Confessions of a Ranch-aholic

Hello. My name is Stephanie and I’m a Ranch-aholic.

I love Ranch on anything.

Hell, everything!

But what I don’t like is the ranch you buy at the grocery store that’s so full of ingredients that are impossible to pronounce and that taste like a chemical reaction gone bad in my mouth.

So I've been searching, hoping, and waiting for a homemade ranch mix to drop into my lap and I finally found one!


I made this myself from ingredients I already had in my spice cabinet. I only left out the chives she listed, simply because I didn't have them and it’s not something I keep around.

It was DE-LISH and is better than anything you can find in a bottle!

Gwen has even listed a recipe for a “Try It” sized amount, so you can make a quick batch for dinner and try it before committing to the full recipe. Check it out and tell me what you think!

Back At 'Ya - Menu Planning

So I've basically taken the last three weeks"off" to focus on what I really want to get out of this blog, and it appears to me that I need more "me" and less "stuff". Basically I'll be getting back to basics starting off with my weekly Menu Planning posts. Ready?

All recipes are linked to their sources below!

Monday - Pork Chops with Rice, Salad
Tuesday - Spaghetti, Salad
Wednesday - Oven BBQ Chicken, Stuffing, Steamed Broccoli
Thursday - Mini Meatloaves, Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Veggies
Friday - Homemade Pizza
Saturday - Dinner Out!
Sunday - Arroz con Pollo

Linking up to OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday!

I Made Homemade Sandwich Bread And Declare It Good... Enough.

I am not a baker. At all. Baking is all about exact measurements, patience and science.

I hated science in school.

I'm really much more of a "cooker". A little of this, a little of that; eventually you get to a great end result, despite not measuring anything. I'm a dump and stir kind of home-cook.

Beside the basic foods of milk, cheese, butter and the like, our family goes through several loaves of bread every week. I have no problem buying several loaves at the bread store and sticking some in the freezer and one in the fridge when we get home. We go through it so fast, it doesn't have time to go bad in our house.

Now whether it due to miscalculation, more sandwiches and toast than usual, or a serious case of bread eating pests (reminder to call the bug man to solve that pesky problem LOL) we ran out before payday.

WHAT!!!!

I've said before that I am one lazy momma; I really don't feel like packing both boys into the car to trek through the rain yesterday for one stinking load of bread.

So how to solve my dilemma?

You know me; I Googled it!

I found some recipes for homemade sandwich bread that seem easy enough, even for a slacker like me.

I found this one and used it since I had all of the ingredients on hand. The boys and Hubs liked it so much, it was almost gone by the end of the day.

Om Nom Nom!

Definitely another one o add to the list!

Menu Planning Week #14

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! The Easter Dinner dilemma was solved; I was actually shocked at how easy it was to cook a ham, and man was it delicious! I used this Brown Sugar Bourbon Glazed Ham recipe from myrecipes.com, and MAN OH MAN was it awesome! I also ended up making green beans with bacon, maple-glazed carrots, and scalloped potatoes (from a box, but they were GOOD!) and some homemade dinner rolls that I wasn't too proud of. My mom brought over a HUGE plate of deviled eggs that I got to keep a bunch of.

I ate six yesterday...

Now, on too this week's Meal Plan!

• Monday - Chicken Alfredo (I made an super easy and fast french bread recipe I found here; definitely doing this one again!)
• Tuesday - Spaghetti (may have to make more french bread!)
• Wednesday - Easter Left Overs
• Thursday - Mini Meatloaves
• Friday - Burrito Bar (make your own)
• Saturday - Chicken Enchiladas

My freezer stash is starting to dwindle, so it's time for me to bust out the coupon binder and fill the freezer again; hopefully there are some great sales this week on meats!

Linking to Menu Plan Monday (yes, I know it's Tuesday)

Sunday -

5 Ways To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthy!

Getting your kids to eat their vegetables seems to be a parental rite of passage. Every parent goes through the trials and tribulations of getting their child to eat that tiny pile of peas, those strange looking Brussels sprouts, or sometimes even those yummy maple-glazed carrot coins.

