Well, tomorrow is Turkey Day for me. Doing what I can now to make tomorrow easier.
I made the marshmallow salad (family tradition, NEEDS to be made 1 day ahead) and the white bean dip (from Saving Dinner, CAN be made a day ahead), I also chopped up a large cucumber, carrot, some celery, and a yellow bell pepper, and put them in a large zipplerware (ziploc + tupperware = zipplerware) container covered in water in the fridge. They're for dipping in the white bean dip, I'll fish them out with a slotted spoon tomorrow :)
That's three things ready and done. I also washed all the dishes and did a 15 minute tidy. Now I can relax, play with my sewing stuff, read, and hang out with my husband. (Which are great things to do on a holiday weekend!)
Tomorrow, I'm making the garlic smashed red potatoes in the morning, and having them on keep warm in my crock cooker all day (with a little butter over the top). Plus I'll cut my bread for stuffing before we leave to pick up my in-laws.
Sometime around noon will be time to preheat the oven, make the stuffing, and prep the bird. When the turkey's halfway done (or so) I'll make the pumpkin pie and pop it in the oven, too.
Gravy and the green beans are the only things that'll need to be done last-minute and they're both pretty easy.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you for joining me, and I hope I can help you! It really is fun to be a Homemaking Diva!!
Love,
Valerie :D
Please comment or send your questions to me on the Homemaking Diva Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/HomemakingDiva or by email at homemakingdiva@hotmail.com
Showing posts with label side dishes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label side dishes. Show all posts
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Countdown to the Holidays! Planning for Sanity
Thanksgiving is going to be here soon, so I'm doing my best to be prepared. Hopefully by the time you read this, I will have purchased my turkeys. I am bound and determined to find some at a good price, so I will be going to Walmart for a THIRD time, first thing at opening this morning (I'm writing this last night). You'd think Walmart would realize that they should stock up on items that are on at a really good price; I mean, if you keep running out of the turkeys that are on sale, maybe you should start ordering MORE?? Maybe?
Sorry. Rant over :)
I did sit down and finalize my Thanksgiving menu and update my planner page.
My favorite trick (and one you'll love too!) is to make the mashed potatoes (whatever kind you like at your place) EARLY. Then put it in the crock cooker with a little butter over the top on 'keep warm' until dinnertime. One less thing to do later. Just be sure to test run your crock pot first (you can make a potato chowder if you want afterwards) you don't want scorched potatoes on the big day! I got that tip from Leanne Ely who got it from Flylady.
I've got a few things to do each day from Thursday to Monday (including tidying the house in babysteps) so I'm not doing everything at once. Sounds like a plan to me!
Thank you for joining me, and I hope I can help you! It really is fun to be a Homemaking Diva!!
Love,
Valerie :D
Please comment or send your questions to me at homemakingdiva@hotmail.com
Sorry. Rant over :)
I did sit down and finalize my Thanksgiving menu and update my planner page.
- White Bean Dip and Veggies
- Turkey
- Stuffing
- Gravy
- Garlicky Smashed Red Potatoes
- Nutmeg Green Beans
- Marshmallow Salad (family tradition)
- Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream
My favorite trick (and one you'll love too!) is to make the mashed potatoes (whatever kind you like at your place) EARLY. Then put it in the crock cooker with a little butter over the top on 'keep warm' until dinnertime. One less thing to do later. Just be sure to test run your crock pot first (you can make a potato chowder if you want afterwards) you don't want scorched potatoes on the big day! I got that tip from Leanne Ely who got it from Flylady.
I've got a few things to do each day from Thursday to Monday (including tidying the house in babysteps) so I'm not doing everything at once. Sounds like a plan to me!
Thank you for joining me, and I hope I can help you! It really is fun to be a Homemaking Diva!!
Love,
Valerie :D
Please comment or send your questions to me at homemakingdiva@hotmail.com
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Losing It With Leanne Challenge Day 3
January 14, 2011
Seriously, if I'd known I was going to pick the egg salad so many days in a row, I would have just made one big batch! It's too funny! There are several lunch options and I keep picking the same thing, LOL! Oh well, it's good and I haven't had egg salad in a while. I don't know why DH and I both like it. I guess it's just that I don't remember to boil the eggs ahead... Maybe I will now.
My protein powder came in today! Man those are big containers (2 pounds each), but that's OK, I'll just put some in one of my zipplerware containers and call it good.
Made Pork Diane tonight. Do you know what's really funny? I'm prepping the veggies, and I realize I bought cilantro instead of parsley! The silly thing is that I wasn't even going to bother with the fresh parsley except that two of the recipes I picked called for it... oh well, they're just gonna be cilantro-y ;)
And I made steamed Brussels sprouts for the first time. You'd think I'd look it up since I didn't know what I was doing, but they turned out fine. Actually, they taste like cauliflower kinda. I really don't understand why some people dislike broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts so much, they taste pretty plain and it's easy to spice them up to a flavour you DO like! I tried the Saving Dinner way of having steamed Brussels sprouts with a little unsalted butter and nutmeg... not bad at all! I think I'll make it again someday, although DH only likes them raw, apparently.
