Frozen Muffin Batters

Ladies--

I'm so excited to try this new technique for preparing muffins!  Chase has been telling me lately that he likes muffins in his lunch but ONLY if they are FRESH.  I was like, "Get real kid!"  Until I read this:  http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/freezing-muffin-batter-for-quick-breakfasts-and-snacks

Let me know what you think!

Janet

Chicken at Smith's

I just back from Smith's (Tuesday 2/5) and chicken is on manager's special for $1.19 a pound.  Don't know how long this will last.

They had some right as you walk in the door and some back in the meat department.  My guess is they overordered for the Super Bowl.

Christmas 75% off at Glendale Walmart

The Reno Walmart next to the Grand Sierra has all of their Christmas stuff market down by 75%.

Some of the deals I got today:

• Taper Candles .11
• Holiday Time Cinnamon 15 oz glass jar candles .99  (they had a large selection of candles)
• Holiday Time Cinnamon 3 oz glass jar candles .24
• Wrapping paper rolls from .24 to .61  (yes that decimal is in the right place girls)
• Better Homes & Gardens Plug-In Scented Wax Warmer $2
• Tim McGraw Cologne $2.37
• Girls Brush .25
• Disney Lip Gloss .25
• Numerous Toys

Sorry I don't have a picture for you--couldn't get it to upload.

Dollar Twizzlers

If you like twizzlers you can stock up now at Walmart! I took this picture of the end cap of the candy aisle at the Northwest Walmart on McCarran near MaeAnn. I don't know if the other locations have the same deal, but for a one pound bag of the regular twists, cherry bites or rainbow flavors it's only one.dollar. That's about 6 cents per oz. yum! Great for road trips, kids incentive prizes, and movie nights!

Enrichment Muffin Recipes

As requested, here are 2 awesome recipes from the "healthy eating" relief society night. These are from the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld ( I added a few of my own variations on some) and are intended to sneak in more veggies into your family's diet. These also have less oil and sugar in them, but are still super yummy and moist. She uses purees, which you make by cooking the vegetable  first and then putting in a food processor, or using a stick blender to puree. She suggests pureeing batches at a time and so thats what I do - if I have squash I cook it all then puree it and put it in small ziplock baggies in 1/2 c. or 1/4c. increments. Of course, make sure you label them :) Happy baking to you!




Applesauce Muffins (with butternut squash or carrot)

Batter:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. wheat flour (or more white if you don't have wheat)
1 c. old fashioned oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 T. ground flax (opt.)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butternut squash or carrot puree
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c. canola oil
1 egg
Topping:
2/3 c. old fashioned oats
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T. butter
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
TO make batter, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flax and cinnamon in a bowl.
In a larger bowl, mix the applesauce. milk, vegatable puree, sugar, oil and egg with a wooden spoon.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture stirring until just moistened. The batter should be lumpy.

To make the topping stir together the oats, sugar, and cinnamon. then cut in the butter til crumbly.

Divide batter evenly between 12 greased or lined with paper muffin cups. Bake until topping is slightly browned and toothpick comes out clean - about 18-20 min.
Makes 12 muffins
Enjoy!




Banana Bread/Muffins (with cauliflower)

3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. white flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 T. ground flax
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. canola oil
2 egg whites
1 1/2 c. banana puree
1/2 c. cauliflower puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a bowl, mix flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and flax.
In a larger bowl mix sugar and oil with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Mix in egg whites banana and cauliflower purees and vanilla.
Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Pour batter into greased loaf pan, or greased muffin pan
Bake until toothpick comes out clean - 50-55 min. or 20-22 min. for muffins
let cool for 5 min. then turn out on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Makes one loaf  or 12 muffins.
Yum! Can't even taste the cauliflower!

Can You Keep a Secret?

Shhhhhh!  If this gets out I'm ruined!  My family is notoriously picky when it comes to eating healthy food so this week I tried an experiment.  Fellow Moms--please do not tell your children or husbands  about this!  I don't want it to get back to my kids but I did want to share the results of this experiment in the hopes that it can help you too.

