Menu Plan May 13-17

I'm not ashamed to say that our eating last week barely resembled our menu plan.  Our sausage and pepper pasta on Sunday evening turned into turkey and pepper pasta when the sausages were freezer burned beyond salvaging (I know better than to put meat in the freezer in its original package - I really do!).  It turned out well, however, and I'll remember that for future skillet meals.  We ate the chicken and black beans on Monday night, but then on Tuesday my hubby requested a take and bake pizza, which stretched into leftovers on Wednesday.  Thursday I made homemade chicken strips.  Friday I decided we'd better have something quick since I had to make two different kinds of shortcake for Saturday, so we just had hot dogs, potato chips, and baby carrots. 

Menu Plan Monday

The name of the game this week is FAST.  Two swimming lessons and a parent teacher conference are sucking up most of our evenings this week.  I'll be doing some prep ahead and hubby will be helping by putting things in the oven before I get home from work. 

Monday:  Taco Bell (promised this to my daughter last week - it's been a long time and she's going through potato taco withdrawal.  Kind of regretting it after eating out all day yesterday, but a deal's a deal!).

Tuesday:  Hamburger casserole (I'll make it tonight and hubby will put it in the oven tomorrow so we can eat right when I get home from work).

Wednesday:  Chicken and Stove Top (I'll make it in the morning and hubby will put it in the oven while we're at swimming lessons)

Thursday:  Broccoli Beef

Friday:  Dinner with family.

Have a great week, and see you all over at orgjunkie.com for more fabulous menu ideas!

Menu Plan May 5 - 11

I'm feeling rather blah about this week's menu.  Actually, today I'm tired and not in the mood to even think about cooking, let alone actually do it.  So this week's theme is going to be "quick and simple" because, no matter what, we will not be eating out!

Last week we mostly stuck to the plan.  I did end up making chicken strips and tater tots instead of tetrazzini on Thursday, after spending most of the day at the zoo with my daughter's preschool class.  It was a hot day, and I was tired, so I relied on my fallback plan in the freezer.  It worked out well.

We did run into issues with side dishes last week.  I don't know what I was thinking, but I shorted us on fresh vegetables when I went shopping.  Then I discovered we didn't have nearly as many canned and frozen veggie options as I thought we did.  But, we worked it out and I remedied that at the grocery store this week!

So here's the plan:

Sunday: Sausage and pepper pasta
Monday:  chicken and black beans
Tuesday:  jambalaya (we us the Zatarains brand)
Wednesday:  Bruschetta Chicken Bake
Thursday: "More" Casserole (hubby's family recipe)
Friday:  Pork Chops (I'll probably dredge them in one of those Kraft Fresh Take things)
Saturday:  Early Mother's Day/Graduation party for my sister-in-law.  We're having ribs - I'm making strawberry shortcake for 16!

Have a great week!  Remember to visit orgjunkie.com for more menu planning ideas!

How I Budget

Grab a cup of coffee…this is going to be a long one!

I love our budget.

There, I said it.  I love our budget.  We don't always follow it, but I love looking at it and knowing that we at least have a PLAN for where our money should go.  Sometimes we're impulsive and go wildly over in some categories (I am, after all, a compulsive grocery shopper, and my husband can't get within 10 miles of an electronics store without deciding that SOMETHING needs upgrading).  But, through it all, I have my little spreadsheet that tells me where, when we're paying attention and giving it thought, everything should go.

My budget is...complicated.  It's long.  It's detailed.  It requires daily maintenance.  It is accompanied by 14 (yes, 14 - I just counted them again) different savings accounts that ensure that we have money set aside for big purchases, special projects, and expenses that come around less frequently than once a month.  And I love it.

I get paid twice a month.  My hubby gets paid every other week.  I thrive on consistency, so I have built our budget around my pay schedule, rather than a calendar month.  So our budget month runs from the 8th of one month to the 7th of the next. 

My budget is divided into two sections.  One for the first half of the month, and one for the second.  Some budget categories, such as utilities, show up only in one section, because we only pay it once a month.  Others, like groceries and gas, show up in both sections, because we spend on those throughout the month. 

