Menu Plan Monday

It's late. I'm tired and I fell totally uninspired about my menu this week. Does anyone else have weeks like that?

Oh well. Here's what I came up with.

Breakfasts

Pancakes and syrup
Oatmeal
Granola, yogurt and berry parfaits
French toast
Bacon, eggs, hashbrowns
Blueberry muffins and oranges
Leftover Muffins

Dinners

Taco's
Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup and rolls
Crockpot Roast Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
Homemade Mac and Cheese, Tomato Balsamic Salad
Leftover Buffet Night
Birthday Party
Superbowl Party

To see what blogland has menu-planned this week go HERE.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

My friend Lori sent me a message the other day saying she had some strange cow parts to give to me. She had beef bones from the butcher that she didn't know what to do with so she figured I might have some use for them. She brought me 6 packages.


I wasn't sure what to expect....a bare bone? But I opened them up to find some great meaty bones with nutritious marrow in the middle and began googling all my options. I found that beef marrow is a gourmet treat. I guess people roast it up and it turns into something spreadable like butter. Then they put it on toast, salt it and eat it in ecstasy.

Blech. I'm so not classy like that.

Instead I found a delicious looking roasted beef broth recipe that I tweaked to incorporate the ingredients I had on hand. I came out with a rich, golden, herby broth that looked good enough to drink from the stock pot.

The dog got the leftover bones with the marrow in them (It tasted like cooked jiggly fat. No way was I eating that on toast). So if you find yourself with some beef bones on your hand, or get them cheap from the butcher, here's an excellent recipe.

Homemade Beef Broth

Start with 5 lbs beef marrow bones. Roast bones at 400 for 30 minutes.


Then add 2 cups chopped onion and 1 cup each of celery and carrots. Continue to roast until vegetables begin to brown.


Transfer to stock pot and cover with 4 quarts cold water. Bring to simmer and skim.

Add 1 leek, 3 sprigs thyme, 6 parsley stems and a bay leaf. Add a dozen peppercorns and three gloves of garlic then simmer for 5 hours.


Strain out chunks, sort out meat, (feed bones to dog) and store in containers in the freezer.


Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge.

New Giveaways! Don't Miss Out!

Yahoo! I've got new giveaways up on my product and review page. Come check it out HERE.

GCC Shopping Round Up

My schedule has changed a little bit and I'm still trying to figure out where to carve the time out for grocery shopping. In the meantime, I've had just enough time to hit one store for the last few weeks instead of my usual three discount stores and one chain. I'm finding that even just going to Win-co, I'm still able to find good prices. It really is all about buying foods in the most natural form possible (ie: the ingredients to cook with rather than the processed finished product).

This week I did manage to run to Fred Myers as well as Win-co. It was on my way home and they had whole chickens for $.69 per pound. I just couldn't pass that up.


1 gallon milk $1.98
1 can tomato paste $.50
1 yogurt $1.78
whipping cream $2.98
2 lb cheddar $4.48
unsalted butter $2.18
graham cracker pie crust $1.12
4 cans tuna $4.72
7 apples $4.31
fresh mushrooms $1.98
grapes $3.03
3 lbs clementines $3.98
2 lbs carrots $.98
parsley $.58
5.13lb whole chicken $4.05
4.29 lbs of stew meat $8.49
2 pkgs bacon $5.00
fish sticks $2.98

Grand Total $56.10

I haven't had to buy any non-food items for a bit but I can tell it's going to hit me all at once next week. I hate it when that happens.

Do you have a bargain you'd like to share or a picture of what it takes to feed your family for the week or maybe a savings success story? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge.

I have a handful of giveaways I'm working on too so check back soon to enter.

Menu Plan Monday

We have company coming for dinner this weekend so we'll be adding a little more meat and a dessert to our menu. Here's what it looks like....

Breakfasts

Waffles
Oatmeal with sauteed apples
Bacon, egg and cheese omelets
French Toast
Yogurt, fruit, granola parfaits
Pancakes
Leftover pancakes or waffles from the freezer

Dinners

Fish sticks and tater tots
Grilled tuna and cheese with soup
Spaghetti, garlic rolls, green beans
Crockpot Roast Chicken, green salad
Crockpot Wild Mushroom Beef Stew, Crusty Bread, French Silk Pie
Bacon, tomato and cheddar panini, soup
Leftover Buffet

For more great menu plans go HERE.

