Quinoa with Veggies

Since I joined Pinterest, I've seen quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) recipes popping up everywhere. I decided to investigate this grain a little further and found out it's really not a grain, but a seed related to the spinach family. It's very popular with vegetarians because it's considered a complete protein. It's also gluten-free, making it ideal for people with celiac disease. Here's a great article about the health benefits of quinoa if you want to find out more.

My first attempt at making a quinoa dish was a huge hit with the family. I mixed the cooked quinoa with sauteed veggies and spices. So easy!

Here's what you need:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water or chicken broth
1/2 TBSP garlic powder
1/2 TBSP onion powder
3 cups diced veggies (I used zucchini, mushrooms and carrots)
1 teas sea salt (or to taste)

In a saucepan, combine the quinoa and water or broth. Bring to a boil. Stir in half the garlic powder (this will be 3/4 teas) and half the onion powder (3/4 teas). Reduce heat to a low and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

While the quinoa is cooking, saute the veggies in a little olive oil until soft. Combine the quinoa and veggies, then stir in the remaining garlic powder, onion powder and sea salt.

The quinoa had a slightly nutty flavor. As it cooks, the outer shell slips off, adding a little texture. You can see the tiny little shells in the picture.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with other quinoa recipes, including some breakfast ones. I'll share them when I do.

For more yummy recipes shared by cooks from all over, visit Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage.

Cheesy Green Chile Rice

We are a rice-eating family, so I'm always looking for ways to jazz it up. I found this recipe on Pinterest and knew I had to try it. It was so easy and delicious that it's going to find a permanent spot in my meal planning.

Here's what you need:

1 cup brown or white rice
Chicken broth (2 cups if using brown rice, 1 1/2 if using white rice)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teas garlic powder
1/2 teas sea salt
1 (4 oz) can chopped mild green chiles
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (you can use sour cream as suggested in original recipe)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a saucepan or rice cooker, combine the rice, chicken broth, onions and garlic powder. Cook according to package or rice cooker directions until tender.

Stir in the salt, chiles, cream and 1 cup of cheese. Mix well, then transfer to a greased 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake at  350 degrees for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Not Back to School Blog Hop Week 4

This is the final week of the Not Back to School Blog Hop and the theme is a Day in the Life. I think we're supposed to share our daily routines. Then I asked myself, we're supposed to have routines? LOL

No, not really. We do have a flexible schedule. The key word is, of course, flexible. If we need to take more time for a certain subject or stop until tomorrow, we do. If we breeze through one subject, we move on. And break time or snack time are taken as needed.

We're up and at 'em by 8 am. After breakfast, each child has chores to complete. I simplify this process by using chore jars.

The large popsicle sticks are painted pink or red with white tips. Various chores are written on each stick, then placed in the jar. When they've finished that chore, they can turn the stick over so the white tip is showing. I can easily glance over and see if they've gotten their chores done. Anything not completed before school starts has to be done after, but that rarely happens. If chores are finished before school, they have free time so they work to get things done!

As always, we start our school day with devotions and prayer. We use the Word of Life Olympian program that our church uses for kids' Bible club. The kids enjoy reading the Scripture passages together and discussing what they mean. We've all learned a great deal this way.

Since the kids are close in age, we do our science, history and geography studies together. Usually I will read from the textbook, then we work on notebooking or other projects together.

 Our separate subjects come next. Language and spelling is done with little help from me, but I'm available if either one needs further explanation. The kids have extremely done well with their independent work, and I'm really proud of them!

Math is also done separately, but I do spend more time working with the Princess. Mr. Lego has greatly enjoyed using Teaching Textbooks so far this year. I'm thrilled that he's catching on so quickly!

When all of their independent work is done, we regroup for reading. By reading, I mean that I read aloud to them. I've done this since we started homeschooling, and it's been a great tool to model how to read with expression. We're finishing up Courage and Conviction:Chronicles of the Reformation Church that we started at the end of school last year. When we're done with that, we'll begin Johnny Tremain, one of my favorite historical novels of all time! Even if your children are no longer elementary age, reading aloud to them (and to each other) has great benefits. It truly is a family-building exercise.

We usually finish up all our schoolwork before lunch. That leaves our afternoons free for library trips, field trips and socializing with other homeschoolers. I'm also going to start letting the children take part in my kitchen adventures. They've both shown an interest in baking and cooking, so they'll be helping with lunch and supper - as well as clean up! Yay!

So, what does your homeschool day look like? Do you prefer a tight schedule or are you more flexible? What works better for your family?

Menu Plan August 27-September 2

September already? Yes, only 4 months 'til Christmas! It's so hard to believe how quickly this year is passing. I am, however, ready for the seasons to change. We've had a long, hot summer so I'm looking forward to the cooler temps and beautiful colors of fall.

This week we're back to two kids instead of four. Last week my sister-in-law and I met and exchanged kids. She has six children, three boys and three girls. I took her girls and she took Mr. Lego, so we each ended up with four. I can say, without any doubt, she got the quieter end of that deal. The boys play video games, build Legos and rarely giggle. We had extended Barbie stories enacted, girly movies being watched constantly (and sung along with) and lots of giggling. I wouldn't trade these memories of family for anything, though.

