A Hunting We Will Go & Week #49

Time Honored Tradition… 

If you want a hunting story, all you have to do is mention deer and walla my Papa will keep you entertained for hours. It was and is something that has always brought him great joy. Mind you, his hunting wasn't just for pleasure but also for sustenance. 

The Grand Huntsman

 I have one horrific memory of walking into my grandparents garage only to be met by the hanging carcase of a gutted deer. I assure you that put me off on the whole thing instantly. But I also grew up eating many meals utilizing the catch, when it was prosperous. I may not be a huntress at heart but I can appreciate the provision that one who does supplies their family.

So, Where's The Meat?

You really can't tell in these images, but my husband took on a deer going 60 mph at 5am. You would think the first thing I would say is "are you alright", but nope, I wanted to know where the deer meat was. Good news the truck is fixable, thank goodness for insurance. Bad news, no free venison in the freezer. Looks like I'll have to come up with meals minus the deer meat.

Tip #3 Baking = Savings

I am a horrible baker, but I'm learning. One big thing I have learned is just how much I save by making my own breakfast goods. Now I do not make all these delicious foods at once. I generally make 1 very large batch of one or two of them and throw them in the freezer. Each week I add to the stock pile means that much less I have to make of buy for the following weeks and everyone has a plethora of options to choose from.

This Week We Purchased The Following: 

5# Chicken Leg Quarters ,5# Chicken 
Breast, assorted veggies and fruits, 
 & restocking cleaning supplies

 The total spent was $93.77

Our allotted budget is $130 but the goal is to stay under $100

Anything not spent gets rolled into the pot for restocking

or end of the year reallocation, like Christmas shopping

Breakfast Options For The Week

• Oatmeal
• Blueberry Pancakes (in the freezer)
• Carrot Cake Donuts
• Sugared Chocolate Donuts
• Eggs & Toast
• Tropical Fruit Risotto
• Banana Bread (LO from last week)

Looks like I have some serious breakfast baking to 
do. It's not that bad, really.

Monday:

Lunch - Chicken Parm wraps (last weeks LO's)

Dinner - Pulled Pork Sandwiches (remember all that pork we made and froze),  Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Tuesday:

Lunch - Tuna Pasta Salad

Dinner - Italian Chicken Sauté, Cheater Garlic Bread (I have buns that need to be used)

Wednesday:

Lunch - LO Chicken Wraps

Dinner - Halibut BLT

Thursday:

Lunch - Egg Salad Sandwiches

Dinner - Honey Chipotle Sticky Chicken, Cauliflower Au' Gratin

Friday:

Lunch - Egg Fried Rice

Dinner - Grilled steak, Southwestern Cheddar Fries, Side Salad

Saturday:

Lunch - $0.50 Soup

Dinner - Pizza Calzones

Sunday:

Lunch: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches & Tomato Soup.

Dinner: Going out

Snacks:

• Oranges, Bananas, Apples, Pears, Grapes
• Granola Bars

Drinks:

• Coffee and Hot Tea
• Water - that's a biggie here
• MYO Arizona Green Tea
• MYO Lemonade Concentrate

I Don't Leave Home Without It

I generally plan on Wed when I have 30 minutes  before mass chos begins.

I shop on Fri so our family menus (posted on the fridge) run from Fri to Thur.

How do I keep it all straight without pulling my hair out? I use Pepperplate.   

This site/App keeps all my recipes, super easy to upload from other sites, 

my shopping list which automatically uploads, my weekly/monthly planner, 

AAAND  (with best infomercial voice I can muster)   So Much More! (Nope I 

didn't get paid to say that either.)

Proverbs 31:15

She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day's work for her servant girls.

Week #48 Thanksgiving and Groceries

Happy Thanksgiving Week

This Must Be After The Triptafen Kicked in

I don't know if this is an actual thanksgiving picture but it encompasses the properties of many of my memories of that happy glutinous holiday. Children having pushed their parents to the limits, awkward family rituals and sleepy eyes.

20 Or So Years Later

Seems like the only thing that changed between the generation before and here is that these folks actually look happy! I'm guessing we hadn't eaten yet and fallen into the traditional food coma.

Continuing The Family Tradition

What I remember most about holidays were that Nana ALWAYS manned the kitchen, there was enough food to feed a small nation or at least all of Rhode Island, and there were certain dishes we never skipped or altered in any way. So many years later I attempted to fill her shoes. Dinner was delish but I learned some things can never be exactly replicated. I spent weeks prepping, shopping, cooking, cleaning, and boy was I exhausted when it was all over. Some of the dishes I nailed and others didn't even come close but we had a grand time and enough leftovers to still feed Rhode Island.

