Cookin' right along!

Our oven is still broken. In fact, we are almost convinced it is broken beyond repair because w2e have spent time and money replacing parts that apparently aren't the problem! Our only choice is replacement. It has been broken for a couple of months...yes, that's at least 8 weeks of cooking with no oven! No problem! In that time, I have gotten pretty creative. My little toaster oven has come in really handy, too. I have cooked and baked in that thing, and while some things are NOT the same when cooked in a toaster oven, other things work out just fine. It has been an interesting time, learning what works and what doesn't. I have also utilized my handy dandy crock pot more times than I can count. As I have said before, necessity is the mother of invention! :)

Tonight, we will be having meat off the grill...yummy! I also have baked potatoes going....IN THE CROCK POT! Yep, I just wrapped them up in foil, and placed them in the crock pot with a little water in the bottom for steam. I've done it before and it worked great, so I am hoping for equally impressive results today!

What's for dinner at your place?

Forever

I know it seems like forever since I last posted here, and honestly, it has been WAY. TOO. LONG! I apologize for my absence, but teaching and writing lesson plans and prepping for my classes consumed much of my free time. Now that school is out, I am hopeful I can find a balanced schedule for posting some fun foods we will enjoy this summer. Until I figure out what that balanced schedule will look like, I appreciate your patience...and I will try to put some posts up in the mean time.

So what's for lunch today? Nothing fancy, yet more fun that a PB&J! I took Natural Baked Turkey lunch meat and sliced cheeses (cheddar and swiss) and wrapped them up like a roll-up. The kids love these because I always put a toothpick in the center to hold it together. They had blackberries and pretzel sticks to go along with their roll-ups. Dessert was super special...I buy the squeeze tubes of all natural yogurt, and freeze them! They make super yummy treats, and I don't feel guilty like I would if I were handing over the ice cream every day :)

As for myself, I put a little spin on lunch. My spin probably doesn't qualify as a HEALTHY spin, but I like it nonetheless. I take the Natural Turkey Breast lunch meat and spread a super thin layer of pimento cheese onto it. Then I wrap it around a baby dill pickle...YUMMO! Fun to eat, and not full of carbs! Some blueberries on the side make for a delicious lunch.

So that's what we had today! What about you? Any fun recipes you've been enjoying this summer? Do share!

It's What's for Dinner

Do you want to know what's for dinner at the Jones' house? Check back later for a recipe and some pictures to get your mouth watering!

Meal Planning

I sat down this afternoon and made out our meal plan for the week. I had other plans, but seeing as the temperature dropped about 40 degrees from yesterday, I opted to find ways to use my time that were in-doors instead of outdoors.

I have found that if I make a meal plan, I will see two major benefits. First, I can go grocery shopping with a specific list, which means I spend less money. BIG benefit. Second, I have discovered that we are much more likely to eat at home if I already have a specific meal planned and the groceries in the cupboard. If I don't have a plan, I tend to forget to thaw the meat, or I end up throwing my hands in the air and running to the nearest CHEAP fast-food joint to grab something. A big bad no-no...I mean every once in a while it's fine, but not with any regularity.

So, today was the day for this week...I sat at the dining table and quickly made a list of some dinner options that sounded good. Then I looked at the week, deciding what to cook each night based upon the other commitments of the day. Make sense? Busy days make for quicker dinner preparations. Days at home mean I can be a little more elaborate.

I haven't quite decided which dinners I will share with you this week, but I will be posting something yummy in the next day or two, and I will try to include pictures. Posts are always more fun with pictures, right?

What about you? Do you meal plan? One week at a time? Two weeks? A month? Share your tips and tricks for meal planning and sticking with your plan!

What's For Dinner?

Today I wanted to show you the yummy goodness we had for dinner last night. Oh, it wasn't something complicated or fancy. It was actually super easy, which makes it a winner in my book.

We had Chicken and Apple Smoked Sausage Dogs...the Jones version! Here is the cast of characters:




I purchase the Chicken and Apple Smoked Sausages at Sam's. They are Fab.u.lous! The whole family loves them. We don't always eat them as hot dogs...sometimes we eat them as a main meat, with steamed veggies or mashed potatoes on the side. Anyway you fix them, they are great!

I purchased the Scalli Rolls at Wal-Mart. If you notice the bright yellow tag, you will see I bought them off the discount rack. I love to look at their day-old rack...I am always finding something yummy that I can use.



As far as prep-work, I make a few cuts across the top of the sausage before I warm them. Sometimes I use the microwave, and sometimes I grill them on our little indoor "George Foreman" style grill. This summer I picture us grilling them out on the back patio, while the kids play! (If you forget to pierce the sausages, be prepared for them to bust open while you cook them.)




I slice the Scalli Rolls lengthwise, to make them function as a hot dog bun. They sure look fancy, right?



Then, simply assemble your sausages, buns, and any condiments your family likes, and voila! Yummy, easy dinner.






Condiment options include: Mustard, ketchup, pickle relish, cheese, sauerkraut...really anything!

My family loves the Chicken and Apple Sausages so much that I typically keep some on-hand in the freezer. They are a great last-minute meal that everyone can enjoy!


Cookin' Up With the Joneses...it's not as hard as you think!

Homemade instead of store-bought

We eat lots of granola bars at our house. I mean LOTS! My kids love them, I love them, and Nathaniel loves them. What we have discovered though, is that it seems to be getting harder and harder to find granola bars that have much nutritional value. They also usually come 6-8 in a box, and honestly, that doesn't last very long around here. On top of that, the prices seem to be rising...ugh!

Nathaniel decided to dive in and try his hand at making some from scratch while I was away working the consignment sale. I have one word for you, friends...DELICIOUS! He went here and used this recipe to make the absolute best granola bar ever.

After we had devoured the first batch, he decided to mix it up a bit. Instead of honey, he used Agave Nectar, and he also added coconut flakes...my personal favorite! Yum-yum. They are amazing. They are delicious, made with yummy ingredients, and the best part, they are made my hubby :)

Here is the picture he took after he made the first batch. He cuts them into bars and we store them in snack size baggies so they are easy to grab and enjoy. We are all enjoying them. I think he has made 4 or 5 batches already. Who knew we would ever use so much wheat germ?!



So give them a try...you will be so glad you did!

Cookin' up with the Joneses...it's not as hard as you think!

While I was away...

For the last couple of weeks I have been working a childrens consignment sale in town, and haven't been home much. One evening as I was working, I decided to check my email (via my cell phone) and was excited to see that I had an email with a picture from Nathaniel. He is so good to send me pictures of the adventures he has with the kids while I am working. Anyway, I opened the email and was greeted by the most delicious looking treat I had ever seen! He was cooking up something on the kitchen and wanted me to see!

Here is the picture that was included in the email:

Photo by Nathaniel Jones

This is the picture Nathaniel took of the apples he made! He
apparently is a food artist!

From everything I heard, they were amazing and delicious, though I am sad to say I didn't get to taste them for myself. As the first link on our recipe blog, I decided to send you over here to check out the recipe Nathaniel used for these baked apples.

If you give them a try, let us know, we would love to hear about it!



Cookin' Up With the Joneses...it's easier than you think!