This post is a combination of my Pinterest post and Meal Planning.
Have you seen all the Pinterest posting about freezing meals in a gallon ziploc that you just throw into your crock pot? It looks wonderful. I've pinned 2 different sites - one with 3 recipes for the gallon bag freezer meals and another where she doubles all her recipes so she eats one and freezes one and spends $329 for 37 recipes! Now that is a system worth checking into.
Because we are going out of town for Christmas, I planned for 15 meals, using these 2 Pins for recipes (the ones with a * I am going to double so I can have meals waiting for us when we get home).
1. Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken *
2. Stephanie's Goulash *
3. Chicken Curry *
4. BBQ Pineapple Pulled Pork *
5. Slow Cooker Lasagna *
6. Lemon Garlic Chicken *
7. Crock Pot Ravioli *
8. Sesame Ginger Chicken *
9. Baked Tilapia (not on Pin)
10. Breakfast (not on Pin)
11. Beef Taco Soup *
12. Chicken & Spinach *
13. Baked Salmon Parmesan
14. Pizza (not on Pin)
15. San Francisco Pork Chops
Lunches:
tuna, PBJ, Turkey/cheese sandwiches
pretzels, veggie straws, baked chips
fruit
cheese, nuts, veggies with hummus
Breakfasts:
oatmeal, cereal, eggs, biscuits/muffins, bagel/egg/cheese sandwiches
Snacks:
popcorn, granola, protein balls (now that is a yummy Pin!!), yogurt/fruit/granola, herbed oyster crackers
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Real Foods Month Recap
I apologize for not reporting well about our Real Foods month. Vacation kind of put it on the back burner.
We are wrapping up the month and if you asked the Fish Sticks, they would scream and cheer for December to come so they can have the "old foods" back. Junk food is what my son asked for this a.m.
Like I told you before, the breakfast and lunch menu were really the only big change in our house. For the most part, we make healthy day-to-day choices. I had made a chart for the Fish Sticks of all options for breakfast and lunch. I even took a photo of it to show you, but it must have gotten erased because I can't find it anywhere. I just wanted to show the Fish Sticks that although the pantry looked different (and empty) there were many options for them to make for these meals.
For breakfasts, I kept homemade yogurt stocked with Overnight Granola or a new recipe my friend shared called Peanut Butter Granola. Fresh fruit, frozen berries and dried fruit were added. I made pancakes, waffles, muffins and coffee cake all from fresh milled wheat flour and used sucanat, honey, honey granules, stevia and real maple syrup only as our sweeteners. This required me to plan ahead a bit and sometimes I would make breakfast the night before. Oatmeal with all the trimmings was a big favorite too.
Lunches were much more difficult. We continued with sandwiches on fresh milled whole wheat bread but I purchased natural peanut butter and fruit spread. The Fish Sticks did not like the fruit spread but ate it anyway. No chips except for tortilla chips which are only corn meal, oil and salt. We got some with a more healthy oil and ate them with homemade salsa that I canned last year. Fruit as usual or vegetables cut up with hummus. For snacks I made popcorn on the stove top with olive oil or coconut oil, homemade granola bars, nuts, or any of the things I've already mentioned above.
Being on the go made things more difficult. Basketball games and wrestling matches were a challenge. I had to be prepared and made advanced plans in order to prevent lots of whiney, hungry Fish Sticks.
We did have a normal Thanksgiving and celebrated a birthday a couple of times, so we weren't totally pure about the changes. My kids got candy here and there at school and were invited to several parties, partaking of whatever was offered them. I just wanted you to know that we weren't 100% for the entire month.
As for my budget, I didn't notice a huge difference. At the middle of the month, I felt like it would actually help my budget because I had so much healthy choices stocked up through my Bulk Natural Foods, Bread Beckers and gardening. I didn't buy every thing organic but tried to get the things I felt were important to purchase organic (like kale and lettuce).
As I head out to the grocery store today to shop for the month of December, my pantry is empty - honestly though that is nothing new to the end of the month situation in our house. What I realized is that I can push my family a little bit more to make healthier choices. Doing without white sugar and white flour is totally doable in our house. I can bake more with milled wheat flour and use natural sweeteners more. If we are going to be on the go, I need to plan well in advance.
Last, some of you might know that I have a love affair with chocolate and my recipe for chocolate chip cookies can't be beat. I cringe to think of eating wheat chocolate chip cookies without white flour, white and brown sugar and Crisco. Sounds like cardboard cookies to me. BUT...I tried a recipe for chocolate chip cookies in my Bread Beckers cookbook and we all loved them. They were totally wonderful and I was shocked!
