Meal Plans for This Week

Another week is gone and that means we're one week closer to both Christmas and the end of the year.  Yikes!  We'll be singing "For Auld Lang Syne" before we know it!

I sat down last night and began to try and plan meals for the holiday season starting with weekend before Christmas which is when I expect my family to come if they can make it at all.  I've got a couple of meals planned out but need to work on the rest of them.  For the most part I'm planning to make and freeze and then thaw and heat that weekend.  It seems the best way to manage company and holiday moods and food to me.

In the meantime, it occurred to me last night after I'd gone to bed, that I'd been better prepared if I'd planned this week's meals first and then taken something out to thaw.  Oh. My.  Well I wasn't getting out of bed once I'd hopped in, so I waited until this morning.  That worked out the best anyway, since John came in, got called out to go back to work and I was home alone all morning long to do housework and make plans.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Potato Salad, Steamed Broccoli
I've made this in the past with mayonnaise but followed a Pinterest recipe that called for Greek yogurt (using my own homemade yogurt).  I liked it much better I think but it did stick to the pan a good bit more than the other.  I used pan spray but just a heads up if you try this recipe: it sticks.    I certainly was glad when John finally got home and we could have a meal.

Pot Roast with Vegetables, Squash Casserole, Biscuits
My roast is very small, just about 1 pound or so, making it perfect for us and perhaps a sandwich for John's work lunch.  The biscuits will be welcome with jelly for a dessert and the leftovers can be toasted for breakfast (or my supper).

Turkey and Rice Soup, Grilled Pimento and Cheese, Chocolate Pudding
I made a batch of broth from our Thanksgiving turkey breast. We'll want a lighter meal today after two days of heavy meals, I think.  The budget wants a lighter one too, lol.  This meal is supposed to coincide with the return of cooler weather.  Fingers crossed!

Steak, Baked Potato, Salad with Blue Cheese dressing
This is actually a dinner out for us but it's all home cooked food.  Yum.

Red Beans and Rice, Orange and Onion Salad, Corn bread
All I have to cook is the rice and the bread.  The beans are frozen leftovers, just enough for two.

Sweet and Spicy Wings, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Coleslaw
I'll make my own sauce for the wings, a combination of a homemade bbq sauce and honey and hot sauce.  It's so good and only gets better as it bakes.

Homemade Lasagna, Green Salad, Garlic Bread, Easy Tiramisu for Two
Meat and sauce are in the freezer, I'll just layer cheeses and noodles to make the dish and prepare it ahead, same for the salad, and dessert.  I'll just slide lasagna in the oven that morning and then add garlic bread later.  

Using What I Have Celebration

I am so pleased to be featured at Hibiscus House for Farmgirl Friday with my Christmas pillows!  I'm joining up again this week, linking through Hibiscus House. 

I'm also linking up with Sunny Simple Life for  Sunny Simple Sunday.

I spent a little time creating this past week.  I wanted new wreaths for my doors.  I stripped down an old wreath and decided to use what I had to make a new one. I will be working on the second wreath this weekend.  In the meantime, I'll show you what I came up with for my front door:

I used pinecone picks to add a little more interest to the wreath.  I fashioned a new bow from old ribbon.  The little bird box was truly a 'use what you have' craft.  It used to be a little shadow box that hung on my bedroom wall, but I tired of it long ago.  I recovered with fresh paper inside and out, then used moss to cover the edges of the box.  A bird figurine that normally resides in the curio cabinet was placed in the box.  He sits upon a pinecone which I thought appropriate for my theme.

I did spray the wreath with faux Snow but it appears more frosted than snowy white.  That is so appropriate for Georgia, lol.  We're far more prone to have frost than snow most years.  I'm very happy with my wreath.  It's not glitzy and flashy but then neither is my country home, though a bit of glitz is bound to slip out here and there.  I think the gold is just enough color here with the red door and ribbon.

Thanks for joining me in my Farmgirl Friday craft.  Stop by and see what others have been up to as well!