Here are my budget categories:

1^st half of the month:

•           Garbage Bill

•           Gas Bill

•           Water Bill

•           Gift Fund - auto transfer to savings

•           Clothes/Dry Cleaning –auto transfer to savings

•           Car Repair/Replace –auto transfer to savings

•           Groceries

•           Eating out

•           Gas

•           Misc. Household Stuff

•           Home Improvement Fund- auto transfer to savings

•           Pet Emergency Fund - auto transfer to savings

•           Netflix

•           Phone Bill

•           Day Care

•           Dog Food

•           Weight Watchers

•           Car Payment

•           Vacation fund - auto transfer to savings

2^nd half of the month:

•           Mortgage/taxes/insurance

•           Auto/Earthquake Insurance - auto transfer to savings

•           Allowance

•           Gift Fund

•           Eating Out

•           Groceries

•           Life Insurance - auto transfer to savings

•           Electric Bill

•           Internet

•           Investments

•           Day Care

•           Gas

I have this worked out so our expenses are basically balanced about 50/50 between the two. 

You probably noticed quite a few categories marked as “auto transfer to savings”.  As I said, I have 14 savings accounts.  Early on I decided it was going to be too difficult for me to keep track of all our separate funds on paper with all the money in one account.  So, I started working with an online bank (which pays slightly higher interest than my regular bank) and set up a separate account for each of our different savings needs.  Then, I took the annual amount we anticipate spending, divided it by 12, and set up automatic transfers from checking.  The only exception to this is our gift fund, which transfers weekly.  All money for birthdays, Christmas, and other gift-giving occasions throughout the year comes from this fund – I just transfer it back as I need it.  I realize there aren’t 14 accounted for here – I have some others that I put money in from time to time, and others that have built up so much money that we’ve stopped transferring till we need it. 

All of this is set up in a spreadsheet.  Every day, I write down what we spent the day before, and check our checking account and credit card to make sure we’ve accounted for everything and haven’t had any unauthorized charges.  Leftover money at the end of the month (we always budget to have padding) is transferred to our general savings account. I add new columns each month, so I can go back and easily look at our spending over time.  It sounds arduous, I know, but it really only takes a couple of minutes.  I find that if I don’t do it daily, I don’t do it, so I’ve just worked it into my morning routine.  Get up, get my coffee, check the bank account.  It works for me. 

And really, that’s the important thing.  Find something that works for you.  Some people use cash and the envelope system.  We’ve decided not to do that because we enjoy getting points (traded in for gift cards or cash) from our credit card, which we pay off weekly.  Also, I find it easier for cash to slip through my fingers without a record – at least with my credit card or debit card there’s a note on my account if the receipt disappears. 

This past month I’ve been challenging myself to stay within our budget (it’s been a while).  We’re not going to make it, but we’ll be close.  I’ll be posting next week about how we did, where we went over, and why. 

How do you budget?

May 1. New Habits.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm taking some baby steps toward creating new habits.  My ultimate goal is to feel better about myself and where I am with certain things, but also to be more organized and to have a bit cleaner house. 

Here are some things I've already started doing, before I even took on this new challenge:

1.  I joined Weight Watchers in January (and have lost more than 32 pounds so far).  I faithfully track my food to make sure I'm staying on program.

2.  As part of #1, I make it a point to get at least 30 minutes of exercise three or four times a week (unless I'm sick, then all bets are off).

3.  I read every day.

4.  I've inventoried my freezer and am making meal plans mostly using what food we already have in the house.

5.  I've reestablished our household budget and track our expenditures daily.

So, as you can see, without even intending to I've already started down this path.

Here are my two new habits for May:

1.  Every night, I will wash and put away all my knives.  If you've been reading this blog for a while, or know me in person, you know that I love to cook.  The kitchen is one of my favorite places to be.  I have a very nice set of good quality knives, which I don't treat with the respect they deserve.  They never go in the dishwasher, but they also don't get cleaned right away if I'm cutting anything that requires more than a quick rinse.  My goal is to wash them as I use them, but if that doesn't happen I'll definitely make sure I wash them in the evening. 

2.  Every day, I will wash, dry, and put away one load of laundry.  I started easy on myself - yesterday I had to wash my daughter's sheets (pull-up leakage).  Actually, that will probably be my load three days a week or so.  But laundry is my nemesis - I get it washed and dried ok, but it's the folding and putting away that creates the problem.  I have about five loads to catch up on this afternoon, and then I'll be starting fresh. Hopefully by taking a few minutes each day to tackle a small amount, I won't end up with piles of laundry everywhere.

