Mom Tip #9: Make a Date!

Last night was date night. Oh, not for the Lion and the Zookeeper! I should be so lucky!

Nope. Lion had another date last night. He and Orangutan went to the Father Daughter Dance at OAT. I got several very interesting reports when they got home.

ZK (that's me!): So Daddy! How was your date?
Lion: (straight face looking over top of his glasses) Our daughter can eat.
ZK: Well, um, yeah?
Lion: No. I mean she can EAT!
ZK: Do tell.

Apparently the dancing part wasn't as big of a draw for our little Orangutan as (to quote her) "A BUNCH of absolutely delicious food like the Sprite, and the chicken, and the rolls and the cake! I had my cake and Daddy shared his! And I had Orange Sprite too!" Really? I never would have known but for the fact that I have to try to follow your conversation as you ricochet around the room.

There was only one dance apparently. Something about "I Don't Wanna Be a Duck." Other than that it was all about the food.

I wasn't without a date though. The Rhino and Marmoset took me to ZS 1 (Zoo Suburbia 1 - only on screen at this theater) and let me watch The Music Man while they jumped on me and both dogs and populated the entire carpet with popcorn.

I'm pretty sure I'm about to state the obvious but I'll say it anyway. It was a pretty early night here at Zoo Suburbia.

Mom Tip #59: Silence is NOT Golden!

It is golden, coated in platinum, studded with diamonds and dipped in chocolate!

Someone asked the question a while back "What do you wish someone had told you before you became a mom?" I wish they would have told me that there would never be a quiet moment ever again. I would have stopped talking and just sat and listened to silence and memorized what it sounds like.

We just got back from taking our bachelor neighbor to the train to go to the airport. Understand that this is not the first time Neighbor has ridden in the livestock trailer but it is the first time he has done this long of a stretch. Something tells me he won't be volunteering for carpool duty anytime soon.

Marmoset started the whole ride with, "C'mon R! C'mon!" That would be my fault. When I'm ready to go somewhere and the exhibits are loaded I want everyone in and moving out of the garage.

Then Rhino started to tell us a story about a "Heycocter (helicopter)" that was delivering wood to our house for a doghouse for the dog. The dog only weighs 20 lbs. I'm wondering just what kind of house he is building that calls for a helicopter to deliver the wood! I might move in with the dog.

Then we snagged the Orangutan and got the run down of her day for another 15 minutes. Then Orangutan and Rhino took turns playing "repeat after me" with Marmoset under the guise of "teaching her how to talk." Trust me! She doesn't need any lessons!

By the time we got to the train station Neighbor was so ready to get out of the van that he had his door open before I stopped. No one has ever been seen fleeing from my vehicle before. I wish I would have had the video camera. Large male with over stuffed garment back and carry on duffel seen fleeing minivan with his hands over his ears screaming , "Make it stop!!" He might have been crying but his face was a bit of a blur so I can't be sure about it.

As if I hadn't had enough I decided that a trip to the grocery store was necessary. And of course got commentary on why every sweet and salty anything was a good idea for snack today. I think the bag boy who helped us out to the car may have had the same face as Neighbor but again, he was moving too fast to tell.

Even now as I sit here in my office (which adjoins the playroom) there is a cacophony of ruckus over who is eating who's snack and who wants to watch which cartoons. And before you mention how wonderful bedtime is, refer to Rhino's Sleeping Standoff. They aren't even quiet then!

Welcome to the Rhino's Sleeping Standoff!

It's day three and it looks like the Zookeeper is beginning to lose her composure.

Day One of the stand off occurred due to a secret hideaway nap the Rhino managed to sneak in while the Marmoset and her exploding rear acted as 30 minutes of prime cover fire. Due to a bit of a chocolate high the Zookeeper caved and allowed Rhino to snuggle in the Lion's Den thinking that the Lion would relocate him to the Rhino/Orangutan exhibit at a later time. Lion never made it to the den thus leaving Rhino in the den for the whole night.

Day Two. Zoo lock down went as planned with all exhibits in their proper zones, covered and quiet. Thirty minutes later the Zookeeper stubbed her toe on a fleece covered "rock" that had managed to work HIMSELF from the Rhino/Orangutan exhibit into the middle of the hallway. After another 30 minutes of Lion snuggling and negotiation, the Rhino ended up...in the den. Again with the intentions of relocating him. Again, did not happen.

And here we are at Day Three of Rhino's Sleeping Standoff. We are at 10:32 PM and he is actively exploring the activity area of the Zoo without so much as a shadow of bloodshot in his eye. Sound effects are still in full effect and he has converted the activity area resting apparatus (aka playroom couch) into four carefully spaced landing zones for his imaginary kangaroo friend.