My Frugal Week

My little 'Christmas' project, using just what I had on hand...

In The Kitchen:  

We went a full pay period without purchasing groceries.  I picked up milk and bread and a snack item for us for here at home, but we skipped the whole grocery store experience entirely for one whole pay period.  I spent about the same amount I'd normally spend on one of those 'in between' trips to the store, right at $40.

Second grocery frugal:  we bought a few grocery items while we were on vacation because we always cook most of our meals while we're away.  Does that sound like  I spent grocery money, and didn't really have a savings?  Wrong!  I had money set aside for vacation foods.  It's planned into our budget for the trip.

We planned to visit with the grandchildren (it was the twins first birthday) on the way back home and because that was another over night stay we didn't want to pack up a lot of food to try and keep cold for 36 hours.  We decided Friday to go out to eat for our dinner meal and opted for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for our supper.  I think we spent about what we probably would have at the supermarket for snacks and food for Friday on our dinner, so it was an even swap.  And the bonus was not having leftovers to haul about.

I spent about the same amount as always this pay period, no more.  I didn't try to make up for not shopping two weeks ago.

After I came down with the flu, I scratched our plans to go to meat market this pay period.  I did a quick scan of the freezer and we can manage fine for two more weeks on what we have on hand.  That's another bit of savings, too.

One reason why we could postpone the meat market: a big turkey breast we roasted for dinner.  That should net us several meals.

After the big meal I put the carcass on to boil and got 2 quarts of broth and another 1 cup of meat off the bones.

I put a pan of turkey and dressing in the freezer for a heat and eat meal for later in the month (or even next month).

We ate lots of leftovers for our supper this past week, mostly turkey and dressing, but I can't say it was a hardship. 

Boiled eggs to make egg salad sandwiches for work lunches and snacks for John.

I didn't have many 'ready to eat' foods on hand, with this illness which broke my own rules.  I did use a container of chicken pot pie filling, a jar of chicken broth (homemade and frozen) and a container of leftover frozen rice to make soup the day I felt the very worst.  We had takeout day two and John brought home a frozen pizza on day three.  I'll be sure to put a few new entrees into the freezer as soon as I'm well enough to manage it.  We had to shop for groceries on day four and did our best to keep it short and sweet, but John insisted on buying dinner so I wouldn't be overtaxed that day.

An easy cupboard/leftover meal: Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo, using bought sauce, leftover chicken breast, and broccoli that I steamed while the pasta boiled.  Super easy, tasty, filling and quick to clear up after. 

Later in the week, I wanted a cup of coffee but coffee was running low and I didn't want to go to the grocery right away.  I opted to use the single cup coffeemaker we were given a few years ago.  It's handy to make a single cup of coffee instead of a 4-cup pot.

I feel much better but have been pressed for time, trying to make up for the lack of housework last week.  I didn't have time or excess energy to bake this week.  I had a chocolate poundcake in the freezer.  Weekend baking taken care of, thankfully.

In the Home
Necessity almost always leads to creativity in my home.  I wanted new wreaths but alas, the funds just weren't there, even though I looked at half priced items.  So I made my own. Dusted off an old wreath and then used pine cone picks, an empty wooden box and a bird figurine to make something entirely fresh and new.  I've a few more tricks up my sleeve, but I haven't yet had time to employ them all yet.

I did purchase two boxes of half priced ornaments.  I got 20 new ornaments for the price of 1 box.

I bought three floral picks at half price, too.  I was disappointed however when I arranged them because they lacked that Christmas cheer.  I found four glittery poinsettia blossoms in the shed and three of those proved to be just what that arrangement required. Perhaps after Christmas I'll just use the greenery by itself but I think the red punches things up for the holidays don't you?

The wax warmer on the buffet was a gift from my daughter-in-law.  She sold some items at an online party back in the autumn.  One of the scents I ordered was called Aspen Pine.  Oh my gracious does that smell good!  We really enjoyed that fresh pine fragrance (NOT like Pinesol but more evergreen smelling).  I love these melts as it takes just a tablespoon to scent a room and it lasts quite a while.

