We are blessed to receive a little more money in our grocery budget. It's some answered prayers, let me tell ya. I'm still working on my grocery list and meal plan, but I'm going to give you the basics. I'm PRETTY sure we're going shopping this week, but given the kids are sick and we do have enough supper food to make it through another week, we might postpone.
So I'll give you my meal plan and let you run with it.
1. Breaded Chicken Salad (we get breaded strips from Sam's that are awesome)
2. Chicken Caesar Salad
3. Chicken and Avocado Salad (my husband is the only one who likes avocado... it's really just trimmed down for the rest of us depending on what we want)
4. Salisbury steak
5. Tacos (or taco salad, we'll see...)
6. Pork Chops
7. Chili (cuz it's soup season!)
8. Baked Chicken (chicken pieces are cheap again right now)
9. Fish
10. Sesame Seed Chicken
11. Shepherd's Pie
12. Chicken Pot Pie
13. Witch Doctor's Angry Chicken
While it is still overwhelmingly chicken-y, I'm trying to balance it out so we have a variety every week.
I'll also do some homemade soups for the kids and I for lunches. My husband isn't a big soup fan, but the kids and I like it.
Any recipes you'd like to see as a blog post, let me know!
Have a Great Week!
~Tabitha
Triple Clicks
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Trial and Error
I've been trying a lot of new recipes lately.. Most of them are not turning out..
I found a bag of apples in my deep freezer... so I attempted applesauce-just threw them in the crock pot...Yeah-don't do that.. The birds seemed to enjoy it though. :D
I'm also TRYING to make yogurt... That's not working out so great either. I think it might be because I'm using low fat milk instead of whole milk-but I honestly have no idea. Attempt number 2 will happen this week.
There have been a few recipes that have been good. My mom brought up a pork chop recipe when she came to visit. You mix Parmesan, Italian bread crumbs (I crunch up about a cup of croutons), garlic, onion, salt and pepper (tablespoon of each). Pack all that on your pork chop then bake in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes depending on thickness of your chop. I've been making chicken Caesar salad, too. That's good and even the kids like it. I found this recipe for the kids, they went fast and were even approved by my husband. I did leave the topping off but oh my, still good.
I had been making skirts in the spring... well, some of those just didn't work out-so I had to take them apart.. The material is sitting there to try again.
I can't say I'm doing too much out of the ordinary housekeeping around here. We are still trying to get in the groove of school. Hannah has started teething, one tooth in already and she's only 4 1/2 months old! Mornings have been rough around here the last couple of weeks. Hannah and teething just don't get along. We've been using the amber teething necklace, homeopathic teething tablets and toys.
Well... I think that's about all that's going on around here.
Have a great week!
~Tabitha
I found a bag of apples in my deep freezer... so I attempted applesauce-just threw them in the crock pot...Yeah-don't do that.. The birds seemed to enjoy it though. :D
I'm also TRYING to make yogurt... That's not working out so great either. I think it might be because I'm using low fat milk instead of whole milk-but I honestly have no idea. Attempt number 2 will happen this week.
There have been a few recipes that have been good. My mom brought up a pork chop recipe when she came to visit. You mix Parmesan, Italian bread crumbs (I crunch up about a cup of croutons), garlic, onion, salt and pepper (tablespoon of each). Pack all that on your pork chop then bake in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes depending on thickness of your chop. I've been making chicken Caesar salad, too. That's good and even the kids like it. I found this recipe for the kids, they went fast and were even approved by my husband. I did leave the topping off but oh my, still good.
I had been making skirts in the spring... well, some of those just didn't work out-so I had to take them apart.. The material is sitting there to try again.
I can't say I'm doing too much out of the ordinary housekeeping around here. We are still trying to get in the groove of school. Hannah has started teething, one tooth in already and she's only 4 1/2 months old! Mornings have been rough around here the last couple of weeks. Hannah and teething just don't get along. We've been using the amber teething necklace, homeopathic teething tablets and toys.
Well... I think that's about all that's going on around here.
Have a great week!
~Tabitha
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Planning for Vacation
I'm sure you're looking at the title going What? Vacation? But it's fall!!!
Let me explain.
As I've said before, my husband and I are planners.. You think I plan a lot, give my husband an excel spreadsheet and an idea and you won't know what happened. I love it about him, but at the time it drives me a little crazy.
