WFMW: Lego Quest

We are on a token system in the summertime. Which means, that to watch TV or play video games, my kids need to have some tokens to cash in. Its a pretty simple and straightforward system, if it wasn't, I could never stick with it. Here's how it works, in case you missed it.

One of the thing on our blue list for earning tokens is "building"...with the stipulation that the building be appropriately challenging. We have an awesome construction kit, but it requires a lot of adult guidance. I was looking for some building challenges that Toa could tackle all on his own.

I found this awesome blog called Lego Quest.

It looks like the blog takes a break during the summer, but that's ok. We went back to quest #1 and just started from the beginning. (Ok, I lied. Technically, we went back to quest #2. The first quest was "build a car". Toa proclaimed that he built lots of cars all the time and that this was not new or challenging.)

Quest #2 is monochromatic.

Pick a colour, any colour, and use only that colour of Lego.

Build anything. The sky is the limit. A structure, a sculpture, functional, non-functional, anything at all, but you can only use one colour!

Toa went off to build the Statue of Liberty.

I'll post a photo up when he is done.

I really love the list of quest ideas on Lego Quest site. It Works for Me!

WFMW: Electronic Game Tokens

I've seen a few friends on Facebook asking for advice on what to do about kids video games and TV time in the summer.

Here's what Works For Me.

1. Keep them busy. (Yeah, I know this is easier said than done, but bear with me here.)

• Make a list with the kids of activities and outings. Plan at least one a week. (Here's how that works for us.)
• Have a regular library day.
• Check into free programs offered by your local park and local library. Have the kids tell you which ones they are interested in. 
• Get around to doing some of those "someday" projects together....plant a garden, make your own salsa, build a model, paint that old bookcase, learn a craft, etc.

2. Keep a routine.

• Have a morning and afternoon list of chores, just like you do during the school year. (Here's how we get our chores done and make it fun!)
• Have regular day for library, park, swimming, or other weekly activities.
• Keep a weekly calendar on your fridge. Write the plans for each day on it. 

3. Keep electronics in check. 

And now we get to what this post is all about. Here's my token system for balancing electronics with other, more mind engaging, activities. We used this last summer, and it worked great.

It worked so great in fact, that my kids expected it this summer.

To enact this system, here is what you need:

• two sets of tokens, one red and one blue. I found a pack of bulletin board border at the dollar store with red and blue stars on it. I cut the stars out and voila. Plastic card chips (like for poker) would also work.
• one basket for each color token.
• two jars or cups for each child. One is their "bank" and should stay in their room. One is a "deposit box" and should stay in the kitchen, office, or family room (whatever tends to be your 'command center').
• stickers for decorating the "banks" and "deposit boxes", including some way to put each child's name on each of those two items.
• a TIMER! This can be on your stove, on your microwave, on your phone, or a small kitchen timer. I'd recommend more than one.  

 Here's how it works.

At least fifteen minutes of a pre-approved activity equals ONE token. I don't round up and I don't let them "save" extra minutes. Keep it SIMPLE or you will be overwhelmed. If a child reads for 23 minutes, the child still gets ONE token. If the child paints for 37 minutes, the child gets TWO tokens. See how that works?

When a child receives tokens, they go in that child's bank in their room. Any tokens I find on the table, floor, etc, are mine again. 

TWO tokens may be turned in for thirty minutes of electronic entertainment. Three for 45 minutes, and four for an hour, etc. I don't let them cash in a single token for just fifteen minutes. Ever try to get a child off a computer or a video game system after just fifteen minutes? It's ridiculous. I just don't go there. I haven't yet had a need to limit how many tokens they can turn in at once. If they hand me 8 tokens, I don't have a problem with them goofing off for two hours, if it fits in the schedule already in place for that day.

Physical exercise and activity earns RED tokens. Creative or mentally engaging activities earn BLUE tokens. Yes, we make a distinction. Keep reading and you'll learn why.

On any day, three RED tokens must be turned in before any BLUE tokens may be turned in. This keeps my kids active and healthy.

