March Month End Budget for Groceries and Eating Out

I work every month with a $160 budget for all my groceries and household goods.  I use sales, coupons and everything I can to try to stay under my budget and get everything that we need.  I normally have a lot of transactions with lower totals to get the most sale items with coupons to spend the least amount of money possible.  My shopping looks a lot different then a normal shopper because I am stocking up on low cost items and matching them with things in the house.

This month is a different month because we were quickly sent home from school and work and I had three (plus Grandma and Grandpa for a week after they left their vacation early) for all three meals of the day.  The great thing is that we have a ton of things in the house.  The bad thing is that I normally stop at the store while out doing other things and get a few things during the month.  I started a list when I knew that we were running low on things.  After about 10 days, I realized that we were going to have to hit the store and I tried to make the list as detailed as possible and broken down by store.  Check out what I got for the month and the cost breakdown of each transaction.

Harris Teeter $22.17

I went a little crazy with how much I was getting because I had a $5 coupon off $25 purchase.   I got free noodle bowls and Mission tortillas.  I got the Perdue chicken nuggets for $1.09 each and I bought 9 of them.  I got the Perdue Perfect Portions for $3.49 each.  The Nature Valley Granola Bars were evic special for $1.47 and I thinkg that I used a coupon for $0.50/2 so they were $0.97 per box.  I got the Fruit Gushers for $0.34 each so I bought 6.  The Scrubing Bubbles were on sale for $1.99 and I used a coupon to get each one for free.  Both the Nature Valley and the Scrubbing Bubbles gave me catalinas to use on the next transaction.  The great news is that they will double during the wonderful super doubles so I knew that I was going to get some free groceries.

Harris Teeter $7.66

I got free noodles, Stonefire Naan, Galbani Ricotta Cheese, Bic White Out, and one Mission Flour tortillas.  I got the Mission corn tortillas for $0.59 per package.  I got the Fruit Gushers for $0.34 per package.   My expensive purchase was my $2.99 packages of Jose Old Taquitos.  They are super handy to have for quick lunches.  I used my catalina to get this order super cheap and save lots.

Harris Teeter $0.03

I got a bunch of things super cheap like free Naan, Flatbread, and Mission Tortilla.  I got the Family Sized Cheez Its for $3 each after sale and coupon.  I got the Fruit Gushers for $0.34 per box.  I don't know what happened with the coupons because I thought I added them correctly but I wanted to use my catalinas to get them free but I had to grab a clearanced Kool Aid for $0.12 to get my total up high enough to use them.

Harris Teeter $3.88

I did the Johnsville Sausage deal where I got a catalina from buying two.  I also found the Hormel Snack Packs that were actually money makers of $0.31 each so they paid for some of the sausage.  I brought them home and immediately cooked them to make them into sausage sauce.

Harris Teeter $8.07

I went to the store to get some medicine for my husband because he decided to take some.  I bought two and left them in the front seat of his car at work in case he needed them before he got home.

I gave me a chance to get free noodles and free corn street taco shells.  I was at a different store and they literally read through every single coupon and didn't trust me on anything.  I had to show them where things were the same and different on the coupons.  The customer service person repeated a few times that they don't take copies and I told them that they weren't copies but prints.  The longest trip for the smallest amount of things that I have had in awhile.

Safeway $1.41

I went out shopping to get a bunch of things and sent the boys in the other direction to do some other things and my husband bought them doughnuts! Of course, he didn't let me know or I would have added the points for them to get them for free...so we have coupons to get a few more free soon.

 

Safeway $0

I went to get the new freebie that was added on my card even though I wasn't sure that we would use it.  The funny thing is that my husband took it out of the cupboard shortly after I bought it and it tasted just like Heinz so it was nice to have because we were running low on ketchup.

Harris Teeter $0

I went to the store to get a few things that but I only found these which were the weekend freebie.

Harris Teeter $0

I went back into the store to check out if I had the wrong chicken since the coupon didn't come off in the first transaction.  The coupons didn't come off because the first can was 10 oz and the coupon only applied to the 12.5 oz can.  This was the last one left!!

