Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Menu Monday LOW BUDGET Week
We kind of splurged on our 30th anniversary over the weekend to put it mildly. It was a nice time, and planned for, but I feel like we better cut back a little to make up for it. And Matty the Daddy is still not able to work since his accident 8 weeks ago, so we have been stretching our budget to feed two families for the past couple months. After 4 weeks of calling and waiting for a WIC appointment I finally found a number for them to call and get a live person, so on Wed. I am taking Krissy and baby David for an appointment to get WIC checks I hope. That will be some relief anyway. Little David is chunking up pretty good, so a little help with formula will be nice!
Another no shopping week, picked up milk and eggs and some hamburger last week and I have lots of freezer stores to work with.
Monday: Steak fajita's, refried beans, rice, tortillas, salsa, cheese, shredded lettuce
How to: I used a couple of small strip steaks, they were thin, sirloin or chicken tenders work well too. In medium/hot skillet, heat a little oil, add 1/2 onion sliced, one red or green pepper sliced, saute for 2-3 minutes. Season steak with grill seasoning or S&P, move veggies to one side and add steaks, turn down heat if it is smoking. Cook steaks 2-3 mins on each side, stir the veggies around occasionally. Add a squeeze of lime juice over all just before the steaks are done. (I was out of fresh limes, used Real Lime juice) Remove the steaks and let stand one minute, slice into strips. Plate the veggies on platter and lay the steak strips on top.
Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo, salad, garlic toast
How to make easy Alfredo sauce: Heat one cup half & half slowly with one smashed garlic clove, add 1/2 pkg cream cheese (low fat is ok) whisk until blended. Add 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, cook gently on low heat until cheese is melted, taste for seasoning if needed and slightly reduce while noodles cook. Serve with angel hair pasta, sauteed chicken tenders.
Wednesday: Grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, pickles
Thursday: Grilled hamburgers, oven roasted fries, lettuce
Friday: Bean and cheese burrittos, lettuce
Saturday: Homemade pizza
Sunday: Valentines Dinner a day late because Mr. Rainbow Creek works late on Saturday.
Grilled Marinated Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin, rice pilaf, black beans, asian salad, red wine and Molten Chocolate Lava Cake with a glass of champagne maybe?
Visit orgjunkie too, for more Menu Plan Monday.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
10 Frugal Ideas
1. Keep a budget diary for at least 2 weeks. Ask everyone in the family to participate and insist that they keep track of every dime they spend. Finding places where money is being wasted can help, but it is also helpful just to have a realistic idea of what items you need to budget for.
2. Menu planning and making a grocery list cuts down on trips to the store.
3. Be careful with couponing. Most coupons seem to be for processed and convenience foods. If it is not something you would normally buy then it might not be such a good deal to use that coupon.
4. When you have leftovers package up some frozen dinners to take for lunch or use on nights when your schedule is too busy to cook.
5. Be sure to label everything you put in your freezer so you will remember what you have in there. Mystery packages never seem to get used.
6. Unless you know that you will be using it right away, freeze the leftover portion of canned ingredients, such as tomatoe sauce or chicken broth, immediately, instead of putting it in the frig. That way you know it won't go bad before you need it.
7. If you shop at "bulk club" stores be sure that you know the prices of items so you know if the you are getting the best deal. Sometimes stocking up on sale price items is cheaper than the bulk price.
8. I got this one from my single mom sis 'n law. If you shop with kids let them pick out a coupon for their favorite cereal or snack ahead of time so they know that they are "getting something" and you won't have to argue with them asking for everything they see that they want.
9. Go halfsies on bulk items with a friend or family member.
10. Make your own snack foods, a 90 cent package of chocolate chip muffins will make 8 small muffins or a couple dozen mini muffins and can be wrapped up individually for lunches or after school snacks. Homemade cereal bars can be healthier and cheaper than the store bought ones. Be creative!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Frugal Bread Makes Me Happy
Our trip to the bread outlet store today was a HUGE success. I mean HUGE, really. OK, maybe I went a little crazy.
But I have been seriously stressed out by the price of bread since the prices started creeping up last year. When it hit $4/loaf I just couldn't stand it. Mr. Rainbow Creek eats a lot of sandwiches. PB&J to be specific. He likes them for breakfast, and for his midmorning snack, and he takes another one or two to work with him for the evening when they have a truck to unload at 5 or 6 pm. He is not a fast food kind of guy and won't leave the office usually to go grab something. So bread is not an option in our house.