After we know our destination, we think about our family tree and see if there's any places we want to stop related to that (cemeteries, genealogical societies, old homesteads)... Holy cow we sounds geeks. We make a list of those places and see what we can feasibly manage without driving in circles.
Then we make a rough plan route writing down all the hiways-becuase Google maps doesn't have the 'plan a route' option anymore, this can get a little frustrating. We make marks about every 10 hours figuring that's a good day of driving.
After we get everything planned, we go back through the route and see if there's anything interested we might like to stop and see other than cemeteries (we need a bumper sticker 'will break for cemeteries!' lol). If there's something that looks interesting, we write down names, addresses and add it to the list. We can decide while we are there if we want to find it or not-usually depends on traffic and kid's attitudes. We also go through and decide about what time we'll wake up, will put us around here this time.... Since we like to drive back roads, knowing where there are places to stop for lunch is a must. It also helps to know when we will get close to being low on gas so we don't get stuck somewhere..because tow fees are no fun.
This time around, instead of making reservations at hotels-which yes can save you money, also makes you stick to a schedule so if you get to that town sooner than expected and want to keep to driving you have to pay a cancellation fee... Well, it just opens a can of worms. So we searched around towns that we will hit around 10 hours of driving each day and wrote down hotel numbers and addresses. We learned a lot from our last big vacation to Illinois... Some things we are planning a little more, some things we are planning a little less.
I will keep letting you know how we plan our vacation as we go, we still have 6 months before vacation. :D
Have a great week!
~Tabitha
Let me explain.
As I've said before, my husband and I are planners.. You think I plan a lot, give my husband an excel spreadsheet and an idea and you won't know what happened. I love it about him, but at the time it drives me a little crazy.
After we know our destination, we think about our family tree and see if there's any places we want to stop related to that (cemeteries, genealogical societies, old homesteads)... Holy cow we sounds geeks. We make a list of those places and see what we can feasibly manage without driving in circles.
Then we make a rough plan route writing down all the hiways-becuase Google maps doesn't have the 'plan a route' option anymore, this can get a little frustrating. We make marks about every 10 hours figuring that's a good day of driving.
After we get everything planned, we go back through the route and see if there's anything interested we might like to stop and see other than cemeteries (we need a bumper sticker 'will break for cemeteries!' lol). If there's something that looks interesting, we write down names, addresses and add it to the list. We can decide while we are there if we want to find it or not-usually depends on traffic and kid's attitudes. We also go through and decide about what time we'll wake up, will put us around here this time.... Since we like to drive back roads, knowing where there are places to stop for lunch is a must. It also helps to know when we will get close to being low on gas so we don't get stuck somewhere..because tow fees are no fun.
This time around, instead of making reservations at hotels-which yes can save you money, also makes you stick to a schedule so if you get to that town sooner than expected and want to keep to driving you have to pay a cancellation fee... Well, it just opens a can of worms. So we searched around towns that we will hit around 10 hours of driving each day and wrote down hotel numbers and addresses. We learned a lot from our last big vacation to Illinois... Some things we are planning a little more, some things we are planning a little less.
I will keep letting you know how we plan our vacation as we go, we still have 6 months before vacation. :D
Have a great week!
~Tabitha
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Organization.. What organization?
I would love to be on of those people that everything is organized and you can find it all when you want it.
Apparently that's not in the cards for me.
The only thing I have semi organized is the school stuff... And even that I'm not done with. It just seems like everything I start it gets interrupted to a point where I have to organize something else to get the project I started done.
My sewing stuff is unorganized again.. I realized (after my mom hauled a heavy oak dresser DOWNSTAIRS) that I have four kids at home now. I need that dresser UPSTAIRS.. after I had my sewing stuff where I could find it all. :/ Grumph. So... now all it's all sitting out in the open and i'm sure the kids are just waiting for a day I take too long taking trash out to get into my embroidery thread and un-organize that.
My dad built me a shelf, hubby put it together after we got it home. LOVING the shelf.. but I forgot to measure the van for height when I told him how tall...we had to cut it in half to get it home. Which in the end will turn out fine. I'm going to move the printer over by the school and have it close but out of the way. But before I can do that I have to clean out the store boxes so i can move the sheet music crate so I can put the shelf close enough to the plug in for the pencil sharpener and the printer cord to reach. (Anybody else exhausted with the thought yet?) Before I can even start any of that, Hannah's congestion needs to clear so she will play on the floor again.
