Turkey Chili

All right, here is Day 2 of my canning weekend! We love this Turkey Chili recipe so I thought I'd try canning some! Here is the recipe:

1 lb. ground turkey
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
28 oz. diced tomatoes
12 oz. tomato sauce
15 oz. kidney or pinto beans
2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper

Brown turkey in olive oil. Spoon off fat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer.

We have done this in the past and just eaten it right away....I let it simmer for about 30 minutes or so and it's delish. We like a few more beans in ours, so I always use one can of red and one can of white beans. To can it, I made a change and used some canned turkey from Thanksgiving. I have used canned turkey in this recipe before and loved it, HOWEVER, I wonder if it wasn't the best for canning it. Some of my canned turkey was darker meat which is a bit greasier than white meat, or ground turkey. I'm not sure if that contributed, but for some reason, three of my jars didn't seal....I've NEVER had jars not seal like that so I wonder if the added grease was to blame. Anyway, I quadrupled this recipe and got 7 quarts, plus I have enough left over to probably do another 3-4. After the issue with jars not sealing, I think I will probably just freeze the rest.

I'm canning my beans right now, and hoping to can some vegetable beef soup tomorrow!

Southwest Chicken Chili

This is a yummy recipe I've done before, but last time I sectioned it out into freezer bags and popped the extra in the freezer. When I was ready to thaw some, I just popped the frozen chili in the crock pot, put it on Low and walked away....it worked beautifully! Since we are so low on freezer space right now, I decided to try canning it this time around. Here is the recipe:

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 oz. can diced green chiles
2 cans white kidney beans
1/2 tsp cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic-crushed
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Chop onion and garlic. Heat oil and saute garlic and onions. Add cubed chicken and brown.

Whether you'll be freezing some extra or canning it, I just sauteed my onions and garlic in a big stock pot. Once you have added your chicken, add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir well. I let it simmer nicely for about 30 minutes while I was getting the canner and jars ready. If you'll be freezing it, skip the simmering since you probably don't want to put hot chili in a freezer bag. Add the cheese to the bag on top of the chili and seal it up once all the air is out. If you'll be canning it, once your canner is ready, fill heated jars with chili leaving 1 inch headspace. Place your lid and ring on and place in the canner. I pressure cooked these quarts for 90 minutes at 12-13 pounds pressure (since we are at higher altitude). For my canned chili, I will just add the cheese to it as I'm preparing to serve it.

A couple of other changes I made....I used chicken I had canned in January, so rather than cubed chicken mine is more shredded. It works great though! I was also able to use the liquid from my canned chicken for the broth rather than purchased chicken broth. I am a HUGE fan of cilantro, so I actually chop an entire bunch of cilantro for each recipe. Totally to each person's taste though! I quadrupled the above recipe, and my yield was 7 quarts of chili, with just enough left over for me to eat for dinner tomorrow. Yum, yum.....this will be perfect when the winter chill sets in!

Yay for Summer!

It seems like it has taken a REALLY long time, but I think summer is finally here! This year has been so much fun already. The kids spend the majority of every day outside riding bikes, scooters, little cars, etc. They love to take walks and bike rides together....love to go visiting the neighbors (especially if those neighbors have a play set in the backyard!). Despite the lack of sun over the last month, all three have managed to get a nice base tan going...they all look so cute! Today we finished a fabulous day outside with a treat....sno cones from the sno cone truck! It was the perfect end to the day-relaxing in the shade with a cool treat. Love these summer days!!!

Historic....

What an incredible night....I was upstairs clipping coupons when Emma came upstairs to tell me that Osama bin Laden had been killed. Amazing that my daughter, who was born two weeks to the day after 9/11 delivered that news to me. I remember so clearly how it felt to be two weeks away from delivering my first child...watching the horror of the Trade Center attacks unfold on TV. Wondering if we were crazy to bring an innocent child into a world that could be so violent. Now, nine and a half years later, a small piece of justice was served.

