The Grass is Greener...

...on our side of the fence, at least this week.

A couple of years ago we started to let our backyard go. It all started with severe watering restrictions. I recall a July when no outdoor watering was allowed in our district. When we were allowed to water again, enough of it had died that we just gave up the fight. Then we were given a trampoline which has proven to be such a blessing for our kids in our small backyard, but surely didn't add anything to the aesthetic.

Before:


But this past fall we decided to reclaim the area with the first step being an automatic sprinkler system installed by my handy father-in-law and youthful husband. This spring we applied some effort and moolah to the situation with new sod, fresh mulch, moving the trampoline and playhouse and one garden bed, removing another garden bed and trashing all the yard clutter that happens so easily with young kids. And now it looks like this.

After:

loving the lilacs we planted our first summer here!

We're really looking forward to enjoying time at home this summer!

Late June Menu

We're back from two weeks away so I'm jumping back into domestic life, complete with a trip to the grocery today with my precious kids. I was reminded of why I usually wait until the evening and leave them in the care of Daddy so I can give my full attention to finding good deals and using coupons. And I still need to stop at another store for a few more things. Anyway, here's what I plan to fix for my family in the coming days.

Dinners
Grilled chicken sandwiches w/gouda & havarti on sourdough, bananas
Burgers, baked fries, steamed peas & carrots
Orange chicken, brown rice, broccoli & carrots
Creamy garlic bowties with mesquite chicken, green beans, breadsticks
Mesquite chicken sandwiches, pasta salad w/veggies & cheese
Tacos
Emeril's pulled pork (& lots extra to freeze) on buns, baked fries, peas or other veg
Salad bar (greens, chicken, cheeses, croutons, dressing, peppers, cucumbers, etc.), bread
Brats, chips, big green salad
Macaroni & cheese (make 2 extra to freeze), raw veggie platter
Meat & cheese pockets, broccoli, carrots
Out - likely Chick-Fil-A as we have lots of coupons from a family festival we attended

Lunches
Creamy pasta with grilled chicken, carrot sticks
Ham & cheese paninis, cucumbers
Tuna melts, berries
Leftovers - several times
Quesadillas, fruit or vegetable

Breakfasts
Egg & cheese sandwiches
Oatmeal & yogurt
Steel cut oats, berries & yogurt
Cold cereal & yogurt
Pancakes & peach syrup (time to clean out the freezer for summer fresh produce)
Cinnamon rolls, green smoothies

Burrito-thon

I'm trying to stay ahead of the hunger of my growing family, but it is getting to be more and more work. Some days it feels like I've spent over half the day in the kitchen and they still come around after dinner saying, "I'm hungry!" While I don't do a lot of freezer cooking, I do like to have meal components (cooked beans, browned meat, grilled and shredded chicken, etc.) and burritos at the ready. Unlike frozen casseroles, you can easily decide how many servings to pull out for baking on the day you need them and they don't take 2+ hours to cook. And they're really handy for my husband to grab to take for lunch at work if we don't have leftovers from the previous night or to take as freezer meals to families in need. I usually freeze them in packages of 5 or 6 burritos (1 meal for our family) and reuse the zip bags from the tortillas. Sometimes I wrap the bunch in foil and then place the foil packet inside the zipper bag so when I bake them I can toss the whole foil packet in the oven which keeps the tortillas softer. I don't use a recipe, but do include some or all of the following on any given batch based on what I have around and what needs to be used.
- ground beef
- taco seasoning
- bell peppers
- Rotel
- corn
- brown rice
- salsa
- cheese
- black or pinto beans
For variation, I'm going to try a meal of these baked in a pan and smothered with enchilada sauce. Here is an enchilada sauce recipe we like.

It only takes a bit more time to make 4-5 meals vs. 1 meal and I save a lot of time on the clean up. And then when I've had a crazy day with other needs, these are a snap to pop in the oven with almost no effort.

What are your favorite meals to prepare ahead?

A Bag Full O'Fun

I'm always surprised at how creative kids are in making fun out of whatever is around them. A few weeks ago I picked up an order of grain and after transferring it all to storage containers, had the sacks left to recycle or reuse. The kids wasted no time in putting them to good use. A good evening was had by all.

love this freckled girl!