Oofamunga. (Yes it's a word..because I say so.)
I've been looking for a way to revamp my calendar notebook.. I'm not liking having 2 different calendars but I know it's necessary.. One for meals, one for everything else. I think when I print off next year's I will do one paper (front and back) for the same month... then I have the meals on one side and everything else on the other side. I was recently given step-by-step instructions on how to print off of Google or Amazon cloud calendar (the most computer illiterate millennial writes this blog lol)...but I haven't messed with that yet.
I just need to remember to take one step at a time. Also on the list for this fall (because it didn't get it done this summer) is to pull up the kid's carpet...because it's full of holes. I have fabric cut and a huge crochet hook to make a couple carpets that will undoubtedly turn into race tracks within a day.
But. One area at a time and it will get done. One day. One day I'll get the house organized so I can attempt to keep up with housework. (Why is Somewhere Over the Rainbow playing through my head?)
Take heart fellow mommies. You aren't alone.
For now though, I'll take my sleep deprived self, indulge on a ton of coffee and take care of my family (although I think they think they are getting starved eating salads :D). Now. Where's the chocolate?
Have a good week!!
~Tabitha
Apparently that's not in the cards for me.
The only thing I have semi organized is the school stuff... And even that I'm not done with. It just seems like everything I start it gets interrupted to a point where I have to organize something else to get the project I started done.
My sewing stuff is unorganized again.. I realized (after my mom hauled a heavy oak dresser DOWNSTAIRS) that I have four kids at home now. I need that dresser UPSTAIRS.. after I had my sewing stuff where I could find it all. :/ Grumph. So... now all it's all sitting out in the open and i'm sure the kids are just waiting for a day I take too long taking trash out to get into my embroidery thread and un-organize that.
My dad built me a shelf, hubby put it together after we got it home. LOVING the shelf.. but I forgot to measure the van for height when I told him how tall...we had to cut it in half to get it home. Which in the end will turn out fine. I'm going to move the printer over by the school and have it close but out of the way. But before I can do that I have to clean out the store boxes so i can move the sheet music crate so I can put the shelf close enough to the plug in for the pencil sharpener and the printer cord to reach. (Anybody else exhausted with the thought yet?) Before I can even start any of that, Hannah's congestion needs to clear so she will play on the floor again.
Oofamunga. (Yes it's a word..because I say so.)
I've been looking for a way to revamp my calendar notebook.. I'm not liking having 2 different calendars but I know it's necessary.. One for meals, one for everything else. I think when I print off next year's I will do one paper (front and back) for the same month... then I have the meals on one side and everything else on the other side. I was recently given step-by-step instructions on how to print off of Google or Amazon cloud calendar (the most computer illiterate millennial writes this blog lol)...but I haven't messed with that yet.
I just need to remember to take one step at a time. Also on the list for this fall (because it didn't get it done this summer) is to pull up the kid's carpet...because it's full of holes. I have fabric cut and a huge crochet hook to make a couple carpets that will undoubtedly turn into race tracks within a day.
But. One area at a time and it will get done. One day. One day I'll get the house organized so I can attempt to keep up with housework. (Why is Somewhere Over the Rainbow playing through my head?)
Take heart fellow mommies. You aren't alone.
For now though, I'll take my sleep deprived self, indulge on a ton of coffee and take care of my family (although I think they think they are getting starved eating salads :D). Now. Where's the chocolate?
Have a good week!!
~Tabitha
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
New Favorite Recipes
We are changing how we are eating around here.. And finding some pretty good recipes on the way.
A friend suggested I keep an eye out for post bariatric surgery recipes-so very low carb and high protein that still taste good. So I'm keeping an eye on Pinterest for that.
Some of our new favorites are Witch Doctor's Angry Chicken. I know I found it on Pinterest-but do you think I can find it now? So it's from Melting Before your Eyes Blog , and it's awesome. (Found it, but I'll leave both links in here.) My husband jokes about it.. I make a not spicy version for the girls (no peppers, no pepperjack cheese-just cheddar so theirs is silly chicken), Andrew hates the peppers but likes the pepperjack cheese (don't ask, you'll hurt your head), his is a little frustrated chicken. I can't eat the peppers while nursing, so I put them in my chicken for the flavor, but don't eat them-mine is slightly perturbed chicken. And Dennis gets the full-blown Angry Chicken. I stick them all in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, but my oven is slow. REALLY good.
