It’s Thursday but I think this qualifies as a Wordless Wednesday post! I was ironing. I asked the girls to make sure they tidied up the toys from Chloe and John’s rooms. I just went to put John down for his nap and this is what I found! LOL. I think everything from both of their rooms is in there. Ah, the joys of 2 year olds!
An Adjustment for Better Functioning
A search of 'Adjustment' revealed the following:
A Small Change, A Minor Correction, A Modification
What is Tune-Up Tuesday? Find out more HERE!
Well, we started with our Healthier You Challenge and of course covered Balance, then on to some reasons to lose weight and some basic how-to’s in 10% Less of Me. I’m making progress, how about you?
Today I wanted to share with you a couple links that I came across in my reader in the past week.
Interesting Links:
Finding Balance of Life and Soul at Home @ Simple Mom
The Most Important Step to Staying Healthy @ Little House in the Suburbs
Do you have a favorite post on being healthy? If it is by you, link it up (even if it is from your archives) because I’d love to read it. If it is by someone else, leave it in the comments. I love inspiration and ideas! Speaking of inspiration…
Healthier You by Epicure
My friend, Carmen Locke, is an Epicure Consultant. She must read my blog and had a product she wanted me to do a review of. I’m pretty excited since it goes perfectly with where I am right now! Healthier You: feel better in just 28 days! I’ve had a look through the product and it focuses on eating healthy and isn’t some crazy fad diet. I will be starting this on Monday. I’ll share with you my progress and thoughts on this product on October 1st and of course my final review after the full 28 days.
Status Report:
How is your exercise and eating? A work in progress or are you pretty happy with where you are? What are you ‘tuning up” this week? Link up or leave a comment!
Happy Thursday!!
After posting I Can, You Can? I took a week off. I froze raspberries, strawberries, canned peaches and I made pickles for the first time ever! I am so pleased with the fruits (or vegetables LOL) of my labor. The pickles taste wonderful and the peaches look great (haven’t tasted them yet) I made both dill pickles and a whole lot of sweet Gherkins.
Everyone in our family loves Gherkins but they are $2.99-$4.99/395ml here. At that price we don’t eat a lot of them. That is sad since they make a nice snack with cheese and crackers or as an addition to lunch for an extra vegetable serving. Yes, I know they have quite a big of sugar in them but since we eat very little processed foods or snacks, it isn’t an issue for our family.
With this recipe at the most it costs me $3.00/liter and with the discounted baby cucumbers I got this past weekend at the farmers market ($10/bushel!) they are costing about $1.00/liter!Amazing and so yummy. They are easy to make but a little time consuming as well.
Easy, Week-Long Gherkin Pickles (Completely worth the time!!)
Day one: Rinse cucumbers. Boil approx 24 liters of water, add 1/4 cup salt. Pour over cucumbers and let sit overnight.
Day two: Drain, rinse and repeat above.
Day three: Drain, rinse cucumbers. Boil 4 cups of vinegar with 3 1/2 cups of sugar and 1 tsp of turmeric. Put other spices into a spice bag (cheesecloth, whatever) and boil in the vinegar mixture. Prick cucumbers in many places, pour boiling mixture over top of the cucumbers and let sit overnight.
Day four: Drain, reserving liquid. Bring remaining liquid to a boil adding an additional 1 1/2 cups each of sugar and vinegar. Pour over cucumbers and let stand overnight.
Day five: Drain, reserve liquid. Bring liquid to a boil with an additional cup of vinegar and two of sugar. Pour over cucumbers and let stand 8 hours. Drain, reserve liquid, bring to a boil, adding an additional cup of sugar. Remove spice bag. Pack cucumbers tightly into hot jars. Pour liquid over them leaving 1/4 inch headroom and process in a boiling water canner for approx 10 minutes.
This week I have no posts scheduled at all for a variety of reasons so I thought I would type :)
Thursday night I went to bed at 7pm. While I don’t usually suffer from allergies, Thursday I had itchy, watery eyes. I took some of Scott’s allergy medication, not realizing that it was not non-drowsy. Whoosh! I was out like a light. What a great way to welcome my mother-in-law!
Friday we went to a birthday party. Chloe’s friends, twins Gracie and Brady, turned 4. It was a very exciting party. When the twins started opening their presents, Chloe came to me and asked where her presents were. I told her that it wasn’t her birthday and that her birthday was in January. She burst into tears and told me, “I don't yike my birfday Jan-u-ry”! Oh, my heart broke for her (as I inwardly giggled. It’s hard for little ones to understand sometimes isn’t it?
