Menu Plan Monday 9/16

Monday- Chicken Nuggets with House Autry batter
Tuesday- Chicken Paninis
Wednesday- SW Spiedies with white rice
Thursday- Spaghetti and Meatballs
Friday- Pizza
Saturday- Leftovers/Simple Fried Rice and egg rolls
Sunday- Leftovers/???

Another week and another plan.  I don't think that I am doing anything super interesting this month but these are some of our favorite meals and using up things in the pantry and freezer.  I still have to go through the pantry and see what needs to be used up before restocking.  Another great month of planning so I hope that I can stick with the plan this week and not do too many changes!  Also hoping that with my "extra" time with my son in school that I can get some food cooked and in the freezer and plan ahead to use up all the items in the pantry before using my budget to get more items.  Do you have the same problem that I do with buying more of the stuff your family likes and not using the stuff you already have?  I have some quinoa and cous cous that really needs to be cooked so I am going to go searching for other things that need to be added to the menu plan soon!!!

First Half of the Month Shopping

I am half way through the month and I don't know where it went.  I seem to take the pictures and then not get any farther with posting to share (minus one trip) but here is my fast review of the beginning of the month.

Aldi's $24.70

 I went to Aldi's to get eggs and milk.  We also really needed some butter so on my way to get that, I found the chicken!!!  It was on sale for $1.89 but it was near the date so they put an extra $2 stickers on a few packages so it make it around $1.60 per pound.  Who has gotten prices like that on chicken this year??  Not me so I thought it was too good to be true.  I grabbed two packages but I only had $25 and change to pay for my food.  I added everything up in my head and was praying that $2 off sticker meant what I thought it meant because if not, I knew that I didn't have enough money.  I was super excited when I had enough money but the worst part was that I didn't get the chips that my husband really wanted but my son was so tired that I didn't have enough time to make it to the bank and back because he was sound asleep in the car.

Harris Teeter $6.33

I went to the store to get the tissues with a rain check before my coupons expired.  I saw that they had eggs and ground beef on sale so I couldn't pass them up so I grabbed them too even though this meant that I had to go home instead of running more errands.

Giant  $2.35

I went to Giant while my son was in My Gym class and got a few things that we needed like bread flour, oatmeal and oil.  I used a bunch of sales and coupons.

Harris Teeter $30.11

I went to the store to get the Dixie cups for my son for school and decided to pick up a few other deals while I was there.  It is hard to see but I got four ground beef packages so that was about half of the cost.  I also got Tide because we were on our last one and they had it on sale and with coupon and evic coupon it was $8.19 instead of $15.49.  Gotta love getting it half off!!!  This was way more then I wanted to spend on groceries this early in the month but I got a bunch of snacks for school and food we needed.

HMart $1.70

After my son's first day of school, we went to Rita's to get Italian Ice and this store was next to it.  I went in to look around.  They had a good price on a head of lettuce and green beans.  There were some other very interesting things but my son was done so we headed out. 

Giant $6.35

I decided that I needed to get more bread flour while it was still on sale and I grabbed the big container of oil that was on sale for almost $2 off.  The main thing that I was going to the store to get was the Gerber mixed berries and bananas.  There was a promo if I bought 10, then I would get a $1 off my next purchase....they only had 6!!  Figures but I got my 6 and cleared the shelf.

Giant $2.02

I got a $2 catalina from an ongoing Gerber promo that you get $2 for every $10 you spend.  I guess I reached it on the last order which I went to spend the same day.  I grabbed everything on the shelf again... 6 seems to be the magic number which still didn't give me the $1 catalina.

I had a busy beginning of the month and got a bunch of things but they were almost all on the list.  It was way more then I wanted to spend in the first half of the month but it is still under half of my $160 monthly budget. 

Total OOP $73.56
Total Savings $104.93

We are going to need some more snack foods because we have eaten most everything in the house.  My son finished the cheese its and gold fish.  My husband finished the crumbs of the tortilla chips.  I am working on pulling out all of the boxes and trying to get them to eat the rest of the things in the house even if they aren't the favorites.  Everything else left that was stale was put into the bag to be ground down for chicken tender bread crumbs.  Have you ever had cheese it crumbs on chicken tenders because they are amazing!  I am still working on blending them all up but that is on the list to get done.

We are almost out of milk so there is another trip to the store coming for us soon!!  I am going to have to look over the list and see what else needs to be purchased this month but I think that I have made good progress to get most of the things that we need for the month.  What do you think of the first half of my month?  How did your month go so far?

