A Productive Day in the Kitchen

We are a busy family, we need things to be as convenient as possible. We also are trying very hard to be good stewards of the money that God has provide. Combine all of these things for the maximum benefit, the result is a day in the kitchen. I discover Freezer Cooking several years ago, I even used recipes from the site http://www.30daygourmet.com/.  I also have learn what our family likes and adaptive some other things to do to make evening meal especially easier and less expensive. Matt loves bread so of course I made some artisan bread. (Disclaimer: I have not purchase the rights to any recipes, I use google and tried only the free ones from 30 day).

Here is a list of things that have been finished or if indicated will be finished on Sunday.  I am including only one list because we also made a trip to Walmart today and the kids have not been neglected :).

Breakfast- Baked Banana Oatmeal (Confession: this is a site I discovered yesterday, I can't wait to try out many more of her recipes).
Lunch- Ham and cheese crescent rolls
Dinner- Salisbury Steak with gravy, mashed potatoes and squash casserole.

Frozen Meats- 3 Salisbury Steak (30 day gourmet)
                        3 meals of shredded chicken
                        2 Cheeseburger Pies (30 day gourmet)

Other Frozen things- 5 cans Navy/White Beans
                                9 cans of Chicken Brooth/ I simply threw all the throw away parts of chicken back in crock pot, filled with water to the brim and cooked on low for another 6 hours.

Finished on Sunday            did
To be completed- I will try and remember to list actual quantities after they are finished. These are all soaking and will cook overnight. We will finished up on Sunday afternoon!
                           3 cans Re-fried beans
                           3 cans of Black beans
                           3 cans of Red beans
                            

Saving Money- A look at the Numbers!

I have made multiple shopping trips since Thursday. The main reason why is that our local grocery store has a stock up deal on Diet Cokes and paper products. I discovered these by accident on Thursday and since it seems we pass a Food Lion almost anywhere we go, I am trying to stock up.  Diet Coke 2 liters are on sale for 0.88 each when you buy four. This is the cheapest I have seen them since September and I have gone through my stockpile and actually have been paying around $1.25 each for the past couple of weeks.
So let's look at these numbers. Standard price for a 2L is $1.25, so far I have purchased 16 at a savings of 0.37 each for 5.92

While picking up a third round of drinks on Friday, I discovered that Hefty paper products are on sale BOGO free, with a coupon on display for 1.00 off 2. So far I have picked up around 300 paper plates, 60 paper bowls and 50 cups. I did send a set home with  my mother to  use at Christmas. I figured out that by using these products instead of the dishwasher twice a day, I am saving at minimum $1.00 a day by reducing our use of  the dishwasher by half. I should have easily enough products to last a month so that is a savings of $30.

Finally, I made a trip out to CVS today because of the information I found on-line, I hoped to get a coupon for 3 12-packs of Diet Coke for $8.00. I was excited to get this coupon. I combined sales and coupons today in order to purchase 9 12-packs of Diet Coke and 4 bags of candy for $25.00. In my calculations, I see the candy as all free because I would not normally purchase it.  My per can cost then is 0.24.  I go through roughly one 12 pack of drinks a week at work. We do have a machine that sells cans for 0.65 each. So by stocking up today I saved 0.42 a can or $4.92 a week. A grand total of $44.98.

Today, I place a whole chicken in the crock pot with several cups of water.  After it cooking all night, I was able to freeze 7 cups of chicken broth. A can of chicken broth is typically 14-15oz or just shy of 2 cups. I saw today that a stock up price on broth was $2.00 for the container, so by freezing the broth I had today I saved at least $6.00. I also was able to shred the cooked chicken that can be used for soups or pies instead of cans.  I should add here that this chicken from Angel Food so I am not sure of the cost.  I figure a good estimate of the savings is $5.00.

My final savings by planning ahead today is $94.00 off our normal grocery bill.