Another new favorite is Caprese Chicken. A friend had posted a video of it made on the stovetop and I thought it looked good. So I went looking for the recipe on Pinterest and found the foil pack version (I use shredded mozarella instead of chunks). I gotta say, I'm loving these foil pack recipes. I also change up the vegetable that goes under the chicken in the pack. The last time I made it, I didn't have foil so I just layered everything in a casserole dish instead of stuffing-that was good, too!
I have been using my Cafe Bustelo coffee in my Ninja coffee maker when I make my iced coffee. Gotta love espresso. Especially when you can get a pound for $1. :D
Have a Great Week!!
~Tabitha
A friend suggested I keep an eye out for post bariatric surgery recipes-so very low carb and high protein that still taste good. So I'm keeping an eye on Pinterest for that.
Some of our new favorites are Witch Doctor's Angry Chicken. I know I found it on Pinterest-but do you think I can find it now? So it's from Melting Before your Eyes Blog , and it's awesome. (Found it, but I'll leave both links in here.) My husband jokes about it.. I make a not spicy version for the girls (no peppers, no pepperjack cheese-just cheddar so theirs is silly chicken), Andrew hates the peppers but likes the pepperjack cheese (don't ask, you'll hurt your head), his is a little frustrated chicken. I can't eat the peppers while nursing, so I put them in my chicken for the flavor, but don't eat them-mine is slightly perturbed chicken. And Dennis gets the full-blown Angry Chicken. I stick them all in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, but my oven is slow. REALLY good.
Another new favorite is Caprese Chicken. A friend had posted a video of it made on the stovetop and I thought it looked good. So I went looking for the recipe on Pinterest and found the foil pack version (I use shredded mozarella instead of chunks). I gotta say, I'm loving these foil pack recipes. I also change up the vegetable that goes under the chicken in the pack. The last time I made it, I didn't have foil so I just layered everything in a casserole dish instead of stuffing-that was good, too!
I have been using my Cafe Bustelo coffee in my Ninja coffee maker when I make my iced coffee. Gotta love espresso. Especially when you can get a pound for $1. :D
Have a Great Week!!
~Tabitha
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Plans are Changing
I used to be a very detailed oriented person. I like plans. I like to know what's going to happen on what day.
Then I had kids. LOL
I have tried I don't know how many different times to plan days or weeks (like a cleaning schedule)... I could also tell you how long that lasts-about a week if I'm lucky.
I am slowly starting to get back into that.. I have planned our school out, our Sunday School lessons. We do home church so I have a Sunday School lesson for the kids. I plan our meals, and while I don't always stick to that plan, I do know that what I do have planned, I have the ingredients for. As for any kind of cleaning schedule... I've given up. Maybe when the kids get a little bigger and their help is actually..well.. helpful. I'm doing my best to grin and bear the not-so-folded clothes and towels, or the toys not put away how I would do it-but they are put away (it's rare, but it DOES happen). Or when the girls help with dishes, they don't put things away like I would-but whatever it is in the correct cupboard...usually lol... I have to remind myself that even if it's not how I would do it, they are learning the skills they will use for the rest of their lives.
I am slowly starting to go with the 'no plan plan'... I know the kitchen needs scrubbed every week. I know the bathroom needs scrubbed every week (I think my family is laughing at that I HATE cleaning the bathroom). I know I really should be making the kids pick up toys and be vacuuming every day. Do I always? Ok, let's be honest here, do I sometimes? I attempt to do everything once a week. I really do. But I know I don't. No matter how many times I walk around and tell myself if I just finish one job at a time then it won't be so much work later.. Then the kids get in a fight, or the baby starts screaming-the kind of scream you can't just let it go on for a few minutes while you finish what you are doing and I get distracted and forget to finish whatever chore I was on.
So yes, plans are changing. Constantly. I plan what I can (such as what school or Sunday School lesson), but I have to remember to remind myself that not everything can be planned. Calm down and enjoy the time when the kids are little... and take many deep breaths through the day to keep my sanity intact.
Have a Great Week!
~Tabitha
Then I had kids. LOL
I have tried I don't know how many different times to plan days or weeks (like a cleaning schedule)... I could also tell you how long that lasts-about a week if I'm lucky.