I have never been to the bread store myself before. Last time M went for me I just asked her to get me about $20 worth and she showed up with a big load and I was happy for a good 6 weeks with my freezer full of bread. And when it was gone I was sad.
So today she called to see if I wanted to go with her to load up again. When we got there Channel 4 News had a camera man there taping the frugal shoppers for the evening news. He was leaving before we checked out. The ladies at the store said they sure wished we had showed up earlier, since we had driven up from Castle Rock to Denver to buy all this cheap bread.
I grabbed a couple of coffee cakes and cookies too.
Ok here is what I didn't know, that for every $5 you spend they make you take another free loaf of bread or package of rolls, and if you spend $30 (which I did) you have to get another free loaf of bread and a free cake.
Now I have a pretty big freezer but I figure I am going to have to share some of this with the kids. It won't go to waste anyway, and I am happy again because I have two big jars of peanut butter from Sams, and a couple of cases of my homemade jams downstairs. So Mr. Rainbow Creek won't be going hungry even if I get lost in the batcave and don't show up to feed him for a while.
Can I fix you a sandwich?
But I have been seriously stressed out by the price of bread since the prices started creeping up last year. When it hit $4/loaf I just couldn't stand it. Mr. Rainbow Creek eats a lot of sandwiches. PB&J to be specific. He likes them for breakfast, and for his midmorning snack, and he takes another one or two to work with him for the evening when they have a truck to unload at 5 or 6 pm. He is not a fast food kind of guy and won't leave the office usually to go grab something. So bread is not an option in our house.
I have never been to the bread store myself before. Last time M went for me I just asked her to get me about $20 worth and she showed up with a big load and I was happy for a good 6 weeks with my freezer full of bread. And when it was gone I was sad.
So today she called to see if I wanted to go with her to load up again. When we got there Channel 4 News had a camera man there taping the frugal shoppers for the evening news. He was leaving before we checked out. The ladies at the store said they sure wished we had showed up earlier, since we had driven up from Castle Rock to Denver to buy all this cheap bread.
I grabbed a couple of coffee cakes and cookies too.
Ok here is what I didn't know, that for every $5 you spend they make you take another free loaf of bread or package of rolls, and if you spend $30 (which I did) you have to get another free loaf of bread and a free cake. Now I have a pretty big freezer but I figure I am going to have to share some of this with the kids. It won't go to waste anyway, and I am happy again because I have two big jars of peanut butter from Sams, and a couple of cases of my homemade jams downstairs. So Mr. Rainbow Creek won't be going hungry even if I get lost in the batcave and don't show up to feed him for a while.
Can I fix you a sandwich?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Oops, how to make chicken pot pie
I was gettting too tired last night when I posted my menu and forgot to add the Chicken Pot Pie directions. Here you go, and I also added the Beef Stoganoff, recipe free of course!
Chicken Pot Pie:
What you will need: 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts OR 6-8 chicken breast tenderloins cut in bite size pieces, 2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 bag frozen mixed vegetables, 1 medium potato small diced, one can large biscuits, flour, milk, vegetable oil, seasoning.
Put it together:
Parcook the diced potatoes in a small microwave dish with a little salted water, about 4-5 mins. Drain.
Season chicken with your favorite seasoning blend or salt and pepper. Heat 2 TBl cooking oil in large skillet, add meat, stir until cooked on medium heat.
Add 1/4 cup flour to pan with meat, stir to mix with the oil and coat the chicken about one minute. Add the chicken broth, raise heat to med/high and bring to boil, this should be a very thick gravy. Add a little milk at a time to thin a little to consistency you want. Taste and season if needed with salt and pepper. Keep the heat up! Add the parcooked potatoes and the frozen veggies. Bring it up to a good simmer.
Pour the pot pie mixture into a 13"X9" baking pan. Seperate the biscuits and roll lightly with a rolling pin to flatten them a bit. Lay the flattened biscuits on top of the pot pie mixture. Bake in hot 400 degree oven until biscuits are golden brown on top.
Easy Beef Stoganoff:
What you will need: 1 lb. sirloin steak or leftover pot roast, sliced thin, 1/2 onion sliced thin, 4 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms, 2 cups beef broth, cooking oil, 3-4 Tbl flour, 2 Tbl ketchup, 1 cup sour cream, cooked noodles or rice.
