Week four...eating from the pantry!

It's hard to believe, but January is almost over! Time has flown by, and I have to admit...I did do a coupon shopping trip this week! I just couldn't pass up on the deal with the coupons, especially knowing how close we are to February. We had a great week of meals, enjoying lots of delicious food and a few new recipes. Here is a list of what we ate:

Travis likes spaghetti!

Sunday: Sandwiches and fruit
Monday: Venison, black bean and rice soup--delicious!
Tuesday: Spaghetti with meatballs, and sauteed vegetables
Wednesday: Dinner at Taco Bell
Thursday: Company for dinner....spaghetti with Italian sausage,
                 home-made Caesar salad, and delicious
                 pull-apart garlic bread (kinda like monkey bread,
                 imagine butter, garlic, and Italian seasoning!) YUM!
Friday: Chandler's birthday party with friends and family, tacos
               and fajitas with all the toppings and cake & ice cream
Saturday: We went ice skating and then to a friend's house for supper...soup and hot turkey
                   sandwiches

We took a trip to Sam's club, since I had a free one day pass. We bought lettuce, some fresh fruit, fruit snacks and a few other items. I also shopped for blueberries that were on sale at our local store for $1.88 a pint! I had a few additional groceries with Chandler's birthday party, so all total we spent about $70.00

Here is a picture of my groceries at our store that double coupons on Wednesdays. I bought 10 boxes of whole wheat noodles, 4 jars of sauce, 2 packages of feminine products, and a package of fajita mix. All total here: $8.67!

Double coupon day!

God's provision for washing machine repairs

Our washing machine went on the blink this week, and for our family this is a big deal. When you have lots of little children, you have lots of dirty clothes, sheets, towels, etc. My husband called the company to explain the problem and to find out how much it would cost. Of course, it couldn't be something simple! The whole tub of the washing machine needs to be replaced and that part can be costly. But, God again surprised us with His plan. The company we bought it from agreed to cover the cost of the washing tub, we would just have to pay for the pick up of the washing machine, labor, and the return of the washing machine. Still the cost was going to be about $180.00!

As many of you know, I specifically chose this month to eat from the pantry in order to try to save money for Roger's missions trip to Alaska in March. But apparently, God is going to provide for that in a different way! Since we hadn't spent as much in groceries as in a normal month, we have the money in the bank to cover the cost of the washing machine. This is a huge blessing to me, and while it may seem small to some, it's another reminder to me about how much God really loves me and wants me to trust Him completely. God is good, all the time!

Other news in our family: Garett has now lost his two front teeth! I'll be honest and admit...I cried when Garett lost the first one. It's another reminder of how fast time is flying by and how quickly he is growing up! I am so thankful for this little boy. He smiles often, loves to laugh, and delights in being outside...I am blessed.

Garett's two missing teeth

Week Three of eating from the pantry

Another week already gone in January! Time is flying by, and we are still in good shape for eating from our pantry. We spent about $35.00 on groceries buying fruit for Garett's treat at school, cheese, other dairy products, and vegetables, etc. I forgot to take a picture, so there is not a visual aid!

Here's a breakdown of what we ate:
Sunday: Salad and Sandwiches
Monday: Cinnamon rolls, (from the mix I made last week), bacon, and eggs

Garett's fruit rainbow for snack at school

Tuesday: Crock pot Lasagna
Wednesday: Supper at Wendy's
 Thursday: Enchiladas, veggie tray, re fried beans
Friday: Homemade pizza and salad
Saturday: Roger was gone, so the kids had frozen pizza and I had salad

Here is the recipe for crock pot Lasagna:
1 lb. ground beef (I used venison)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove
28 oz jar of pasta sauce (I used a little more than this as it seemed dry to me)
16 oz of ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese...it's cheaper and still tastes great!)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
8 oz. of shredded cheese ( I used  a variety...monzeralla, colby jack)
1 pkg. lasagna noodles

Brown the beef in a saucepan and drain. Saute the garlic and onion until soft. Mix in the sauce with the onions, garlic, and beef. Mix the cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and about 6 oz of the shredded cheese in a bowl.  Spray your crock pot with non-stick spray or use a crock pot liner. Spoon enough of the sauce mixture into the bottom of the crock pot to cover it completely. Then line with lasagna noodles, (I break them up to fit them in the bottom nicely). Then spoon on the cheese mixture. Repeat layers until ingredients are gone (I usually get 4-5 layers). Then top with remaining shredded cheese, and cook for about 4-6 hours or until noodles are soft. Enjoy!