So today, I'm going to share with you "5 Ways" to get your kids to eat healthy, and hopefully these ideas can get your child to enjoy more healthy choices when it comes to meals. Ready?

Grow It!

Source: boyslife.org via Stephanie on Pinterest

Here's an easy way to get more fruits and veggies into your kids; grow them! A square foot garden is an easy economical and space-saving way for you to monitor what is going into your family's diet.

Source: hgtv.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

A creative way to get your children more involved; plant a pizza garden! Planting the ingredients for their favorite meal teaches your kids more about science, math, and nutrition.

Make It!

Source: broadwaypanhandler.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

After harvesting all of those goodies from your square foot garden or pizza garden, put the kids to work in the kitchen and let them make their own meals! These kitchen gadgets are sized just right for little hands and make cooking together as a family more fun!

Source: hickoryridgedesigns.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

While you're cooking in the kitchen with your kids, make them the chef for the night. I love this little chef's coat; it's perfect for keeping spills off of your kids clothing and makes them feel more "official" in the kitchen!

Eat It!

Source: hanielas.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

You've harvested and cooked all those yummy fruits and veggies, now it's time to enjoy them! Many times presenting foods in new, different ways can make the difference between your kids cleaning your plate, or shoveling the food into their laps or on the floor for the dog to finish off.

What secrets do you use to get your family to eat more healthy?

Snikiddy Snacks Review and Giveaway

I had never before heard of Snikiddy brand snacks, but I'm so glad my family has stumbled across them now!

I received a coupon from Snikiddy for two free full sized products to review, and we chose the Eat Your Vegetables and Baked Fries varieties.

The Snikiddy Story

Founded in late 2006 by Mary Schulman and her mother, Snikiddy® creates products for families actively looking for healthier foods that satisfy their snack cravings. The Snikiddy brand is a portfolio of better for you snacks that are simple, wholesome real products for families. So dig in, it’s all good.

Where did the name come from? Snikiddy® is a shortened (and let’s face it, easier to say) form of the word persnickety, which means choosy or picky. Growing up, Janet (Mary’s mom) and her siblings were known around school as the Snikiddy kids (a badge they wore proudly) because they always ate healthy lunches. Their mom (Grandma), ahead of her time with her passion for good health, would pack their lunch boxes full of locally grown produce and very simple foods. A teacher once referred to them as being persnickety and the kids’ version of the word (snikiddy) stuck.

Of course, each one of the boys has their favorites!

Logan loved the Eat Your Vegetable variety; with him being such a "snacker" by nature, I feel good giving these ot him as a healthier alternative. What's really great about these is there is one full serving of vegetables in each serving of chips. With ingredients like Navy Beans, Sweet Potatoes, and Carrots, I know he's getting some extra nutrition from his snacking habits, not just empty calories to fill him up. Caleb really liked the Baked Fries. They were super tasty and he keeps asking for more "fwys" with lunch everyday!

Need Mo Fwys!

What's really fantastic about Snikiddy products is that they are all natural, cholesterol free, and vegetarian/vegan. The varieties we chose contain no MSG, No Trans Fats, No Wheat, and no no nut products, making them great for families with food allergies.

We need more Snikiddy!

Buy It

Snikiddy products can be found almost anywhere! Just use the product locator on their website to find a store near you! You can learn more about Snikkidy on their website, on Facebook, or on Twitter!

Win It

You can win one of two Snikiddy Gift Boxes! The Snikiddy gift box includes 3 bags of Snikiddy, an art kit and a chip clip. All you have to do is enter using the rafflecopter form below. Good Luck!

Menu Planning Week #13

Week #13 at menu planning and still going! How's it working out for all of you?

As we're quickly finding out, sometimes the best laid plans don't always come to fruition, but at least it's good to know there are plenty of other ways to get this family fed, even if you have the best intentions, right? LOL

Obviously, this week will have some re-hash of what we were supposed to eating last week, so I hope you all don't mind!

