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August, 2013

  1. Hurry Scurry! More Healthy Quick Meals

    August 31, 2013 by admin

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    ThriftyRambler’s Guide to Quick Evening Meals, Part 2

    From Zero to Done in Twenty Minutes:

    * Breakfast For Dinner:  Whether it’s omelets, pancakes, or French Toast- breakfast dishes go together in a snap.   Put your sausages on first, and then get going with the rest.  While stuff is cooking, you can slice fruit, make whipped cream and set the table.  Re-heat some roasted potatoes and add them to the table.

    * Pita Wraps:  You can prepare all the elements of a delicious pita wrap in advance.  When it comes time for dinner,  all you have to do is warm the bread.  Make hummus and tazkiki the night before.  Crumble feta cheese, and slice tomatoes and cucumbers either in the morning, or right before dinner.  Add some lettuce and you are ready to roll!

    Prep in Advance, but take less than Twenty Minutes to Serve:

    * Chili and Corn Bread: TRGrandpa lived by the certain truth that chili was no good the day you cooked it.  It needed a day or so before it was table ready.  So follow his adviceIMG_0615 and make your chili in advance, on a day when you have extra time.  Bake your cornbread the night before you need it.  When you get home from work, put the chili on the stove and the cornbread in the toaster or oven.  After you change clothes and check the mail, set the table and grate some cheese.  Your wonderful, nutritious, and yummy meal is ready.

    * Quiche:  Like pancakes and waffles, quiche isn’t just for breakfast.  Put it together and cook it the night before you need it.  Then reheat in the oven for fifteen or twenty minutes before dinner.  Add a salad and your dinner is ready.  Tip: cut the quiche cold, before you reheat it- you’ll get restaurant worthy slices with no hassle!

    * Homemade Pizza:  In twenty minutes?  You betcha!  Make your dough the day before.  When you’re ready for pizza night, roll out the dough and add sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings while the oven is preheating.  Fifteen minutes or so later, your pie is done!

    Category Groceries & Meal Planning | Tags: ,, | 1 Comment

  2. Historic Moments

    August 29, 2013 by admin

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    When is your child old enough to understand important historic events as they unfold?  Anytime – if you frame their exposure and your explanation in terms that are age appropriate.

    We think it is critical that our kids grow to become active participants in the political life of their community and nation.  It is our hope that they develop into informed and knowledgeable citizens.

    At the TR household, we involve our kids in political conversations and activities on a regular basis:  from protests and rallies at the Capitol, to dropping literature for Presidential or other candidates, to watching speeches on YouTube, to reading about history.

    But conversations have to be engaged in ways that each child can understand.  When campaigning for the current President, we discussed with our then three year-old Bluey- IMG_2572“Mom and Dad are helping elect this person because we like his ideas for assisting all of us to live in a more just and fair society.”  And with ten-year old Plum, we had more in depth conversations about ways to create jobs, ways to help the sick, the poor and the elderly- and how to identify which candidate had a better plan to achieve that goal.

    When a recent announcement by the US Supreme Court left TRDad momentarily stunned by joy, he explained to Bluey that a group of judges has just made it easier for you to marry whomever you love, if you want to get married when you are older.   This simple explanation made sense to Bluey and allowed him to understand, in his own way, the significance of the moment.

    We don’t want our kids to grow up with no memory of important events that occurred as they developed into active members of society.   History is something you live, not just a thing you read about later.

    Category Rambler Ramblings | Tags: ,, | Comments Off on Historic Moments

  3. The Museum of the Dog

    August 27, 2013 by admin

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    Part of our continuing series on traveling with pets

    This place is for the dogs!

    We truly enjoy taking our dog on vacation, so our research always includes looking for places she will enjoy.  Our trip to St. Louis produced a great find—The Museum of the Dog (MOD).

    The MOD is sponsored and supported by the AKC, and features exhibits about dogs of all kinds.  But it’s not just a museum about dogs– it is a museum that allows you to bring IMG_0422your dog into it!

    You must keep your dog on a leash as you explore three floors of dog related art and history.  Moo had a great time exploring the MOD with her family, instead of being left at the hotel on a museum day.

    The MOD won’t take you and your pooch longer than one hour to visit.  But it is right on the edge of Queeny Park, so you can take a long stroll before you go off on your next adventure.

    Category Road Trippin' | Tags: ,,, | 1 Comment

  4. Magna Doodle!

    August 25, 2013 by admin

    Part of Our Continuing Series On Travelling With Kids

    For trips both long and short, we sometimes need a small item to occupy the time.  We have found that we return regularly to one particular boredom buster: The Magna-Doodle!