Weekly Goals 9/15

Feeling in the fall mood...already made pumpkin muffins and really want to make some more fall treats.  I went with the pumpkin color to put you all in the fall mood too!!  I can't believe that the first week of preschool is behind us but it was a great change of pace for me but told me that I needed to get a lot more sleep to get up early and get everyone (including myself) out the door on time.  Hoping to change our summer schedule and start working towards the new school schedule.  Hope that you are doing better with the changes then we are :)

Well, last week was a big one because I signed up for Jazzercise again.  I have been on a 5 year break from it because I couldn't handle it while I was pregnant (and sick).  I looked at all the options closer to the house and decided that I would just go back to the center that I used to even though it is 9 miles from the house (for those of you who think that isn't far...it normally takes 30 minutes to get there).  I dropped my son off on Friday and went straight to class barely making it but I am signed up so I am going to make the most of it trying to work my way up to 5 days a week...the four my son is in school and Saturday.  If things don't work out during the day then there is also a 7:30 pm class that I can do two days a week or do a Sunday.  We will see but I might have to start a little slow because I am sore after just two classes and having trouble walking.

Hope that you had a great week!!! 

Last week:

Family Goals

• Spend time with family - We got to spend lots of time together at the festival and had a nice family week together.
• Go to Burke Festival- My little man had a blast but it was so hot and we were all getting tired by the end of the day.
• Chick fila free breakfast- In case you didn't know, Chick Fil-a had a free breakfast coupon and I got to sign up online for a free sandwich and a date and time to get it.  I chose a day that I had my son because I knew that he would really enjoy the playground area.  I really enjoyed the sandwich and he enjoyed the playground.
• Library storytime- Great topic even though the group got a little out of hand.  The stories and the transporation theme was fun.
• Get to preschool on time everyday- Excited to get this one on the list and make it happen.  We got out of the house every day (I can't say without a fight) and we are getting in the routine!
• My Gym Class- He was so tired and it was probably a mistake but he is enjoying the classes and the open play.  I think that we are going to stop after the next two weeks like we planned and see if school wipes him out less towards the holidays.

Personal Goals

• Cut coupons- Ah ha!  I worked really hard on Thursday while my son was in school and got the coupons cut...and went and started using them :)
• Get coupons on Friday- I got a few at the Visitors Center and then reminded my husband to stop at the library since little man had reached his limit after school and playground and was exhausted!
• Shut off computer 6 nights to save energy- I shut the computer off every night and tried to turn it off if I was gone from the house for more than one hour.  It worked out really well and it was off a lot over the weekend while I spent it with my family.
• Start to Read 44 Cranberry Point by Debbie Macomber- Read and review posted soon.
• Read next book in Debbie Macomber series- I read the next two books in the series and reviews are posted soon! Got the next few books in the series on the night stand ready to read :)

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 5 days of the week- I have cleaned the kitchen all week in the morning before getting started and hope that I made a little more progress in that but it just seems to be a never ending battle.
• Clean dishes one night and not wait until the morning- I cleaned all of the dishes on Monday night and Wednesday night to get ready for the busy days with making lunches and everything before everyone had to rush out the door.  I did work on dishes first thing each morning if I made more dishes at night :)

Blog Goals

• Post one post everyday (schedule 7 posts so that can spend more time with family)- Done
• Review book reviews completed during the week (if done)- Read, reviewed and posted book reviews
• Work on a few posts to work ahead for the coming week- I didn't do the best job and keeping up with my posts but I did have a few posts up each week so it wasn't a huge job to tackle but I made a new recipe and tried to get the rest of the month's posts scheduled.  I guess that I have more work to do next week :)
• Post Sunday Weekly Goals, Menu Plan Monday, Kid Wednesday and Thrifty Thursday Tip- Done

This week:

Family Goals

• Spend time with family 
• Swimming Lessons
• Get to preschool on time everyday
• My Gym Class

Personal Goals

• Cut coupons
• Get coupons on Friday 
• Go to Jazzercise
• Shut off computer 6 nights to save energy
• Finish 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber
• Read next book in the pile either Debbie Macomber or book review book

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 5 days of the week
• Clean dishes one night and not wait until the morning

Blog Goals

• Post one post everyday (schedule 7 posts so that can spend more time with family)
• Review book reviews completed during the week (if done)
• Work on a few posts to work ahead for the coming week
• Post Sunday Weekly Goals, Menu Plan Monday, Kid Wednesday and Thrifty Thursday Tip 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with M&Ms

After my son went back to school, I tried my best to take a break the first few days and enjoyed a little bit of rest.  I got all my chores done the night before and in the morning before school and got to enjoy a little quiet time.  I felt really lazy to sit and do anything but I felt like it was a long deserved break after such a busy summer.  I think that I might need to start a list of the things that I need to do this week so that I can get back on track because I am getting used to a life of rest!

