June Meal Planning

For June's meal planning, I decided to do 7 themes and choose 4 dishes (for each week of the month) for each theme.  I got the idea from Passionate Homemaking.  I like the idea but I think it might use up more of my monthly budget.  Maybe it is because I tried new recipes with more expensive ingredients instead of keeping it simple.  I looked through 3 different cookbooks to come up with some of the recipes.  Either way, the menu looks pretty good this month.  I will add side dishes with veggies from last year's garden that I have on hand in the freezer and/or the produce that is coming in from the garden right now.

Mexican: 
Tacos
Chalupas
Enchiladas
Fajitas
Pasta:
Lasagna
Ham & Cheese Penne
Spaghetti Pie
Chicken Parmesan
Grill:
boneless, skinless thighs (BBQ)
kabobs with sausage, chicken, tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms
hamburgers & hot dogs
Soup/Salad:
Mediterranean Salad
White Chili
Curry Chicken Salad
Chef Salad
Seafood:
Shrimp Scampi
Creole Catfish
Gumbo
Fish with Salsa
Breakfast/Egg:
French Omelets
Egg Bacon Bake
Broccoli Pie
French Toast & Bacon

The last section with be leftovers - so we will have them once a week. I might regret not doing a crock pot once a week.  My 11 year old is wanting to help cook more, so hopefully I can put her to work and it won't seem burdensome in the long run.

All About Tea

 Am I the only one who has a hard time drinking 64 oz. of water each day?  It doesn't seem as hard in the summer heat, but in the winter time I have to choke it down.  A few years ago, I was trying my hardest to quit drinking sugary sodas, artificial sweeteners and lots of good, Southern sweet tea.  It wasn't easy since that was 99% of what I drank each day.

I went cold turkey and decided that I was going to get used to drinking unsweet tea.  When I drank it, I would pretend that it was a flavored water, not tea.  That way I was hoping that it wouldn't taste so awfully bland.  (I know - It's crazy that I would have to try to trick myself into drinking unsweet tea, but it worked!)  I decided to use green tea after reading so much about the nutritional benefits of green tea, instead of black tea.

Since then I not only LOVE drinking unsweetened tea all day but I mix it up and try all kinds of herbal tea mixes.  I usually order from Bulk Herb Store and get all kinds of mixes of tea.  Right now I have a bag of loose green tea and loose peppermint and mix them together.  It's easy to add other ingredients to help ailments also or to boost immune systems.  Celestial Seasoning blends are also very delicious, if I can get them with a good sale and coupons.  I ordered Peach Green Tea bags in bulk from Amazon a few months ago and My Man loved it.

I make tea several different ways.  In the summer, I fill a gallon glass jug (old pickle jar) with cold water, put in 2 small tea bags (or one family size) and place in the sun for a few hours.  The other times of the year I fill the glass jugs with hot tap water and put in the tea.  (top photo)  Within an hour or so, the tea is ready for the fridge (bottom photo).  If I'm using loose tea mixes, like from the Bulk Herb Store, I brew about 2 TB. of loose tea in the coffee pot and run water through it 2 times.  Add cold water to top it off.

You don't have to use a ton of tea to make it this way.  I drink mine pretty mild to save on tea.

I just planted peppermint in my garden and I can't wait to pick a handful of leaves and throw them in the cold water and sit it in the sun.  It will be delicious and great for my kids too.  The Fish Sticks love to drink unsweetened herbal tea too and I don't mind, because it's good for them.  When the blackberries, peaches and grapes come in my fruit garden, I might toss some fruit in there just for fun.

Roasted Chick Peas

I am always on the look out for healthy snacks that are filling and not too costly for the Fish Sticks.  It seems that crackers, chips and store-bought granola bars are the easy thing to throw their way but processed is not the direction I want to go too often.

I saw on someone's blog (totally forgot where) to roast chick peas/garbanzo beans.  I bought a gallon of them dried because dried is the cheapest way to get them.  Canned would work also and be quicker.  I soaked them overnight in my crock pot.  Filled it with water in the morning and cooked them on low until they were soft.  I drained them well, blotted them with a towel and drizzled olive oil on them lightly to coat.  I then spread them on a cookie sheet (single layer) that had been sprayed with cooking spray.  I sprinkled them with sea salt (although you could mix it up by using other seasonings like paprika, seasoned salt, cayenne, cumin, garlic salt, etc.) and put them in the oven on 450.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, keeping an eye on them and stirring them up a bit so the bottoms get crunchy too, but don't burn.  Cool and store in an air tight container.

