So, last weekend we took a vacation

This is what happens when you're slathered in sunscreen and playing with your iphone.

We had RSVP'd yes to the wedding in late winter.

When I thought for sure I'd have a job by now.

When I didn't think it was possible that a significant portion of our savings for  this unemployment could be lost on a technical snafu.

Before I realized that our new health insurance deductible would be quite so high and Lola would be visiting the ER so soon.

Not only had we RSVP'd, but I'd paid for the room and sent the wedding gift over a month ago.

We were going to the wedding even if we had to eat peanut butter sandwiches and hard boiled eggs that I brought along (and we did.)

However, the problems began almost immediately. Upon arrival, we found our room would not have air conditioning during a major heat wave and with an asthmatic child who was already showing signs of a cold.

After some tense negotiation we were able to get into a room for that night, but would have to move the next night into an un-air-conditioned room. I was able to get out of the reservation for the 2nd night, which significantly helped the money situation, we celebrated by eating at the restaurant. Conservatively, we each ordered an appetizer and Lola got a kids meal. Afterwards, we finished the couscous tuna salad I'd made for lunch on the trip but which Lola wouldn't touch.

The night was lovely, our room was on the precipice of a cliff with a beautiful view. As twilight fell, the fireflies started up. They were much smaller than the ones in dc and everywhere. Lola and Jonathan tried catching them, but they kept slipping through their fingers. I was able to grab one but he wouldn't light up in my hands. I let him go and he fell into the deep grass, lighting up as he went.

That night we cuddled into bed when suddenly the thunder started. Then the wind. The room shook, the lights flickered several times. The lightning flashed and there was a large boom. The patio furniture blew against the side of the building. The lights went out.

And stayed out.

That morning they were still out. Our plan for a cheap morning breakfast was negated because the entire mountain had lost electricity. The dining room had made a makeshift breakfast buffet on propane and they charged everyone the buffet price. Awesome.

The planned purchase of $3 oatmeals had been upped to $11 per adult and $8 per child.  After a slight fit I got the manager to charge me the child's price as I can only eat 1/2 cup of food. But it was still not in the budget. However, since it'd take at least an hour to drive anywhere else, and we weren't sure if they would have power, as the word was the entire surrounding area had been it, we bit the bullet and ate. It would surely be cheaper than lunch.

After breakfast, we cleaned up, put the wedding clothes in the car to change into later, and hung out in the shade climbing on rocks. At lunch we made peanut butter sandwiches and hard boiled eggs.

We put together a puzzle in the main office, which was pretty nice until Lola poured all of my hard work back in the box. I get pretty serious about puzzles.

Then it was time to change. So off to the car we went. I pulled my dress on over the one I was wearing and shimmied out of the other in the parking lot covered by the open car door. Jonathan somehow managed to get into a suit while inside the car. Lola was relatively easy. Then with the air conditioning on full blast I fixed our hair and makeup.

The wedding itself was lovely, though the venue still had no power, they'd secured a generator for the space so they still provided dinner and music, but it didn't have enough power to turn on the AC. Lola had started to get lethargic and we realized she was burning up with fever. We'd been coaxing her to drink well all day with not much success.

The bribing began. We offered chocolate milk and orange juice but she just fell asleep. As soon as the cake was cut we dashed out. To drive through downed trees for a few hours all the way back to DC with a stop once we reached civilization for tylenol (the first she's had since the hospital visit.)

We've spent the past few days holed up in our bedroom with the AC on plying Lola with any drink she desires and trying to keep her fever down.

And I need a vacation.



Road Trip Couscous Tuna Salad
adapted from my brain and thousands of standard tuna salads at potlucks


1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1 can tuna
1 cup frozen peas

Cook couscous according to package directions. Mix garlic powder, salt, pepper, mayo, yogurt and tuna. Toss with couscous and peas. Pack up with a bunch of ice. Enjoy.