I decided that I needed to make a special treat after having my son in his first week of school (and because I wanted a sweet treat and found nothing).  After making lunches for my husband and son, I started making a loaf of bread while trying to get my son ready for school and put in a load of laundry.  See how I was trying to fit it all in before school started so I would still have time to read and relax.  I decided since I wasn't busy enough, I would start making the cookie bars.  I got them all put together and ready to go in the oven.

We drove to school and my son excited went in to start another day of learning while I rushed home to turn on the oven, check on the loaf of bread and put the clothes in the dryer.  While the oven was heating, I was trying to decide between washing the dishes or sorting and cut coupons.  I decided on coupons because I could do that sitting down.  Oven beeped and I put the cookie bars in the oven and started the timer....now I am wondering how it is 9:30 and I still haven't eaten breakfast as my stomach growls at me!!  I finish sorting the coupons.  Put in the heel of the loaf of bread that we still have in the house to toast while washing up the dishes.  Smell that my toast is burning and take it out of the toaster oven with wet hands so that I still have something still left to eat.  Butter my toast and go back to washing the dishes while it melts.  Bite of toast standing at the counter....I decide to go to the bathroom because if I sit down, I might not get back up only to see things on the stairs that need to go up so I grab them and put them away.  Running back downstairs, the timer is on seconds...grab another bite of toast.  Pull out the hot pad and oven mitts to get the cookie bars of of the oven and realize that I better take the recycling downstairs...one more bite of toast and off to the basement. With 18 minutes left on the dryer, sitting down after 10 am to have breakfast and read a book... this is the good life (well for 18 minutes anyway).

Do yours days sound a lot like this?  Then you must also be a stay at home mom.  If you are a working mom who is dreaming about staying home, it isn't all bon-bons and roses, just a different boss who tends to whine more (Is it just me?).  I just wonder how I would do all this and still have a job outside the home.  I can't imagine that I would be able to but I guess that is why I am at home and get to do all this fun stuff right?


Well, if your day sounds like this or even if it doesn't, I highly recommend trying this recipe which I changed a little from a recipe that I found online here because we are limited in our chocolate chip supply but had some M&Ms and they are my son's favorite so I thought that it would be yummy and my son would be excited to try them.  Around the same time, I had also saved a recipe that used mini M&Ms so which was a close recipe so I thought that I would try this one and then work on that next (you can check it here).

I mixed the melted butter and brown sugar together.  Since the recipe uses melted butter and there is nothing to cream, I just used a regular mixing bowl and didn't touch the mixer.

I added the egg and mixed.

I added the dry ingredients to the mixture.  It mixed together really easily but I did need to use a spatula to scrape the sides because the flour stuck to the sides.

The batter was a nice golden color but  you can see that the flour stuck to the sides a little.

I added the chocolate chips to the batter.

I spread the batter with the spatula to get it into the corners.

I added the M&Ms to the top and pressed them in a little.

I put it in the oven and it raised up a lot.  I cooked to the time indicated but I should have left it in a little longer because the inside was still a little gooey...of course, that didn't stop me from eating it.  Since making bars keeps me out of the cookie dough, it was my little cookie dough tasting.

Here is one slice for you until you make your own!  Super tasty and chocolatey.  Just want I needed :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup M&Ms

Directions:

In a medium bowl, add the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Blend well. Slowly add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Once combined, fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased 9x9 baking pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup M&Ms on top. Place in preheated oven, 350, and bake for about 25 minutes.

Shared at Church Supper with Everyday Mom's Meals
and Swap and Share with Spatulas on Parade
and Homemade Mondays with Frugal By Choice 
and Recipe Sharing Monday with Jam Hands 
and Saturday Night Fever with Yummy Healthy Easy 

House on Olive Street Book Review

The House on Olive Street by Robyn Carr was at the library when I was looking at another book so I grabbed it off the shelf.  I read all of the Robyn Carr books that were in a series so this must be one of the independent novels that she wrote.  I checked when I got home and I was right!  Super glad that I grabbed and got the chance to enjoy it over the holiday weekend.