How to make it:
Heat cooking oil in large skillet on medium high, season meat and cook in hot skillet until browned, add onions and mushrooms cook for about 2-3 minutes until soft and slightly carmelized. Add flour stir to mix with oil and coat meat about 1 minute, add broth and ketchup and bring up to a boil to thicken. Taste and reseason if needed. Turn down heat to low, stir in the sour cream and gently heat. Serve over rice or noodles.
Another version: If you want to do a more "high end" stroganoff for company or a special occasion dinner, use beef tenderloin or sliced ribeye steak, before adding the beef broth add 1/2 cup red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon or melot. Reduce on medium heat until all the liquid is evaporated. This will concentrate the flavors and cook off all the alcohol. Add 1-2 Tbl butter to pan and then add the flour. Proceed with recipe above.
Chicken Pot Pie:
What you will need: 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts OR 6-8 chicken breast tenderloins cut in bite size pieces, 2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 bag frozen mixed vegetables, 1 medium potato small diced, one can large biscuits, flour, milk, vegetable oil, seasoning.
Put it together:
Parcook the diced potatoes in a small microwave dish with a little salted water, about 4-5 mins. Drain.
Season chicken with your favorite seasoning blend or salt and pepper. Heat 2 TBl cooking oil in large skillet, add meat, stir until cooked on medium heat.
Add 1/4 cup flour to pan with meat, stir to mix with the oil and coat the chicken about one minute. Add the chicken broth, raise heat to med/high and bring to boil, this should be a very thick gravy. Add a little milk at a time to thin a little to consistency you want. Taste and season if needed with salt and pepper. Keep the heat up! Add the parcooked potatoes and the frozen veggies. Bring it up to a good simmer.
Pour the pot pie mixture into a 13"X9" baking pan. Seperate the biscuits and roll lightly with a rolling pin to flatten them a bit. Lay the flattened biscuits on top of the pot pie mixture. Bake in hot 400 degree oven until biscuits are golden brown on top.
Easy Beef Stoganoff:
What you will need: 1 lb. sirloin steak or leftover pot roast, sliced thin, 1/2 onion sliced thin, 4 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms, 2 cups beef broth, cooking oil, 3-4 Tbl flour, 2 Tbl ketchup, 1 cup sour cream, cooked noodles or rice.
How to make it:
Heat cooking oil in large skillet on medium high, season meat and cook in hot skillet until browned, add onions and mushrooms cook for about 2-3 minutes until soft and slightly carmelized. Add flour stir to mix with oil and coat meat about 1 minute, add broth and ketchup and bring up to a boil to thicken. Taste and reseason if needed. Turn down heat to low, stir in the sour cream and gently heat. Serve over rice or noodles.
Another version: If you want to do a more "high end" stroganoff for company or a special occasion dinner, use beef tenderloin or sliced ribeye steak, before adding the beef broth add 1/2 cup red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon or melot. Reduce on medium heat until all the liquid is evaporated. This will concentrate the flavors and cook off all the alcohol. Add 1-2 Tbl butter to pan and then add the flour. Proceed with recipe above.
This Week at Rainbow Creek
Elliot with his Superbowl brownie.
I found my menu plan last week was extremely helpful. I was pretty busy with the bloggy giveaway carnival and had pretty good sales in my online stores too so was spending most of my time in the batcave working. There were a couple of days that we skipped because Mr. Rainbowcreek was working late and we did fend for yourself, leftovers or whatever.
We had an impromptu Superbowl Party yesterday. It was fun and I didn't have a menu for it but we managed to throw some stuff together. Just chicken tenders, popcorn shrimp, and artichoke dip with crackers, olive etc. I made some brownies for the kids but they were a big hit with adults too so got wiped out pretty fast, I sprinkled some Heath Toffee and Chocolate Bits and pecans on top before baking, yummmeee.
I still have enough supplies on hand for most of the week so my shopping will be limited to picking up a few items that I am out of, bread, milk, eggs and lunch meat. Marcia is out of bread too so we are planning a trip to the bread outlet store for Tuesday to stock up. I love the bread store, fill your freezer with a month's worth of bread for less than half the price. You can't beat that.
Menu for this week:
Monday: Cheese and onion enchiladas, refried beans, lettuce
Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff, noodles, salad
Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie (recipe)
Thursday: Leftover pot pie or stroganoff
Friday: mini BBQ meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, salad
Saturday: Pizza
Sunday: Fondue Dinner at the Melting Pot for our 30th Anniversary!
Don't forget to check out organizing junkies blog for more menu plan monday !
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