So it can be done - changing your family to healthier choices - without breaking your budget, without killing the spirits of everyone in the house, without adding unthinkable amounts of kitchen prep time to you, the Mama. If you would love to make some healthier changes, my advice is to take baby steps. Pick one challenge a month that you want to change. Start small. You don't have to change everything overnight - that would be a recipe for disaster in my house. Do what you can and know you are improving the health of your family, even in the baby steps.
We are wrapping up the month and if you asked the Fish Sticks, they would scream and cheer for December to come so they can have the "old foods" back. Junk food is what my son asked for this a.m.
Like I told you before, the breakfast and lunch menu were really the only big change in our house. For the most part, we make healthy day-to-day choices. I had made a chart for the Fish Sticks of all options for breakfast and lunch. I even took a photo of it to show you, but it must have gotten erased because I can't find it anywhere. I just wanted to show the Fish Sticks that although the pantry looked different (and empty) there were many options for them to make for these meals.
For breakfasts, I kept homemade yogurt stocked with Overnight Granola or a new recipe my friend shared called Peanut Butter Granola. Fresh fruit, frozen berries and dried fruit were added. I made pancakes, waffles, muffins and coffee cake all from fresh milled wheat flour and used sucanat, honey, honey granules, stevia and real maple syrup only as our sweeteners. This required me to plan ahead a bit and sometimes I would make breakfast the night before. Oatmeal with all the trimmings was a big favorite too.
Lunches were much more difficult. We continued with sandwiches on fresh milled whole wheat bread but I purchased natural peanut butter and fruit spread. The Fish Sticks did not like the fruit spread but ate it anyway. No chips except for tortilla chips which are only corn meal, oil and salt. We got some with a more healthy oil and ate them with homemade salsa that I canned last year. Fruit as usual or vegetables cut up with hummus. For snacks I made popcorn on the stove top with olive oil or coconut oil, homemade granola bars, nuts, or any of the things I've already mentioned above.
Being on the go made things more difficult. Basketball games and wrestling matches were a challenge. I had to be prepared and made advanced plans in order to prevent lots of whiney, hungry Fish Sticks.
We did have a normal Thanksgiving and celebrated a birthday a couple of times, so we weren't totally pure about the changes. My kids got candy here and there at school and were invited to several parties, partaking of whatever was offered them. I just wanted you to know that we weren't 100% for the entire month.
As for my budget, I didn't notice a huge difference. At the middle of the month, I felt like it would actually help my budget because I had so much healthy choices stocked up through my Bulk Natural Foods, Bread Beckers and gardening. I didn't buy every thing organic but tried to get the things I felt were important to purchase organic (like kale and lettuce).
As I head out to the grocery store today to shop for the month of December, my pantry is empty - honestly though that is nothing new to the end of the month situation in our house. What I realized is that I can push my family a little bit more to make healthier choices. Doing without white sugar and white flour is totally doable in our house. I can bake more with milled wheat flour and use natural sweeteners more. If we are going to be on the go, I need to plan well in advance.
Last, some of you might know that I have a love affair with chocolate and my recipe for chocolate chip cookies can't be beat. I cringe to think of eating wheat chocolate chip cookies without white flour, white and brown sugar and Crisco. Sounds like cardboard cookies to me. BUT...I tried a recipe for chocolate chip cookies in my Bread Beckers cookbook and we all loved them. They were totally wonderful and I was shocked!
So it can be done - changing your family to healthier choices - without breaking your budget, without killing the spirits of everyone in the house, without adding unthinkable amounts of kitchen prep time to you, the Mama. If you would love to make some healthier changes, my advice is to take baby steps. Pick one challenge a month that you want to change. Start small. You don't have to change everything overnight - that would be a recipe for disaster in my house. Do what you can and know you are improving the health of your family, even in the baby steps.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Black Friday Shopping
This was the first year that I went Black Friday shopping and it was quite the adventure. Earlier in the week CVS and Walgreens had sales up until Black Friday, with an entirely different ad which covered Black Friday and Saturday.
I matched coupons when possible and got some great deals, mostly freebies. I didn't hit Walgreens as their sales didn't strike me as much as CVS did. I got almost everything for free after ECBs in both of these photos. CVS was pretty wiped out on Wednesday when I went but Friday they were fully stocked.
Hope y'all racked up too on the good deals!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Drug Store Finds
Skippy peanut butter was 2 for $5 and $3 ECB if you buy 2. Sunday's paper had 35 cent off coupon so they were only $1.40 each!
Colgate was $2.75 with $2 ECB and I had a 75 cent off coupon making it 24 cents.
Listerine Pocket Packs were $2.99 with $1 ECB and a 50 cent coupon made it $1.49 (for a 3 pack).
Ricola was 2 for $3 and there was a 75 cent off coupon making them 75 cents each.
Axe body wash was 2 for $9 with $3 ECB making them 2 for $6. I had 2 coupons for $1 off so they were just $2 a piece (for the teenage boy in the house).