Aldi $7.61

I got a few things that we were running low on and a few things I wasn't sure about.

Safeway $1.19

I went back to use some free coupons from the Monopoly game.  I got two free waters, free blue cheese dressing, free french bread, free snack mix, free hot dog rolls, and free chapstick.  The Cheerios were on sale for $0.99 for one box and $2.50 for the second box.  There was a coupon for $1 off 2 boxes and I had $1 free groceries so I got a ton of things for a great price.

Lidl $29.53

I went to Lidl to get a few things that we needed and a bunch of things that would be great in our stockpile because I had a $5 off $30 coupon on the app.  I wanted to get the honey because it was on sale for $5.19 which is cheaper then my parents normally get it at Sam's Club and we were running very low.  We were out of cheese, eggs, oil and vinegar so I was happy to find those at a low price.  I got a bag of $0.99 carrots because I still had my bacon ranch dip that was tasty on the carrots last time.  The bite sized tortilla chips are my son's new favorite so I got three bags to put in the cupboard.  I grabbed the salsa because we haven't tried their brand yet and with all those chips, I thought we might need some.  The Cheese Puffs were a super yummy treat that my son and husband were very excited by but sad that I only got two bags while they were on sale for $1.  I told them now that I know that they like them, I can pick them up next time.  I was also excited to find the toothpaste my son likes but then I got home and I guess my husband had finally talked him into using the adult tooth paste flavors.  In case it doesn't work out, I guess I am covered.  It also printed out a coupon for $5 off $25 for me to use next time.

Walmart $0.39

I went to Walmart to get a few deals with the coupons and gift card, but things were already crazy.  The shelves were cleared and there were a bunch of things not there that were on my list.  I got a few money makers even though it wasn't what I wanted because I could use my points to get a gift card and then I turned this in for $12.08 in Ibotta rebates.  I figured that I could use the butter at least.

Safeway $0

I went to another Safeway so that I could find the free crackers and seasoning packet.  I forgot when I was in the checkout lane that I also needed to get the $25 gift card that we earned enough points for with all the Monopoly cards.  My son was super excited to get them all and earn enough points so that he could get some fun things for him.

Target $0

We went out of the house to try to find a few things because it was getting very serious and school announced it was closed and it looked like other places were closing too.  I went to get my son's vitamins but even though they were the only place that had them around, they weren't on the shelf when I got there.  The employee checked the system and couldn't find anymore.  I used points to get a gift card and my husband had another one from work so I had $50 in gift cards so I bought Frozen 2 to watch while we were stuck at home.  I also grabbed Tums for my husband because he finished his last one that morning so these were $2.99.  I got two bags of jelly beans just in case the Easter Bunny needed them and the stores are closed.

Aldi $2.40

I went to Aldi to get a few things but this store was kind of picked over and they didn't have much that I wanted.  I got a box of Rice Kripy cereal and mini marshmallows to make treats.

Harris Teeter $11.82

Since we were headed to a second Aldi to try to get the rest of the things on my list.  I got the $1.97 Turkey Hill ice cream with two for my son and two for my husband and myself.  I used my rain check for $0.77 Pringles cans because they are my son's favorite along with the ice cream.  I got the 5 items for $5 off but they were out of many of things that I wanted.  I got the 4 Cool Whips and one bacon.  There was a rebate on the bacon on Ibotta so I got $1 back.  We were super happy to have some yummy things in the house.

Aldi $19.27 

I got three bags of Chicken Fries which are my son's favorite food and what we needed if we were going to make it through.  He also asked for Ice Cream Bars and they had them at the second store too.  Sadly there were a few more things that I should have looked around for at the second store but I was focused on the few things on the list and getting out because it was taking so long to get to all the stores.  I wish I took a few more seconds to see because we really could have used more shortening and a few more things.

