Amazing Marinara Sauce- you will never buy store-bought sauce again.

This recipe makes 6 jars of sauce with 6 servings per jar/freezer bag. Each jar/freezer bag (I like the the ziploc 4 cup jars or bags) is filled with about 3 cups of sauce. 36 servings total.

8 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes with italian herbs

2 (6oz) can tomato paste

2 chopped onions

16 garlic cloves chopped

2 TBS olive or veggie oil

4 tsp sugar

3 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook for 6-8 hours on low. When cool place in jars/bags. If using bags place flat in freezer.

Freezer meal tip

If you plan on storing your freezer meals in bags. DON'T BUY GENERIC! They leak. Try the double zip bags from Ziploc. You will pay a little more but it is worth it to save your meals. If any of you guys have had a good experience with another brand let us know.

Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans corn (or approx 3 cups frozen)
2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
4 cans chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilis

Combine all ingredients in two separate ziploc bags (1/2 in each) and freeze flat in the freezer.

To serve, heat through and serve over crushed tortilla chips.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. 

Dave Ramsey

For those of you who don't know me I am a BIG Dave Ramsey fan. His book The Total Money Makeover has made such a difference in our life. For those of you who have never heard of him he sets up "baby steps" for becoming independently wealthy. The cool thing is that it is understandable and attainable. The first step being to save $1000 in a starter emergency fund. This may seem easy to some and more difficult to others. What a relief is is to know that $1000 is available for me to use in case of an emergency. Example: care repairs, hospital bills or other unknown event. The peace of mind feel good.
The next "baby step" is to get out of debt. Dave recommends The smallest debt (not the highest interest rate) first because most people need to see the results fast. By paying off all little debt first it is a quicker saturation when you start seeing the bills go away. However, if you are not one of those people who need instant gratification, I don't think it matters if you do the highest interest first. This will certainly save you money! Either way, having no debt is the goal! To learn more about The Total Money Makeover click on this link Dave Ramsey.
Dave also has a radio show that I listen to regularly. When you become debt free you have the opportunity to scream "I'M DEBT FREE!" on his show. We are looking forward to doing this ourselves soon. We would highly recommend this program!

Quote of the day

If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. -Henry Ford

Creating a Budget

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having a budget.  This has saved our family on numerous occasions - nothing comes necessarily unexpected.  When something does come up, there should be money set aside for it already.  How? 

Well, you can start here and get an Excel template to create your budget.  When you are puting in the numbers, be sure to account for little unexpected crisis, such as a car repair or vet bill.  In other words, when you are computing numbers for a monthly car budget, add an extra $50 or so just in case you need some kind of major repair (or heaven forbid, you have an insurance deductible).  Also, take things that come up annually and divide them by 12 to set aside money each month for when that one is due (i.e. DMV fees).

Now, how do you make sure that this money stays where it should?  I know that when I have money in the bank, or when it's in my wallet - it is so easy to tell myself that I'm going to replace it - but I really need that one thing at the store!  What has worked best for our family is the envelope system.  Take several envelopes and label them with your budget needs (car, pets, entertainment, clothing, etc) and simply put the budgeted amount in every month.  The key is to only spend what's in the envelope - or less!  So, if its time to go back to school shopping for the kids, and there's only $150 in the envelope, then that's all you spend. 

Do you have another way that works for your family?  Please share!

Kid Friendly Music Players

Do your kids love to steal your iPod or cell phone to listen to music?  Mine do!  That's why I love this Fisher Price Kid-Tough Music Player.  It's perfect for preschoolers and beyond - very rugged and durable.  It comes in either blue or pink, and you can download music from your personal library!  It's compatible with numerous libraries (we have both iTunes and Zune), so it's super versatile.  Plus, it has a built in microphone for the kids to sing along.  Our 4 year old received this for Christmas, but I was just recently able to put all of her favorites on it, so she can sing and dance in her room anytime she wants.  Retail price is around $50.

Rag Wreaths

 Last week I made two rag wreaths.

Flower rag wreath

Start with an old picture frame. I used a 8x10 wooden frame. Wrap a long strip of fabric around the frame until all the frame is covered and glue to secure. Next glue the flowers on. At this point you need to cut strips of fabric to the size you want. I used thin cream fabric. Tie each strip around the frame in-between the flowers. Knot to secure. Last you add a ribbon to the top for it to hang. I was short one flower on the bottom and will have to glue that one on whenever I make my way to the Hobby Lobby.

 Rag wreath

I made this one for my daughter. Again I used a wooden 8x10 frame. I cut out two different fabrics in strips. one was a light pink corduroy and the other was a dark pink thin fabric. I alternated the fabrics to form a pattern, tying each one with a knot. Do this until all the frame is covered. Next I glued a bow and flower to the bottom front and attached a thick ribbon to the top to hang. I hung it from her curtain rod.

Bedtime Book of the Week

 Spencers adventures series- DON'T BAKE THAT SNAKE! By Gary Hogg. For those of you who still like to read books to your kids as they get older this is the book for you. It is an early reader chapter book with some pictures. All 73 pages will leave you rolling with laughter.

Both Hubby and I took turns reading this to our four kids and we couldn't stop at just one chapter! The kids begged for more. My 8 year old had the privilege of meeting the author at school during a book signing.  This is only one of the books from the series. We intend to buy more.
What a great way to spend the evening with your kids. We highly recomend!

Blueberry muffins

These are so simple and yummy!

Preheat oven to 400
Makes 12

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup heaping packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 eggs
1 cup milk
6 tbsp oil
1 grated lemon rind

Stir the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients plus the lemon rind. Mix the wet ingredients in the dry until just mixed (do not over mix). Then fold in the blueberries. Pour into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 min.


If you would like to add a crumble topping:

1/4 flour
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp firm butter

Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of muffins before baking.

Quote of the day

America cannot continue to lead the family of nations around the world if we suffer the collapse of the family here at home. -Mitt Romney

ORGANIZE THAT PANTRY!

 Lets talk labels. Making labels has got to be one of the easiest ways to organize your kitchen cupboards or pantries. I used Print Shop to make mine but you can just buy the labels and use a marker to identify your items. Containers are very inexpensive and can be purchased at many home, discount or warehouse stores.

Getting the kids "stuff" out of the "junk drawer" maybe a lifesaver for you moms when homework time rolls around. It is so much nicer when the kids know where their things are!

Tuesday- get organized

"Organize yourselves; Prepare every needful thing." -D&C 109:8