Tokens that are turned in for electronic time go in that child's "deposit box" in the kitchen. That lets me keep track of how many red tokens have already been turned in from each child.

Already scheduled activities, like library trips, nature hikes, and tae kwon do, DO earn tokens. So, if we go hiking for an hour, I give each child four red tokens when we get home. If we are at the library for half an hour, that's two blue tokens when we get home.

The list of pre-approved activities for each kind of token is written on an appropriate colored index card and posted in the kitchen. The kids help me brainstorm the list of activities and that really cuts out arguments and debate later.

The kids are responsible for making note of when they started and stopped each activity. I've got other things to do than be everyone's personal secretary. If they can come to me and say, "I started reading at 2:10 and now its 2:56, may I have my tokens?" They get two tokens. If they say, "I've been working on this drawing for a while." But have no idea how long a "while" is, they get just one token. (Even a child who can't tell time can write down a numbers from a digital clock face. Keep a small pad of paper by your microwave for this purpose.)


When tokens are turned in for electronic time, the kids must set a timer and abide by it. Once again, I'm not into being a personal secretary for an eight year old.

A list of free activities is written on a green note card and kept with the activity list as well. These can include the electronic games which you decide have some redeeming value. Or creative writing on the computer, or a specific educational program.

On Saturdays and Sundays, we do not use the token system....provided bedrooms are clean and other assigned tasks have been accomplished. Also, I can suspend the token system at will. (Like if I need to run an errand by myself and am leaving Sweetling as the babysitter. Free wii time, baby.)

Tokens can be lost for whining, arguing, poor behavior at a store, etc.

At the end of each day, tokens that are in the "deposit boxes" in the kitchen (ie--the ones they have redeemed for electronic time) go back to my stash. Tokens which are still in their banks in their bedrooms they may keep to use another day. I do not set a limit on how much tokens they are saving up. 

Here are some of our "pre-approved" activities for each kind of token. You may use this list as a start, but I recommend sitting down and brainstorming your own list with your children. They are more likely to be on board with the program if they have had some input.

Red Tokens:

• Wii Fit
• Wii Outdoor Challenge
• Tae Kwon Do
• swimming
• hiking
• biking
• jumping rope
• gardening

Blue Tokens:

• reading
• art and drawing
• writing stories, poems, letters
• making a card
• construction sets
• puzzle books (like sudoku and crosswords)
• research
• crafts
• designing (castle plans, spaceships, fashion)
• cooking
• sewing
• chess
• library or park programs

Free Activities:

• Wii Big Brain Academy 
• Wii Music
• watching TV while jogging on the trampoline
• puzzles
• toys
• babysitting time

And that's what Works for Me! Hope you find it helpful!

Check out other ideas on We Are THAT Family.

Perfectly Portable School Supply Box

Toa of Boy needed the following supplies for co-op. And, since he changes rooms from class to class, his supplies needed to go in his backpack and travel with him through the day. Here's what he needed:

• crayons
• pencils
• eraser
• glue sticks
• markers
• colored pencils
• a pencil box

I'm presuming that the pencil box was meant to hold all those things together in his backpack. Let me tell you, Toa of Boy can't keep his supplies neatly in one place even when he is reasonably "stationary". The floor and the area around where he is working is constantly littered with a rain of pencils, crayons, etc. His backpack, I was sure, was going to become a bottomless pit of loose supplies which would be irretrievable in times of need. The tiny little "pencil boxes" which were in the school supply aisle could hold only a few of the items he needed on his list. So, I could buy THREE pencil boxes to put his stuff in and wish him and his co-op teachers the best of luck in keeping THAT straight....

Or I could invent a plan B.

Check out my plan B

This beautiful clear plastic box measures 9 x 13 x 2 inches. It fits easily inside of Toa's child-sized "Kung Fu Panda" backpack, still leaves plenty of room for his three ring binder, and allows the backpack to be easily zipped closed. I had Toa test whether he could put his belongings in his backpack on his own and zip it up. He could, no problem.

