Menu Plan Monday 04/30/12

My Two Boys

I absolutely love this picture of J and his dad. We took J to one of our favorite pre-child hiking spots, a place called Baxter's Hollow Nature Preserve. We did a little hiking, checking out wildflowers and bird watching. I love how J is looking up at his daddy as they walk side by side.

 At Benvenutos in the Holiday Inn

I earn a little money on the side doing mystery shopping with Beyond Hello. Last week, I did a mystery shop evaluating a restaurant in town called Benvenutos. I have to wait three months in between visits, so we go about every three months. What's great is that they pay for up to 3 guests at $16 per person for a total of $64. Here's J sitting in the lobby after dinner.

On to the menu ...
I am trying again to "eat through the freezer and pantry". I don't keep much of a stock pile, but I do want to save a little money by using up what we have on hand. I would love anyone's ideas on ways they've reduce their grocery bill.


Here's what's cooking at our home this week:

Monday 

Rice and Beans

We've been wanting to do just a simple rice and beans meal for a while ...I just take a can of kidney beans and mix it in with the rice with a dash of curry powder. Since I didn't have kidney beans today, I used some Great White Northern beans and also threw in a can of Fiesta Corn (corn with green and red peppers). It was not bad! 

Tuesday

Simmered "Fried" Chicken with Oven Potatoes and Broccoli (never made last week)

This recipe from Window on the Prairie calls it "Fried chicken", but I renamed it. The "frying" part is done for the first few minutes, but then you simmer it in chicken stock for 45 minutes or so. The chicken comes out so nice and tender that way. 

Wednesday

Mexican Beef and Bean Casserole with Corn

I'm tweeking this recipe from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures to use up food in the pantry. Instead of pinto beans, I'm using refried beans. I'm using Pato sauce to replace the plain tomato sauce and chili powder and also adding diced tomatoes with chilies. I'm also cooking Spanish Rice to use as a bottom layer for the casserole.

Thursday

Leftovers 

Friday

Hoppin' John

We have a friend from down South who is a wonderful cook. We loved this meal she made for us a few years back, which is a favorite Southern recipe. It's the only recipe I have for black eyed peas, and they're so good.

Saturday

Possible Date Night!

Sunday
Always my night off!


Special Treats:

The Parsnip Cake from Animal Instinct was delicious! I made it this morning. It is very light and has a gingery flavor with a touch of cinnamon. The recipe made two cakes; one in an 8-inch round pan and the other in a glass bread pan. J really liked the cake too so next time I'll use my mini-muffin pan. He'll really enjoy eating the cake as little muffins. 

My new treat to try this week is Silky Smooth Bean Fudge. It's another recipe for me to try that uses coconut oil, and at the same time something healthy like Beans!! I am really eager to try this and see how it turns out. 

This reminds me that I found a really fun show for J this week called "Fizzy's Lunch Lab". He is always asking me about food items and we talk about what's healthy and what's not. This animated PBS show has tons of food information like whole wheat versus white, muscle cells and protein, bananas as brain food. It generates a lot of discussion and it gets J excited about healthy eating.

Click on the links below to see what others are making this week!

Linking Up To:

On the Menu Monday At Stone Gable

SusieQTpies Scraps of Life

Thanks for visiting!

Cultivating a Godly Heart

I picked this photo today since it reminds me of growing into beauty. I've been thinking of how the Lord is at work in my life, all the time. Like the beauty I see in this flower, the Lord is working in my heart to create in me beauty that is a reflection of Him. Lately, I've been encouraged in my faith. I can see how the Lord is ministering to me, especially in my marriage relationship. Recently, I found A Surrendered Marriage Challenge on a blog called Intentional by Grace. After praying about the opportunity, I joined this challenge which started April 16th. I have been inspired to action through the daily verses and marriage prayers we get every day through email. I can see how the Lord is building within me a desire to put my faith into action in new areas. A particular conviction has been about my inward murmurings - grumbling about things like people in traffic, things that aren't going the way I want, and many times grumbling against my husband. I am finding the Lord open both our hearts as I confess these things to my husband, and he is opening his heart in return. We then take time to pray together about it. It is a reminder that the spiritual growth in my life and in my marriage is so very much worth the work and effort that it takes.

I have also found encouragement from Julie at Mooberry Farm Homesteading Journal. God has been using her in my life to come alongside me in my walk with him. One of her posts I read today about cultivating a joyful atmosphere in our homes. It spoke volumes to me! The paragraph that follows is copied with her permission directly from her blog. I desire to keep these verses before me each day as I too seek to create a joyful home, a respite from the world.

