Have a “Yes” Day!

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Kerri

Other moms say "Yes" to their kids more than I do.

Or maybe I say "No" to my kids more than other moms.

Or at least sometimes I feel that way.

Today I saw one mom driving her mini-van of car-seat kids and the three year old had his new Spiderman umbrella fully open as they drove. He was safely inside his car...on a sunny day...with no sign of rain.

Today I saw a little girl at the park in clearly her favorite snow boots...it's 65 degrees and no sign of snow. And they didn't match her outfit.

Today I saw two brothers riding their bikes around their block a half-hour past bedtime in their pajamas. And they were laughing and happy. And I looked at my two little boys riding around the block and I realized, a half hour later is a half hour more of bonding.

A favorite pair of snowboots is another chance to be proud of her independent choice.

And perhaps the "7-years of bad luck" is truly a myth with an open umbrella indoors, which is a nice trade for 10 minutes feeling like a superhero.

When I stop and think, most the things I say "no" to really don't matter. In the long run, I mean. And since they don't matter to me, so I say No. But I forget that it matters to them. I've even heard myself arguing with my child that "It doesn't matter, just wear the brown shoes, will ya?" When in fact, it really does matter...to them. And if it doesn't really matter, then why not just say "Yes", and see the sparkle in their eyes and the excitement in their voice as they say, "Thank you, Mommy!"

Have a day where you committ to saying "Yes" to as many things as you can. Loosen up, for one day, and see how it makes you feel. You may find yourself fighting less and smiling more. There is power in positive words like, "Sure!" "Sounds great!" and "I'd be happy to!" The power mostly lies in how it makes you feel when saying them.

Cheri posted about the change-first principle, perhaps this is one way you can improve your relationship with your young kids this week. Have a yes-day and watch as you smile together more.

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Posted in Activities, All Writers, Challenges, Children, Difficult Child, Family, Finding a Balance, Fun, Kerri, The Moms | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Healthy Eating Dinner Group

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Sunny

I love going out to eat with my husband. I love leaving the kids behind for a couple of hours and not planning anything for dinner and having a peaceful meal and no dishes to do afterwards (at least not until I get back home).

But the more interested I became in eating healthfully, the more disappointed I was with the choices on the menu. White grains, saturated fats, melted cheese, mmm, and you know they aren’t going to sacrifice any flavor for nutrition. I was already paying more than I wanted to for the food, at least it should be something I didn’t have to regret eating. Sure, a splurge here and there is nice, but if I splurged every Friday night, my splurge passes were used up way too fast and not necessarily on what I would have wanted. (By the way, If anyone has healthy restaurant suggestions, particularly if they aren’t expensive, I’d love them.)

So, I started a healthy dinner group. I talked to friends I thought might be interested and sent out an email invitation to a bunch of women in my social network. We ended up with 12 couples! (Maybe it was just 8 couples the first year, then we grew to 12 the second year.) Several of the husbands were hesitant, but after joining us once, they’ve all found it wasn’t as scary as they thought it might be. We decided to divide up into 3 different dinners with 4 couples at each. The host would be in charge of the dinner and have an assistant assigned. The other two couples could just show up and enjoy.

We set up a schedule to meet one Friday each month, excluding November and December, and over the summer just meeting once for a healthy picnic and softball game with the whole family invited.

Here is an outline of the “bylaws”

Host’s responsibilities:
1) Let your guests know if there are any changes in the date or time of your dinner.
2) Plan your dinner and entertainment/activity afterwards.
3) Delegate something to your assistant. Let them help you where you need it.
4) Contact everyone attending your dinner (if they didn’t already RSVP).
5) Make it happen.

Assistant’s responsibilities:
1) Help your host. Come early, if that is the plan.
2) Prepare part of the dinner.

Attendees’ responsibilities:
1) RSVP (if you have specific eating requirements, discuss with host)
2) Show up and eat. If your husband needs special consideration, you give it to him so he doesn’t beg you to quit the group. You are welcome to consult your host and bring along another dish.

Goals of the group:
1) Learn to prepare more healthy meals. Just what is “healthy” is up to the discretion of the host, but should recognize that we all need to enjoy more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains and less animal products (if you serve meat, it should be optional), sugars, and saturated fats.
2) Enjoy a date night with great company, a meal that is better for your body and your wallet, and more fun than if you went to a restaurant.