The Fish Sticks loved them and they were a great snack to throw in the car and take to a ball game or practice!

My New Favorite Recipe

I used to work at Mrs. Winner's Chicken and Biscuit back when I was 16.  For a time they had an all-you-can-eat bar and I used to be the one to man the bar.  I would set the bowls of salad trimmings into ice and surround it with thick, large leaves of curly kale.  That was the only kale I knew.  I thought kale was a decorative leaf, not something to eat.

Last year my mom planted kale and shared some with us.  Around the same time Faithful Provisions, my favorite couponing site, had posted a Kale Chip recipe.  I tried it out and you would have thought it was chocolate covered strawberries the way the Fish Sticks devoured it.  I ran to the Farmer's Co-op and bought a pack of seeds.  We enjoyed Kale Chips all throughout the fall last year.  I had to start making 2 cookie sheets at a time and My Man had to divvy it up so no Fish Stick was too greedy with them.

Kale is a power food - one of those that are on the top 5 most nutritious foods - packed with vitamins and minerals.  Then this year Broccoli Cupcake posted a recipe about Garlic Kale that Whole Foods makes.  I've never had the Whole Foods one but I love garlic (and know how awesome it is for you nutritionally) and I love kale.  I will say that the raw garlic gives it quite a punch so for the Fish Sticks, I half the garlic.  I could eat 3 cups of this at a time, it's THAT good.

Garlic Kale

2 bunches kale, wash and cut into thin strips

2 cloves crushed garlic 

2 Tb. sesame oil (or tahini)

2 Tb. Bragg's Amino Acids (healthy alternative to soy sauce)

2 Tb. fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)

2 Tb. water

4 Tb. nutritional yeast

black pepper

Cut the kale and massage with your hands.  This is crucial as it releases the flavor of the kale and also assists in allowing the marinate to soak in.  Mix all the other ingredients in a separate bowl.  I actually waited on the nutritional yeast and then sprinkled that over the top and tossed.  Get your hands a bit messy and mix it up by hand, squeezing as you go.  The longer it marinates, the better it is.  So delicious and so healthy!

Puff Baby

 My SIL introduced me to this great breakfast recipe about 11 years ago.  It's a big favorite around here.  I have tweeked the recipe just a little to suite us better.

Put 1/4 a stick of butter (about 2-3 TB) in a pie pan.  Place in a cool oven and begin preheating on 400.

As the butter is melting in the pan, mix 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 milk and 2 eggs.  It will be lumpy.

When the butter is melted (about the time the oven is 400), pour the mixture into the pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Slice and sift powdered sugar on the top.  Delicious and so easy!

Vadalia "Candy"

 Last week Aldi had Vidalia onions for 49 cents a bag.  In my family growing up, Vadalia onions are something to be loved.  My Man said we thought they were candy.  Maybe not candy, but close.  They are so yummy.  I hooked My Man up to seeing the love of Vadalias years ago when I started roasting them in the oven.  You start by slicing them a little like a Bloomin' Onion.  Make pie cuts but don't go all the way down.

 Put a pat of butter on the top and fold up in foil.  Place on the rack in the oven that is preheated for 350.  Bake until soft.  My home oven took about 30 minutes but the lake house oven took longer.  Make sure they are good and soft when you eat them.  Crunchy isn't as good.

The Fish Sticks were very apprehensive about eating an onion.  Being a good Mama, I FORCED them to each take one bite.  Let's just say that 4 whole onions wasn't near enough for this crew.  Next time, I made 8 and it was perfect.  Even if you aren't an onion fan, try it.  You might be surprised at how much it tastes like candy...or just a really good side dish  :)

Last Week's Shopping

I hesitate telling you what I bought last week because if you didn't grab the sales, then it's probably too late.  But since I took the photo, I'll post it.

I combined them because there wasn't a ton.

CVS I got 4 bottles of Pantene for free.  They were $3.49 each and I got a $1 ECB if I bought 2.  There was a BIGI coupon and a $3 off 2 coupon.  So using 2 BIGI coupons and one of the other plus the ECB, they were all FREE!
The Tone soap was $1.88 and I got $1 ECB so it was 88 cents.

Walgreens had Starbucks Refresher drink for 99 cents with a 99 cent RR and I had a coupon to try one for free.  I made 99 cents to drink it and it was pretty good.  Sorry I threw the can away so you can't see it in the photo.