    X6601-doodle-pro-neon-doodler-green-d-1We love the Magna-doodle because it is easier for young hands to use than the old school Etch-A-Sketch.  At a very young age, our Bluey was using the Magna-doodle in the car. (He called it his DS, in homage to his older sister’s Nintendo DS, which she rarely allowed him to use.)  It has saved us on many car rides that went longer than Bluey’s expectation or tolerance.

    Tip: Keep an eye out at garage sales for the MagnaDoodle, or a similar knock-off version.  They come in several different sizes!

    It’s a great car toy!  It is quiet, requires no batteries, and can last for years.   It tolerates drops and spills.  And the fun lasts as long as kiddo (or Mom and Dad) can come up with new ideas of what to draw—from practicing letters and shapes, to maps and pictures, or a quick game of hang-man, the Magna-doodle can do it all.

    Best of all- your kiddo is not ‘plugged in’- s/he can still talk to you, see the scenery and enjoy the adventure!

    Category Road Trippin' | Tags: ,,,,, | 1 Comment

  5. Show And Tell

    August 23, 2013 by admin

    Bluey wanted to go to Show&Tell.  He read about his fictional friends, like Calvin and Charlie Brown, enjoying Show&Tell in school.  So naturally, Bluey yearned to experience the same thing! 

    Ahhh, but Bluey doesn’t go to school or daycare.  How could we create this traditional experience for him?

    We’d need to find a person, and a setting, that would be pretty consistent.  The person would have to be someone who understands how much this means to our little Bluey.  They’d have to treat Show&Tell as an important meeting (i.e. not blow our kiddo off because there was something more ‘pressing’ to attend.)IMG_1629

    We tossed ideas around for a while, and then the answer landed in our laps.  While shopping at our local Hy-Vee we struck up a conversation with Deana, the store’s Nutritionist.  She knows our kids well as we’ve been chatting with her, and enjoying her programs, ever since we moved to Madison.  Deana engaged our Bluey in a conversation about school and learning, and it struck TRDad—this would be a perfect match.

    Bluey loves going to Hy-Vee and Deana is a familiar face.  Deana speaks to Bluey like he’s just as important as any grown customer.  So TRDad asked if Bluey could do Show&Tell with Deana.  She was thrilled with the idea, and quickly went over her schedule with us.

    Bluey began making plans immediately for the first Show&Tell.  When the day came, he loaded up a bag with SuperKitty, and her accoutrements.  When Bluey arrived at Hy-vee, he happily explained to Deana all of SuperKitty’s backstory and the importance of her accessories.  Deana asked him engaging follow up questions.  Bluey loved it!

    We’ve made plans for our next session.  We are so lucky to have found a store filled with employees that are willing to take time out of their busy days to help out even the youngest of customers in ways that are entirely outside of the box.

    Category Parenting | Tags: ,,, | 1 Comment

  6. Parenting With Comic Books- Hopeless Savages: Ground Zero

    August 21, 2013 by admin

    Hopeless-Savages-Vol-2-Ground-ZeroDo your kids think you’re out of touch with the angst of adolescence? Or do you worry that your kids will make the same mistakes you made, and you want to spare them that pain?  And do traditional parenting books get you down, or just not work for you?  If so, you might find assistance and meaning in graphic novels and comics.

    Hopeless Savages is a comic series by Jen Van Meter and a great circle of artists that follows the lives of the Hopeless- Savage family.  The Hopeless Savages are punk-rock pioneers who are trying to settle down and raise their family in suburbia.  Ground Zero is a collection within the series.  It centers on the parents and teachers as they try to figure out what motivates the youngest Savage, Skank Zero, to get into so much trouble at school.

    Zero Savage is struggling to manage high school life, find love, and pursue her rock-n-roll dreams.  But she doesn’t fit in as high school and her parents don’t seem to understand her.  Her relationship with her mom is particularly strained, as Mom tries to protect her youngest from all the upheavals and dramas that she experienced as a teen.

    Can Mom figure out why Zero has been so hard to handle lately?  Can Zero find a way to make her world make sense to her Mom?IMG_0626

    Can a comic book help you understand your kids?

    Check out Hopeless Savages, and let us know what you think.

    Category Parenting | Tags: ,,, | Comments Off on Parenting With Comic Books- Hopeless Savages: Ground Zero

  7. Paper Chase

    August 19, 2013 by admin

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    In our research to find all the best places to explore we discovered a museum in Appleton, dedicated to Wisconsin’s paper industry.  We had to check it out.  We took a trip up to Appleton to visit the Paper Discovery Center.

    IMG_1485After some wrangling with the desk clerk about how to process our MPM membership towards the admission, we were free to explore the museum.  We had arrived right as the museum opened (our usual strategy), so we had the place to ourselves.  Much of the museum consists of cardboard models of paper factories that were pretty cool to examine.  And there were also history displays about paper, which our kids breezed by with little interest.

