Mama Knows Best: Waste What?!?!?

We as mamas have to be innovative and thrifty all in the same beat. Somehow we find new ways of doing things that save us money, time and maybe if we are really blessed.... sanity!

I have a thing with waste. With each thing I throw out, I cringe a little. Don't get me wrong, I am far from a pack rat. When it comes to food, however, I just hate waste.

Often I will have a recipe that calls for chopped onion, celery, green pepper or other veggies. I try to find other recipes that calls for the same ingredients so there is no waste but often I just have leftover celery or green pepper staring sadly at me through the glass. :(

So now when I have leftover celery or other veggies that I know I am not going to use, I know what to do!

I chop them into pieces, place in a freezer bag and freeze the little suckers. Then when I make noodle soup or other recipes that calls for chopped veggies, I can simply take the baggie out and add it to the recipe. There is no waste and it save you chopping time!

It also make great pizza toppings!

Do you have a money/time/sanity tip to share? E-mail me at everythingmom@live.com

Recipe for Thanksgiving Leftovers!

I looked in my fridge tonight and sighed. Hubby home from a 4 day hunting trip, kids going crazy and a very tired mama. I saw several leftovers mocking me from their cold crypt.

That being said I typed in some ingredients in a search engine and used my leftover broccoli, heavy cream and dinner rolls. I had all the ingredients without going to the store and you can totally substitute shrimp for chicken. It was delish!! The only drawback was the 3 pans to wash..... I am soooo a one pan girl :) (I also left out the hot sauce and used dried Parsley) I took the rolls, split them, spread them with butter and garlic salt. After toasting.....Wahlah... garlic bread!

I always feel so much better when things like leftover dinner rolls and heavy cream get used instead of being thrown out :)


Hope you enjoy!

Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli

Ingredients
1 (12 ounce) package angel hair pasta
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons pesto
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot sauce
1/2 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Melt 1.5 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in milk and cream; simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in pesto, parsley, garlic, Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer.

Meanwhile, place broccoli in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Saute shrimp, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes, or until shrimp are pink.

In a large bowl, toss pasta, shrimp and broccoli; pour sauce over and serve.

Teacher Knows Best: How to handle bad behavior

I am blessed to live next to a elementary school teacher who loves my kids and we love her!! She has multiple education degrees and is the first person I run to when I am worried about speech, development or anything learning related!! She has agreed to write a weekly post for me on some common concerns involving little ones and just great tips! If you have a topic that you would like to see addressed, please e-mail me at everythingmom@live.com.

Lessons from School You Didn’t Want Your Preschooler to Learn

The wonderful thing about school is that children as exposed to so many new ideas and new friends. Of course the downside to that is when your little scholar picks up a new idea you didn’t really want him to learn.

Whether it’s hitting, not sharing, or something naughty to say, the answer is always the same:

“That is not ok in our house. In our family, we only (use kind words, soft hands, share our things).”

Repeat as needed, which will probably be often for a while.