What's for dinner tonight?

 Looking for some new fall meals to spice up your kitchen?  I'm feeling like I'm in a rut, and with little time after work before dinner, I never seem to have time to figure out meals & keep "throwing together" the same boring stuff.  I  got an email with food.com's TOP Five Crockpot Recipes and am excited to try them out... I think I'll start with their recipe below.  I recently had pulled pork made by a woman in my small group, and the method/ingredients she used were just like the recipe below.  It was AWESOME (& she said easy!), so I'm definitely giving it a try.... enjoy!

 

Pulled Pork (Crock Pot)

By duonyte on July 25, 2005

Ingredients

1. 4 lbs pork roast ( shoulder or butt)
2. 2 large onions
3. 1 cup ginger ale
4. 1 (18 ounce) bottles favorite barbecue sauce ( I like Sweet Baby Ray's)
5. barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Slice one onion and place in crock pot.
2. Put in the roast and cover with the other onion, sliced. Pour over the ginger ale. Cover and cook on LOW for about 12 hours.
3. Remove the meat, strain and save the onions, discard all liquid. With two forks, shred the meat, discarding any remaining fat, bones or skin. Most of the fat will have melted away.
4. Return the shredded meat and the onions to the crock pot, stir in the barbecue sauce. Continue to cook for another 4 to 6 hours on LOW.
5. Serve with hamburger buns or rolls and additional barbecue sauce. Any leftovers freeze very well.
6. TIP: freeze ready-made sandwiches - a scoop of meat on a bun, well-wrapped. These make a great quick meal or snack. To reheat, remove wrapping, wrap in a paper towel, and zap 1-2 minute in the microwave.
7. Note: Shoulder or butt are recommended because the meat shreds very well. Other cuts do not shred as readily. It is a fattier cut, but the fat melts away in the cooking and is poured away when you discard the liquid.
8. Note 2: I have an older, smaller crock pot. The above times work perfectly for me. But if you have a newer or bigger crock pot, you may need to revise times downward, esp. after the bbq sauce is added. I think you need at least a couple of hours for it all to meld, but that may be all you need. Update: I recently bought a bigger crockpot, I think 5 or 6 qts. I cooked a 6 lb pork shoulder in it for 8 hours and it was shreddable at that point. Shredded, added the sauce, and cooked for another hour or so to meld everything. So use your best judgment on timing!
9. Note3: You might want to turn your roast over after it's cooked a while, to ensure more even cooking. I think this may depend on the size and shape of your roast and the size of your slow cooker. Remember that each time you remove the lid you lose heat and be careful, as turning a large piece of meat is awkward.

Get $ for your unwanted gift cards... and purchase gift cards at a discount

Ever receive a gift card as a gift to a place you know you'll never go?  Want to get some $ for your unwanted gift cards?  Check out giftcards.com!

They buy your unwanted gift cards AND they sell gift cards at a discount up to 25%!  I just went on their site and saw a bunch of Lowes gift cards selling at a discount (& no shipping charges!) - I feel like I'm at Lowes weekly now that I'm a homeowner, so I'm thinking I'm going to save myself a bit of money and purchase one of these!  Check them out & see what you can get rid of (or score!) today.

Free shipping on all Discounted Merchant Gift Cards

Sippy Cup Lids - MOLD & Replacement Lids

So in case there was any doubt before, this next post will defintely solidy in your minds that I AM a MOM, as I spend my days dwelling on the frustrations of getting mold in my sons' favorite sippy cup lids.  If you are a mom, you know how frustrating it is when your kids have a favorite sippy cup - one that you like too because it doesn't leak - only to get MOLD in the spouts and not be able to get it out!  I've had to get rid of my share of sippy cups & lids due to mold, and I decided I was finally sick of it, so I grabbed the mold filled cup lids and headed to, where else?  GOOGLE!  I googled the lids, found the manufacturers websites, and boldly asked for replacement lids.  Do you know what?  They sent them - free of charge!

I contacted 3 different companies - Learning Curve, The First Years, and Playtex.  The first two companies (via email correspondence through their website) each sent me several replacement lids based on my claim.  Playtex's website wouldn't let me "submit" my claim (something seemed to be wrong with their website), so I called the 1-800#  (Toll Free: 1.888.310.4290), spoke with the nicest lady in the world, and within less than 5 minutes of my time I have two $7.99 coupons for Playtex products being mailed to my home.  Success!  So, I just want to encourage all you frustrated moms to NOT throw our your kids' favorite cups, but spend a few minutes on the internet (see links to sites by above), submit your complaints, and see what happens!  It was worth my time & money to save my kids' TOY Story cups... maybe it is worth yours?