Are You Thinking About Your Garden Yet?

I can feel it starting...the urge to dig in the dirt, daydreams of what to plant and how to expand. I've been thinking about how to solve my mole problem (a layer of extra small chicken wire in the bottom of my beds) and how to trim the apples trees so that the sun light can still get to my garden. I've been making lists of what worked and didn't work last year and I'm almost ready to buy my seeds.

So I was really happy when I got an email from Scott at Hometown Seeds letting me know that they were having a promotion. By entering the coupon code thanks, 10% will be reduced from the total cost of any order. The code will be good through February 28, 2010.

So if your green thumb is starting to twitch go check them out. They have a huge assortment of vegetable, herb, flower and survival seeds.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

I detest cleaning my shower. The rest of the bathroom stays pretty clean but the shower, I can put off for weeks before I'll give in and scrub it. But I came across a recipe for homemade daily shower cleaner that really works. I started with a good clean shower and now everyday when I get out I spray my shower walls and the liner with this homemade recipe and it keeps the gunk at bay. I also use it on my shower that has a glass door and it keeps it sparkly and clean. It's super cheap and just as good as the expensive store bought kind. So here's the recipe. Try it for yourself and let me know how it compares.

Homemade Daily Shower Spray

2 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoons of dishwasher rinse agent (like jet dry but generic works fine)
water

Mix the vinegar and rinse agent together in a 32 ounce spray bottle. Fill the rest of the way with water. After each shower spray the walls and door (or liner) and walk away. No scrubbing. If you have smooth shower walls you could take the extra step and squeegee it off.

Do you have a recipe you'd like to share?

Please link directly to your blog post, not your homepage, and please include a link from your post back to The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Are You Paying For Food Or Convenience?

Saving money at the grocery store doesn’t necessarily mean making drastic life changes or eating different foods. Sometimes the first step is as simple as just being aware of the true cost of what you’re buying. Many of us are under the mistaken assumption that we save so much time in our busy lives by buying products that are ready to eat. Pre-washed, pre-chopped, and serving size packages are all the rage with our busy lifestyles but are they really worth the extra cost? A lot of what we pay for isn’t just the product, it’s the expense of someone taking an extra step in the preparation of the food. It’s usually a step that we could easily take ourselves with just a few extra minutes. So let’s take a look at a few examples so you can decide for yourself if it’s really worth it.

You know those handy pre washed bags of lettuce setting in the produce aisles? Most people still take the extra precaution of washing them before eating because of the e-coli scares in the past. So really, the only convenience in that bag of lettuce is that someone has already chopped it up for you. How hard or time consuming would that be to do yourself? Maybe this piece of information will help you decide. A 15 ounce bag of pre-chopped Romaine lettuce costs approximately $2.68. The equivalent bought in it’s original form costs approximately $1.26, less than half the price. I’d be willing to take 60 seconds to cut my own bite size chunks if I could save over 50%.

Aren’t those little baby carrots cute? Those were the idea of California farmer MikeYurosek who was tired of seeing the carrots that were too knobby, twisted, bent or broken, get wasted. Instead he cut them into 2-inch sections, pumped them through water-filled pipes into whirling cement-mixer-size peelers and whittled them down to the bite size bits Americans love to eat. So in essence we are paying someone else to peel our carrots and make them look pretty and uniform all for a jacked up price. A one pound bag of baby carrots costs $1.38. A one pound bag of regular size carrots costs 49 cents. I’m willing to take 5 extra minutes to peel them, chop them and keep them in the fridge for a quick snack during the week at a nearly 2/3 savings.

A 2 pound block of medium cheddar cheese costs $4.48 . The equivalent of pre-grated medium cheddar costs $7.00, a mark up more than $2.50. If you have a food processor with a grating attachment this is a matter of 60 seconds to grate it yourself. If you’re using an old fashioned hand grater it might cost 5 minutes of your time. If you’re afraid that much cheese might go bad before you use it, it can easily be frozen. Place the grated cheese in freezer bags and store up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator when ready to use. The freezing might slightly change the texture of your cheese but the flavor is still there and if you’re using it in cooking you won’t notice the difference.