Send coffee. This Zookeeper is going to need it!

The First Pantry Challege: Chicken Breasts!

My pal Shannon from over at the Motivators threw me the first Pantry Challenge (and inspired pretty much the whole group to clean out their pantries I think! Eek!) so here I go! Here's the message I got from Shannon.

"I loved your ideas with the roast & the whole chicken. I'll have to save them for when I find those items on sale.

OK, here is my challenge for you. I have a freezer full of chicken breast that I got on sale & I also have a ton of dark red kidney beans as well as white rice & pasta(these are things I use very frequently). What can you come up with? I will take as many ideas as you have."

Isn't this par for all of our freezers? We find a great buy on something as versatile as chicken breasts and then stare at it. Yes, chicken has potential but you can only make the same stuffing casserole, broccoli and rice bake, and grilled breast so many times before you are ready to curse Mr. Perdue into oblivion. The same thing can happen to ground beef. So here's my answer to the challenge.

Chicken Chili! Think about it. You brown up those breasts and chop them up fairly fine. Grab your kidney beans and a large $2 can of diced tomatoes and you are on your way. It's different, uses what you have on hand and is really great for the recent weather. Not to mention that you can put it in the crockpot and have a one dish easy dinner. Pair it with my Cornbread and you are on your way!

Cornbread
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
½ cup melted butter
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 ¾ cup flour
½ tsp salt
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda

Blend together sugar, egg, milk, butter and cornmeal until smooth. Stir in flour, salt, powder and soda. Pour in greased and floured (or use a bit of the cornmeal) 9x9 pan. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

But Sarah that was a gimmee! So I'll give you some more takes I have. Cheesy Cornball Chicken - this one was an invention from one of my own pantry dives when I was running low and didn't want to head for the grocery store.

Corny Cheeseball Chicken
3 boneless, skinless breast halves
1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
¼ green pepper (diced)
1 med tomato (diced)
1 bunch green onions (diced)
1 12oz package dipping cheese (with or without jalapenos)
6 oz milk
Mexican chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown chicken in large skillet. In med bowl mix together corn, green pepper, tomato, and onion. Season lightly with salt, pepper and chili powder and set aside. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and return to skillet. Stir in corn mixture and allow to simmer. Prepare cheese according to package directions and stir into chicken and corn mixture. Pour into oven proof dish and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until beginning to brown and getting bubbly. Serve with flour tortillas.

There's also L.M. Lion's favorite! Italian Skillet Chicken. Simply brown your chicken breasts and add some quartered fresh tomatoes, garlic, parmesean cheese and Italian seasoning. Top with some shredded mozarella and bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until your cheese starts to brown.

And if you think you have exhausted my chicken reserves you are dead wrong. My favorite thing to do is to grab menu items from restaurants and try to recreate them at home. Some faves around the neighborhood are Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with homefries; Chicken Cheesesteaks; Chicken Reubens; Chicken Ceasar Salads or Wraps. I'm a huge fan of the gourmet pizzas too. Check out my Faker's Gourmet Pizza's then shake it up to suit your own mission!

A Faker’s Gourmet Pizza
1 premade pizza crust (Boboli)
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 boneless skinless chicken breast half (cooked and chopped bite size)
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
Additional toppings:
1 jar sundried tomatoes
½ pkg sliced fresh mushrooms
Or:
½ bag frozen broccoli
½ pkg sliced fresh mushrooms

Place pizza crust on lightly greased cookie sheet. Top with preferred amount of alfredo sauce and chicken. Then add preferred topping blends and cover with cheese. Bake according to pizza package directions or 425 until cheese is browned.

This also works with A1, cooked steak-ums and shredded cheddar cheese; olive oil, Italian seasoning, thinly sliced tomatoes, prociutto, and very light cheese; or blue cheese dressing, chicken tossed with hot sauce, and blue cheese crumbles – obviously served with a side of celery!

So Shannon, even if you don't ever make any of these, I hope it got those culinary ideas flowing. Happy Eats! Any more takers? I'm up for The Challenge!

Wordless Wednesday: You served us well.

This is dead.

This is two days worth of dead.

**You can see the rest of the story now over at The Bowl.**

In the meantime (as you wait in suspense....) head over to MomDot and see what the REAL mom blogs have to show off today!

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Happy Groundhog Day!

Well, by now I'm sure you heard. Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow so we are in for six more weeks of winter! My apologies to all of my Yankee friends who have seen all the winter they could possibly want already this year. But here's your educational opportunity for the day. Do you know where Groundhog Day came from?