The box has a hinged, clear plastic lid which latches closed to secure the contents. Toa of Boy can easily do and undo the latches...also pretested. (I can't show the box with the lid closed, cause I already have Toa's first and last name on the lid...and I'm not clever enough to know how to photo edit that out before posting.)

The box came with many adjustable clear plastic dividers so that we could set up the compartments however we needed. The dividers go all the way down to the bottom of each section, and fit flush with the lid at the top, so no matter whether the box is on its side, on its end, upside down, shaken to pieces in a boy's backpack, etc..... all the contents stay in their own compartment.  The compartments make it easy to keep all the supplies neat and easily accessible. Toa, who loves art, is thrilled that his crayons are sorted by color family. (In fact, he sorted them that way himself.)

And, the box cost me $4.98....so only two dollars more than I would have spent for three vastly inferior "pencil boxes". Completely affordable and totally worth it.

Where did I find it? Not in the school supply section, not in the craft section, but.....(drum roll).....

In the fishing department near the tackle boxes.

Just for a further point of comparison, at the co-op we attended last year, the kids kept their supplies in a plastic shoe box sized storage container. Each grade stayed in the same room all day, so the boxes were kept on a shelf of the classroom. I know from being a teacher's aide that the supplies all wound up mixed together inside those boxes. They were just a big jumble of crayons, colored pencils, and markers. Plus, the shoe boxes were two big to fit in the child-sized backpacks. So, no, in my opinion, the larger plastic box is not an alternative "pencil box". This cool storage container is.

Plus, this storage box works for families who

•  * homeschool on the go (don't we all at times?) and need to pack up supplies to travel
•  * want to take school outside to the deck, backyard, or park on beautiful days
•  * school all over the house, and want the supplies to be easily grabbed and brought along into    whichever room is the learning center at that time of day
• * need to take school, or learning activities, with them for a few days or a week when they are going to be away from home. (We did this last year when we spent many days and weeks at my in-laws house when my father-in-law was in and out of the hospital. It was a pretty emotional time, but having some of the lighter lessons to do kept the kids occupied and kept some normalcy in their day and helped keep the situation from being too stressful or worrisome for them.)

So, that's what Works for Me!! Check out some other cool ideas at We Are THAT Family.

Why my house is cluttered

I linked my Hearty Hamburgers over on Work's for Me Wednesday on We are THAT Family. While I was there, I thought I'd check out other WFMW links. There were several good ones on decluttering and organizing and spring cleaning. But what link am I going to keep? Something useful?

Silly Rabbit.

I found this. I totally want one. Maybe in a different color scheme though.

Oh, and these cool cards, even though I stink at paper folding.

WFMW: Hearty Hamburgers

Yes, this is a Works for Me Wednesday idea. Yes, I know it technically isn't Wednesday. See, if I wait till Wednesday to post this....I'll forget. So, I'm posting this now, when I'm thinking of it and have the chance, and then I'll McLinky it over on We Are THAT Family on, gasp, Wednesday. I'm sneaky that way.

Simple, delicious, very filling, recipe for hamburgers. This recipe makes about 6 substantial hamburgers. If you need more, the recipe is very easy to double.

Ingredients:

One to one and a half pounds ground meat (beef or turkey, your choice)
Half a box of stuffing (unprepared, any flavor, save the other half for another time)
One egg

Preparations:

Preheat your grill, or preheat the broiler in your oven. Meanwhile, in a bowl, with your hands, mix together the ground meat, the half box of stuffing, and an egg.  Shape into patties about the size of your palm, and flatten slightly. This should make about 6 patties.

Cooking:

Grill, or, cook under the broiler in your oven. Broil a few inches from the heat. After 4-5 minutes, flip the burgers with a spatula. Broil another 4-5 minutes on the other side.

Use a spatula to move the burgers to a clean plate. Top with cheese, if desired. Serve on buns with your favorite toppings.

