It's Consignment Sale Time!

Get geared up to fill the holes in your child's fall/winter wardrobe this month with some AMAZING consignment sales! Most of them off 1/2 off Sunday, and the Just Between Friends Sale is so big you could just go that day and find tons (but if you want something specific, go EARLY!! Or even better, sign up to volunteer and get in to a pre-sale!) FYI - furniture, strollers, and larger accessories go very quick.

OMSI $2 Sunday

Admission to OMSI is $2 this Sunday - a great family afternoon.

eat your greens...

(and yellows, and reds, and...)

Some ways I've added more vegetables to our family meals:

• Corn, shredded carrots and shredded chicken mixed with BBQ sauce on top of whole wheat pita or english muffins. Add cheese on top and broil for SW style mini pizzas.
• Add chunks of zucchini and tomatoes to spaghetti sauce.
• Use macaroni style noodles for spaghetti and add sliced celery to the sauce. I've also done this with barely any noodles and tons of celery.
• Zucchini, green pepper & tomato in scrambled eggs with a little bit of cheese. You can up the veggies and decrease the number of eggs and it's still great!
• Slices of zucchini with cream cheese on bagel.
• Chopped carrots and celery in BBQ sauce over chicken.

Green Muffins

Green Muffins (the actual name, from Parenting Magazine August 2006)
prep time: 15 minutes
bake time: 20 to 25 minutes
yield: 16 muffins (but I can usually get 24 out of one batch)

paper cupcake liners
3 cups flour (I use whole wheat to make them 'healthier')
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs *see 'egg substitute' below
1/2 cup low-fat milk (I use rice milk)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini, I've found a mini food processor makes the job much easier)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place paper liners in muffin tins (I've also made them without the liners)
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In a separate bowl (this will be the bowl you actually mix everything in), beat eggs with electric mixer 1 minute. Beat in milk, oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini until well blended. Add flour mixture to batter a little at a time and stir to mix - it should be a little lumpy. Spoon batter onto muffin tins. Sprinkle muffins with sugar (I usually skip that part.)
4. Bake 20 minutes, or until muffin tops are golden brown and spring back when you touch them. Cool muffins on rack (or paper towels) 

according to them, per muffin: 194 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 142 mg sodium, 24 mg cholesterol

*egg substitution: I found out my daughter might be allergic to eggs before I made these for her birthday, so I used an egg substitute I found of 2 TBS water, 1 TBS oil & 2 tsp baking powder to equal one egg. I also found you can substitute 1 banana for 1 egg or 1/4 cup applesauce for 1 egg in baking.

A FREE daylong festival celebrating Portland’s vibrant performing arts scene!

Looks like fun! fall.ART.live with the Oregon Ballet Theater. Saturday, August 29, 2009 / 11am - 6pm / OBT Studios: 818 SE Sixth Avenue (between Belmont and Morrison)

Hood River Fruit Loop

If you haven't taken advantage of picking your own fruit this summer - there is still time to do so! Pears, apples and peaches are all starting to make an appearance at u-pick farms, and Hood River is the best destination within Portland's reach to make all your picking-for-pie dreams come true. Check out the Hood River Fruit Loop site for all the information you need. September boasts the kick-off of back to school and fall with a multitude of family friendly events. Pick a place and spend a great afternoon out at the farm, or take a whole day driving from stand-to-farm-to-stand enjoying all the Hood River Valley has to offer.

Back to School help for those who need it

There are many children in the United States who go to school without the necessary supplies for them to be successful. They feel embarrassed and ashamed because they don’t have “the right stuff” and often dread going to school. Although they want to do well, these children come from disadvantaged homes and their families can’t afford to buy school supplies. CityTeam has started a project to help these children. They are collecting backpacks filled with certain supplies to hand out to children who need them. You can either donate money to provide a backpack, or you can buy your own and fill it with the supplies required.

I am extremely excited about this project and can't wait to take my daughter shopping to fill a backpack for a child who needs it. I see this becoming a yearly tradition for us. With so many stores offering amazing deals on school supplies right now, this is an affordable way I can help better my community. CityTeam has been helping the poor since 1957 and has a wide range of programs that can help people change their lives out of poverty, and I am excited to work alongside them in this project.

You can also find out more specifics about this Power of 1 project here. There you will also find the supply lists for each age group and a place make a financial donation toward this project (if you prefer).

Together we can really make a difference!

It's fair season

Summer is coming to a close, and with that comes all the fun of the fair! While the Clark County Fair to the north is just ending, two marvelous fairs south of Portland are just getting amped up!

Clackamas County Fair Aug 18-23

• $8 adult ticket
• kids under 7 free everyday
• kids under 15 free on the 18th and family day on the 23rd

Oregon State Fair Aug 28 to Sept 7 (31st cheap rides from 11 to 5)

• $10 adult ticket
• kids under 5 free everyday
• ride your bike, save $2 on admission

Eat Out for Less

Restaurant.com is having a 80% off sale! Use code PORTION, and that makes a $25 Gift Certificate only $2. This deal expires 8/13/09.