These are just a few examples of simple ways that you can save at the grocery store. My hope is that next time you’re filling your grocery cart you’ll take a second look at the package your tossing in and ask yourself, “Could I have done that myself?” When that becomes second nature you’ll be well on your way to a slimmer grocery bill and some extra cash in your pocket.

GCC Shopping Round Up

I committed two fatal frugal errors this week while shopping. First I shopped with one of my kids in tow and second I shopped at one store only. I also have some problems with anemia occasionally so in order to get a bit more iron in my system this week I had to buy a few different items to naturally up my iron intake. (albacore tuna, spinach, dried apricots)

Here's how it looked....

Win-co

2 gallons milk $3.96
4 albacore tuna $4.72
2 soy milk $2.56
tater tots $1.48
2 hamburger buns $1.86
3.25 lbs bananas $1.89
3 lbs tangerines $2.38
baby spinach $2.98
broccoli $1.10
tomatoes $1.70
green onions $.58
1.67 lbs dried bulk apricots (not picture) 5.11
Balsamic vinegar $2.98
Olive oil $4.89
3 avocados $2.04
2 cans spaghetti sauce $1.74
2 lbs cheddar $4.48
1 soda pop $.78
Honey $9.05 (not pictured)
Chicken patties $3.98

Grand Total $60.26

Would you like to share a super deal, your shopping trip or what it takes to feed your family for the week? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

Menu Plan Monday

A fisherman friend gave me some salmon he caught so we are sneaking some yummy Pacific Northwest fish into our diet this week. Last week we ate from our pantry and still had plenty to eat. My fresh fruits and veggies are a little low this week so I'll be looking for deals in that area although I still have garden fruit and veggies that I canned from this summer that I'll be using.

So here's what on the menu for this week.

Breakfasts

Oatmeal
Eggs and whole wheat toast
Yogurt with frozen blueberries
Homemade Granola
Veggie and cheese omelettes
Pancakes
Leftover Pancakes

Dinners

Baked Salmon, Steamed Broccoli
Soup and rolls
Korean Roast Chicken Thighs, Rice, Stir Fried Veggies
Chicken Burgers and Tater Tots
Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Green Beans
Taco salads
Leftover Buffet

For more great menu plan ideas go HERE.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Hi guys. My Internet is down until tomorrow so I'm at the library taking care of business. I'm just going to let all you cooks jump right in with your recipes and cover for me this week. Have fun!

Please make sure to link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Cleaning Up After Bed Wetting

I had a reader ask me if I knew how to clean up a mattress after a little one has wet the bed and I'm sad to report that I am highly qualified in this area. There are lots of fancy cleaners out there but really all it takes is some baking soda, white vinegar and dish washing soap.

If you have a repetitive bed wetter it's best to be pro-active. I used to take one of the large heavy duty outdoor garbage bags and place it between the mattress and the fitted sheet. Then when my little munchkin had an accident I never had the wet mattress problem. The layer of plastic caught all the liquid and my only clean up was laundering the sheets.

So if the urine got on the mattress here's an article on how to clean it up using inexpensive, earth friendly household items.

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips go HERE.

GCC Shopping Round Up

It's been almost a year since I've done a shop-from-my-pantry week so you get the privilege of seeing my disorganized cupboards and fridge again. It's truly wonderful to know that even on such a tight budget, it's still possible to accumulate enough to take a week off of shopping. By the end of the week we're being pretty creative but I can honestly say that some of my best meals have come from weeks just like this.

I cooked up one of my bargain turkeys from the freezer today and we had a wonderful meal to kick off the week. Here's what's left to get us to next week.

My inside freezer has some pumpkin puree, frozen veggies, frozen soup, bread, a little Christmas ham, hamburger...

My fridge has veggies and fruit, tea and lemonade, condiments, turkey, eggs, pickles, and leftovers.

My outside freezer has some garden rhubarb, bread, chicken, beef and turkey, lots of broth, and a casserole.

My pantry has plenty of baking supplies, oatmeal, dried fruit, jars of applesauce and jam, a bit of top ramen, pasta, beans and some canned goods.


I also have a drawer full of rice, lentils potatoes, and garlic.


Not too shabby. I really have a lot to work with.

Would you like to share your shopping success, great coupon deal, or well stocked pantry? Please include a link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge from your post.