Sticking to the Plan while Life happens!-Menu Planning

One of our biggest money reducing/saving efforts this month is eating out of the freezer/pantry to reduce at least by half our food budget. So far this month we have spent $294. Honestly, this is the point where I usually have the biggest problem. We are running low on bread and milk, so someone is going to have to go in a grocery store to purchase these in the next several days. The trend is that because I have to buy 2 things, I go ahead and make a list of our wants. The goal is to change this habit. We are starting to run low on snack foods as well as quick/easy items for lunches. But again, I don't want to purchase because that will definitely sink the budget.

Now is where planning and a little next thought takes place. First I am going to share ways we have been trying to waste not, then I am sharing our plan for this hectic week. Yesterday, for lunch, I made tuna salad. We are short on loaf bread so I cut the hot dog buns from earlier in the week in half and made "subs" for the kids. Lily loved it so much she asked if she could have a sub in her lunch as well. Matt and I ate our tuna salad on hamburger buns. Today, I made a Shepard's pie for dinner, adding left over carrots and fruit cocktail to make it a meal to feed 6. The reason I chose the Shepard's pie is that we had a huge bowl of leftover mashed potatoes.

Next is the planning. This week is so hectic with Zach's cardiac appointment on Wednesday and my oral surgery scheduled for Friday in addition to all the regular weekly activities. Another budget buster for us is grabbing food on the run when things get busy. So I went ahead and planned a couple of meals that are quick and easy. First is spaghetti, no preparation just heat and eat. We have some lettuce that needs to be eaten so it will probably be added in on Monday to make this a healthy meal. Wednesday, we have no idea how long we will be at Amos Cottage but previous experiences have said that we need to plan on a long long day. So I have all ready gotten some chicken drumsticks out of the freezer. On Wednesday morning, we can throw in the crock pot with some BBQ sauce, add the rest of the left over mashed potatoes, frozen green beans from the summer and crescent rolls if time and we have an awesome meal. Finally Friday, Matt was concerned about me not being able to eat and needing to buy something. I checked the freezer we have several varieties of soup and also several cans of soup. I also found a couple of boxes of Jello as well as applesauce so nothing else is needed. Tuesday and Thursday, Matt will have to grab something out to grill or a frozen meal but that is not a big deal! Best news of all will be less than $10 at the store for bread and milk.

Freezer Cooking

One of the things that we realized last week with staying so busy in the evenings was that we seem to eat out more just because it is easier. Last week we ended eating out Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. So after a little of discussion we decided to try and get some food prepared in advance for the upcoming weeks. Matt and I have spent most of the day in the kitchen. We did make a trip to Aldi to pick up some hamburger and ended up buying up canned fruit and other things. We have actually accomplished alot today. We have agreed to make October an eat out of the pantry and freezer month. We will of course have to purchase juice, milk, eggs and bread but these will only be purchased when we have ran out. Along with this plan is to really dig in the freezer and try to clean it out so that we can purchase meat in bulk. I hope that Harris Teeter does not have any special event for the month of October. So here is a list of what we cooked, actually a good start to the month for eating food that is convenient.

3 packages of Taco Rice- this makes excellent taco, burrito, nachos and stuffed green peppers.
4 packs of cooked chicken- I can use these for soup, chicken pies or other recipes.
2 cans of chicken broth
1 Baked Ziti- this is actually lunch for tomorrow that we will share with friends
4 packs of Salisbury Steaks- basically you make and add the gravy to make a much better meal than a frozen meal.
1 pack of cooked grounded beef to be used for Sloppy Joes.
2 packs of Chicken Fried Rice- Haley's favorite food. This is a good quick meal of chinese.
1 Cheeseburger Pie- It has to be heated for a quick meal this week.
Matt also cooked an awesome breakfast, I cooked Banana Muffins, we had a take and bake Pizza for lunch.

So just above is roughly 16 meals. We also have several packs of pork chops, hot dogs, hamburgers and at least 2 meals of steaks. We should be able to make it through the month with ease!