I’ve enjoyed seeing what the other hosts make and the new things I learn. We have couples that are grandparents, others just out of school, as well as those in between, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know each of them. I still enjoy eating out at a restaurant occasionally, but we’ve benefited physically, financially, and socially from participating in our healthy eating dinner group.

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Tools for the Emergent Reader

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Janae

So many times over the years I have been asked how my kids have started reading so soon. Each of my kids learned to read when they were 3 or 4. Not startling at all for some, but an overwhelming achievement for many. But, here at home, it was no biggie. Thanks to some great tips early on from my sister-in-law and my mom, we were given the right tools at the right time. And, so I pass them on to you.

First, is my absolutely most favorite tool for learning to read. It's the LeapFrog DVD series, specifically LeapFrog: Letter Factory and LeapFrog: Talking Words Factory Both are exceptional. The Letter Factory teaches the letters and all of their sounds. The Talking Words Factory adds on that by putting the letters together to make words. I promise, your little one will be spelling words in no time. Starting around age 2, we let our kids watch these fun, entertaining videos. Within no time, they've got their letters down. Once mastered, we move on to the Talking Words video and within months, they know how to read three-letter words. If you've mastered that, there's the Code Word Caper, which adds in sh, th, ch sounds and the silent E at the end of a word.

I've recommended these videos to several people who had children struggling to read in kindergarten and first grade. Within no time, they were reading after watching these videos!! It's a must-have for the aspiring reader. Plus, you can get each video for about $5 on Amazon. You'll see there's a new version, but don't let that stop you. I've only used the old ones and they're amazing.

The DVDs, however, can only take you so far. Before long, you'll want your little one reading books. So far, the best books I've found are the Bob Books . They are simple books that use a variety of three and four letter words to get your little one practicing his/her reading skills. I hear that a teacher made them because she couldn't find a good enough resource for her class. Lucky her, many agreed that hers was the best and so they got published.

Best of all, the pictures are black and white so your little one can color them as they read them. This page is from the first series, but the books get more and more advanced as you move through them. They are the perfect books for your LeapFrog graduate.

And, finally, in today's day and age, it seems like technology is nearly as important as reading. So, why not mix the two? Jayden and I found the perfect website where he can practice all of his reading skills. It's www.starfall.com. Jayden is using the "Learn to Read" section of the website right now and it is perfect for practicing his spelling and reading. There are online books to read with animated graphics as well as games to test his skills. There's an easier level for practicing letters and harder levels for more advanced readers, too!

When you're done with starfall, I'd move on to the Lord of the Rings Series 🙂 Best of luck helping your little one learn to read!

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Learning History in our Home

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Heidi

Looking back on your school years, particularly in Social Studies classes, were you taught the history of the world? I mean, from beginning to present? If your studies were like mine, you were taught in chunks, jumping from the Rennaisance to American Colonization to Egyptian culture. I saw the pieces, but not the whole picture.

For this reason, I wanted to teach my children the history of the world at home.

I was recommended this book, A Child's History of the World, by V.M. Hillyer.

We are now half way through it, which means about half way through the history of the world!! My kids, ages 6 and 7 look forward to history time, and amazingly, even though during the school year we have limited time to read and learn, they remember many of the important parts.

When we go to the city, my daughters point out, "Look, Mom! Those are doric columns!" Because of our studies, my oldest daughter has developed a passionate curiousity about Egypt. It has also given me lots of opportunity to teach morals to my children, by looking at true stories of people in history, such as Alexander the Great, Constantine, Nebudchadnezzar, and others.

And I myself am finally able to string together those bits of history taught in school. I have a better understand of the names of persons I hear so much about, but have had a vague understanding of who they really were, or their impact on the world.

With that being said, I do want to point out the positive and negative aspects of this book.

Pros: This book is written like a story, and each chapter covers only one section of history at a time. The chapters themselves are only 5-7 pages long, and includes illustrations. It is easy to read and understand, and is conversation-like in nature.

