conversions, all of which I’ve researched and am considering.  There are communities where you can park these and even own your lot or rent it.  I’m not sure which I’d prefer at this point, likely owning my own lot appeals to me most right now.

This shed is ready to be converted into a home

I’d also like to investigate the possibility of purchasing a piece of land and possibly doing a shed-to-home build.  Of course, should I choose to do that I’d have a lot more upkeep than a condo lifestyle would net me so there is that to consider.

 

Park models have all the amenities one might want

Park model RV are like smaller versions of manufactured homes and really nice.  They are more expensive now than when I first started looking at them, but then all things have increased dramatically in price, so there is that.

 

Inside a park model home, just lovely

Having options to consider is something I am very fortunate to have.  Right now I am open to many of those options as far as where I will be living in my future.  I just love those cute little houses.  They really tug at my heart.

 

Vintage Cookery - Pumpkin Bars

 

I remember making these Pumpkin Bars back in the day and they are delicious, especially with cream cheese icing.  I would be willing to make these again if I had any self control whatsoever, but with these I don’t.  I have no doubt I’d eat the entire pan myself.  However, if you have any modicum of self control then have at it.

 

Remember you only need a 1/2 recipe of cream cheese frosting
I'm not responsible if you make a full one 😉

These would be perfect for any fall get together or holiday potluck so I won’t completely write this recipe off.  I would definitely want the majority of them to go elsewhere rather than sit in my kitchen tempting me at every turn.  Guaranteed not last long in my kitchen, that’s for sure!

 

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 184

 

Good chilly morning to you!  We are dipping into the 40s overnight now, brrrrr.  The days have been warm enough though that I have yet to turn on any heating.  I do not want to warm up the house in the morning just to be opening windows in the afternoon so I am waiting.  With my slippers on and a sweater I am plenty comfortable in the morning anyway.  I have, however, swapped out the Egyptian cotton sheets for flannel and I imagine soon I will also need to add my winter blanket.

 

I only worked a short half day Friday afternoon instead of my usual all day because I worked all day on Saturday.  I took a group of seniors up to McCall for lunch and to shop and just walk around.  It was sunny, windy and chilly but we had a really nice time and lunch was delicious.  Definitely worth the drive and it is always nice to have a change of scenery.  A friend and I are planning to do something very similar soon as neither one of us wants to be overly housebound this winter.  I also worked Monday and Tuesday in the afternoon and was off the remainder.

 

It was a good week to slow down and enjoy all of the accomplishments I have made this past spring and summer and I am feeling really good about where I am at personally.  Our nation, however is a whole other thing as I am feeling very scared about where we may be heading.  I am trying not of focus too much attention on it each day, but it is hard when you hear about young children dragged out of their beds at night, zip tied and hauled outdoors by masked militia.  They must have been petrified, their parents too, and it breaks my heart for them.  I find myself praying all the time and wondering how I, alone, can make a difference.  I decided it was time (probably past time) to write letters to my congressmen.  I hope they will listen.

 

Instead of fretting about things I have limited control over I decided it was a better use of my time to just get myself busy.  Wednesday was my day to run errands so I left the house with a list and a plan and headed off to Albertson’s to empty my glass recycling collection bin and then inside to purchase some organic cucumbers they had on sale.  Next I headed off to the post office to drop off a package.  I sold some Pyrex!  Then I was off to Fred Meyer, first to top up the gas tank on my truck and then to pick up a couple items they had on sale.  Next, I was off to the feed store.

 

The timing could not have been any better if I had planned it, but when I got home Tuesday evening there was a $25 OFF a $25 Purchase coupon from the feed store in my mailbox.  Needless to say I took that right in and picked up two 50# bags of feed and the 40# bag of wood horse pellets I needed for the bunny (her litter pan) and was able to cross those items of my winter stock up list.  My total out of pocket after using the coupon was $11.  I was thrilled!  When I got home I was able to get all of the feed bins refilled and I have one full bag and a partial bag of chicken feed in reserve.

 

A couple weeks ago I got a $15 OFF coupon from Chewy so I used that to order three cases of canned food for the kitties and some fancy stuff for them for their Christmas present.  The only thing left on the list is to get another bag of cat food the next time I go to Costco.  I also want to get the bunny another bag of veggie pellets before the end of the year, right now she still has plenty.

 

I spent some time in my happy place - the kitchen!  I meal prepped some delicious red enchiladas.  I ate two servings this past week and then put two away in the freezer for later.  I also had leftover filling I plan to use next week to make some burrito bowls.

 

Using those cucumbers I picked up at Albertson’s I made a small batch of bread and butter pickles.  I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to get to make any this year because the pickling cucumbers I was given over the summer were super bitter and inedible.  When Albertson’s had these long skinny organic pickles on sale I decided it was worth the stop to check them out.  Since they seemed to be good ones I got four and now I have pickles!  Hurray!

 

Another very good and somewhat productive and relaxed week in retirement is in the books!  I hope you all had a wonderful week and remember, even when the news seems bleak and prices continue to climb, we can always find something to be grateful for and happy about.  We need to keep ourselves busy, keep praying and do whatever we can, no matter how small, to try to make things better.  NO Bad Days!  Be blessed.