I am slowly starting to get back into that.. I have planned our school out, our Sunday School lessons. We do home church so I have a Sunday School lesson for the kids. I plan our meals, and while I don't always stick to that plan, I do know that what I do have planned, I have the ingredients for. As for any kind of cleaning schedule... I've given up. Maybe when the kids get a little bigger and their help is actually..well.. helpful. I'm doing my best to grin and bear the not-so-folded clothes and towels, or the toys not put away how I would do it-but they are put away (it's rare, but it DOES happen). Or when the girls help with dishes, they don't put things away like I would-but whatever it is in the correct cupboard...usually lol... I have to remind myself that even if it's not how I would do it, they are learning the skills they will use for the rest of their lives.
I am slowly starting to go with the 'no plan plan'... I know the kitchen needs scrubbed every week. I know the bathroom needs scrubbed every week (I think my family is laughing at that I HATE cleaning the bathroom). I know I really should be making the kids pick up toys and be vacuuming every day. Do I always? Ok, let's be honest here, do I sometimes? I attempt to do everything once a week. I really do. But I know I don't. No matter how many times I walk around and tell myself if I just finish one job at a time then it won't be so much work later.. Then the kids get in a fight, or the baby starts screaming-the kind of scream you can't just let it go on for a few minutes while you finish what you are doing and I get distracted and forget to finish whatever chore I was on.
So yes, plans are changing. Constantly. I plan what I can (such as what school or Sunday School lesson), but I have to remember to remind myself that not everything can be planned. Calm down and enjoy the time when the kids are little... and take many deep breaths through the day to keep my sanity intact.
Have a Great Week!
~Tabitha
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Shopping From July 30
Grumph. One month, I do great... the next month... not so great. I spent too much this month.
August starts our monthly trips out of town again-so I do buy convenience foods for those weekends, for our snacks and for hubby to eat while we're gone. Convenience foods do make things more expensive (and forget about a diet those weekends).
So here goes the checkbook groaning as I'm crunching numbers today.
Aldi's 91.33
Fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, poptarts, cereal, olive oil, pudding (I'm a sucker), sugar and dressing....
I think i spend more time bagging the groceries than I do picking out the groceries lol. But I do have a 4 year old helper.
Fareway Foods 58.14
I was reminded another reason why I stopped going to Fareway... their fresh food selection stinks.. So onto Sunshine foods next month.
Yogurt, cereal, salsa pizza and eggs.
Walmart 36.08
This was all meat... I did save as I usually figure $50 a month for chicken-but it wasn't enough to get me down to where we want to be. Check your local markets for when they put out the discounted meats. Some do every day early morning, some overload it once a week..It's worth it.
Bakery Outlet 6.39
Dollar Tree 14.91
Dressing, jelly, miscellaneous cleaning supplies.
Sam's Club 207.41
Pizza, vinegar, canned fruit, bacon, cod, deli ham and cheeses (for grilled cheese sandwiches), chicken strips, cinnamon rolls, cofee and lettuce.
All in all I spent $404. Higher than we like, but we have to have food... Now I need to go investigate that funny noise...
Have a great week!!
~Tabitha
August starts our monthly trips out of town again-so I do buy convenience foods for those weekends, for our snacks and for hubby to eat while we're gone. Convenience foods do make things more expensive (and forget about a diet those weekends).
So here goes the checkbook groaning as I'm crunching numbers today.
Aldi's 91.33
Fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, poptarts, cereal, olive oil, pudding (I'm a sucker), sugar and dressing....
I think i spend more time bagging the groceries than I do picking out the groceries lol. But I do have a 4 year old helper.
Fareway Foods 58.14
I was reminded another reason why I stopped going to Fareway... their fresh food selection stinks.. So onto Sunshine foods next month.
Yogurt, cereal, salsa pizza and eggs.
Walmart 36.08
This was all meat... I did save as I usually figure $50 a month for chicken-but it wasn't enough to get me down to where we want to be. Check your local markets for when they put out the discounted meats. Some do every day early morning, some overload it once a week..It's worth it.
Bakery Outlet 6.39
Dollar Tree 14.91
Dressing, jelly, miscellaneous cleaning supplies.
Sam's Club 207.41
Pizza, vinegar, canned fruit, bacon, cod, deli ham and cheeses (for grilled cheese sandwiches), chicken strips, cinnamon rolls, cofee and lettuce.
All in all I spent $404. Higher than we like, but we have to have food... Now I need to go investigate that funny noise...
Have a great week!!
~Tabitha
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