Once A Month Cooking Book Review

Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites: More Great Recipes That Save You Time and Money from the Inventors of the Ultimate Do-Ahead Dinnertime Method by Mary Beth Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson looked like good book when I saw it at the library the other day.  I really want to do more once-a-month cooking so I thought it would be worth checking out.

I read the whole book and found 42 recipes that I truly liked and thought that I could make.  I don't think that I would be able to follow the plan that they have in the book because I don't like 100% of the recipes in each cycle (we don't eat seafood).  They have done all the work and written the shopping lists and told you what order to do everything in.  If your family is more flexible than mine, it is a great book to follow the instructions step by step. 

Step 1 read the book, Step 2 follow the book to have a fully stocked freezer!!  I realize that this is sometimes easier said than done.  I am going to try to get better at doing it but I am still going to work with the sale cycles and not getting everything all at once to cook for one whole day :)

In reading this book, I realized that I did many of things that they suggested already.  When I buy boneless, skinless chicken, I cut them all in tenders so that everyone can take exactly what they want instead of leaving them in whole chicken breasts.  I put the marinates in bags and label them in the freezer so that later we have a list of the "meals" we are going to have based on the chicken in the freezer.  I also cook bone-in chicken breasts when I get them in order to shred the chicken.  I freeze the bags of shredded chicken to use for a variety of recipes.  It is great because it saves time and freezer space.  I took some out the other day and made a buffalo chicken pizza which was super yummy.

I hope to go one step farther and do some of the other tips in the book.  I am going to read through all the recipes that I thought were super yummy sounding and see what stuff I need to add to the grocery list to start a few new recipes.  I have some of the items on hand to make the spaghetti sauce and a few other recipes that I might try first.  I can't wait to try the stuffed shells :)  I have never made them before!!
Check out this book at your local library or bookstore.  I think that almost anyone can find a yummy recipe that they hadn't thought about before!!  I know that I did :)

Menu Plan Monday 6/11

Monday- BBQ Spiedies and rice
Tuesday- Chimis
Wednesday- Orange Ginger Chicken with brown rice
Thursday- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
Friday- Whole Chicken in a pan
Saturday- Leftovers/BBQ
Sunday-???/???

I don't know what the week holds other than relaxing from a busy week.  I have a few ideas for the missing meals but we might end up with a frozen pizza so that I am not in the kitchen :)  Plus it is father's day so I am going to make sure we do what my husband wants to do!!  Hopefully I will come up with a brillant plan that he loves.

Weekly Goals 6/10

Last Week:

Family Goals

• Spend time with my much smaller family- We had a good and quiet week!
• Playdate at a new park and nature center- We had a ton of fun at the park and nature center (minus mom and the snakes!! UGH)
• Playdate with son's friend at the house- We had a great time playing after our short break even though my son slept through most of the playdate.... that is the way it works out sometimes.
• Take Aunt Lynn to the airport- Done and the little man stayed awake and got to see a plane... almost ran out of gas since I didn't plan ahead!  OOPS!
• Storytime at the library- We had a great time at the storytime at a library even though it wasn't a great storyteller but we haven't been to in awhile.

Personal Goals

• Work on Monthly Menu Plan for June and shopping plan- Moved things around on the calendar and I only have a few days empty waiting to be filled but they are mostly weekends so I am calling it done and I made a shopping list.
• Read Emotional Currency: A Woman's Guide to Building a Healthy Relationship with Money by Kate Levinson at least half- It was hard to keep my eyes open most nights to get a lot of reading done but I read a little bit shy of half.
• Read cookbooks to find new recipes- Read a ton of cookbooks in my pile (4 to be exact) and wrote a list of recipes that were interesting out of each.

