Menu Plan 11/11/12 thru 11/17/12

Well, after taking a look at the amount we have spent on groceries this past month I have come to the conclusion that it is time for me to begin menu planning again.  Things have been hectic lately, but I can no longer use that as an excuse.   Here's our plan for the upcoming week:

Sun. - Pork loin, rice, gravy, steamed broccoli, sourdough bread

Mon. - Leftover Rice and Chili from the freezer, tortilla chips

Tues. - Meatloaf, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, turnip greens, cornbread

Wed. - Leftovers or soup made from leftovers :-)

Thurs. - Chicken Enchiladas, Salad

Fri. - Soup (Taco & Potato), cornbread and sourdough bread

Sat. - Leftovers


Breakfast - crockpot oatmeal, biscuits w/turkey sausage, cold cereal, yogurt, smoothies, fruit, pancakes

Lunch - leftovers, sandwiches, fruit w/cheese & crackers,  soup

Snacks - popcorn, fruit, cheese/crackers, yogurt


As always our menu plan is subject to change.  Hopefully, I will be able to stay on track and "shop" our freezer and pantry for a couple of weeks which will really help get our grocery budget back on track.

Have a great week!

Strange, but it Works!

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my family and I have had quite a few unexpected (and unprepared for) things going on over the last year or so.  As a result, our finances have become even tighter than usual.  AND as often happens, when things get tight, it seems like one thing after the other comes up that requires a cash outlay.  Well, we are in the midst of the one thing after the other cycle at the moment.  One of the "things" is the central unit in our home has gone out.  I had the "air conditioner repair guy" out this past week to check it out and it will take close to $600 to replace the part that needs to be replaced, which is totally out of the question for us at this time.   As a result, we have been trying to find ways to reduce the amount of heat we are generating in our home.  Some of the things we have been doing are: hanging all laundry outside (which we usually do anyway), using the crockpot more, have more cool/cold meals, keep lights off, and not using the stove except when absolutely necessary and then only in the early morning.

Today, my youngest son and I took aluminum foil and covered the windows on the back of our house and two of the windows that get a lot of sun on the front of our house.  I know that sounds strange and is probably not something most people would consider, but it really doesn't look as bad as it sounds and it immediately lowered the temp a few degrees. Since we live in a mobile home, located in a sunny location in the south,  I think, that the appearance of aluminum foil on the windows is definitely something I can live with until we can get our unit replaced.  Hopefully, that will happen sooner, rather than later ;-)

Since I have not been feeling well the last several days, and am having a few "hysterectomy related" issues I am not going to attempt a menu plan as such, for the week.  We will most likely be having quite a few salads (pasta, potato, lettuce), sandwiches (pulled pork, chicken salad, ham, turkey, etc) on a variety of breads (homemade, hoagie rolls, hamburger buns, etc.), grilled meats and veggies, crockpot potato wedges, and fruit and veggie trays.

Hopefully, I will begin to feel better soon and can step things up a bit around here.  There are soooo many things that need attention in the VERY near future.

Hope ya'll have a great week!

Satisfying Saturday and Sewing Projects

Saturday was a very satisfying and productive day for us here at home.  My oldest son left on a motorcycle trip to North Carolina to ride the "Tail of the Dragon."   He pulled out about 5:30 a.m. so of course I got up to see him off.  After he left I went back to sleep for a little while and then got up to officially start the day.  

We were able to get most of the yard work done and I was also able to do the sewing I've been trying to get done.  I made two dresses for the girls (one each) and also some diaper inserts to be used with Ellen and also the new baby when it arrives.   

The diaper inserts are made from an old towel cut to the correct size and doubled.  I also made some from and old micro-fiber dish towel that I had.  The new inserts are working just as well as the ones we purchased when Amanda was pregnant with Rachel and they were free.  It doesn't get any better than that. 

I am planning to use some older receiving blankets to make a few more diapers for Amanda as well, since many of the cloth diapers she got with Rachel are getting very threadbare.   We will probably purchase a couple of new "bum genius" diaper covers, but I think that the receiving blankets, coupled with the inserts should work very well and eliminate the need to purchase more cloth diapers.  

I thought I would share a picture of Rachel in the dress I made for her.