This week I am planning on beef and bean soup (in the crock pot), breakfast for supper, a pasta dish, and some type of roast meal. I'll let you know!



Thursday's enchiladas-Yum!

Our week in review...busy, cold, snowy, and tiring!

Some weeks I spend the majority of my time at home puttering on projects, cleaning up messes, raising children, and making meals. Other weeks, like this past one, I feel tired, overwhelmed and when the week comes to an end...I have a hard time feeling like I accomplished anything.(Ever feel that way?)

Good thing God made him cute!

Roger has been working long hours, if not at work, then he's been working at the airplane hanger. I am reminded of how much I need and appreciate him when he's not around to help me! On Monday, we spent the majority of our time at home. It was pretty cold out, and I wasn't able to get in a run outside, so I did my exercise DVD instead, which actually made me sore!

Tuesday morning's run!

On Tuesday, after I dropped Garett off at school, I went to my parents house. I was able to leave the kids there for a bit, while I went running. It was a very snowy morning, but not terribly cold..about 21degrees.

On Wednesday, the temperature really dropped, and it was very cold! Garett had the day off from school, but it was a busy day with swim lessons, errands, and church.

Garett's rainbow for school

Thursday was an exciting day for my children. Garett was the treat bringer for school, and he always looks forward to that. We made a rainbow out of fruit and some delicious no-bake energy bites! Yummy! After school, we spent part of the morning at a friends house, then came home. Papa was working on the new beds! My children were ecstatic over the new bunk beds, and eager to help...which of course, really just means more work for my dad! We also had my parents for supper that night as well.

New bunk beds

Outside fun

Friday was still cold, like 1 degree, but a windchill of -24! Cold! Fridays are one of my favorite days of the week as my mom usually watches the kids in the morning, and I am free to do whatever I'd like for a few hours. I spent the morning do some errands by myself, looking at clearance in several stores (Target had great clearance!), and finished up more Christmas shopping for this year.

Three boys...one sled!

 Today was warmer...warm enough to go outside and play. We spent a good chunk of the morning sledding around the yard, playing with the kids, and having fun. After lunch, while the rest of the children were sleeping, Garett and I went on a date! We went to Fleet Farm, where Garett bought a hockey stick on clearance with some of his own money. I enjoyed my one-on-one time with my little man, who is quickly growing up.  So, that was our week! I have to update on what we ate, and how we are doing on our challenge, but now I'm off to make breakfast treats.

Another week of eating from the pantry!

We had some very delicious meals this week, and some meals were honestly, not that great! We spent about $45.00 in groceries, as I bought fresh produce (lots of blueberries), cheese and dairy products. I was able to buy butter for $1.91/lb. which is definitely a stock up price in my opinion.  I also bought cheese, orange juice for our S.S. class breakfast next week and a variety of other items.

Groceries for week 2: About $45.00

Here's what we ate:
Sunday: fresh fruit/ sandwiches
Monday: Sauteed vegetables and southwest chicken (I didn't have chicken, so I used turkey)...this recipe
                was not a hit and I had lots of leftovers.
Tuesday: Burritos!I had to do something with the leftovers from the night before, but didn't want the
                the same thing. So I threw two cans of refried beans in a pan and added the southwest
               remains. The result was delicious with no leftovers!
Wednesday: Out to eat night...we ate at Culver's, which was a real treat!
Thursday: Tacos and fruit
Friday: Worker's Appreciation Banquet at church
Saturday: Spaghetti with meatballs, fruit salad, and brownies

I also made up cinnamon roll mix, and pancake mix. I had all the ingredients but not enough flour. So, I did buy a bag of flour this week, but between the two mixes, I used 24 cups of flour. I used a variety of flours from white, wheat, spelt, and oat bran, so we'll see how it turns out. I'll let you know!

