Losing It, pt. 3

This week was not quite as exciting as last week in my Losing It Challenge. The scale didn't drop a single pound (which means I didn't either...). However, I am feeling quite good, and exercising is going well. Tomorrow after I jog with my sis-in-law, that will make 5 days this week. I can already tell I'm more in shape than I was. I let more carbs creep in this week, which I think is why I didn't lose any more weight. Thankfully, they were healthy carbs, so I didn't gain any back!

So, as of this week, I am still down 4.2% of my weight.

Coconut Oil

In attempt to add more healthful ingredients to our diet this year, including healthy fats, I have found a new friend in coconut oil, with all of its benefits. It has high lauric acid content, one of the really healthy components of human breast milk. Coconut oil aids in digestion and is a quick, natural energy source. It has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, aiding the immune system.

It is solid at room temperature, making it an easy substitute in recipes that call for butter or shortening. I melt it on the stove to use in recipes calling for unhealthy vegetable oils.  Adding a couple tablespoons to a smoothie makes for a much more filling breakfast. Coconut oil holds up well at high temperatures, making it great for sauteing and frying.

As a side: Coconut oil is 90% saturated fat, which is why it gets such a bad rap these days. I don't really want this post to turn into a debate on saturated fats, so if you're convinced they're bad, check out this link and click around the website some. Let's just say that in our kitchen, you won't find anything low fat. We drink cream-on-the-top whole milk, eat whole milk yogurt, real butter, and full-fat cheese, and don't feel the slightest bit guilty.

In addition to being great in the kitchen, coconut oil is also wonderful for your skin and hair. While I haven't used it much for these purposes, it is something I am beginning to look into and may begin in the near future. Katie's pediatrician in Florida recommended it as an an alternative to chemical-laden diaper rash cream.

You can probably find unrefined coconut oil at your grocery store or health food store. However, buying it online is probably more affordable. I was recently given a 32 oz. jar of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions to review and have found it to be of excellent quality. It has a pleasant, but not overpowering, coconut flavor and I love using it in recipes, knowing all the wonderful benefits it has for my little family. They often have great sales and occasionally offer free shipping, making for a better deal.

Mountain Rose Herbs also sells 1 gallon of virgin unrefined coconut oil at a very reasonable price.

Have you tried coconut oil in your home? What's your favorite use?

For more information:
::Donielle has a very extensive post.
::Katie has a great post as well.
::Tropical Traditions has a Coconut Oil FAQ page you may find helpful.

Kitchen Tip: Dry Dishes in the Sink

We have a dishwasher, but I still do a lot of our dishes by hand. I actually kind of enjoy washing dishes (gasp!), and I like having most of the dishes clean. It takes a long time for our little family to fill up the whole dish washer. And, I hate running it if it's not full.

I have a dish drain from IKEA and I love it! However, sometimes I run out of room, and it's not big enough for my bigger pots and pans. The solution my sister-in-law suggested?

Clean dishes drying in the sink

Drying the dishes in the sink. She was helping me with dishes one day and did that, and I thought it was brilliant. I do it at least a couple times per day now. I just use one side of the sink for washing and the other side for drying. Plus, I use the hottest water my sink will allow and it helps the dishes dry pretty quickly, because the water evaporates.

So tell me, am I the last person in the world to figure this out?

This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesday and Works for Me Wednesday.

From Grandma's Kitchen: Beef Stroganoff

My Grandma's beef stroganoff is by far the best I've ever had. It is rich, tender, and just really delicious. In addition, it can also be very healthy. It freezes well, too. I love serving it over brown rice, with steamed broccoli on the side.

3 1/2 lb. Beef round sliced in 2"strips.

1 cup butter

6  tablespoons flour*

1 1/2 cups onions**

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 lemon{juice}

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups mushrooms

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 teaspoons Worstershire sauce

2 cloves garlic

3 cubes buillion***

3/4 cup sherry

Optional: 1 1/2 cups cream and 3/4 cups sour cream

Baste meat with lemon juice, roll in flour and fry in 1 cup butter until brown. Add the onions and saute until golden. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until tender.