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 6 days of the week- I got the dishes done a few times a day so that they were always clean.  I missed the counters and floors on Tuesday but kept up the rest of the week.
• Clean dishes one night and not wait until the morning- I washed the dishes at night a few times even if I didn't finish them all which was great because there seemed to be a ton of dishes this week for only have a family of three!  I got them all done and put away on Thursday so I was pretty happy to have the morning with nothing clean :)

Blog Goals

• Post one post everyday- Done.  I barely got my one post a day up but I did it.
• Schedule at least 5 posts so that can spend more time with family- I did almost all my posts ahead of time this week which is my favorite way to do it because I know my post is already there.
• Work on a few more weeks of Thrifty Thursday to get ahead- I did this weeks and started on next week but didn't get much farther but I do have two other ideas in draft.
• Post Weekly Goals, Menu Plan Monday, and Thrifty Thursday Tip- Done!!

This Week:

Family Goals

• Spend time with my family
• Storytime at the library
• Pick up Aunt Lynn to the airport
• Bubbles Science and Storytime at the library
• Go to the park with friends
• Fire Safety Puppet Show at the library
• Movie at the library

Personal Goals

• Read second half of  Emotional Currency: A Woman's Guide to Building a Healthy Relationship with Money by Kate Levinson and try to finish
• Cut coupons (including pile from my parents and friend)
• Organize the coupon basket and get rid of expired one

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 6 days of the week
• Clean dishes one night and not wait until the morning

Blog Goals

• Post one post everyday
• Schedule at least 5 posts so that can spend more time with family
• Work on a few more weeks of Thrifty Thursday to get ahead
• Post Weekly Goals, Menu Plan Monday, and Thrifty Thursday Tip

Someone's in the Kitchen with Mommy

Someone's in the Kitchen with Mommy : 100 Easy Recipes and Fun Crafts for Parents and Kids by Elaine Magee looked like a interesting book to start the summer off with my son.

I was looking into a whole bunch of summer classes for my son this summer and I didn't see anything that was really interesting but I did get an idea.  There was a course for learning to cook.  Although I think that a 45 minute class in the kitchen with a boy that doesn't like to eat might sound like torture, I thought that maybe it would be easier to try something at home first (and a little cheaper)!!  Not sure if it will work but I am going to try at least one time.

I read through this book and I found some interesting ideas and some good recipes.  I wrote notes on 31 recipes but I think everyone will find different recipes that peak their interest.  I like the pumpkin bagels, chocolate dipped pretzels, and carrot cake Easter baskets.  There are other ideas to help remind you how to entertain your kids while eating like making ants out of peanut butter with pretzel legs and dirt pudding with gummy worms.  All ideas to get kids to make and enjoy food is always good in my book!!!

My only negative is that the recipes call for egg substitute.  I understand that the author is trying to make these recipes more "healthy" for kids but I don't know why all the recipes use egg replacements and not real eggs.  I think that it is a much better idea to teach kids where our food comes with and using more natural ingredients.  I will probably use real eggs instead of the way the recipe is written but it provides the options.

If you think that you might be interested in trying some fun in the kitchen with the kids, please feel free to check this book out at your local library or bookstore.  I think that there are some interesting ideas that the kids will really like :)

Cleaning out the pantry (or maybe more)

I decided that I really need to clean and organize my pantry since items were getting low and it was time to go shopping.  That is a much better time to get organized then after the big shopping trip when you have no where to put things :)  I started to reorganize and put things in Tupperware containers but the cupboards still needed a little help.

Welcome to my pantry!

I have 5 shelves which we adjusted when we put in the cabinets and I haven't done since.  I have changed what I put in the pantry a little since then but the shelf height still seems to work for everything still.  Ready for the grand tour???

Top shelf:

This one is a little above my head (literally) so I was on my tip toes with the camera over the shelf so sorry for the picture quality.  I keep the ramen noodles in the front for my son- he likes the noodles from them.  There are some packets of french fried onions that I was going to use for some chicken tenders- note to self to add to the menu plan.  Then the tuna fish packets for my husband.  The rest of the shelf is pudding and drink mixes.

Second shelf:

This one holds Shake N Bake, breadcrumbs, quinoa, mac and cheese and rice.  There is a little package of drink mix and french fried onions in the front waiting for a spot to move up to the top shelf.

