Kallaloo! A Caribbean Tale

I just finished reading this cute book that is a Caribbean version of the traditional Stone Soup story.

In the story there is a talking sea shell that speaks to Granny hungry tummy to help her prepare lunch. With a little help from people in the market place she has a wonderful meal in no time. The cutest part about the book is that there is an actually recipe for Kallaloo, a Caribbean dish, included in the book. My daughter and I are going to try our hand at making it and I thought other moms might enjoy reading the book and creating this dish. Here's a similar recipe I found.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of crab (optional)

2 pounds fresh fish fillets (snapper, yellow-tail)
1 pound fresh spinach
1 pound fresh greens (collards, kale, turnip greens)
12 okra
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 sprig each thyme & parsley
2 teaspoons hot sauce (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vinegar

Directions:

In a large soup pot, boil fish in 1- to 1 1/2 quarts of water until the fish turns opaque. Clean greens and okra. Finely chop vegetables in a food processor or blender. Remove fish from kettle. Bone fish and dice flesh. Add fish, vegetables and remaining ingredient to fish broth in the soup pot. Boil ingredients rapidly for 30 minutes. Do not "skim" while boiling. The vinegar in the recipe should prevent a slimy film from forming over the top of this soup.

Per serving: 150 calories 4 grams fat 24% fat calories 34 milligrams cholesterol 415 milligrams sodium. This dish offers an excellent source of folate, vitamin A, iron and dietary fiber

This recipe Kallaloo Soup serves 8.

Top Ten Mom Solution For Recession

With the current state of the economy, it is up to the mom's to pull out our bag of tricks to find great bargains for our family. I thought it would be great to list resources that I have found work and that other moms trust. Feel free to add you helpful hints to the list in the comment section........that's what it is all about, moms helping moms.


1. Clip, Clip, Clip....coupons are really worth the time and effort it takes to collect papers and cut them out. I recently read an article in Essence where a woman said she could buy $200 worth of groceries and pay $10 for them after with coupons. This got me motivated to begin to cut away. I recently saved $80 on one grocery bill by combining store sales with coupons.....I am not a true believer. It is well worth the effort to buy several Sunday papers to save. Here are some coupon websites where you can print your own coupons at home: shopathome.com and freegrocerycoupon.com

2. Shop to you drop.....now you have to be careful not to sign up for any company that requires you to pay a fee...those are scams. But with a little research and time you can find companies that will pay you to shop for clothes, restaurants and even groceries. The best part is you get reimbursed for your purchases and you get to keep them.

3. Work at home jobs..... two sites that I can recommend are http://workathomemomrevolution.blogspot.com and girgetpaid.com
These sites are updated frequently with list of work at home positions that are available in various areas. Another site is Tory Johnson's womenforhire.com. This site is packed with everything you need to know about companies that are hiring to starting your own business.

4. Consignment stores/Secondhand stores....these stores are great places to buy and sale clothes for your children as they grow. They have everything from uniforms to babies stroller and you can even find things with tags still on them. A few of my favorite are Once upon a Child and Kid to Kid. They have complete store locations on their websites and even franchise information.

5. Turn your hobby into money....I read a money article that talked about turning hobbies like sewing and cooking into side jobs that can add money to your pocket. If you are an excellent cook you can commit to a few hours a week as a private chef or teach others to cook. Whatever you love to do and are good at there is a market out there for that.......like parties why not plan parties for others...you be surprised how something that comes so easy to you is just the thing someone is looking for.

6. Let the writing bug bite you.... There is money to be made in blogging and freelance writing. Sites like blogspot.com, can help you get started setting up your own blog. There is even a site called Guru.com that connects you with 1,000s of freelance positions at various commissions.

7. Buy a water purifier. Really how much do we spend in bottle water when we could easily buy water purifiers at Target or Walmart. Brita has a great brand and this will add up in dollars in a short time.....I totally understand not wanting to drink tap water. This small change will help your pocket and the environment.

8. Start saving.....we all know that it is harder now than ever to save but just putting $100 a month a way can make a huge difference. This applies to retirement, kids college fund and even vacations. Safety nets are always a good idea.

9. Bring your own lunch...This maybe a simple one for most moms. We pack our kids lunches all the time, but if you add up all the trips to McDonalds you could buy a small car. It is just easier to pack your own lunch (yours, significant others, children, etc). By eating out less you put money back in your pocket and can control healthier eating habits too.

10. This is the most important: Don't forget to treat yourself. I don't care if it is a manicure, a trip to the book store or a trip to Marshalls. A small treat is good. Now I am not saying buy those $300 boots for winter but a splurge within reason is good. Maybe you are movie buff and subscribing to Netflix might be the entertainment you need to take your mind off of money worries from time to time.



Hopefully this top ten is helpful....I would love to hear what you and your family are doing during these economic times.

Top Ten Thinngs You Never Say to a Pregnant Woman

I promise that this is not turning into a blog about pregnancy, but for my first week back I couldn't resist writing this blog....

So here is my top ten list for things you never say to a pregnant woman.....


10. When are you due....tomorrow?

9. Are you sure you are not having twins?

8. So how much weight have you gained so far?

7. Did you plan this? or You're having another one?

6. How many of those have you eaten?

5. You are going to breastfeed....right?

4. You not suppose to eat that....you know it's bad for the baby?

3. Why would you name your baby that?

2. What size bra are you wearing now?

1. "So this is your first? Oh my God, with my first, I had horrible back labor for THIRTY hours, and then I needed a C-section and was in pain for WEEKS and the baby didn't sleep through the night until she was two years old..." or any version of this story...........


Add your favorite inappropriate comments you heard during your pregnancy....let's see how long of a list we can get.

Got Sleep????

At 33 plus weeks it is safe to say that I am past the point of being able to "sleep like a baby." I remember being uncomfortable with my first born but at some point, through trial and error, I found a sleeping position that worked for me. This time around , I don't know if it is the anxiety of adjusting to the joyful demands of two children or not being able to shut my brain down long enough to sleep, but I can't get comfortable. I have tried it all -- sleeping with tons of pillows, sleeping sitting up in the bed and my favorite, sleeping in a chair. No matter what I try the most I get are just a few hours of sleep.....I just don't remember it being like this:)

All I can think about is if I don't go to sleep soon it will be time for Madison, my almost 3 year old, to start her day.

To add insult to injury, when people see you they quickly remind you, "you look so tired." Thanks that really makes me feel better. I remember hearing that your body is getting you read for those night feeding when the baby arrives. So tell me all my readers, especially those with more than one child..... how do you adjust to the lack of sleep and still have energy for your other children and husband? More importantly......what were your sleeping tricks in those last few months.......

Sleepless in Dallas