I was just reading $5 Dinners, and she is giving away a $50 giftcard to Meijer. I would love to win this - we try to spend about $50 a week on groceries, so this would be a week's worth of groceries for us!
Go here to enter.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Frugal Cooking
In an effort to trim down our expenses (even more than we already have), lately I have really been trying to figure out ways to save money on food and groceries. Besides meal planning, which helps alot, I have been following a few blogs that focus on cooking and eating frugally to get inspiration.
$5 Dinners - the title says it all, great recipes and ideas for $5 dinners.
The Grocery Chart Challenge - this lady is amazing! She feeds her family of 6 on only $60/week!
Fun Foods on a Budget - some basic recipes and some interesting/different ones - all in keeping with eating frugally.
I have a few recipes that I would like to make that include beans, and I have been waiting for a sale to stock up on canned beans, but haven't come across any lately. So, yesterday I was thinking about the bags of dried beans I have in my pantry from when we were getting WIC after Jer was laid off. They were free, and they have just been sitting there, and I really could put them to good use. I looked around online a little bit about cooking dried beans and found this post at A Year of CrockPotting (which is the BEST crockpot blog ever, by the way) and tried it out last night.
I put black beans in the crockpot to soak at about 4:30 yesterday afternoon, and then turned them on low to cook at 11:30 before we went to bed. They were pretty much done when I got up at 7:30, but I let them cook for another 1/2 hour. Then I drained them and let them sit out for a little while to cool down and put them into bags to freeze, a jar to use later this week in a recipe and then the leftovers in a baggie for snacks, etc. K actually ate a handful of them for her morning snack, and really liked them. And, I feel really good about her eating beans, they are so good for you and I know that the ones I made aren't loaded with sodium like the canned ones are.
It really was easy, I loved cooking them in the crockpot and just being able to turn them on and go to bed and they were ready to go in the morning. The thing that took the most time was sorting out the bad/broken beans before soaking them. I probably lost about 1/8-1/4 of a cup in bad/broken beans.
I have to price it out the next time I'm at the store, as I'm not quite sure how much this actual bag of beans cost, because it was free with WIC, but I think they are around $1 for 16 oz., and could be even cheaper on sale. I basically got the equivalent of 3 cans of beans, with a few leftovers. I think cans of beans are around $.75 or so depending on the type of bean and whether they are on sale or not, which makes these beans MUCH cheaper, even with the cost of energy, as the Year of Crockpotting post states. And again, like I said, it was easy. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be making beans like this from now on, unless I come across a crazy, amazing sale on canned beans.
$5 Dinners - the title says it all, great recipes and ideas for $5 dinners.
The Grocery Chart Challenge - this lady is amazing! She feeds her family of 6 on only $60/week!
Fun Foods on a Budget - some basic recipes and some interesting/different ones - all in keeping with eating frugally.
I have a few recipes that I would like to make that include beans, and I have been waiting for a sale to stock up on canned beans, but haven't come across any lately. So, yesterday I was thinking about the bags of dried beans I have in my pantry from when we were getting WIC after Jer was laid off. They were free, and they have just been sitting there, and I really could put them to good use. I looked around online a little bit about cooking dried beans and found this post at A Year of CrockPotting (which is the BEST crockpot blog ever, by the way) and tried it out last night.
I put black beans in the crockpot to soak at about 4:30 yesterday afternoon, and then turned them on low to cook at 11:30 before we went to bed. They were pretty much done when I got up at 7:30, but I let them cook for another 1/2 hour. Then I drained them and let them sit out for a little while to cool down and put them into bags to freeze, a jar to use later this week in a recipe and then the leftovers in a baggie for snacks, etc. K actually ate a handful of them for her morning snack, and really liked them. And, I feel really good about her eating beans, they are so good for you and I know that the ones I made aren't loaded with sodium like the canned ones are.
It really was easy, I loved cooking them in the crockpot and just being able to turn them on and go to bed and they were ready to go in the morning. The thing that took the most time was sorting out the bad/broken beans before soaking them. I probably lost about 1/8-1/4 of a cup in bad/broken beans.
I have to price it out the next time I'm at the store, as I'm not quite sure how much this actual bag of beans cost, because it was free with WIC, but I think they are around $1 for 16 oz., and could be even cheaper on sale. I basically got the equivalent of 3 cans of beans, with a few leftovers. I think cans of beans are around $.75 or so depending on the type of bean and whether they are on sale or not, which makes these beans MUCH cheaper, even with the cost of energy, as the Year of Crockpotting post states. And again, like I said, it was easy. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be making beans like this from now on, unless I come across a crazy, amazing sale on canned beans.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Meal Plan Monday
Well it's Monday again - time for this weeks meal plan. Since we were pretty much all getting over being sick last week, I didn't really cook the way that I had planned, so we have a few meals left from last week to make this week. This week might not turn out as planned though either, because my sister-in-law, Hannah, and her girls, Lilli and Abbi, are coming tomorrow for a week long visit while my in-laws are on spring break. We are so excited to see them, and we'll probably end up having dinner with them a few times this week.