Little things, but a good jumping off place!

Apple-Filled Crescents

The other day, I ran across this recipe for Apple Walnut Butterhorns.  "Looks great!" I thought.  But, I don't care for walnuts, so I decided to modify it a bit.  I thought about using pecans but wasn't sure how that would go over with my girl, so I left the nuts out.  Left the glaze off since I'm watching my diet right now.  Tweaked it a little more, and here's what I ended up with.  Delicious!

Apple-Filled Crescents

1 small green apple, peeled and diced
3 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice
12 raw crescent roll triangles (I used the recipe from the link above, but used butter instead of shortening, but you could also use 1 can of dough)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

In a small bowl, combine apple, brown sugar, and spice.  Lay the individual triangles out on a parchment-lined baking sheet (you don't have to use parchment, but I found that the filling oozed a little, and I hate scrubbing pans).  Top the wide end of each with a small spoonful of the apple mixture. 

Roll each crescent from the wide end, stretching and tucking the dough to make sure the mixture is covered. 

Bake at 375 for 12 - 14 minutes or until the rolls are brown. 

My daughter and I think these are great just the way they are, but if you want a glaze you can follow the recipe in the link up top.

Enjoy!

Forming Some New Habits

Today I stumbled across a new blog, Saving Myself Silly, and I've been reading back posts all afternoon.  back in January, she talked about her desire to slowly start forming some new habits.  Basically, she started out the new year by picking one or a few habits in four different categories that she wanted to focus on for the month of January, with the intent to add more in future months as the ones she's already focused on become part of the routine.

I like this approach.  I tend to be an all-or-nothing, jump in with both feet kind of girl, and then I quickly fizzle out when I realize that I've overextended myself and gotten way too ambitious for my time and energy. 

So, I've decided to give myself this challenge, too.  I've started a list of all the different things I'd like to focus on, and now I'm trying to narrow down the most important or most interesting to start on.  They're all super-small, able to be accomplished in just a few minutes, or in front of the television if it takes longer (like actually folding the laundry, instead of leaving it in the laundry baskets until it piles up so high that my four-year-old tells me to call my boss and take the day off to fold clothes). 

May Day seems as good a day as any for a fresh start, so I'll report back then and let you know what I've decided on!

Menu Plan April 27 - May 3

Wow.  We didn't eat out at all last week!  I can't remember the last time we went a whole week without eating out.  Just goes to show that a budget and a menu plan can be powerful tools when you really work them.

Actually, we stuck to the menu plan 100%.  I was home sick one day and REALLY wanted to make chicken strips and Tater Tots instead of stuffed peppers, but we didn't have any chicken strips.  The pepper filling was already made (I'd made more than double last time and froze the extra), so it actually only took me a few minutes to throw together, not much more time than the alternative would have taken.

Our other "victory" last week was taking leftovers in lunches.  I actually ended up eating leftovers all week, with two meals of white beans and sausage, one of kielbasa and cabbage, and two of leftover pepper filling (no peppers - I just put the filling in a small casserole dish, topped it with some cheese, and baked it alongside the peppers).  Hubby ate kielbasa and cabbage one day and taco salad another day.  So we only used three of the frozen dinners we keep on hand for lunches.  That saved us about $18 right there, since in the past the leftovers would more than likely have gone in the garbage after sitting in the fridge for a week or three.

Yesterday, I declared a much needed day at home.  We're all fighting colds and I am tired and cranky and just need to recharge.  I decided as long as I wasn't going anywhere, I might as well pull the free turkey I got at Thanksgiving out of the fridge and roast it.  I think that's the first time I've ever roasted a whole turkey.  It took more than an hour longer than I thought it would to get done, so we weren't able to have it for dinner, but I put it in the fridge and we'll eat it tonight.  Then I'll pull the rest apart and package it up into meal-size portions.  I got a new vacuum sealer yesterday (my old one has been broken for months), so I can put it in the freezer and know it won't succumb to freezer burn too quickly.