Now's the time to start stocking up on gifts and stocking stuffers as the big sales are coming out, so be on the look out for stocking up!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Looks Are Deceiving
I'm not a good salesman.
I hate waste, so I guess I will be eating these until they are gone. Slowly chewing and chewing.
Gotta go delete that pin.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Real Food - Real Complaints
It seems like it's been much longer than 10 days since we started eating only real foods. I will admit that once or twice for the sake of convenience, I had to throw out a few processed things to my family. This week the $2 Wacky Pack at Sonic sounded pretty good to 2 little Fish Sticks who had been shopping with their Mama all morning.
Here's some of my feedback in bullet points thus far:
** It does require a bit more planning - especially for breakfast. I've been spending time in the evening throwing together muffins, biscuits, etc.
** Packed lunches are the biggest challenge. My Fish Sticks say they miss the more snacky things like chips or pretzels. They miss the variety of items in their lunch boxes also.
** Suppers haven't changed much at all. Some things have made it better like homemade salad dressing and fresh parmesan instead of processed.
** Breakfast is so much more healthy. I have been making 1/2 gallon of homemade crockpot yogurt every other day to keep up with their yogurt intake. We've been making homemade granola and eating them together with berries or fresh fruit.
** Natural sweeteners taste just as good as processed and in moderation are tons better for us.
So far, no regrets from this Mama. I can already see some permanent changes that I will make after my challenge is over. Anyone else doing this and loving or hating it? Any drop outs?
Here's some of my feedback in bullet points thus far:
** It does require a bit more planning - especially for breakfast. I've been spending time in the evening throwing together muffins, biscuits, etc.
** Packed lunches are the biggest challenge. My Fish Sticks say they miss the more snacky things like chips or pretzels. They miss the variety of items in their lunch boxes also.
** Suppers haven't changed much at all. Some things have made it better like homemade salad dressing and fresh parmesan instead of processed.
** Breakfast is so much more healthy. I have been making 1/2 gallon of homemade crockpot yogurt every other day to keep up with their yogurt intake. We've been making homemade granola and eating them together with berries or fresh fruit.
** Natural sweeteners taste just as good as processed and in moderation are tons better for us.
So far, no regrets from this Mama. I can already see some permanent changes that I will make after my challenge is over. Anyone else doing this and loving or hating it? Any drop outs?
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Pinning It & Making It
My pin that I actually made lately has been homemade flavored coffee creamer. It comes from Next to Heaven blog and you can find it pinned on my Pinterest boards.
I've made the Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer several times. It's very yummy but if you don't strain it, the pumpkin settles at the bottom of the coffee cup and makes for a yucky last sip. The smell and taste is very good though. I guess I should take the time to strain. :)
I also tried the Peppermint Mocha. It was very good and very chocolatey.
Next to try is Cinnamon Strudel and Chocolate Almond. I'm nuts about almond flavoring.
These creamers are not as sweet as the store bought so some of you might want to add some stevia to yours. The recipes fall right in line with our "real eating" plan so I suggest you give them a try and see what you think. Your kids will want to drink them plain if you decide they are not great in your coffee. :)
I've made the Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer several times. It's very yummy but if you don't strain it, the pumpkin settles at the bottom of the coffee cup and makes for a yucky last sip. The smell and taste is very good though. I guess I should take the time to strain. :)
I also tried the Peppermint Mocha. It was very good and very chocolatey.
Next to try is Cinnamon Strudel and Chocolate Almond. I'm nuts about almond flavoring.
These creamers are not as sweet as the store bought so some of you might want to add some stevia to yours. The recipes fall right in line with our "real eating" plan so I suggest you give them a try and see what you think. Your kids will want to drink them plain if you decide they are not great in your coffee. :)
Friday, November 9, 2012
Walgreens this Week
No photo this week but I went to Walgreens and got a few good deals.
My Man needs Children's Allegra and they had it for $9.99. In RP 10/7 coupons, they had $4 off adult Allegra. The coupon worked and I was able to get 4 boxes for $5.99 each!
Oral B toothbrushes were $2.99 with $2 RR and I had a 50 cent coupon from 10/28 PG making it 49 cents. Crest mouthwash was $2.99 with $2 back in RR and I had a 75 cent off coupon from the same paper as the toothbrush, making it 24 cents. They had Nice brand sandwich bags for BOGO making them $1 each. I stocked up on those and bought 6 boxes for school lunches. Halloween items were clearanced at 75% off. I got a pack of 6 candy necklaces for 37 cents, 2 bags of candy corn for 37 cents each and a box of gummy body parts for 99 cents. Those will be stashed away for special treats. The candy corn will be for "yours truly" to soothe myself after a rotten day. :) Once again I had stocked up 5,000 points so I got $5 off my final purchase. Not bad.