If you like tuna macaroni salad you'll love this. My stomach no longer tolerates pasta. Which I love. But the longer I go without it, I don't necessarily miss the pasta so much as I miss the vehicle for all of the wonderful things that pasta conveys. Luckily, whole wheat couscous is kind to my stomach and provides an extra protein punch.

chicken chicken chicken dinner

A few weeks ago, I took my good friend Dena shopping. We live in DC where it makes no sense to have a car. But I do. (Sense and I are rarely in sync)

Anyhow, me and the fam have been in a particularly tight budget situation lately and I had already done my meal planning on a strict budget based upon what we had in our pantry and freezer. So I had brought no bags, and planned to watch a movie with Dena after taking her grocery shopping. However, when I saw they had whole chickens at .79 a pound I had to recalibrate. So, I bought four. Four whole chickens. I spent $12.

Processed food is scary

Forgive me, but I watched Food, Inc this weekend and it's got me all up in arms.

First- let me say this: I still cook with processed food. I still feed my family sugar. In fact, several nights a week I find myself bribing my two year old with a dessert to get her to eat her vegetables.

But ya'll, the food industry has some really shady practices. First they make us fat, and then they sell us things that are supposed to make us thin.

This was a really interesting article I read in The Guardian this week - Why our food is making us fat.

Processed food is scary.

May's Angelfood is ready to order!

(EDITED: Angel Food Ministries is no longer in operation, if I find another service like this I will update!) 
 Don't forget your Angelfood this month! May's menu is open for orders now and my location has a deadline of May 13 for online ordering with a pick-up date of May 22nd. Not all locations have the same dates, but they are generally only a week apart so go to the website and find your location. The full menu is at the link above, but the signature box is below and is pretty exciting. The frozen lasagna is actually incredibly tasty and The Daddy's favorite, country fried steak, is on the list! As usual, I'll be posting a couple recipes a month based on the menu so check back frequently.

**Wondering how Angelfood works? Click here to read my explanation and please remember if you order Angelfood to list me in the referral box as oopsamommy@gmail.com. Working on a free box, which will really help the negative bank balance!

Apple and Onion Pork Tenderloins

 (EDITED: Angel Food Ministries is no longer in operation, if I find another service like this I will update!) 

 Last month’s Angelfood came with a plethora of apples and boneless pork chops.  Well, I thought, apples and pork go together like peas and carrots! In anticipation I put the frozen pork in the fridge and spent all day browsing recipes online and rejecting them. I decided to make up my own based on a few different recipes and an optimistic attitude but while at work on the big day I realized that I had started by forgetting the marinade!

Luckily, The Daddy gets home much earlier than I do on nights he isn’t working his 2^nd job so I called home to give him explicit instructions:

“Umm… can I get you to start the pork chop marinade?”

“I don’t know how.”

“Well, I can tell you how! That’s why I’m calling.”

Sigh “I guess so. What do you need me to do?”

“Grab the pork chops in the plastic bag in the fridge.”

“Ok.”

“Now I want you to mix up a marinade with a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and some water.”

“Wait, where is the brown sugar?”

“Behind the macaroni and cheese” He lives on mac and cheese when I don’t cook.

“and the balsamic vinegar?”

“In the bottom cabinet on the right of the stove, now mix all that up and put it all in the bag with the pork and put it back in the fridge!”

“Hold on, I need to write this down. Now what do I need to do?”

…

An hour and a half later, after a delayed train ride and a late bus, which resulted in me asking The Daddy to pick me up at the train station I arrived home, ravenous and ready to cook. I handed off Lola to the care of The Daddy and good friend Heather who came along for the food.

I preheated the oven to 350 while Lola screeched. So Heather and The Daddy alternated bouncing her in the doorway of the kitchen so she could see me work. I chopped up some onions and got them ready for a long caramelization in the skillet with some olive oil and a tiny sliver of butter.

While the onions were working I got the apples ready. I washed them, sliced them, cut out the cores and tossed them in with the onions, the rest of the marinade and a little bit of chicken broth. I let the apples simmer for a minute or two and tossed them on top of the pork chops in a casserole dish and let it bake for 50 minutes. When the pork chops were done, I let them rest and poured out some of the juice from the dish back into the skillet. I warmed it to simmering and added a big pinch of corn starch and stirred till it was well blended and thickened up a bit. I poured most of the sauce into a serving cup and the rest back onto the chops and it was ready to serve. I set out a bowl of mixed greens, with some croutons and a quickly made dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The result: Mouth watering, yummy yummyness. The apples still had some of their shape with just a touch of firmness left, the onions were sweet and savory and the pork was perfectly done. Can’t wait to make it again!