Cons: First copywrited in 1924, the book itself is part of history, and because of this, one aspect of the book in particular has to be taken with a grain of salt. As was typical in that era, the book is clearly written with the idea of the heightened status of an Anglo-saxon, Christian man. If you can bite through that one and transform the wording and ideas to a more open view of the world, you can learn quite a bit.

Another book series that I have heard good things about is Susan Baur's The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child". I was told by more than one mother that this book may be more suitable for children ages 7-9. As it is written more recently, and by a woman, you are likely to not encounter the cons mentioned for the previous book. Reviews for her book praise the story-like reading of her books, and they come with audio CDs as well.

Attempting to engage the girls in the study, I add on one activity with each section. We study the history with a map, and thereby learn geography as well. We watch short videos on YouTube, put on a puppet show, or do an easy craft. Each lesson takes about 20 minutes. In all, I have found the learning of history to open the eyes of my children of how our civilization came to be, the great accomplishments (as well as great falls) of persons, and the relation of places in the world, all at a young age. Should you have other recommendations for teaching history to young children, please leave a comment below.

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The Change First Principle

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Cheri

When I was a freshman in college, I took a Psychology class where the teacher assigned the most valuable assignment I had in all 4 years of college. She encouraged us to choose someone with whom we felt our relationship could be improved. The challenge was for us to look for ways to change OURSELVES in order to change the relationship. While it was easier to see the things the other person could afford to change about themselves, she wanted us to change only ourselves for 2 weeks and observe the change in the relationship.

I chose my roommate. We were already friends, but I felt that we could be closer, considering we lived together and all. So I started doing simple things, like being more considerate and looking for ways to serve her, or by being more grateful for what she did instead of seeing what she didn't do. Though our relationship was good to begin with, by the end of the project, we were best friends. It was the most incredible experience for me to realize the power we have to change ourselves and thereby change relationships.

This has been on my mind lately because I think I can use this principle right now with the most important relationship in my life--my relationship with my husband. The end of last year was the best our family has ever known. He and I were closer than ever, better friends than ever, better parents than ever. It was a wonderful, wonderful time. But then, the new year came and the last 3 months have been pretty stressful.

I've been feeling the stress a lot, as has he, and I don't think I'm handling it very well. I'm focusing on ME, rather than on HIM and US. See, the problem is that instead of being his #1 cheerleader, I've become his #1 critic. I'm pointing out where he could really pitch in more at home, where he could love ME better, how he could try harder. As my eyes have been opened to it, I've come to realize how selfish I've been.

So I have decided that I am going to start my own Change First project with my husband. There is no relationship more important than my relationship with him. He is my best friend, he is my companion, he is my everything. So I need to do everything I can to be better.

Janae's post a few weeks ago (found here) really stands out to me. How much better would my relationship with my husband be if I employed those phrases? What relationship wouldn't benefit from saying and hearing more "thank you", "I'm sorry", "I love you", "I need you", "You Can Do It", "I Believe In You", "I’m Proud of You", "I was Wrong", "I Need You", "I Trust You"? I think all would.

I'm starting with being more grateful. I'm going to see how many times I can see what he does and verbally thank him for it. I'll work on that one for a couple days and then add another one. I know it takes 3 weeks to make a habit, but I don't have 30 weeks to spend to get each of them down. I need to change myself NOW. Sure, I'll work on making these changes a habit and a permanent change, but for now, I'm going to take 2 weeks of changing myself to see if I can change my relationship with him.

What relationship do you have in your life that could use improvement? Take this challenge with me and lets see what miracles can occur.

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Grilled Teriyaki Kabobs

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Kerri

A simple, delicious recipe that is simply delicious.

Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs

1/4 Cup Water
1 Tbs packed brown sugar
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 Tbs canola oil
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or 1 tsp minced garlic

Mix all ingredients in a shallow glass dish or resealable plastic bag. Add 3-4 cut chicken breasts and marinate for an hour, no more than 24 hours.

When ready to cook, arrange cut chicken, fresh pineapple, and green and red peppers on grilling skewers.

Cook on grill.

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Green Smoothies

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Sunny

I know Janae already touched on this in another post, but I want to blog about it anyway.