It is after one in the morning on the east coast, but there are people out in the streets in DC and New York....singing, waving the flag, and celebrating. It is crazy! It's so nice to see people unified again though, the way we were united after the attacks on 9/11. Hopefully the feeling of unity will last!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! We had an amazing day....it was just about perfect! We had an incredible speaker in Church, Nathan did awesome on his first-ever talk in Primary, the kiddos looked positively breath-taking in their new clothes, everyone got naps, and we finished it off with a delicious meal and a fun pinata at Nana & Papa's. The only way we could have improved on the day would be to have ALL of our family together, but hopefully we can make that happen soon.

Seriously......does it get any cuter?

The kiddos "helped" us make a pinata for family night last week, and we decided to take it over to Easter dinner for the cousins to share. It definitely wasn't pretty, and it certainly didn't last long, but the kids had so much fun! Matthew only gave it a one-hand effort.....
Nathan got right in the action and did some good damage!
After Nathan, Garret and Dallin put the beating on, so Emma just got to finish that poor pinata off once it was on the ground. Then the mad scramble began!

We decided not to do Easter baskets today, and tried to focus on the reason for Easter and really help the kids understand the importance of it. The kids are excited to search for Easter baskets tomorrow morning (Emma is out of school for Spring Break) and we'll finish by decorating eggs for family night. Fabulous Easter weekend!

New Glasses

Our cute little Emma just got new glasses, and I just had to show them off! Her previous frames kept getting loose, and falling off her face. I was taking them in every month to be adjusted and I just got tired of it. These frames are thicker, and hopefully will be more sturdy. She's still trying to get used to the thicker frames....she says she feels like a racoon or a burgler! : ) Cute as ever though....that's for sure!

More stitches....

Always expect the unexpected....feels like the story of my life lately! Today was just like any other Friday...get Emma off to school, get the boys settled in with their breakfast, and then I got to work finishing up the weekly box-up of signs. I bring everything out into the living room and just do my thing. I had just finished taping up a box, and set my tape dispenser down like I always do. Nathan and Matthew came running through the living room, and the next thing I know, Nathan is crying hysterically. I quickly realized that he must have stepped on something as he ran through, so I sat him down to take a quick look at his feet. I took one look, and ran him into the bathroom right away because the blood was flowing. Dang it.....I figured out he must have sliced his toe on the dispenser blade somehow. I tried washing it off in the sink but took a different approach when I realized how badly it was bleeding. I just wrapped it, and held it....and then I called Darrin. Long story short, we ended up heading in and were fortunate enough to have Bishop Harper stitch up Nathan's cute little toe. Just two...so we got out pretty easy....this time. How many times have I had my tape sitting on the floor? Every single week for the past two and a half years! How many times will I leave it out in the future? Not a one.

Taylor Swift!

We're going to the Taylor Swift concert! We had this idea months ago that Emma and I could go to the concert in lieu of our annual "Girl's Trip" to SLC, and if she was willing to give up a birthday party. Uh, yeah...she went for that. The concert is in SLC, and happens to be 3 days after her 10th birthday...perfect! I wasn't sure how much tickets were going to be, so I told her not to get her hopes up. But, on the day they went on sale, I made the purchase and picked her up from school to surprise her!


I'm excited so take her to her first concert....it's going to bee so much fun!

High Winds.....

Okay, okay....it's not THAT bad...but almost. : ) Today was one of those windy Idaho days that I wonder why we live here! Seriously....it's ridiculous. The kind of day where you step out of church and your kids have papers ripped right out of their hand, never to be seen again....when you open the car door, you better hang onto it or it will blow right into the car next to you.....the kind of day where you are very smart to wear shorts or leggings under your dress, cuz there's no way it's staying down! Break out the extra hold hairspray, make sure your garbage cans are weighted, and hold tight to kiddos hands when you go out or they might just blow away. You can literally feel the wind push you as you try to walk.....insane. Sigh....spring in Idaho!

