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Welcome to the first edition of Porch Chatter, which is basically a time when I pretend we are sitting on the porch here at Wren Acres with a glass of sweet tea and sharing what we’ve been up to lately. Fun ideas, new products, easy tips, and what we’ve been working on lately. So, join me for a little chatter on the porch.
What I’ve been reading:
With more time on my hands, I’m able to read more than usual. Right now I’m reading an older book from my bookshelf by Andy Stanley. The Grace of God is a good reminder of God’s grace starting at creation and working its way through the Bible. Good stuff. Note: The newer copies have a blue cover.
What we’re snacking on:
Hubs and I are trying to be smart about our snacks since we are at home all of the time now. I found this recipe for Oatmeal/peanut butter energy bites and we love them. Hubs calls them Protein Poppers. Yummy and not too bad for you. Notes: I just use all old fashioned oats for the recipe instead of two kinds of oats. I also used half chia seeds and half flax seed instead of only flax seed.
Kitchen tip:
Because we are limiting grocery shopping right now, I am planning our meals to use up every scrap of food and carefully storing food so it lasts longer. One tip I’ve been using for storing bulk greens is to place a folded paper towel or thin cloth towel in the container to absorb moisture. I also turn the container upside down so gravity pulls the moisture towards the towel. When I need to get to the greens, I flip the container right-side-up, remove the towel, and grab the greens I need. Our greens last so much longer this way. I also use this tip with greens from my garden. I load up a large plastic bag and place a towel inside, along one flat side. I close the bag and place it, cloth side down on the fridge shelf.
So, now it is your turn. What’s going on at your home? Any good porch chatter to share?
Just trying to be more creative than ever with using leftovers. We are purchasing dinners from our church 1 or 2 days a week and there is always too much food. Tonight we are having hamburgers using 1/2 our pieces of hamburger steak from one meal and leftover cucumber,tomato,red onion salad with salad dressing left from another meal. We will add our individual choices of cheese, mustard and nice Pepperidge Farms buns we had delivered with our Instacart order to complete the burgers and then toast them to melt the cheese. Kosher pickles and chips will complete the meal.
If you have fresh spinach from the garden, a salad is always wonderful, but here is a recipe I just downloaded from an American lady who lives in Greece:
Soula’s Spinach Pudding from Corfu
1 onion, chopped
2 pounds (1 kg), spinach, washed and chopped (frozen is fine, thawed first)
olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup (50 g) kefalotyri or any hard cheese, grated plus more for the top
1/3 cup (75 g) rice—soaked in lukewarm water for 10-15 minutes
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
Saute the onion and chopped spinach in olive oil until well wilted. Off the heat, stir in the beaten eggs, cheese, rice, and milk. Mix well and pour into a greased Pyrex or baking pan, top with some more grated cheese, and bake in a moderate oven (375ºF/190ººC) for about 40 minutes. Serves 3-4.
Note: I would like feta in place of the hard cheese!
Good stuff! I have never, ever kept an inventory of what is in my fridges and freezers and it’s been really helpful! Outside fridge is in one list, inside is on another and I use tally marks to show how many meals’ worth next to the item. That way, when it’s an item I usually replace, I don’t rewrite, I just add a tally next to where I scribbled out. It’s about time for me to redo it because it’s getting messy looking, but we are 2 months into this so I’m ok with that.
That book….. it was recommended to me once already and I’m seeing it again so I really need to get it. I feel that God keeps bringing things up when He is trying to give us a message and we don’t really listen the first time. 😁 However, I’m always reluctant to buy any books because it’s not easy to find quiet time with two very busy boys so I feel guilty buying a good book for me when my focus is always on them.
Making meals has been a hit or miss as we’re determined to finish leftovers which has been a challenge with a picky eater and one that nearly refuses to eat any vegetables but we’re managing… it usually results in eat it out suit yourself and go without. While eating isn’t always pleasant because of the hissy fits, we’ve enjoyed watching our green onions thrive! We bought a bunch and instead of using the whole thing, we left a good 2-3” at the bottom, then put in a glass with water leaving about a half inch above the water line. They have fully regrown and it’s amazing how fast it happens! Fun experiment with kids!
Other than staying home, we try to get outside! Whether it’s running amuck in our backyard or letting the boys play with the neighbor in the court, we try to keep them physically active. It’s so easy to just settle indoors on cloudy/rainy days so when the weather is right, we have fun in the sun. When it’s not, turning the music on and shaking out our wiggles is a good energy burner. Other than that, we are still adjusting and embracing all of the challenges of staying home or being with my boys all of the time, all day, every day.