Food thoughts.....:)

I had to laugh last night. I really tried to "cheat" and use jar spaghetti sauce instead of making it like I usually do. I added meat to it, heated it up, let my "biggest critic" try it.... her face screwed up like I had given her dirt to eat! LOLOLOLOL MOOOOM It needs rosemary AT LEAST! It's JUST BLAH! NOT your usual stuff! LOL Boy did that teach me, huh? So, I went about doctoring it up! After a while, they were somewhat happy with me (everyone in the house) but I learned my lesson.... it saved me a few minutes on the front, but in the end, I still had to do all the work I usually do...... so.....(and it cost more because 1 jar is $1.25, and I got 2 jars! compared to 3 cans of tomato paste at .33 cents each!)

It just goes to prove..... kids know quality, and the more expensive isn't always the best! What do you make that is cheap that people just can't get enough of? Have you tried "short cuts" that cost you more and people just hated it? I bet so!

When planning things for meals kids just want you to keep it simple... yes they like lots of flavors, but ask them what they like and I'm sure you might be surprised what their favorites are! When my kids as for corn chowder for their birthday dinner it shocks me every time! LOL

When we get back to "cooking from stump", as my husbands grandma used to say, the food tastes better, is more healthy, and people can tell the difference. Start cooking like that for a while, and when you change back, people will revolt. Try it! You just might be surprised what a "great cook" you become by trying out those old cookbooks from your mom or grandma!

Menu Week of November 16, 2009

Well, another week is getting ready to start, are you ready for it? Here's my menu for the week, took the recipes from other menus posted here.... so you should be able to find the recipes!

*Thursday is PTO Meeting (Middle Daughter is Signing as part of the Chorale group) so we will eat dinner at school that night

*Friday oldest daughter has a birthday party/sleepover, so we will have individual pasghetti pizzas with personal toppings as a treat!

Other than those 2 nights, the rest of the menu can be used on any days!

1 Tacos *I use 3-4 lbs of ground turkey to have leftovers* and all the fixings/salad or veggies/dip
2 chicken noodle soup (trying to put a soup night in there again. It's good, filling, my family LOVES soup, and it's cheap! :)
3. Crock Pot Chicken Divan ( http://www.crock-pot.com/Recipe.aspx?rid=283 ) with buttered noodles and a salad
4. Baked chicken with garlic powder/salt/onion powder, rice and broccoli with butter, salt and parmesan cheese

* with the leftover taco meat I will make Taco Cups- take cheap canned biscuits and put them in muffin tins, add some taco meat into the center, top with cheese and any other toppings you may want. My family really loves these and they make a quick on-the-go breakfast! Make them up as you are cleaning up after taco dinner, and you are good to go for the rest of the week! :)

* I make my own taco seasoning because 1. It's cheaper, and 2. It's healthier! I will post the recipe in a bit......

Cheap Holiday Party Food

I'm sure I have posted our Fav's before, but in case it has gotten lost in the shuffle, or to remind you again....here was our list of food for the parties!

1. nacho dip and chips (recipe is on this site, and I have learned that buying chips from mexican restaurants is cheaper than store bought chips, and much yummier!)

2. Hotdogs in sauce (buy the big thing of bun length hot dogs at aldi for like $3 or such, comes like 24 hot dogs to a package), cut hot dogs into coins, put in pan or crockpot (if starting a few hrs early!), add equal amounts of mustard and grape jelly (yep!) and stir in. When everything melts together it's yummy!

3. Veggies and dip of course (gotta have ONE healthy option! lol)

4. pretzels and french onion dip (1 16 oz tup sour cream, one packet onion soup mix)

5. "witches brew" but could be used for any party and varied- 1 can frozen: oj, apple juice, grape juice (I used grape hi c!) 1 liter lemon lime soda (or ginger ale). The second party I did 1 can oj, 1 can fruit punch, and 2 liters lemon lime. Like I said, versitile.

6. Take and bake pizza from either Aldi or Walmart (about the same price)cut into squares so it goes farther! ;) I used 3 or 4 the second night and had 1 left over- but we also had 16 kids not counting our own 3 and us! ;) it was a full house!

7. Kids these days are so sophisitcated! They preferred WATER to the brew! ;) that was fine, because you can add rum, vodka, etc to the brew for an adult party! So, keep lots of filtered water on hand for kids! (you all have filters on your sinks, right? much cheaper and easier!)

Flu Helps

I know everyone these days are so concerned about the flu. I am too. I got a great email- don't know if it's a scam, etc or not, but it makes sense to me. We are incorporating as many ideas from it as we can into our daily lives. It just makes sense.