Third shelf:

This normally has other things on it but it was mostly empty so I put the new stock of Ritz crackers on it and the Minute Rice that didn't fit anywhere else, bread crumbs, and the peanut butter that actually goes there!  There is a Dole Apple Crispy which I actually has been eaten since this picture was taken..oops!

Fourth shelf:

This used to be pancake mixes and some other boxes of stuff that didn't fit on the other shelves but we used up lots of pancake mix with all the company so there was only one box of blueberry left.  It gave me room to fit in the goldfish box which was nice because out of sight, out of mind.  My son ate the other box in only two weeks.

Bottom Shelf:

The bottom shelf holds the pasta, brown rice, and chicken broth.  Under the bags of brown rice are some elbow macaroni and other pasta.

Of course, this isn't my only cupboard that I use for holding all of my pantry items because I also have...

Over the stove (with baking dishes and large storage stuff):

This mostly holds pasta and tea bags but there are some ice cream cones in there now too.

Under the cabinet (with pots and pans):

Normally, this is where I store all my back up cereal on the bottom shelf and granola bars and plastic bags on the top shelf. 

My cupboard where we keep the things we are currently eating (top shelf more storage because I can't reach it without climbing on a chair):

I bought lots of Tupperware containers years ago when my friend was selling it and they are the best investment that I ever made.  They keep everything in a uniform container and it stays fresh way longer then just in the box.  We keep all the cereal on the middle shelf and the bottom usually has snacks like premium crackers, ritz crackers, cheese its, and some Honey Nut Chex cereal that my son gets for a treat.  All the way to the right is the oil, jar holding the dry contents of corn bread, and my container for white rice.

Ooops sort of forgot the basement (only used for canned goods):

Really forgot this one:

Plus I jam some items in with my pots and pans on the other side of the kitchen!!!  There isn't a lot of food in their but there is a little jammed in around the pots and pans like my egg noodles and mac and cheese which can't even be seen in the picture:) Mostly it holds the plastic bags and aluminum foil.

I think that I need to pull everything out but that seems like a little more work then I need to do so I am still figuring out how to reorganize the space(s) so that I can be better organized for the next trip to the store.  Any ideas? 

This is going to be my mission this week to come up with the plan and start moving things around.  I have already moved things around a few times just to see if I like the stuff in the new place.  I will take pictures and give you the update after I finish this project :)

**Note:  I realized during my starting to move things around that there is another cupboard over the fridge that holds mostly big pans, crock pots and wrought iron stands, that I also have some juice mixes and plastic bags up there... as well at there is a hidden storage of candy.  I don't know if that is considered an extention of my pantry too but there is very little room for storage but I realized that I also had stuff in there so I wanted to come forward with my hidden spot,

Giant Shopping Trip 6/7

This morning after storytime and checking out every book at the library, my son said that it would be okay if we went to the grocery store.  I was going to stop at one that was on the way home but I decided since I was getting milk that I should go to the one closest to my house.  What a bad decision!  I don't know why I always have trouble there.  They didn't have any stock of the Smart Balance Milk.  I talked to two people in the dairy section and the one told me that they had to get it off a pallet farther down (in slightly broken English and with hand signals).  The second person told me that he didn't think that he had any and continued to type on his hand held computer without looking up at me.  I told my three year old that we were leaving the store.

Luckily, we live in a big metropolitan area so we drove to the next closest Giant.  I drove straight down the aisle with the Chi-Chis salsa and tortillas which were on sale for $1.50 each.  There was a coupon for $0.50 off one salsa and $0.50 off one tortilla in 5/20 SS.  Final price was $0.50 for each one. 

Then we were off to the dairy section in the far back of the store.  They had "green" milk and we usually get "blue" milk (per my son's description of the color of the carton).  There were only three in the refrigerator so I asked a dairy guy who happened to be pushing a cart by, if there was any more milk.  He said that he would go check and asked if I wanted blue or green!  I sort of laughed and said either would be great but not purple (that is Lactose free for those of you that don't speak Smart Balance color coding).  He grabbed me four more and I was on my way to the check out.