WFMW: Pencils and Squabbles and Duct Tape, oh my!

Go ahead and call me anal. But, within a year of teaching two children, I realized that the Chinese water torture of my day was the ongoing question of 'whose pencil is this???"

For those of you unfamiliar with this problem, let me illustrate. There are three common scenarios. These repeat themselves ad nauseum in several variations throughout the day.

Scenario One:
Mommy: Whose pencil is in the middle of the living room floor waiting to impale the bottom of someone's foot?
Child One: Not mine.
Child Two: Not mine.
Mommy: I'm going to eat a child.

Scenario Two:
Child (speaking to sibling who is writing with a pencil): Hey! Isn't that my pencil?
Sibling: No, it's mine.
Child: No, it's mine because......
Sibling: No, it's mine because....
(etc, etc etc, until....)
Children: Mommy!
Mommy: I'm going to eat a child. Maybe two.

Scenario Three:
Mommy: Ok, get a pencil so we can do [insert school subject here].
(Child goes to pencil cup. Child's pencil cup is empty. Child goes to sibling's pencil cup and obtains pencil.)
Mommy: You can't take a pencil from your sibling's pencil cup.
Child: But Mommy, some of those pencils are mine because....[insert lengthy explanation here].
Mommy: I'm going to eat a child.

Solution:

Apparently, according to my daughter, cannibalism is illegal. So, cannibalism is not a valid solution to any of the above scenarios.

Instead, I give you three legal options:

Colored duct tape--We love duct tape. We use it to make wallets, DS cases, and to decorate pencil cups, notebooks, and folders. So, we always have several rolls of colored duct tape lying around. One of the "back to school" traditions in our house is that each child picks a roll of colored duct tape, oldest child picks first, and I cut off a narrow strip to wrap around the end of each of their pencils, right near the metal that holds the eraser. All pencils are now quickly identified. End of problem.

Colored foil stars--Since colored duct tape runs four dollars a roll, and I know not every family has this on hand, a pack of 700 colored foil stars costs just $2. I literally have three packs of these in my desk drawer. These have another advantage in that peeling off stars is a lot easier than cutting little strips of duct tape. There are five different colors on each sheet of stars, but its easy to cut each sheet into five strips of one color each. Then children can be handed a strip of stars and decorate their own pencils, rulers, markers, etc. Any school item whose ownership might be called into question....stick a few colored stars on it. Ta da!

Round, "color coding" label dots-- These circular stickers work along the same principle as the foil stars. They are larger than the stars, and therefore easier to spot on an item. A pack of these are generally a bit more expensive than the stars, but I throw them out as an idea.

Have a great school year!!!

For more great back to school ideas, check out We Are THAT Family!

WFMW bookmarks

Things I want to try, so I don't have to track the link back down later:

prayer notebook

rockin green laundry detergent


saving on hand soap with a rubber band

blogging tips


Webkinz (not that I need a Webkinz commercial, but I like her points)

duct cleaning. My allergies have been going non-stop for over a year now. I'm desperate, desperate for some clean air.

homemade laundry detergent... this is always a question of time vs expense....I like that she has a price breakdown on her ingredients and how much it made for her.
ooo...and a free ebook on homemade laundry soap


just say yes to sleepovers

book titled the house that cleans itself

leftover buns cause I hate throwing them away after they've gone stale and moldy on top of the fridge

for Vaya in a year or so... glad place mats

mmmm....frozen hot chocolate

garage cleaning and organizing

classroom teacher gift ideas. This doesn't apply to me, but she hit the nail on the head, so I have to link her.

child boogie labor on floors

reusable bags for library books.

Kid Vantage club....WOW! Check this out!!! (The Jedi says, very matter of factly, "they are going to take a bath on that.")

Listerine bugspray

organizing little girl pretties. Not that my girl is little or uses these sorts of things. But I can pretend that it might pertain.

WFMW: Chores and Routines

A couple thoughts of note before the nitty gritty.