Aldi $43.31 and Lidl $28.14

I went to the store after we were sent home so that I could get the things that I thought would get us through at least a month.  My dad drove so I went shopping and didn't touch anything in the car.  It was a little stressful to be out in the stores when I hadn't been in so long but there was an amazing amount of things on the shelf so I left with a ton!!

I got three blocks of Mozzarella to make pizza through the month.  I got cream cheese either for bagels or another batch of baked potato soup and I am having a hard time deciding.  I got four big blocks of Extra Sharp Cheddar because we love our cheese.  I got 2 bags of pretzels and 4 bags of cheese puffs.  I got one pack of hamburger buns so that my husband could eat his burgers that were in the freezer.  I got an 18 count eggs so that we would have tons for baking and cooking ovver the coming months.  The last thing that I grabbed was a Cranberry Grape Cocktail so that we could compare it to Ocean Spray since we were out.  I got a Chocolate Bunny for an Easter Basket (shhh).

I went to Aldi and it was a little overwhelming with more people lacking the common courtesy of staying away from each other.  I got out of the car and left my quarter in the car and someone felt sorry for me and handed me one.  I obviously looked a little bit of a mess when I almost ran after my dad driving away.  I also lost my receipt somewhere in the process so I only remember the things based on the pictures and I made my own list/receipt so that I could remember and stuck it in the folder with other receipts. It was way too much but I wanted to make sure I didn't have to go back.  Everything was cheaper then it is normally so I assume that they lowered their prices to compete with Lidl across the street so it was a great opportunity to get $0.75 Nacho Cheese Chips and $0.82 Pretzels.  They were only out of the ice cream bars that my son asked for so I got mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate ice cream for the rest of us.

Harris Teeter $54.95

I mainly had to get ketchup, pancake mix and vegetable shortening.  Guess what they were out of??  Ketchup and Pancake Mix! I didn't take a picture when I came home because I only brought in the chicken and immediately dumped it in glass containers sealed in the fridge and thew out the packaging.  I also put the Wewalka pizza dough in the fridge after I wiped them down which was $0.84 each after sale and coupon.  I got one box of Penne because it was the last on the shelf and one box of Sea Shells which were $0.29 each and there was a rebate to make them a money maker.  There was a sale and coupons for the Quaker Chewy Bars but they were out of my son's favorite so I got a different one that I hope he likes.  Those allowed me to order a free beach towel on Quaker's website.  I got 6 packages of Kool Aid because we have used most of the ones from home already and they were on sale for 6/$1.  I grabbed one nearly full priced Ocean Spray CranGrape because we were totally out!!  I got two containers of vegetable shortening because I couldn't find any at Aldi or Lidl and we were totally out.  I got free Fudge Stripe cookies (YUM) with sale and coupon.  I also got dry roasted peanuts for $0.24 after sale and coupon.  Most expensive was the four cases of Coke products for $2.77 each.  I got one Harris Teeter brand ginger ale for $0.99 after sale and coupon.  The rest of the groceries sat in the garage to wait until it was safer to bring in the house.


 Total Retail $778.96
Total Savings $536.46
Total Rebates $14.48
Total OOP $228.02

I hope that you had a good month even though ours turned into a little bit crazy at the end of the month with our local schools closing on March 13th and closing for the rest of the year.  We couldn't figure out if things were going to get better or worse if we waited to get groceries so we decided to go out on March 25th and get enough to last us through the next month.  It was exhausting so it took me a few days to make it back to get the last few things we needed.  We are lacking in a few things that weren't on the shelf but happy with all that we got.  I have a monthly meal plan already for April so hoping to not shop much during the month.  I am going to try to clean out the freezers and see if there are other meals hiding in there because they are currently stuffed to the top and over flowing.  I knew going to the store that I was going to be super over budget but I was sad it was $68.02 over our $160 grocery budget.  I used the $33.82 from the eating out leftover so we were only $34.20 over our total budget.  I know that I am going to keep next month's total really low so hoping that I can make up for that extra money spent and then some! Working on a meal plan to see if we can last for two months (minus the lack of ketchup, lettuce and milk).