I pray you would be encouraged as I am through these verses and thoughtful words!

From Mooberry Farm Homestead Journal (Cultivating a Joyful Atmosphere in the Home):

I have a list of Bible verses that encourage me, and help me to cultivate the joyful atmosphere in our home that I desire!

I desire to keep a smile on my face and focus on my blessings throughout the day....

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. ~ Proverbs 17:22

I desire to go about my tasks cheerfully, serving the Lord by serving my family....

With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men. ~ Ephesians 6:7

I desire to seek to be kind and loving to my family at all times. I enjoy treating my family well....

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. ~ Ephesians 4:32  

I desire to keep our home according to my own dear husband's wishes, not anyone else's....

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  ~ Ephesians 5:22

I desire to take one day at a time, and I keep an eternal perspective....

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  ~ Galatians 6:9

I desire to trust the Lord completely, even when I don't understand every circumstance....

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ~ Romans 8:28

I desire to focus on the joy of the Lord, which permeates everything in my life....

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. ~ Philippians 4:4

If I ever feel overwhelmed, I desire to remember that I am never alone; and I do not need to rely on my own strength....

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ~ Philippians 4:13

Thanks for visiting!

Finding Ways to Save

Picture Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

I always love a great sale. In fact, I've become pretty good at finding different ways to get good deals on the things we buy. 

Here are a few things we have done:

We gave up our family plan cell phone package and I now have a pay-as-you-go TracFone. I barely used my cell phone once we got free long distance with our land line, so we made the switch (with my husband keeping his cell) and now we're saving about $150 a year.

We don't have cable, Dish or Netflix or any other TV service we pay for. We get tons of DVDs from the library and if we really want to see something that will take too long to wait for, we use Redbox for $1 or our local Family Video for $2 to $3. This saves us somewhere between $300-600 per year.

We do all our clothes shopping second hand. I've actually done this for years and stopped telling others about it because some people felt sorry for me! I love shopping secondhand. I can often find name-brand items for tons less than department store prices. We happen to have a great thrift store with a lot of variety and good quality items. This year, I've bought many houseware items from there as well.

Our grocery store has something called Fuel Perks where our purchases earn us money off gas at the BP gas station. We are saving about $20-25 per month when we use the Fuel Perks to buy gas. In March, I filled up for $1.77/gallon (saving a total of $29.45) and this month for $2.39/gallon (saving $19.37).

We pay for mostly everything with our credit cards and pay them off every month when the bill comes. Doing it this way, we don't pay any interest and we don't carry any debt forward. The perk we like is getting reward dollars. We purchased an aluminum backpack/child carrier and a steam cleaner. I now use Amazon's credit card so the reward dollars go towards anything on Amazon's website. I got $40 cash back right away. This makes a lot of sense for us since the bulk of my shopping is now done online. Then I don't have to spend a lot of time or gas money driving around town for deals.

I was able to find a great deal from my affiliate Sneak Peeq and made my first purchase there. They had a sale on an olive oil set (garlic and basil) and I ended up with two 8.5 ounce bottles for only $4.00 and free shipping. They came as promised and I can't wait to use them.

The newest place I found is called NoMoreRack. I just signed up tonight but the site sounds like another fun place to try out. The Giveaway Lady has a great write up on it Here. I went through the website and looked at their deal categories and found many I'd be interested in like computer notebooks/tablets, electronics, kitchen storage items and gadgets and bedding. The offers change every day and the deals are for one day only, so that's something to keep in mind.

They also have something called Insanity Deals where the products may be reduced by 85-95% off retail. One catch I always run into with internet shopping is shipping costs. The neat part with this site is they have a $2 flat rate for shipping per product. I like that a lot. This link also has good info about the site and how it works. I'd love to hear if you end up finding any neat deals there.

I'm always looking for new ways to save and be a good steward of our income, so I'll continue to share what I discover.

I just found a cool place to link up this post - Thrifty Thursday! Click the picture below for more neat ways to save. This linkup is hosted by Jenn from The Purposeful Mom and Anna at Feminine Adventures.

Thanks for visiting!

Menu Plan Monday 04/23/12 and Enjoying Spring

Welcome to another week of my menu! We have been enjoying some Spring activities lately ... one of them is taking care of our birds. Since we have established bird feeders and have noticed babies around in the past years, we decided this year to put out some nesting material. I got the idea from the Birds and Blooms website to use an old suet feeder. We filled it with all different kinds of yarn (cut up into 3-4 inch pieces) along with Poly-fil from my craft supplies. No birds have found it yet ... but it's fun to keep watch!!