Saturday Chloe spent the day visiting with Nana and GG. GG is my mother-in-law and, of course, Chloe’s grandmother. Nana is Chloe’s great grandmother. Nana lives with us in an in-law suite and GG lives in Africa! GG comes home a couple times a year so it is a special treat to be able to spend time with the two of them.
Sunday we went to Webster’s Falls. I’ll share some pictures of that later.
Right now, I am sitting here on the couch with Chloe watching Cinderella on VHS. Yes, amazingly we still have a working VCR. LOL. Chloe has never seen Cinderella before and so far, she is completely engrossed. I try to be careful of what she is watching; is it age appropriate, what is it teaching etc. I’m not sure where Cinderella falls. I’m not crazy about the whole “mean stepmother/sister’ thing because it sort of stereo-types those roles but on the other hand, not everyone in the world is nice and we need to learn to respond kindly regardless of how we are treated. I think Cinderella does a great job of modeling a “do unto others” attitude as well as a positive attitude towards chores and daily tasks, even when they seem overwhelming or unending. Another aspect of Cinderella that I am not fond of is the fairy-godmother. But alas, I think sometimes with some things we over-analyze. I’m just going to let my little ballerina/princess/butterfly enjoy her ‘princess’ movie at face value – whatever that is to a two year old.
Raising Rascals was also kind enough to send me a little surprise with the shoes; some Dimpleskins Bum Bum Balm. Initially, I wasn't sure how much use I would get out of it since, with using cloth diapers, my littles very seldom have diaper rash issues. But during the week of VBS, I fell behind on laundry and ended up using disposables. Poor little John's bottom quickly developed a red bottom but the Bum Bum Balm cleared it up just as quickly. I've also been using it on Chloe's eczema with great success. My little ones are both 'blessed' with sensitive skin and neither of them have had any issues using it. It smells wonderful, is fast absorbing and not greasy at all. And it is all natural which is a huge deal for me on my quest to become more 'green' for the health of my family and the environment! I’m even more concerned about the products my family uses after looking up the toxicity rating of many baby products!
An Adjustment for Better Functioning
A search of 'Adjustment' revealed the following:
A Small Change, A Minor Correction, A Modification
What is Tune-Up Tuesday? Find out more HERE!
Losing 10% of our body weight to be healthier. This was the very first goal that they gave me at Weight Watchers when I attended after my daughter was born. Healthy should be our primary concern. If we’re healthier, we’ll will have more energy to do our daily tasks, to spend time with our families; to just LIVE! It’s easier on our hearts, legs, joints etc. We don’t need to be thin to be healthy but it is healthy to be in a target weight range.
Being a healthy weight makes us feel better about ourselves. Our opinions of ourselves shouldn’t hinge solely on our looks though, if we are honest, our self-image and self-esteem is affected by how we look. I’m never going to look like a super-model and I am just fine with that (most days lol) but I want to look the best that I can look! I want to make the most of what God has seen fit to give me.
Be a Healthy Example. Actions speak louder than words. So true. Generally, wives are the ones planning the meals for the family. It’s great if you are planning healthy meals for your family but what are you eating as snacks and such? (Me? Chocolate!!) Good for you if your children are active but are you? (Me? ummm…we’ll come back to that!) Littles and not so littles are watching everything we do. Are we making healthy choices?
I am made in HIS image and my body is a temple. (Genesis 1:26, 1 Corinthians 6:19) Two exceptionally good reasons to have a healthy body!
Ok, but how?
Hydration! I read (somewhere?!?) that often dehydration is mistaken for hunger and that by the time you feel thirsty, your body has already experienced mild dehydration. Water is also about 75% of our body weight. I’m not any sort of expert but I do know that we were designed to function best when well hydrated. A side perk: hair and nails will grow better too!
Sleep! I am finally getting to sleep through the night. Ahh, what bliss. The Lord gives us sleep (Psalm 127:2). We function best, have the most physical energy and, of course, are at our best mentally when we get enough sleep. While we can go without enough short term – our health will decline if we do not get enough rest!
Eat! Sometimes I get busy and don’t eat. Then I snack. This is an area of struggle for me. Maybe you struggle with eating too much? Often it isn’t so much the quantity but the quality of what we eat. The Lord designed food to meet our bodies needs. Eating food in the most natural state possible is healthiest for us. Whole, Natural, Unprocessed, Fresh. All good words for healthy eating!