Apple and Pork Tenderloins
serves 4

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
4 pork tenderloins
1 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
4 crisp apples, cored, sliced
1/2 cup stock
big pinch of cornstarch

Prepare the marinade in advance! Must soak at least 1 hour to overnight. Pour the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper and water in a gallon freezer bag. Close and shake till mixed. Open and place the pork in the bag. Carefully squeeze the air out of the bag and close. Put in the fridge on a plate to marinate.

Preheat the oven to 350. Put a pan on med heat. Pour in the olive oil and butter. Toss in the onions. You want them to caramelize so make sure the heat is not too high and leave them sit stirring every couple minutes. Once the onions have begun to brown toss in the apples, the remaining marinade and 1/2 cup of stock. Let the apples simmer for 2-3 minutes while you salt and pepper the pork and place in a casserole dish. Pour the apples and sauce over the pork and place in the oven. Bake for 50 minutes.

When pork chops are done strain the sauce back into the saucepan. Warm to a simmer and add cornstarch. Stir till thickened. Pour the sauce over the chops and apples and reserve some in a serving dish.



 

Turkey Filet Mignon?

(EDITED: Angel Food Ministries is no longer in operation, if I find another service like this I will update!) 
 This month Angelfood featured Turkey Filet Mignon...what? So for all you steak purists, lets put the name aside and we'll call them bacon wrapped turkey medallions. I pulled them out to thaw last night- they seemed fancy enough for a small, Easter dinner (I couldn't bring myself to spend the money to get a ham at the grocery store when my freezer was stuffed to the brim.)

So, I pulled out the trusty grill pan (love this pan!) and put some hand cut fries in the oven (sprinkled with Old Bay of course.) I rubbed a little olive oil on the grill pan while it heated and salt, peppered, and garlic powdered the turkey medallions, always remember the garlic! Gave them a nice sear on both sides (about 8 minutes) and then poured in a little water and a bouillon cube, a little red wine vinegar, mustard and red pepper flake. Transfered the pan to the oven (I use a meat thermometer because I'm anal like that.) and brought it to an internal temperature of 170. The oven was on 400 for the fries so it only took about another 8 minutes.

I pulled the pan out of the oven and transferred the turkey medallions to a plate. Tasted the sauce, adjusted seasoning and added a little cornstarch to thicken it up. Then I brought it to a boil while stirring. I drizzled the sauce over the turkey medallions, put the rest aside in a gravy dish, and made a mixed green salad to round out the meal. Topped with a quick dressing made of oil and red wine vinegar it complemented the tang in the sauce.

Hard to calculate the cost of this meal as the turkey medallions came in the angelfood box, but I'd estimate the four of them at most might account for about $5.00, add another $5.00 for both the greens which I got on sale at the local grocery and the hand cut fries, also compliments of Angelfood, and we had a lovely, low-key Easter dinner.

Hope you enjoy!

Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Medallions

4 bacon wrapped turkey medallions.
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup water & bouillon cube (or stock)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp red pepper flake
1/2 of water

1 tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400. Heat an oven safe pan with the olive oil.  Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides of turkey. When hot place the turkey in the pan and do not move for at least 4 minutes while searing. Flip to the other side about an additional 4 minutes. Whisk the the water and bouillon, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and red pepper flake and pour over the turkey medallions. Insert a meat thermometer into one of the medallions. Put it in the oven for another 8 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 170.

Remove turkey to serving platter. Taste sauce, adjust seasoning, add remaining 1/3 cup of water and cornstarch. Bring to boil while whisking. Pour half of the sauce over the turkey before serving and the other half in a gravy boat. (Do people still have gravy boats?)

March Angelfood

(EDITED: Angel Food Ministries is no longer in operation, if I find another service like this I will update!) 

Yum! Stay tuned for recipes featuring March's standard box.