Getting my children to eat a whole onion, squash, 3 carrots, 3 celery stalks and a handfull of cauliflower is just not realistic in my world.  But with the Vita-Mix the impossible just became possible.

I pureed all of the above vegetables beyond recognition.

I mixed the vegetables with a package of ground beef in a large bowl.

At first I thought, "Oh crap.  This is too much veggie juice!"  But no--it mixed in nicely.  Even I couldn't tell it was there.

I formed the meat into patties and stuck them in the freezer on cookie sheets.  After they were frozen I used my seal-a-meal to package 6 patties at a time (enough for our family).

So last Saturday we tried the hamburgers.  I had fantasies that the hubby and  kids would say, "Wow, these are the best burgers ever!"  But no. Nothing.  The hubby commented that he liked the store bought ones a little better because they are bigger.  But no comment on taste. 

They all just ate them.  No fanfare.  But most importantly no COMPLAINING!  This is a triumph.  I did it.  I got my family to eat something remotely healthy without complaint. I love my Vita-Mix!

P.S. If you have veggies that need using up before they spoil this is a great option.  I was thinking the puree would be great in a soup too.

Flip a Dresser for a Profit....eer, ah--keep it!

So one of my hobbies is to restore ugly and otherwise broken down dressers to good form and sell them for a modest profit.  The first step is to find a quality dresser at a good price.  Garage Sales and Craig's List are good options for this.  I have paid from $0-35 for a project piece.

Look for items that suffer aestetically but are structurally sound.

Dovetailed drawers are a sign of good quality craftsmanship.  Repairs are easier to make on these kinds of pieces.  This particular dresser did not need any major repairs.  When drawers do need to be repaired I use lots of clamps, wood glue, and a nail gun.

Hardware can be the most expensive part of a flip project.  So try to select a piece that has good hardware.  I got lucky on this one.  When I removed the hardware I discovered it came in two pieces.  I opted to remove the face plate, fill the holes with wood putty and just use the pulls.

Take the drawers out, remove the hardware and sand the drawer faces.  I use an electrical hand sander for this.  You do not have to remove all of the old paint/stain.  Just buff it enough that paint will adhere to the surface.

More sanding.  Clean the surface.  Then you're ready to paint.  Black and white always sell fast.  Universal appeal I guess.  I chose to paint this dresser chester grey (has olive undertone).  I just love that color!

Once the paint is dry you can sell as is or take it a step further.  I wanted to "antique" this dresser.  I always second guess myself on this because I realize that this process requires a lot more time and what if my buyer doesn't want it antiqed?.....well, I like it antiqued...soooooo.................................

I use a paint scraper to scratch the areas where natural wear and tear would occur.  I hit the edges and around the drawer pulls with a few scratches in other places.

Next I wear gloves because I just make a huge mess with the stain!  I use an old towel to rub stain on all the parts I just jacked up with the paint scraper.  I also rub the stain over the paint.  I wipe it of in long, smooth strokes taking care not to leave signs that this is an un-natural process. 

Allow the stain to dry completely.  I then use a foam brush to seal the paint and stain with polyurethane.  This makes it so the surfaces are not "sticky". 

Replace the hardware.



And, viola!  It's ready to list on Craig's List.  Unless.....you love it so much you don't really want to sell it!  Okay, I did list this piece for $125.  But, I'm going to be a stickler on the price because I want an excuse to keep it!...But have nowhere to actually use it.  Last time I loved a piece this much my friend Summer bought it and I was happy to let it go knowing I could have visitation rights.

As far as pricing goes I consider the going price on craig's list and the investment of time and resources I have into it.  I usually try to make sure I get paid about $35/hr. minimum.  If you are able to score a dresser for a great price you can make much, much more.  This week I sold a different dresser set that I made $75 per hour invested.

So that is my fun little hobby.  Two years ago I earned enough money flipping dressers to supply my family with all of our spending money for our 4-Day Disneyland trip.  My daughter just told me this morning that I needed to sell some more dressers so we could go to Disneyland again.

P.S. If you see or have  an old dresser and you're not going to flip it yourself--give me a call!

:) Janet