February Home Store Challenge: February 2nd

After a rough night last night, things were off to a rocky start this morning.  But here's what we ate from our home store today!

Breakfast was Raisin Bran with milk.  Only my bowl is pictured, but my little miss had the same.  I used THRIVE Milk in mine; she had regular.

 She requested a banana for morning snack.  We don't have "fresh" bananas.  But we have THRIVE Bananas!  And she loves them too!  THRIVE saves snack time!

 Lunch was chicken nuggets for both of us (two different types, since I'm not partial to the dino shapes ;)...) and pea crisps.  She had chocolate milk, while I had water.

 This was dessert for after dinner and after Family Night.  Easy-fix treat with the cake mix.  I know I'm not going to be going shopping for butter and eggs anytime soon, and I know THRIVE Butter Powder and THRIVE Whole Egg Powder work great in baking!  So I decided to use them in today's baking and save the fresh for if I want scrambled eggs or poached egg or something later in the month! 

 All of these ingredients were used in our dinner.

 Dinner was Chicken Bunwiches (a staple in our family...), raw carrots and broccoli, kiwi.  Milk for my big girl and water for me and the hubby.

My baby boy is sick.  He caught whatever nasty respiratory bug that's been going around.  So he mostly ate formula today, as he wasn't feeling particularly hungry.  Finally, at dinner time, he was more interested in food.  So he ate what he had last night:  squash (we roasted, pureed, and froze a huge winter squash in ice cube trays several months ago and are still working on that squash) with mashed potatoes and peas.

February Challenge: February 1st

It's definitely been a while since I've posted here!  Life has been super busy with two little ones, and I have been mostly keeping up with my facebook page THRIVEing With Hila. 

However, I have decided to do a little challenge in the month of February. 

A little background:  My husband and I keep a budget for all of our expenditures.  One of our categories is groceries.  In our family, this consists of food we buy to bring home and prepare.  So it doesn't include eating out (that usually comes out of our discretionary funds or our date night budget ;)).  Well, our grocery budget started 2016 in the red.  No bueno.  This is mostly because we purchased 1/4 of a whole steer toward the end of last year, and that was quite a chunk of money.  However, the idea is to have created a buffer so that we wouldn't go in the hole!  Now I'm trying to fix that and get out of the hole...

Which is why I decided to do this challenge.  There is another reason (possibly), but I'll talk about that later.  For now, the budget one is reason enough. 

So what's the challenge?  Well, I'm going the whole month of February without going to the grocery store.  Our family believes in being prepared for whatever life might throw our way.  As such, we have worked hard to have a lot of food in our home for whatever emergency might arise.  Well, what's the best way to find out if we're really on the right track?  Well, testing it!  So that's what February is going to do for me!  My husband got paid this past weekend and will get paid again in 2 weeks.  I did not go grocery shopping this past weekend, and I won't go again until after February 29.  That means I am going to be using only my home store to come up with 3 meals a day for my family!

This won't all be THRIVE Life products, of course.  We have a lot of other foods in our home store.  And I think that is how it should be.  But a lot of my ingredients will come from my THRIVE Life stuff, so I think this is a great place to document and share :). 

A couple "disclaimers" (for lack of a better term):  1.  I will still buy milk for my daughter.  My husband and I drink nonfat powdered milk on a regular basis, and we're fine with it.  But I will buy her regular milk, just because I love her ;).  That's less than $5 for 2 gallons here.  2.  Formula for the baby is not included in this experiment (though I do have a stock-pile of it).  We purchase baby formula out of a different budget, because it is quite costly and would demolish our grocery budget.  3.  My husband makes his own breakfast and lunch on work days.  But it's always the same, and it always comes from our home store:  peanut butter and jam sandwiches on his home-made bread.  So even though there will not be pictures of that included with this, you can rest assured we didn't spend any extra money on his meals for work ;).  4.  My THRIVE Life Q will still come.  I like to earn my commission from THRIVE Life, so I keep my Q active.  Plus, my commission pays for my Q, so I'm not technically using our grocery budget.  Also, though I will be receiving some new THRIVE Life items, I am committing that I will not use those items in the month of February for the purposes of this challenge :).

So I am excited to see how this is going to go!  I think it will be a good exercise for me -- and it will help me get my grocery budget back where it should be!  So, without further ado, here are pictures from our first day of eating from our home store!

Breakfast:  (for me and the 2 year old) Buttermilk pancakes with some THRIVE 9 Grain Cracked Cereal thrown in.  (for the baby): applesauce with multi-grain cereal (and formula)

Lunch:  Macaroni and cheese.

Dinner:  Roast with carrots and mashed potatoes  (the baby had squash with mashed potatoes and peas -- only he has come down with an upper respiratory bug, and he didn't eat much of it.  Poor little guy has had a rough day.)