Menu Monday - Putting Food on the Table

I have really been lacking in the menu planning department. While we have been eating at home in a reasonably healthy manner, my life just works better if I plan it out. So this weekend I did a lot of prep work which included cooking and portioning two big pots of beans, making a batch of bread that produced 2 pans of buns, 1 loaf of bread and 2 pizzas, cooking meat for 2 meals, making up 2 dozen burritos for the freezer and forming 2 meals of hamburger patties. With that work done, I'm hopeful that we'll be able to stick to the menu until the end of the month and avoid making any more trips to the grocery store. You may notice the menu this time incorporates quite a few beans and regular leftovers, too. We are doing a bit of a staycation over the long weekend so we may eat out a couple times also.
5/23
B – cereal & yogurt
L – french toast, green smoothies
D – Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli, cheese bread, watermelon/ I keep the pasta and soup separate so each person can choose their amount of pasta, and it keeps the leftovers from getting mushy.

5/24

B – blueberry muffins (made w/whole wheat flour & leftover s.c. oats), yogurt
L – leftovers, veggies & dip
D – Colorado White Chili, carrot sticks, chips & sour cream / I think the soup is from this book.

5/25

B – oatmeal, berries, yogurt
L – ham sandwiches, veggies & dip
D – beef & pinto burritos, spinach salad, chips & salsa

5/26

B – cereal & yogurt
L – leftovers or tuna wraps, fresh veggies
D – spaghetti & meat sauce, spinach salad, bread?

5/27

B – w.w. pumpkin waffles, yogurt
L – school's out celebration lunch - out
D – burgers on w.w. buns, chips,veggies

5/28

B – waffles, fruit, yogurt
L- brats, pasta salad with peas/carrots/cheese
D – orange chicken, broccoli, brown rice, rhubarb berry crisp

5/29

B – steel cut oats, berries, yogurt
L – leftovers or out
D – homemade pizzas (buffalo chicken & pepperoni)

5/30

B – cereal & fruit
L – hot dog rolls (make w.w. bread: this meal, cinn. rolls, ham & cheese pockets, 1-2 loaves)
D – pork loin, rice, green beans, rolls

5/31
B – cinnamon rolls, yogurt
L – ham & cheese pockets or out
D – burritos with whatever odds & ends we have left

Seeking Shelter

Yesterday afternoon the sky grew dim and the wind and rain came. I pulled out the weather radio which had been unused for a season and within 5 minutes the warning came with a tornado warning, one had been spotted on the ground and we were advised to take cover immediately. This threw my children into a frenzy and got this mama's heart pounding as I got us all to the the basement. We had sort of settled into our positions of safety when the phone rang and my husband reported that there was one spotted on the ground at a junction just a little over a mile from our home. We prayed and sang our Bible memory songs and I kept reminding the kids that God is our refuge. It was good to seek shelter, but even better to consider the strength and sovereignty of our God. To be honest, our basement is in a bit of disarray and while we made do, we should give a little more thought to its function as a shelter and clear out some space for that purpose for times like these. And I see an application in my relationship with God. I need to prepare my heart with His word and trust in Him during the calm so when the storms of life rage it is second nature to cling to Him.

April Grocery Check-In

I've been slow to post this because:
a) I know it is likely boring to anyone who may stumble across this place
b) I've been disorganized and receipts have been left all over the place
c) the recording is getting a bit tedious and I know I'm no extreme super shopper
d) I don't want to face reality that I've spent.too.much yet.again.

Ah, well, moving on.

4/1 - Costco - $76.47
*coupon
24 ct. box Sunchips - individual bags*
32 cans Dr. Pepper - old habits die hard*
1 gallon dill pickle spears
2.5 lb. Tillamook cheddar cheese
2 large bags tortilla chips
6 ct. frozen OJ concentrate - these are larger than the normal size at the grocery store
1 pkg. corn tortillas (100)
48 oz. Ritz crackers *
3 lb. fresh garlic
42 oz. shaved honey ham
3 lb. bananas
36 ct. flour tortilla
4 boneless pork roasts - slightly less than 2 lbs. each, $1.99/lb.
Also purchased on this trip: 6 pk. of socks, 2 pillows.

