Friday's Freezer Friendly Food- Peaches

"Movin' to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches

I'm movin' to the country I'm gonna eat me a lot of peaches

I'm movin' to the country I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches

Movin' to the country I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches......"

Peaches by Presidents of the USA

This week my Freezer Friendly Food is Peaches. I got 2 half bushels of delicious peaches from my in laws. I froze 14 quarts, canned 5 quarts/2 pints, prepared 5 half pints/1 pint of peach butter, 1 peach/blueberry crisp, ate probably more than we should have & still have 12 fresh to do something with....


Proof of my work :)

Follow these instructions to freeze peaches: Remember there are many different kinds of peaches. If you are going to buy a large quantity be sure to get "free stone" which come away from the pit easily. Also, some types peel easier than others!
1. Fill a large stock pot with water about half way to the top. Bring to a light boil.
2. Drop peaches in for 30-45 seconds. Remove immediately.
3. Rinse in cold water but do not allow to soak.
4. Cut in half & twist to pull two halves apart. Remove skin (which will come off easily b/c of dipping in hot water). Remove pit. Dig out the pink center (grape fruit spoon worked great) this prevents browning.
5. Slice peaches and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet on their "bottoms".
6. Freeze over night or until completely frozen. Transfer to Ziploc bags. (I put into quart size. Gallon would work great too since they are frozen individual. You can use what you need and put the rest back in the freezer!)
-Uses: pies/crisp, cobbler, smoothies/milkshakes, on top of yogurt/cottage cheese, or as baby food.

--Note: Browning may occur after thaw. But taste is not affected.



16 half bushels of peaches




My portion to process all by myself




Arranged on a cookie sheet on their "bottoms"



And the 1st give away Winner is----

Thank you to all who voted on a new name for this blog! Your opinions matter to me! I love all the advice that has been given to me thus far. Diary of a Homemaker won! I am glad and love that name too.(A HUGE thank you to Liz Bradley ;)  Watch for more changes to come here as I roll with the new name!

My next give away will be held when I reach $1,000 worth of savings from using coupons! As I have mentioned before, I am keeping a spread sheet of every penny that I save by using coupons. My guess of when I'll reach $1,000 is mid- November! The prize and details are not finalized for that give away so please stay tuned!

Now to the BIG NEWS:

I used http://www.random.org/ to randomly select the winner. Since I only had 1 gift card to give away #1 wins. Which was RACHEL DILLABAUGH! Congratulations! Rachel is actually my sister that lives in OH! Ironically, I am going to be seeing her this weekend. So I get to deliver the gift card in person :)

Thanks again for voting and playing. It has been a great joy to watch this blog grow over the past several months. Much more to come..........

Grilled Ginger, Mustard Chicken Wins!

Last week ginger/mustard chicken won the recipe poll! I'm just now getting to upload this recipe because we were out of town from Thursday-Tuesday! There is not a recipe poll this coming week because I am doing a "Help me Name this Blog" poll instead. Be sure to check out This post for a chance to win a $10 target gift card!



MaeMae decided she just wanted the corn!


Warning: This is not for the faint of mustard lovers :)
Grilled Ginger Mustard Chicken  (Makes 2 servings)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
2 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. honey +more for drizzling
Dash of: black pepper and cayenne

-In a small bowl mix: mustards, EVOO, herbs and 1 tsp. honey.
-Grill chicken about 8 minutes total, flipping once. Depending on thickness of breast. Brush with mustard mixture the last 4 minutes.
-When cooked through, pull off of the grill and drizzle with honey.

Nutritional Info: 1 chicken breast is 3 WW pts (All the other ingredients are 0 pts except honey. However 1 tsp for 2 servings was to too small to calulate)

Friday's Freezer Friendly Food- Zucchini

I love fresh zucchini out of a summer garden! I was so upset when mine died. But I had a friend and my mother in law give me several from their garden's. I ate several fresh and others I froze! I plan to use it in breads, muffins, soups and a vegetable lasagna! I filled each bag with 2 cups because that is the quantity several of my recipes call for.

1. Start with fresh zucchini, any size. Julianne with a mandolin or food processor.
2. Put julienned zucchini and 1 tsp. salt in a colander in the sink and allow to sit for 30-45 minutes. This allows extra moisture to drain off.
3. Freeze 1 1/2 cups- 2 cups in ziploc bags or containers. (I got 6- 1quart bags)
4. When ready to use, I suggest thawing in a colander again.
I already used some for zucchini oat muffins for my Mom's Life meeting today :)

I used 2 medium and 1 large



About 12 cups of julienned zucchini



Finished muffins :)

Help Me Name this Blog!!!

I am Very excited to be hosting my first give away= A $10 Target gift card (one of my favorite places to shop/coupon!) Changes are coming to this blog-possibly a new name if that is what YOU decide!

What you need to do to be entered to win the 1 and only $10 Target gift card:
1. VOTE! Notice in the right side bar a poll "Help me Name this Blog"~ Please cast your vote 1 time for the name you think best sums up my blog.
2. Leave a comment on this post that you voted! (You must leave me a comment because I have no way of tracking the names of people who vote)
(If you are not a current follower- Please sign up to "follow" this blog, vote and then leave a comment. Be sure to leave an email for me to contact you; especially if I do not know you personally)
3. Wait 1 week (September 1st) for the winner to be picked randomly & announced here!
--Poll will be open until 7:00 AM on September 1st

$15 of Free items!