See all the giggling going on?

 Now on to this week's menus:

Monday
Lentil and rice burritos, corn

Tuesday
Indian butter chicken, rice

Wednesday
Tasty tilapia, quinoa with vegetables

Thursday
Sausage veggie calzones

Friday
Lemony chicken, sesame broccoli

Saturday
Grilled steak, Greek lemon roasted potatoes

Sunday
Chicken corn chowder

If you're looking for some meal planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie's
Menu Plan Monday.

Meatball Sliders

When I make Italian meatballs, I like using leftovers for meatball subs. The downside for me is that the long hoagie bun often gets soggy before I can finish eating it. And I don't like soggy buns. I know. I'm weird.

The perfect solution is taking the concept of a meatball sub and turning it into individual sandwiches that can be eaten in a few bites - sliders! I use my Italian meatball recipe, but I make them slightly bigger to fit the sandwich roll. Nobody likes meatballs rolling around and slipping off their sandwiches! You can purchase dinner rolls at the grocery store or make your own small sandwich buns. Either way is delicious!

Now, here's what you need for the meatballs:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 teas garlic powder
1 teas sea salt
1/2 teas black pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten

You'll also need:

Small sandwich buns like dinner roll size
Spaghetti or marinara sauce
Fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

In a large mixing bowl, combine the meatball ingredients. Form into large balls. I got 9 meatballs from this recipe. Place on a broiler pan.

Slightly flatten the meatballs with your hand. This will help them fit the bun better.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Heat up the spaghetti sauce in a large pan. Nestle the meatballs (though technically by now they're meat patties) into the sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes.

When you're ready to make the sliders, split and toast the sandwich rolls. These are the rolls I used. Next time I will make my own.

Scoop out a meatball along with some sauce and place on a roll. Top with a slice of cheese. You can pop them under a broiler for a few minutes if you want the cheese to be gooey and melty, but we liked ours this way.

Just the right size and no soggy buns!

Menu Plan August 20-26

This week my sister-in-law and I are planning a kid exchange. We live about four hours apart. We'll meet each other halfway, she'll take one of my kids and I'll take a few of hers! This year it's my turn to get the girls. The Princess will get to have her 3 sweet cousins spend a few days together and make some wonderful memories. Mr. Lego will be in South Carolina with his boy cousins, playing video games and building Lego contraptions. I can't tell you how much the kids have been looking forward to this! I'm so glad we live close enough to be able to spend time with family. I wish we lived even closer!

Now for this week's menu, I'm keeping it simple. In addition to the kid exchange, our church starts its kids club program on Wednesday night. I'll be teaching the older children (5th and 6th grade) the lesson. We're praying for a mighty work of God in these kids' lives.

Here's the plan:

Monday
Baked egg rolls, fried rice

Tuesday
Cheeseburger soup, pretzel rolls

Wednesday
Tacos

Thursday
Spaghetti and meatballs

Friday
Homemade chicken nuggets, french fries

Saturday
Grilled hamburgers, corn on the cob

Sunday
Crockpot teriyaki chicken over rice

Visit Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday for more meal planning inspiration.

Not Back to School Blog Hop Week 3

This week's theme is student pictures. I'm blessed with two students, Mr. Lego and the Princess. We also are joined by Student #3, our dog Alexandra. Would you like to meet them?

This is Mr. Lego. He's eleven years old and in the sixth grade. Over the summer he grew about four inches. Four! He's almost as tall as I am! There's no doubt he will be looking down on me soon! And he's now wearing a mens' size 8 shoe. My little preemie baby is growing into a fine young man. If you want to read more about his early intro into the world, you can find my post about it here.

As you can probably guess by his online name, he loves Legos. He spends hours creating buildings, spaceships, you name it. Currently he's interested in the BBC show Dr. Who, so he's built several Daleks (the Doctor's arch-nemeses).

This is Mr. Lego's Lego table. Somehow in all this mess, he can find the parts that he needs.

Mr. Lego is my studious child. He loves to read and learn. He even enjoys reading instruction manuals for video and computer games! In fact, he won't try to play without reading the instructions first. His favorite subjects are math and science.

My second student is the Princess. She is ten years old. She was added to our family just 17 months after Mr. Lego was born, so they're only one year apart in school. But they're worlds apart in interests and personalities! LOL

The Princess loves to draw. In fact, there is no scrap of paper in our house that's safe from being doodled on! I incorporate a great deal of notebooking and coloring pages in our school day to capitalize on her creativity. She adores anything princess and loves to play dress-up. We are also treated to lots of storytelling and homemade books that she dreams up.

Our dog Alexandra (we call her Xandra for short) joins us nearly every day. She sits between the kids' desks and waits for us to take a break so she can get a belly rub or head pat. To say she's spoiled would be an understatement.

We're in our sixth year of homeschooling and have loved the journey so far. Our family has grown closer and stronger along the way. I wouldn't trade these years for anything!