4/1 - King Soopers - $18.94
3 boxes Rice Krispies
2 boxes Corn Flakes
2 gallons milk
2 packages clear cups (for party)
2 packages foam cups (for party)
4.2 lb. grapes

4/9 - Walmart - $16.47
4 toothbrushes (needed due to packing error...yet another sign that I do not have it together)
1 toothpaste
1 floss
1 box girl stuff
13 jars baby food
6 - 2 pks. baby food (away from home and needed the variety and convenience)

4/12 - King Soopers - $13.80
15.7 lb. organic apples

4/14 - Costco - $89.27
*coupon
25 lb. flour
2 lb. yeast
*2.13 lb. Jarlsberg cheese
2 lb. mozarella cheese
*3 lb. Hebrew National beef franks - might have been 4 lb.
*2 - 96 oz. white grape cherry 100% juice
36 ct. flour tortilla
2 gallons 1 % milk
10 lb. organic carrots
1 lb. organic spinach
3 lb. bananas
*4 - 12 oz. cans Pam cooking spray
2 lbs. croutons
6.5 lb. individually frozen chicken breasts ($2.46/lb. but no waste since they are very well trimmed)

4/14 - King Soopers - $30.31
2 boxes Chex cereal
2 boxes Fiber One bars
1.75 qt. ice cream
4 lbs. 93% lean ground beef patties (markdown)
3 toothbrushes
2 - 55 yd. floss
1 deodorant
2 - 6 oz. blackberries
10 lb. potatoes
1 fresh salad dressing (markdown)
8 ct. donuts - Oh, the perils of shopping with no willpower! The kids were just asking today for donuts, so their wish is granted. (markdown)
1 bunch parsley
3 Oroweat HealthFull bread
3 small packages M&Ms - 1 free w/coupon
2 Dove chocolate bars - free w/ coupon
2 Joint Joice single serve bottles - free w/coupon (markdown)

4/18 - King Soopers - $43.34
2 gallons milk - marked down
16 oz. sour cream
1/2 gallon buttermilk - marked down
1 gallon chocolate milk - marked down
1 single-serve yogurt - marked down
1 loaf french bread - marked down
12 oz. turkey bacon
8 oz. pepperoni
2 large hams (15 lbs. total) at $.99/lb.
9.53 lb. spiral sliced ham at $1.49/lb.

4/20 - Costco - $47.94
1 big bottle Naked juice smoothie
1 really delicious strawberry cheesecake
2 lb. good herb roasted deli turkey
12 ct. croissants
1 big bag Kettle chips
1 lb. organic spring mix
This was definitely a splurge trip. Someone in our home turned the big 3-5 and that was worth celebrating. Also purchased on this trip: lots of CFL light bulbs which were a good buy after the Earth Day promo from the local utility company.

4/23 - Whole Foods - $5.00
2 - 32 oz. organic yogurt
also purchased 2 pizzas with the dining out budget

4/27 - Target - $30.47
6 lbs. Challenge butter - about $2/lb. w/coupons I had
1 qt. coffee creamer
4 big jars baby food
2 2pks. baby food
2 lb. rice
6 ct. English muffins
7 - 4 pks. yogurt

4/28 - Costco - $12.97
2 gallons milk
1 lb. organic spinach
large bottle of Panda Express orange chicken sauce (birthday meal request)

Grand total for April = $384.98
$2.14/person/day

I {think} this is an accurate total, but like I said, I was really disorganized so maybe some receipts have gone missing. This is not bad considering that we had two birthdays this month, traveled a bit, helped host a party, hosted friends for Easter and took a dinner to another family. On the other hand, we were also staying with family for a few days, so that could have reduced our expenses, too. I am not including a big purchase of vitamins for the family. I'm not sure what budget these should be coming from. Where do you put vitamins and supplements in your budget?

How is your grocery budget going?