It has been a long time since I've posted about some of the free things I've scored.
This week equals:
Pudding cups= $1
Jif To go= $2.29
Snickers= $1
CVS brand body wash= $4.54
Shampoo= $2.55
Band aides= $3.59
All this Free PLUS another $31 saved this week with coupons!!! My savings this week was $46.

Happy Couponing!

Friday's Freezer Friendly Food- Pancakes

I almost always make a special breakfast on Saturday mornings. I love making extra pancakes to freeze for Mae to eat through out the week!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
2 eggs
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 c. skim milk
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
3 over ripe bananas, mashed

-Combine all ingredients and stir just until combined.
-Cook in a small amount of oil.
-Eat right away OR place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in freezer for about 2 hours or until frozen completely. Then transfer to a ziploc bag.
-Reheat for 45 seconds in microwave.
(3 WW points each)


(Sorry not a very good picture-I had to snap it quickly so I could feed Mae)



Bye Bye Paci!

Last week while I was staying at my Mom's for a week I decided to break off the marriage of MaeMae & paci!
Some of you will say "What? Already? She's only 16 months!" Others are saying "What? She still was using one at 16 months?!?!"
Ahhh, the pacifier war is a huge debate among mothers.  I don't really have much of an opinion except I loved the job it did :) Just before 9 months paci was forbiden to come out of her crib. I knew I wanted to start limiting it and she didn't even notice it gone. Around 12 months I thought I'd take it away but I didn't even try, I just couldn't! I was reliant on how fast it put her to sleep. I would give paci to her and immediately her eyes would become heavy and she fell asleep. I wasn't ready to give up several nights of sleep for both of us!
A couple months ago I noticed she'd fall asleep with out in the car and at grandma's. I knew she didn't really need it anymore. This realization kind of made me sad~ one more milestone that proves she isn't a baby anymore :( I knew while out of town would be a good time to wean her of paci. I was certain I would get little or no sleep. I prepared myself for the worst, but I tell you my lil girl is the BEST BABY IN THE WORLD! Every single night she went to bed about 2 hours later than normal, totally wore out from playing with cousins, and didn't cry at all! I'd put her to bed and she was asleep before I could leave the room. She didn't even miss her best friend. She did just fine! Weaning paci, like everything else with this child has been a so easy. I'm so lucky! Love you, MaeMae!


A few pictures of remembrance:

My week in Indiana

I spent a week in IN helping my mom and mother-in-law preserve the yields from their gardens. I feel like I accomplished a lot and learned even more~

Saturday= Arrived in town and got right to work--- Froze 39 quart size bags of sweet corn at Stoners.
Sunday= Froze 18 (estimate) quart bags of sweet corn for my mom. And another 42 quart bags at the Stoners. 3 bags of frozen carrots. (All the work done by Jackie but I got to reap the benefits) And we dug up potatoes in the Stoner garden.
Monday= Canned 14 pints of beets with my mother
Tuesday= Canned 14 quarts of potatoes with Jackie
Wednesday= We took the day off and went to Shipshewana! It was so fun! The only pictures I have of the week are from Wednesday, check them out on FB! I loved the bulk store, E & S. I got so many spices and cooking staples at a considerably lower price!  I was in heaven!
Thursday= Froze 25 lbs. blueberries and made 3 cups of pesto that I froze. I also dried basil in my dehydrator but it did not add up to much--Maybe 1/3 cup?
Friday= Packed up and headed back to Peoria.
Disclaimer: I did not bring all this back to Peoria w me!!! Ken about died b/c he thought I brought back 81 bags of corn! Ha, no---this is just what we accomplished!
I think I could have stayed another week and still been kept busy! I really need to go back when my two favorite woman are canning tomatoes, salsa, applesauce and apple butter. We'll have to see what Ken has to say about me going back.......
I also managed to get in some fun time= I saw several of my aunts, had lunch at my grandma's, spent the day with my best friend, multiple lunches at Culvers with only 2 of my many SIL, shopped some with Mom and attended a visitation for a friend who lost her father in law tragically. It was heart breaking--but oh so good to see her! Continuing to Pray, Lizzy!
And would you believe now at home my work continues? Yesterday, I made a huge batch of homemade Frappuccino that is able to be frozen for later use {Thanks Aunt Sharon- check out her BLOG HERE!). Today, I am making homemade bread crumbs. And tomorrow I plan on making homemade yogurt!!! At this rate I won't have to go to the store until February :)

Do you can, freeze or preserve? Leave me your useful tips!

Lemonade for a CURE!

UPDATE: The girls actually held the Lemonade stand for a few hours the following day and made another $31! So the grand total for selling lemonade and cookies was $95.09!!! We also had 4 family members match the girls' earnings up to $50! The girls were able to give $295!!! Isn't that amazing? Thanks so much to all who helped a great cause!