Grocery Budget...the good...bad and ugly

I have been really trying to get us on a strict budget this year. One of the areas that I seem to continual struggle in is grocery shopping. As you know, Matt and I decided to clean out our cupboard/freezer starting exactly a month ago. I have been sticking to shopping only for things we are out of and of course CVS. Unfortunately on Thursday we were in town with Costco and went to pick up the items on the list. I can say that we stuck very closely to the list and only add things after discussion. The one exception was "gluten free" crackers we found and bought but Zach because they are delicious and he loves to have crunch foods. We bought drinks for Haley and I at lunch, cleaning wipes, swiffers, milk, eggs, bread, bananas and bacon. Our total was $120 that pushes the total for the month to $420 and with the $40 Matt just took to Walmart for Formula and creamer and diet coke. We are pushing $500 for the month. At this point we are starting to consider if the budget of $600 a month is realistic or should be increase that to $800. At $800 that is approximately $125 a person or $29 a week per person. Looking at the number $800 sounds like a lot but when you take that down to $30 a person a week that seems reasonable, especially when you include diapers for 2, formula and Gluten free foods for Zach and household cleaning products. So I am pretty convinced that I will again increase the budget to set it at $800 a month. But since finding 5 lbs of Hamburger and getting Angel Food in this week. we are also both convinced that we will continue to eat out of the freezers/cupboard until we leave for our trip at Thanksgiving. I am planning on having the first Monday off after arriving home and we most like will make a HUGE trip to Costco at that time unless we realize that we have enough food to go another week. :) Any thoughts or suggestions?

Saturday Catch UP

This week has been busy as usual. I was trying to decide what made it so busy that I have not been able to post...the only thing I can come up with is that I worked on quizzing every night to prepare for our monthly meet today. At least I have part of the morning before heading that way. So here is the long and short of the week.

Eat out of the pantry/No grocery shopping for the month of October. So far so good, we have had to buy Diet Cokes, cream, milk, formula and eggs. The one exception is that we bought cake mix and icing for Amanda's cake. But we returned a battery cores so this technically no money was spent on this. I am not sure if I said this upfront but I am continuing to shop at CVS as usual. I do count this in our grocery budget but I usually only buy sale items that we use in the stock pile and diapers. So far for the month we have spent 200 this includes our Angel Food so that is about 1/3 of what I usually budget and 1/4 of what we have been spending. The next 3-5 weeks depending on how long we can actually go will be challenging simply because the food we have left requires thought and preparation. Matt has been using the crock pot several days this week.

Kendall is doing really well with potty training. She has been staying day most days with only 1 accident per day.

CVS has an awesome monthly long deal on AZO products so I have made several trips this week but next week looks lame. I am saving over 80% on all the trips.

The other big news this week is that we finally bought a bed for Matt and I. I will be posting before and after pictures for Wordless Wednesday.

Monday Menu Post 9/27 the Challenge

So instead of the weekly menu post that I have been regular doing for the past year, today I am going to review our "challenge" for October. I hope to update the challenge at least weekly on Monday from now until we finish in either October or November.

After not being able to really control our grocery budget at all, I really wanted a change for October. Matt and I tossed around the idea and decided to "eat out of our pantry" for the month of October based on a monthly list of meals instead of a weekly plan. So we developed a list of 30 meals that we knew we had the ingredients for and starting today are going to eat off this list for dinners and try to avoid shopping for grocery for most of the month. In the end, ideally I would like to make a monthly menu plan, shop for the ingredients and add stuff from sales as they come. I really don't think that will happen but at least for the next 2 months I can challenge myself to not spend as much on groceries and free up some space!

Today, Matt decided not to use the list but made Sweet and Sour chicken. He used some of the ingredient that we already had to it will just extended the list into November, ultimately my goal is to limit grocery shopping until after our Thanksgiving trip. We can do this by buying Angel Food in both months and really trying to free up the freezer space and save money all at the same time. We have recently purchased alot of cereal and pop tarts that were on sale so breakfast except for milk will be covered. Lunches are all over the place with me eating at home 3 days, we did not include these in the plan but will start eating some of the extra food that is sitting around such as mac and cheese and fish sticks. I hope this at least helps with our budget!