Exercise! We need it on a regular basis. Some need less than others. Especially if you are chasing little ones around all day lol! You don’t have to join a gym, spend a lot of money on videos or work out for hours at a time. Simply getting in a brisk walk during the day (20-30 minutes) is awesome! Twice a week I walk in the morning with a neighbor before Scott leaves for work and before the littles are up. It’s great to have the accountability of a partner. Summer is always easy for me…but when winter comes (with snow and cold), that is where I struggle. Anyone have any ideas of how to work it in then?
So my tune up in the past couple weeks has been incorporating more exercise into my day. I am also trying to incorporate a 5-10 minute stretching time as well. I used to be very flexible. Now?….errr…not so much.
Do you have a tune-up you are working on or completed? Link up (directly to your post) or share a comment! If you could mention TUT and link back so others can join in too, that would be appreciated!
The other day I shared with you my Essential Gear for cloth diapering…today I want to share with you how I use it!
My System:
I have 10 diapers. It depends on your budget and how often you will do the washing. I do the wash every day. To start I bought 2 BumGenius3.0 to make sure they would work well for my son. They did and I bought more. In the beginning it was barely enough but as he got older, it was/is completely sufficient. I also really like the FuzziBunz diapers. I have to admit that I send John and Chloe to church nursery in disposables but other than that, we use cloth. After I wash the diapers, I immediately put the absorbent liner back into the pocket, put a biodegradable liner in it, fold it over and it is all set for use again! I like to have them ready; making diaper changes as quick as possible! I keep some in the two areas I change John in the most.
If you’re cloth diapering, you may as well use cloth wipes! I used disposable wipes with my daughter because I always had coupons for free packages with diapers. Once I stopped buying disposable diapers, I stopped getting free wipes and suddenly the cost started adding up. There are tons of cloth wipes you can buy out there but I have found that baby face cloths from the Dollar Store work wonderful for me! I also have some wipes sewn out of flannel that I use but I find that for messy diapers, the baby wash cloths grip solids better. Traditional wash cloths are just too big to get into little places. I would love to try out some of the fancy reusable bamboo wipes and such but the cost is a deterrent.
While you can certainly change baby in the bathroom all the time and simply wet your cloth with water, that didn’t really work for me. I also found that just water in a container with wipes seemed to have a musty smell. Then Moms and Bums sent me a sample of Monkey Doodlez Wipes Cubes. I love them; the cloths do not smell moldy or musty but have a fresh light scent. I immediately purchased some. It was $10 for a small jar. I’ve used it for 6+ months and there is hardly a dent in it. I seriously think that this one jar of cubes will last for John’s entire diapering lifetime. I have a few samples of these cubes to giveaway. I’m sure you will love them!
I boil a liter of water, dump it into an empty pickle jar and add a cube. I shake it up and the solution is ready. Since I used to use disposable wipes, I had lots of those nice containers lying around. I simply fold my cloth wipes in half and put them into the container and pour enough solution over the wipes to have them be damp (not dripping!). If I have leftover solution, I just leave it in the pickle jar until next time.
I change John in his room (upstairs) or on our couch (downstairs). I’d like to interject here that since having children, I am a big fan of leather furniture. Each time there is any sort of accident, I grab my disinfecting wipes, clean it up and am thankful for how easy it was to do so. Anyway, our coffee table has a drawer in it so I keep a tub of wipes and diapers in there. I also keep a tub of cloth wipes in John’s bedroom, the kids bathroom and the main floor powder room.
Outside our laundry room I keep a metal trashcan with a lid and a foot pedal. Inside the trash can is a Bummis tote. When a diaper is soiled, I flush the biodegradable liner, remove the absorbent insert and throw the cover and insert into the tote inside the pail. This is the last time I touch the diaper until it is clean! Each evening I take the tote out of the can, dump it into the washer and replace it in the can. I love that the Bummis tote really cuts down on the ‘ick’ factor as well as the smell. I wash the diapers, dry them, then put the insert back into the cover, line it with the flushable liner and put them back into the areas that I diaper John in. Every second day or so I throw the Bummis tote in with the diapers for a good wash. Doing this ensures that I never have an odor in my pail as sometimes plastic can absorb odors. Speaking of odors, I have a sample of Pail Pals (thanks Moms and Bums) to giveaway to a reader. Having used the tote with the pail, I have never had a need for a deodorizer however I am told that this one is a good one.