Eating Out and Take Out

We decided to get Pizza Hut and we used the rest of the gift card and a freebie of bread sticks that we had points for from their loyalty app.  We ended up spending $6.18 of our monthly $40 budget.  After things got more restricted, we decided that we would not get take out or delivery so I used the rest of the budget to get groceries including some fun stuff for special treats.  It left me $33.82 extra for groceries.

Menu Plan Monday 3/30

Pasta with sausage sauce and garlic bread
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Grilled Chicken with rice or mac and cheese
Fried Rice and Egg Rolls
Leftovers or Homemade Pizza
Steak and Mashed Potatoes
Chicken Fries or Chicken Wraps with homemade fries

Last week went pretty well but my parents were here so things were a little mixed up.  We had Lasagna (Penne for my son) and garlic bread on Monday.  We had chicken tacos with corn bread on Tuesday.  Wednesday was Fried Rice and egg rolls and dumplings.  Thursday my parents left so we just had leftovers to clear out the fridge. By Friday, I still hadn't made more rolls because I was out of vital wheat gluten and I can't get it anywhere.  I decided that I didn't want to try eating meatball subs on bread or hot dog rolls so we had Chicken Enchiladas and Taquitos from the freezer and my son made a naan pizza.  Saturday was Chili from the freezer with corn chips and corn bread.  Sunday was Chicken fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade fries.  Super yummy week with most of the leftovers being used up for lunch so leftover night might turn into homemade pizza night.  I have naan in the freezer and Wewalka pizza dough in the fridge so any night it can put into the menu if I forget to defrost or don't feel like making it.  Hope you guys are having a good week and enjoying being home with your family.

Rice Krispy Treats

One of our family favorites is Rice Krispy Treats.  We don't have them very often but when we do, they go quickly.  The best part is that one box of cereal makes two batches of treats so we get to have them twice as long as I remember to buy two bags of marshmallows and the great news is that I did.  I bought this special treat because we were making our last trip to the store before school was out for 4 weeks.  I didn't know exactly what that was going to entail but we decided to go with a recipe a day as part of the our home school fun.  This was one of our home ec lessons after a box of brownies, homemade pizza, and before homemade bread.  I can't wait to find out what other things we are going to make together while we are home for awhile.

My helper melted butter in the pot and added the marshmallows when it was melted.  Then stirred to make sure all the marshmallows (that he didn't already eat) were coated in butter.

He stirred and stirred but said that he thought it was done.  It wasn't done and that he wanted some help to get it finished.

We melted until smooth and he saw that it looked a little different when you were patient for it to melt all the way.

We removed it from heat and he decided that he was in charge of pouring in the rice krispies and I was in charge of stirring.

We added 4 cups and then stirred.  Then my son added the last 2 cups.  I stirred until they were all coated.

My son used the butter wrapper to grease the pan on the bottom so nothing would stick.  I held the pot while he scraped the rice krispies into the pan. He used the same butter wrapper to press the krispie treats flat.  I showed him that if you pressed a little more then it would help the treats stay together better.

He enjoyed eating the spoon and what was left in the pot while the bars cooled.  We enjoyed them a lot and my son was really happy to know that we could make another batch soon.

Rice Krispy Treats

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 10 oz package or 4 cups Mini-Marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Directions

1. In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using wax paper or butter wrapper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with butter. Cool. Cut into squares

Loving Jenna Book Review

I put a bunch of books on reserve from the library system and I was excited to get Loving Jenna (A Wells Landing Romance) by Amy Lillard on my reserve shelf.  I had read the others in the series and I was looking forward to the next installment.  Especially bitter sweet because the libraries are closed here so that everyone can have distancing.  I was glad for the few books that I got and I wish that I went in and grabbed a few more on my last day visiting because I knew that I wasn't going to be able to go back for awhile but I also had to hit the grocery stores and I didn't have a lot of time before picking up my son.

