Homemade Wheat Bread

For this recipe you will need a wheat grinder and a high capacity mixer (like a Bosch or Blendtec). If you don't have these, you can use store-bought wheat flour (4 Cups) and a KitchenAid, but make only 1/3 the recipe...


Grind 7 1/2 cups hard wheat (I use 5 cups white and 2 1/2 cups red)

Mix with beaters until well blended:
6 C very warm water
2/3 C canola oil
2/3 C honey
6 C fresh flour
3 Tbs Vital wheat gluten
3 Tbs dough enhancer
2 Tbs salt

Switch to dough hooks:
Add the rest of your fresh flour
3 Tbs yeast on top of flour

Turn on the mixer and add high gluten flour (about 3-4 C) slowly until dough starts to pull away from the bowl. Allow to mix 10 min and check elasticity. If additional mixing is needed check every 2-3 min. (Video 1) and (Video 2)

Oil your hands and your countertop and remove dough from bowl. Knead it a few times by hand and then divide into 6 equal parts. Form into 6 loaves and set in oiled loaf pans. (Video 3). Cover with a lightweight towel and allow to rise until about 1-1 1/2 in above pan. (Dough will continue to rise in the oven.)

Preheat your oven to 425* Immediately after putting your bread in lower temp to 325*. Bake for 15 min and then insert a temp probe. Bake until temp reads 185*. Remove immediately from pans and cool completely on a cooling rack before bagging

(refer to Ezekial Bread post for pics and details)

Protein Waffles

It's always a good idea to get some form of protein in the morning. "Eating protein in the morning is essential because it creates energy that outlasts carbohydrates. A boost of protein in the morning will help prevent your body from burning muscle fiber for energy. Breaking down muscle for energy actually slows the metabolism, so it is crucial that you prevent this from happening." (street directory.com)

For a change from meat and eggs, I came up with this recipe. I hope you like it!!

2 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C flax meal
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
3/4 C canola oil (or try splitting it up with applesauce)
2 C milk
2 eggs
4 tsp baking powder
Dash of salt
1/8 tsp almond extract (optional but very yummy)

Mix everything well and pour into preheated waffle iron. Warning, these are FILLING!!

Side dishes

Since the question was posed, I figured I would dedicate a post about side dishes. Yes, several meals that I make are all-encompassing dishes. However, there are others that do require a side dish. We tend to keep it simple around here, and yes, my kids do eat vegetables. Here are a few examples:

Pasta dishes:
boiled artichoke
steamed broccoli
steamed green beans
green salad
garlic bread
breaksticks
dinner rolls

Mexican dishes:
Mexican rice
Black beans
Cilantro lime rice
Chips and salsa/guacamole
green salad

Sandwiches:
Raw veggies and dip
Fresh fruit
Chips
Sweet potato fries
Corn on the cob
Pasta salad

Asian food:
Rice
green salad
Crab rangoons (recipe halved)

Soups:
Green salad
garlic bread
dinner rolls

Meat:
Steamed veggies (broccoli, corn, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, asparagus, squash etc.)
Corn on the cob
Barley and asparagus
Rice pilaf
fruit
green salad
corn muffins
mashed/baked potatoes
White bean salad (white beans, cucumber, red onion, red pepper, oil and vinegar, salt and pepper)
Pasta Salad
Dinner rolls

Some of the green salad variations I make are:

Green leaf lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, carrots, crumbled bacon and shredded yellow cheese. Serve with ranch or balsamic dressing (or whatever you like)

Spinach, feta, candied pecans, strawberries. Serve with poppyseed dressing

Green leaf lettuce or spinach or a combination, apples, Craisins, crumbled bacon, feta. Serve with poppyseed dressing

For my steamed veggies I usually sprinkle with chicken boullion granules and garlic powder before steaming.

August Menu

We just got back from an 8 day vacation. You know what that means; scramble to get organized!!! I don't have anything insightful to share, just my menu. PS: I get people who comment to me in person about my blog, but I'd love to hear from those whom I don't know personally!! I hope you've found your niche in menu planning, please share you success stories with me!!

In case you're new to my blog, you can find my master plan here. I'll always tell you if I'm using a new recipe, all others are tried and true :)

August (New)
Chinese Lemon Chicken (crock pot)
Maple Dijon Chicken with Sweet Potatoes (crock pot)
Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta and Blueberries
Beef with Snow peas



Turkey Burgers, sweet potato fries, raw veggies
Country Pork Ribs, cornbread, salad
Mexican Stuffed Shells
Tortellini Pasta Salad (I omit tomatoes, add red pepper and spinach)
Chicken Caesar Sandwiches (crock pot)
Cheeseburger Salads
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
Honey Butter Pork
Meatball Sandwiches (crock pot)(I use ground turkey which is leaner so I use less breadcrumbs otherwise it would be really dry. This is also a huge recipe as-is, so either cut in half or freeze some meatballs for later. Bake for 6 min @ 375 on a cookie sheet, turn once then bake an additional 6 min. Add meatballs to a crockpot with jarred spaghetti sauce and simmer on low for a few hours). Serve on crusty rolls with cheese, black olives, red onions or whatever else you like)
Broiled Fish and Stuffed Zucchini
Artichoke Lasagna (I found that a pasta casserole is easier)
Pot Roast (crock pot)
French Dip (or leftover pot roast)
Breakfast for dinner
Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
Sweet Pork salads (crock pot)
Grilled Pizza
Ham and mashed potatoes (crock pot)(put your ham steak in the crock pot with a can of Dr Pepper and a small can of pineapple and cook on low for several hours)
Stir fry

...and the deed is done! Whoa, that was a rough one for me!!

Stuffed Pistolettes

Just to warn you, this is only "kinda" a recipe. The measurements don't matter TOO much. It just depends on what you like.

First, take some yummy kaiser rolls, cut the tops off (save 'em!) and hollow out the inside with a fork.



Then brown some lean ground turkey (I use the 16 oz Jenni-O pkg) with about 1/2 a md chopped onion. Add some cajun seasoning and some Velveeta cheese. I use about 1/2 a small block.

 Throw in some steamed broccoli, about 1 large head.