SOUP? I Thought It Was Thanksgiving!

Well you got me. I'm not cooking Thanksgiving this year. Here in NC the temps are 
wa-hay below normal and nothing says soup like freezing cold days. That and soup is easy to make, easy to double (no extra prep or cook time) and easy to freeze. That is the cook once eat twice way my friends.

This Week We Purchased The Following: 

Chicken Leg Quarters, 2 bags breaded chicken fillets, assorted 

veggies and fruit, spices, oils, cheeses, laundry detergent,

dog food, and hygiene products

 The total spent was $93.04

Our allotted budget is $130 but the goal is to stay under $100

Anything not spent gets rolled into the pot for restocking

or end of the year reallocation, like Christmas shopping! 

Breakfast Options For The Week: 

• Cinnamon Raisin Bread (LO's)
• Fruit & Yogurt
• Apple Walnut Butterhorns (make double freeze 1/2)
• French Toast (from the FZ)
• Eggs & Toast

Wow, that seems like A LOT of breakfast, well, we have

much left from last week, and anything I make that

doesn't get devoured goes to the freezer so I don't have

to make it later.

Monday:

Lunch - PB & J, Fruit

Dinner - Honey Sesame Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans

Tuesday:

Lunch - Sesame Chicken Wraps

Dinner - Easy Chicken Parmesan (prep double, freeze 1/2 before cooking), side salad, garlic bread

Wednesday:

Lunch - chicken parm sandwiches

Dinner - Fish Chowder, Yeast Rolls (prep double, freeze 1/2 before cooking)

Thursday:

Lunch - I'M NOT

Dinner - COOKING!!! WooHoo!

**Hey, but if you are, share a recipe or funny family favorite story!

Friday:

Lunch - Turkey Caesar Salad

Dinner - Turkey and Vegetable soup

Saturday:

Lunch - Turkey Sandwich with cranberry relish

Dinner - New England Clam Chowder

**If I don't see another piece of turkey it'll be too soon

Sunday:

Lunch: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Dinner: Meatball Stew, egg noodles.

Snacks:

• Apples, Pears, and bananas
• popcorn (air popped)
• Apple Pie
• Granola Bars

Drinks:

• Coffee and Hot Tea
• Water - that's a biggie here
• MYO Arizona Green Tea
• MYO Lemonade Concentrate

I Don't Leave Home Without It

I generally plan on Wed when I have 30 minutes  before mass chos begins.

I shop on Fri so our family menus (posted on the fridge) run from Fri to Thur.

How do I keep it all straight without pulling my hair out? I use Pepperplate.   

This site/App keeps all my recipes, super easy to upload from other sites, 

my shopping list which automatically uploads, my weekly/monthly planner, 

AAAND  (with best infomercial voice I can muster)   So Much More! (Nope I 

didn't get paid to say that either.)

Proverbs 31:15

She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day's work for her servant girls.

Week #47 Reduce, Reuse, Re-Leftovers!

So The Government Did Care?

**We are interupting your regularly scheduled blog for this short history brief. **

Well, yea, a long time ago in a not so far off land. 

World War II was on the horizon, it was the spring of 1942, and the federal government put the food rationing program into motion. They needed to control supply and demand. Rationing was introduced to avoid public anger with shortages and not to allow only the wealthy to purchase commodities.

Can anyone tell me what happened 72 years later?

I try to have no real political opnions but if you really want to know check out "Food INC" on Netflix, you can decide for yourself.

Oh, That Explains SO Very Much

That just happened to be the eria my Nana & Papa grew up in.

Having spent a large part of my childhood with Nana,  "We don't waste food" was not only something that was said but that was imparted in most every form of food that was eaten. If it had mold on it, don't worry, just cut it off. Well that one kinda didn't stick, something about that just doesn't settle well with me. Giving something multiple uses, however, did. Today we are going to explore the 3 R's of cooking

REDUCE - REUSE - RELEFTOVERS

Can you believe this still applies today!

You may think, my God that women must have an unlimited supply of time to plan everything, prepare it, oh yea, and blog about it. Well I hate to burst your bubble but I really don't. Buying something with thought to me just means how many uses can I get out of this thing. For me, that is cooking with care.