You could Wikipedia it but I already did so let me give you the cliff notes Zoo style. As near as I can tell a bunch of Germans were in a pub into the wee small hours one very cold and blustery winter night. Having had their fair share of lager, they decided to go harass a poor sleeping rodent and then made up excuses for why they were doing it when their wives (and probably the authorities) asked them about it.

Of course I jest. The date itself is really the important part in that it coincides with several pagan and Christian observances regarding equinoxes and Candlemas. But Groundhog Day is really just a bit of a jest. It falls approximately six weeks before the vernal equinox no matter which way you split it. So your choices are "six more weeks of winter" which ironically happens if it's a sunny day and he sees his shadow (go figure). Or "only six weeks until spring" if the weather is grumpy and he doesn't see his shadow.

Now don't you feel better? You can say that you learned something today. Even if it was just about a rodent and his holiday! But just so you know, I'm going with General Beauregard Lee's (our GA version of Phil) prediction (which by the way he delivered via Twitter for all of the bloggers!) which called for an early spring. Thank you Beau!!

Mom Tip Monday: Stretching your Fridge

And I don't mean by packing it full of leftovers that will turn into your third grader's science experiment in the next month! I mean making what is in there go further. I know I kind of blended budgeting and menu planning last week but I want to focus a little more on that budgeting part this week.

Two weeks in a row now I have managed to cook once and make at least three meals out of what I made. And for both weeks the starter was only $10. Have I gotten your attention now? Would you like to know how I did it? Of course you would! Because if you could feed your family for 3 days on $15 (including sides and extras) who wouldn't do it?

Week #1.
I made a four pound beef roast (which I got on sale for $10) on Sunday. I dropped it in a pot of beef stock and let it simmer all day. I know it's not the traditional way to cook a roast but I had a plan because I had my menu laid out ahead of time. I made some mashed potatoes and steamed veggies to go with it (all pantry items at my house) and we were set.

Monday - I took the reserved beef stock, now thoroughly flavored from the onion soup spices (also a pantry item) I had added to the roast, and sliced two Spanish onions ($1.50) into it and again let it simmer away. I made some homemade bread to go with it - but even that is only a few dollars at the grocery store if baking isn't your forte. Day Two!

Wednesday - The leftover roast itself was up for grabs. I pulled it off into pieces and put it to (everyone together now) simmer with a bottle of barbecue sauce ($2.59). We served it on the rolls I had thought to make with half of the bread dough and had dinner for Day Three.

Thursday - If you can believe it, Beloved took leftover BBQ for lunch, and we had leftover soup for dinner.

I fed my family for four days on $14.

Week #2
Sunday - Baked chicken ($10) with trimmings.

Monday - Rigatoni with chicken, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes and spinach. (This is a Zookeeper original so you may need to play with it a little to get the flavors you like.)

Rigatoni & Chicken
1 box rigatoni
2 cups chopped chicken
1 jar sundried tomatoes (reserve oil)
1 cup mushrooms (or less to taste)
1 sm jar artichoke hearts (drain and rinse)
2 cups fresh spinach
2 Tbsp four
1 cup chicken bullion
1/2 cup milk

In a large skillet toss together chicken, tomatoes, artichokes, and mushrooms and heat through. At the same time prepare rigatoni according to package directions. When meat and veggies are heated through remove to a bowl. In your skillet add reserved tomato oil and blend with flour to create roux. Whisk in bullion and bring to a boil. Whisk in milk and allow to thicken. Toss chicken and veggies in sauce, add spinach and allow to rest over low heat while draining pasta. Toss all together or serve by spooning sauce over pasta.


Tuesday - Chicken veggie and noodle soup.

The chicken didn't get me as far because there wasn't as much concentrated meat to work with but I still managed to get out with the $10 chicken and emptying my pantry.

There are a million meals you can make with leftovers like this. Pita pockets for lunches in place of those $7 fast food meals that you (and your behind) don't really like anyway. Grab a flour tortilla, a leaf of lettuce and some thinly sliced roast beef with your favorite dressing or some tomatoes and you have an easy and cheap beef wrap. Chik-fil-A makes the most wonderful chicken wraps. But imagine how much you could save making them at home from LEFTOVERS? It's not a dirty word if you know how to say it!

I haven't had any takers on the Pantry Challenge yet so if you stumbled across something this week that had you saying, "Hmmm?" pass it over. I don't have a mission for Mom Tip Monday for next week so if you have a challenge for me feel free to zip it to me at ineedthezoo(at)yahoo(dot)com and I'll be happy to give you my two cents.

Have a great week and happy leftovers to all of you! Your wallet will thank you!