Jessica & Jessica -pink pancakes

Archie actually made these! They were really yummy and all of the boys liked them I think. Jason and Silas ate a lot of them. That was the day I was the sickest so I wasn't paying really close attention.

They had ricotta cheese and pureed beats in them. Archie said it was a bit of a challenge to find the right temperature. The book suggested medium high but he found that cooking them on medium low actually worked better.

They were dense but very tasty. I really enjoyed them with butter but the boys had whipped cream on top.

There was plenty of beat puree left over but sadly the measuring cup they were in fell and shattered and we had to throw it all away :( This is definitely a recipe I think we'll use again! I can't wait to try making it myself. :)

Jessica & Jessica-Tofu nuggets

These were made with tofu, egg, broccoli, and breadcrumbs. I thought they were pretty good but maybe not good enough to make again. The adults all liked them but not the kids. None of the kids!

I do think its the best way I've ever had tofu! I'd like to look around and find some other tofu recipes and see if I can find another way I like it.

Jessica & Jessica-Grilled cheese sandwiches

This recipe was quite different from the normal bread-cheese-butter grilled cheese recipe. It was equal parts shredded cheddar cheese and sweet potato mixed with a little salt and trans-fat-free margarine, then spread between two pieces of whole wheat bread (I used sugar free bread), and then cooked on a skillet until the insides were melted and the outside was browned.

These were fantastic! Or at least I thought so. Jeri (my mother-in-law) really enjoyed them too. The boys on the other hand were less than impressed. Gideon ate his and said he liked it, Silas ate about 1/4 of his and left the rest, Michael ate a bite or two and left the rest, and Jason started crying and said he wanted a "regular" grilled cheese sandwich!

I may make these again for Jeri and I but not for the boys. Well, maybe I'll try it on them again in a couple of years but not anytime soon. I really did like it and so did she, in fact, I liked them so much that I ate mine and (minus a little I saved for Archie) I ate what the boys left!

Jessica & Jessica - Chocolate chip cookies

This recipe is a pretty basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. The main differences are 1: It calls for egg whites instead of whole eggs, 2: Trans-fat-free margarine instead of butter, and 3: It calls for 1 can of drained and rinsed chick peas/garbonzo beans! I used white chocolate chips because Silas is allergic to regular chocolate.

Now I was really excited about this recipe, I love garbonzo beans and I love chocolate chip cookies. I wasn't too sure how they'd mix but wanted to give it a try. I let the boys help with the recipe until it came to the garbonzo beans. I didn't want them to know the secret ingredient just yet so I made them leave the room while I added them in.

They turned out very nice and chewy! The garbonzos really helped cut the sweetness a little (which is a good thing to me) and it made them moist and chewy.

The real test of course was the boys, would they like them? Jason loved them, Gideon liked them, Michael loved them, Silas broke his into little pieces and threw it all over the kitchen floor. Hmm, not sure what Silas thought.

After they all declared that the cookies were good I let them know the secret ingredient. Michael had already guessed but he still liked them! Gideon still liked them! Jason said "Oh Momma! Why did you have to put THAT in the cookies???" I asked him if it mattered since he liked the cookies, he said "I don't like them!". I started to take away his half eaten cookie, he protested and I said "I thought you didn't like them?". He said "Well, I just don't like half of them, I like the rest", then he polished off a few more cookies.

Overall, I think it was a great success and I will probably throw in a can of garbonzo beans every time I make chocolate chip cookies from now on.

Jessica & Jessica

I recently purchased the book "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. The past week or so we've been trying out the recipes with "hidden" veggies. The other night Michael asked me if I'd used the same ingredients that "Jessica" used and I said yes, then Archie said "You ought to start a blog 'Jessica & Jessica'". If you've seen the movie "Julie & Julia" you'll get it.

So here goes. I've needed something to get me back into blogging. Every time you see a post titled "Jessica & Jessica" it will be about my experience making one of the recipes from the book.

First up, Garbonzo bean chocolate chip cookies! (see next blog entry).

A typical week

Lets start with Monday....

Monday- Homeschool, chores, catch up on laundry and sometimes grocery shopping in the evening.

Tuesday- Homeschool, and chores

Wednesday- Homeschool, chores, shower everyone, early supper, take the boys to AWANA

Thursday- Homeschool, and chores

Friday- Catch up on laundry, Homeschool, chores

Saturday- Catch up on housework, get house ready for Church, go over Children's Church lesson, catch up on laundry, catch up on dishes, catch up on yard work, bathe everyone

Sunday- Church in the morning, lunch, rest and/or non-intensive chores, plan the menu and grocery list for the next week, sometimes grocery shopping

I usually have a lot of house work on Saturdays because with homeschooling during the week I don't get to devote as much time to chores. Usually Monday and Tuesday the house is in pretty good shape but it deteriorates as the week goes on, by Saturday, I have a lot of work to do!

Sometimes the shopping happens on Saturdays but I rarely have the grocery list ready that early. Sometimes its not even done until Monday!

Busy busy busy. God is good! Only by His strength am I able to do these things! Trust me, when I try to do all this on my own I am a complete failure. His Grace is enough.

By God's grace!

In my last post I noted somethings that I know I'm supposed to do or not do, and as I was reading it today I was very pleased to realize that I have changed some of those things! I could not have done it on my own, it was all Jesus!

I shouldn't eat as much sweet foods as I do. I should make the time to exercise daily.

I now get exercise at least 4 times a week and am a lot more active in general. I have also drastically cut back on sweets, probably more than at any other time in my life! I have lost 20 lbs. since June '09 and 10 0f those have been in the past two months!

I shouldn't spend so much time online. I should schedule my time better.

I have cut back on my internet time, I spend much less time on facebook, and am working on curbing the desire to web surf. I actually have a schedule that I have been sticking to, at least most of the time.

I shouldn't put things off till "later". I should make my list of chores and stick to it.

I still put things off sometimes but there have been a lot of things in the last couple of months that I've finally "gotten around to". I did make lists of chores, I have daily chores, weekly chores, and monthly chores posted on the back of a kitchen cabinet door. I check it every day and try to accomplish the chores posted for each day.

I shouldn't do anything else in the morning before spending time with the Lord. I should go to bed earlier at night and wake up earlier in the morning.

This is an area that I have definitely improved in! I'd say that 5-6 out of 7 days of the week this happens! Praise the Lord! He is really using His Word in my life and I know it is changing me. Sure, I have the occasional day where something (usually someone) in the house demands my attention before I've even opened my eyes in the morning, but most days, His Word is first on my agenda. (I still go to bed too late but I have been getting up earlier).

It makes me so happy to know that I can still grow and mature. To know that God hasn't given up and me and that He's not finished with me. He is so good to me!