*I use Spelt flour and it works fine
**I leave the onions out because hubby doesn't care for onions. I think they are a wonderful addition, though.
***I make it with stock instead of water, leave out the bullion, and add a little extra salt.

This post is linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Real Food Wednesday, and Foodie Friday.

Menu Plan, March 14-20

After all the grocery shopping I did this week, our pantry and fridge are bursting at the seams. :) Here's what we'll be eating this week:

Breakfasts: Quiche, Breakfast Casserole, Bacon & eggs, cold cereal with bananas, whole wheat banana bread

Lunches: Salad with grilled chicken breast, chicken salad sandwiches with carrot sticks and apples, grilled cheese and tomato soup, leftovers

Snacks: whole milk yogurt with real maple syrup and fruit, True North snacks, granola bars, raw fruit and veggies, and Ben will probably have some Chex Mix (as I've said before, we keep the vast majority of our food very healthy--because of that, we're comfortable with an occasional unhealthy treat when it is purchased almost-free).

Dinners:
Sunday~at the farm
Monday~Fiesta Taco Casserole, steamed veggies
Tuesday~leftovers
Wednesday~Chili with cornbread
Thursday~leftovers
Friday~homemade pizza, salad
Saturday~leftovers

Since we have a little family, making three dinners each week and having leftovers from each meal is working really well for us right now, so that's what I'm doing. I try to make sure to plan ahead and reheat things in the oven or on the stove to avoid microwaving our food all the time, though.

What are y'all eating this week? And, just out of curiosity, how many dinners do you make every week? Do you ever eat leftovers for dinner?

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday.

Christ's Work, Not Mine

 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; 

that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

2 Corinthians 5:21

How easy it is, even for those of us who believe in salvation by grace, to look at our own works and secretly  hope they will bring us into a better standing with God. Not all the Bible reading, prayer, and evangelizing in the world can change it. Christ became sin for us sinners, that we might be made righteous. Our works, no matter how great they seem, do not amount to anything in comparison.

Super Savings Saturday and a GIVEAWAY!

This is a the result of my grocery shopping this week. I made two stops at Kroger, 1 stop at a discount grocer in the "big city" when we went into town, and 1 stop at CVS.

When I stopped at the discount grocer, I got a liter of extra virgin olive oil, two bags of organic whole grain pretzels, five large cans of organic tomato soup, and (ahem) a package of fruit rolls for Ben. My total was $18. While we were in town, I also grabbed a few pounds of Sucanat from the Health Food Store.

My stop at CVS left me with 4 boxes of cereal, a Gillette Fusion men's razor, 2 packages of True North snacks (really tasty and a pretty unoffensive ingredient list), a tooth brush, and a box of Wheat Thins. The total before ECBs, sales, and coupons was almost $40. I spent $8.30 out of pocket and have $5 ECBs for next week!

Stop 1 at Kroger yielded two bags of organic tortilla chips, a can of tomato paste, and organic apples. It was about $5. Stop 2 at Kroger, I got most of what is pictured. Kroger is running their Cart Buster Special through today, and they have many name brand items on good sales. Combined with coupons, this makes for some great deals! I was given a $25 gift card by General Mills and Kroger through My Blog Spark to check out the sale. After coupons, sales, and the gift card, my total was $49 for most of what you see pictured!

The groceries we got this week combined with what I already had in the fridge, pantry, and freezer, should be able to last us for at least two weeks. I may need to go out and get some more fresh produce and milk at some point, but other than that, we're set!

Here's where the fun comes in--you have a chance to win a $25 Kroger giftcard thanks to Kroger and General Mills, through My Blog Spark! To enter, just leave a comment on this post. The winner will be announced next Saturday. For additional entries (be sure to leave a separate comment for each one!):

 ::Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to link back to this post and @mrsmurch me so I know.
::Follow me on twitter. I'm @mrsmurch.
::Subscribe to my RSS feed through e-mail or a feed reader.
::Blog about my giveaway. Be sure to link directly to this post. Leave a link to your post in your comment.

This post is linked to Super Savings Saturday, Giveaways Galore, and Femina Freebies.