A friend of mine has been battling cancer on a grand scale, and one of her approaches has been to learn voraciously about nutrition. I love to pick her brain about what she's been learning. One thing she introduced me to a while back is green smoothies. Honestly, healthy as I wanted to be, I didn't think I'd ever go as far as adding the concoction she shared with me to my diet. But I eventually tried something a bit less adventurous, progressed gradually, and now I actually like drinking the "green paint," no matter what the kids say about it.

green smoothie

What I started out with is similar to what Janae makes for her family (I can only get my husband and 2 year-old to drink any so far), and I do it in the order given because it mixes better in my regular old blender. I get mixed frozen fruit from Sam's Club, it has strawberries, pineapple, and mango the cheapest I've found close by. I also found plain yogurt with 8 different live cultures at our discount health food store--kefir has even more live cultures and is an even better alternative, but it costs more too.

Beginner Green Smoothie
1 banana
1 cup mixed frozen fruit
apple juice or water to almost cover fruit
a bit (1/3 cup?) plain yogurt
a handful or two fresh spinach

A standard blender has a hard time with the frozen fruit, so I blend that a bit before adding the greens. Spinach is soft, so it blends fairly easily. Start with less and work up. Of course you can use whatever fruits you prefer. Berries are helpful in covering up the color, if green is an issue. I have to warn you though, after a few months of doing this almost every day, I was getting more and more frozen fruit chunks, and then the motor of my blender finally gave out. That's how I earned (not financially, but morally) my latest favorite appliance, my Blendtec.

(see video below for comic relief only, no other nutritional value)

More of those at http://www.willitblend.com/

When I told my friend I had finally converted to green smoothies, she told me she put in way more greens than she used to, and that I should check out the website GreenSmoothieGirl.com. This led me to a wealth of information from a healthy mom on a mission to learn and share health information, including getting her own kids to eat it (and show you how to get your kids to also). She even has demos of how and why to make a green smoothie:

I checked out her book, the Green Smoothies Diet, from the library to browse through it, but ended up reading it cover to cover. It tells her story as well as health information and a load of green smoothie recipes. A good thing to own as a reference.

She even has videos that help you know how to explain nutrition to your kids.

I've still got a ways to go to, but I've made some progress as to what I get in my smoothie. According to the Green Smoothie Girl, just with this drink (I have some at breakfast, and however much I want as the day goes on--it never lasts to dinner time), I'm getting about 15 servings of raw fruits and vegetables. Wow, after so many goals which I have had to recommit to over and over, something I've actually improved at! And way past anything I would have dreamed of when I was a young adult.

Intermediate Green Smoothie
2 cups or so water
an apple or pear, quartered and cored
a stick of celery
a carrot
fresh kale, lettuces, collards, chard,etc. to fill the blender, blend
a cup or two of frozen fruit, blend again
some yogurt or kefir
1 or 2 Tbls refrigerated flax oil
a handful or two fresh spinach
1 or 2 bananas

I'm always amazed at how I can stuff so many greens into the blender and after blending, it doesn't seem like there's any more liquid in the jar than before I put them in. I go for the larger amounts if I want to make 2 quarts, one for today and one for tomorrow. It doesn't quite fit in the blender all at once, though, so I pour a little into each of two quart jars before I blend in the bananas. Then I fill up the jars and give them a shake. Someday I'll get the larger Blendtec jar, and then there'll be no stopping me!

Next adventure: converting the kids. I can't wait, I've got some ideas I want to try.

(I later wrote the post Green Smoothies for Teens and Other Green-o-phobes that you may want to read.)



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The Miracle of the Leaky Pipe

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Janae

Over the last couple of months, it seemed like our house was falling apart. It started our bedroom doors sticking on the second level. Then, cracks started to move through the paint around the door frames. A few weeks later and I noticed the floor was becoming uneven. A little bit of research and I was stressed. Everything pointed to a foundation problem. Yikes! That costs thousands of dollars and can greatly decrease the value of your home.

The next morning, as my family was rushing out the door, I ran down to the furnace room to grab something I had stashed behind the door. To my dismay, I found water on the floor. Not much....just a few drops, but enough for me to look up and realize that a copper pipe was leaking. Argh. Frustration rushed over me as I realized yet another thing in our house was breaking.