My boys...

My boys are growing up way too fast.....

I was at a YW retreat this weekend, and almost cried when Darrin sent me this picture of the boys. These peaceful moments with them are few and far between, but it gives me a glimmer of hope. I really hope they become the best of friends once they stop fighting over the same truck....or ball.....or chair at the table. : )

While Mommy naps....

So, while Nathan and I finished up our nap today in my bed, Emma was wonderful enough to take care of Matthew when he woke up from his nap. She got him out of his bed so he wouldn't cry and disturb Nathan and me in the next room. So thoughtful of her!! I love that girl. BUT, when I came out, I found little fragments of my packing peanuts all over the carpet. Turns out, they had been playing in my large box of packing peanuts because they were "bored." My fault for leaving them out in the living room after packing up my signs yesterday...I know. What a good excuse to vacuum, right?

Em took this cute picture with my cell phone and couldn't stop laughing when she was trying to tell me about it. They had peanuts sticking to them, and Matthew couldn't get this one off his face! : )

And yes, he IS still in his pajamas AFTER his nap today. And NO, I don't want any judgement for that!

I lied....

I know I promised that the next post wouldn't be about couponing, but I lied. I hit Albertson's again this morning, since they have week long double coupons, and I was able to get my hands on a bunch of doublers. Here's what I got this morning:

5 Four Packs of Activia yogurt
4 Reclosable Lindsay olives
2 Nestle Tollhouse refrigerated cookie dough
4 Rhodes Warm n Serve rolls
8 packages Bar-S Hot dogs
3 bags frozen Tyson Anytizers
18 cans Campbell's Chunky Soup
4 Stouffer's Frozen Meals
3 Dove Shampoo
4 Dove Conditioner
1 six-pack Dove bar soap
1 box Excedrin (with bonus Excedrin PM attached)
2 Johnson's Oatmeal baby wash
1 Johnson's Oatmeal baby lotion

My total today was about $36 for $245 worth of groceries and personal care items. When you add that to my Albertson's trip from last week, I have brought home just over $400 in groceries and personal care items, and have only spent $62 for all of it. That is an 85% savings overall. For my $62, I brought home 104 items, which means I averaged .60 per item! Plus, I earned gas rewards that will save me $5 on my next fill-up, so technically, I could take that amount off my total as well. Love, love, love it! Okay...the next post really WILL be about something other than couponing! : )

Dorky coupon pic!

Since this blog acts as a journal as well as a blog, readers have to put up with dorky coupon pics like the one below! I just had a friend ask me why I'm so into couponing. Well....here's why. This is my Albertson's trip for last week.
I purchased the following:

3 bags frozen Tyson Anytizers
10 cans Campbell's Chunky Soup
5 cans Old El Paso Refried Beans
2 bottles Kikkoman Soy Sauce
2 tubes Colgate kid's toothpaste
6 boxes Betty Crocker fruit snacks
8 boxes (3-pack) Pop Secret Popcorn (my nightly indulgence!)
3 Dove shampoo
1 Dove deodorant
1 head of lettuce
3 boxes Special K Cereal

Retail on all of this is about $158. I spent $26. That's about an 85% savings. It's as if I paid 59 cents per item on that list. The bags of Frozen Anytizers are $9.99 each in themselves. I know a common assumption is that you can only get items you don't really use or need for really cheap, or almost free. Not the case! Are there incredible coupon deals on things we never use out there? Of course there are. It doesn't mean I'm stuck buying those things. As you can see from the photo, I can get screaming deals on everyday products that most families can use. Do we always eat Special K Cereal? No. BUT, if I can get it for less than .50 a box, WILL we eat it? Sure....we're just not that picky! Couponing satisfies my need for retail therapy and stocks up my food storage with things my family WILL use for a fraction of the cost. THAT is why I do it.