I can't believe the number of times I hear nay sayers tout that to buy fresh food is too expiensive. Really? Well maybe we will just have to get into that in future blogs. I can't afford to purchase endless amouts of prepackaged food that lasts only days in our house but I can stretch one $0.99 squach into 3 meals. You do the math friends.
OOPS, I think I just slipped off my soap box and busted my ass. Serves me right.

Serve just enough & use what is left, now I call that a golden rule. If I left a whole roast of anything setting out I guarentee my family would eat the whole darn thing. Portion control didn't seem to trickle down the generations in this country nor my home. So before I holler "DI-NER!!!" from the bottom of the stairs, I take just a moment and hack out what I need for later. By the way it helps to save on clean up time.

"NO, Pork Again, Please Make It Stop"

Think of this as great practice for turkey week. 

Why on this green earth would I make my family eat pork all week, that seems a bit excessive! October was national pork month, there were amazing pork sales and I waited until they were all sticker marked down. In budget talk, a $20 hunk of meat only set me back $11. That and, honestly, because I have an enormous Pork Shoulder in the freezer and pretty soon we will need the grocery savings to restock staples for the year like butter (freezable), flour, sugar, and the like. Which all get price marked down during the holiday season.

If you are a little shy about plaqueing your family with night after horrific night of pork, don't bail on me now. Once you cook the big'ol hunk of meat there is a few things you can do: 

Shred up 3/4 or 1/2 of what you've cooked and freeze it. When you want quick BBQ sandwiches or Lunch Wraps, simply place the freezer bag in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes to revive the meat. This will help to keep it moist and you can go about steping on lost legos as your searching for that matching sock.

OR

If you have a few extra minutes, try the soup rescipe below. Place it in a freezer bag, and repeat the above process when your ready for a meal on a hectic night.

This Week We Purchased The Following: 

I KISSED the Budget this week  (kept it simple stupid).

We didn't need much of anything, just what I call the fillers.

Coffee, milk, eggs, some fruit, and bean sprouts

 The total spent was $55.18

Our aloted budget is $130 but the goal is to stay under $100

Anything not spent gets rolled into the pot for restocking

or end of the year reallocation, like vacations! 

Or, more realistically braces, college, prom.

Breakfast Options For The Week: 

• Cinnamon Rasin Bread (machine)
• Land Of Nod Cinnamon Buns
• Pumpkin Spice Buttermilk Scones (last weeks LO's or what's in the FZ)
• Autum Apple Cereal Bars (great to add to school lunches too)
• Apple Rasin French toast (made from last weeks LO Bread)
• Banana Bread

Wow, that seems like A LOT of breakfast, well, we have

much left from last week, and anything I make that

doesn't get devoured goes to the freezer so I don't have

to make it later.

Monday:

Lunch - Chicken Salad Wraps (using LO's)

Dinner - Chinese Chop Suey, Rice

Tuesday:

Lunch - LO Chop Suey

Dinner - Grilled Lemon Pepper Pork Chops, Grilled Onions, Mashed Potatoes 

Wednesday:

Lunch - Pork Sandwiches

Dinner - Italian Sausage Subs

Thursday:

Lunch - Egg Salad Sandwiches (this link has an easy index of 18 differant ways to make egg salad)

Dinner - Pork Picnic, (in the crock pot) mashed califlower, pickled beets

Friday:

Lunch - Pork Carnitas (there is no recipe - take hashed up pork, a tortilla, and whatever else makes a good mexi-wrap)

Dinner - Southwestern Pork Soup, Cornbread

Saturday:

Lunch - Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Dinner - BBQ Sandwiches, coleslaw, baked beans

Sunday:

Lunch: Fend for yourself (there's usually plenty in the fridge and it needs to go)

Dinner: Thanksgiving Dinner at a Friends - Cranberry relish and mashed Rutabaga. 

Snacks:

• Apples, Pears, and bananas
• popcorn (air popped)
• Granola Bars
• Cheese Dip and Tortilla Chips

Drinks:

• Coffee and Hot Tea
• Water - that's a biggie here
• MYO Arizona Green Tea
• MYO Lemonade Concentrate

I Don't Leave Home Without It

I generally plan on Wed when I have 30 minutes  before mass chos begins.

I shop on Fri so our family menus (posted on the fridge) run from Fri to Thur.

How do I keep it all straight without pulling my hair out? I use Pepperplate.   

This site/App keeps all my recipes, super easy to upload from other sites, 

my shopping list which automatically uploads, my weekly/monthly planner, 

AAAND  (with best infomercial voice I can muster)   So Much More! (Nope I 

didn't get paid to say that either.)