When I am on the go, two things really help; my wipes pouch and my wet bag! I use the Sugar Booger Wipes pouch which I purchased from The Baby Boutique. I originally purchased the one with the zipper in the middle however I had some problems with it. I contacted ORE. They were extremely prompt in responding to my concern and very helpful! They have come out with a new design where the zipper is on the top. They replaced mine with the new design and I love it. You can use a baggie, one of the disposables hard travel cases…it just needs to be something that you can keep your wipes in and not have the dry out. I use my reusable wipes not only for John’s bottom but also to wash hands and faces while we’re out!
I use a Monkey Doodlez Wet Bag when I am on the go for dirty diapers and wipes. It is indispensible to me! I also use it for soiled clothing and wet bathing suits! You don’t have to have a fancy bag but you do need to have something!
Chloe is pretty much potty trained but sometimes there are still accidents. Though she wears panties during the day, I use a FuzziBunz one size diaper for her at bedtime (she’s 2 1/2). If we go out, I usually put a pair of Kushies cloth training pants on her…just in case.
For swimming we used to use little swimmers but the cost really mounted! Then I discovered Monkey Doodlez swim diapers. I just love it. With Chloe, we have a bummis swim diaper. Swim diapers are the way to go! More economical especially if you will be using it with more than one child. Chloe’s this year (turtles) will be John’s next year! For Baby with Love wants to give one reader a Mother of Eden swim diaper! Though summer is almost over, these are perfect for the pool in summer or winter!!
It’s been 2 1/2 years since my first cloth diaper disaster. it’s taken a while but I finally have a cloth diapering system that really works for me!
GIVEAWAY: #1 Mother of Eden Swim Diaper or #2 Diaper Cubes and Pail Pals
Chloe was 18 months when she started taking off her messy diapers and bringing them to me. That was when our potty-training journey began. Very quickly Chloe figured it all out and that was pretty much the end of messy diapers. Hurray! Wet diapers were another story though. Chloe is 2 1/2 and finally has the hang of it (except when she is sleeping).
When I started off potty training, I purchased Huggies Pull-ups. Even with coupons the cost quickly mounted up. Since I was already cloth diapering John, it made sense to use cloth trainers as well. I used a number of different types and brands. Over all, I think that I was the happiest with Kushies. They sent me a review one and then I purchased a few additional pairs!
Beautiful Calling readers (in the USA, sorry Canada!) will receive 10% off at Kushies Online by using coupon code bc10. One lucky reader (Canadian or US friends) will also receive a pair of waterproof taffeta training pants in light pink.
To Enter:
I am a happy cloth diapering mama! With baby #2 that is. With baby #1, I gave up quite quickly and want to share with you what works for me when it comes to cloth diapering!
Stay Home
In hind sight, I think one of the reasons that my first cloth diapering attempt failed miserably was that I didn’t stay home. I don’t mean that I worked outside the home but simply that we had so many play dates, activities, places to go, shops to visit etc. that I wasn’t home enough to make it work. And it does take work. Not a whole lot once you get into the hang of it but it will be additional work for you.
Find cloth diapers that work for you!
Get the Right Gear!
Many cloth diapering sites have reviews by customers and there are plenty of mommy blogs out there with product reviews on them. Read up and research! See what works for other moms to help you decide on what you think will work for you! I‘m going to share with you what some of the items that help make cloth diapering really work for me.
I use:
Tomorrow I will share with you how I put all these products to good use in my cloth diapering system! I also have a few fun giveaways here so be sure to enter!
Do you have a super dooper cloth diapering accessory to rave about? Please share!
On Wednesday I will be sharing with you my cloth diapering essentials. One of these essentials would be FuzziBunz!
For those with little time:
For those with a little more time:
FuzziBunz sent me a perfect size diaper for John in red. It fit John perfectly when it arrived this spring and still fits him perfectly this fall. Prior to receiving this one, I used another popular one-size diaper with Velcro. After using FuzziBunz for several months, I think that snaps are the way to go! With a double row of snaps, it truly ensures a custom fit; an essential since every baby has different proportions! This worked well for us since John is starting to thin out around the middle as he gets older but his adorable chubby thighs are staying the same. I love that it isn’t bulky at all. I use one size diapers as well and though I love them too, I generally find John needs to wear one size larger in pants to accommodate his diaper. With this diaper, it isn’t necessary. I love the colors available as well. I realize that this is just aesthetics and has no bearing on the quality or performance but cheerful colors are fun! Rather than re-iterate the specs, you can check out the perfect size diaper on their site.
