Meals on the fly and projects flying off the needles.

I have been one busy little momma this week. Monday school was out for Martin Luther King Day and then Alabama was hit with a crazy cold, slight now and more ice. School was closed Tuesday and today Wednesday and we just got the call that school will be cancelled Thursday as well.. We have been busy staying warm playing games and I have been crafting. I have been crafting like a crazy person this month. I have finished a shawl, made a crocheted cat, a crocheted bowtruckle, made two crochet bowl cozies, been working on my Voyager shawl and my Camping Fingerless mitts.

The Voyager
Pattern by Rachel Roden
Yarn: I am using MadelineTosh Twist Light in Modern Fair Isle and some Miss Babs Yummy 2ply in various colors.

Camping Mitts
Let's Go Camping Mitts from Must Stash Designs 
Yarn: I am using Must Stash Yarns in the Campfire colorway.

Finished Objects:
Citron
Amineko the Crochet Cat
Baby Bowtruckle 

I also have made two Bowl Cozies. The first one that can be seen here was made per the pattern that can be found here. However I did not like the fit around my soup bowls so naturally I modified them. :) I made two circles and increased to 66 stitches and then slp stitch them together. I then sc 10 and made 2sc in one stitch around, sc around one row and then sc 11 and 2 sc in one stitch around. Then I just sc around up till I ran out of yarn and they fit perfectly. The photo on top is the one from the pattern and the one below is the one I made with the modifications.

The reason I am making Bowl Cozies is because we have ditched almost all the plastic bowls etc from our kitchen. We are going to glass and glasslike bowls and containers for health reasons. The cozies go around your bowl when you put them in the microwave and when you get your heated food out you do not get burned hands. I am using 100% cotton, do not use acrylic for this project because it will melt! They are also great for soup and stew days to keep your food warm longer and your hands an table from getting to hot. I know there are many products made that are BPA free but there are still chemicals that leak into your food when heated and we are just choosing to avoid them. We have gone to almost only water to drink with only one small glass of milos tea a day. I am still drinking my hot herbal teas but they are almost all caffeine and the hubby has cut back his coffee intake. Some other changes we have made are almost no extra sugars and just an even healthier lifestyle in general with mile walks 3 times a week as a family, a cut in the amount of meats we eat. I am even leaning more towards a vegan diet... I said leaning not complete. I am still eating eggs in the morning and occasionally some meat but I have cut my meat consumption by 1/3.  I have been pretty much dairy free for over a year as dairy and my body are not friends. I cook 5-6 nights a week and we eat leftovers on the other. I wanted to share because I know often I am looking for new things to try and I thought you may being doing the same. This week our meal plan includes the following meals.

Chicken Tacos/Chicken Salad
https://nomnompaleo.com/post/143765161843/pressure-cooker-salsa-chicken-tacos
We have this instant pot, it is an 8 quart (I cook for 5 adults and 2 kids).

Mini Meatloafs, homemade mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli
I use a recipe that was something my Granny BB always made. I don't really have exact measurements as I usually do not measure things when I cook and why I am not a very good baker. :)

Granny BB meatloaf
1 bell pepper, 1 onion, 4 stalks of celery, a cupish carrots (chop all the veggies very small so your kids will not see them. 3 lbs of lean hamburger meat (Again this feeds 5 adults and 2 kids), some bread crumbs, a can on tomato sauce regular size can, mustard, brown sugar, white vinegar, one egg and some ketchup.

After you finely chop all the veggies put them in a large bowl, add hamburger meat, some bread crumbs, the egg, and just a little less than 1/4 c of tomato sauce. Mix well (I use my hands) and then make hamburger sized little loaves and place them in a 16x9 baking dish that you spray with pam spray. Now for the sauce: You will use the rest of the tomato sauce, about 2 tbsp of mustard, 2 tbsp of brown sugar, about 2 tbsp of vinegar and then 1/3 c ketchup.  You are going to mix all of that and then spoon onto your little loaves and save some to baste during the cooking process. Cook in the oven on 400 for about 40 mins. During the cooking I open the oven and put sauce on my loaves several times till it's gone.

Cabbage Stew 
www.budgetbytes.com/2017/01/can-eat-cabbage-stew
This will be our first time making this recipe but we have this crock pot that is a 7 quart and that I LOVE! It can handle enough food for all of us. I bought mine last year because my previous one stopped working. :/

Grilled Chicken Salad with Steamed Veggies
We are just grilling some chicken on the grill. For the marinade we will be using some white vinegar and some salt and pepper. The veggies are some mixed frozen veggies I will be steaming in the pot. 

Homemade Veggie Soup
We use this recipe but with some modifications, https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/hearty-vegetable-soup.
The mods are I use Better than Beef , I leave out the marjoram and use chickpeas. I also only buy and use the V8 low sodium juice. The soup is very hearty, fulfilling and easy to make. I just throw all my stuff in the crock pot and cook it on low for 8 hours.

So that is about it for us here. We did have a huge snow back in December. It was amazing and a stunning site. I am in the process of making a video of some of the photos and I will be linking that at some point on the blog this week. If you would like to leave a comment and please do just click the read link that says no comments at the end of this post. I hope you are all staying warm, crafting all the things and until next time Happy Crafting!

~Kim

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