So here's what our menu looked like for yesterday and the coming week:

• Saturday:  Frozen skillet meal, salad (as soon as I realized the turkey wasn't going to be done, I knew I needed something QUICK to fix!). 
• Sunday:  Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans
• Monday:  Broccoli cheese soup, homemade crescent rolls, salad
• Tuesday:  Bulgogi
• Wednesday:  Canadian bacon (instead of ham) and pasta bake
• Thursday:  Turkey Tetrazzini
• Friday:  Creamed Tuna on Biscuits (my four-year-old makes AWESOME biscuits)
• Saturday:  Dinner out (I'm going to my nephew's school play, so hubby and my girl are on their own, which likely means Taco Bell for them and I'm not sure what for me).  

Have a great week! And remember to visit Menu Plan Monday for more meal ideas than you can imagine!

Freezer Inventory Menu List - Charcuterie, Fish, and "Ready Meals"

This is the second installment in my menu planning around what is already in my freezer.  The first installment, covering the main meat elements (beef, pig, and poultry) can be found here.

CHARCUTERIE
This is really just a fancy word for processed and smoked meats - sausage, bacon, and the like.  This is probably my favorite meat category of all!  Here's what we have, and some ideas about what I'll do with it:

• Chicken Garlic and Herb Sausage (1):  Sausage and pasta with cream sauce
• Chorizo (of the Mexican variety) (2): 
• Chili
• Chorizo and potatoes (something tells me this would be really good with a fried egg on top)
• Chicken Cheese Sausage (1):  We like these just as they are, grilled up with some potatoes on the side.
• Kielbasa-style sausage (I call it kielbasa, but usually it's turkey or chicken smoked sausage) (2):  Kielbasa and cabbage
• Hot Dogs (2):
• Hot dogs
• Chili dogs
• Apple Chicken Sausage (1):  "The Stuff"
• Breakfast Sausage (1):  Irish Sundaes
• Canadian Bacon (1):  Actually just used this last night in Pizza Noodles
• Bacon (3):  I don't think I need to explain this one - everything's better with bacon!

FISH
My husband doesn't like fish other than canned tuna and the occasional grilled salmon steak, so I don't usually keep it on hand.  At the moment, I hav:

• Cod (1):  Cheesy Fish Sticks 
• Tilapia (1):  I just like to cook this in parchment with a little butter, garlic, and seasonings.

"READY MEALS"

AKA processed food, in a box or bag, ready to prepare at a moment's notice when I just don't feel like cooking.  We don't eat too much of this, as I like to cook and try to eat pretty healthy, but I like to keep a few things on hand (and some things I try to always have on hand).  At the moment, we have the following:

• Fish sticks - once upon a time, they made a baked variety of these, but I can't find them anymore so we only have these once in a while.
• Potstickers - my daughter's #1 favorite meal.  I always, always, always have potstickers on hand!
• Swedish meatballs - I make these myself but I always make a triple or quadruple batch because, let's face it, making meatballs is tedious work.
• Frozen burritos - bean and cheese for me, red hot chili for hubby and my girl - they like theirs with canned chili dumped over the top.
• Meatless meatballs - I've never had these.  I won them in a contest a while back and haven't worked up the courage to try them yet.  Someday I'll sneak them into spaghetti and see what kind of faces my family makes.  
• Lentil soup - homemade - I like to make a big pot and then freeze it in lunch-size portions to take to work with me.
• Skillet Meals - I just picked these up yesterday for next to nothing on sale with a coupon.  Small bags - they say they serve three but I'm dubious.  I can always stretch them with extra pasta and vegetables, I suppose.  
• Chicken Strips - my daughter's second favorite meal (oddly enough, she loves chicken strips but is not a fan of chicken nuggets).  I try to always have these and tater tots on hand for a quick meal when I don't feel like cooking.  We like to dip them in a sauce made of blue cheese dressing and Frank's Red Hot Sauce. 

We also have a variety of breads, cheeses, produce, and starches (cooked beans, cooked rice, frozen hash browns, etc.) in the freezer, which I incorporate into our meals.  

Pizza Noodles

I'm trying to figure out how it is that I've never posted this recipe.  Well, maybe I did but Google couldn't find it, who knows.  Anyway, this is a quick and easy, tasty and filling recipe.  You can switch up the meat and veggies to include anything you like that you would normally put on pizza.  The sauce mixture can be prepared in the time it takes to cook the noodles.