It's interesting, all these foods that I've been meaning to try at some point, and he doesn't like them to start with. Oh well. At least he's nice about it. Even the other night when I made acorn squash, he ate most of it before telling me that it's not his favourite. But I did talk to him about it and we figure it's just that this stuff is kinda plain, and he's not opposed to trying, say, a squash dish even though he doesn't like squash by itself. I've made spaghetti squash before and that was fine, but it was loaded with butter and Parmesan and/or spaghetti sauce. And he's OK with cooked broccoli and cauliflower if they're in a frittata.
I think eating on the plan is better for me than what I was doing. With switching between nights and days, I sometimes get a little light-headed if I haven't eaten in a while. On the Losing It With Leanne plan, I have snacks scheduled in already, so I don't have to feel bad that I'm eating 'extra' and there's a plan of what to eat, so I'm not eating random stuff that may or may not be so good for me.
I've been doing my 'circuit' on the wii fit everyday. Depending on what games I play more than once it takes 20-30 minutes. I've been going over the 90 calorie goal of a 8 oz glass of coke, so I'm changed it to a 115 calorie piece of flan for tomorrow (I burned 120 tonight anyway).
I know I 've only been doing this for a few days, but it already kinda seems like a way of life. Mornings are so hectic and the tiny bowl of Kashi is great to have quickly right after I get dressed to shoes, and then I can get DH's lunch together and do what needs to be done first thing.
So anyway, thank you for joining me, and I hope I can help you! It really is fun to be a Homemaking Diva!!
Please comment or send your questions to me at homemakingdiva@hotmail.com
Have great day!
Valerie :D
Seriously, if I'd known I was going to pick the egg salad so many days in a row, I would have just made one big batch! It's too funny! There are several lunch options and I keep picking the same thing, LOL! Oh well, it's good and I haven't had egg salad in a while. I don't know why DH and I both like it. I guess it's just that I don't remember to boil the eggs ahead... Maybe I will now.
My protein powder came in today! Man those are big containers (2 pounds each), but that's OK, I'll just put some in one of my zipplerware containers and call it good.
Made Pork Diane tonight. Do you know what's really funny? I'm prepping the veggies, and I realize I bought cilantro instead of parsley! The silly thing is that I wasn't even going to bother with the fresh parsley except that two of the recipes I picked called for it... oh well, they're just gonna be cilantro-y ;)
And I made steamed Brussels sprouts for the first time. You'd think I'd look it up since I didn't know what I was doing, but they turned out fine. Actually, they taste like cauliflower kinda. I really don't understand why some people dislike broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts so much, they taste pretty plain and it's easy to spice them up to a flavour you DO like! I tried the Saving Dinner way of having steamed Brussels sprouts with a little unsalted butter and nutmeg... not bad at all! I think I'll make it again someday, although DH only likes them raw, apparently.
It's interesting, all these foods that I've been meaning to try at some point, and he doesn't like them to start with. Oh well. At least he's nice about it. Even the other night when I made acorn squash, he ate most of it before telling me that it's not his favourite. But I did talk to him about it and we figure it's just that this stuff is kinda plain, and he's not opposed to trying, say, a squash dish even though he doesn't like squash by itself. I've made spaghetti squash before and that was fine, but it was loaded with butter and Parmesan and/or spaghetti sauce. And he's OK with cooked broccoli and cauliflower if they're in a frittata.
I think eating on the plan is better for me than what I was doing. With switching between nights and days, I sometimes get a little light-headed if I haven't eaten in a while. On the Losing It With Leanne plan, I have snacks scheduled in already, so I don't have to feel bad that I'm eating 'extra' and there's a plan of what to eat, so I'm not eating random stuff that may or may not be so good for me.
I've been doing my 'circuit' on the wii fit everyday. Depending on what games I play more than once it takes 20-30 minutes. I've been going over the 90 calorie goal of a 8 oz glass of coke, so I'm changed it to a 115 calorie piece of flan for tomorrow (I burned 120 tonight anyway).
I know I 've only been doing this for a few days, but it already kinda seems like a way of life. Mornings are so hectic and the tiny bowl of Kashi is great to have quickly right after I get dressed to shoes, and then I can get DH's lunch together and do what needs to be done first thing.
So anyway, thank you for joining me, and I hope I can help you! It really is fun to be a Homemaking Diva!!
Please comment or send your questions to me at homemakingdiva@hotmail.com
Have great day!
Valerie :D
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