Monday - Crockpot Orange Chicken (from last week) - it's cooking right now! That's what I love about the crockpot!
Tuesday - Breakfast for dinner (from last week) - might make a breakfast bake because I have some crescent rolls to use up, or just have eggs, sausage, potatoes, and toast or english muffins.
Wednesday - Ground Turkey Casserole (from last week)
Thursday - Layered Enchilada Bake from kraftfoods.com
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - TBD
Sunday - Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Soup - I am so excited to try this one, I have been eyeing it for a while!
I have learned a few things over the past few weeks of meal planning. One is that I love it!! It definitely makes things much easier and if you have to skip a meal you had planned for one reason or another, you can always push it to the next week, and you already have everything that you need for it. Also, cooking every night does create lots of leftovers in our house, since most meals are meant for 4 or more people, and we really only have 2 people eating (sometimes K eats what we have for dinner, and sometimes she turns her nose up at it). :) So, I have learned that I need to freeze leftovers right away. There were a couple nights where I was tired and it was late and I just threw the leftovers in the fridge and told myself that I would transfer them to the freezer the next day, and it never happened. So, right now my fridge needs a good cleaning out, and I'll unfortunately be throwing lots of leftovers away. I feel so bad when I do that because I know I am being so wasteful of both food and of $$. But, at least I have learned my lesson - get them into the freezer right away - and then you have another meal already prepared for a day when you might not have time to cook, or you didn't get to the store like you had hoped to pick up things that you needed for dinner - we all have those kinds of days. I'm sure also once the new baby comes I will really appreciate having frozen meals ready to go in my freezer!
Monday - Crockpot Orange Chicken (from last week) - it's cooking right now! That's what I love about the crockpot!
Tuesday - Breakfast for dinner (from last week) - might make a breakfast bake because I have some crescent rolls to use up, or just have eggs, sausage, potatoes, and toast or english muffins.
Wednesday - Ground Turkey Casserole (from last week)
Thursday - Layered Enchilada Bake from kraftfoods.com
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - TBD
Sunday - Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Soup - I am so excited to try this one, I have been eyeing it for a while!
I have learned a few things over the past few weeks of meal planning. One is that I love it!! It definitely makes things much easier and if you have to skip a meal you had planned for one reason or another, you can always push it to the next week, and you already have everything that you need for it. Also, cooking every night does create lots of leftovers in our house, since most meals are meant for 4 or more people, and we really only have 2 people eating (sometimes K eats what we have for dinner, and sometimes she turns her nose up at it). :) So, I have learned that I need to freeze leftovers right away. There were a couple nights where I was tired and it was late and I just threw the leftovers in the fridge and told myself that I would transfer them to the freezer the next day, and it never happened. So, right now my fridge needs a good cleaning out, and I'll unfortunately be throwing lots of leftovers away. I feel so bad when I do that because I know I am being so wasteful of both food and of $$. But, at least I have learned my lesson - get them into the freezer right away - and then you have another meal already prepared for a day when you might not have time to cook, or you didn't get to the store like you had hoped to pick up things that you needed for dinner - we all have those kinds of days. I'm sure also once the new baby comes I will really appreciate having frozen meals ready to go in my freezer!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Meal Plan Monday
Last week I wrote my first Meal Plan Monday post. I'm excited to report back that it went really well!! I was able to go shopping on Tuesday, and for the most part, followed my plan for the week, except for this weekend when we ended up have a baby with a 103 fever and a sick mommy and daddy! But, we had lots of leftovers from lots of great meals this week so we were able to eat of some of those, and we froze some for meals later on too! We are feeling better today, but we'll have to wait and see how the week goes.
So, here's my plan for this week, and I even wrote my grocery list and got my coupons ready to go last night, so I'm all set to go to the store this morning as soon as my sleeping babe wakes up. She must need her sleep - it's 10:30 and she's still snoozing. Poor baby!! I hope she feels better soon.
Monday - Brolied Tilapia Parm - from last week, didn't get to it.
Tuesday - Asian Beef & Noodles - this is a recipe from my mom, but I've actually never had it before, so we'll see how it goes.
Wednesday - Cream Cheese Crockpot Chicken - again from last week, but didn't get to it b/c we were all sick. :(
Thursday - Breakfast for dinner - eggs, sausage, potatoes, toast or english muffins
Friday - Ground Turkey Casserole - also a new recipe, but I have gr. turkey in the freezer that needs to get used up and I have everything else on hand, so hopefully it's good!
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Crockpot Orange Chicken - this is also a new recipe from my friend Jenica
Uh-oh, my snoozing babe just announced that she is awake and waiting for me! I hope you all have a great Monday!
So, here's my plan for this week, and I even wrote my grocery list and got my coupons ready to go last night, so I'm all set to go to the store this morning as soon as my sleeping babe wakes up. She must need her sleep - it's 10:30 and she's still snoozing. Poor baby!! I hope she feels better soon.
Monday - Brolied Tilapia Parm - from last week, didn't get to it.