 Spoon into your buns...

Butter the tops and sprinkle with garlic powder.
Bake at 350 for 10 min. YUM!!! This is a family favorite!!

July menu and noteworthy sales

July is finally OUR month to travel. I feel like everyone but us has gone on vacation this summer!! But since we will be traveling I am keeping my menu very simple and will be focusing most of my big shopping trip on restocking my shelves and grabbing snacks for a long road trip. All of my menu items have been posted before, so feel free to look back at old menus for inspiration and links.

I do want to give you a quick review of the Peach Whiskey Barbeque Chicken. It was absolutley delish! The sauce was to die for and I wish I would have taken the advice to make mashed potatoes as a side so I could use more of the sauce. I did alter the recipe a bit; I used about half of the whiskey and about 2/3 of the peach preserves and added a bit more BBQ sauce.

Pesto Wraps
Crockpot Cordon Bleu
Artichoke Lasagna
Stuffed Pistolettes
Chinese Chicken salad and crab rangoons
Pork Sandwiches with spicy cilantro slaw
Funeral Potato casserole
Fajitas
Peach Whiskey BBQ Chicken
Grilled Pizzas
Rosemary Lemon Pork
Hawaiian Haystacks
Turkey Burgers
Round Steak in Mushroom Sauce
Chicken Salad Sandwiches

NOTEWORTHY SALES (AZ) For additional sales/coupon match ups check out www.thecentsableshoppin.com


Albertsons
Milk 1.57
Bulls Eye BBQ Sauce 1.00
KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce 2.00 (Sunday coupon)
Nestle Novelties, Dreyers Fruit Bars or Ice Cream 1.74 wyb 4
Cool Whip 1.00

Safeway
Goldfish crackers 1.00
Post Pebbles cereal 1.88 (Sunday coupon)
Honey Bunches 1.88 (facebook coupon)
Imperial .75

Fry's
Suave body wash 1.89 (coupons.com coupon)
Wholly Salsa 2.49 (Facebook coupon)
Reynolds Foil 3.19 wyb 10 (Sunday Coupon)
Lays chips incl Kettle cooked wyb 10 (commonkindness.com coupon)
Best Foods Mayo 2.69 wyb 10 (Sunday coup)
General Mills Treats 1.69 wyb 10 (Sunday coup)
General Mills Cereal 1.88 wyb 10
Crystal Light 2.14 wyb 10 (Frys ecoup)
Cheetos or Freetos 1.69 wyb 10
Capri Sun 1.88 wyb 10
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks 1.69 wyb 10 (Sunday coup)
Banana Boat or Hawaiian Tropic B1G1 Free (Sunday coup both)
Colgate 1.00 (Sunday coup)
Dial handsoap 1.00 (Sunday Coup)
Huggie Little Swimmers 6.99 (Coup)
Dreyers Ice Cream cups .88
Popsicles .88
Lays Stax .88 (commonkindness.com coupon)
Nabisco Crackers 1.88
Ken's Dressing .88 (Sunday Coup)
Bar S Jumbo Franks .77
Jenni O Ground Turkey 3.99

Bashas
Honeycomb, Raisin Bran, Pebbles cereal 1.99
Dreyers Ice Cream 1.88

June menu

Wow, the busy-ness of summer has already gotten to me!! We're halfway through the first week of June and I finally made my menu! I also have about 5 weeks of coupons to sort through. This slacker thing really catches up with a person ;) 

I'm trying several new recipes again this month. Some are repeats because they didn't get made last month. Whoops! I hope your planning has gone well! I'd love to get some feedback :)


Cobb salad sandwich
Mexican stuffed shells
Chicken Caesar sandwiches
Asian turkey meatballs
Caribbean pork chops with mango salsa
Peach-Whiskey BBQ Chicken
chicken tacos
Mediterranean Salmon on noodles

Crepes and eggs
Cheeseburger salads
Chicken salad sandwiches
Butternut Squash soup and Homemade croutons
Sausage and Rice casserole
Pork Ribs
Pesto Chicken Wraps
Thai Coconut curry noodles
Crockpot Cordon Bleu
Tortellini Pasta Salad (I omit tomatoes, add red pepper and spinach)
Pot Roast
Sausage Rice casserole
White Chicken and rice (mix until smooth: 1 blk cream cheese, 1 can cream mush soup, 1 pkt ranch dressing, splash of milk. Pour over 3-4 chicken breasts in the crockpot on low for several hours. Serve over cooked rice)

Recipe Review: Cheeseburger Salads

I made the Cheeseburger Salads tonight and they were super yummy!! Better yet, they were so EASY!! I used a package of Jenni-O gound turkey instead of hamburger. Next time I will make extra sauce as a little more "dressing" was needed, in my opinion. I will also melt the butter for the "croutons" (I only used 2/3 cube) and drizzle and toss in a bowl before toasting.

My thoughts on leftovers

Raise your hand if you're REALLY great about eating leftovers?? Yeah, I'm not raising mine either. Food that goes uneaten is money wasted in my mind, so unless I have enough for a freezer meal, I avoid making extra food whenever possible. Especially meat! So what i do, for example, is because I know that we will never eat a whole roast in one sitting, I buy a nice sized one and cut it in half. I have this handy little gadget that I actually got from a Groupon and I love it. It's called a Frisper by a company called Oliso. It works just like a Food Saver but it's way smaller and was way cheaper!! And using it keeps my frozen meats so much better! Anyway, today I was able to get roast on sale B1G1. So I got 2 for $20 and cut them both in half. That's $5 per meal! And I know that none of it will go to waste :) Win-win! If your family is really great at eating leftovers my hat's off to you because it just doesn't happen over here.

May 2012 Menu

Have I ever mention how GOOD it feels to crack out a dinner menu for an entire MONTH!!?? I've been doing this for a little over a year and the feeling never changes!! I'm assuming that because you read my blog you are at least aspiring to menu plan. If it's just an aspiration, at this point, I challenge you RIGHT NOW to sit down and fill out 1 week. JUST ONE! You can do it!! You will feel sooooo good, I promise.

So, really quick, I had a few newbies on my menu last month so I wanted to give a quick review.

The Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf was fabulous! I used the hot sauce (option to use ketchup) and my kids thought it was too spicy to eat. Whoops. But my husband and I loved it! Also for next time I'll throw it under the broiler the last few minutes to crisp the bacon a bit more because I dont like chewy bacon.

The Chinese Chicken Salad was also very yummy! I loved the crispy won ton wrappers and I used a rotisserie chicken which made this a super easy and quick meal. I will be making again.

And I already gave you my review for the Artichoke Lasagna.

There were a few more that I actually didn't get to this month but I had a great excuse...Ever heard of the Ragnar?? Yeah, I ran that. So a few meals didn't get made ;)

So, on to May. I'm trying several new recipes this month. New recipes make me smile :) I LOVE the discovery and challenge of it. Here's what I'm trying...

Spicy Stewed Beef with Creamy Cheddar Grits
Cheeseburger Salad
Pork Sandwiches with Cilantro Jalapeno Slaw
Fancy Macaroni
Chicken Salad Snadwiches
Grilled Chicken with Broccoli Pasta Salad
Mediterranean Salmon and Noodles
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
Honey Butter Pork
Lasagna


And here's the rest, all tried and true recipes

Meatball Sandwiches (I use ground turkey which is leaner so I use less breadcrumbs otherwise it would be really dry. This is also a huge recipe as-is, so either cut in half or freeze some meatballs for later. Bake for 6 min on a cookie sheet, turn once then bake an additional 6 min. Add meatballs to a crockpot with jarred spaghetti sauce and simmer on low for a few hours). Serve on crusty rolls with cheese, black olives, red onions or whatever else you like.
Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
Tortellini Pasta Salad (I use red pepper instead of tomato and add baby spinach)
Honey Lime Enchiladas with Cilantro Lime Rice
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Crockpot Cordon Bleu
Fish Tacos
Funeral Potato Casserole
Turkey Breast and Sweet Potato Casserole
Grilled Homemade Pizzas
Round Steak in Mushroom sauce (Roast, 1 pkt dry onion soup, 2 cans cream mush soup in the crockpot)
Turkey Burgers
Rice soup (1 box Uncle Bens Wild Rice, water per instructions, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 C sour cream, 1/4 C white cooking wine, 1 can canned chicken, drained. Simmer, covered, until rice is soft)
Sweet pork salads
Sweet and Salty Salad Wraps

I think that's it! Now I have to go sort through a months worth of coupons that I've been neglecting. *Sigh

Barley and asparagus

If you're like me, you're always looking for easy and delicious and DIFFERENT side dishes. Here's one of my fav's

1 1/2 C quick barley
3 C chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbs dry onions
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 C chopped carrots
1 C asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 min (until tender)

Steam asparagus and carrots until crisp tender (you may want to start w the carrots and add the asparagus a few min later)

Combine the veggies w/ the barley and sprinkle w/ a little parmesan (optional).

Artichoke lasagna review

We hated it ;).....YUM!! So good! It's definitely a keeper. I added a grilled chicken breast and used a large jar of marinated artichoke hearts (the recipe calls for 15 fresh baby artichoke. I don't have time for that!) I made 2 small pans, one for now, one for later and it was perfect! You'll be seeing it in the rotation again :)

April Menu

I am in no way, shape or form ready for it to get hot :( I AM ready, however for some switch ups in the menu. Warmer weather means more grilling, more salads and sandwiches. Yum! The first recipes I am listing are new ones for me. I'll always to let you know which ones I have never tried before, all the rest and tried and true.  Good luck with your planning!!

*On a side note, we use a lot of ground turkey in our house. This is a good month, because of Easter, to buy whole turkey breasts on sale and have your butcher grind it for you :) Also, I am not making Easter dinner this year, but for Christmas I followed a recipe that involved slow cooking your ham in the crock pot with a bottle of Dr Pepper and a can of pineapple. DE.LISH. Try it!

(Newbies)
Artichoke Lasagna (I am cheating and using marinated artichoke hearts)
Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin and Snap Pea Salad
Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf
Chinese Chicken Salad
Grilled Chicken and Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

(and the rest)
Tacos, Spanish rice, Chips and Guac
Grilled Salmon, wild rice
Chicken rolls
Pot roast
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Swedish Meatballs, green beans
Grilled Tilapia, steamed veggies
Stir Fry
Fajitas
Sweet and Salty Salad Wraps
Spaghetti, salad and garlic bread
Breakfast
Turkey Burgers and sweet potato fries
Grilled Pizzas
French Dip
Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
Sweet Pork salads
Funeral Potato Casserole

Homemade Ezekial Bread tutorial

**(Sorry for the interruptions by my son in the videos! I put a show on for him, but that obviously didn't work. Guess hearing Mom talk to herself was distracting!)

Ezekial bread is not only delicious, but because it is made with legumes and grains other than wheat it is much higher in nutrients and protein than other breads. Adding chia seeds only adds to the nutritional value. You get extra fiber, omega 3, anti oxidants, protein and iron.

***You obviously can't make this recipe without a food mill/grinder. I will also post a wheat bread recipe that you can use store bought wheat flour. If you don't have a Bosch, you can use a Kitchen Aid, but cut the recipe into 1/3 and make 2 loaves.



Homemade Mix:

5 C Hard Red Wheat
3 Cups Spelt
1 C Hulled Barley
1/2 C Millet
1/2 C Green Lentils
1/4 C Great Northern Beans
1/4 C Red Kidney Beans
1/4 C Pinto Beans

Ezekial Bread:

Grind 3 1/2 C Homemade Mix and
3 C Hard White Wheat

Add about half of the fresh flour to your Bosch and add:

6 C very warm water
1 C Honey
2/3 C Canola Oil
1/2 C Powdered Milk
3 Tbs Vital Wheat Gluten
3 Tbs Dough Enhancer
4 Tbs yeast
3 Tbs Chia Seeds (optional)

Mix with whisk attachmet until well blended and then let sit until bubbly (about 20-30 min)

Change to your dough hook and add:
The rest of your fresh flour
2 Tbs Salt
4 eggs

Turn on your mixer to level 1 and slowly add high gluten flour until dough starts to pull away from the bowl (about 4-6 Cups) (Video 1)(very boring, but I want to keep things detailed for you!)