THRIVE Instant Black Beans

Over the last couple of months, I have been using the THRIVE Instant Beans more and more!  And I have raved about how much I love them to my husband as well as a few friends.  Which made me think maybe I should do a little product high-light! 

Because, seriously, these beans are so awesome.

When I first heard about the instant beans, I was really skeptical.  I only bought some (they were the Pinto beans), because they were the Q-Pon item, and I wanted to cook with the Q-Pon.  Plus, I'd also had a friend ask me what they were like, and I didn't know.  So the best way to find out was to use them!  And now I plan to pretty much change from keeping regular dry beans to having the THRIVE Instant Beans.  And here's why:

1.  They are just like canned beans in how quickly and easily they can be used.  You scoop them out of the can and throw them into the soup or whatever is cooking, and they are ready-to-eat in 15 to 20 minutes. 
2.  I don't have to soak them, rinse them, or simmer them for 4 hours before using (this is obviously linked to #1).
3.  They are just as convenient as canned beans with non of the sodium!  Check out the label here.
4.  They do not taste different (this was my main concern before I tried them) and don't have a different texture or anything like that.  You'd never know they were instant beans.
5.  As with pretty much all the other THRIVE Life products, they have an amazing shelf-life!  Sealed, they will last for 25 years.  Once opened, it's recommended they be used within 1 year.  

The truth is, now that I know the awesomeness of these beans, I look at my huge bucket of 25 pounds of regular black beans and give a big sigh.  Because in order to use them, I'm going to have to go through the rinsing and soaking and boiling process.  I'm not saying I'm not grateful to have them.  I just wish I'd have realized how wonderful THRIVE Instant Beans were back when I bought them.  Because I would surely have opted for the instant!

The one difference I noted was the amount of Calcium and Iron in the dry versus the instant.  In both cases, the dry beans have more.  I do not know if they will lose that nutritional value in the cooking process, though, since they pretty much have to be cooked to be consumed.

This is what the Instant Black Beans look like inside the can, before being rehydrated. 

I have used these beans in soups and even used them for Black Bean Burgers!  I just think they are amazing :).  And even better?  The Instant Black Beans are on sale this month!  If you're interested in learning more or placing an order to have these in your home store, you can contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website:  www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla.

Happy THRIVEing!

Q-Pon Cooking: September 2015: Sweet Corn -- Chicken Taco Soup

To wrap up September's Q-Pon Cooking with the popular and delicious THRIVE Sweet Corn, I made some Chicken Taco Soup!  Fall is really starting to be in the air around here and the leaves are turning the beautiful reds, oranges, and browns.  So why not make some soup!?!  I actually developed this recipe on my own, based on a crock pot recipe I used to always make.  The problem with that crock pot recipe is that it used almost all canned ingredients, and my husband always told me that it was too salty.  So after he ate this one and I asked him his opinion, he said it was a lot less salty than usual!  I told him it was because I used all my THRIVE ingredients and made up the recipe myself :)!  I was kind of excited about that!  Truth is, THRIVE has helped me become more adventurous in the kitchen, and I love it!

So here's my chicken taco soup (which I threw in the crock pot at about noon, and it was ready at 1!)  The beauty of this is that you don't even have to use the crock pot!  I simply did, because both kids were down for a nap, so that meant I could get everything in the crock pot and heating and didn't have to worry about it when the kids were both awake!  But it can easily be thrown into a saucepan on the stove and brought to a boil, then reduced to simmer for 20 minutes and it'd be done!

CHICKEN TACO SOUP
1/2 cup THRIVE Instant Pinto Beans
1/4 cup THRIVE Sliced Onion
3/4 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn
1/2 cup THRIVE Instant Black Beans
2 tablespoons THRIVE Green Chilis
3/4 cup THRIVE Chopped Chicken
3 teaspoons THRIVE Chicken Boullion
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1 10-ounce can Rotel
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
5 cups water

Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on low 4 to 5 hours.  Serve with your favorite toppings and tortilla chips! 

*Alternately, you can add all ingredients to a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes.

This was awesome, and I will make it again!  It can even be a jar meal!

There are only a couple days left to get the THRIVE Sweet Corn at Q-Pon price!  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com if you're interested in learning more!!

Happy THRIVEing!

Q-Pon Cooking: September 2015: Sweet Corn -- Southwestern Egg Rolls

I had Southwestern Egg Rolls on our 2-week menu list for about a month (we just didn't get to it last pay period), so today, I decided I needed to use those egg roll wrappers!  As I looked over the recipe today, I realized I could completely THRIVEalize this meal!!!  And so I did :).  The original recipe can be found here.  The recipe below is my THRIVEalized version!