We met up w Audrey at the Porter Co. fair to give her the money :)

On Wednesday my 3 favorite girls held a  PINK lemonade stand to raise money for a cure for breast cancer. They sold PINK lemonade for a whooping .25 cents and inside out cookies for .50 cents a piece. For days they've been working on their signs, baking cookies and planning everything down to the last detail. I posted on facebook for quick prayers. I was worried only a few people would come. God answered your prayers-

They raised an astonishing $64.09 two family members are matching their earns up to $50 so in total $164.09 was raised with 100 % going towards a cure! I was so proud of how friendly, well manured and aggressive (with their sales skills only) they were. It was HOT, high 90's with a heat index of over 100! Every so often one would run in the sprinkler or go cool off in the AC for 5 minutes. They endured the heat from 11- 5:30! I thought they'd be out there for like 2 hours. Ha, not these girls- they were on a mission to help find a cure. It was a fun day with a great lesson.

Inside for lunch-Mae got into the Inside Out cookies!

Mae & B bored with selling lemonade

Mae ran the calculator....Maybe that's how we raised $64!!! :)

".25 cent?!?! NO! You give me more MONEY!!"

Sweet N Sour Pork Chops Wins!

Here's a great meal from the crock pot. It was nice to use my c.p. on Monday---It was like 98 degrees out! PHEWWWW

Sweet N Sour Pork chops- Makes 6 servings
6 pork chops (I used thin ones bc they were on sale)
S & P
1 can pineapple in its own juice, undrained
1/3 c. vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
3 Tbsp corn starch
1 tsp. parsley
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can water chestnuts
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
2 c. cooked brown rice

1. Place pork chops in the bottom of crock pot and season with salt and pepper.
2. In a small mixing bowl combine: pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, corn starch and parsley. Pour over porck chops.
3. Add bell pepper. Cook on high for 6 hours.
4. The last 30 minutes add water chestnuts and pineapple.
5. Serve over brown rice!

Nutritional Information: 7 WW pts per serving! (Recipe makes 6 servings)
cal: 296
fat: 7
carbs: 34
protein: 21

fiber: 2.5

Fruit Pizza, Julified

Perfect summer treat~I changed up the traditional fruit pizza. Instead of a sugar cookie crust I used whole wheat flour and a butter substitute.  It only requires the oven on for 10 minutes at 350!  Swap whatever fruit is in season or on sale! I usually use blueberries but they were $2.95 for a pint yesterday! Ouch! Hopefully in a few weeks I'll have lots of blueberries from my MIL:)

Fruit Pizza
1/2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 c. AP flour
1/4 c. Confectioners Sugar
1/2 c. Butter (I use Best Life butter substitute)
8 oz Cream Cheese Light, at room temperature
1/4 c. Sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
zest from 1 lemon
1 c. Strawberries, chopped
1 Mango, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 can (11oz) Mandarin Oranges
1/4 c. pecans or almonds
1/4 c. coconut

1. In a large bowl combine flours and confectioner's sugar. Cut in butter.
2. Press into a ungreased pie plate.
3. Bake at 350 for 10-12minutes. Allow to cool
4. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl- beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla until creamy.
5. Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust.
6. Top w fruit of your choice, nuts and coconut
(Makes 12 servings. 4 WW points per serving)

My Mailbox Monday

Here is samples from 2 weeks worth of mail! I love signing up for samples not only for the Free trial sample but also b/c they almost always come w/ coupons! Today, I got a coupon for FREE peanut butter on the go! I'm so excited to go get that from Target :)

Happy Couponing!

P.S. Fruit Pizza, Julified won this past week! Recipe coming tomorrow-It was just way to hot to turn my oven on today!

"My covenant with you"

Thursday when we arrived in Valpo it was raining a little bit. When it cleared up the sky was adorned with a double rainbow. The pictures don't capture the 2nd rainbow but it was definitely there! I was reminded of this scripture, good thing too, otherwise, I might have been worried Friday morning during the 4 inches of rain we got in just a few short hours ;)

Genesis 9:11-13 "I now establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the water of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come. I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth"

Catching Up

I haven't posted in over a week!!! Last week, I was busy w my two nephews who came to stay a week w me. I had no time to blog--I was busy at the zoo, waterpark, baseball game, running through the sprinkler and making Oreo milkshakes :) It was a blast having them around, they are such well mannered young guys. So content and easy going. It was great spending one on one time w them. I couldn't brag 'em up enough to their parents. I'd have them back Any Day!

(At the zoo, checking out the lions. Can you see him on the rock?)

Because they are so well mannered I did manage to still coupon some what and  do a little bit of shopping while having them here. This is what I got FREEEE in 2 weeks:
1 Vitamin Water= $1.00
Bread= $1.49
Strawberries= $1.79
Yogurt= $1
Plates= $3.39
2 liter of Pop= $1.89
2 Lipton Iced teas= $2.78
Candy= $5
============================ $18.34 Not as high as normal but good considering....

Sweet N Sour crock pot chicken won the poll--what was that 2 weeks ago? I have no pictures and hardly remember how I made it. Oooops! I'm back in the game--So be sure to VOTE this week!