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 Happy New Year, everyone! It's hard to believe that another year has
gone by so quickly. Where does all the time go? It sure gives you a dose
of perspective on your life and where it is headed. I'm not normally one
to set New Year's resolutions but the older I get the more important it
seems set goals for where you are headed. This year I have decided to
set some long-term goals for myself. In the past I've learned that goals
need to be something that is very important in your life. I've also
learned that changes in habits can take a while to take hold and you
have to be patient (patience is something I'm always working on!). Here
are some of the areas that I am going to work on this year:
Driving: Over Christmas break we took my twin boys to get
their temporary driving licenses, otherwise known as their learner's
permit. So you can imagine what I will be doing once the snow and ice
disappear! I'll be teaching my two boys to drive and taking them to
driver's education classes. What an exciting time!
 Exercise: It's easy to exercise in the warm months but the winter
is hard for me. Maggie, our family dog, practically begs to be taken on
a walk every night once it warms up. She will go and stare at her leash
hanging up on the peg in the laundry room and cries. It is so pathetic
that you can't help but take her out for a walk. The winter is a
different story. She is almost 14 and likes the snow but her bones do
not appreciate the cold. I certainly understand her feelings! My bones
don't appreciate it either. My goal is to find an enjoyable physical
activity for the winter months.
Mind: Last summer I joined a book club called the Page Turners.
We meet on a monthly basis and talk about a book that we have read. My
goal is to follow through and read the assigned book so that I can
actively participate in the discussions. It's all a matter of
prioritizing my schedule. Here's some of the books I will be reading
this year: Captivating by John & Stacy Eldredge,
Flabbergasted by Ray Blackston, In His Steps by
Charles Sheldon, The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks, and
Deadline by Randy Alcorn.
Last month I mentioned that I was going to focus on comfort foods in
this month's newsletter. I don't know if you've noticed but a lot of
comfort foods are full of carbohydrates and fat. This will not work with
a goal of eating healthier in the New Year. There is one food that I
think qualifies as a comfort food on a cold winter's night. How about a
hot bowl of soup, a hearty salad and some fresh baked bread? When
planning my winter menu I always include a soup and salad night. It's
one of my favorite dinners of the week.
This issue of Chewin' the News brings you two great soup recipes. Read
more about them in the Bonus Recipes Section.
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 Italian Meatball Soup
This soup is one of my family's favorite soups. One of our local grocery stores will occasionally have precooked meatballs for seventy-five cents a pound. You cannot make homemade meat balls for that price! And it makes this recipe even easier to make. The broth is rich and thick and full of vegetables. Give it a try! Click here to view/print this recipe!  Potato and Ham Soup
My mom and Dad have a large vegetable garden and they gave us a whole box of extra potatoes. I created this recipe to use up some of the potatoes so they would not go to waste. I'm also going to try some Twice Baked Potatoes. There are some great ideas on the Cook's Corner and Shelley's recipe from the October 2005 Chewin' the News newsletter. We also love Loaded Baked Potato Soup for lunches. Click here to view/print this recipe!
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Our
winner this month is Kim from Surprise, AZ. Read how 30 Day Gourmet has
helped make her life simpler and gave her more free time with her
family.
Kim
says:
"I have loved freezer cooking for many years,
almost fifteen- which is almost as old as my oldest son. I also have
an 11 year old daughter, an 18 month old daughter, and a 4 month old
son...quite a handful of children at times...I never could get up
enough courage to do a one month session until this past September,
and then I actually did 33 meals! What a sense of accomplishment! And
the recipes were so easy to adjust to my famished family! The food was
delicious, fresh, and best of all- homemade. I shopped and cooked for
three full days, and was exhausted by the end of the third day, but I
have been a happy camper for the past month and a half knowing I have
ready made meals and free evenings with my husband and children. Thank
you for making life simple- I cant wait to get back into the kitchen
before the holidays so that I can be fully prepared for company this
year!"
We
are glad you got up the courage to try a one month cooking session. It
can be a challenge but it is well worth the effort.
So, how do you
make 30 Day Gourmet work for you?
How do you use it to help you deal with a challenge in your life?
How do you use it to help others?
Do you have a funny cooking story to share? Email me at
carol@30daygourmet.com to
be entered in our contest.
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I hope you
enjoy the soup recipes! There is nothing like a
steaming hot bowl of soup on a cold winter's night.
Add a tossed salad and warm, fresh bread and you have
a wonderful, homey meal. That's the best in comfort
food!
Calling all cooks...I'm looking for your favorite
recipes so post them on our message board, the
Cook's Corner. Any recipe
posting will be considered for the Recipe of the Month
contest and a chance to win $25 cash or merchandise
from the 30 Day Gourmet store. Just post it under the
appropriate category on the message boards. Be sure to
include freezing directions! I look forward to hearing
what you have to share.
Email me at
carol@30daygourmet.com
with any questions, ideas, suggestions or problems. I
enjoy hearing from you!
Best wishes to you and your family this New Year!
Carol
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 Happy New Year everyone!
