Menu Plan 3/1/10

I went shopping today!  The fridge and pantry are restocked!

Two new things I want to try this month are quinoa and using spelt flour.  I'll let you know what we thinnk.

Breakfasts:
Soaked Oatmeal
Milk
Smoothies

Lunches:
PB&J or Tuna Sandwiches
Chips & Salsa
Yogurt
Apples

Dinners:
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Mexican Casserole (with Chicken)
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Green Quinoa and Avocado Salad
Friday - Leftovers
Satuday - Cheesy Bow Ties, Italian Bread, Salad Greens
Sunday - Leftovers

Have a good week!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache

Here is another recipe I am dying to try: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache.

They are the reason I bought the baby food prunes a few weeks back.  But, sadly, they will have to wait until Lent is over.  Or, hmm, maybe I could make them for someone... but then I would be really tempted to try one...

(I would use real sugar in place of the Splenda that is called for.)

My Latest Mac & Cheese

For some reason, it weirds me out to think of putting egg in things like lasagna, meatballs, or macaroni and cheese.  I usually just leave it out.  So I was excited to try this Macaroni & Cheese recipe that was featured in our local grocery store's seasonal magazine.  I made a double batch.  It is very similar to Jessica Seinfeld's recipe that uses squash puree, but this one does not call for egg.  I had some cubes of frozen butternut and acorn squash that I put in, but baby food would work just fine, too!  I made this recipe using whole wheat pasta shells, and we liked it very much.  I prefer to add a little more cheese than called for, and then to bake it again in a 9x13 pan after mixing it together to get a little bit of a crunchy top, but you wouldn't have to do that.  Just a note: you can always use prepared mustard in a 1 to 1 ratio in place of ground mustard if necessary.  I omit the white pepper.

It was a hit with my husband and daughter.  If you give it a try, let me know what you think!

Well.

Close, but no cigar.  Looks like we will end up about $20 overbudget on groceries for February.  Last week I spent $6.50 at Wal-Mart on peanut butter, babyfood, and tomato juice.  I was there to get some stuff for work and decided to get some peanut butter while I was at the dreaded place (since it is cheapest there or Target). I really wish Costco would carry the Skippy Natural.  My husband refuses to eat the kind that you have to stir.  And since he is such a good sport about eating PB&J, I better get him the kind he likes.  Then I spent $20 on bread, milk, bananas, pears (not organic, but 65 cents/lb.), and jelly at Costco.  We truly could have skimped by for a few more days, but didn't see the need.  A BIG Costco and Whole Foods stock up trip for March looks to be in the near future.  The documenting of the groceries is nearly over, thanks for hanging with me.

This is the time of year that I never know what to make for dinner.  I am tired of casseroles, and want fresher tasting stuff, but want big dishes that provide leftovers so I don't have to cook everynight.  So, how to swing that?  I think I will be throwing some new recipes into the mix.

March Dinner Ideas

Just brainstorming while I am home with a sick kid...
and making some mashed potatoes to freeze (to use up my 99 cent 10 lb. bag of potatoes).

Greek Quinoa and Avocado Salad
Beef BBQ on Buns
Meg's Stuffed Shells
Chicken Chili & Cornbread
Spinach & Feta Pizza
Rice Lasagna
Quesadillas
Chicken Pasta Primavera with Sauce
Shepherd’s Pie
Grilled Chicken Wraps
Salmon Burgers
Tuna Melts
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Cheesy Bow Ties
Crescent Chicken
Rice & Bean Burritos
Cornmeal Waffles with Syrup
Mexican Casserole
French Toast

I am stuck here and will add more later when they come to me...
Suggestions welcome for easy, healthy, not too expensive or complicated options.

Ok, I added some more.

Tally:
Meatless - 8 (wow, that was more than I thought)
Beef - 4
Chicken - 5
Fish - 2

P.S. I am crossing them off once they have been included in a weekly menu plan.

Menu Plan 2/22/10

Breakfasts:
Soaked Oatmeal
Milk
Applesauce Muffins

Lunches:
PB&J or Tuna Sandwiches
Snack??*
Fruit

Dinners:
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - BBQ Chicken & Green Pepper Pizza (PW's crust)
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Homemade Macaroni & Cheese (with squash puree), Broccoli
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Black Bean & Rice Burritoes
Sunday - Hearty Chicken & Rice Soup

*I am at a loss for what to go with our lunch...  this is where we usually have a snack or treat item, but I need something healthy, no dessert-type item...maybe I should just buy some cheese??  Ah, I could make some vegetable soup in the crockpot.  Tomato juice, stock, frozen veggies and potatoes, and some seasonings.  Easy and cheap...