On trying to make something exciting for dinner in between crying fits of your separation anxiety ridden baby after coming home from a long day

(EDITED: Angel Food Ministries is no longer in operation, if I find another service like this I will update!) 
 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are my old stand by. I buy them when they're on sale and throw them in the freezer (a stand alone freezer is a mom's best friend.) So when I need to put together an exciting dinner for a guest, or I just want something a little on the fancy side and I don't have a lot of cash or extra help I pull out the chicken to thaw.

My favorite recipe to make is Chicken with Basil and Goat Cheese. It has a huge wow factor is simple, fast, and cheap! I modified this Barefoot Contessa recipe for use with boneless skinless chicken breasts because I always have them and I find them a lot easier to deal with- especially when you're eating with an infant on your lap.

Chicken with Basil and Goat Cheese - modified from Ina Garten's recipe at foodnetwork.com

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz pkg of Goat Cheese (make sure to get the type sold in a log shape and not crumbled)
4 large basil leaves (more if desired)
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Cut a little pocket into each chicken breast. Insert a slice of the goat cheese with one basil leaf into each pocket. Salt and pepper the chicken. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan if desired.
Pop into the oven for 35 minutes or until cooked through.

Pull it out, let it rest for a few minutes and your guests will never know you spent 10 minutes prepping it and 10 bucks on the ingredients.

Generally, I serve this with pasta, and if I want to add a green vegetable I serve it with marinara sauce. If you pop open a jar of of the store bought stuff this entire meal takes a minimal investment of time and effort.

BUT if basil is on sale I'll make a pesto* with whatever nuts I happen to have around (I get freezer bags full of pecans from my grandfather every time I visit, and seem to attract gifts of walnuts and almonds for some reason.) If I serve it with pesto I like to change up the vegetable for something a little more colorful. I've tried both steamed carrots and red peppers and green beans.

In my case the hands down best thing is that it requires minimal actual prep time so you can take screaming baby from daddy as soon as you get the salmonella off your hands. Put him in charge of getting it out of the oven.

*Try making a huge batch of pesto and freezing the leftovers in an ice cube tray. Once the cubes set, wrap in plastic and put in a freezer bag. They keep indefinitely. I generally do this in the summer months when it is on sale so I can enjoy pesto in the winter. The cube will melt in the hot pasta. Reserve a tiny amount of the starchy pasta water to help mix.

You gotta eat

(EDITED: Angel Food Ministries is no longer in operation, if I find another service like this I will update!)


So food is expensive. Not only do you have to eat but you should be eating healthy, which doesn't really translate to cheap...especially if you don't have a lot of time to make everything from scratch. When you're breastfeeding or making your own baby food (which is muy cheaper and better for the environment besides) it's time to put away the dollar a meal frozen dinners. The only way I've been able to survive on my meager budget is with the aid of Angel Food, well that and WIC but you can't survive on milk and peanut butter.

Angel Food Ministries is this pretty fantastic nationwide program... yeah yeah its religious but most of the churches that facilitate it don't shove anything down your throat. They're just there to help their neighbor...not proselytize. Local churches all over apply to be distributors so you're pretty much guaranteed to find a place to pick it up within a 30 minute drive no matter where you are.

It works like so: they have a basic box of food for 30 dollars. It's meant to feed one person for a month or a family of 4 for a week. You can buy as many boxes as you want but you only pick up once per month. They also have specials every month on a veggie box, meat box, seafood box etc. There are no income requirements, but if you are hard up for money they actually take food stamps which can really help stretch them out. The food is always pretty high quality, especially the meat, and of a good variety.

In February they had this:

For tonight's dinner I threw the pork roast in the slow cooker with a few potatoes, carrots and an onion and tossed in some thyme, salt, pepper, garlic powder and chicken stock. We got home at 7pm, popped some green beans in the microwave to steam and sat down to the most melt-in-your mouth pork roast I've ever had. The potatoes were a bit mush but not much you can do when you have to put it all in at once. Simple and easy.

I'm going to be blogging the recipes and meal plans I put together using angel food each month so check back for March!

And check out Angel Food- you can order online in most places. If you do please put my email in the referral box. I get a free box after 10 referrals! oopsamommy[at]gmail[dot]com