Notice the matching flip flops.  That was a total coincidence, but they looked really cute with the dress :)

Clean out the Refrigerator Mexican Casserole

Usually when I plan our menu for the week I make sure there is enough for us to have leftovers for lunch and quite often I make enough to freeze for another meal.  Since last weeks menu plan sort of got "tossed" and this week I didn't make a menu plan we have had a "hodge podge" assortment of meals.  Last night is an example.

As supper time approached I was trying to decide what to make for my family.  I found myself doing what I frequently fuss at my children for doing and that was standing in front of the refrigerator with the door open while I blankly stare at the contents.   I finally decided that I had enough leftovers to make a casserole.   I did and it was delicious.  So here's the recipe.

Since I was using leftovers I didn't measure, but am listing an approximate amount of each item.

Clean out the Refrigerator Mexican Casserole

3 cups cooked rice
1 cup corn (with liquid)
1 pound ground deer meat (browned) (you could use beef or chicken)
Salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, (really any spices that you like)
3 cups give or take gluten free picante sauce

I put all of this into a casserole dish and mixed it with enough picante sauce to make it as "liquidy" as I wanted.    Bake at 350 degrees until everything is heated through.

If I didn't have dairy free family members I would have topped this with cheese before baking, but instead those of us that eat cheese added grated cheddar to our serving.   We also had leftover baked beans and chips with homemade salsa.  

My refrigerator is now clean and we had a tasty (if somewhat strange), frugal meal as a result. 

Weekend Cooking

Amanda and I spent most of this past Saturday cooking for her freezer.  She has been having a good bit of "morning sickness" with this pregnancy with the exception that it's been in the evening instead of the morning.  I only had "evening sickness" with one of my children  and I thought it was so much worse than morning sickness.  The reason being, with morning sickness, when I was finally able to be up and moving I was good for the rest of the day.  With evening sickness I would start feeling bad around 4:00 in the afternoon and it would get worse until bedtime.   Amanda's "evening sickness" seems to be working the same way that mine did. 

Having great sympathy for any pregnant woman dealing with "morning or evening" sickness I decided that I would help Amanda get a good supply of meals in the freezer that would eliminate the need for her to spend much time in the kitchen.  (At least until the sickness passes (hopefully).  With Ellen the morning sickness  lasted the whole pregnancy). 

We made nineteen meals (or parts of meals) for her freezer and did several individual size containers for the girls.  That gives her something quick and easy, besides sandwiches for their lunches. 

Some of the things we made are sphagetti sauce, hamburger steak w/gravy, turkey rice soup, potato soup, hamburgers, precooked meat for stir fry, ground meat for casseroles, pancakes and applesauce muffins.  Most of the things we cooked were meats that needed to be cooked on top of the stove instead of the oven.  Those are the things that seem to bother her the most right now.  Amanda has a wonderful vegetable steamer/rice cooker that she uses a lot for side dishes which is really nice since they don't require her to stand over them while they are cooking.   

This week I am planning to make some banana muffins, broccoli rice casserole, freezer mashed potatoes, baked ham and turkey for the freezer.  That should give her a good supply of quick and easy meals to get her through the worst of the morning sickness.  After that we will begin working on meals she can have in the freezer for after the baby comes. 

If you haven't started keeping pre-cooked meals (or parts of meals) in the freezer I highly recommend it.  It is such a blessing to not always have to start from scratch after a busy day.  It also helps the family budget, because by having meals in the freezer it isn't as tempting to eat out after a tiring day.

I would love to hear some of the meals that you cook for the freezer.

Pancake Toppings

Many, many years ago when my children were very young and I was just beginning to learn more about doing things from scratch and ways to save money, I began making my own pancake syrups and toppings. 

When I was growing up pancakes were a rare treat and when we did have them they were always eaten totally saturated with a store bought pancake syrup.   After I was married with children of my own, my cousins wife, (Anita @ http://www.busyhandsbusyminds.blogspot.com/) shared with me her recipe for making HER OWN pancake syrup.  For me, at the time, that was totally unheard of and I HAD to give it a try.  Since then there has been no turning back. 

I have come to realize that there are many, many ways to enjoy pancakes and (for me anyway) they DO NOT involve saturating them with store bought syrup.  I thought I would share some of things that I enjoy as a topping for MY pancakes.