One, I just noticed I haven't posted to my blog since the last Works for Me Wednesday...and even then, my last entry was links of some ideas I wanted to try. Which really means I haven't actually sat down to blog in over a week. Bad me.

Two, not having blogged in over a week means that I have a lot of extra words stored up and ready to dump bless others with. Nevertheless, I shall try to be direct and to the point. You can stop laughing now.

Works for Me Wednesday

Chores and Daily Routines

Why is "chores" such a dreaded word? I've pretty much banned it from my vocabulary. Call it what you will, but no one likes doing those regular, day to day, housekeeping type tasks. And yet, the garbage needs taken out, the table needs wiped off, the garden needs watered, the beds need made, etc, etc, etc.

Oh sure, you can make a blanket rule of getting chores done before school or getting afternoon chores done before free time. And I highly recommend both of those rules. I have these sorts of rules in place myself. But, to quote Mary Poppins, a teaspoon of sugar helps the medicine go down.

Here's my teaspoon of sugar when it comes to our daily chore lists. It adds an element of fun to getting our lists done.

Each child has a list of chores, morning and afternoon, posted on the refrigerator. Though the chores are different, each child has the same number of chores. I didn't do this out of a sense of "fairness", but because its an important part of the game. Beside each chore, is a space for each day of the week. Our list is saved in a computer file, so I just print a new list each week. (That makes it easy to change the list if I need to add, subtract, or substitute a task.) At the end of the week, the lists go to our scrap paper file, and the backs either get used for grocery lists or get drawn on by my 6-year-old. So, I don't feel like I'm wasting paper to print a new list every week.

Yes, yes, well and good, you are thinking, but tell about the game. I mentioned a game, and a little bit of fun in getting chores done. So far a printed list isn't sounding like much fun, is it?

Well, here's the fun part. As each child completes their list, they use a colored highlighter to mark each chore done each day. At the end of the week, we count up how many colored dots each child has. The child with the most dots gets to pick a fun family activity that we all do together. (As long as the activity is free, or close to free, and its one that everyone in the family can do.)

Here's why this works so well for us:
--Everyone loves to feel special. Being the one who gets to pick the family activity during the weekend is an extra special treat.
--Everyone participates in the family activity, so everyone benefits from the game. --Even if one child doesn't have as much points as the other child, everyone gets to watch the movie and have popcorn, or go to the park, or play Wii....or whatever the selected activity is. So its a win-win situation for everyone.
--If the children tie (or even come within one or two points of each other), they BOTH get to pick an activity, and we have TWO fun, child-selected, family activities that weekend. So, there's a great incentive to get all the chores done every day...and even an incentive to perhaps co-operate instead of compete. If they co-operate and help each other complete tasks, its double the fun on the weekend.

Here's what the game isn't:
--It isn't optional. The lists have to be completed anyway. You can't decide, "I don't care what we do" and just select not to do your chores. The morning list has to be completed before nine on a school morning. Anything not done by nine has to be finished up during our lunch break, before any kind of playtime happens. Likewise, the afternoon list has to be finished before free playtime as well. Getting the dots for the game just helps make it a little more fun.
--It isn't a mean competition. There isn't a "loser" and there isn't any teasing (or comments) about who has more points than who. My kids know that if I overhear a comment of that nature, Mommy will start taking points away from the offender.
--It isn't a bribe. There is no "if you do x, Mommy will give you an extra point". We all get our lists done because those things need done every day. We're a family, and we help each other out. We don't pitch in just to see what we can get out of it.