The next day, I called a general contractor friend who came over and fixed the pipe. While he was working, he noticed the pipe coming from the water heater was jammed up against it, strained almost to the point of bursting. He explained that basements in our area needed to be "floating" or built in such a way that the floor can rise and fall without putting pressure on the structure. Our floor had risen, but was now butting the water heater up right against the pipes. That led to me showing him the sticky doors and cracking walls.

Immediately, he knew the problem. Although the framing in my basement had been done correctly, the previous owners had hung drywall all the way to the floor. The floor was lifting, but was stopped by the drywall, which in turn was now lifting our entire house. Without a remedy, the pressure could cause burst pipes, structural damage, broken floors, etc. The possibilities were endless and baffling.

It was then that I realized the miracle of the leaking pipe. Because of that, I called a contractor and he, in turn, solved a much bigger problem. He showed me how to easily solve the problem that was causing so many other problems throughout our house. Just cut the dry wall 3 inches above the floor, the way it was supposed to be hung in the first place. With that, the house should settle back down. Caught when it was, it didn't do any permanent structural damage. Phew!

As he left, I felt relief and chagrined. I had been so upset when I found the pipe. Yet, it was the pipe that saved my house. It was a blessing, not a curse. I thought about how many times I had done that in my life. How many times did I fail to realize that my trials may actually be my greatest blessings?

Last night, I saw a dateline segment on Bethany Hamilton, the surfer who's arm was taken by a shark when she was 13. A tragedy, yes. But, she declared she would never go back and erase that day. It ended up being her greatest blessing.

Easy to say in retrospect, of course, but this week was a gentle reminder to live as if every trial was a blessing, a gift from God to bless us and lift us to higher heights.

I hope I've learned my lesson. That simple shift in attitude sure seems to make life easier.

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Muffins Unite for a Greener Planet!

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Heidi

Have you ever made a bowl full of muffin batter, only to discover that you're out of paper muffin cups? The only alternative is to spray that muffin tray and dash with flour, but that leaves a good clean-up for later.

Here's a way to never be out of muffin cups, save money, and be friendly to the environment: Silicone muffin cups! We have had ours for 4 years now, and they are still holding shape and making life that much easier -- and greener -- in the kitchen.

Simply use them as you would paper cups. To clean them, let them soak in warm soapy water, then turn them inside out and wipe them with a sponge. Easy.

And if you want a touch of cute-ness at the breakfast table (or just want to be super quick because your kids are dashing to school), here are silicone mini- muffin cups!

And while you're muffin munching, check out these fun muffin films at www.muffinfilms.com -- that cakey morsel in your mouth will be that much more enjoyed. 🙂

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Simplify Cooking with Spice Mixes

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Cheri

Have you ever opened a cookbook, found a recipe, and thought "WOW! There are WAY too many ingredients for me to do this right now!" ? I have. Some of my favorite meals require 10 or more spices to be measured and combined just to make something as simple as a roast dinner. Since I love making those meals often, though, I decided to premix all my spices for recipes that I frequently use so I wouldn't have to measure each time. It makes cooking a snap!

Where to keep these spice mixes? We received a spice rack for our wedding with little glass jars. After 5 years of not using half of them (sorry, I just don't use whole coriander all that often), I emptied the ones I didn't use and relabeled all of them for the spices I use the most. I reserved a few for my spice mixes, so I just mix all the spices in a bowl and pour them (using a funnel) into the jars. Wa-la!

I'll share three spice mixes that make great meals, but first let me tell you about a few others that are simple and practical.

First, make a salt and pepper mix. Have you noticed how many recipes call for salt and pepper to taste? Well, instead of grabbing two shakers, just grab one. I do my ratio 3:1, three parts salt to one part pepper. I do that because my husband likes pepper a lot. If it were up to him, it would be 2:1. But we compromised.

Second, it is great having cinnamon sugar already mixed and ready to go. My kids love it on toast or bagels, and it's always right there. I do my mixture in a 4:1 ratio, sugar to cinnamon. So one cup of sugar to 1/4 cup cinnamon. Of course, adjust to your own tastes.

Third, I really love my Italian Spice Mix. This is great to add to homemade pizza sauce, or even into my pizza dough. Mmm...It is also great when I make pasta primavera with an olive oil sauce. A few shakes of this mix and I have a yummy dinner all done. For this, you can use your favorite Italian spices, but what I use is basil, oregano, and garlic salt. I use about 4:1:2, because I really love basil and garlic.