    But there were two great highlights to this visit that made it worthy!  First, a crawl through paper machine, which our kids IMG_1495loved climbing on!  And second, a chance to make recycled paper!  This was the most memorable and enjoyable part of the museum.  A docent lead our kids step by step through the process of shredding old paper, adding color and glitter, and creating our own one of a kind sheets of paper to take home.  What fun!

    At check out, when we were picking up a few small knick-knacks from the gift shop, the receptionist surprised us with a free, large fold up cardboard tractor-trailer truck for our kids!  What a great added bonus!

    Category Jaunts | Tags: , | Comments Off on Paper Chase

  8. Customer Service Done Right!

    August 17, 2013 by admin

    securedownloadWe spend a fair amount of time trying to sort out consumer issues with various companies.  Our motto is: we don’t expect perfection.  The question is, what are you going to do when things go wrong?

    So when we purchased a pack of beer and found one of the cans mostly empty, we decided to give the manufacturer a call.  We admit that calling multinational corporations isn’t always easy.  (Tried calling the phone company lately? Oy.)  But we had nothing in particular to do that night, and few expectations, so we gave it a go.

    And we are glad we did!

    IMG_0554After a remarkably quick wait, we spoke with a live person at Budweiser.  He was happy to help out and explained what he thought happened, and what steps the company takes to prevent it.  He immediately offered to send us a coupon for a replacement case of beer.  And he was so engaging that he got us signed us up for the company newsletter.  The entire time this representative was cheerful and helpful— just what you’d expect from customer service!

    Our make-things-right package arrived a few days later.  But it wasn’t just a coupon!  The Budweiser employee took the time to drop in a few extra freebies, just to thank us for being understanding customers.

    So the next time you have a problem with a company, see if they can’t make it right.  Maybe it’ll work out in your favor!

    Category Rambler Ramblings | Tags: | Comments Off on Customer Service Done Right!

  9. The Kindness Project #4: Share The Bounty

    August 14, 2013 by admin

    IMG_1453We are happy to report that our garden is quite successful this season.  We have an abundance of tomatoes and a good crop of hot peppers.  Our melons, cukes, and squash are finally starting to spill out over our garden trellis.  We are harvesting more than we can eat.

    We have plans to dive into canning in 2014.  But for this current crop, we have to come up with an action plan so that our pickings don’t go to waste.IMG_1293

    As TR Mom recently pulled into the garage after work, she noticed one set of neighbors playing with their young kids in their front yard.  And it all suddenly became clear for this TR Household.

    We stuffed two paper lunch bags with our excess produce and walked it over to the neighbors.  It was a lovely icebreaker that helped move us beyond the friendly nod of our typical encounters.

    As this growing season continues to provide, we’ll knock on neighborhood doors to meet who we can and to deliver fresh produce for all to enjoy.

    Perhaps we’ll see you?

    Category Kindness Project | Tags: ,,,,, | 1 Comment

  10. Marinara Add-Ins

    August 12, 2013 by admin

    IMG_0539If you’ve mastered a standard marinara for your family, you might be looking for ways to kick it up a notch.  Whether for special occasions, or to permanently change your recipe, there are many things you can add into a sauce to give it a different angle.

    Veggies:

    Many veggies can be cooked right into your sauce, or sautéed and added later.  Try extra garlic, or zucchini.  Chunks of tomato will add a rustic edge.  Or Spinach and mushrooms can turn a sauce into a whole different experience.

    Herbs and Spices:

    Depending on your tastes, or your crowd, you can add a variety of herbs and spices to basic marinara to jazz it up.  Try chili powder or cayenne, for a kick!  Add fresh basil or cilantro for a greener taste.  Or add cumin and discover how your sauce will take on a Latin air.

    Beans and TVP:

    Add beans or textured vegetable proteins, to turn your basic marinara into a hearty, filling meal.  White beans, famous in the Italian soup “pasta fagioli,” will take your sauce in a new direction (chickpeas and kidneys work well too!).    Ground soy meat, or TVP will turn your sauce into the veggie equivalent of classic Italian Meat Sauce.   Or add chopped up soy bacon, or bacon bits to create a “Carbonara” tasting sauce.

    Wines, Oils and Vinegars:

    Wines, flavored oils and special vinegars can add distinct flavors to a basic marinara.  When we have less than a glass of wine left in a bottle, we’ll frequently put it by the stove IMG_1115for adding into our sauces: we’ve had great success with both red and white.  If you like flavored oils, you can use them at any step in the process to add extra hints of basil, lemon, garlic, or hot pepper to your sauce.  Likewise, a dollop of red wine vinegar, or balsamic towards the end of your sauce preparation can add a little zip!

    Don’t be afraid to experiment with marinara sauce and turn it into the one you want it to be!

    Category Recipes | Tags: ,, | Comments Off on Marinara Add-Ins

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