My Man needs Children's Allegra and they had it for $9.99. In RP 10/7 coupons, they had $4 off adult Allegra. The coupon worked and I was able to get 4 boxes for $5.99 each!
Oral B toothbrushes were $2.99 with $2 RR and I had a 50 cent coupon from 10/28 PG making it 49 cents. Crest mouthwash was $2.99 with $2 back in RR and I had a 75 cent off coupon from the same paper as the toothbrush, making it 24 cents. They had Nice brand sandwich bags for BOGO making them $1 each. I stocked up on those and bought 6 boxes for school lunches. Halloween items were clearanced at 75% off. I got a pack of 6 candy necklaces for 37 cents, 2 bags of candy corn for 37 cents each and a box of gummy body parts for 99 cents. Those will be stashed away for special treats. The candy corn will be for "yours truly" to soothe myself after a rotten day. :) Once again I had stocked up 5,000 points so I got $5 off my final purchase. Not bad.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Oops - A Tad Bit Late
Walgreens was pretty slow this week but I did get Advil PM (4 count) for free. They had them for $1 each and I had a $1 off coupon (actually several coupons) from RP 10/28. I got 4 of them for free.
CVS had some great deals. Their P&G products were buy $30 and get $10 ECB. Dawn dish soap was 99 cents and I had a 75 cent off coupon (making it 25 cents each without the ECBs!), Charmin 12 pk was $5.77 with a 25 cent coupon in Sunday's paper and Bounty 6 pack was $5.77 with a 50 cent coupon in Sunday's paper. For 3 packs of toilet paper, 1 pack of paper towels and 8 dish soaps, I paid $14.
Revlong Beauty Tools were buy 2 and get $7 ECB. There was a $1 off coupon in 10/14 SS. I got nail polish for $5.99 and a liner sharpener for $4.99. The total for both products was $1.98.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Overnight Granola Cereal
I have made many granola recipes over the years and basically all of them are similar to one another and good. The reason why I like this recipe is because it's simple and I can make it the night before.
It's from TEACH magazine, the Sanity Saving Breakfast Ideas booklets that I love so much.
Lorries Lazy Granola
**Mix 1/2 cup each of brown sugar (I used sucanat), oil (I used coconut oil) and raw honey in microwave safe bowl. (You can use the same measuring cup if you measure the ingredients in this order since the oil washes out the sugar and slicks the cup down which makes the honey pour right out.)
**Bring to a low boil in microwave.
**Add 1 ts/ cinnamon and 2 tsp. vanilla (I've tried almond also)
**Add 1 cup pecans (I use whatever I have on hand. Last night it was half sunflower seeds, half sliced almonds)
**Pour over 7 cups of oats in large pan (like metal lasagna pan)
**Stir until totally coated
**Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, take out and stir well. Put it back in the oven, which you have turned OFF and go to bed. Wake up to wonderful, homemade granola for breakfast!
It's from TEACH magazine, the Sanity Saving Breakfast Ideas booklets that I love so much.
Lorries Lazy Granola
**Mix 1/2 cup each of brown sugar (I used sucanat), oil (I used coconut oil) and raw honey in microwave safe bowl. (You can use the same measuring cup if you measure the ingredients in this order since the oil washes out the sugar and slicks the cup down which makes the honey pour right out.)
**Bring to a low boil in microwave.
**Add 1 ts/ cinnamon and 2 tsp. vanilla (I've tried almond also)
**Add 1 cup pecans (I use whatever I have on hand. Last night it was half sunflower seeds, half sliced almonds)
**Pour over 7 cups of oats in large pan (like metal lasagna pan)
**Stir until totally coated
**Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, take out and stir well. Put it back in the oven, which you have turned OFF and go to bed. Wake up to wonderful, homemade granola for breakfast!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Day 1
The Halloween candy is put up and we are geared up to start Day 1 of our month of "real foods."
For breakfast, I made Lorrie's Lazy Granola the day before. (Recipe coming tomorrow)
The Fish Sticks ate it over plain yogurt with honey and I had it with some milk with sliced bananas on the top.
For snack we had 3 slices of blocked sharp cheddar with 4-5 Triskets.
Lunch was natural peanut butter with fruit spread on whole grain bread, hummus with carrots and grapes.
Side note - I bought these things at Aldi and although the peanut butter and fruit spread have a small amount of sugar, they are free of corn syrup and about 1/4 the price of the 100% natural things I found at Kroger. It was worth the purchase to save the money.
For supper, I have pintos brewing in the crock pot for my favorite refried beans, ground turkey with taco seasonings, and all the trimmings for a Mexican buffet.
So far so good, if I can get my 5 year old to understand "Mommy said NO HALLOWEEN CANDY!" :)
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