FREE Flu MIST vaccinations for children at Grant County Health Department - MONDAYS ONLY!

It is FLU SEASON.  Yuck. That means time for you and your kiddos to get your flu shot or flu mist. 

Did you know that on MONDAYS (only), the Grant County Health Department is giving out FREE flu mists (you have to be over age 2 to get the mist)?  For your child's free flu mist, go to the Grant County Health Department on Adams Street between 8am - 11am or 1pm-3pm (remember - Monday's only!).  These are first come, first serve, and when they're gone... they're gone!  Children over 6 months can also get a flu SHOT, but there is a fee for the shot.  The health deptartment is most likely still cheaper than your pediatrician's office, which not only usually charges for the shot/mist, but ALSO for an injection/delivery fee of up to $50! Ouch. 

Grant County Health Dept
401 S Adams St # 123
Marion, IN 46953-2030
(765) 662-0377


For more info on the flu mist, click HERE.  For more info from the CDC about why you should get vaccinated from the flu, click HERE.  Remember, getting vaccinated not only helps protect you and your family, but your whole community!

Totally Together - Shortcuts to an Organized Life - Book Review & GIVEAWAY!

I recently came across Stephanie O'Dea's blog, all about a YEAR of slow cooking (yes, a full YEAR - this girl got creative!), and in looking through her blog I noticed she has a new book coming out - Totally Together: Shortcuts to an Organized Life.  I was intrigued, as I'm always trying to find ways to find a balance between life/home/kids/work/etc., so I contacted Stephanie and she graciously sent me a copy of her book to review AND a second copy for one of my blog readers!  Yes, you have a chance to win a FREE copy of
Totally Together: Shortcuts to an Organized Life just for being one of my blog readers AND for adding your feedback in the comments section below.  See how to win your copy at the bottom of this post.

Totally Together is a great guide for moms, or really any woman managing a household and trying to stay sane.  It is a quick read, an easily digestible guide to keeping your household together without killing yourself.  It is a REALISTIC approach cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, hosting guests, etc.  It even includes a week-by-week calendar for the year to keep you organized, and includes some simple cleaning tips that I've already incorporated into my daily & weekly routine.

Going into the Fall, which is the busiest time for my family (& I'm guessing most families!), it was well worth my time and sanity to read her book, remind me of what is important, help me prioritize my chores, and give me some tips/suggestions for cleaning & meal prep.  It even has suggested chores that kids can do, broken out by age - LOVE IT!  We're all trying to find a BALANCE in life, and this book is a helpful tool in achieving sanity in simpleness by keeping an organized life.  It is a great aid for any women who is trying to do it all!  You can pick up a copy at Amazon (my vendor of choice these days b/c I have FREE shipping with PRIME right now as a perk from the AMAZON MOM Store) or any major bookstore for about $10.  I think it would also make a a great gift, so pick up a copy for yourself and a friend of yours and share the sanity! 

Want to WIN a FREE copy of Totally Together?  Add to the conversation - SHARE the sanity!  Leave your feedback below in the comments section on the following topic: what is YOUR best organization/sanity keeping/family managing/time saver/meal preparation/cleaning tip?  Share your tip below in the comments section AND email the same tip to marionmomblog@gmail.com, and one randomly selected person will win!  The winner will be notified via email by October 7th, 2011. 

  

Lowes Build & Grow FREE Kids Clinic - Sept 24 @ 10am

The next Lowes Build & Grow FREE Kids Clinic is this Saturday at 10am at Lowes.  This week you'll be building a fire truck.  Kids 3 & up with help are welcome.  If you've never taken your kiddos to this clinic, you should try it!  Both my husband and I have taken our 4 year old and he always loves coming home with the new toy he's built! 

Click HERE to register, or for more info.  Hope to see you there!

Free Coffee at 7-Eleven 9/29 from 7am – 11am

Not sure where the closest 7-11 is around here... does anyone know?  On Thursday, 9/29 they're giving away a free medium coffee from 7am - 11am.  I always like free things....:)