Many apologies for not writing you since October. Life swooped in and took over! Once I cast our Christmas musical it seemed like I was living at school until final exams. The play went really well. It was a WWII era show with radio studio excerpts. Great fun! My holiday was also "complicated" by some elective surgery that I had on December 15th. Male readers can skip to the next paragraph:) Ladies - I had breast reduction surgery. Woo hoo! My insurance paid (20 years of headache history) and my recovery has been good.
So now we're back to school and ready to begin a new semester. Our high school is doing a J-term this year so I have been teaching 2 three hour long classes each day called "Curl Up With a Good Book". It's been wonderful! We've been drinking lots of hot chocolate and eating our fair share of mini marshmallows.
With all of this reading and sipping, I've found that I am not as hungry at lunchtime and I have been craving soup most days. I'm anxious to try the ones that Carol printed last week. Here are a few more to try. Both can be done in the slow cooker. I recommend borrowing an extra slow cooker and doing 4 recipes at once. Eat one on cooking day and freeze the other three.
 Brat Stew This recipe came from an online newsletter that I get from allrecipes.com. My husband loves bratwurst but we tend to only eat them in the summer when the grill isn't covered with snow. This was a great wintertime treat for him. Definitely a keeper! Click here to view/print this recipe! Allrecipes is home to over 400 crock pot recipes. Click here to visit their complete collection.
 French Onion Soup
I love ordering this at restaurants but had never tried making it myself. Wow - it's easy! The hardest part is slicing the onions. Click here to read all kinds of crazy ideas (from wearing swimming goggles to keeping your tongue out the whole time) for dealing with the tears. Serve with a slice of homemade bread or the $1 per loaf French bread from Walmart. Yummy! Click here to view/print this recipe! Most soup recipes freeze great. Check out the ones on our website. There are also soup recipes in our cookbooks:
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30 Day
Gourmet had a great holiday season. The word seems to
be getting out about how great freezer cooking can be.
Don't forget birthdays and "just because" gifts too.
Valentine's Day is coming up! If you'd rather have an
apron than a box of chocolates (I know - that's a
tough one) just tell your hubby about our website.
Here's a quick list of our items:
Freezer Cooking Manual $14.95 (2-9 are $12.95,
10+ are 11.95)
30 Day Gourmet Logo Apron $19.95
Advantage Cooking Software $34.95
Cook's Assistant Notebook $12.95
Kitchen Pro Calculator $34.95
Kitchen Calculator (handheld) $24.95
Freezer Labels $4 for 1 pkg of 50, $3 for 2-3
pkgs., $2.50 for 4+ pkgs.
Holiday Freezer Cooking
$6.95 download OR
$8.95 CD
Freezer Cooking on a Budget
$6.95 download OR
$8.95 CD
Freezer Lunches to Go
$6.95 download OR
$8.95 CD
Freezer Desserts to Die For!
$6.95 download OR
$8.95 CD
Freezer Cooking for Daycare Providers & Busy Parents
$6.95 download OR
$8.95 CD
Healthy Freezer Cooking
$6.95 download OR
$8.95 CD
Vegetarian Freezer Cooking
$6.95 download OR
$8.95 CD
Co-op Cuisine
$6.95 download OR
$8.95 CD
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Thanks! I have ordered this for
my daughter who is a teacher in Indy. She just
discovered 30 day gourmet this summer and loves it!
She made up enough meals to last them until fall break
then cooked again so she should be good till
Christmas! Anne
I have been very impressed with your cookbook. It's so
easy and comprehensive. I purchased a different
freezer cookbook before yours, and it was clear as
mud. I decided to give yours a try after looking at
your website. Yours reinforces the notion that I can
actually make freezer cooking work. Thanks for
providing such good advice and practical knowledge.
Kathleen
I saw you at the Indiana Home
School convention several years ago and bought your
cooking manual. I would try out different recipes in
it to see what ones my family liked and finally about
a year ago I went all the way and freezer cooked 2
months worth of recipes at a time. WOW! We were
hooked. What a wonderful feeling to know supper is
taken care of. I am going to try to add lunches to our
stash this year.
The extra recipes that we get in the newsletters are
also a great hit. I have been dubbed Queen of Desserts
with the Oreo Truffle recipe. :) Robin
from Marion, Indiana
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We have several new
consultants who have joined us recently. Please welcome:
Alice Bender from Accident, Maryland
Sandra Robinson from Pompeys Pillar, Montana
Nancy Clark from Algona, Iowa
Michelle Freer from Wendell, North Carolina
Jacqueline Dotson from Mitchellville, Maryland
Susan Baldwin from Nashville, Tennessee
Karin Barry from Cape Coral, Florida Check out Karin's
website here.
Sheri Devan from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana Check out Sheri's
website here.
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Enjoy the
rest of January! Fill those freezers! You'll be so
glad that you did. I did a mini cooking day for just a
few hours last week when I was putting soups in the
freezer and ended up with 13 meals - wow!