Let mixer run for about 8 min and check dough for elasticity. Check every 2 min if additional kneading is necessary. (Video 2). Under kneaded dough will be very sticky or gooey and hard to work with. Over kneaded dough will be very tough and yield a loaf of brick not bread. So tend to your kneading dough after the initial 8 min.

Oil your hands and your countertop and remove dough from bowl. Knead it a few times by hand and then divide into 6 equal parts. Form into 6 loaves and set in oiled loaf pans. (Video 3).  Cover with a lightweight towel and allow to rise until about 1-1 1/2 in above pan. Dough will continue to rise in the oven.

Preheat your oven to 425* Immediately after putting your bread in lower temp to 325*. Bake for 15 min and then insert a temp probe. Bake until temp reads 185*. Remove immediately from pans and cool completely on a cooling rack before bagging.

Two minute breakfast burrito or sandwich

This is my first time blogging from my phone so we'll see how it goes!! One of my favorite things for breakfast is an egg sandwich. But did you know you can make an egg sandwich without dirtying a pan!? You can microwave your eggs!! And those little Gerber baby bowls that almost all moms have are the perfect size.

Decide what kind if toppings you like and prepare extra for the week. Whether its bacon or diced peppers or whatever you like. I simply like real bacon bits and a little cheese, both of which I usually have on hand. Today I had some leftover chorizo so I decided to make a burrito!

So, grab your add-ins and whip them with 1 or 2 eggs and a tsp of water. If you're doing just whites I'd go with at least 2. Make sure they're nice and foamy (aerated) or they will explode in your microwave! Microwave on high for about 75 seconds. Toast some bread in the meantime and you've got a two minute hot breakfast :)

Funeral Potato Casserole

I love Funeral Potatoes! Yummm!! If you could eat them as a main dish, like me, this is a great way to do it.

Follow THIS recipe and add

*2 cans of chicken, drained (I get mine from Costco). You could even use grilled chicken but I like the quickness of canned.

*12-16oz (your preference) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained. Or add your own blanched, chopped fresh spinach. I blanch about 5 or 6 big handfuls, then whirl them in the blender for a quick second with the ice water, then drain with a mesh strainer.

For an even healthier version use Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream.

I like to top mine with corn flakes :)

Bake at 375* until bubbly and hot, about 35-45 min for a 9x9 or 50-60 min for a 9x13. This makes 2 meals for my family of 5, so I make 2 9x9's, I cook one and freeze the other.

Hell's Kitchen Knock off

My favorite egg salad sandwich, the Hell's Kitchen, is served at a deli on the west side of town called Heidi's. Since I don't get over there as often as I'd like I decided to made a similar sandwich for dinner and I must say, it was the biggity bomb :)

For the egg salad bring 8 eggs to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let sit about 10 minutes. Immediately run under cool water to stop the cooking. Allow to cool and peel. Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours (at least)

Place your hard boiled eggs in a mixing bowl and add

1/4 C diced green onions (chives)

1/4 tsp celery salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp cajun seasoning (or more to taste)(I like McCormick's because it's not too salty)

about 1/4 C mayonnaise (your preference for moisture)

Mash with a potato masher or pastry blender until desired chunkiness. Switch to a spoon and mix well.

Serve on thickly sliced sourdough sandwich bread with bacon, avacado and lettuce (and tomato if you'd like, just not in this house). Are you drooling?!?! This was sooo yummy!! Makes 3-4 sandwiches.

Baggie Trick

This is another one of my favorite tricks. If you ever need to get anything into a baggie but need two hands, stuff the baggie into a large cup and wrap the top around the rim.  This particular instance I needed to get frosting into the bag. But I also love to do this when making marinades, for leftover soups, or portioning the huge bag of Costco cheese into smaller bags.



Hope it comes in handy for you :)

March!!

February went by sooo fast! (I think I said that about January too...) I was able to get my menu done today. Hopefully you have been working on yours too. It's a long month; lots of meals, not so easy. Here it is! My freezer meals are the Pasta Faggioli, Honey Lime Enchiladas, Swedish Meatballs

Chicken spinach balls
French Dip
Honey Lime Enchiladas
Butternut Squash Soup and homemade croutons (Loooooved this last month)
Tortellini Pasta Salad (I switch red bell peppers for the tomatoes and add spinach)
BBQ Pork
Stir Fry
Spicy Chicken Sandwiches
Homemade Mac N Cheese
Broiled Fish/Chicken Nuggets
Beef Taquitos
Pesto Wraps
Pasta Faggioli
Rosemary Lemon Pork
BBQ beef sandwiches
Thai Curry Coconut noodles
Stuffed Pistolettes
Crockpot Cordon Bleu
Homemade Pizza
Chicken Pitas
Rice soup
Fondue
Meatballs
Generals Chicken
Pot Pie
Tacos
Grilled Salmon

Couponing

First things first. You're gonna need one of these; an ice cold beverage. With caffeine. ;)

I get three newspapers weekly. One from a subscription, two from the Dollar Tree.  My favorite grocery store (Fry's) values all coupons at $1 (up to 3 of the same, that's why I only get 3 papers. Coupons over $1 are worth face value) so if I use 3 coupons total in a week, the papers pay for themselves. At least that's how I figure it. You could even do more if you wanted because it really doesn't take much more time.

 Pull out your coupons inserts and group the pages together from all 3 papers. So, you'll have 3 of each page stacked together.

 Check folded pages for coupon layouts before cutting all 3 of the same page right down the middle. I use a paper trimmer, it's very time efficient.

 Make a pile of coupons. Your 3 like-coupons usually stick together pretty well.

 Make a discard pile. I DO NOT clip/save all coupons. For me, it's all about getting it done quickly. If I have no need for an item (like Depends or Centrum Silver...) there's no need to keep it, in my opinion. Some people would argue that sometimes products come up free with coupons. If you have the time to shop for and donate free items, more power to you.

Start putting your coupons in your binder. I will thumb through each category as I go and pull out old expired coup's. I also keep like-coupons (same product) together despite their expiration date, but the newest will go behind the others. Some coupons will need to be folded, just try to keep the product and expiration date visible.