Chopped fresh fruit

Nutella with a little whipped cream

Homemade pancake syrup (occasionally)

Homemade Blueberry or Strawberry fruit syrup

Peanut Butter

I'm sure that there are many, many other wonderful pancake toppings, but these are the ones we most often use around here.

Here's the recipes for my homemade syrups.


Pancake Syrup

I'm not sure what happened to the original recipe I got from Anita, but I'm pretty sure this is close to it.  Anyway this is how I make my syrup today.

sugar (amount varies depending on how much you want to make)

water (Use half as much water as you do sugar.  Ex:  3 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups water)

molasses (For three cups sugar I use 3 tablespoons molasses

vanilla (For three cups sugar I use 2 teaspoons vanilla)

maple flavoring (I use half as much maple as I do vanilla.  For three cups sugar 1 teaspoon maple)

Mix together in saucepan on stove and bring to a rolling boil to dissolve sugar.  If you like a runny syrup you can turn it off at that point or you can continue to simmer for a little longer to thicken.  Don't cook it too long though or you may end up with hard candy :)

You can make as much or as little syrup as you like.  I usually make a good bit and store it in empty pancake syrup bottles (from my mother) or empty ketchup bottles in the refrigerator.  You can use any flavoring you like, this is just my preference.

HOMEMADE FRUIT SYRUP

3 cups fresh or frozen fruit (thawed)
1/2 to one cup sweetener (sugar, honey, etc.)
Fruit fresh (optional)

I place all of this in my Vitamix blender and run it on high for a couple of minutes.  I've never tried it, but I'm sure you could use a regular blender just as well.  My favorite fruits for syrup are blueberries and strawberries.  I'm seriously considering making some with a few of the plums that I still have in the freezer :)

In addition to saving money by making our own syrups, I also don't have to worry about whether are not they are gluten free.  For our family that's a big plus.

Thrifty Toddler Skirt

Recently Amanda has been taking inventory of the girls clothes to see what is and is not needed for the summer.  She discovered that Ellen has an abundance of everything (due to being the one receiving hand-me-downs from big sister :), but Rachel still needs a few things.  One of the things she needs is skirts for the summer.  Amanda is in the process of potty training Rachel and skirts seem to be much easier than shorts or pants for this task. 

We decided that we would look through what she had and see how it could be adapted for summer wear.  Now understand, I do not claim to be a seamstress in any form or fashion, but I can usually come up with ideas that at least make suitable play clothes.   Here's is a picture of one of our weekend projects. 

Pair of Rachel's bluejeans that were too short.  I've already cut them off and ripped the seam out.

Another photo showing where the seams were ripped out.

Picture of the finished skirt being worn by a toddler that did NOT want her picture taken :)

After cutting off the jeans and ripping the seams out.  I found an old t-shirt that matched the green leaves in the flowers on the sides of the pants.  I laid the jeans down on the t-shirt and cut two triangle shaped pieces that would fit into the space between the legs of the pants.  After that I just sewed it in and it's done!  Extremely easy!

All in all I was pleased with how it turned out and Rachel loved it.  She wore that skirt all afternoon and showed everyone she saw what her "RoRo" made.  I found the idea for this while browsing the internet and also found several other ideas for "making over" other things for the summer.  If they turn out okay I'll be sharing more pictures.

Spur of the Moment Pasta Salad

Thought I would share a pasta salad recipe that my daughter came up with last week.  Like all  mothers, many of her recipes are created spur of the moment, with the ingredients on hand.  Since Alan was out of town and Amanda was preparing meals for only Rachel and herself, she decided on pasta salad.

Spur of the Moment Pasta Salad

  "Amanda's Way"

1 package gluten free pasta (prepared according to label directions)
Small amount of nice-n-cheesy (amount of cheese differs according to how much pasta you have)
Poppy Seed Dressing
Lightly steamed vegetables of choice (She used carrots, broccoli, snap peas, onion, garlic)
Turkey or Chicken (already cooked and chopped) (optional)

Melt nice-n-cheesy in microwave and add poppy seed dressing to taste (or until preferred consistency).  Mix vegetables and pasta together and then drizzle dressing over the top.  You can serve this either hot or cold, but I personally prefer it hot.   Amanda added already cooked and chopped turkey to her serving.