I've also been busy preparing our garden areas in the back yard. We just have a condo, but I've been able to carve out a nice area to plant some vegetables, flowers and herbs. This year, I'm going to grow an herb garden in our wine barrel, an idea I found here on Pinterest. Below is a picture of the cute little basil seedlings which will be ready for planting soon. I have a bunch of other seeds that I have to get going too.

Here's what's cooking at our home this week:

Monday 

Oven-Baked Frito Pie

I always like to have some good old comfort food in my menu rotation, and this sounded good to make this week. I have seen a few recipes for Frito pie, but this looks like the best one I've found so far. I tweeked it a bit using Mexican cheese instead of cheddar, dark kidney beans instead of pinto beans and Pato sauce replacing the taco seasoning and tomato sauce. It turned out well!

Tuesday

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I haven't made something with fish in awhile, so I decided on a tuna casserole. This one is from Skinny Taste so it will be a little lighter.

Wednesday

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

This will be my third try making a ground beef meal that calls for cabbage. I love cooked cabbage, but find it hard to find good recipes that use it. I have yet to find one my husband likes and this one (also from Skinny Taste) looks good.

Thursday

Leftovers 

Friday

Simmered "Fried" Chicken with Oven Potatoes and Broccoli

This recipe from Window on the Prairie calls it "Fried chicken", but I renamed it. The "frying" part is done for the first few minutes, but then you simmer it in chicken stock for 45 minutes or so. The chicken comes out so nice and tender that way. 

Saturday

Possible Date Night!

Sunday
Always my night off!


P.S. Ididn't get a chance to make the Parsnip Cake yet, so I hope to comment about that next week!

Click on the links below to see what others are making this week!

Linking Up To:

On the Menu Monday At Stone Gable

SusieQTpies Scraps of Life

Thanks for visiting!

Menu Plan Monday - 4/16/12

I just love this picture of J asleep in my arms. He fell asleep this way one night and so L snapped this picture. It is hard to believe this little boy is turning 4 come May, and I am thankful more than words can say.


A couple notes on last week's meals ... The eggplant Parmesan totally bombed! We still ate it, but it was more like eggplant Parmesan SOUP. I think I'll hold off trying again for a while. We did enjoy the Rigatoni/chicken dish. It was pretty good.

Here's what's cooking at our home this week:

Monday

Spaghetti with Corn and Garlic Toast

This is a regular meal in our rotation that my husband really loves. I use a store bought sauce that I spruce up with diced tomatoes, fresh green pepper and a splash of olive oil.

Tuesday

Peanut Coconut Curry over Jasmati Rice

I think this was a Pinterest dish, and it has definitely made it into our regular menu rotation. It has sort of a Thai feeling because of the peanut sauce but I love having an opportunity to add coconut with the coconut milk and then cooking the chicken in coconut oil. I love how these flavors blend together. 

Wednesday

Fresno Potatoes with Chicken and Broccoli

Another find from Pinterest ... mainly the picture caught my eye. I like the mixture of ingredients as I've rekindled an interest in bacon, having it in moderation. I decided to add chicken and broccoli too since I think they'll blend nicely.

Thursday

Leftovers 

Friday

Pizza dinner at church volunteer event

We have a really neat event at our church this week called "Ignite". It's a time for the people who volunteer at church to gather and worship together and just encourage one another. They are feeding us dinner too.

Saturday

Mystery Shop at an Italian Restaurant

One of the ways I'm bringing in a little side income is through Mystery Shopping. Since I joined last year, I've gotten a few free car washes, several free dinners and picked up some cash after visiting and reviewing the Humane Society and the food areas of our student union.

Sunday
Always my night off!


Special Treats:
I will be making Parsnip Cake this week along with some more homemade coconut/chocolate granola bars. I am trying to have some healthier things around for snacking instead of buying cookies or candy. I also found a new "treat" at the store, Yoplait's Greek Vanilla Yogurt. It satisfies my cravings for ice cream because it's so nice and thick.

Click on the links below to see what others are making this week!

I am also linking up to:

On the Menu Monday At Stone Gable

SusieQTpies Scraps of Life

Thanks for visiting!

Feeling Safe in Your Home

Picture Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Our weather in March was very unusual in how warm it was. I saw a stat that said it was the warmest March on record for the United States. Now that it's April, the temps have dropped back to normal. One thing I noticed while the weather was so warm, was seeing all these news reports of burglaries in areas not too far from our home. We live in a decent area with pockets of neighborhoods that are less safe. When I was asked by an affiliate to write about home security systems, at first I didn't know what I would say. But then I remembered all these news reports I was hearing. They were saying that with the weather being nicer and people leaving more windows and doors open or unlocked, the home robberies were increasing. It did make me a little nervous, since I love throwing open our windows and having our front doors open to just the screen door for the nice cross breezes through the home. It did have me be more careful to lock everything up when I was leaving and to make sure we locked up at night. But for the most part, I feel pretty safe.