In this new novel set in the beloved Oklahoma Amish community of Wells Landing, three generations of women challenge themselves and each other to make a fresh start in faith, family—and love.  Jenna Burkhart is tired of being “special” and hearing about what she can't do. Even though she suffered a head injury in a childhood swimming accident, she wants a life of her own just like any Amish woman. But now that she, her mamm, and her mammi have moved to Wells Landing, she's having a hard time fitting in. . . . Until she meets Buddy Miller, a boy just like her, who gives her the confidence to reach for the impossible . . .

Like Jenna, Buddy is used to being the boy no one expects much from, the one people see as “different.” Still, being around Jenna’s lively, kind-hearted ways makes him strive ever-harder to become the self-sufficient Amish man she deserves. But in the face of family disapproval and their own fears, will Jenna and Buddy's courage be enough to give them a forever happiness together?

Jenna is new to the small town of Wells Landing and just moved there with her mother and grandmother.  Her mother keeps telling her that she is special and can't do things that the other kids do because she has brain damage.  She was involved in an accident when she was younger and she almost died.  Jenna wants to make the most with her life but she runs against her mother saying no at every turn.  Buddy has down syndrome and many people have been telling him that he was special all his life too.  He sees Jenna at church and he decided that he likes her.  They become friends but their parents keep getting in the way.  They make some decisions to try to be together and show that they are responsibility.  This comes with lots of bumps in the roads but you have to read to the book to find out what happens.  I hope that you check out this book and the others in the series and enjoy them as much as I have.  This is a super good value if you want to get it on Amazon or at your library if it is still open.  Good luck in this time of things being closed but a great opportunity to make a list of things you want to to do when the world gets back to normal.

Menu Plan Monday 3/23

Lasagna (Penne Pasta for my son) with garlic bread
Chicken Tacos with corn bread
Simple Fried Rice and egg rolls
Chili
Leftovers and/or Homemade Flatbread Pizza
Meatball Subs with pasta
Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade french fries

What a week!!  It has been the weirdest week on record with schools being closed and my husband working from home.  We have started to keep to a schedule where everyone goes outside to play so that I can clean the kitchen and start on dinner.  It has helped but I have missed having the time during the day to prepare so I am glad to have easy meals to get on the table.  We are doing pantry and freezer challenge until things have passed and everything is open again.  We have plenty of food on hand and I know that we are going to make it through just fine with lots of extras.  It feels strange to not stop and grab a few things that we are running low on but it is currently working without too many problems but I have put a list on the front of the fridge to note things we might need when we get back to the store.  I will just be missing out on some sales but I know that we will stock up again with sales after the craziness has passed.  We decided that we would be better off spending time as a family and avoiding the empty shelves in the stores.  I hope that you are all doing well and making it through this different time and adjusting to your new normal.  This is my plan for the week and I know that we are going to make it work even if I end up changing the days that we get the meal on the table based on things going on here.

My parents left they vacation early because of everything closing so they are stopping in for a few days so the menu plan had a little overhaul to make sure that I was feeding 5 instead of just the three of us.

The Happy Camper Book Review

I have read other books by this author and decided that this sounded like a fun new addition.  I knew nothing about it but how can you pass up on the cover.  Doesn't it look like so much fun?  Happy Camper by Melody Carlson came in the mail and I was excited to get to start reading it as soon as possible. 

Home is the place to heal, right? At least, that's what Dillon Michaels is hoping as she leaves her disappointing career and nonstarter love life behind to help her grieving and aging grandfather on his small Oregon farm. The only problem? Her eccentric mother beat her there and has taken over Dillon's old room. After a few nights sleeping on a sagging sofa, Dillon is ready to give up, until she receives an unlikely gift--her grandfather's run-down vintage camp trailer, which she quickly resolves to restore with the help of Jordan Atwood, the handsome owner of the local hardware store.

But just when things are finally beginning to run smoothly, Dillon's noncommittal ex-boyfriend shows up with roses . . . and a ring.  Full of quirky characters, family drama, and sweet romance, The Happy Camper will have you scouring Craigslist for your own diamond-in-the-rough camper to restore and haunting your local hardware store for a handy guy to help your dreams come true.