Menu Plan Monday

I'm not a big stockpiler simply because my budget is so tight. But even with $60 per week for the six of us, I can still accumulate extra in my cupboards. I've been seeing alot of the "use your pantry" posts this month so I decided I don't have a whole months worth of pantry supplies but I could definitely do a week. So this week I'll be pulling one of those extra Thanksgiving turkeys that I bought for $5 each and cooking it up. I'll attempt to stretch it throughout the week for our dinners.

Here's the plan.

Breakfasts

Pancakes and homemade syrup
Oatmeal with sauteed cinnamon apples
Mushroom and cheese omelets
Yogurt Parfaits
French toast and oranges
Oatmeal
Leftover Freezer Pancakes

Dinners

Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, veggie tray
Turkey noodle soup and buttery bread machine rolls
Thanksgiving Memory Casserole
Thai Turkey over rice
Spaghetti, green beans
Chili and cornbread
Leftover Buffet

For more great menu plans go HERE.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Homemade mayonnaise sounds complicated but not only is it simple and super cheap but it tastes so much better than the kind in a jar. Here's the recipe we use around here.

Homemade Mayo

1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup canola oil
1 dash paprika

*Recipe makes 1-1/4 cups mayonnaise.

In blender, add egg, dry mustard, vinegar, paprika and 1/4 cup oil and blend on low 1-2 minutes.
Turn blender off, and scrape sides down. Turn blender on, and while it is running, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cups oil. Blend until the consistency of mayonnaise. Refrigerate in non-reactive container.

Do you have recipe you'd like to share? Please link directly to your post, not your main page, and please include a link back to the Grocery Cart Challenge from your post.

*** I've had a lot of people ask how long this keeps and mine usually lasts about a week.

GCC Shopping Round Up

My laptop has a date with the computer doctor on Wednesday. Yahoo! Hoping it's simple, I don't lose any info and the money magically appears to pay for it. Hey....it could happen. In the meantime I have to skip the pictures AGAIN this week. Thanks for being patient with me guys.

Oh and just a little humor. My dog rode along with me as I grocery shopped today. I usually take a plastic tub to put my groceries in so the dog isn't tempted to sneak a snack. But I made a quick 5 minute stop to grab something and didn't stick it all in my tub. I came back to one pound of hamburger missing as my dog was licking his lips. Sorry kids. Guess we're having vegetarian burritos this week.

S & S Liquidators

Marshmallows $.49
3 boxes of cereal $4.27
2 cans tuna $1.18

Grocery Outlet

TP $4.99
Tortilla $2.39
Cheese $1.99
Olives $.79
3 mac and cheese $1.00
Shampoo $.99
Conditioner $.99
2 toothbrushes $.99

Win-co

2 gallons milk $4.56
1.97 lbs bulk brown sugar $1.26
hamburger buns $.93
Ground beef $2.75 FOR THE DOG! URGH!
hot dog buns $.98
Frozen chicken patties $3.98
frozen french fries $1.37
2 boxes sausage links $1.96
3.61 lbs bananas $2.09
bulk Equal $.90
2lbs yogurt $1.78
5 dozen eggs $7.08

Grand Total $49.71

Do you have a great deal, a picture of your groceries or an excellent coupon you used this week? Go ahead and link up! Please make sure to link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge from the body of your post.

Menu Plan Monday

This is going to be a weird week at our house. The kids and I will be gone every weekday this week only to come home tired at the end of the day. I'm really NOT going to want to cook. I'm thinking I'm probably going to understand the exhaustion that all you full time working mom's feel when you come home from a long day at work and still need to feed a family, do the laundry, and spend time with your kids. You ladies are total SuperWomen! So my "barely cooking" menu looks like this....

Breakfasts

Oatmeal
Yogurt and fruit
Cereal and milk
Oatmeal
Cereal and Milk
Pancakes
French toast

Dinners

Hot dogs and tater tots
Eggs, hash browns, sausage and fruit
Burritos
Freezer soup and rolls
Chicken Burgers and french Fry's
Mac and Cheese, Tomato salad
Leftover Buffet

Lack of cooking means not many leftovers for my Sunday off. We'll see how that works out. My kids are pretty excited at the thought of the cold cereal a few times this week. And I keep telling myself that it's STILL going to be cheaper than eating out. We'll see how the shopping trip goes tomorrow.

For more menu plans go HERE.