This is a baseball card binder from Target. However, I have thought about switching to a regular 3- ring binder with pockets in the cover because it would be useful. If I were to do it over I would just buy a 3-ring binder and the card refill pack.

Here are my categories (divided by cheap Staples dividers).

Baby
Baking
Beauty/Fem
Bread/Tortillas
Breakfast (excl frozen)
Candy/Gum
Canned (excl soup)
Condiments
Dairy
Drinks
Freezer
Hair Care
House Care
Office supplies
Oral Care
Paper products/food storage
Pasta and sauce
Pets
Pharmacy
Produce
Refrigerated and Meat
Shaving and Deoderant
Sides and Rice
Skincare/Lotion
Snacks
Soap and Bodywash
Soup

(in the back)
Rain Checks/Store Credits
Restaurants

As for shopping there's not much of a strategy since most stores' coupon policies have become more strict.  The main thing is to try and use your coupons when an item is also on sale, thus maximizing your savings. Once again, my favorite website to reference is www.thecentsableshoppin.com for AZ peeps. She will help you match coupons to sales.

Yes, couponing takes a little time. BUT my friend who showed ME the ropes (thanks Lanae ;)) told me that when you're saving money it's like a job. Not spending=earning. Kinda.

Sausage and Rice Casserole

This is another maybe not so healthy but quick recipe from my childhood. I love quick. Especially on soccer practice night like tonight. This is the quantity I make for my fam of 5, you may want to double it.

8 oz. (I use Farmer John) original sausage. If you buy a type with casings, remove them
1 Pkt Lipton Dry Chicken noodle soup
3 C Water
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 C rice
1/2 onion, chopped, or 1/4 C dry onions
broccoli, optional

Preheat your oven to 400* and bake your sausage on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes. Or you can pan cook it.

In the meantime cook the soups in the water with the onions and rice by first bringing to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 min (while your sausage cooks)

If you baked your sausage put it in a food processor and roughly chop. Transfer to some paper towels to soak up some grease.

The next step will be up to your preference. I mix my meat and soup mixture (and sometimes throw in some broccoli) together and throw it in my little crock pot on low while we go to soccer practice. Or, you can bake in a casserole dish for about 20 min at 350*. If you want to make even further ahead, you can change the cooking time on the soup/rice mix to just 5 min then put in the crockpot for even longer.

Recipe Review: Dijon Chicken Linguine with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Toasted Almonds

This recipe was from Pinterest. The photo looked amazing and I was super excited to try it. Firstly, I don't love pan cooked chicken. I decided I was going to grill mine, but 3 minutes into grilling I ran out of propane. BOO!! Shame on me for trying to change the cooking instructions. Into the pan it went. The sauce was SUPER easy to make, so for that I give a huge thumbs up. Overall the meal was pretty good. Was it something completely different than I've ever tried before? No. The sauce was super rich and not packed with a ton of flavor so it felt like I needed more "stuff" to go with it; more than the chicken, mushrooms and almonds (which were just so-so with the meal). Artichoke hearts? Asparagus? Not sure. Just something.

My 6 year old din't like it. My 4 year old liked it but without mushrooms. My hubby likes everything so he doesn't count. So, will I make it again? Possibly. But it won't be on the menu next month...

Side-stacking

This clearly has nothing to do with cooking or menu planning, but it's my blog and I can post what I want, hmph! How many of you use the side-stacking method for your kids' drawers??? I DO, I DO!!

I started doing this about 6 months ago when I saw it on Pinterest. It hasn't completely changed my life, but it has made a huge difference! Instead of re-folding entire drawers every.single.week I'm down to about once a month.  Since you can see everything, there's no digging :) I had to start folding clothes a bit differently but now that I've been doing it for a while it's totally habit.

Depending on the depth of your drawers (my son's dresser is much smaller than the girls') you'll probably need to fold pants in fourths and shirts in thirds. I lay jeans/pants on their sides and shirts with the round edge up (does that make sense?) This is also a huge space saver! I love this method!

M's drawer

 T's drawer

C's drawer

Baked Bacon

People, PLEASE stop pan-frying your bacon; we aren't living in 1950 anymore. Fried bacon not only cooks in it's own fat, but it makes your house, your hair and your clothes stink. Not to mention the hazards of popping grease!!



 Put your bacon on a wire cooling rack set inside your cookie sheet.  If you don't have one, you can use a broiling pan OR crumble and then uncrumble some aluminum foil so the grooves catch the grease.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375* until desires crispiness. I love me some crispy bacon, so about 18-20 min for me. (this will also depend on the fattiness). Did I mention that you don't have to babysit it like pan-frying!? Go ahead and start your eggs or pancakes (or whatever) in the meantime. :)

Recipe Review: Rumbi Mango Chicken and Rice

I mentioned that I was trying a few new recipes this month.  We had the Rumbi Mango Chicken and Rice for dinner last night. It was just OK :( I would give it 3 of 5 stars. It didn't taste bad, it just didn't taste like a whole lot, to be honest. I was itching for more flavor. I even cooked the rice in coconut milk as suggested.  The cumin and lemon pepper were "to taste" and I think I added plenty without taking the flavor away from the sweet and savory mango salsa. It was, however, SUPER easy to make. I actually had some leftover chicken breasts, so I just threw the rice in the rice cooker and everything else to warm over the stove. Took about 10 min. (plus cooking time for the rice). So, for that factor I MIGHT make it again.

I broke my own rules!

Ok, so there aren't really any "rules" to menu planning :)  Because it is time consuming to sit down and plan a menu, I normally only shop for my month of dinners at the beginning of the month. Since I got a jump start on my Feb calendar I had plenty of time to check out the ad's for the week. Lucky, for me, there were some GREAT sales going on this week! So maybe I'll take that as a lesson and change my strategy a bit; get that menu done with plenty of time to spare so I don't miss out on the deals. It does help that Feb is a short month AND we are planning a trip. I can pretty much guarantee it won't happen that way every month (getting the menu done early). But I did find a lot of success in it this month. I was able to get the WHOLE month taken care of all at once. That includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, pantry staples and toiletries all for about $290. I will be going back weekly for milk and produce. That will put me at about $350 for the month. Not too bad! I have mentioned bits and pieces in previous posts but I will try and get a post done in the near future for couponing and ad shopping...