FuzziBunz also sent me a one-size diaper in Baby Pink for Chloe. As soon as I opened the package, Chloe was right there, “My Pink, My Pink”. She never added diaper to the end of the sentence, she simply called it her pink. Of course, I tried it on her immediately. I don’t know who was more excited; her or me. For some reason i really like cloth diapers in pretty colors, especially pink! She was about 28 months when it arrived and it fit her wonderfully. She is now 32 months and still wearing it to bed each night. She has been mostly potty trained since spring however night times are still tough for her. She wouldn’t wear a disposable diaper (telling me she isn’t a baby) but she happily wears “my pink” to bed. Funny little girl! Chloe is about 33lbs and still fits it perfectly though it is at the largest setting. I am sure that she will be fully trained before she outgrows it! With the one size, it comes with a small and large insert. I did use both for a while with Chloe however one is just fine with her now. I was completely impressed with the fit of this diaper because it not only adjusts with snaps around the waist but with elastic in the legs as well. It ensures no leaks and a comfortable fit around the legs. I think this is an important feature for those of us who have babies with ‘healthy’ legs :) The other thing that surprised me was that it wasn’t as bulky as I expected it would be. For all the details on how the one-size diaper diaper works, be sure to visit their site.
I will share with you more about my cloth diaper system on Wednesday but I would like to tell you that I wash my cloth diapers every day. I only have 10. I tell you this so you will understand that when I say they wash well you will understand that they have been washed 100+ times before this review was posted. The colors haven’t faded and despite being used on a regular basis, there is no staining, marks or odors. The only things that I have noticed is that the inside seems to be softer and the insert more absorbent. I have never had any leaks with them and can honestly say that I am 100% satisfied with them. They also dry quite quickly which is important if you have a limited number of diapers and are washing every day! One additional perk that just came to mind: John can’t take them off (yet). There have been times this summer where I let John just wear a shirt and his diaper. If he’s wearing a Velcro one, I’ve often had him take it off and tell me “uh, oh”. I always make sure to put bottoms on him before putting him down for a nap. The talented little monkey is now able to take off his pants!! He may have mastered the art of Velcro but not snaps!
FuzziBunz also makes a variety of other neat accessories. I haven’t tried them out first-hand but if they are of the same caliber as the diapers I tried, they will be well worth it!
In conclusion: Diapers are one of those items that you really get what you pay for. Buying quality diapers right from the start ensures that you will truly save money. If I buy more cloth diapers, I will buy FuzziBunz! Try them, I’m sure you’ll be just as happy!
What is Tune-Up Tuesday? Find out more HERE!
Photo by Dia So in conclusion, a healthy self-image has little to do with what you weigh and a whole lot to do with choice. A choice to accept and be content with what you can’t change (and make the most of it!), a choice to take action to change those things which are in your power to, or a choice to do nothing!
No new concepts here, just some gentle reminders to us all, myself included!
Do you have a tune-up you are working on or completed? Link up (directly to your post) or share a comment! If you could mention TUT and link back so others can join in too, that would be appreciated!
Heather is our Winner!
For anyone who missed the review, you can read it here.
If you were thinking of trying UV Skinz, they have a Summer Clearance Special on so now is the perfect time! Head on over!!
Lisa's post had many great ideas, many of which we do (or strive to do) already in our home.
The husband is the head of the wife (Eph. 5:23) so loosely translated; he's the king of the castle (and that makes me queen). That head/kingship position was given to him by God and so you and I need to show love and respect to our husbands out of love and respect for them as well as God.
What are some practical ways that I try to show this?
Tidy his 'sore points': Before DH gets home, I try to have the front part of our home and the kitchen tidy. That is something that takes a few minutes but that makes an impression on him. Because we have 2 x 2 year olds and a 1 year old racing around it isn't ever perfect but it is picked up as best I can. I asked my husband a while back what he thought was a "messy house", what made him think the house was clean and which areas bothered him the most. His answers surprised me. DH doesn't care about dust but he likes clear (and clean!) counters in the kitchen. He doesn't care about a pile of laundry as long as there are clothes to wear the next day and clean underwear. My priorities were not his priorities so I have tried (and am trying) to change my priorities to his in order to please and honor him and in doing so, I honor the Lord!