H1N1 loves to hang out in the nose/mouth area and stew until it is ready to spread, if you can kill it there, you have a better chance of NOT getting it. Here are some things you can do:

1. Gargle with listerine to kill germs in the mouth
2. Drink hot beverages all day (doesn't matter what kind, coffee, lemonade, hot cocoa, tea) to wash the germs from the throat down to the stomach and they will be killed there
3. use a neti pot at best, or at least spray saline spray in your nose and blow several times a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner?) or for kids, use a q-tip dipped in saline and run it around their nostrils

My additional "words of wisdom" LOL

4. D3! I can't say it enough. We are not going to be getting into the sun like we do in the summer, so we need help with our D-3. I take 3 D-3 a day, and give the younger kids (11, 9) 2 a day. They are simple, small if you get them at walmart, and really REALLY help!
5. Don't forget to eat healthy and exercise! Garbage in, garbage out. I know it's not always feesible with the economy, our bills, etc, but if you can make a concious effort daily to eat SOME veggie and SOME fruit, and maybe wrestle on the floor with the kids, or dance in the kitchen with them while cooking dinner, at least you are doing SOMETHING!
6. Don't forget to LAUGH! "laughter is the best medicine" has been said for years, and I believe it! It releases endorphines to make you feel happier, better. Besides, it makes living with you that much easier! ;)

Recipes Week of November 8

1 Crockpot Corn Chowder
Just warning you, I am a "throw it in until it tastes good" cook, so these are just estimates!

1 pkg bacon
4-5 potatoes, peeled, cubed small
1/2-1 small onion (to your preference)chopped small
2 cans creamed corn
1 - 1 lb bag frozen corn
2T sugar
1/2-1 t salt
pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1-2 cups water (to your desired consistancy)

cut bacon into 1/2" strips, cook until done. Remove from grease to crockpot. In grease cook potatoes and onions until potatoes are almost cooked and onions are translucent. Put all in crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir tombine. Cook on low 6-8 hrs, high 4-6. Enjoy with chicken wings or fresh veggies/dip. Fresh bread is always a winner too! :)

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Again, estimates....

1/2-1 medium onion chopped finely
2T olive oil
1 tsp salt
1T pre-chopped garlic (or freshly chopped)

Saute until onion is translucent.

Add:
3 cans tomato paste
4 cups water
3-4 bay leaves (whole, fresh or dried- if fresh, thinly slice)
1tsp oregano (if fresh, thinly slice)
1-2 tsp dried rosemary (if using fresh, use less and chop well)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated (yep in the sauce!)
Marjoram if you have it
thyme if you want (sparingly, it's a strong spice)

Stir with a whisk the tomato paste and water, add the rest of the ingredients. let simmer until hot, add meatballs or cooked ground beef, or bulk italian sausage (sweet, not hot)

BBQ sauce

1 big bottle ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp onion powder or 1/2 of a small onion sauteed
1/2 tsp or less salt (to taste)
pepper to taste
1 tsp worstechestershire (however you spell it!) sauce
1/2 -1/4 tsp liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat until sugar is melted all is good and "sticky". Flavor to desired taste.

Hot Cocoa Mix

This makes A LOT! I am storing it in a HUGE icecream container (you know, the big plastic tubs of it!)

1 box of dried milk (8 cups)
2 cups coffee creamer (no flavor)
2 cups cocoa powder
2 cups sugar

My kids LOVE hot cocoa, so this will hopefully last us a month! ;) But we had all ingredients on hand, but the dried milk (5.99 at aldi), so overall it was QUITE cheap for us! I read one recipe where you add cinnamon. I did, they didn't like it! So, NO cinnamon for kids! But this also makes a great add in for your coffee too! :)

We have a "cocomotion" which makes about 4 cups of hot cocoa at once (or a bit more). I used 1 cup of this mix in the cocomotion to make 4 cups. so, 1/4 cup per cup.....you can cut it down if you think......

Menu for the Week of November 8!

Ok, time to get back to doing this, and not just in my head!

Breakfasts:
Cereal (raisin bran, shredded wheat, honey combs)
4 boxes sausage links (the kids love these!)
eggs
Homemade Hot Cocoa (will post an article later)

Lunches:
Sandwiches (Ham, baloney, peanut butter and grape or strawberry jelly)
cheeto puffs, popcorn, doritos, tortilla chips (all off brand from aldi)
carrots, apples (my kids go through bags and bags of apples weekly!)
iced oatmeal cookies (from Big Lots on their markdown shelf- 75 cents each container- holds 20? cookies)

Dinners:
1. Crockpot Corn Chowder (one day I am working away from home)
2. baked chicken legs/thighs with garlic powder/salt/onion powder
white cheddar noodles (aldi- 79 cents/box)
Broccoli (frozen- always cheaper and as healthy as the fresh!)
3. Baked Ravioli ($2.79/box of ravioli, .39 cents/can tomato paste, 1 lb ground turkey, 1.19)
green beans (frozen of course!)
Texas Toast Garlic Bread (a splurge, $1.79/box)
4. Ribs ($1.79/lb one time! in freezer!)
Green beans or broccoli
mashed potatoes or fried
5. BBQ chicken done in the crockpot
rice with butter and salt
green beans or broccoli (see a pattern here? LOL We love green veggies and when we can't afford romaine, we go for frozen!)
6. Ramen noodles and hot dogs (one night is gonna be too busy, you just KNOW it!)

