Lazy Leftover Lunches- Taco Cheese Sandwiches

Here's a great idea for lunch for the kids (and for yourself). This is a great twist to the plain old grilled cheese sandwich. Plus you get to use up the taco meat from last night's dinner, and if you're bread's going a little stale but not bad yet, this will use up those leftovers and food that might have just ended up in the trash. This is so easy and yummy, you're going to say "Why didn't I think of that?".

TACO CHEESE SANDWICH

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread
butter
1 slice of cheese or 1/4 cup shredded or thinly sliced cheese of your choice
leftover taco meat

Directions:

Preheat griddle on low-medium, depending on your stove.
Spread butter thinly on one side of two pieces of bread.
Place bread butter side down on griddle.
Spread meat over one slice of bread.
Place cheese on top of meat.
Flip the other slice of bread on top of cheese.
Grill on both sides to desired doneness.
You can add onions, tomatoes, and peppers or any other things you enjoy in your taco, although if you want to add lettuce, you may want to wait until it is finished and on your plate.


Serve with chips and salsa or another favorite side.
And...of course...Enjoy! :)

The GOD blood

A few Sunday's ago my five year old daughter took communion at church. This was her second time to take communion and as she does understand communion, to the extent that a five year olds mind can, she takes it very seriously. Later that day after we came home, she was playing in the yard with her little friend, and somehow cut her ankle on the swing set. She came in the house crying telling me "Mommy, the blood's coming out" I told her it was okay and we will go doctor it up and put a band aid on it. Then she says "But Mommy, I hope it's not the God blood." I told her that once you have God's blood, you are part of His family, and His blood won't come out.

I was thinking that it is such a wonderful way to think. That when God puts something in us, such as his word, His Spirit, or the blood of Jesus, we should be very protective of it. We should always be concerned that everything He puts into us stays there, so that we can do His will and serve Him as He has planned for us.

A BIBLICAL RECIPE FOR EFFECTIVE CHILD TRAINING

1 gallon faith in God
7 cupfuls love for your child
1 cup patience
1 cup clarified instruction
1 cup consistent discipline (whipped
lightly)
3 teaspoons of pure mercy
1 generous dash of humor
2 cupfuls praise
2 cupfuls liberty

Pour faith in God into any size family. Mix one teaspoon of clarified instruction and one teaspoon of consistent discipline. Add only a half cup of liberty initially. Stir well and chip lightly. Sprinkle in pure mercy and simmer over a steady flame of prayer. Proceed to fold in additional teaspoons of instruction and discipline, in equal amounts, adding liberty slowly. Stir well and whip as needed to smooth out any lumps of disobedience. Never overbeat! Sweeten to taste with humor and praise. Melt any specks of misunderstanding or sour attitude by turning up the level of prayer and adding extra instruction. Continue this process until all remaining ingredients have been added and all bitterness has been removed. When adding the last cup of liberty, be careful not to cause any sudden separation or foaming. If either of these occur, or if the moral character begins to lose its intended shape, skim off the excess liberty until the desired consistency results. Try adding this liberty again later when character is firmer. Keep warm over a steady flame of prayer. Serve with a tender heart and the sincere milk of God's Word. Never serve with a cold shoulder or a hot tongue.

(I don't know where this came from, but I thought it was cute....and smart.)

TIP: Write dates on containers for refrigeration

Do you have trouble growing in your refrigerator? Do you look inside and wonder how old that spaghetti is? Do you remember if you had that fried chicken on Thursday or Friday? Now we don’t want to waste food and just throw it out when we can't remember how old it is, that’s throwing money in the trash. But we can't eat it either, it could be old and gross, or worse yet, it could make us sick.

Here’s where a Sharpie® could be your best friend!

Many of use the disposable kitchen containers such as Rubbermaid take alongs® or Ziplock® containers already. If you don’t use these you might want to find something that you feel comfortable writing on. (Consider that you can often remove permanent marker from some plastics using rubbing alcohol, but there is no guarantee. You could test it on the bottom if it is a concern.) I use the Rubbermaid® brand containers, When they get too much writing or just wear out, I can buy 4 more of them for just a few bucks. The key here is to put your leftovers in the container, and write on the lid the date and day. I use this method because sometimes when I know I have had something recently, it’s just easier to look at the day mark to see when we had it. For today I would write on the lid “8/13 W” which translates August 13th Wednesday. It allows me to always keep track of everything in the fridge knowing that it is or is not safe to eat. You can also write on the lids of such things as spaghetti sauce jars, so you don’t use it after it has gone bad. (I wonder how long that is, anyway. Anybody know?) You can use this method on baggies with food in them, or just about anything in your fridge or freezer, that isn’t already dated. When the bowl is washed and ready to use again, just put a line through the previous date and put the new date underneath. You can get 4-5 columns of dates on one average size square lid.

Another great tip: when you clean out your fridge and there some questionable things in there that you really don’t want to touch or scoop or smell…just throw the bowl in the freezer and once frozen pop (or run hot water over the bottom of the bowl) to remove the block of frozen food, put it in a trash bag and take it out. No mess. No smell. Just make sure you remember what you put in the freezer, and tell your family that it is no good. I do this by marking an X or “bad” on the lid. When the bowl has been cleaned and you are ready to use it again, don’t forget to put a line through the X (or bad) and write your new date.