Everything rang up correctly!!!  YEAH!!!!  The $10 Giant Online Community came off the total and then the $5 credit for buying 7 milks.  I handed the cashier my coupons and she rang them all up... a little slowly because she was checking each thing to make sure that I bought enough which of course I did.  Then she even gave me the credit for my seven reusable bags without me asking :) 

The total came to $0.55 with tax.  My subtotal was only $0.15 and then there was $0.40 tax.  The total savings on the order was $55.98. 

The cashier looked at the receipt twice and asked... "you only paid $0.55 for all that...."  Oh, yes, I am part of the Giant online community so they give me a $10 credit and I got a $5 for buying all those milks and then I used all those coupons.  She was a little confused but she didn't send security after me so I guess I explained okay. 

The whole time I was checking out, my son was looking at all the toys at the end of the aisle and I was paying more attention to him then anything because I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't end up buying something because he opened it.  He found a Cars 2 car that he didn't have and he got really excited.  I had my new best friend, the cashier we just checked out with, check the price.  It was $4.99 which isn't horrible but not great.  It stayed at the store but I told him that we would come and get it if he tinkled on the potty like Daddy and I have been talking about with him.  Here is hoping that we have to go back and get the car!!!

This shopping trip $0.55
Trip to Harris Teeter $0.83
June total spending $1.38

Thrifty Thursday Tip for Yard Sales

'Tis the season to yard sale (or consignment sales)!!  It is the beginning of the summer months and the beginning of yard sale season.  This gives you a great opportunity to get things on the cheap and have a yard sale to sell some stuff you don't need anymore.

To Buy:  Make a list of the things that you might need around the house to start checking out yard sales and consignment sales.  It is easy to get carried away if you find different things at sale so put together your list of kids clothes sizes and other necessary information that you might need while you are out searching the sales.  Decisions need to be made quickly so make sure you are ready to make those decisions.

Look in the paper or online (Craigslist and other websites) to find where sales are being held.  It is important to have a map and/or GPS to get from one sale to the next, especially if you aren't familiar with the neighborhood. 

Make sure you have enough cash to get what you are looking for because yard sales aren't the place to use checks or credit :)  It is also a good idea to have smaller bills in order to bargain with someone.  The worst thing is to tell someone that you can't afford $5 for something and want to pay $3 and give them a $20 bill to make change.  Sometimes it is best to keep different amounts of money in different pockets so that you don't pull out more money then you need to get the deals you just worked out.  Bags are also something to bring in the day and age of reusable bags but many sales provide bags for you to take home your loot!!

To Sell:  The other great option is to sell things around the house that you aren't using anymore.  I went together with a friend of mine and had a yard sale at her house during her community yard sale. 

She put out the signs around the neighborhood the day before.  We put all of our stuff in her garage so that we were ready to go.  We made drinks to serve to our guests.  Even though we hadn't done this before and didn't have enough time to prepare, we figured that we were ready to go!

We thought we were totally prepared but weren't expecting the first family that came to visit us at 7:30 am when we were setting up.  The great thing is that they bought lots of stuff but it was a little hard to do while we were also trying to set everything up.  It was a great sale to start the beginning of the day for both of us though and we kept a steady stream of customers until near closing time.

We both got change at the bank to put in our money box to be prepared.  We kept a notebook of all of our sales with my friend's on one day and mine on the other.  I made a total of $145 and my friend made $100.  It was a great success with us getting rid of a lot of different things that we were not sure if they were going to sell.  Both of us are super excited to try to have another sale and try to be better prepared with everything that we are ready to get rid of.  I wish that I had more room to set aside things in my house to prepare for the yard sale earlier but I have so much stuff that we don't have an extra space.  A few more garage sales and I might get to the bottom of all my stuff in the basement and make a nice profit!!

Whether buying or selling, preparation is needed for yard sale day.  I hope that you check out some great sales and find something that you and your family really needed at a great bargain!!