Pancake mix

Our pantry is slowly emptying out, but we still have plenty to eat. This week I'm planning on crockpot lasagna, roast with vegetables, breakfast for supper, and we'll see what else!

Blueberry monsters: they can eat a pint, if I'd let them!

Week one of our "Eat from the pantry" challenge

Groceries for week one- plus 5 gallons of milk

We finished week one of our challenge. I found it was easy to use what I already had on hand, once I set my mind on the project (and of course, it is only our first week!). We bought about $30.00 worth of groceries, and about $15.00 of that was milk! I can see that I'm going to have to cut down on our children's milk consumption and have them drink water. We did use up our on-hand supply of juice, and I was at a loss of what to have to drink besides water or milk, so I decided to make tea. I used green tea bags, added raw sugar and a little honey, added some ice and voila!- variety!

Here is a break-down of what we had to eat, as well as some recipes that I modified to use what was in the pantry. The slow-cooker enchiladas were a huge hit and better than the originally recipe. The noodle bake was good too, but if I make it again, I need to add some type of seasoning to it. It was a little blah.

Creamy noodle bake: spaghetti, chicken, sour cream,
cream style corn, cream of chicken soup and
a little cheese

The boys really enjoyed it!

Sunday: We had some friends over for dinner and enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs, a veggie tray,
              garlic bread, and sausage and crackers.
Monday: We ate with friends at their house and feasted on some delicious soup
Tuesday: Slow-cooker enchiladas- delicious!
Wednesday: Get to church on-time night: Pizza (out of the freezer)
Thursday: Invited my parents to dinner and ate baked chicken, stir-fry veggies, and home-made
                Italian herb bread
Friday: Creamy noodle bake: used the leftover noodles from Sunday, leftover chicken from Thursday,
            and canned goods on hand
Saturday: Made a big pot of White Chicken Chili for the ice skating activity: No leftovers!

My recipes:
"Slow-cooker Enchiladas"
1 lb. meat (I used venison)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can  (15 oz.) black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can red enchilada sauce (I used a 15 oz. generic brand)
1/3 cup water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese
6 flour tortillas (I used whole wheat tortillas)

In a skillet, brown the meat and onion until browned and onion is soft. Drain off any excess fat and add the beans, enchilada sauce and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine cheeses. In a slow cooker (be sure to spray with non-stick spray) layer the beef mixture, one tortilla, a 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Enjoy.

White Chicken Chili:
2  packages white chicken chili seasoning  (McCormick’s)
4 - 15 oz. cans chicken broth
8 - 15 oz. cans great northern beans (can also use comb such as black beans                                      and/or kidney beans with the great northern)
2 – 15 oz. cans corn (can also use frozen)
1 – 15 oz. can Rotel (a spicy diced tomato product you can find in the   canned vegetable aisle)
Add cooked chicken of choice (you can use rotisserie or grilled-baked-boiled (about 4 breasts or equal amount of white/dark)

DIRECTIONS:
Put chicken broth in large soup pot.  Add seasoning.  Bring to boil, simmer 15 minutes.   Add rest of ingredients.  (I do drain the beans to reduce sodium, but it is not a necessity, I do not drain the corn.)   Simmer for additional 15-20 minutes.  (If using frozen corn, add 1 minute before removing from heat.) 
Serving suggestion:
Top with grated cheese, a dollop of sour cream and crumbled corn tortilla chips before serving.

Back to routine...our week in review

As much as I enjoyed having Roger home for the week between Christmas and New Year's and having Garett home from school, I was really looking forward to this week. I am kinda a routine oriented person, and I like to have a schedule. Besides, as Chandler said, "If daddy doesn't go to work, we don't get a paycheck!"..smart kid! It was a little difficult to get back into the schedule of getting up early, getting Garett ready for school, back to a regular nap schedule, and other such events, but the week has not been dull!