Here's other ways in which we use the points:
--When I was in college, doing student practicum, I heard of a system called "caught being good." A teacher could reward "tickets" to a child when she caught him or her going out of their way to do something especially nice or helpful. In this case, the child put their name on the ticket, put the ticket in a jar on the teacher's desk, and then the teacher drew out a few tickets every week for an extra treat. Our points work as a "caught being good." Sometimes, when I notice someone being especially helpful without being asked, I say, "good job, go give yourself an extra point." HOWEVER, this does not work if the child ASKS for the point. If the child asks for a point, the answer is no. We help each other to be helpful, not to get something in return. Mommy rewarding an extra point is just an extra occasional treat, not a payment. (Sweetling is reading over my shoulder and comments, "A good deed is its own reward.")
--Points can be lost for irresponsibility. I don't use this often, because I don't want our point system to be a reward and punishment system. But I have found it helpful when there is an ongoing pattern of "forgetful" behavior that is bugging the snot out of me (like forgetting to flush the toilet, leaving the tv on after you've left the room to do something else, etc.) After calling the child back into the room, again and again, to take care of the same forgotten thing day after day, I finally say, "The next time you forget to do Z, you must go cross off one of your dots." That's usually the end of the forgetting. I don't ever, ever, use this as a punishment for a mess or spill or other accident. Messes and spills just get cleaned up. That's just part of life. I make messes and spills too, and then I just clean up after myself.

Other tips about THE GAME.
--The lists aren't in effect over the weekend. This is a Monday through Friday deal only. But Saturday is a day of rest. On Sunday, I print a new list, and Sunday has its own set of chores that need done. Plus, if Daddy is home from work on a vacation day, that's a vacation day. No list needs done. (of course, an ambitious child is always welcome to do the chores anyway, and award themselves the dots.)
--Each child has one "pass" a week that can be used on the afternoon lists only on any day they choose. I put that in because there are days that I don't feel like doing anything either. We're all human.
--Monday is our pj day. Getting dressed in the morning is on the kids' morning lists, but they can skip this on Monday morning. Why? Because :)
--We decorate our fridge with a "theme" and change our theme every other month or so. (The kids tell me when its time to change the theme.) We've had a space theme, a 911 theme, a Mario theme, etc. The kids pick the theme and make the decorations for the fridge (a couple of pieces of art). Then I change the font and title of our lists to match the theme. Currently, we have a Mario Party theme, so Sweetling morning list says "SuperSweetlings Mini-Game Tent", her afternoon list is "Bonus Mini-Games" and her Sunday list is "Sunday Star Battle". Having a theme that the kids choose, make, and control gives them more ownership over the list and helps hold their interest. (We also have a paper calendar on our fridge, and the kids also make event decorations to mark special days on the calendar. This is done by tracing a milk jug lid, drawing an icon in the circle, coloring it, cutting it out, and taping it to the appropriate day.)

I asked Sweetling if there was anything else I wanted to say about this. She adds that this system is "expert-approved." So there you have it.

We have been using this system for over a year now, and it really, really works for us. I've tweaked it along so that it fits our family and our needs. I hope you find something useful in it for your family.

(In case you're wondering, here are the lists I expect my children to get done each day.)

Sweetling (age 11)

Morning:
Make bed
Feed fish
Vitamins and devotions
Brush teeth
Brush hair and get dressed
Clean off bedroom desk
Renew library books (thursday only)
Done by 9am (extra dot)

After lunch:
Brush teeth with blue rinse (before recess timer goes off)--3 points each day

Afternoon:
Clean floor of bedroom
Pick up living room and any "projects"
Clean off schoolroom desk
Take out compost and wash hands
Take lids and tubes to school supply bucket and put on hand lotion
Refill and refreeze waterbottles, unpack if needed
Check tomorrow's schedule and pack anything needed for any outings
Water garden (not on Thursday)
Handwriting
Put away laundry (Tuesday only)

Sunday:
Pick up schoolroom
Change bedroom trash
Sort laundry
Pick up bedroom

Toa of Boy (age 6)

Morning:
Make bed
Clean off white table in living room
Vitamins and Calendar
Brush teeth
Get dressed
Devotions with Mommy
Clean off bedroom desk
Water Garden
Done by 9 am (extra dot)

After lunch:
Brush teeth with blue rinse (before recess timer goes off)--3 points each day

Afternoon:
Pick up Bedroom
Pick up living room and any "projects"
Clean off schoolroom desk
Take recyclables to bin
Refill and refreeze waterbottles, unpack if needed
Check tomorrow's schedule and pack anything needed for any outings
Handwriting
Water garden (Thursdays only)
Put away laundry (Tuesday only)

Sunday:
Pick up schoolroom
Change bedroom trash
Sort laundry
Pick up bedroom

Check out more great ideas at We Are THAT Family.

