When we set out to teach our children how to be diligent, we sometimes overlook the self-checking that needs to happen in our own lives. “Of course, I’m diligent. I work all day and barely have a break!” OR “I know I’m diligent because I’m busy all the time.” Unfortunately, neither of these scenarios is a benchmark for diligence.
Fajitas. Five minutes. Those words don’t seem to go together. And yet with my Five Minute Fajita Crisps, it is (almost!) possible. Granted, it depends on what meat and veggies you start with…..so here are some tips on that:
As we head into fall, I am saddened that I won’t be able to just walk out the back door and get Ray Baby’s veggies everyday! I am still heading out there often and getting a tomato here and a green pepper there–I haven’t given up completely. However, very soon that obscure tomato or tiny pepper will not even be there to pick. Sadness…
On the other hand, it is time to turn my attention to buying (and even harvesting in my “fall garden”) and preparing fall vegetables.
Spaghetti Pie. Freezer entrée. Two phrases that make me so happy together! First of all, my family loves this spaghetti pie. It’s a little less tedious than lasagna (with the more intricate layer…though I never cook my lasagna noodles anymore!). But it still tastes a lot like lasagna. Secondly, it is a perfect “batch cooking”/mega cooking entrée. It seriously comes together so quickly and freezes so well. It is simple to make several of these!
I recently froze spaghetti sauce with tomatoes from our garden. The recipe I used was fairly simple. (I will share that another time!) However, in an effort to get more flavor out of our tomatoes–and into some of Ray Baby’s low carb fare–I began the sauce with roasted tomatoes rather than just chopped tomatoes.
One of my longest standing workshops for moms is an audio set called Helps for Homeschooling Moms. It is a three-part series that begins with “Prioritizing” for one hour then “Organizing” for one hour then “Scheduling” for one hour. (As a matter of fact, just yesterday a FB friend posted and tagged me in her old cassette version of this audio set, telling me and my FB friends how much she learned from that set many years ago. What a joy to see that!)
One of the biggest problems with sugar-free baking and cooking is the extra time that it takes. Sure, you can just stick with recipes calling for granulated sugar—and sub in your favorite sugar-free one (See my Sugar-Free Substitutes post!) and be a happy sugar-free-family. However, after a while, you will likely find yourself wishing that you could make those bars with that “Eagle Brand” stuff drizzled all over them or those candies with caramel centers or those milk chocolate peanut butter cups.
“Procrastinator? No. I just wait until the last second to do my work because I will be older, therefore, wiser.”
“I got so much procrastination done today!”
“I’m not a procrastinator. I just prefer to do all my work in a deadline-induced panic.”
“I’m a huge procrastinator….but that’s okay! At least I’m a pro at something!”
“I’m very busy doing things I don’t need to do in order to avoid doing anything I’m actually supposed to be doing.”
“Nothing makes a person more productive than the last ten minutes.”
“Why do today what I could put off until tomorrow?”
What to do every day? What to do first? What can wait until later? My list is too long! I can’t possibly get this all done. Defeat. Throwing in the towel. Just let it all wait until tomorrow (or the next day or the next or never).
Some of you have asked for an index of recipes at the blog. And nobody has to ask me to organize something twice….I ADORE organizing! But rather than a traditional alphabetized index (or even by food group), my recipe index organizes the recipes by mix that the recipe primarily uses. Thus, you will find recipes under Sugar-Free/Flour Free—using my recommended sugar-free sweetener but with charts available to substitute your favorite healthy, sugar-free sweetener, if desired. (See that Sugar-Free Solutions Chart here!) You will also find recipes under my two flour mixes (but again, other flour combinations will also work—I detail options in the recipes). And my amazing Cream Cheese Dessert Base. And then there are some more traditional breakdowns. I think you’ll enjoy it!