Although this is a quick and simple recipe it is delicious.  Give it a try!

Lightly steamed vegetables

The finished product.  Delicious!

Frugal Kitchen Tip - Leftover Soup

Thought I would share an idea for those "not quite enough for another meal" leftovers.  For years I have kept a soup bucket in my freezer.  My soup bucket is a recycled ice cream bucket, but any medium or large sized bowl with a lid will work. 

Usually our leftovers are warmed over for another meal or possibly carried to work for lunch, but sometimes we have small amounts that aren't really enough for another meal or no one really wants to take it for lunch.   Those leftovers are added to the soup bucket.  Now the first time this was mentioned to me my thought was "HOW GROSS!"  After thinking about it awhile though I realized that it might actually be a good idea.  If nothing else the end result could be quite interesting. 

The way it works is that anytime we have a few leftovers like peas, corn (off the cob), green beans, pieces of meat (cut into bite size portions), rice, potatoes, gravy, and vegetable broth, etc.  they are tossed into the soup bucket.  When we need a quick meal, or the bucket gets full, or maybe we're just feeling adventuresome, we pull out the bucket and dump the contents into a soup pot and add liquid if needed.  Quite often water is all that is needed since most of the leftover vegetables already have some liquid with them.  Occasionally I will add turkey or chicken stock or maybe even tomato juice if I have it on hand.  Since the leftovers were already seasoned I don't usually worry about adding additional seasoning.  After that you just heat it up and it's ready.  You would be amazed at how many really delicious soups we have made this way and since it is made with leftovers you can actually consider it a "free" (or at least almost free) meal.

Not for the Squeamish

I've mentioned before that people quite often think of me as being a little strange.   Well, for the most part they are probably right, but my strangeness is one of those things that I can live with just fine.  My most recent "strange thing" has been rendering deer tallow.   My son-in-law, Alan,  killed a deer the other day.  He took it to his Dad's to skin and cut it up.  While they were in the process of cutting up the deer Alan made the comment to his Dad (jokingly) that he should bring all of the fat to me so I could use it in making soap.  He told me that the more he thought about it the more he realized that if he brought it home to me I would probably do just that.    So guess what?   Alan arrives home that evening with a bucket of deer fat, which he presents to me with a proud smile.  Well, I don't know about anyone else, but if my dear son-in-law brings me a gift of deer fat, then of course I'm going to put it to good use :)   I've never rendered fat before, but decided that it couldn't be that complicated and of course it wasn't.  Here's a picture of some of  my recently rendered deer tallow all ready for soap making!

I guess I should have put a warning that this post is not for the squeamish.  I understand that not everyone get's excited over a plate of  fat, but for me I'm thinking that's one soapmaking item I don't have to buy.  I don't use animal fat in all of my soap products, but I do use it in some of them.  It's relatively inexpensive and readily available which is a big plus for me.

Homemade Baby Food

I blogged yesterday about the homemade fruit roll-ups that Amanda has been making from an abundance of baby food that she was given.  I thought that today I would blog about making homemade baby food.  Up until the time that Amanda was blessed with the store bought baby food she was making it herself.   Homemade baby food is one of those things that is very simple and it can really help with an already tight budget.   All you have to do is either choose fresh fruits and vegetables and cook them (unseasoned) until tender or use canned (unseasoned) fruits and veggies of your choice.  Drain and reserve the liquid.  Put the vegetables into a blender and process until the right consistency by adding small amounts of the reserved liquid as needed.  When the food is ready you can freeze it in ice cube trays and later place in ziploc bags.  When needed you simply take out what you need, heat and serve.  Simple!

Thrifty Toddler Snacks

A family member recently ran across baby food at a really good price and purchased a fairly large quantity for Amanda.   Due to lack of storage space  Amanda decided to try making a homemade version of fruit roll-ups with some of the baby food.   After borrowing a dehydrator from my parents she took several jars of  applesauce and made the fruit roll-ups.  I have to say they were very good and really didn't take long to make.  She has plans to make quite a few more batches using more of the baby food and also some of the fruit that we gathered this summer.   

Another healthy toddler snack Amanda has been making this summer is dried fruit.   We have had luck drying apples, bananas, pears, and peaches.  Dried fruit is one snack Rachel really enjoys!