Tuesday - Asian Beef & Noodles - this is a recipe from my mom, but I've actually never had it before, so we'll see how it goes.
Wednesday - Cream Cheese Crockpot Chicken - again from last week, but didn't get to it b/c we were all sick. :(
Thursday - Breakfast for dinner - eggs, sausage, potatoes, toast or english muffins
Friday - Ground Turkey Casserole - also a new recipe, but I have gr. turkey in the freezer that needs to get used up and I have everything else on hand, so hopefully it's good!
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Crockpot Orange Chicken - this is also a new recipe from my friend Jenica
Uh-oh, my snoozing babe just announced that she is awake and waiting for me! I hope you all have a great Monday!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Belly Pics
I realized that I never posted these belly pics that I took about 2 weeks ago. I was 20 weeks along. I think next time I need to turn more sideways so you can actually see how far my belly sticks out. :)
Kaelyn loves to point to my belly and give the baby hugs and kisses. Not that she really realizes that there is actually a baby in there. Still, she is so sweet!
Kaelyn loves to point to my belly and give the baby hugs and kisses. Not that she really realizes that there is actually a baby in there. Still, she is so sweet!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Meal Plan Monday
I've seen this type of post on other blogs and although I haven't really looked into the original blog that does Meal Plan Monday, I thought I would try this out for myself. In the past I have tried planning meals for 4 weeks at once but it always seemed like something always came up and the meals never happened like I planned. So for me, it's definitely easier to plan meals on a weekly basis, but I don't always get around to doing it at the beginning of the week and then I get stuck at dinner-time not knowing what to make or eat for dinner. My goal is to actually plan my weekly meals on Sunday and make a grocery list so I can go shopping on Monday for the week, but since this is my first week doing this, I'm not that on top of it yet. :) I plan to post my meals here on Monday just to keep myself accountable.
So, here are my meals for the week:
Monday - Spaghetti Pizza - this is a recipe that I got from Jer's mom when we got married. I have never made it and I actually don't think I've ever had it at their house, but I have everything I need to make it and it seems pretty easy, so I'm going to try it out and see how it goes. I'll let you know!
Tuesday - Chicken Enchiladas - great recipe from my friend Shelley that Jer and I love! Great for leftovers too!
Wednesday - BBQ Pork in the Crockpot
Thursday - Stuffed Shells - I plan to make these ahead of time and put them in the fridge until ready to bake.
Friday - Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
Saturday - TBD - maybe leftovers or something simple or from the freezer.
Sunday - Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken - I like to make stuff in the crockpot on Sunday so that it is pretty much ready when we get home from church and are starving! :)
Okay, so there you have it, my meals for the week. Hopefully everything goes as planned. I'll have to let you know. If you want to join me in planning and posting meals for the week, I'd love to hear from you!
So, here are my meals for the week:
Monday - Spaghetti Pizza - this is a recipe that I got from Jer's mom when we got married. I have never made it and I actually don't think I've ever had it at their house, but I have everything I need to make it and it seems pretty easy, so I'm going to try it out and see how it goes. I'll let you know!
Tuesday - Chicken Enchiladas - great recipe from my friend Shelley that Jer and I love! Great for leftovers too!
Wednesday - BBQ Pork in the Crockpot
Thursday - Stuffed Shells - I plan to make these ahead of time and put them in the fridge until ready to bake.
Friday - Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
Saturday - TBD - maybe leftovers or something simple or from the freezer.
Sunday - Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken - I like to make stuff in the crockpot on Sunday so that it is pretty much ready when we get home from church and are starving! :)
Okay, so there you have it, my meals for the week. Hopefully everything goes as planned. I'll have to let you know. If you want to join me in planning and posting meals for the week, I'd love to hear from you!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wow!
The past two weeks for us have been a little crazy, so I have some catching up to do.
To begin with, last week we finally SOLD OUR HOUSE!!! I'll have to write the whole story later, but we have a contract with a buyer to close around mid-March/early April. God is good!
Also, we found out yesterday that we are having a baby BOY!!! Jer and I both thought that this baby was a boy, and we were right. And the best part is that he is a healthy boy! It was so amazing to see him on the ultrasound screen, to watch him move and see his little hands, arms, legs, heart and brain. Wow, just wow! It's unbelievable to me that I have a little person growing inside me. Thank you God!!!
Here's a pic of our little boy. We are so excited to meet him in around 4 months.
It's late, I'm tired, but I just had to share all of our good news! More to come soon!
To begin with, last week we finally SOLD OUR HOUSE!!! I'll have to write the whole story later, but we have a contract with a buyer to close around mid-March/early April. God is good!
Also, we found out yesterday that we are having a baby BOY!!! Jer and I both thought that this baby was a boy, and we were right. And the best part is that he is a healthy boy! It was so amazing to see him on the ultrasound screen, to watch him move and see his little hands, arms, legs, heart and brain. Wow, just wow! It's unbelievable to me that I have a little person growing inside me. Thank you God!!!
Here's a pic of our little boy. We are so excited to meet him in around 4 months.
It's late, I'm tired, but I just had to share all of our good news! More to come soon!
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