Works for Me Wednesday: Easy "Company" Dinner

On Monday, I *might* have had family coming to dinner. So, there *might* have been eight people for dinner. Or, since this is my family we're talking about, maybe not...in which case there would be just four, the Jedi and the kids and me. If my family came, they could be dropping in anytime between 5pm and 9pm. (See, I come by the randomness honestly.)

So, the question is, what do I fix for dinner? Plus, I only knew about this possibility after 9pm on Sunday night...so what could I fix for dinner with the ingredients I had on hand?

What I came up with was easy and delicious. I'm not at all gifted in the kitchen, so I was really, really pleased with the results, and I'm sharing them here. (Everyone loved it, including the Jedi...who doesn't like white rice, bell peppers, or sweet and sour dishes.)

My Menu:

South Pacific Pork Loin Roast (done in the crockpot)
Seasoned Rice
Stir-Fry Sugar Snap Pea Blend

This menu co-stars Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb blend, because my mother has high blood pressure, so I try to keep dishes she's eating low-sodium. The Seasoned Rice can be kept warm in the pot until your tardy company finally shows up, if they do. Likewise, the roast can be kept warm in the crock pot and the sauce easily reheated in the sauce pan. You want to cook your vegetables when your company arrives, because they must be served immediately to be yummmy. (The Jedi the kids and I ate our dinner at 5:30, because we were hungry. I made just enough veggies for my immediate family, with the intention of making more veggies when the rest of my family showed up, if they ever did. They didn't, but the dinner makes for delicious leftovers, so no worries.)

Here are my recipes.

South Pacific Pork Loin Roast

* pork loin roast, boneless, about 3 to 4 pounds
* Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb blend
* 1 large onion, sliced
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup hot water
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
* 2 teaspoons maple syrup
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
* 1 tablespoon ketchup or tomato paste
* 1 red bell pepper, sliced
* 1 can [8 ounces] pineapple chunks, drained, save the juice
* 2 tablespoons corn starch
* 2 tablespoons cold water

(The original recipe can be found here. I had to modify it to suit what I had on hand.)

Season pork roast with Mrs. Dash garlic and herb blend. Brown roast on all sides or place under broiler for 15 to 20 minutes to remove some fat. Place onion in bottom of slow cooker insert; top with the pork roast. Combine all else, except last four ingredients. Cover and cook on LOW for 9 to 11 hours. (I didn't have that amount of time. I cooked it on high for two hours, then on low for 5-6 hours.) About 1 hour before done, add sliced bell peppers and pineapple chunks.

To thicken gravy, blend 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water. Pour liquid from crock pot into sauce pan. Add cornstarch mixture while stirring. Bring to low boil and cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Serve in a gravy boat (if you have picky eaters). Remove roast from pot, and arrange with the cooked peppers and pineapples in a serving dish. (If you do not have picky eaters, more power to you; you can pour the thickened sauce back over the roast on the serving dish.)

Serves 6 to 8.

Seasoned Rice

*long grain white rice
*water
*margarine
*Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb blend
*1-2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
*dash of ginger

Measure out water, rice, and margarine according to amount on rice bag for desired serving size. Substitute Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb blend for salt amount given on bag. Add 1-2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules and a dash or two of ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered according to time given on rice bag.

Stir Fry Sugar Snap Pea Blend

*bagged frozen vegetable blend of choice
*1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 1-2 teaspoons pineapple juice
* Mrs. Dash garlic and herb blend
* dash ginger
*2 tablespoons oil

Saute vegetables in oil for 1-2 minutes. Add all seasonings and stir-fry for another minute. Serve immediately.