1 1/2 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn
1 cup THRIVE Spinach
3/4 cup THRIVE Instant Black Beans
1/4 cup THRIVE Green Chilis
3 tablespoons THRIVE Green Onions
1 cup THRIVE Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese*
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 package egg roll wrappers
2 1/2 cups water, divided

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water and black beans to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

While the beans are cooking, put all remaining THRIVE ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.  Add 1 cup water and mix.  Allow to sit while beans finish cooking.  When beans are finished, drain the water and add to bowl along with cheddar cheese and seasonings.  Mix again until well combined.

Place an egg roll wrapper on a flat surface, with one corner pointing towards you.  Place about 1/4 cup mixture in the middle of the wrapper.

Fold corner closest to you over the mixture and roll a little bit.  Then fold in side corner and continue rolling.  Dip your finger in water and moisten the last corner and press to seal as you roll the rest of the way.

Continue with remaining wrappers.  (I ended up with about 17 egg rolls, but you could get more or less depending on how much filling you add.)  Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, turning once during cooking.

And here's what they look like when done baking!

Serve warm with salsa!

Delicious!  We ate these for a meatless dinner, but they can also be a heavy appetizer!

Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com if you'd like to have these ingredients on hand!

THRIVE Helps Our FHE

With my husband working swing shift for a couple of weeks, we decided to hold our family home evening (FHE) in the day-time before he goes to work.  Sometimes, like today, that makes things a little rushed.  Today, our FHE got squeezed in between my dentist appointment, followed by lunch and a Primary Presidency meeting. 

And so, once again, THRIVE saved the day!  We are focusing our FHE lessons on THE FAMILY: A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD.  Today, we talked about how we look like Heavenly Father and how we came to earth to receive a physical body.  Our lessons are generally quite short (my kids are 2 and 3 months), and I try to do something to help make what we talk about meaningful.  Unfortunately, I'm not the greatest idea person, so I turn to Pinterest!  And a lady shared how her kids used play-doh to make bodies for this lesson.  Well, at first I thought play-doh would be fun...  But then I thought about sugar cookie dough!  Because then we could eat our body-cookies ;)!

So these were the finished product!  Okay, so we look like giant Michelin men...  But that's our family in cookie form ;).  THRIVE made this so easy on a hectic day, because all I had to do was cream the butter, add the cookie mix, and some water -- and then I opted for powdered egg, because we were going to be handling the dough (and possibly eating it...).  It was so awesome!  And my 2 year old really loved making the dough people with her daddy while I fed the baby.

I feel like this was a successful and fun lesson!  I'm grateful for idea people (since I'm not one!) and grateful for THRIVE products that help me execute quickly!

Happy THRIVEing!

Q-Pon Cooking: September 2015: Sweet Corn -- Easy Spanish Rice

I wanted to make some Chubby Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos for my family's dinner the pay period, and pondered a recipe I could serve with those.  I generally try to stay within a similar "theme" for dinners, so if I make something that sounds sort of Mexican...  Well, I work on having something else Hispanic.  I'm maybe a bit crazy ;).

So I remembered a recipe on the #10 can of THRIVE Mixed Bell Peppers for Easy Spanish Rice that sounded -- well -- easy!  And then it turned out that this recipe called for THRIVE Sweet Corn, the Q-Pon item for September!  So that was a bonus!

The recipe is super easy, and I was able to throw it all together while having 5 kids ages 8 and under in my house (one of them 2 1/2 months old and 2 of them 2 year olds!).  I call that a winner if I can be successful with a dish under those circumstances :).

I used the recipe to start, but added many more THRIVE ingredients than the original recipe called for, ergo I had to play with the water a little bit and didn't keep an accurate measurement.  But I'd say I added around 3 cups of water total.

EASY SPANISH RICE
1/4 cup THRIVE Mixed Bell Peppers
2 tablespoons THRIVE Chopped Onions
1 teaspoon THRIVE Chicken Bouillon
3 cups water
1 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn (Q-Pon item this month -- contact me!)
1/2 cup Salsa
1 1/2 cup THRIVE Instant White Rice

Add all ingredients except rice to medium saucepan and cook 10 minutes, finally bringing to a boil.  Add rice and cover.  Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.  *Optional, add shredded cheddar cheese and stir.  (I didn't do this initially, but when I had leftovers, I added some cheese and thought it was wonderful with the cheese!)

This was super easy to throw together, as I said.  A great side dish!  The THRIVE Sweet Corn will be the Q-Pon item for all of September.  If you have a Q, simply add the corn to your next Q shipment!  If not, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com and I'll help you get the great price on this very popular -- and delicious -- THRIVE Life product!

Happy THRIVEing!