These are pics of my food storage. In the 8 months out of the last 13 or 14 that I've had the time to coupon, I have built this up. I started with nothing. Now I have a year (or more) supply of laundry soap, dish soap, dryer sheets, feminine products, Kleenex, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, household cleaners, razors, shave gel, body wash, bar soap, band-aids, medicines of all kinds, vitamins, and more I'm sure. With the food I have built up in storage, as well as the two chest freezers we have, I could feed my family for months....easily. That's a great feeling! And I was able to do it without spending more than I would have if I was just living week to week. You know how it is...you head to Wal-Mart to get a few things for the week, and rarely walk out having spent less than $100! You can see from the photo above the kind of damage I can do with 1/4 of that amount now. All right....I promise the next blog post will be about something OTHER than couponing! : )

Back in the (couponing) saddle

I wish I had some fun pictures for this post, but I don't. While I'm still beyond excited about coupon shopping, it's A LOT of work to neatly arrange items that I've purchased in order to get a fun photo. And THEN, I still have to put it all away. Oye....there's just no time. BUT, after taking a break from coupon shopping over the busy holiday season, I'm thrilled to be back in the saddle! I don't know how I ever shopped without it! I admit, I'm a total dork, but this is how I get my thrill. I love watching how, in just one short month, I'm already running out of room in storage again. I love that I can spend a fraction at the store, get four times as much for my money, and that 90% (or more) of what I buy can go straight downstairs into the storage room. It makes me feel good to have all that stuff in there. Warning: it's a boring list from here on out, so stop reading if you wish! : )

Last night, I went to Albertsons, Smiths and Walgreens. Between the three stores, here is what I purchased:

2 boxes Raisin Bran
8 cans Hormel Chili
3 can Hormel White Chicken Chili
12 cans Ro-Tel
15 cans Hunt's diced tomatoes
2 packs Extra gum
8 Philadelphia Cream Cheese
2 gallons of milk
6 Skippy peanut butter
6 jars of Ragu
14 boxes (3-pack) Pop Secret popcorn
10 Snickers candy bars
8 packs of Skittles
2 Minute Maid orange juice
4 Diet Pepsi 12-packs
6 packs of Stayfree Maxis
2 Pedia Care children's cold relief
12 boxes of Kleenex
1 package of paper plates

Whew....there you go. If I had paid retail for all of these items, I would have spent close to $300. I spent $84 for everything, and saved almost five dollars on gas as well. That's a 70% savings, and I'll take that any day!

As I hand over my stack of coupons at Smiths, the cocky young (male) checker says, "Someone has a lot of time on their hands." Yep....he nailed it. I'm a stay at home mom of three kids who also runs a business from home. Uh huh...just sitting around......looking for ways to fill my time! That's what we do as moms...right? As I watched the total at Smiths go from $114 all the way down to $34, I said, "That was worth every second I spent on it." In the one hour (tops) that I spent gathering coupons for that sale, I basically made $80. Not a bad hourly wage!

I'm hooked again, and it's fun to have an outlet that is doing so much good for the family as well!

Ice Fishing!

Today was a beautiful day, so Darrin decided to take Emma & Nathan ice fishing! What a production to get two kids bundled up and out the door. They had a great time with Dallin and Garrett, and I had a great time on my own with Matthew!

Happy Birthday Naters!

We can't believe it, but our Nathan is......

yep.....FOUR! It was so fun to have Grandma and Grandpa here this year, and since Grandpa's birthday is on December 28th, we had a joint celebration!

He tasted his frosting, but that's all we got out of him....darn it! : )
When anyone asked me what to get Nathan, I thought of one thing immediately....glasses! He has an obsession with glasses lately. We learned that we can buy them right off the display rack at the Wal-Mart vision center....that way the frames are clear. Look at how his face lit up when he opened this pair up!

He also got a fun Toy Story guitar, and a Smart Cycle! We had a great time, and love our little guy so much! It seems like he has grown WAY too fast over the last year......