Monday - Garlic Lime Chicken Nachos
Tuesday - Homemade Veggie Pizza
Wednesday - Mini Meatloaves
Thursday - Chicken Enchiladas
Friday - Fish (IT'S BUNCO NIGHT FOR MOMMY!)
Saturday - Spaghetti
Sunday - Easter Dinner (of course!)

As for Sunday's Easter Dinner, I'm calling on all of you for a little help. I have NEVER made Easter Dinner before, and other than the ham have NO CLUE what to make!!!

Feel free to suggest meals and links to recipes in the comments; help a girl out!

As always, I'm linking to Menu Plan Monday!

Menu Planning Week #12

The weeks are flying by so fast I want to rein them in a bit and tell time to SLOW DOWN! The days are getting longer and warmer, which means there should be lots of great produce showing up in markets everywhere to advatage of in new lighter meals and better weather to get grilling; can't wait for that!

In the mean time, our menu planniing this week is taking advantage of the great stockpile I have in the freezer; I can't tell you how much it helps to not have to pay high prices for some of those everyday dinner items in the store since so much were purchased at great sale prices. Do you do any type of stockpiling or freezer meals? Tell me about them!

This weeks plan is a re-hash of some family favorites; dinners around here are starting to get a little boring with the sam-ole same-ole and I can't wait until we can start chaniging it up a bit. No cute menu-planning sheet this week, (I'm feeling LAZY today!) but you can always download a blank copy of my sheet here free for you to use.

Monday - Biscuits and Gravy (breakfast for dinner!)
Tuesday - Spaghetti
Wednesday - BBQ Chicken
Thursday - Salisbury Steak
Friday - Homemade Veggie Pizza
Saturday - Chicken Enchiladas
Sunday - Mini Meatloaves

As always, I'm linking up to Menu Plan Monday; stop by and check out some other great menu plans and find something new to try!

Menu Planning Week #11

So... I seriously just realized that I totally FAILED with posting last week's menu plan. It's not like I really had one anyway! LOL Sometimes life just gets a little blah, and you just have to fly by the seat of your pants.

And yes, the laundry suffered too. I just put away laundry on Saturday afternoon that had been piling up (and wrinkling!) from the entire week.

Like I've said before, I'm not perfect!

So for this week, we have a really great plan I think! Most everything except for fresh fruit and veggies are coming straight from my freezer and pantry; which means that thanks to my "stockpiling" my grocery bill was MUCH lower this time around!

Here's what my family will be eating this week:

As always, I'm linking up to Meal Plan Monday on Orgjunkie. Stop by and take a look through TONS of other meal plans and maybe you'll discover something new to try; I want to hear about if it's awesome!

PBCRAVE, A Peanut Butter You’ll Go NUTS For!

If your family is like 75% of the rest of the nation, than peanut butter is a major staple in your house; we easily go through two jars a month!

I recently received a package from PB Crave at no charge for review with all four of their delicious varieties of peanut butter: Choco Choco, Cookie Nookie, Coco Bananas, and Razzle Dazzle.

Each variety of artisan-crafted premium peanut butter is made with natural ingredients; only the finest, all-natural peanut butter, pure Mel-O honey, real Belgian chocolate chunks and mouth-watering flavors. They align with Fit Pick nutritional requirements, which are based on joint criteria published by the American Heart Association, the 2005 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Guidelines for Competitive Foods.

Don’t believe it’s a healthy alternative? Check this out! I compared the label of our regularly purchased peanut butter (left) to a jar of PB Crave’s Cookie Nookie (right).

The picture speaks more than words!

PB Crave isn’t your average food company either. A percentage of every jar they sell goes towards helping to save the lives of 2 million children by 2015. A minimum of 2% of the profits from every jar of PB Crave peanut butter goes directly to Project Peanut Butter, a non-profit organization focused on treating malnourished children. 

Project Peanut Butter has helped save the lives of more than 100,000 children through ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) featuring high-calorie, fortified peanut butter-like pastes.

Our family has tried all four varieties and each one of us has a favorite. Logan loved the Choco Choco, Hubs loved the Coco Bananas (no wonder since one of his favorite snacks is a banana coated in peanut butter!), I am totally swooning over the Cookie Nookie… Caleb went NUTS over ALL of them!