Chicken Rolls

If you're new to the blog, WELCOME!  You can read about how I meal plan here.

I love this recipe! My mom would make these growing up, but not too frequently because they are a bit of work.  Very worth it, I think.  This recipe is one of my freezer meal recipes since it feeds my family of 5 twice. I don't have a go-to recipe for the chicken gravy you'll want to serve these with; I just make it by taste. So, you might want to google it or there's probably a recipe right on a can of broth. I boil my chicken, so I use that broth, plus some boullion...These are also great with mashed potatoes and steamed green veggies.

Mix together:

6 oz softened cream cheese with chives (if using plain cream cheese add 2 tsp dried chives)

1 cube softened butter or margarine

1 small can mushrooms

2 1/2 C cooked, cubed chicken breasts (about 2 large or 3 small breasts)

Mix together:

3/4 bag Mrs. Cubbisons Classic Seasoned Dressing (by the Stove Top at the grocery store)

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

enough water to dampen (about 3 Tbs) but not soggy!

Melt 1 cube of butter or margarine in a bowl and the additional Dressing (stuffing)(you might want to crush it a little bit) in another bowl, set aside.

Lay out the rolls from one can of original canned crescent rolls (you will do this twice, so you need 2 cans) and stretch/flatten the wide end slightly.

Add a scoop of the chicken mixture (I use my cookie scoop) and then a scoop of the damp Dressing mixture to the wide end of each roll...like this

 Fold over the edges on the wide end

 Then wrap the "tail" end up and around...like this

Dip the tops of each roll into melted butter and then the dry Dressing. Place on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350* for aobut 20 min, or until golden brown. Serve with chicken gravy.


**UPDATE 11/18/12: Made this recipe as a casserole and it was SO much faster!! Next time I'll bake on lower rack since it was a TAD undercooked in spots on bottom. You'll assemble like this:
6 rolls on bottom of a 9x13 pan, poke with a fork a bunch of times, add half moistened stuffing, chicken mixture, rest of stuffing, 6 rolls on top, brushed w butter and dry dressing on top. Bake on a lower rack @350 for 25-30 min, until golden brown.


**OK, I am completely aware of how terrible my pics are. I look at other blogs and they have their food pics staged SO nicely. And then there's my nasty cookie sheets...Well, this is REAL life in my house. I have nasty cookie sheets. And to be honest I don't have time, in the middle of cooking dinner, to break out the fancy dishes and throw together a crafty backdrop. When I take a pic it's completely inconvenient and all I'm really thinking about is not getting my gooey fingers all over my expensive camera, then it's onto the next step of cooking...or feeding my hungry clan. So, I'm sorry if you are looking for lovely food photos, you won't find them here. I'm not about the business of fancying things up, I have an agenda. And I hope that's ok :)

February!

Can you believe how fast this month (January) has gone?? You have a week from today to get your menu and shopping list in order for February. I had some free time today, so I decided to get a jump start and get mine done :) Dont forget to plan something fun for Valentine's Day! We usually make heart-shaped pizzas, so that's what we'll do. I just cut a big heart out of paper, roll out my pizza dough, place the paper heart on top and cut around it.

I'm also trying a few new recipes this month from a website my cousin, Jill referred me to www.thesisterscafe.com

Favorite Egg Salad Sandwich (although I plan to omit the celery and add some cajun seasoning to my mayonnaise, add avacado and bacon and serve on sourdough bread, this inspired by the "Hell's Kitchen" sandwich at Heidi's Deli.. yumm :))
Rumbi Island Easy Mango Chicken and Rice
Salmon with Feta and Capers

Ok, so here's the rest of the line-up.  We are planning a trip so several days are missing...Happy planning!!

Ham Bone Soup
Turkey Burgers (served on sandwich thins)
Fish Tacos with homemade Pico De Gallo
Breakfast
Thai Curry Noodles
Meatball sandwiches
Sweet Pork salads (pork tenderloin w/ one jar green Herdez Salsa and 1 C brown sugar in the crock pot)
Chicken Bacon Bites
Broccoli Potato soup (only use about 1/2 C onions)
Sausage Rice Casserole
Dijon Chicken
Hot Dogs and Jalapeno poppers
Stuffed pasta shells (recipe right on the box!)
Honey Lime Enchiladas w/ Cilantro Lime Rice
Hawaiian Haystacks
Lemon Rosemary Pork and Barley and Asparagus
Tortellini Pasta Salad
Spicy chicken sandwiches
Rice soup

Mid-month reprise

Here's what I came home with for about $215 for my mid-month shopping...
Dairy:
String cheese
6 yogurt
1 gal milk
2 sour cream
3 snack packs

Canned:
10 Chef Boyardee (whole wheat, of course ;))
5 diced tomatoes
6 beans
4 soups
2 pasta sauce

Produce:
broccoli
peaches
apples
grapes
bananas
red yams
3 lb strawberries

Refridgerated:
8 lunchables
2 canned biscuits

Snacks:
4 Chex Mix
2 Cheetos
4 Goldfish crackers
3 boxes other crackers
4 boxes Fruit snacks
4 boxes Granola bars

Breakfast:
5 boxes cereal

Meat:
1 large pork tenderloin (will make 6 meals!)
4 pkgs bacon
(tonight I will be picking up 20 lbs of chicken breasts from Zaycon for 1.67/lb, so this will put me a little over budget, but it will probably last 2 or 3 months)

Other:
Baby wash
Leave in Conditioner
3 boxes Fem. Prod's
Batteries
Corn starch
3 pudding mixes
Olive oil
3 salad dressings
2 boxes food storage bags
3 sets food storage containers
2 Apple juice

In total I probably only used about 15 coupons. My point? Shop the sales, pay attention and you'll be in great shape even if you don't coupon (but I do suggest couponing too ;))

It's mid-month!