The certificates have specific requirements on how to use them - be sure to read the details before ordering (as in some require a minimum purchase in order to use).

make-it-yourself spaghetti sauce

In large sauce pan, simmer 1/2 to 1 whole onion (pureed, diced or sliced) and 1 TBS minced garlic for 7 or so minutes over med heat.
Add 1 pound of your meat, season with salt, pepper & garlic powder - cook through.
Add 2 TBS tomato paste and 1 28oz can crushed or diced tomatoes. Also add any other veggies you want, chunked or pureed. Add 1 TBS sugar (more or less to taste) and some oregano (also any other spices you want).
Simmer for 20 minutes, meanwhile cook the pasta (choose whole wheat to make this meal super healthy).

Orange Beef (or Chicken)

I tried out a great orange beef/chicken recipe this past week. Warning - it's pretty sweet, so don't add more sauce to try to get it 'go further'. :)

Put in crock pot:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup terriyaki sauce
2 to 3 pounds stew beef/chicken
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Let cook on low 8 hours or so until meat is cooked through. Add veggies of your choice (like snow peas, red pepper, orange pepper...), turn to high and cook about 10 minutes, till veggies are cooked crisp. Serve over brown rice.

Between the Lions at the Oregon Zoo this Wednesday!

The popular PBS Kids show Between the Lions visits the Oregon Zoo for three special performances this Wednesday, July 15. "Between the Lions" engages young children with the fun of reading. Three interactive shows, at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. Free with zoo admission.

Movies in the Park...

Portland style!
Check out all the offerings for Movies in the Park this summer!
Movies will begin at dark (between 8 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.), and are weather permitting. A rainout will be called by 5 p.m. and will be posted at the park. Prior to each movie, attendees can enjoy a variety of free entertainment beginning at 6:30 p.m.

A Christmas Carol Train Tour

Disney's 'A Christmas Carol' train tour will be at Portland's Union Station from 9am to 7pm today.
Check it out here

Regal Free Family Film Festival

Regal's Free Family Film Festival Begins June 2009!
When school’s out, kids around the country can visit selected Regal theaters for the Free Family Film Festival. It’s a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and parents. Since 1991, Regal has provided this service to the community, and best of all it’s FREE!
Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theater capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer.
Tickets for our 2009 Free Family Film Festival are exclusively available at select theaters’ box office on the day of the show.
Click here for a list of Oregon theaters.

Double Stroller Deal

This post almost makes me cry, knowing how much we spent on our Phil & Ted's stroller 2 years ago - and with no 'lazy ted' add on! Seriously folks, the best deal on a double stroller you will ever see (not a great running stroller, but for everything else it takes the cake - I still LOVE mine and use it weekly when I have more then one little one with me.) Costco online has this combo for $299 right now. The set up in the picture is for two toddlers or an older baby and toddler. The seat on the back can also hook to the front while the regular seat lays flat for a younger infant. And the seat can come off to attach to the 'lazy ted' bar, making it a seat for infant/baby/toddler.

IKEA Seize the days and save

This weekend, May 23 to the 25th, IKEA is offering awesome specials on the popular POANG armchair, curtains, sofa bed and bookcases. And free breakfast as well! Check it out here

Deal Alert!

I ran out of laundry soap last night due to poor planning. Normally we use Shaklee but since it arrives through the mail I headed to Fred Meyer to get my alternative laundry soap- Seventh Generation. To my surprise it was on sale for 40% off! And this deal got even better after I paid I was handed a coupon for $2.00 of my next purchase of two cleaning products. I plan to get more before the sixteenth when the sale ends to have as back up. I don't buy cleaning products from grocery stores often but 40% off sure seems to be a good deal to me so I wanted to share.

Jewelry, Facials & Bras - oh my!

An exclusive event highlighting three successful female owned businesses - Celebrate Mother's Day early and start your shopping at Just Like a Woman Specialty Lingerie and see all their new spring and summer inventory. While there get to know Avenue Five Jewelry and their unique designs but don't forget to sign up in advance for Rejuvenation Day Spa's skincare event and receive a mini-facial! The day will include refreshments, contests, discounts and free gifts with purchase. Plan a fun Saturday with friends or treat mom just in time for Mother's Day!
Saturday May 9th, 2009
11:00am - 5:00pm

Baby Boot Camp 5th Annual Mother's Day Class

Free event on Friday, May 8th at 9am at Washington Park. Come check out what this amazing 'get your pre-baby body back (and better it) ' program is all about! Weekly classes are available in Portland, Beaverton, Clackamas, Sellwood, Tualatin, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Tigard, Vancouver and Wilsonville.