I was at a friend's house recently and noticed they had a new ADT security system. I guess there had been some burglaries very close by, and they felt much safer after the system was installed. It reminded me of what my dad did when we were growing up. He never wanted to pay for a full security system so he just put up huge stickers all over the doors and windows that said "THIS HOME PROTECTED BY ADT" or something like that. It makes me laugh just to think about it.

So I don't think we'll be getting a security system anytime soon, but being contacted by my affiliate had me thinking about ways to be more safe. Here is their link: ADT Baltimore.


Thanks for visiting!

Menu Plan Monday - 4/09/12 and Easter Fun

I hope you had a wonderful Easter!

J's Colorful Easter Picture 

Ta-Da! All Done with Our Eggs!

 Our Finished Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

We celebrated Easter at home this year. Plans with my husband's sister fell through, so we enjoyed some down time as a family. J got to discover some new toys, stickers and a little bit of candy in his Easter basket then we had fun coloring some Easter eggs. I found a website on how to do natural egg dyeing and the eggs turned out nicely. I had no idea they would look so unique! We used (clockwise in the egg picture) blueberries, curry powder, grape juice/red wine, coffee grounds, spinach and another from blueberries. We started coloring the eggs before church and decided to let them soak while we were gone, which is why I think the colors turned out to be so deep. We used Surviving Motherhood's  post on Dyeing Eggs Naturally.

Here's what's cooking at our home this week:

Monday

Hamburgers and Cottage Fries
I didn't end up making this last week, so I made it Monday night. The Cottage Fries were a last minute idea after seeing the latest FoodWishes.com video on You Tube. I will definitely be making them again as they were really good.


Tuesday
Cream Cheese Corn Dish with Small Shells

I found this yummy looking dish on Pinterest and modified it by adding macaroni to make it a main dish. For a little spice, I think I'll add Sriracha sauce.

Wednesday

Lighter Eggplant Parmesan 

I really like Skinnytaste.com for the way they take many favorite recipes and make a lighter/healthier version. Earlier this year, I used eggplant in my cooking for the first time. Since we enjoyed it, I'm going to make this classic but "lighter" eggplant dish and see if this becomes a regular meal for us.

Thursday

Leftovers 

Friday

Rigatoni d' Maggiano with Steamed Broccoli 

This somehow didn't make it to our dinner table last week, so I'm adding it to this week's menu. This recipe is a copycat of the dish made by Maggiano's.

Saturday

Date Night or Dinner Out

Sunday
Always my night off!

I am also linking up to:

On the Menu Monday At Stone Gable

SusieQTpies Scraps of Life

Click on the links above to see what others are making this week!

Thanks for visiting!

Homemade Coconut Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

For a while now, I have been wanting to make homemade healthy snacks. I have become wary of all the artificial ingredients in so many things we eat, so making them myself allows me to use natural ingredients. It also saves us a little money instead of buying them at the grocery store. 

I saw several yummy-looking recipes on Pinterest and decided to make this one I adapted a bit. A couple things I added were coconut oil and shredded coconut. After reading so many good things about coconut oil, I am trying to integrate it into our daily meals. I even added a tiny splash of coconut extract to enhance the coconut flavor. I love how they turned out. For an extra treat, you can spread some peanut butter on top too. If fact, I like the peanut butter so much that I'm going to add some to the next batch.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups instant oats
• 1-1/4 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped semi sweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1/3 cup virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• A splash of coconut extract

Instructions:

1. Mix the oats, rice cereal and shredded coconut together in a bowl.
2. In a medium pan, combine the coconut oil, honey and brown sugar.
3. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat until it all foams/boils together (about 1-2 minutes).  If you don’t boil it long enough nothing will stick together.
4. Once the sugar/oil mix comes together, add it to the oat mix with a splash of coconut extract (if using) and stir until it’s completely combined.
5. Lay it out in a square pan evenly (if you use coconut oil, you do not need to spray the pan).
6. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave. Once the oat mix cools off a bit, spread on top of the granola bars.
7. Refrigerate bars until chocolate is set. You can then eat them cold out of the refrigerator (which is how we liked them) or let them come to room temperature. Just cut them, serve and enjoy!

Thanks for visiting!