I know I mentioned that I shop again mid-month, so I didn't want to leave everyone hanging without a post.  For those of you in AZ I wanted to share my very favorite website for coupon and sale match-ups www.thecentsableshoppin.com.  She will list deals from all the big grocery stores and right there will be a link for a printable coupon (if there is one available) or if there was one from a past newspaper. You can even click the items to create a shopping list.

So, what I usually do is make a list from each store, gather all my coupons and head to WalMart.  At WalMart I'll compare everything on my list to the prices there.  If it really is a good deal (because sometimes regular price at WalMart is cheaper and that takes away the urgency to buy certain things), I will price match it. There is one catch; if I have a coupon for said item, I take into consideration the extra savings I would get after doubling at the other store. So basically, I usually only use high value coupons at WalMart.  What usually ends up happening (because I really dont like to store hop) is I will price match Bashas, Safeway and Albertsons at WalMart and then make a Frys run as well. Fry's usually has the best/most deals and all coupons are worth $1 :)

Just a reminder, what I'm usually buying mid-month is toiletries, cereal, snacks, baking and other shelf staples that are on sale as well as meats that are on sale. Yes, I have an extra freezer, and yes I have extra shelf storage (but NOTHING like those crazies on TV).  I think both are essential to saving money. For example, today I was able to buy a large pork tenderloin for $18 (reg around $50) and cut it into 6 roasts. You do the math. It's sooo important to buy on sale!

Here's a few things on my list for this week...

Safeway:
Mott's Apple Juice 64 oz. $1.88 ea
Precious String Cheese 13.3-16 oz $3.99
Milk $1.57 gal. (Lim 2)
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks 4.5 -8 oz. $0.99 ea. wyb 4
Nature Valley Granola Bars $1.77 with in-ad coupon (Lim 4)
Post Honey Bunches of Oats 14.5 oz or Fruity Pebbles 11 oz
General Mills Cereal 8.9 oz Cheerios, 12.3 oz Frosted Crunch or 10.7 oz Trix $1.88 with in-ad coupon (Lim 4)
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers 6.6-8 oz $1

Fry's
Progresso Soups .88
JellO .88
Snack Pack .88
Chef Boyardee .88
Soft Soap .88
Lunchables .88
Duracell or Energizer Batteries AA or AAA (4 ct), C or D (2 ct) or 9V (1 ct) $3.99      
Kroger Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream or Dip 16 oz 3/$4

Wholly Guacamole 7-15 oz $2.50    

 

New sales start tomorrow, so you have plenty of time to check out the ads or the website I mentioned above.  I feel like I ramble a lot, so email me if you have questions!  

Chocolate Cake Waffles

Sorry, no pic for this post (yet) but try to imagine moist chocolate cake, from scratch, that's made in about 10 minutes! Yummmm :)

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 C sugar
3 Tbs. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbs oil
1 Tbs white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C cold water
2/3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat your waffle iron on LOW.  Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and then make 3 wells for the vinegar, vanilla and oil.  Then, slowly pour the water over all of it and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spray your preheated (on low) waffle iron with cooking spray between each serving.  Pour by 3/4 cup and use the indicator, just like you would for waffles.  Turn directly onto a plate...

You can do this by turning your waffle iron (be careful not to burn yourself!) upside down and flip right onto a plate. Since these are nice and moist they will break apart if you try to use a fork!

Top with ice cream, whipped cream or even icing. Makes 4 Belgian-size cakes.

As you will notice, this is a dairy-free and eggless recipe (until you add ice cream, of course). You might even be able to sub the flour for a gluten-free type.

We love these waffles for a quick and fairly mess-free dessert!

Squeegee and a dust pan

As I grabbed a ceramic bowl for my son's ravioli this afternoon I had the thought to just get a paper plate.  But I had already grabbed the bowl, so bowl it was. 5 minutes later, bowl and ravioli came crashing off the counter. Trying to look at the bright side of things, and not kick myself for not grabbing that paper plate, I used it as an opportunity to share one of my very favorite tricks! Anytime I have a mess like this I go straight to my shower and grab my squeegee. Then, it's straight to the pantry for the dustpan.

Taadaa!  Shards of ceramic bowl and all!  I hope this comes in handy for you someday! You'll save lots of paper towels :)

Pesto Chicken Wraps

This recipe is from my neighbor, Jessica. It is so simple and quickly became one of our fav's! Here's what you'll need

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 C pesto
Wet mozzerella cheese
Spinach or green leaf lettuce
Red bell pepper
Flavored tortillas (we use the green Mission ones)

Marinade your chicken in about 3/4 C pesto for about an hour.

Roast your peppers in the oven by cutting in half length-wise, removing seeds, stem and membrane, and spraying with cooking oil. Place skin side up on a greased dish and broil until skins are nice and charred. Allow to cool long enough to where they won't melt a baggie, then place in the baggie to "sweat". Peel/remove skins when cool enough to handle. Slice into strips lengthwise.

You can either pan fry your chicken breasts or grill them. Cut into strips after cooking...I tried baking this last time and don't recommend it because they turned out very dry :(

Assemble your wraps with a little additional pesto (optional), chicken, peppers, mozz cheese and spinach or lettuce. My kids even like a drizzle of ranch dressing. YUM!

Swedish Meatballs

This dish is a childhood favorite of mine.  I have adapted it from my mom's recipe to make it a little easier and a little healthier. I hope you like it.

For the meatballs:
1 pkg Jenni-O ground turkey
1/3 C Instant rice (uncooked)..I have also used reg. cooked rice when instant rice wasn't on hand
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp salt
1/4 C. dry onion flakes

Mix well in a bowl. Drop by cookie scoop on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 6 min, turn, cook an additional 6 min. Makes about 20 meatballs.

For the sauce:
1 C water
2 tsp beef bouillon granules
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I use Campbells Healthy Request)
1 C. light sour cream

Mix in a microwave save bowl and nuke it for about a minute to 90 seconds and stir until smooth.

Place your browned meatballs in a casserole dish and pour sauce over top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. OR you can even throw them in the crockpot and cook on low for several hours.

Serve over cooked egg noodles.

My family only eats half a recipe at one meal, so I split half for cooking and half for the freezer.  Just skip the baking part before freezing.