I thought that it was a good book.  Dillon is the main character and she is living the life that she thinks that she thinks she is supposed to be living.  She ends up breaking up with her boyfriend after he is late again for a date and it is the last straw because he didn't even answer any of her calls or texts.  Dillon gets called into work and tells her boss that she can't come.  She ends up quitting her job right over the phone and decides that she is going to change her life all together.  She packs up all her stuff and fills her car with everything she owns and heads back home to where she grows up.  Things are changing quickly but she feels better right away like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders so she is excited to start on the next chapter of her life.  You meet lots of people like her grandfather who is her biggest supporter, her mother who is her most difficult to deal with and all the people from her childhood.  She lives on her grandfathers couch until he gives her an old camper which she remodels and this starts her new life in the small town where she grew up but gives her some independence.  There was a little bit in the middle of the book where it seemed that they were pushing religion in where it wasn't a good fit.  I thought that it would have been better to not be so pushy because it seemed strange and made me stop and wonder if it was a good book.  It quickly got past that part and overall, I thought it was a good book.  I was interested to see what happened to the characters.  It finally got to the part that it was going to be at the resolution and it ended very quickly.  Overall, I thought it was a good read but I don't know if it was as good as other books that she has written.  Check out the book for yourself and let me know what you think!

**A copy of this book was provide for my review but all opinions here are my own

Taco Rice Recipe (Hamburger Helper Crunchy Taco Copycat Recipe)

I have been on a mission to use up things in the freezer and pantry.  I bought Minute Rice awhile back when they were super cheap.  I use it to add to soup and other things but really haven't used a lot of it so I precooked some ground beef and set it aside to make this quick meal when I was doing a big freezer cooking of chili, salsa sloppy joes and sausage sauce.  I forgot to take a picture before I started cooking but I also pulled out the taco seasoning packet that I had in the pantry from my free stockpile from Giant awhile ago.

I added the amount of water to the pan called for with 2 cups of rice on the package.  I stirred in the package of taco seasoning and added the rice.

Since the ground beef was already cooked, I added the ground beef and stirred around in the pan to make sure that I had enough water, seasoning and beef.  I left the heat on even though that wasn't the recipe for the rice but I wanted the ground beef to be heated through.  I put the top to steam the rice and meat together.

I covered it with cheese and put the top on so that it would be nice and melted.  I used cheddar and Oaxaca because that is what we had in the house and it was a perfect blend.  This is the same thing that we used to do with the Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper because my husband hated the cheese sauce that came in the box.

We served with tortilla chips on the side for a crunch if wanted.  There were leftovers which I thought I was going to put into enchiladas but we actually ate them before I even got a chance to see how those would be.  We just heated in the microwave and put on some more cheese.

This was a super quick meal and I thought it was a great way to stretch the ground beef because I didn't use a whole pound of ground beef but you can add as much as you want.  I will totally make this again because we enjoyed it!  I think that I will add it to the menu plan in the coming month to use up the rest of the rice.  Then I will have to figure out if I can recreate with normal rice.

Taco Rice

2 cups Minute Rice or Instant Rice

1 package Taco Seasoning

1/2-1 lb Cooked Ground Beef

2 cups water

Cheese to Taste

Add water to pan and stir in taco seasoning packet over medium heat.  Add 2 cups of instant rice and stir and cover.  Add cooked ground beef and reduce to low heat.  Cover for 20 minutes.  Top with cheese and cover until melted.  Serve hot with tortilla or corn chips. 

The Teacher's Bride Book Review

I got a book at the library and then went searching to see if there were others in the series.  I found that it was a little confusing because it says 2 books some places and 4 books other places.  These books were for sure just one book between these covers so I was confused.  The Teacher's Bride (An Amish Brides of Birch Creek Novel) by Kathleen Fuller was the first book in the series.  However, the series was after the other series Amish of Birch Creek (which I can only assume doesn't have brides).  I was excited to get to read this series and might even go back and check out the other series as well.