Now for my meal mixes. The first is for a Rotisserie Chicken. With barbecue season coming up, I'm sure we'll be firing up our rotisserie on our barbeque a few times to make this. However, it is also good in the oven or in the CrockPot.

3 Tbs salt
2 Tbs paprika
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs thyme
1 Tbs pepper
1/2 Tbs cayenne pepper
1/2 Tbs garlic salt

Combine the ingredients and store. When you are ready to use it, sprinkle generously all over the chicken and rub it in. Bake as you would a whole chicken or cook on a rotisserie for a really awesome meal.

Next is for Chicken Chimichangas. This recipe is SO good and is wonderful for chimichangas. However, the same spice mix can be used any time you're making chicken for tacos or burritos. It is SO yummy!

2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs crushed dried red pepper
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs oregano
1 Tbs cumin
1/4 cup dried onion

To use for Chimichangas, cook 4 chicken breasts in about 1/4 cup of the mix plus 1/2 cup water. Shred chicken. Mix in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Roll into tortillas and lightly fry in 2 Tbs olive oil. I do this in my CrockPot for an even easier meal. Just make sure to add the cheese at the end, like the recipe says, not at the beginning!

Or just sprinkle some into chicken for your other Mexican meals. It is delicious. The best Mexican chicken seasoning I've had.

What about for beef? Use this Taco Seasoning Mix in place of the store bought packets. It's a little spicy, so adjust the chili powder and cumin to your family's tastes.

¼ cup dried minced onion
3 Tbs chili powder
2 Tbs ground cumin
2 Tbs salt
1 Tbs crushed hot red pepper flakes
1 Tbs dried minced garlic
1 Tbs cornstarch
2 tsp oregano, crushed well

Mix ingredients well. Store in a jar. ¼ cup seasoning mix = 1 packet.

And finally, my signiature dish-Shredded Pot Roast. I created this spice mix when I was first married by opening all the spice jars in my spice rack and smelling them. If it smelled like meat, I used it. Over the last few years, I've modified it a little, but for the most part, it's the same as when I started.

3 Tbs seasoned salt
1 Tbs parsley
1 Tbs pepper
1 Tbs salt
1 Tbs garlic salt
1 Tbs paprika
½ Tbs chili powder
1 tsp basil
3 Tbs dried minced onion (sometimes I use half as much onion powder instead)

Mix together ingredients. My favorite cut of meat is a Cross Rib Roast because it is the most tender, the list grisley, and does the best in a CrockPot. However, that cut is seemingly unavailable here, so I've been using a bottom round chuck roast lately and it is fine. Just not as good as what we love. Sprinkle and rub seasonings over entire roast. Work in seasonings as much as you can. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, place roast in skillet. Use tongs or forks to rotate roast to brown all sides. Brown really well. Remove from skillet and place roast in Crockpot. Scrape any remaining seasonings from skillet into CrockPot. Combine 1/2-3/4 cup water and any remaining seasonings (I usually sprinkle a little more into the water) and pour over roast. Cover and cook on low 7-10 hours. Shred meat and serve. To add veggies to roast, chop potatoes and carrots and add to pot about 2-3 hours before serving. Turn temperature to high and cook until the veggies are tender and the meat falls apart.

Now here's some truly wonderful news: this is the same spice mix I use for my amazing Beef Stew! If Shredded Pot Roast is my signiature dish, then this is my John Hancock. Oh, man, I'm craving it already! All you do is toss a couple Tbs of this mix with 1/2 cup of flour, toss that with cut up cubes of roast, then brown them in a little oil in a large skillet. Add to a CrockPot filled with potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion. Then add enough beef broth and water to cover.

Add a few more sprinkles of the mix, cover, and cook on low 5-7 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, mix together about 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 cup water. Pour through strainer into stew and stir to thicken. Add more seasoning mix if you feel it doesn't have enough flavor for your tastes. I often add more garlic salt, since I really like that. You won't be disappointed!

I hope these make your cooking endeavors even easier! Look through your cookbooks to find what other recipes you can mix ahead of time to save you time at the dinner hour!

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