Because I stock up...

As I was thinking about my first post I started wondering if it would be beneficial to include my shopping list for the month. Well, it would be and it wouldn't. I'm pretty sure no one is going to copy my menu exactly so I'm pretty sure no one would have use of the EXACT shopping list. However, I do want to show you what my list looks like for the entire month because it will show you how beneficial it is to stock up on the things you use most. And in the best case scenario, you'll get those things on sale AND with a coupon, thus maximizing your savings. So, here is what my list looks like for the entire month of January.

Dairy:
Wet mozzerella
sour cream

Freezer:
Stir fry veggies
egg noodles
sweet potato fries

Bread:
Green tortillas
French bread
sub rolls

Pantry:
Panko crumbs
egg noodles
linguine
lasagna noodles
velveeta
dry onion soup
cashews
bacon bits
stuffing

Canned:
tomato paste
green chile
coconut milk
kidney beans
pickles

Baking:
Curry paste

Meat:
Ground turkey

Produce: (Week 1)
red pepper
potatoes
onions (red and brown)
broccoli
carrots
lettuce
cucumber
yellow squash and zucchini
mushrooms
green beans
varied fruit

So, there it is! We are all stocked up on cereals, snacks, lunch meats, juices and other breakfast and lunch items as well as meats for the whole month. I bought those on the 15th-ish of December and will shop again on the 15th-ish of January. :) Now I will go pull the coupons I have for the things on this list! I'm guessing I will spend under $200, I'll let you know how it goes!

Ok, so I got all my shopping done today (Monday) and I spent $60 at Fry's (Kroger for you non AZ peeps) and $85 at Wal Mart. I even bought a few extra things that werent on my list; a few toiletries, cereal, eggs, milk and some canned ravioli (9) for the baby. After I buy diapers and and a few things at Costco I'll be just over $200. Not bad at all!! I'll try to stay under $200 on the 15th also, but I am running low on chicken and ground turkey...

January 2012 and the basics

Happy New Year!! I have lots of goals to still set for this year, how about you?? Hopefully one of yours will be to start planning your dinner menus!! :)  In our house we keep breakfast and lunch pretty simple. I will probably create a general post for that later on.  But I have already sat down to make my dinner menu and will try my best to jump on the blog and add recipes, pictures, etc. as the month and year goes on. You can ALWAYS email me at sherrilyn21@hotmail.com with questions and I will do my best to get you what you need.

Now, don't be fooled. I RARELY stick to the exact menu. Things like my mood and other wrenches always get thrown into my way. BUT, because I have it all down on paper and get all my pantry and freezer items purchased at the beginning of the month, there is lots of wiggle room to switch things up :)

Here's what I do when I sit down to plan.  I print off a blank calendar (you can find online) and sit down with my previous menus for inspiration.  Always keep your previous calendars, it helps soooo much.  I'll also open up my favorite cookbook or website.  In my case it's Back to Basics by Barefoot Contessa and www.ourbestbites.com (they also have a cookbook, but the only copy I purchased I gave to my mom). And a pencil. Erasing happens a lot!

Ok, moving on. So I have my calendar, cookbook, pencil, shopping list and previous calendars handy.  I also know, pretty much, what I have stocked up in my freezer and pantry.  Backing up...in our house, I get my food budget money (cash only so we stay in budget!) twice a month; on the 1st and 15th.  I shop for the entire month of pantry and freezer items that are on my dinner menu on or around the 1st.  Then, on the 15th, I shop sales. Meat, cereal, snacks and staples. If a particular item is a steal at the beginning of the month, I suppose I would buy it then...but I tend not to even look at the ads because I have already devoted so much time on planning. Once again, moving on. So I sit down and start filling in the days. One day per week is usually devoted to double cooking; make enough for 2 meals and freeze one for later. So, then, one day is devoted to eating a freezer meal (in our case, for soccer practice night). I also don't cook on Saturdays. Saturdays are either for date night or leftovers. As I fill in a meal I will immediately write down the items I need on my grocery list.  For the first week that will include produce. For weeks following, the produce list will go on it's own list, by week. Is your head spinning???  You will find your own groove once you start. I just hope that what I do can be inspiring to you :) Maybe a list will break it down

Shopping:
Week 1: dinner for entire month, week 1 produce, milk
Week 2: Milk, produce for week 2
Week 3: Stock up on sale items, milk, produce for week 3
Week 4: Milk and produce for week 4

Planning:
Blank Calendar
pencil
shopping list
cookbook or other references
previous calendars

For us:
Tuesdays: Double cook
Thursdays: Freezer meal
Saturday: day off, leftovers or date night

I have even seen some people devote Mondays to sandwiches, Tuesdays to chicken, Wednesday to pasta etc....this method doesnt work for us. But it might for you, so I wanted to throw it out there.

So with all that being said, here's my monthly list. Remember, I am serving a family of 5.

Swedish Meatballs
Pesto Chicken Wraps
Broiled fish and veggies
White Chicken and rice (3-4 chicken breasts, 1 pkt dry ranch dressing, 1 block cream cheese, 1 can cream mush soup, cooked in crock pot, serve over rice)
Veggie and hummus flatbread
Pot Roast
Lasagna, garlic bread and salad
Beef taquitos
Ham and funeral potatoes
Waffles and fruit
Thai Curry noodles
Pistolettes
Chocolate Chili, cornbread
Coconut Chicken and rice
Turkey burgers, sweet potato fries
Chicken Cordon Bleu, broccoli
Meatballs (freezer), green beans
Homemade pizza
Fajitas, chips and guac/salsa
Pork chops, corn and Autumn salad
Chicken noodle soup (boil 1 C each chopped carrots and celery, 1 pkt dry Italian dressing, 3 bay leaves, 4 cups broth, 2 cups water, add 3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed, cooked egg noodles)
French dip and chips (good ol' McCormicks Au Jus packet, with roast cooked in crock pot)
Lasagna (freezer)
Steak in mushroom sauce (1 pkt dry onion soup, 2 cans cream of mush soup, roast, cooked in crockpot) over rice
Butternut Squash soup with croutons
Chicken rolls, mashed potatoes

Happy planning!