We started off the New Year with having some friends over for dinner on Sunday night. They have six kids and with our four, the house was quite noisy! But we enjoyed it. On Monday, the last day everyone had off, we met some friends at the YMCA, went ice skating, then to their house for dinner, card games, and lots of fun. The boys tried to go sledding, but the wind made the day bitterly cold. Tuesday we transitioned back into our regular schedule of school, work, nap times, etc.Of course, we also lost a matchbox car in the toilet. It will never return and yet Wyatt has asked for it repeatedly!!  On Wednesday, we had a trip to the YMCA, a few errands, and church. Thursday, we had my parents over for dinner and because we are eating from the pantry...the boys discovered again the thrill of the bread machine! They were fascinated by that "thing that mixes it all up". I just had to keep reminding them not to stir the ingredients as we were putting them in the bucket!

Today, the boys spent some time at Nana's house, and I was able to get in a run as well as drop into a few stores to see if there were any good Christmas items left. The best deals were at the Hallmark store as the Christmas was at 75% off and they had several shelves of nice gifts left. So, I finished up some more Christmas shopping for next year and I am over 1/2 done shopping for everyone!

Tomorrow, we planned on ice skating with some friends, but the weather has been unseasonably warm here! Today it was almost 50 degrees! So, I'm not sure about skating tomorrow but who wants to tell the kids we're not going?! I think we'll just play that one by ear. 

Everyone had to watch Dad try to fish the matchbox car out...
but it had already disappeared!

We enjoyed some delicious meals so far this week, and I'll be posting what we had tomorrow as well as what we spent on groceries. I've posted a few pictures of some of our adventures this week...enjoy!

The wonder of the bread machine!

My First Challenge for 2012

I've decided to start off the new year with a challenge to "eat from the pantry". I've gathered quite a bit of food through couponing, deer hunting, and my parents sharing a beef cow, so I've decided that I will challenge myself to eat from what we have. I plan to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, and bread, but other than that to eat what's "in store". To be sure, we'll have some interesting meals, so I'm trying to invite people for meals earlier in the month versus later!

Our overflowing pantry!

Lots to eat in here too!

I plan on not couponing at all in the month of January, other than diapers, and only shopping for "necessities". To those who know me...this is a huge challenge! I enjoy couponing and finding good deals, but we have enough shampoo, soaps, and toothpastes to last the month. My goal is to save money, and hopefully get a good start on saving for Roger's missions trip to Alaska. By staying out of the stores, and ignoring the money saving blogs I follow, I plan on spending more time with my family, cleaning and decluttering my house, and spending more time reading the books I'd like to and visiting with friends. I plan to blog weekly about what we ate from the pantry and what groceries we bought. It will be a challenge for sure, but I'm looking forward to it. What challenges do you have for yourself in the new year?

Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe that another year has come to a close. I'm getting older, my children seem to be growing up faster, I love my husband more than ever, and I'm one day closer to seeing my Lord, whether through death or through the Rapture.

2011 was a year that holds lots of memories, challenges, some fallen dreams, but I'm thankful for the lessons that I learned. It would be impossible to share all that has happened in our hearts in lives, but I'm happy for the memories created. We celebrated 6 years of marriage and our first anniversary that we were able to get away on our anniversary-the first time in six years that I have been pregnant, just given birth, or had a relatively new nursing infant! We enjoyed camping, canoeing, biking, and other various family activities. We traveled to North Carolina as a family and I had a quick getaway with my sisters in early December to South Carolina. Roger's mom came for a weekend in March while Roger and I attended a couples retreat. Garett started 4K, and Travis turned one! Chandler graduated to the big boy bike, and Wyatt took over the big wheel. Chandler celebrated becoming certified "potty trained", and I've discovered Wyatt has absolutely no interest! We treasure the memories, and I've been reminded again of how short life flies by!


We are looking forward to new adventures in 2012. For one, Garett will be starting kindergarten in the fall, and we will have to come to a decision about what to do about his schooling! Secondly, Roger will be taking  a missions trip to Alaska in March, Lord willing, and I am looking forward to seeing God work out the details on that. Thirdly, we will be coming to a cross-roads in our lives as far as some decisions to make about our house, vehicles, jobs, and some decisions that will impact and change our future. I can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do with us! Blessings on you all my friends and Happy New Year!