We had a lot of fun this past weekend canning away! On Thursday, I sliced up and froze one 25 lb box of peaches for smoothies over the winter. For the frozen ones, I kept it simple and just sliced them up, unpeeled, into eighths and laid them out in Ziploc bags. I also canned another 25 lb box to make 25 pints of canned peaches for Karis, fruit salads, peach cobblers, etc. It was so fun and my first experience with canning peaches. It was so simple and they turned out delicious! I followed these basic instructions and simplified it by leaving all the peels on (hoping to preserve some of the nutrition in the peel and save me time!), and I made the syrup out of honey and water to make it more natural (also explained on the site). I also barely cooked them in the syrup – maybe a minute or two just to heat them up for hot packing, in an effort not to lose a lot of nutrients which can result from canning.
On Friday, my mom, some of my siblings and I made a large batch of applesauce! 50 quarts all together. What a blessing to enjoy the apples my parents have grown in their backyard for so long and produce a good harvest of applesauce. We sweetened these with rapadura and cinnamon and it was definitely yummy! Canning is so much fun!
Saturday was spent car shopping and getting our current vehicle all cleaned up and posted for sale. Oh the joys of searching for a used car on craigslist! It is definitely the best way to go, and after switching gears several times, we think we may have found a good vehicle for us, Lord willing. It will be taken to our family mechanic tomorrow to get checked out before we proceed further. Thanks for your prayers in this process! Now to get a buyer for our current vehicle!
We will be taking some time of this week to celebrate my birthday…Aaron and I are going away for the weekend all by ourselves! Praise the Lord! Karis will be spending some extended time with my family. I am so greatly looking forward to this little outing to the beach!
Now on to our menu plan…
Monday
Prep: make yogurt, butter (I have been increasing my milk purchases lately in order to supply the protein I need for the pregnancy and because Karis just loves it! With the additional milk supplies additional cream for butter -why not?), soak oatmeal, make blueberry syrup
Breakfast: fruit salad, yogurt, toast & peanut butter
Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwiches, peaches
Dinner: Crockpot Ragout, corn
Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, apples, raisins, bananas
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Veggie Soup, Spelt Biscuits (getting back in the mood for soups!)
Wednesday
Prep: thaw chicken, soak oatmeal, soak granola
Breakfast: French toast, fruit salad
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Garden Medley (recipe below)
Thursday
Prep: make French bread, waffles & cinnamon rolls for trip
Breakfast: Oatmeal, apples, raisins, bananas
Lunch: Salmon Melts
Dinner: Lentil & Rice Casserole
Friday -Sunday- beach trip
Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls, fruit
Lunch: Sausage, Cheese, crackers
Dinner: Spaghetti, French bread, Green Salad
Saturday
Breakfast: Omelets, bacon
Dinner Out
Sunday
Breakfast: Waffles, cream, blueberry syrup
Head home
For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.
Chicken Garden Medley
Another wonderful way to use all the fresh produce that is now in season – zucchini, yellow squash, green peppers, etc!
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup butter
1 small yellow squash, julienned
1 small zucchini, julienned
½ cup each julienned green and sweet red pepper
¼ cup thinly sliced onion
2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup chicken broth
½ cup milk
8 ounces brown rice spaghetti pasta, cooked and drained
2 Tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
In a large skillet sauté chicken and garlic in 2 Tbls. butter for 10-12 minutes. Add vegetables; cook until crisp-tender. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter. Add flour, salt and pepper; stir to form a smooth paste. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cream and heat through. Pour over chicken and vegetables; stir until well mixed. Place pasta in a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Pour chicken mixture over top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes; uncover and bake 10 minutes longer. Yield: 4-6 servings.
Have a blessed Labor Day!
where did you purchase your peaches from (here in vancouver?)
I purchased my peaches from Thompsons Farm in Damascus, OR. They produce a wonderful amount of pesticide free produce, so I will stop by there when I am in the area for church. Their address is: 24727 SE Bohna Park Rd
Damascus, OR 97089 and number:(503) 658-4640. They had the best deal in the area at $20 for 25 lbs.
Your menu sounds wonderful! Have a fantastic birthday and time alone with your dh. Be blessed!!!
I just learned how to can peaches as well, and the finished product is so worth the effort! I never thought of using honey in the syrup though. I will definitely have to try that next time! We have a wonderful farmer’s market here and the climate will allow us to have fresh peaches well into fall. Yum