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Pepperoni Rolls

1 Loaf Rhoades frozen bread dough

Pepperoni slices

Shreaded mozzerella cheese

Pizza sauce (or plain spaghetti sauce)

Italian seasoning



Thaw dough in refrigerator

Cut dough into 6-8 sections

Roll or stretch out each section into a flat oval shape

Top with:

1-2 teaspoons of sauce only in center

3-5 pepperoni slices

small amount of cheese (if desired)

and italian seasoning if desired


Roll up into rolls and pinch dough together to seal it. Place seam side down on a lightly oiled baking pan about 3 inches apart. (You can also make bigger rolls and slice them for dinner or a snack at home.)



Let rise 20 minutes, bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.



Serve for traveling lunches, ballgames, boating trips, camping, hiking, amusement park trips, etc.



Enjoy!

Saving Energy- Lowering your utility bills drastically

Here's a quick checklist of things that you can do to drastically save energy in your home. If you have any other suggestions or ideas, feel free to make a comment on this post.

Laundry/Utility Room:

• Use cold water in your washing machine.
• Use shorter washing machine cycles.
• Set the proper water level for load size or wash only full loads.
• Get a dryer that shuts the heating off when clothes are dry (your clothes will last longer too). I believe this is called the moisture sensor.
• Clean the lint filter in the dryer after each use.
• Dry heavy and light fabrics separately.
• Use a clothesline when possible.
• Lower your hot water heater temperature to approx 120°- 130°.

Kitchen:

• Turn off 'heated dry' on your dishwasher.
• Wash only full loads in the dishwasher.
• Use the short cycle on the dishwasher unless your dishes are super dirty.
• Get an energy efficient (Energy Star model) refrigerator if possible. A 25 year old refrigerator uses more than 1200 kilowatts a year where a 5 year old Energy Star model uses only 450.
• Make sure your refrigerator and freezer has a good seal. (hint: If a dollar bill slides out easily between the gaskets, when the door is shut, you need to replace the seal/gasket)
• Set your refrigerator temp to 38-42° and your freezer temp to 0-5° and use the power save switch on your refrigerator if it has one.
• Ice maker with ice and water in the door saves energy from not having to open the door.
• Unplug Coffee-maker or other small appliances when not in use.
• Do not open or preheat your oven more than necessary.
• Use the microwave for cooking or reheating small items.

Bathroom:

• Turn water off when brushing teeth, shaving, or other grooming tasks.
• Take shorter showers.
• Buy an energy saver shower head.
• Fix faucet drips promptly.
• Consider installing an 'ultra low flow' toilet.

Living room, Office, Bedroom:

• Plug TV's, VCR's, DVD players etc. into a power strip and switch it off when not in use. Plug your Computer, printer, etc. into a power strip and switch it off after you turn your computer off each day. The 'standby' mode on these electronics can be equivalent to a 75-100 watt light bulb running continuously. (Tip: plug your phone charger into your TV or Computer strip if you like to keep it plugged in. But this doesn't work if you charge your phone at night while your sleeping.) Another idea is to plug these things into a wall outlet that leads to a light switch and when your done at night, just flip the switch!
• Enable the sleep mode on your computer so it will use less energy during periods of inactivity. (Screen savers don't save energy, they save screens)
• Set up your computer to hibernate after 20-30 minutes of inactivity.
• Set your thermostat at 68° in the winter, and 78° or higher in the summer.
• Use the sun to heat your home. Open the shades in winter while the sun is shining to help heat your home. In the summer, close your shades in the hottest part of the day to keep your home cool.
• When appropriate, use fans to cool and circulate the air instead of using your AC.
• Use window fans to bring in cool air when it is hot inside but cool outside.
• Shut off vents and close doors of extra rooms you're not using and don't need to heat or cool.

General Household:

• Replace all of your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. A 27 watt bulb puts out as much light as a 100 watt incandescent bulb. They cost more to purchase initially ($5-10 each) but last for 5-7 years (versus less than 1/2 a year for incandescent) Each bulb replaced will save you around $15/year. Replace 12 in your home and it will save you $15 a month on your electric bill.
• Unplug (cell phone, IPod, camera, cordless tools, PDA's, etc.) chargers when you're not charging.
• Always turn off the light when you leave the room, even if only for a minute.
• Use daylight when possible by opening blinds and curtains.
• Keep your grass and weeds cut down low around your outdoor AC unit.
• Take out the extra fridge in the garage or basement that you use for drinks or extras. (It contributes to 9% of your electric bill)
• Fix leaky faucets, pipes and toilets promptly.
• Look for the Energy Star products when buying any new appliances or electronics.
• Save water on your lawn by using proper greenery and irrigation. Water outdoor plants in the morning and evening when the sun is not evaporating the water as you spray.

These things do work. We purchased a new refrigerator in May of this year. I quit using heated dry on the dishwasher, started washing clothes in full loads in cold water, turning off computer power strip every night, and using fans to circulate air. I also put in a dozen fluorescent light bulbs and usually turn them off when not in use. These few things alone have saved me $100 on my electric bill each month. After researching for this post, I plan to put into practice more of these energy saving ideas and hope to save even more money.

Save yourself money...Save your children the world!