Mid Nite for Menopause was $5.99 with a $5 RR.  I had a coupon for $1 off so it was FREE.  (I'll save it or give it away.  Not there yet.)

U Kotex was $3.99 with $3 RR so it was only 99 cents.

Kroger had Pure Protein bars for $1.00 each and there is a coupon in RP 5/6 for $1 off of 2 or $1 off the protein powder (which works for the bars) so I got 9 bars and paid only $3.

Excuses

 I can't believe I haven't posted since May 8.  Here's my big excuse(s):  lots of adoption paperwork to fill out, adoption home study meetings, cooking and volunteering at my kids' school, family birthday, weekend at the lake, parties, sewing projects, a talent show, a 24 hour stomach bug, field day and a trip to the ER for a concussion.

All of that equals little-to-no time to blog.  Oh yea....and a messy house.  My counter top has remained the catch-all of junk.

 My mud room benches would become the 2nd favorite catch-all of junk.

 My sewing room floor is covered with begun-but-not-finished projects.

And my sewing machine...well, it keeps screaming my name because I signed up to be a pattern tester and haven't had the time to sit down and actually sew the outfit and I think the deadline is about....TOMORROW!!!

I decided not to photograph the scum in the toilets or the dog hair balls on the floor.  Am I the only one?  Please tell me you can relate sometimes!

Wednesday is the last day of school but honestly, these next 3 days are "fun" days.  Pool party Tuesday and 2nd Grade end-of-the-year party at OUR house Wednesday.  Are you tired from reading this?  I'm tired recapping it.

So there you have it.  All my excuses.  Hang with me and I'll be back soon.

Weekly Deals

Did you notice I didn't coupon last week?  

I've been busy with adoption paperwork and the sales didn't entice me too much.

I didn't get a ton of things at CVS but what they had were all good deals.  Since My Man is now using Children's Allegra regularly to control his awful allergies, I was so happy to see that everyone seems to have it on sale and there was a big coupon for $5 off in the Sunday paper.

**I got the Allegra for $9.99 with $4.99 ECB and a $5 off coupon so it was FREE!

**U Kotex was $3.99 with $3 ECB so they were only $1.

**Mars candy bars were 75 cents with 75 cents back in ECB so it was FREE (and hit the spot as an after-church snack for my man)

**Good N Natural protein bars were 99 cents each with a coupon for try-one-for-FREE in Sunday's paper.  I had 2 papers so they were both FREE

CVS total:  $1

 

**Walgreens had contact solution for $7.99 with $8 RR back so it was FREE!

**I got witch hazel for $4 with $4 in RR making it FREE (I was so happy to see this because witch hazel is a great antiseptic for your face that is natural, not to mention it's great for cuts and scrapes.  I have never seen it go on sale, so was so happy to get it for free this week.)

**Lanacane Maximum Strength was $5 with $5 in RR so it was FREE!

**Children's Allegra was $9.99 and you could get $4 RR when you buy 2.  I only had 2 of the $5 off coupons and I used one at CVS so my total was $11 for 2 of them which was still a good deal.

**Renew 14 day Cleanse was $18 but I filled out a mail-in-rebate for $18 making it FREE (If you have never done a MIR for Walgreens, you should.  They have made it so easy.  Just grab their monthly coupon booklet at the front door and you can just go on line, punch in your rebate from your receipt and voila!  No cutting out UPC codes and mailing it in with original receipts.  So easy!)

**Kettle Chips were $1.99 and I used a $1 off coupon from 3/18.  I had 3 of them so each bag was $1.

**Pepsi was $1 using a coupon from their ad and I doubled it with a coupon for $1/2 from 4/29 so they were only 50 cents each.  (We are not soda drinkers but we get them for a treat every so often.)

Total (not including tax): $16 (and $11 of that was Allegra)

Go grab some!

 

2 Ingredient Muffins

 Have you tried these muffins yet?  It couldn't get easier - unless you live in Turkey like my SIL and can't get EITHER of these ingredients.  All you do is mix a cake mix (we've always done yellow but I read spice cake would be yummy too) with a can of pumpkin.  That's it!!!  Tonight I added 1 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg and 1/4 tsp. of allspice trying to get the spice cake effect.

Put in sprayed muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes on 350.  They are moist and so so yummy!!!

May's Meal Plan

I haven't posted my meal planning method for May yet.  I know it's a bit crazy the way I mix things up and do it differently every month.  That just seems to be the way that I am when it comes to cooking.