The cupboard is getting bare... I will need to shop at the end of the week in preparation for March!

Ramblings on Books, Lent, Baby Shoes, etc.

A few weeks ago on a dark winter day, I reserved a bunch of books online from our local library. Many were waitlisted, some for longer than others. But, they seemed to all become available for pickup at the same time! So now that I have them, I am reading away as much as my schedule allows, which isn’t always much (as I like to sleep at night) in order to get through them before they are due. I cannot recheck them since they are in high demand.

Domino
(I have heard from many that this is their favorite home decorating book.)

Simple Country Wisdom
(This is my current read and is good inspiration for keeping a lovely home, by many definitions. It is also a good reference for practical homemaking tips.)

The Creative Family
(Recommended by Lindsay.)

Master Your Metabolism
(I am interested to see how her advice on food compares to the recommendations in Real Food, one of my favorite books from the past year.)

And coming soon… The Eco-nomical Baby Guide. I am going to read and review it, and then have a give away here! Probably at the end of March.

On another note, I am trying to recall what I felt like a year ago, when I was pregnant, and not craving sweets at all, but instead preferred cheeseburgers. Why? Well, I have been hearing about several friends online who are cutting out sugar, whether for the new year, to detox, for Lent, or whatever. And to tell you the truth, it was getting annoying. Because I LOVE dessert. I can go without fried food or salty food for nearly ever, but I love chocolate, cakes, cookies, ice cream, etc. But then yesterday my friend Chanie from work wanted me to go cold turkey with her for Lent. We both have issues with self-control when it comes to eating dessert. We can’t eat just one. And I knew that the reason I didn’t want to was because I knew it would be REALLY hard. But Chanie wanted an accountability partner. And the truth is I don’t want it bad enough to do it on my own. But doing it for someone else? To not let them down? I am doing it. It could get ugly. But will be good for me in the process.

(We are not going completely no-sugar. Like we can have sugar in oatmeal, coffee, gum, whatever. But not if it is something we have trouble with. And we know what those things are. We’re talking about pans of brownies.)

So since I can’t make my baked goods that I typically do, I am thinking I may spend more on groceries in March – like on yogurts, healthy snacks, etc. But if it makes me healthier, it will be worth it. More importantly, self-control is a Fruit of the Spirit.

Meanwhile, to get me through this brutal winter, I have been doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Love it. 20 minutes a day. It is (pathetically) taking me longer than 30 days, but I am almost there. What is funny is that my 2 and ½ year old loves to do it with me.

My mother-in-law sent my son some new shoes that she bought from the girls she knows. They are darling and very well made, just like his previous ones. Those were all cotton, but these are a little sturdier, with suede/leather bottoms to hold up when he starts crawling/walking. I think they are a very reasonable price… you could probably even get some custom made in the fabric of your choice.

Here’s their…
Blog.
So Sweet Baby Boutique website.
Etsy shop.

Enjoy!

Week 3 Quick Trip 2

Aldi - $13, including tax

For those of you who are as much as of a label reader and whole foods enthusiast as me are asking,
"Do you know what is in that bread?"

I know, I know  HFCS, among other things, many of which I cannot pronounce.  In hindsight, maybe I should have just gone to Costco.  I would have gone overbudget because of the larger quantity, but I would have gotten the same things at about the same price per unit and gotten the bread I prefer.  Oh well.

I hadn't intended to need more flour, butter, brown sugar, or sour cream this month, but we did run out and they are essential for some of our meals these last 2 weeks of February.

So far, still under budget...$7.50 left for February.

Our second produce order of the month should arrive today.  I think all I will need to buy next week is some more milk.  I could buy 3 more gallons at Costco or Aldi and hit the max right on the nose, or buy 2 organic and go over by 4 bucks.  Silly stuff.  I am just thinking aloud... please ignore my pettiness.

I wonder if we will need to try to up our food budget in the coming months.  The plan is to start baby food soon for our 6 month old... I am thinking so.

Link Love

I recently added some more to my favorites list of blogs I stalk that I don't know personally...

The Crafty Crow (easy to peruse roundup of cool children's crafts)

Clover Lane (mostly parenting opinions and stuff)

Week 3 Quick Trip 1

Are you tired of seeing the contents of my grocery cart yet?

