A Planting We Will Go

Every year I think to myself how nice it would be if I planned ahead and started just a few plants and flowers from seeds. A few years ago I tried but I really wasn't paying attention to the poor little things and they dried up. Was it their fault?  Goodness no. I just keep on trying. (I've been listening to Pete the Cat lately)
My seeds, my seeds, my growing little seeds. I am tryingn to grow lavender, basil (love to make pesto!! and last year I spend almost $4 for a little bushel.), marigolds, and 2 kinds of tomatos.

Here are all of my little pods, 72 to be exact. I gave them a little warm water and they plumped right up. ( I think  my first attemp a few years ago I just threw the seeds on top and squired them a bit.)  With much more care this time I gingerly poked my finger in the middle to make a bigger hole and then in went the seeds. I covered them up a little bit. Put the plastic lid on the little guys and turned on the grow light.
Warmth and lighting was another area that I ignored last time. Our house is pretty chilly and I know the little seeds need the light and warmth. I bought a 60 watt bulb and I point it at the seeds for about 8 hours a day.

Let's see what happens.
Day 3. Good Morning little marigolds.

Please don't die :-)
The marigolds are the first ones to show a little green.

So this is week 5 and everything but the lavender is doing well. Tomatoes, marigolds, and basil are doing fine. I think I will start new flowers soon to replace the lavender.

Smoked Chicken Pasta Salad

1 1/2 lb smoked chicken or 1 small can chicken
2c penne pasta cooked drained cooled
1/2 c thinly sliced red onion
1/2 t pepper
Dash cayenne
1/4 c bacon bits
1/3 c mayonnaise
1/2 t minced garlic
1/2 t salt
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t thyme
1/4 t sage
1/4t dried mustard

In large bowl toss chicken pasta pepper onion and bacon combine set aside.

In a small bowl will mayo and remaining ingredients until smooth. Spoon mayo mixture over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately

Bento Lunch #2

Bento Lunch #2

Smoked Chicken Pasta Salad

5 carrots with poppyseed dressing

Strawberries

Hummus and pita chips

Bento Lunch #1

So I got this awesome little Bento Box for Christmas and I am hoping to start packing healthier, portion controlled lunches. I will be taking photos of the lunches that I thought were a hit. So in a week or two when I am staring at the refrigerator and can't think of what to make myself for lunch I will have a nice go to blog list.

I hope my hits inspire you too :-)

Bento Lunch #1

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sammie on WW bread

7 carrots

Salad with greens, cranberries, walnuts, crutons, and poppyseed dressing

Make Ahead Sizzlies

I have been wanting to do this for such a long time. Make ahead breakfast sandwiches that I freeze. It was so easy that I am kicking myself for not trying it sooner.
I am figuring my cost was about $1 per sandwich. Which beats the Wawa Sizzlie which is almost $3. I just discovered an Aldi near our house so I got a great deal on bagels and the sausage. Here is what I did.

I like a toasted bagel so I popped them in the toaster oven. Not sure it makes a difference?  While the bagles are browning I threw some scrambled eggs in a large pan and started them. I bought pre-cooked sausage so I pulled out the patties. After the eggs were sufficiently seasoned (garlic salt and pepper) I tossed on come cheddar cheese and cut them up to fit on a bagel.
Lining up my bagles I layered the sausage, and eggs.
Bam done!
Let them cool and I put each one into a plastic baggie and threw them in the freezer.
Pull out and nuke for bout 30 seconds and you have an easy breakfast.
Hey, anyway I can get a few minutes of sleep is worth it!!

enjoy :-)

Beekman Tour 2012

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Homemade Hand Soap

I must admit that I have a new addiction Pinterest . I can't help myself from browsing and browsing all of the beautifully creative things on this site. Yesterday I tried my first DIY from Pinterest and it was a success. I made 1/2 gallon of hand soap from a bar of soap. It was easy, fun and it will save us a lot of money on commercial hand soap.

My ingredients:
1 bar of Dr. Bronners Lemon Soap
1 T of liquid glycerin
50 drops lemon essential oil
1/2 gallon Water

I followed the directions from the farmers nest blog but substituted Dr Bronners for Meyers and cut the recipe in half to test it out. Mine worked wonderfully but I did use a hand mixer the next day and added a little extra water to break up chunks and create a smooth consistency.