A challenge

I LOVE yes LOVE to read (stalk) other blogs, especially those with small kids. I have noticed a common thread of monthly challenges on several. These have included "no dining out", "living on x for an entire month" etc. I consider my entire life a challenge so have not felt the need to participate in any of these until today. Matt and I made a "quick" trip to Costco today to pick up some milk and other supplies. We came home and started putting up the groceries, but man we don't have much space at all. We started talking about trying to use up all the food we have in the house and how menu planning and even sticking to a weekly menu plan is hard, and going totally without a menu plan is even worse. I also am kinda disappointed in how much I am still spending each month on groceries. So I thought it would be awesome if I didn't have to shop for an entire month. Matt and I talked and this idea has grown and develop and refined. So during the month of October I am going to try and avoid going grocery shopping except for milk and Diet Coke. We also plan to purchase the normal for us amount of food from Angel Food in October. We have made a list of 32 different meals that can be made out of the food that is already here. This is not an all inclusive list because we also plan to eat lunches and breakfast at home. I also will continue to go to CVS on a regular basis for "deals" each week. I am actually anxious to see if this can work. I have realized in talking to Matt and planning meals that we do need a trip to Aldi to buy flour, taco seasoning and sour cream to complete the list. If this idea works we may continue to use the 30 meal plan each month and begin with the list of recipes instead of the ingredients. I wonder if anyone would like to join me or have you tried this?? Leave me a comment...

Monday Menu Post 9/13

Last week the plan went out the window. Monday we had dinner with my BF after the pool.On Tuesday night, we went out for dinner at Mi Pueblo. Then on Thursday night, we had company for dinner. So let's hope this week goes better.

Monday- Big Breakfast
Tuesday- Tacos/Burritos
Wednesday- Steaks
Thursday- Chicken ala surprise
Friday- Sandwiches or out to eat.

Monday Menu Post 9/6

This week was a hard week to plan. For some reason I just ran out of ideas to fix. I did make an excellent meatloaf for dinner Sunday night so on Monday we will have pizza at the pool or something fast. Last week we stuck to the plan with the exception that on Thursday we ALL went out to eat Mexican and on Friday, Matt fixed rice and kielbasi

Monday-Pizza or something easy after the pool
Tuesday- Grilled steaks and salad
Wednesday- chicken casserole TBD
Thursday- Seafood night
Friday- Mexican at home or sandwhiches

Monday Menu Post 8/30

Things are falling in a routine (I hope)

Monday-Leftovers from Zach's party and the weekend food
Tuesday- Grilled Steaks (Angelfood)
Wednesday- Spaghetti with meatballs
Thursday- Seafood
Friday- Eating out or sandwiches depending on what Matt decides

We did excellent last week with sticking to our plan and we also did not eat out at all until Sunday! I hope this trend continues!

Monday Menu Post 8/23 on Tuesday

Better late than never...Zach had an awful horrible night last night so I am just now post. So far so good this week!

Monday- Country Fried Steak, mashed potatoes
Tuesday- Steak em sandwiches and tator tots
Wednesday-Shake and Bake pork chops
Thursday- Pasta from Pizza Hut in freezer
Friday- Out to eat or left-overs or something quick from freezer because preparing for Zach's party on Saturday!

Monday Menu Post 8/16

Matt is in charge of cooking, I get to do the planning since I am still the primary shopper in the house.

Monday- Steaks...broccoli...cheese bread
Tuesday- Chicken a la Matt (he is going to do something besides grill it)
Wednesday- Steak um sandwiches and tator tots
Thursday- Swedish meatballs
Friday- Eating out or seafood.

Monday Menu Post 8/2

I know this is a day earlier but hey at least I got it posted! So even tho things are dramatically changing over here, I am still doing the menu planning for now with the rule that he can change if he feels like it! Last week we stuck to plan except for the cabbage rolls which were replaced by a trip to Applebee's and we had them at lunch on Sunday with friends. Next week the post will be about how we plan to eat on vacation at the beach :).