Nanci
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Big Rocks
 So, how are the resolutions coming? Being a
"goal-setting" kind of girl, New Year's Resolutions are right up my
alley. Unfortunately, by the end of January, my resolve is running low.
But the following illustration helps me regain my focus.
"An expert in time management was addressing a
class of business students. To illustrate his point, he pulled out a one
gallon, wide mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table. He then
proceeded to fill it with fist-sized rocks. When no more rocks would fit
into the jar, he asked the class, 'Is the jar full?' The class, somewhat
uncertain, nodded their heads 'Yes.'
From under the table the man pulled out a bucket of
gravel and poured it into the jar. He shook it into the open spaces
between the big rocks and asked once more, 'Is the jar full?'
Hesitantly, one young man responded, 'Probably not.'
Again reaching under the table, the man brought out
a bucket of sand. As he dumped it into the jar, everyone watched the
sand trickle into the empty spaces. Once more he asked the question, 'Is
the jar full?' Noticing the pattern, the class responded together, 'No!'
Grabbing a pitcher of water, the expert poured the
water into the jar until it was filled to the brim. Looking at the class
with a smile on his face, he asked, 'What is the point of my
illustration?' After some thought, one student offered, 'The point is:
No matter how full your schedule is, you can always fit more things into
it, if you really try!' Smiling, the teacher replied, 'No. The point is:
If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at
all.'"
Like the Mason jar, every day will be filled with
things of relative importance: rocks, gravel, sand, and water. So dust
off those resolutions that have been covered up by a month's worth of
activities and distractions. Take a moment to contemplate the list, and
then pick the most important one. See your goal as a big rock in your
"Mason-jar day" and drop it in...before it's too late. Remember: "If you
don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."
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My husband and I put two coupons in the Valentine cards to our
daughters. One is good for "A Date with Mom", and the second can be
redeemed for "A Date with Dad". The dates aren't expensive; with five
daughters, that equates to ten separate outings in the next month! I
usually go to Starbuck's for a long talk over hot chocolate. Last year,
I was buying cards and printing coupons the night before Valentine's
Day. This year, the cards and coupons have been classified as Big Rocks
for next week. If you're planning ahead for Valentine's Day, here's a
couple of recipes to put in the freezer so you're ready for the big
event.
 Frozen Candy Bars These bars have a butterscotch flavor that adds a twist to the
traditional candy bar taste. Make them, freeze them, and serve them
chilled. Yum!
Click here to
view/print/import this recipe!
 Banana Coconut Loaf
I made this bread at Christmas, but it works for
Valentine's as well. The cherries, coconut, and almond flavor are a
unique combination. Delicious!
Click here to
view/print/import this recipe!
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Before You Shop
The Advantage Cooking software is such a great tool!
When it comes to planning a cooking day, I hardly have to think anymore.
It takes only minutes to create a new "Cooking Day" and select the
recipes I want to prepare. With one click of the mouse, the Grocery
Report is printed and I'm on my way to the store. Before grabbing my
keys, there are three things that I always remember to do:
-
Print a Container Report. While the Grocery Report is
a list of the food items needed to cook, the Container Report is a
list of the storage items needed to freeze. Containers can be a
variety of things, such as freezer bags, rigid containers, plastic
wrap, aluminum foil, or cupcake liners. If I come home without enough
of these important items, I either have to improvise, or make another
trip to the store (both of which can be frustrating and time
consuming!)
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Detour through the kitchen. I'm always anxious to get
in the car, but a few minutes spent here saves me money at the
checkout. I do a quick inventory of the cupboards and pantry,
eliminating the items on the Grocery Report (and Container Report)
that are already in the kitchen. No need to come home with double and
have to store it until next time.
-
Consider the staples. I can't count the number of
times I've finished a cooking session, only to discover that we're out
of butter, or milk, or flour, or something! I was just at the store
and I'm not in the mood to go back. I've tried two different methods
to avoid this event, and they both work equally well. First, manually
write in the staples your family can't live without. The second option
is to create a recipe called "Household Staples" and add it to the
Cooking Day. My recipe contains things like butter, milk, flour,
bread, peanut butter, lettuce, bananas, and apples.
By using the software, I find myself conquering the
aisles at the grocery store before it's necessary to look at the recipes
I'm cooking. Adding a few practical steps, in the right order, gives me
an even greater "Advantage!"
Download
a trial version of the software! It's free!
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I received this email last month from another 30 Day
Gourmet cook:
"Hey Shelley! I wanted to tell
you your last News helped me out! I was putting my Thanksgiving
shopping list together, and realized I only had one of my recipes in
the software. I'm not sure how that happened, but I was in a hurry,
and moaned about how long it would take me to put all the recipes in
there. Then I remembered what you said about adding it quick and
pulled up the News to see what you said to do. So, I added my recipe
name and the ingredients and I was good to go in a short time. Once
again, Shelley to the rescue with another great idea!!"
Read the
"Fast and Furious" software tip!
Until we talk again next month, make those Big Rocks a
priority before the opportunity disappears! You'll be glad you did.
Shelley
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