  

BUY IT!

What better way to celebrate National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month than with your own jar of PBCrave! You can purchase your own either in a case of three jars or six jars through Amazon or through their website at pbcrave.com. Right now, shipping is free using the code: PBLOVERS.

Learn more about PB Crave through their website at pbcrave.com, on Facebook and follow them on Twitter

While you're checking them out, vote for them to Get On The Shelf at local Wal-Mart Stores!

WIN IT!

Want to win your own PB Crave? PB Crave is generously providing one winner a variety pack of their delicious gourmet peanut butters containing Coco Bananas, Cookie Nookie (MY FAVORITE!), and Razzle Dazzle! Enter by using the handy-dandy Rafflecopter form below!

5 Easy Ways To Trash Your Weight Loss Goals

Nummies, nummies everywhere, at least you won't gain weight in your hair...

Meh, so much for trying to be funny, Steph!

So, It's March and by now many people have trashed their resolutions lists.; especially if it pertains to losing weight!

Here are my Top 5 reasons that I know I WILL fail at dieting this year:

#1 Whiskey Caramel Bacon Bars

Source: endlesssimmer.mobstac.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I think this was my first pin on Pinterest EVER, leading me to pin more and more and more yummy goodness! I need to be making these. WHISKEY. CARAMEL. BACON.

'Nuff said.

#2 Salted Caramel Butter Bars

Source: pipandebby.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

A full pound of butter people; hummina, hummina.

#3 Bacon Wrapped Smokies With Brown Sugar And Butter

Source: tastykitchen.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Sausage, bacon, butter, brown sugar. Serious diet no-no, but a big happy yes-yes in a casserole dish.

#4 Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls

Source: plainchicken.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Be still my heart! (It will be if I eat the whole thing, and I just might!)

#5 Banoffe "Danger" Pie

Source: brooklynlimestone.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

With Caleb's love of bananas, this is gonna be a hit! I'm so going to be making this one soon, because I have ALL the ingredients in my kitchen RIGHT NOW!!!

What's been your diet trasher this year? Let me know in the comments, and don't forget to link so I can pin those too!

Menu Planning Week #9

Another week, another menu plan! Last week... I really didn't stick to my plan AT ALL! I just wasn't feeling so great, so the plan went out the window. Just a reminder that it's okay of you don't stick to your plan, just make sure you have lots of "easy meal" ideas for when those kinds of days hit, so you don't have to resort to take out or going to restaurants...

... Like we did...

Any-who! Here's this weeks plan, a great pork chop recipe that's great for family dinners or even if you're having company coming to dinner!

There is now a new RECIPE tab at the top of the page where each recipe that is MINE will be added alphabetically, until I can figure out how to link to each one individually. These recipes do not include ones that I have linked through Pinterest, so if you'd like those, feel free to browse the NUMMIES board!

With warmer weather on the horizon, it's time to get out of the Fall and Winter meal mode and into Spring and Summer. Do you rotate your meals "seasonally"?

Linking (once again!) to Menu Plan Monday! Explore and find new meals and menus for your family!

Recipes in this weeks menu plan:

Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

Skillet Lasagna (will need to write this one down, I rarely measure!)

BBQ Chicken

Fish (self explanatory)

Chicken Enchiladas

Spaghetti

Menu Planning Week #8

We did so much better sticking to our meal plan last week, here's hoping for another great week!

Are any of you using the task plan sheet I've created? I'd love to your menu plans too! I'm always looking for new meals to add to our menu plan; it tends to get a bit repetitive!

While you're here, enter the great giveaways going on now; another one starts tomorrow!

Linking to Menu Plan Monday once again!

Need New Lunch Ideas For You Or Your Kids? Go Bento!

Before leaving the working world, I was a frequent lunch-bringer. There weren’t very many “healthy” meal alternatives within a quick driving distance to my work, unless you wanted to go sit down at a restaurant, but those mostly catered to the truck drivers and industrial workers in the area.

Several years ago I stumbled across The Laptop Lunch System created by Tammy Pelstring and Amy Hemmert, the founders of Obentec.