Monday: Chicken Fried Rice (double portion, one to be frozen to be consumed at the beach), egg rolls
Tuesday: Hamburger steaks (Angel Food) and corn on the cob
Wednesday: Seafood night (Angel Food)
Thursday: Lasagna (Angel Food)
Friday: Steaks and left over sides from the fridge to clean it out!
Saturday: Grilled chicken, pasta, and peanut butter desert with awesome friends from Africa
Sunday: MYRTLE BEACH, here we come!

Monday Menu Post 7/26

Still treading water and the waves are really rough today. I may be able to blog about it soon.

Monday- Baked chicken in microwave, leftover sides
Tuesday- Meatloaf (Angel Food) carrots
Wednesday- Steaks, salad and bread
Thursday- Cabbage rolls
Friday- Mexician??? or what ever Matt choses

Monday Menu Post 7/12

I am working again this week, but hopefully it is starting to get under control. We ate out ALOT last week and only followed the plan 2 days but better things will happen this week I know.

Monday- Stuffed green peppers (freeze stuffing for future use)
Tuesday- Baked ziti ( previously prepared)
Wednesday- Leftover chicken casserole from Sunday and baked carrots
Thursday- Seafood night- Boiled shrimp and crab legs
Friday-? Possible night out for Mexican


Hope to post at least a couple more times this week but no promises

Monday Menu Post 7/5

Last week, I did not have a menu post and it showed. So I am making it a must have..especially on the weeks I work. Matt may even start checking to see what he is suppose to cook.

Monday- Leftovers or pizza at the pool. Since we are headed there after nap then supper is a grab and go.
Tuesday- Burritos made with Taco rice so I can use the tomatoes that need to be cooked.
Wednesday- Matt in charge of cooking..my Mom's having surgery..Brats on the grilled with corn on the cob
Thursday- Seafood- probably shrimp and deviled crab
Friday- Depending on what we do for dinner on Monday..Maybe pizza or sandwhiches.

Menu Post for Week of 6/21

Yeap it is Wednesday but I am posting the menu for the week. With Remington's birth on Monday, things have been off schedule all week. But I want to keep up with the rest and this just help my brain think.

Monday-Breakfast (Lily's request and Matt cooked)
Tuesday- Chicken and Turkey filet (Father's Day meal for my Dad)
Wednesday- Spaghetti
Thursday- Seafood (Boiled shrimp is Lily's favorite) Salad leftover from Tuesday to go with it
Friday- Pizza from Pizza Hut (plan on using a coupon should be around 20 for all of us to eat)

Simple but good!

Monday Menu Post 6/14

Last week, we did really well sticking to the menu plan except for Friday, when I made sweet meatballs for dinner. This week will be an unusual one for us. Basically, I am trying to use up alot of things out of the freezer. Angel Food is distributed on Saturday and we are planning on the "summer trip" to Costco. I was hoping for another week of Harris Teeter triples or super doubles but since that didn't happen, I need to restock alot of stuff. Everyone is home for the summer which means 3 meals a day for all 7 of us. In addition, I am planning on going to the pool at least a couple of times a week, which means we need snacks and drinks.

Monday- Salisbury steak (already frozen) potatoes and fruit.
Tuesday- Chicken fried rice and Egg Rolls
Wednesday- Baked ziti and garlic bread
Thursday- Steaks on the grill
Friday-Fish sandwiches and French fries

Monday Menu Post 6/07

Well last week was ok... we managed to stick to the plan for 3 of the 5 days. Over the weekend, we ended up splurging. Matt and I had our anniversary dinner out on Saturday night. Then on Sunday, we ate out 2 meals with friends. So it it back to eating at home this entire week. My goal is to not eat out at all. I still have not made the "tator tot cassrole" so I am taking it off the menu. This is the last week of school so we are going to start eating out of the freezor as well.

Monday: Tacos (I have to pick up some lettuce and tomatoes for this)
Tuesday: Ham steak with brown sugar carrots and stewed apples (This is all food that needs to be eaten before it starts to go bad.)
Wednesday: Steaks on the grill
Thursday: Grilled chicken
Friday: Chicken fried rice or spaghetti

I hope we can stick to this. I will be making a trip to Costco next weekend. I need to pick up some hamburger meat as this is the only meat we do not get from Angel Food now.