Pizza Noodles
4 servings

6 oz. dry spaghetti noodles
2 T. olive oil
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. "pizza meat", cut into bite sized pieces (Canadian bacon, ham, pepperoni, sausage, etc. - whatever you like)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
Optional:  Fresh oregano, basil, and parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese

Cook the noodles according to the package directions.  When finished, drain.

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms; cook until onions are soft, about five minutes.  Add seasonings, meat and tomatoes, cook five to 10 minutes more, until everything is nice and hot.  Stir in cooked noodles and fresh herbs.  Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Freezer Inventory Menu List - Beef, Pig and Poultry

Over the last few days, I've been perusing the information and forums at Budget101.com and GroceryBudget101.com.  I'm not sure why the menu planning bug has suddenly struck once again, but it inspired me to take the freezer inventory I made on Saturday and plan out a list of meals I could make with the meat and other items tucked away in the freezer.

We've already used a package of Italian sausage and a quart of navy beans (in White Beans and Sausage, which was delicious and provided me with two days of lunch leftovers), a smoked turkey sausage in the kielbasa and cabbage, a box of taquitos, and a pound of hamburger (tonight was taco salad.  As per my usual, I cooked a pound of ground beef and a can of chili beans (separately - my husband won't eat the beans and I won't eat the taco meat), fed us dinner and set aside leftovers for his lunch tomorrow, and then put the remaining taco meat and beans in the freezer for the next time I make chili.  Tomorrow night we'll use some of the Canadian bacon in pizza noodles, and then I'll probably make the rest into egg McMuffin-type sandwiches that I can refreeze for quick breakfasts, though I may find something else to do with it instead.  I'm kind of up in the air on that. 

This is a work in progress that I'm sure I will edit as I go along (and add recipe links), but here's a start:

BEEF:

• Cooked Corned Beef (2):  Hash is pretty much my only option here (picky husband).  
• Ground Beef (5):  
• meatloaf
• taco salad
• stuffed peppers
• hamburgers and oven fries
• meatballs
• baked ziti
• Bulgogi meat (this is just thin sliced beef) (2):  
• Bulgogi
• Cheesesteak-style sandwiches
• Chuck Roast (1):  After I bought this, my husband announced that he doesn't really like pot roast, so 'll probably cook it, cool it, then separate the meat from most of the fat and find some casserole recipes to use it in.
• Flank Steak (1):  Grilled steak salad
• Corned Beef (1):  See Cooked Corned Beef (I just cook it and then portion it out)
• Boneless Chuck Steak (1):  Same deal as the chuck roast. 
• Bottom Round Roast (1):  Eventually, my husband will make jerky out of this.  Though I'll probably insist on cutting a few hunks off first to make cube steak, one of his favorite meals.

PIG:

• Ground Pork (2):  Add to meatballs/meatloaf mixture.  I don't do much with ground pork on its own unless it's made into sausage.
• Loin Roast (1):  Roast pork
• Loin Chops (1):  Grilled pork chops
• Marinated pork loin (1):  Roast as is
• Pork Shoulder (1):  Either Carnitas or Pulled pork (or maybe I'll cut it in half and do both)

 POULTRY:

• Ground Turkey (1):  Turkey Burgers
• Chicken Tenderloin (3):  
• Bruschetta Chicken
• Breaded and Baked Chicken (I have a couple of those new Kraft "Fresh Taste" breading packs in the freezer)
• Blackened Chicken Salad
• Shredded, Cooked Chicken (3):
• Chicken and Black Beans
• King Ranch Chicken
•  Cumin Noodles
• Whole Chicken (1): Roasted or rotisseried
• Whole Turkey (1):  Roasted
• Thighs, Bone and Skin on (1):  Italian Shred
• Thighs, Boneless/Skinless:  (2):  
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Chicken Paprikash
• Chicken Carcass (1):  Combine with carcass from whole chicken to make broth (which I will NOT forget about in the garage fridge like I did with the last batch!)
• Chicken Broth (3):  To be used as needed in recipes.

That's enough for one post! For the rest of my ideas, click here.