For those of you, like me, who SHOULD be eating low carb due to weight, physical needs (fibro), etc here are your options

1. Make carbs for family, skip putting them on your plate- yeah, tough to do, but you can do it!
2. on Ravioli night have a boneless chicken breast thawed out for you, bake it, put the spaghetti sauce and even some mozzarella over it! have the veggie or a salad!
3. on Ramen noodle night, have a fabulous omelette! I have cream cheese (low fat) and shredded cheddar in the fridge for breakfast ones, but don't forget sauteed onions, peppers, crumbled bacon, etc. Maybe some others will get jealous and want yours too!
4. Carbs are good, as long as they are GOOD carbs.... instead of white potatoes make them Sweet Potatoes, use brown rice instead of white. Remember portion control is important, so when you do have those, go for 1/2 cup servings only. Limit it to one meal a day, and maybe 3 times a week at most. The rest of the time get your carbs from your fruits and veggies. DON"T forget your fruits! :) They are important too!
5. Drink your water, drink your water! :)

Happy November!

Yeah, I know it's been a long couple months, but I have been crazy busy! I have a job! :) yay! I really REALLY enjoy it! Doing all the secretarial things I knew I could do, plus stretching to do some new and innovative things! It's really cool! Keeps me on my toes, and really I have had to Re-LEARN a lot of things becoming a working mom- my hats off to all you working moms! :) I surely take my "days off" or my "work at home" days much more seriously and try to throw in an extra load of laundry, etc!

But it's not just me who's busy around here! My 13 yo daughter is really REALLY busy at school.....FCA, Just Say No club, Jazz Band (practices after school), Student Council...... I think that's it! LOL She will be trying out for "Mid State" Band December 12, so she is busy working on her pieces and trying to get them right. She is learning at a young age what overscheduling can do, but trust me.... I held her back from getting into MORE things! ;)

My 11 yo daughter is pretty busy too! She tried out and got into the Chorale group at school, so they have weekly after school practices, along with her "Girls Only" club meetings (with the school counselor and one other female teacher) teaching 5th grade girls proper body maintenace, etc... it's a really good group ran by really great women. Not only is she doing this, but she has a GREAT teacher this year, along with getting help for her Dyslexia, so her grades are on the A/B honor roll! :) yay! I'm so proud and happy for her!

My 9 yo daughter gets to relax still! ;) she's in 3rd grade so, not many "groups" for her... but maybe next year she will get into the art club...she's pretty good! She is struggling with organization (hmmmmm surprise! NOT!) but overall her grades are doing well. So, she is having a great year too.

I have never had my kids in so many "things" and wanting to do so many "things" like the football games, dances, having to go to the PTO meeting for performances, etc. It's beena real juggling act. Not to mention the fact that most of the time we have to pick up the 2 girls on the same day, about 30 min apart! :) makes life interesting..... most weeks I have 3-4 days of things to do! I've never carried a pocket calendar, but I do now, so I can have it at my desk and remember, or else you know I would forget! ;)

Having a little bit more money has afforded us to be able to pay off some bills, thank goodness, or at least get caught up. We have a spot more money for food, but some weeks are leaner than others! :) Like this week! We spent most of my check on some great deals at Big Lots (Wii and Nintendo DS games for $10!)for Christmas, had to get new tires for hubby, etc...it's still a juggling act, but it's not so many balls in the air! I spent about $85 on groceries for the week, and will let you know our menu in the next post.

I will say one thing that has helped us immensely has been that we lucked up on a great deal on chicken one week. I got 150 lbs (?) at least of chicken for about $120! My freezers are full, I seperated a lot of it (100 lbs) so that it was family portions, and yeah, I think we are gonna grow feathers, but I try to break it up with cheap options along the way! The other night I fed our family of 5 for under $2 for the entire dinner! 95 cents for a bag of frozen broccoli, 49 cents for a dozen eggs (aldi!) and 60 cents for a bag of rice! We had rice with the fried eggs over the top (and butter/salt/soy sauce), and broccoli on the side. Everyone was satisfyed and so CHEAP! :) So, that was one meal w/o chicken! Thank goodness my kids love chicken! :)

We also had 2 Halloween parties in October, one for oldest daughter, one for the other two combined! All told we spent about $125 for all the food between the two parties! The rest was elbow grease getting the house ready! ;) I will put a menu up of our cheap party food so you can use it anytime!