Kiss Him! When he comes home, the first thing I (try) to do is put down whatever I am doing and go to the door to kiss him. Depending on what I am doing with the baby or the little ones it isn't always practical but I do since I believe this sends the message that I am happy to see him and that he is important to me!
Ask about His Day with the Right Motivation: This one is a little tricky for me and DH actually was the one who caught me in this! (How embarrassing!) He asked me one day if I asked him about his day simply so that I could start talking about mine. Eek. I think he was joking but the sad thing was, it was partially true. As a SAHM, I am blessed to have so many wonderful adventures with our littles each day and I am anxious to share but if I am not truly interested in how his day went, I am better off to not ask in the first place. Nothing shows disrespect and sends the message that "I'm not interested / I don't care" like asking a question but not actively listening to the answer!
Have his "____" Ready: For some it may be dinner, but since my DH gets home at 3pm and (you'll be green with envy) does a good portion of the cooking (because he enjoys it) dinner isn't something he is looking for. But my husband loves the mail! I joke with him sometimes that he is more excited to see the mail than me. lol. Since I know that is something that makes him happy. I generally try to have it picked up and waiting for him on the table.
A Special Something: I try to have a little snack of sorts for him when he gets home. Some days it is baked cookies, or other desserts I know he would like but this week it is bread. DH loves bread. I've been trying out several recipes (white bread, foccaccia, pita) seeing what works. Surprisingly it doesn't take much time in my day at all (but don't tell him that!) and I'll share more about that later. Anyway, I don't have something every single day but it makes me (and the littles!) happy to have something to show him we were thinking of him that day.
What about My Littles?
Talk it Up! Chloe is 2 and John is 1. Both are pretty little still but I talk about daddy's home-coming with excitement and anticipation. Excitement is contagious! Our children's attitudes and actions to their daddy is influenced greatly by our own attitudes and actions towards our husband, his headship, his home coming etc.
Freshen Up! I love my children unconditionally but (secretly) it is nicer to accept kisses, hugs and snuggles from a freshly washed, nice smelling child - does that make me a bad mother?!? Before daddy gets home, I do try to make sure everyone is washed up. It doesn't always work but I do try.
What makes Home a Haven for Daddy?
Obedience! I know this is one of the biggest things in having a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere in our home for DH. Obedience without fussing and crying is an area that we are still working on diligently. I ensure that I am dealing with discipline issues as the come up during the day as opposed to "daddy will deal with you...". I want my children to look forward to seeing their daddy, not dreading it all day. I also want him to be able to come home and enjoy his littles; to have him do as little discipline as possible and as much playing, reading and enjoying as possible. If I am consistently on top of obedience and discipline issues every day during his absence, this (in theory) will result in better behaved children and less time spent disciplining littles while daddy is home. This makes him happy!
What things do you do to honor your king and ultimately, your King?
(Side note: this was to be posted yesterday but it was a crazy day with a teething toddle, an emotional daughter and a plethora of other incidents. Since yesterday I greeted my husband in poor spirit wearing PJ bottoms, I felt it would be hypocritical to post this. While I can assure you that the above accurately reflects MOST of our days, bad days do happen too! lol!)
Photo by Rachel
My DH is a great cook, more so that I! But I am quickly catching up to him and have quite a few really good recipes under my belt. This meal is one that undoubtedly rivals anything he makes! Simple and delicious!
I make a large batch of the meatballs with sauce and freeze the remainder. It makes for a quick and delicious meal on pasta or as meatball sandwiches!
Meatballs:
Sauce:
Combine meat, breadcrumbs, parsley, cheese, salt, pepper, egg, and 1/4 cup of warm water in a bowl with a fork. Lightly form the mixture into 2” balls. Makes approx. 16 balls.
Pour oil into a large skillet, about 1/4” and heat the oil. Over medium-low heat brown the meatballs on all sides. Do it in batches, do not over-crowd. It takes about 10 minutes. Take them out and place them on a cooling rack. Discard oil but use the same pan.
For the sauce, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery and sauté for approx. 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook a minute more. Add stock and cook on high scraping up brown bits. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and parsley. If you have used fresh tomatoes, you’ll want to simmer on lowest heat for 15 minutes or so before adding meatballs back in.
Put the meatballs back into the sauce, cover and summer on lowest heat for 30 minutes. Serve hot over spaghetti with freshly grated Parmesan.
This is on the menu at our house for Wednesday. I’ll take a photo and add it to this post for sure.