Proverbs 31:15

She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day's work for her servant girls.

Week #46

Week 46, 2014 - Yes, this is next week

But My Kids Won't Eat That!

There's a strong chance that if you've been serving your family out of boxes and bags, you are going to hit a wall of resistance. For me, cutting the budget meant growing a pair of you know whats. Oh the whining was torment and I so very much wanted to cave just to make it stop. Than there was the "I'm starving" ploy that tugged on my heartstrings. 

I Don't Want To, You Can't Make Me

Suprisingly enough, when I said "that's okay, it'll be here tomorrow when you are hungry", they began to concede. If I learned one thing, kids won't go hungry, not really. They may opt out of my less than desireable available choices but when hunger really does strike, they'll eat pretty much anything, than your in.

Time Is Precious, Just Shop Smart

Our weekly grocery budget is $130, the goal is to spend less then $100, but also I spent $0 dollars last week AND this is a restocking week. 

Prepare yourself, there will be a little math here. 

I will need to roll over from lasts weeks budget OR/AND save the differance for stocking the freezer with meat later. 

By the way, I DO NOT use coupons! Just like I don't have hours for cooking I also don't have hours for clipping coupons. Not to mention I don't need 120 boxes of junk food sitting on a shelf that I wouldn't want my family to eat anyway.

Where'd All The Money Go?

This Week We Purchased The Following: 

Restocking = all the stuff we don't eat and some we do.

Along  with the usual fruits, veggies, meats and canned

goods that we purchase weekly, this week we needed "big

ticket items" like detergent, dog food, 10#'s of ground turkey,

and paper products. The total spent was $155.01, divided by 2

because we spent $0 last week =

DRUM ROLL PLEASE……

$77.55!

Tis' The Season For Soup

Breakfast Options For The Week: 

• Homemade Instant Oatmeal
• Scrambled Eggs and Toast
• Pumpkin Spice Buttermilk Scones (Freeze For Later - FFL)
• Autum Apple Cereal Bars
• Biscuts & Applebutter or Jam

Monday:

Lunch - LO Chili

Dinner - Sweet & Sour Pork (Crock Pot), Habachi Fried Rice,  Shrimp Sauce

(**make twice as much rice - before following the recipe - and save half for Saturday)

Tuesday:

Lunch - LO Pork in a Wrap

Dinner - French Onion Soup 

(**Cook Bacon in the microwave and you'll have lunch for tomorrow) 

Wednesday:

Lunch - BLT's

Dinner - Tortilla Soup with Black Beans, Cornbread

Thursday:

Lunch - Bacon Egg Salad Sandwiches or Wraps

Dinner - Chipotle Turkey Burgers, Kale Chips

Friday:

Lunch - Tuna Salad Wraps

Dinner - Sailsbury Steak with Gravy, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Side Salad

Saturday:

Lunch - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Dinner - Roasted Lemon Chicken, Cumin Rice, Roasted Rosemary Corn

(**hold on to these leftovers for meals next week)

Sunday:

Lunch: Fend for yourself (there's usually plenty in the fridge and it needs to go)

Dinner: Dinner at a Friends - We don't have to bring a thing.

Snacks:

• Apples, Pears, and bananas
• popcorn (air popped)
• Cherry Cheesecake Cookies
• Homemade Eclairs

Drinks:

• Coffee and Hot Tea
• Water - that's a biggie here
• MYO Arizona Green Tea
• MYO Lemonade Concentrate

Tip #1

Living on a budget is "Progress NOT Perfection". Going out and buying everything at once is a sure fire way to break the bank. Making small changes over time, however, will add up.

I used to go straight to the bakery isle for all my spices but I found an easy cheat. Before filling the cart, check out the "ethnic" sections in your local store.

McCormick's spices are $3.99 in my store, but over in the Hispanic section the same spice pouches are $0.59. I would call that a considerable savings!

I Don't Leave Home Without It

I generally plan on Wed when I have 30 minutes  before mass chos begins.

I shop on Fri so our family menus (posted on the fridge) run from Fri to Thur.

How do I keep it all straight without pulling my hair out? I use Pepperplate.   

This site/App keeps all my recipes, super easy to upload from other sites, 

my shopping list which automatically uploads, my weekly/monthly planner, 

AAAND  (with best infomercial voice I can muster)   So Much More! (Nope I 

didn't get paid to say that either.)

Proverbs 31:15

She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day's work for her servant girls.