     A fun and heartwarming Amish rom-com where opposites really do attract.  If there is one thing Christian Ropp will not allow in his classroom—or his life—it’s chaos. So why is he drawn to Ruby Glick, a woman who seems to bring mayhem wherever she goes?  Christian Ropp moves to Birch Creek to accept a teaching position in the rapidly growing Amish community. He’s determined to put the rambunctious school in order as well as check another task off his list: finding a wife. Of course, that would be much easier if women were like textbooks, straightforward and logical.  When an accident puts Christian out of commission, a new community member named Ruby Glick takes over his classroom. But Ruby’s exuberant teaching style clashes with Christian's careful methods and he worries his students will never be the same.  With a track record of catastrophe, Ruby always feels too clumsy, too distracted, too ... much. Desperate for a chance to prove that she can do more than make mistakes in her life, she throws herself into her new teaching position. But when Christian can’t seem to stay out of her way, she finds herself slipping into old, chaotic tendencies.
What she doesn’t anticipate is that Christian's heart is slowly catching up with his mind—and she, too, must decide whether to follow logic or love.

I thought it was a good book with a lot of information about the new town and the new people in the series without getting too far off track of the main characters.  Christian Ropp was the town teacher who was very strict in his class and his specific way of speaking that put many people off.  Ruby Glick comes to town to visit her brother with the intention of staying.  However, they both find that they are looking for a spouse.  Christian gets tongue tied whenever a women is around that he is interested in and Ruby makes clumsy mistakes so they decide to work together to help each other.  Their agreement grows to so much more and they become friends.  Christian has a problem and ends up not being able to teach while he is recovering so Ruby takes over.  There is no end to the funny things that happen but I don't want to ruin the book so you have to pick it up for yourself and find out.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did and I can't wait to find out who is featured in the new book on my reading pile soon!

Menu Plan Monday 3/16

Penne Pasta with garlic bread (maybe ravioli or meatballs)
Tacos
 Simple Fried Rice with Egg Rolls
Spicy Honey Mustard Chicken with mac and cheese
Leftovers and/or Homemade Flatbread Pizza
Steak and Potatoes
Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade french fries

We had a crazy warm Monday so we decided to have Roast Beef Sandwiches and mac and cheese.  We did Penne and Beef Ravioli with garlic bread Tuesday.  Wednesday we had the Chili with corn bread.  Thursday was Flatbread Pizzas, both pepperoni and buffalo chicken.  Friday was leftovers and we used up a bunch from the fridge with buffalo chicken mac and cheese for my husband, Penne for my son, chili with potatoes for me.  Saturday was going to be Steak but my husband was still not feeling his best so we put off the steak again.  I made leftover Baked Potato Soup for me, Chili with chips for my husband, and Pancakes with whipped cream for my son.  Sunday was my son's favorite dinner with Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade fries.  So this week was a little wacky but surprisingly schools shut down and had my son home which is the beginning of our month at home.  I know that we have tons of food to eat through so I am sure we are going to have a great time doing that but I can't believe we have a month off school and it isn't summer yet!!  How are your meal plans going??

Fix Freeze Feast Book Review

I decided that I was going to look at a few freezer cooking books from the library.  Fix, Freeze, Feast, 2nd Edition: The Delicious, Money-Saving Way to Feed Your Family; Stock Your Freezer with Ready-to-Cook Meals; 1... by Kati Neville was the first one that I read.  I was excited to hear what the book was going to say about the process and some ideas for recipes.

With this updated second edition of a best-selling cookbook, you can have it all — great tasting, nutritious meals that don’t break the bank or your daily schedule. Cook one recipe in bulk and stock your freezer with three nights of homemade dinners for your family. Updated recipes incorporate plenty of fresh, seasonal produce, along with bulk grains and beans. From Asparagus and Potato Frittata and Lemon Blueberry Strata to Tomato Basil Soup and Berry-Roasted Chicken, the 150 tasty options span the menu. Filling the freezer with healthy, ready-to-cook meals is more delicious than ever.