This month I decided to skim my inventories from my freezers and use up some of the meats that I had on hand.  I had several ham bones and small bags of bits of meat that were leftovers.  I then made a list off the top of my head for meals that I knew I could fix using what I had.  I also stocked up pretty well on meats last month at Sam's by buying ground beef, ground turkey, pork chops and sausage links.  I had frozen them in bags of 1 pound each.  I still have many whole chickens in my freezer from raising meat chickens last spring so those were incorporated into the menu also.

Here's a list of the 20 meals that I jotted down for the month of May.

1.  chicken and dumplings
2.  chicken fried rice
3.  potatoes and ham frittata
4.  pintos with Mexican corn bread
5.  zucchini pie
6.  beef stew
7.  smoked sausage chowder
8.  pancakes/ground sausage/fruit
9.  chicken-a-la-king on toast
10.  beef stir fry
11.  Indian lentils and naan
12.  pumpkin bread/chicken bacon/fruit
13.  BBQ pork with potato salad
14.  crock pot pork chops
15. salmon wild rice soup/bread
16.  chef salad bar
17.  Singapore chicken rice
18.  red beans and rice
19.  baked fish/cheesy orzo
20.  pizza bar

Twenty meals might not be enough for the month, so I might need to add some as the month progresses but for now it works.  I will add a couple of side dishes each night of salads, vegetables from last year's garden, fruit or bread.

Using what you have on hand (if you tend to stock up when things go on sale) is a great way to meal plan every few months or so.  It will not only save you money on your grocery budget from preventing you to have to buy meats, but it also helps you use what you have before it gets buried in freezer burn (not that that would ever happen to any of you).  :)

Back to the Basics - Nutrition

I thought it was time to post another one about our quest to eat more nutritiously.  We have taken baby steps so I thought that I would let you in on what we have done to eat more healthy.

From what I have read and researched, the best nutrition is not calorie counting, fat limiting, label reading, etc.  The best kind of nutrition goes way back to eating the way man ate in the beginning.  I'm not going back to the Garden of Eden and telling you to eat all raw fruits and vegetables (although I did read that book - found it interesting - just not for us).  I mean eating as little processed foods as possible and eating a well balanced amount of fruits, vegetables, carbs, meats and fats (all God-made, not man-made).

About 10 years ago was when I started my quest.  It dates back to a 2 year stint of sickness in our family and a mission to improve our overall health.  My first findings were herbal remedies.  I'll save those for another post, but in my research of herbs, I found the benefits of raw milk.

I won't post a huge list of the benefits of raw milk, because they are readily available on the internet so I encourage you to conduct your own google search but I will include this helpful chart comparing store-bought pasteurized milk to raw milk.  Not only has my family enjoyed the taste of raw milk, but I enjoy knowing that this is the best stuff I could give my growing Fish Sticks.

I have loved using the cream off the top for my coffee each morning and for homemade ice cream.  I have made homemade butter many times also.  I keep warning the Fish Sticks that when they go to college, they will have to drink the store bought milk so prepare now.  They are not too happy about this.  Some might worry that the high content of fat will make them fat, but look at history.  That is just not so.  Some may say that it contains germs that could cause sickness, but finding a farm that you trust with cows that are living natural lives is key to keeping sickness away.  We have never gotten sick from drinking raw milk.  When the milk starts to sour, it is still good to be used to make sour cream, cheese, butter and to cook with.  This can not be said of pasteurized milk.  Milk became pasteurized when early Americans crammed cows into warehouses in large cities so that the milk man didn't have to travel from the farms to the cities each a.m. with fresh milk.  The living conditions were very unsanitary, resulting in sick cows, contaminated milk and many deaths.

I started asking around, trying to find a way to purchase raw milk as the local farmer's market charges about $9 a gallon.  I found a way to purchase it weekly for my family, along with a group of other interested families who formed a co-op.  We do this by owning a share of a milking cow from some "plain folk" to receive milk from them weekly.  We take turns driving the hour distance once a week to collect the milk and distribute it at a meeting place for all families.  At first it was a bit inconvenient for me because only 4 families were involved, meaning I drove once a month.  Now there are about 12 families involved and I only drive about 4 times a year.  I revolve my weekly shopping days around the pick up time.

From there I learned about farm fresh eggs and grass fed meats - but will save those for another post.  Have you ever tried raw milk?  If not, you are missing out!!  Come hang out with us and I'll share some!