Embarrassing Potato Soup

OK.  This is kind of embarrassing.
But that's OK.
Its lazy, so I'll share it.
I love Loaded Baked Potato Soup.
This is my "not really at all like it, but it kind of reminds me of it" soup.

1.  Boil amount of water according to directions on the Instant Mashed Potato box.
2.  Add a little extra so its soup and not just mashed potato consistency.
3.  Add bouillon and Italian Seasoning to the water.
4.  Add the amount of potato according to the box.
5.  Let it sit a few minutes.
6.  While its sitting, blend a can of Northern Beans.
7.  Add to the potatoes.
8.  Blend/chop/dice steamed broccoli.
9.  Add to the potatoes.
10.  Add shredded cheese.

or

1.  Make mashed potatoes with extra water + seasonings
2.  Add blended beans, chopped broccoli and shredded cheese.

5 ingredients.  5 minutes.

I count the bouillon and Italian Seasoning only once and don't count the water.  In case you were wondering how I came up with 5.  Because I like 5, that's why.

SparkPeople

I love SparkPeople.  Love.  It.  If you want to track your calories, fiber, fat, protein, water, or "anything else you can think of" intake, it will do it for you electronically.  Awesome.  You just plug in what you ate that day.  Simple.  Easy.  Brilliant.  Oh, and its FREE.  My favorite price.

For example, I am having an egg sandwich made from EggBeaters, with 2 pieces of wheat toast, salsa and light miracle whip.  I have this for lunch on occasion.  So, I have made this a "group" that the program saves.  All I do is go to my "Food Groupings" and click "Egg Sandwich".  Done.  Now I know that I am consuming 105 calories, 16 carbs, 2 grams of fat and 9 grams of protein.  It also calculates my daily totals at the bottom.  Wow.  I obviously would have never done that on my own.  I understand Weight Watchers online program is very similar.

Either way, its nice.  Easy.  Quick.

Thanks to my friend for mentioning calorie counting today.  You've again inspired me ;) and reminded me that I "was" doing so too.  Until I got distracted.  Again.

ISO...

Is Seeking Out.... lazy options.  Do you have lazy short-cuts that you use to save time/energy/patience for the tiny people in your life?  Or husbands.  They're important too  ;)  Though he tends to get the non-existent leftovers of patience after a day of the tiny two.  I really should try to reserve a little for him... I'm not sure quite how to do that- I guess I'm seeking that out too :)

vegetables that steam themselves

So I was discussing with my friend yesterday how lazy I am and she mentioned the steam-in-their-bag-vegetables.  Do you know what I'm talking about?  The ones that you take from the freezer, throw the entire bag in the microwave, and a few minutes later you cut the bag open to find wonderfully steamed vegetables, with no pot to clean up or watch after.  I haven't really used these very many times, but in my quest of lazy vs. cheap vs. healthy (yes, believe it or not, I do pursue healthy too... as long as its not too difficult ;) I think I need to try these out.  I've been using canned vegetables a lot lately and think that these would be a good alternative.  I need to do a cost analysis, but there's definitely some vegetables I'm not too fond of canned.

I keep reading that, even though "farmer's market" fresh is the best, "picked 2 weeks ago and trucked in from California" is not, necessarily a very good choice.  Frozen, which is preserved shortly after picking, is actually the 2nd best option behind locally grown.   So, I guess the next time I do a Harris Teeter order, I'll be getting a few.

Lazy and healthy.  Nice.

Lunch on the run

Often, the Tiny Two and I are out and about until lunchtime or later.  Sometimes I like to feed them in the car.  Sweetheart doesn't like this.  That's too bad.  Its much easier for me to have them eat in the car and go straight to nap vs. come home, make lunch, have them eat lunch/play/eat lunch/play/finally finish lunch, then get to their naps.  Then their naps are late.  Then they don't sleep enough.  Then they're cranky.  I don't like cranky.  I, then, choose to feed them in the car.

Sweetheart just thinks I should go home earlier.  Sweetheart doesn't spend all day everyday with toddlers and isn't very lacking in adult communication.  I will, then, keep talking until the very last minute (or an hour after the last minute...) and feed the kids in the car if necessary.  They get their naps, I get my friends.  Its a win/win.  Except for the car.  I don't really car about the car.

Anyway, back to lunches....

I've tried lots of different options for easy to make, easy to take, easy to eat, not too messy options for lunch.  My favorite, by far, of all of my lunch options, is the "quesadilla": a tortilla, covered in shredded cheese, microwaved for 30 seconds, and then rolled or folded in half, depending on the child.  Usually I'll throw in a bag of cherrios, pretzels, goldfish, or sliced apple.  I usually don't give those to the Tiny Two in the car.  Sometimes I do, but they're awfully messy.

The quesadilla is much much cleaner than crumbly sandwiches, or the above mentioned items like cheerios (which somehow multiply and make little cheerio babies under the car seats I think) or goldfish (which crumble into that orange dust)

What do you pack for lunch on the go?

Cheap and Lazy: Breakfast and Lunch

For Breakfast, I generally ask my kids, Do you want:

oatmeal (plain with applesauce)
Peanut Butter and honey (sandwich on wheat bread)
Cheese toast (shredded cheese on wheat bread, in the toaster oven for 5 minutes)
cereal (usually Cheerios or Frosted Mini-Wheats.... but the knock off version because I'm cheap)
Quesadilla (tortilla topped with shredded cheese and microwaved for 30 seconds)

Lunch is basically the same options, minus the oatmeal or cereal, with leftovers from the night before added in to the mix.

If Sweetheart is home for breakfast (sometimes on the weekends) he'll make grits and eggs or french fries  with an egg for everyone (the latter he calls "hashbrowns" and no argument in the world can convince him that they are not, in fact, hashbrowns, but just french fries topped with an egg...such are the debates at my house)  I am much too lazy to do such things every morning.  Sweetheart, if I haven't told you, is NOT lazy.  Its kind of irritating sometimes how much energy he has.  That's jealousy talking if you didn't catch it-- since I am, certainly, the opposite of high energy.  Its good, of course, to have lots of energy when one often works 30 hours at a time and 80+ hours a week.  Obviously God called him to do that and not me.  Thank you, God.

Anyway, back to breakfasts and lunches...

I try to throw in to the mix as a side:
raisins
apples (sliced, often with peanut butter)
bananas
nuts
dried fruit
yogurt
applesauce
small cubes of cheese

For snack we have the above, but I've been making a lot of easy cheap homemade from the microwave popcorn lately.

What are your "go to" cheap and easy options for breakfast and lunch?

Tablecloth

I keep a tablecloth on the table.  It seems kind of fancy but thats not really the reason.  Obviously.  Knowing me.  Obviously the real reason is that I'm lazy.  I hate to scrub the table.  Eight times a day.  Every time the kids eat.  Blah.  I hate that if I don't clean the table right away I have to scrub it later.  Even if I do wipe it down right away, before all their little baby dirty spills dry, I still have to often scrub it.  Blah.  That's for the birds.  I find it much easier to have several, washable tablecloths that I just toss in the washer ever couple of days.  Easier.  That's my line. I got the idea from a friend of mine with 4 kids. That's twice as many as I have.  Which makes her twice as smart.  And twice as motherly.  And twice as good at inventing ways to not make extra work.  Not that she's lazy.  She does, after all, have 4 kids.  She is, however, efficient.  Like I want to be.  Except with 2 less kids.