Nancy on the Home Front

2015 Pantry Challenge

What did you do this weekend? One of the things I got done was to organize our freezers. Winter is past and the growing season is upon us. Won’t be too many more weeks until we’re busy harvesting and freezing and canning that harvest! Every spring I take inventory of what’s in the freezer and try to use up as much as I can to make room for this seasons harvest.

I have a tendency to pack a lot into our freezer and for some reason I’m not so good at using up what’s in there. I’m constantly trying to be better at using those frozen strawberries and blueberries, which I keep thinking I need to save for some special occasion. Now that there are only two of us in the house we just don’t eat as much as we used to when all four children were at home.

My challenge is to make use of what’s in the freezer for meal planning and limit what I buy at the store. I already seem to be doing this as lately my husband and I have been eating healthy and the only thing I buy at the store are fresh fruits and vegetables. However, I am going to take inventory and use up those frozen vegetables and fruits and plan meals around the meat we have on hand in the freezer.

Strawberries for the freezer — Strawberries to be used up!

Step one – empty the freezer and take inventory.

Step two – using the list of what’s in the freezer plan a week’s worth of meals.
Monday: Chicken and Vegetables with Pasta (these are actually leftovers from the fridge!)
Tuesday: Sesame Sweet Chicken (I’ll be sharing the recipe soon.)
Wednesday: Vietnames Pork Rolls (Using up leftover ground pork in the freezer)
Thursday: Salmon (company for dinner!)
Friday: Turkey-Zucchini Quinoa Meatloaf (using ground turkey from the freezer)
Saturday: Homemade pizza on the grill! (using frozen tomato sauce)
Sunday: Leftovers from the week. I just love having leftovers Sunday night.

End Result – A clean organized freezer with hopefully more room. We not only have garden produce that I will be adding to the freezer but we will be purchasing our farm raised meat birds for the freezer as well. This is our basement refrigerator with a full freezer. What’s in it? Lot’s of frozen beans from last year, homemade chicken broth and frozen corn from last year. Time to eat it up!

Anyone with me on this challenge? Do you routinely eat from your freezer or do you have a tendency to let things sit? Let’s make it our goal to have clean organized freezers this spring and help our food budgets at the same time!

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Basil Pesto Spinach Lasagna

I love homemade lasagna and have shared several recipes for various lasagnas in the past. One of my favorite recipes is Basil Pesto Spinach Lasagna. If you use your own homemade pesto, mozzarella and ricotta you have a real winner! This recipe was adapted from one I found on Epicurious.com. I decided to make two small 8×8 lasagnas so I could freeze one for later.

Basil Pesto Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients for a white sauce:

2 Tbsp butter
¼ cup flour
2 ½ cups dry white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for one minute. Add milk and wine and whisk until smooth. Cook until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Whisk in Parmesan cheese and salt.

Ingredients for the filling:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup chopped onions
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2-10 oz packages of frozen spinach, drained well

Directions:

Heat the oil in a separate pan. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach stir until well mixed. Mix in 1 ½ cups of the white sauce.

Ingredients for the lasagna:

Lasagna noodles
28 oz of fresh ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese
Basil pesto

Directions:

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2 inch-baking dish (or use two 8×8 pans).

Mix ricotta and Parmesan together. Mix in egg.

Spread ½ cup white sauce thinly over the bottom of the dish. Spread half of the spinach mixture over and sprinkle with1/3 of the mozzarella. Top with noodles and half of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle half of the pesto mixture evenly over the ricotta. Continue layering with noodles, remaining spinach mixture, 1/3 cup mozzarella, noodles, remaining ricotta mixture and then remaining pesto. Top with the last noodles. Spread remaining white sauce over the top, sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover the dish with a piece of buttered foil.

Bake lasagna until heated through and bubbling at the edges, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and remove the foil.

Remove foil. Broil lasagna until top is browned in spots, turning dish occasionally for even browning, about 4 minutes. Let stand a few minutes to set up.

Serve and enjoy.

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When You Buy Plants, Spend Smart!

Today you can buy plants anywhere, in supermarkets, big-box stores and roadside stands. They often cost less in supermarkets than they do in nurseries, and it’s tempting to toss a box of petunias into the cart along with your groceries. Sometimes they’ll work out fine, but it’s a gamble. Plants at these stores may not have been watered regularly and may or may not be hardy in your region. Nevertheless, it’s sometimes worth giving them a try if the price is right and they’re a variety that you know. Wherever you shop, here are some things to look out for before you buy.