They originally intended for their lunchbox system to become a more economical and eco-friendly lunchbox, but many parents started seeing the value as a weight loss tool for themselves as well.

Each Laptop Lunch System came with an outer shell, 5 inner containers (3 with lids) and a set of stainless steel flatware for each box. I ended up ordering one of these for myself and bought the insulated carrying bag and matching drink bottle too along with an extra set of inner containers.

I love the fact that it helped me watch what I was eating by only allowing just enough room for lunch my items, with no extra waste from packaging materials. The really great part about it is that the containers help you keep with the new USDA nutrition guidelines at ChooseMyPlate.org.

I think we'll be buying another one for Logan for when he starts school!

Don’t think you can get creative with bento? Take a look at some of these amazing lunch ideas!

Source: theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Source: m.blogher.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Source: leahremilletblog.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Source: leahremilletblog.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

**I was not compensated in any way for this review, nor did I receive any products from the company mentioned.. All opinions are my own and that of my family.**

Super Spaghetti Sauce

Here's a delicious and quick homemade spaghetti sauce recipe that's sure to get even the pickiest eaters to finish their dinner!

1 pound ground beef or italian sausage, skined and crumbled
2 cans (15 oz each) tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes (I like to use the ones with garlic, basil, and oregano already added)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 bay leaves

Brown meat in pan and drain in a colander; return to the pan. Stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Want to bulk up the nutrition? Shred, puree, or chop any additional veggies and add to sauce.

Modified from Hunt's Red - and - Ready Spaghetti Sauce

Recipes By Special Request!

I had a special request today on Facebook asking if I could list all of the recipes I mention on my Monday Menu Planning posts. Is this something you all would like to see? I know I generally just list the main entree, but would you also like to see the sides as well? Any other special requests? Let me know by commenting below!

Menu Planning Week #7

It's another MONDAY and another week of meal planning. How are you doing on yours?

I'm so happy that I get to BEEF up this weeks meal plan; I finally got some grocery shopping done and I'm so glad to be able to add a little variety this week! Of course today is one of Logan's favorite meals; the Chicken Alfredo. I think I may have to switch to the lower fat recipe I have for this soon, or we're all going to be a little plumper come Spring-time!

Lent starts this week, so over the next few weeks, you'll see the addition of some fish and vegetarian meals starting this Wednesday and each Friday. I'd like to try something other than the usual baked/fried fish, so let me know if you have any great ideas for those days.

Ready? Let's go!

Question on the Tortellini Soup from Betty Crocker recipe for Friday. Is it "cheating" if I use chicken stock for a Lenten Friday meal? The good Lord knows I have enough of it in my freezer now! Let me know in your comments below!

Source: bettycrocker.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Would you like a blank copy of my task plan sheet? I have a free copy waiting for you here; just print and fill in the blanks!

And don't forget to enter the Lucky Liker's $20.00 Target gift card giveaway!

Linking up to Menu Plan Monday!

You Really CAN Regrow Green Onions!

So, last week on Pinterest (oh, how I both love and loath it!) I saw several people re-pinning this tutorial on How To Regrow Green Onions, and decided to give it a try myself to see if it would really work.

Here is a picture of the five original onion shoots (Is that the correct term? Shoots?) in a canning jar on my kitchen window from day 1, last Tuesday.

Hi, baby onions!

And here is a picture, one week later of the same shoots (I'm still stickin' with shoots here...).

WooHoo!

Now why you ask would I even do this.

1. I know that green onions are cheap to buy. I only paid $0.98 for the original bunch... So that's not the reason.
2. It's green. Yeah, so are the tops... That's not a reason either.
3. My five year old is a science/math nut and wants to know how stuff works...

Hey, your roots are showing!

BINGO!

In the end, we turned this into a little science experiment of sorts. We sat together on the first day Googling the heck out of this tutorial.

But yeah, you can do it too. The best part is having a little "farm" in your own kitchen, an never running out if it's right there, right?

Now off to sprout an avocado seed in a baby food jar.

What, don't tell me your mom never did this....