 In this book, there are five friends who are joined by a common profession, writing.  It seems that none of them really have a lot in common.  Sable is a best selling romance novelist that only wears the best fashion and lives in the best house.  Elly is an intellectual professor who has spent her life teaching others about writing and does a little writing on the side.  Barbara Ann is the writer and mother to her teenage and twenty something sons who can't seem to pick up after themselves.  Beth is the quiet writer who is married to the abusive traveling pilot husband.  The house on Olive Street is where they all meet because it is there friend Gabby lives which seems to have a revolving door with her ex-husband, two grown children, and lots of friends and neighbors.  Tragedy strikes when they four ladies arrive at the house to surprise Gabby with a breakfast brunch and find her dead in the house.  You won't believe all that is revealed in the book about each of the characters that turns their lives upside down.  They are working together to reform their lives in the wake of the death of their best friend, Gabby while cleaning out her house and putting together her final book.

The great part about Robyn Carr is she writes characters so vividly that you feel like you could be one of them.  Even if you haven't gone through anything like they have in their lives, you still relate to them.  I know that I loved it and really enjoyed the page turner of emotions in this book.  I hope that pick up this at your local library or bookstore because it is bound to entertain and keep you riveted just like it did to me!!!  Hope that you like it when you read it.

Thrifty Thursday: Saving Ends of Veggies in the Freezer

I really thought that this was a little silly and resisted for the longest time but I read about throwing extra food in the freezer before it went bad.  I started with a little bit of chicken here or there.  I did a pretty good job of pulling them out and making panini, quesadilla, and fried rice with them.  We normally did that on the weekends so that I had time to dig around and see what I had in the freezer.  Who can ever find something in the freezer when they need it?

The last time that I cleaned out the freezer, I put a plastic container in on one of the shelves to hold all of the little plastic bags that just had a little something in them that I had to use up.  Talk about a time saver!!  I now knew what I needed to use up and it took really little time to find it.  Currently I have chopped onions, a slice of bread to make garlic bread, cranberry sauce to make cocktail meatballs, and some small packages of chicken.

Since this adventure was so positive, I went to the next level and decided to save the ends of veggie.  This time I had one baggie labeled ends of veggies.  I cut up an onion to make a recipe and cut the rest to save for another time (which I put directly in the freezer).  I saved the ends and put them in the bag.  I added the ends of the celery when I got them from another recipe that I was making.  Then, it came time to make chicken broth and I had the veggies that I needed without having to use new veggies.  I just dumped the bag of leftovers into the pot and added some spices.

I have now started to add to the bag again so that I am ready the next time that I need it and there really is no cost because it is only scraps that were headed for trash (or compost if you are better than me).  Carrots are another great one to throw in the bag.  I have been known to save the ends of the asparagus that you cut or break off which also add a different taste.  These veggies add tons of flavor to chicken stock or could even be used to make their own veggie stock.

I hope that you decide to start your own container of leftover veggies so that you have a bag ready the next time you make chicken broth.  If you are looking for options for how to make your broth, check out these posts on my broth making, here or here.

If you are putting off making chicken broth because you think that it is too much work, I promise that it is really easy and totally worth it.  I do lots of versions but each time it is chicken bones, veggies, pepper, thyme, and bay leaves.  I boil for around 3 hours and then use my fine mesh strainer to take out all of the solids.  I refrigerate the broth overnight and then remove the hardened grease from the top and put through the strainer again.  I put the broth in containers for the freezer and take them out when I need them.  I use them for the following recipes:

Simple Chicken Fried Rice
Homemade Stuffing
Easy Baked Potato Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Mexican (Spanish) Rice

Hope that you try to save some veggies, make some broth and try a few recipes!!

Kid Reading: A Book

 
A Book by Mordicai Gerstein was on my list of summer reading and I saw it at the library so I scooped it up.  We read it while we were at the library and it was an interesting read.  It is one of those books that would be good to read over and over to your child because as they get older, they can probably pick out different things in the story. Some books are only entertaining to read once or interesting for a certain age group but this would be a good one to add to the collection. 

In the book, there is a family who is in the book.  Seem confusing?  Well, when the book is closed, it is nighttime and the family is sleeping.  When the book is open and being read, they get to do fun and interesting things.  The brother decides to be an astronaut and the sister spends the book checking out different stories because she doesn't know what her story should be.  At the end, the sister decides that her story is the fun family story.

It is an interesting book to read and then write a book.  We were going to be writing a book (based on the Press Here book) so I thought it was the perfect time to put in such a great idea.  I am not sure that he was totally into the book or that he totally understood what was going on but I talked with him about making a book like the sister was trying to do and he said yes.  Here is the book that he made (in case you can't tell the cover says Press Green):

I hope that you check out this book at your local library or bookstore.  It is a great way to introduce a different type of picture book with a great opportunity to make your own book too!!