Yellowed leaves. A number of things can cause yellowing, all of them bad. IN general, a bright green or dark green leaf color is a sign of health, but even here you can never be quite sure. Look at the seed leaves, the little pair of leaves closest to the soil, which were the first to emerge. If these are a healthy green the plant had a good start and has been cared for since.

Wilted leaves. A good watering might perk up the plants. Might. But you don’t know if they’ve been neglected so often that they’re permanently weakened.

Tall, spindly plants. Whether you’re buying annuals, perennials, or shrubs, you generally want compact, bushy plants with many stems. Taller is usually not better and often indicates that the plant suffered from lack of light during growth, was not pinched or pruned enough or has been growing in a pot too long.

Plants in bloom. Many nurseries display these most prominently; because blooming plants lure the most buyers. But you want to let the plants do their growing in your garden, not in nursery pots!

Signs of bugs or disease. Look for insect bodies stickiness, oddly distorted leaves, blackened area, mushy or rotten places, spots, blotches, holes or jagged bites taken out of the leaves. The plants have been weakened by the problem, and if you bring an infected plant home, the insect or disease may spread to other plants in your garden.

Weeds in the pots. Weeds rob a plant of water and food and show neglect by the nursery.

Roots crawling out of the pot’s bottom. These pot bound plants are often starved and may contain girdling roots that have wound their way around the pot and can strangle the main root years later. They may well respond to good care, but loosen the root systems before you plant them.

Bottom line, it’s always a good idea to buy your plants from a knowledgeable nursery. They will help you select plants that will work for your location. and you can have confidence that your garden will do well this season.

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When To Call A Pro?

Are you handy around the house? How do you know when it’s time to call a pro? Professionals like plumbers and electricians often have a minimum charge. Before calling a professional, think about how long it would take you to fix the problem. Handymen have minimums, as well. If you are planning to call a handyman, have a list of things for them to do.

It also depends on your skills. Ask yourself a few questions: Do you know what you’re doing? Do you have what you need? If you don’t have the right tools or materials, can you access them? Not only that, do you have enough time? Know that with even a simple repair, if you run out of time and energy, you’ll need to leave the project in a safe and useable state when you set it aside.

Everyone one should be able to unclog a drain or a toilet, or even fix a running toilet. Fixing loose hinges, correcting a drawer that is misaligned, or patching a small hole in the wall are things you can easily do at home. Likewise, patching a hole in the wall where a nail has been removed or where a doorknob has punctured a wall is doable. And there’s a lot of stuff already in your house that can be used for quick fixes.

There are also repairs you should never do yourself such as anything that involves a gas line! Unless you are a trained electrician avoid the main electricity panel, although something like installing a dimmer light switch is easy and quick. Same goes for building a door into a wall or taking down a wall. People usually don’t know where the load-bearing walls are. If you’re not clear, don’t even think about it.

When you do decide to call a pro it is always a good idea to get several quotes. Find someone who knows what they are doing. Also, hire a person you feel comfortable with. They’re going to be in your house, and if they get on your nerves, you’re going to end up being very unhappy. Ask around for advice on who to hire, perhaps your friends or neighbors have a suggestion.

If you are tackling the project yourself make a detailed list and take the appropriate measurements before you head to the hardware store!

To stay on top of repairs keep a close eye on what’s happening in your home. At least once a year set aside a day to walk around every single part of your house. Take notes and these notes will turn into your to-do list for the season! When you notice problems take a closer look and decide whether this is a job you can tackle yourself or whether you should call a professional!

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In Memory Of My Mom

If you’ve been following my blog for the last couple of years you may remember I lost my mom in January 2014. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t think of her. I’m thankful for the wonderful memories I have and as yesterday was Mother’s Day I thought I would write a post in thanks for my mom.

My mother was the oldest of four. As the oldest she shouldered a lot of responsibility especially after her mother was injured in a sailing accident.

Tragedy didn’t end there. She lost both a brother and sister when they were quite young. A drunk driver killed her sister when she was in high school. Seven years later her brother was killed in a automobile accident. My grandmother spent the last years of her life in much pain and finally passed away when she was in her early 60s.

However my mother was the most optimistic person I ever knew. She had a strong sense of family and instilled in us all a love of nature and appreciating the beauty of the world around us. She was a true inspiration and a friend to many. She believed that volunteers formed the fabric of a community and helped to set up a volunteer bureau in my hometown of Guilford, CT.

Her proudest accomplishments included the work she did to preserve land in Connecticut. She organized the formation and incorporation of Guilford Recycling, twelve years before recycling became mandated by the state. Funds earned from the sale of the communities’ donated glass and aluminum were then donated to the Guilford Land Conservation Trust (GLCT) for open space acquisition.