I thought it was an interesting and quick forward about the the process before the actual recipes.  I thought it was an interesting break down on the recipes to ones that you could make to eat the day of and others that were better to freeze.  I guess the first thing that I should say is that I hate curry.  I had a bad experience and that is not something that I want to eat ever in my life and my family isn't big fans so it is something we stay away from.  There are lots of recipes that I wouldn't make since that is the main seasoning.  We also don't eat beans.  I would love to say that this is something that I thought would change but we really aren't big on them so we don't do recipes with beans.  There was a cherry chicken recipe that sounds amazing but the hardest thing for me to do is stay out of dried cherries so I guess I would have to make it right after buying them so that I didn't snack on what we needed.  I was just talking about wanting to make Cashew Chicken Stir Fry so I might try a variation on their recipe but I have to get fish sauce which is something I have never used... we don't do seafood so I haven't checked out the sauce to even see what it is made of but I guess adding that to the list of things I need to figure out. The possibilities are sweet and sour meatballs,  beef fajitas, shanghai stir fry but we don't have beef that often so I guess we will see on that too.  I thought the lemon Caesar dressing and the raspberry vinaigrette sounded interesting too.  There was also a recipe for ginger cookies which sounded like it might be something to try.  Downside, is there were no recipes that I thought were so amazing that I had to make them right away but there were a few that had possibility for sure.  You might disagree with this and really love some of them so I hope that you check it out if you are interested in making freezer meals and seeing what they are all about.  I hope that you find a few that might be tasty for your family.

Christmas by the Sea Book Review

I picked up Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson from the new release section of the library because the cover looked good and the author sounded familiar.  I think that I have read something by her before and I realized that it just came up as a new book to be released that I might get to review.  I was excited to read this book and see what it was about.

When Wendy Harper inherits her family's beachside cottage in Seaside, Maine, she sees it as a way to finally pay off the debts that have mounted since her husband died. But before it can be sold, the neglected property must be renovated. She and her 12-year-old son Jackson move in--temporarily, she reminds him--in order to do the work themselves, even though Christmas is coming. The charming town, along with local craftsman Caleb Colton, pulls on both Wendy and Jackson, who even registers himself for school in a bid to get his mom to move them there permanently. Wendy knows that the most responsible thing to do is to sell the cottage and return to Ohio, but the lure of the sea is hard to resist.

Wendy inherits a beach house that she used to go to as a child.  She decides that she is going to fix it up and sell it in order to pay off her husbands debts from his long illness.  Her son, Jackson, gets very excited about leaving the town that they are in and starting over in the beach town.  Jackson enjoys everything about the small town and makes friends quickly.  He registers himself for school so that he can convince her to stay.  Wendy enjoys being in the small town and fixing up the house but she knows that she just can't make it work without a job.  She meets Caleb when she is in town and he runs his own small business.  Caleb says that he is going to show her arts at his shop so that she can sell them so she makes a driftwood mirror and Christmas ornaments and more.  After a few things sell, she thinks that might help carry her through the renovations but things change quickly.  I thought it was a great story but it ended quite abruptly and I would have liked a little more story at the end.  I hope that you check out this book and tell me what you think. I don't want to give away any secrets but I hope that you pick it up and let me know what you think.

February Reading Review

I am trying to do better this year of tracking the books that I have read over the month so that I can keep to my goal of reading over 100 books a year. Here is hoping that I can keep better track this year of the books that I read every month.

Below are the books that I have read and you can click on the title to see my summary and original review to see if it is something you want to add to your list.

The Protective One

By Shelley Shepard Gray

Wrapped Up In You

by Jill Shalvis

Love With The Perfect Cowboy
by Lori Wilde

Meant to Be Yours
by Susan Mallery

Raising the Challenging Child

Jackson
by Emily March

Confession Club
by Elizabeth Berg

How the Cowboy Was Won
by Lori Wilde

To Tame a Wild Cowboy
by Lori Wilde

January     8
February   9

Total Books Read 17

Currently Reading: