Breakfast recipe

Gus has decided he wants us as a family to start eating less processed foods. So the first things we are trying to change are snacks and breakfast. I came across this recipe in a new cook book I got yesterday from a forum I am on called MOMYS. Every recipe in the book is laid out to feed at least 8 people which one day I will need since we are now a family of 5 with plans to expand more. With the exception of the white bread I used, a pretty good breakfast. (I need to start baking bread again) :)

Scrambled French Toast


4 eggs

2 cups of milk

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

12 c of cubed day old bread

3 tbsp butter

1/3-1/2 cup sugar


In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add bread cubes and toss, let stand for 5 minutes. Melt butter in large skillet. Add bread cubes and stir until cooked and browned. Gradually add sugar a bit at a time, stir to coat evenly. Cook until all sugar is dissolved Yields 6-8 servings.

I cut the recipe in half, used 3 eggs and less milk and I used fresh bread since I just decided to try this spur of the moment. I also do not have nutmeg so did not add that either. It turned out just fine. I added sugar just a bit at a time until just sweet, it makes it sweet enough to not need syrup. I would say prep time was about 5 minutes and cook time around 10 to make sure all was cooked well.

We are now 2 weeks into...

our no eating out challenge.  We accomplished another week, with the exception of last night.  Gus wanted to take me on a date, so we did go eat at a resturant.  My mom offered to watch the kids, so we took the chance to get out alone.  That does not happen often, so we decided it would be worth it to break our challenge for that purpose.

I have to say however, that it was harder this week than last to withstand the temptation of eating out.  I swear you must have to detox from the stuff.  It is pretty neat though, because I have been making the things we would usually pick up at home.  Hamburgers last week and pizza is on the menu today.  The only thing I don't really know how to make that we would usually eat is Chianese food.  I guess I need to do a google search for some recipes.  

Making meals stretch

I am always trying to find ways to stretch the meat I buy for our meals.  Meat can be the more expensive part of the meal and if I can find ways to make it into two meals, I am very pleased.  So far I have found left over chicken the easiest to reuse.  One of the things I do is buy a whole cut up chicken and bake it in the oven or in my crock pot.  We usually have a good bit left over, so I will take that out the next night and either cook rice, scrambled eggs, and broccoli then add the left over deboned chicken to it and sort of stir fry it into fried rice.  Or I cook spiral multi-colored noodles, broccoli and add a sundried tomato with pesto sauce to it with the left over chicken and you have pasta.  Both of these are very easy to do and pretty inexpensive.

Recently I tried a new meal.  I bought a whole roasting chicken, cut off all the skin I could, took out all the insides and got it ready to cook in the crockpot.  I made a concoction of one can of cream of mushroom soup and one bag of onion soup mix.  I mixed those two together with around one cup of water.  I just poured over the chicken and cooked it on high for 6 hours.  Well the wings and legs cooked so tender the meat was totally off the bone.  I did not want to waste all that meat in the soupy broth, so I came up with an idea.  After it had cooled completely, I went througth the mixture and took out all the bones and gristle and fat and added any left over meat we had from that night.  The next night all I had to do was make a veggie and some rice and we ate the mixture over rice and it was really good.  So now I have a new way to use my left over chicken.  

If you have any ways you have learned to stretch a meal, please share! :)