From 1984-96 she worked for The Nature Conservancy as Director of the Land Protection and as Director of the Land Trust Service Bureau. My mother was responsible for securing protected status for over 7,000 acres in CT.

I grew up recycling and composting and learning to live on less and leave less waste. I spent many hours walking the woods with my mom learning about trees and birds and taking care of the land around us. To this day we keep a bird book near our kitchen window so we can identify any bird that comes to our feeder. Something my mother was always doing!

Before she passed away she came to visit and immediately she was in her gardening clothes to help me in my large vegetable garden. She so enjoyed sitting on the steps of our chicken coop with Blondie, our friendly Buff Orphington.

I have shared several of her recipes on my blog including her famous granola.

She was 82 years old when she passed away but a very young 82. She was active until the day she went into the hospital working to organize gardens in the retirement community she had moved in to.

As I said I miss her every day, but I will strive to carry on all that she taught me. In the fall we visited my daughter who lives outside of Seattle, WA. While there I realized that my daughter carries on many of my mother’s traits. It was almost like having my mother there with us. It was wonderful to know that not only did my mother impart many lessons to me but she also instilled much wisdom into her grandchildren. For that I am so grateful. Her life lives on.

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Five Spice Pork Stir Fry

Looking for a delicious healthy dinner? This Five Spice Pork Stir Fry is a good one. Not only does it come together quickly but it is even delicious the next day for lunch!

Five Spice Pork Stir Fry

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp cornstarch
¾ pound of pork tenderloin, cut into strips
¾ tsp five spice powder
¼ tsp salt
3 tsp olive oil
¼ pound sugar snap peas ( I used one 10z box of frozen snap peas)
1 red pepper cut into 1” pieces
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
¾ pound fresh baby spinach
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

Combine the soy sauce, honey and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.

Sprinkle the pork with ½ tsp of the five spice powder and the salt. Heat a large skillet and add 1 tsp of the oil. Stir fry the pork until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the peas, pepper, ginger, garlic, jalapeno and remaining ¼ tsp of the five-spice powder. Stir-fry until the vegetables are crisp tender. About 2 minutes. Add the pork and the soy sauce mixture and stir fry until the sauce is slightly thickened. Add the spinach and continue to cook until the spinach begins to wilt.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve hot.

Excellent served with brown rice. any leftovers are delicious for lunch the next day!Linked to some of my favorite link parties!

Is It Spring Yet?

I don’t know what the weather is like where you live but this week has felt more like summer than spring!

We went from cool temperatures to the high 70s and even low 80s! I do love this time of year, no bugs yet! We were able to sit outside and enjoy our first dinner on the deck!

Our chickens also enjoy this time of year as I let them free range. They like to keep a close eye on the raised beds just in case something is coming up! As soon as the garden is planted the chickens will be fenced in once again. You’ll notice the garlic is coming along nicely.

I haven’t gotten anything planted in the garden yet. I know, I’m late with planting peas but I’ve only been home for two weeks! It’s such a busy time of year. I did make a stop at the garden center for some pansies!

There are signs of life outside despite the crazy temperatures! The daffodils are finally blooming, don’t you just love the miniature daffodils?The rhubarb will be ready to pick in no time!

We still have wood clean up that needs to take place from the logging operation. Look how close they came to my garden! the loggers will be back soon to do their cleanup! We had put stakes up to mark the edge of the garden and they did quite well in respecting the boundaries! There is also gravel to be raked out of the perennial garden. I really think there may be more gravel in the garden than in the driveway!

Inside my seedlings are growing like crazy and have just about outgrown their grow table, won’t be long before they get moved outside.

It is such a joy to see the signs of spring everywhere. I hope you take time to enjoy this special time of year!Linked to WildcraftingWednesday

Linked to some of my favorite link parties!

Welcome!

Welcome to Nancy On The Home Front!

You have found your way to my brand new, redesigned blog! I am so excited to be flying on my own! I have all sorts of ideas for the blog and look forward to us all going on this wonderful journey together!

How do your like the design? Nancy On The Home Front is now mobile friendly so you can stay up to date on your phone, tablet or laptop! My wonderful husband, who just happens to be a fantastic graphic designer helped me with the design, and my daughter who is equally talented also helped with the logo! Nothing like having a family willing to pitch in help me out!