Price Chopper's President's Day sale: spent $15, incuding tax, saved $30 (store specials)

approx. 8 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 lb. frozen vegetables

10 lb. potatoes

2 loaves Italian bread (not the healthiest, but handy as a side when making meals for others)

There were lots of other fun things on sale that tempted me, but I decided to stick to whole foods, minus the bread.

This food is for March and went straight into the freezer, except for the potatoes, so I am deducting $15 from the March budget.

Menu Plan 2/15/10

Breakfasts:
Soaked Oatmeal
Cornmeal Waffles & Syrup
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Milk

Lunches:
PB&J Sandwiches
Fruit
Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dinners:
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Baked Salmon Cakes on Whole Wheat Buns, Salad
Wednesday - Beef Soft Tacos
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Cinnamon Rolls, Scrambled Eggs
Saturday - Homemade Cheese Pizza, Salad
Sunday - BBQ Meatballs, Cornbread, Vegetable

Happy Valentine's Day.  Have a great week!

Linked to MPM.

Week 2 Quick Trip

When I was out by myself this week, I ran into Target for peanut butter and prunes (for a recipe) and to HyVee for some organic pears.  Spent $7.50, including tax.  $20.50 left to spend for February.*  I also picked up these books on hold from the library.  More on them later.  (Btw, the Country Living book is not about "country" decorating.)

Story:
I love HyVee.  I went for a 3 lb. bag of organic pears that I saw advertised for $2.69 or so in the Health Market flyer for the month of February (hat tip to Helen).  Well, they were no where to be seen.  The produce stock boy went to check for me.  While he was checking, Jeff (a manager or something) came walking a long and asked how I was doing. I said that the guy was checking on the pears for me.  Jeff went on to say that he was sorry they didn't have them for me, the first shipment they got in was very ripe when the opened them and so they did a bulk sale (whatever that means), but they should be getting more in on Friday.  I pleasantly said, "Okay, I just thought I'd check because that's a really great price for organic pears," and was about to go on my way.  Then, he said, "I can give you those other organic pears for the same price if you like." The $1.98/lb organic pears? "Okay, sure... that'd be great!"  He packed a bag for me (4 lbs.) and said, "Take this to the front and tell them Jeff said it is $2.70".  Sweet!  Thanks, Jeff, for making my shopping trip a success.  That's why I enjoy shopping at HyVee.  That, and the senior citizens having Bingo hour in the deli area were charming, too.

*Warning: I might cheat a little this coming week.  Price Chopper has boneless, skinless chicken for $1.19/lb. and that is too good to pass up.  So, I might stock up 2 weeks ahead of time on that for March.

Menu Plan 2/8/10

B reakfasts:

Oatmeal

Carrot Muffins

Smoothies

Lunches:

Sandwiches

Vegetable Soup

Fruit

Dessert

Dinners:
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Fish Sticks, Green Beans
Wednesday - Black Bean/Bell Pepper/Cheese Quesadillas
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Italian Cream Cheese Chicken Dish
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Breakfast for Dinner

Dessert:
Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Also Make:
Some sort of Valentines treats

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday.

Rhubarb Bars

I have several quart bags of rhubarb in the freezer from my husband's grandma.  We like strawberry rhubarb pie a lot, but I wanted to try something new.  I usually don't try a lot of recipes from magazines, because they are often too complicated for me, so this is a rarity.  This recipe is from BHG's Country Gardens magazine.

I think I used 4 cups of rhubarb and no nuts at all.  The bars set up better after I stuck them in the fridge. Oh, yes, and I used half butter and half coconut oil instead of shortening. This recipe is a keeper for us.

Week 1 Quick Trip

I've realized that it is hard for me to last more than a week and a half without going to the store.  Since we don't have a deep freeze, I typically only have room for two extra loaves of bread in the freezer.  And we always need more milk.  The three of us currently consuming milk will go through 2-3 gallons a week, give or take.  For now, I am going to try to buy organic milk twice a month, and buy regular (but hormone free from Aldi or Costco) on the in-between weeks.

Although it still counts as a stop at the store, I love only getting essentials and not having to think about menu ingredients every week.

I prefer to get bread and cheese at Costco, but I wanted to one-stop-shop ths time.  The baking chocolate was marked down to $1.33 (a holiday item, I think), and I have a specific recipe in mind that uses it.

Aldi $12 + tax
$28 left for the month

New Look

I finally had time to play around a little with my blog layout and stuff.  What do you think?  I will probably continue to tweak it.  Oh, and if you are like me and don't spend any money on your blog design because it is just for fun and you are cheap, follow this tutorial to make your own header.  It is what I did... It is cool because you can change it whenever you want!  Have fun!