Being an organized type of person I work better when I give myself some sort of schedule. As a result I will be sharing healthy living tips and or frugal tips on Mondays, Tuesdays will be my free for all day, Wednesdays will be devoted to gardening, Thursday is the famous HomeAcre Hop and on Fridays I will always share a wonderful recipe! I am committed to eating healthy, so the majority of my recipes will be for healthy eating. However, I am a foodie at heart, and I do love to experiment with new recipes, so every once in a while I will share recipes that are delicious, but may not be the best for you! Life is too short to cut out all the goodies!

You may also remember my blog post on becoming a Beachbody Coach? Yes, this mother of four, grandmother of two is now a beachbody coach. I became involved in the program in February and just loved the focus – eating healthy and exercise! I had some weight that I had gained over the last few years and I decided it was time to do something about it. I was tired of not being comfortable in my own skin! Since then I have been exercising everyday and eating healthy and I am seeing results. My favorite aspect is the online support groups. When your have your own coach you are in a private Facebook group where you are with other people just like you, striving to get in shape and eat right. Since this is such a major part of my life right now I will also be sharing about my journey. If I can help you on your journey to eat right and get in shape please let me know! I will be starting my own challenge group in just a few weeks. Remember it is never to late!

Three essentials, water, your meal plan and Shakeology!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and thank you for being a part of Nancy On The Home Front! If there is anything you would like to see me talk about please share your ideas! See you tomorrow!

Tips for Transplanting

Home from my week away and the vegetable seeds that were planted a month ago have been doing very well. Before they get any bigger it is time to transplant them into larger pots. I like to transplant the seedlings after they’ve grown two or more true leaves (the cotyledons don’t count). This can be anywhere from two to six weeks after germination.

Before I start I make sure I have everything ready; my new pots and some potting soil. I put a piece of paper towel or newspaper in the bottom of my pots to keep the dirt from coming out the bottom. By the time I transplant again (either into bigger pots or into the garden) this paper will have dissolved.

Freeing a seedling from its neighbors in a pot can be daunting if you haven’t done it before. One precaution is to always grasp a plant by a leaf not the stem. The plant can survive loss or injury to a leaf but if you break the stem it is fatal! I use a spoon and start at the edge of the pot and carefully lift the seedling. I try to choose the strongest seedlings rather than transplant every single one. I am often tempted to transplant them all as they look strong and healthy, but then I end up with way too many plants for my garden. Choose the sturdiest, most uniform plants and regretfully discard the others.

Use caution when separating your seedlings.

This year come of my seeds were planted individual, this makes transplanting much easier!

Set the seedling deeper than it was in the germination pot, placing the cotyledons just above the soil surface. Some plants, like tomatoes, will form roots along the section of the stem that is buried when you transplant deeper. Once every seedling has been transplanted make sure they are all labeled and given a drink of water. Then place them back under the grow lights.

Tomatoes look happier in their larger pots!

This is the time of year that my kitchen really gets crowded as I usually run out of room under my two grown lights. We have wonderful south facing windows so I will alternate my seedlings so they all spend a little time in front of the widows. It won’t be long before I can move everyone outside into the garden!

Linked to some of my favorite link parties!

also linked to WildcraftingWednesday

The Energy Efficient Home

Utility bills are a boring and expensive fact of life. Depending on where you live, you may be paying for electricity, hot water, gas, phone, Internet or any combination of these! These things add up quickly and more often than not, the more you’re paying for your utilities, the more energy you’re wasting. Without resorting to frontier living, there are a few simple changes you can make to reduce bills and waste.

Altering daily household habits can help reduce energy usage. You could also save money by considering the following measures.

Energy Audit. If you are interested in taking a serious look at specific ideas for your home, many utility companies offer low cost or even free home energy audits to study and define where you could be wasting energy in your house. Contact your local utility provider to find out what services are available.

Professional advice. Professional serviceman may know ways to implement energy efficiency. Seek their advice, especially when buying a new furnace, central air conditioner or appliances. Frequently, energy-efficient systems cost more initially but will save you in the long run. Buy smart!

Read the labels. Read energy efficiency labels carefully. On an energy rated via dollars, a low number means an appliance will cost less to operate. On a label rated via efficiency, a high number means a machine will cost less to operate.

Think ahead. By planning ahead when you design, furnish, and quip your house, you can do a great deal to cut down on energy costs. Do your research regarding insulation and building materials and consider solar panels. When we built our house we situated the house so it was south facing. By placing large windows on the south-facing wall we are able to take advantage of passive solar heating.

Regular maintenance. Routine maintenance on heating and cooling systems and appliances will keep your energy bills down. This includes replacing filters in energy systems on a regular basis.

We may not be able to get rid of our utility bills altogether, but there are many ways to help reduce them.

Linked to some of my favorite link parties!