I did say I wouldn't buy any decorations until Christmas gifts were all bought.  Well they are all bought, we finished up on Monday.  I spent a whole $18 on my purchases for decorations.  I may buy a few more, but I don't foresee big expenses in this area.



My mantel decorations cost me NOTHING...I'm quite happy with it.  While digging in the Christmas bins out in the shed,  I found a bundle of garland I forgot I even had.  One piece of that garland, the last of the glittery poinsettia blooms and my two poinsettia hurricanes look just right on that mantel.

I can't name the amount of pleasure the flowers on my front porch have given me.  There are just two of them there, but economy and pleasure DO mix that's for sure.  The geranium I bought in late spring when it was very hot and the plant sort of limped along, but has decided it likes cooler weather very well indeed.  And the petunias rescued from an old bucket that held a dead rosebush where they had self sown are blooming away, too.  I smile every time I look at them.  I can't name the luxury I feel to smell those petunias on these cold evenings either.

Remember In The Kitchen, when I mentioned that 1-2 cup coffeemaker we have?  Good thing!  The Bunn died Wednesday night.  I tried what I refer to as a 'Rhonda repair' which consists of unplugging it and walking away but alas that didn't work either.  Then I tried running vinegar through it just in case it was calcium buildup even though our water here is very soft.  No good on that repair try either. Then John took it apart yesterday and looked inside it but we didn't find the source of the problem.  However, that only made it flood even worse than before.  So it's certifiably dead.  We'll be getting another but won't have to rush it with the spare coffeemaker on hand.

Picked up pecans again this week.  Unless we get a good hard windy day there won't be many more to pick up before I sell them one last time.  I'm praying for a windy day!  There are lots of pecans in that tree yet.  This last batch will fund the extra meat I want to buy for the freezer when we do visit the meat market next week.

Went into CVS this past week with my Extra Cash bucks and spent them all.  I picked up four bottles of ALL detergent on a very good sale, and a handful of needed cold remedy items.  I earned 4 more ECBs to use on my next visit to the store.

Mama and I were out shopping Wednesday.  My expenses were $18 for the Christmas ornaments and picks, and $20 for our dinner.  I paid for the dinner out of my allowance, so no cost to the household for that. Mama provided a coupon to help cut down on the costs for our meal.

I harvested seed from the basil in the pots on the back porch.  I hope to replace those worn out plantings with some pansies soon, but in the meantime, I've left the dead stems of the basil. They smell so fragrant when you brush past them.  It's a nice surprise. I like knowing I'll  have more basil next year courtesy of these seed.

John suggested we look into buying a small greenhouse.  He explained his reason: disliking that I bring plants indoors for wintering over.  I explained to him that I would love a greenhouse, but his reason was misguided.  The plants that winter over here are plants known for improving air quality in the home: ivy, spider plants, palms and ferns, etc actually reduce toxins in the air.  I don't know if he means to still consider that greenhouse purchase or not...

We need rain badly, but I can't deny the sunshine is a huge bonus for us this time of year.  It not only warms the house but fills it full of light as well, which means that we seldom need to use a light for reading or any other work we might be doing indoors.

Weekly Meal Plan - Gobbleish

I came to a conclusion this weekend: a whole turkey breast is an awful lot of turkey for just two.  Next year I mean to have my turkey on Thanksgiving Day regardless of who has planned to claim the day.  I mean to have my feast on the feast day and if it's the second time I eat or the first, it will be just as tasty.

I am recovering well from the flu.  IF I stop pretending I don't feel a little weak and keep pushing myself to do just two or three things more.  John has been a wonderful help, doing the bulk of the meal planning and such this past week, but I roused myself Saturday and cooked Thanksgiving dinner for two.  I kept the menu simple, no need of four sides and two salads and three desserts for just the two of us.  I made Turkey, stuffing, Mashed potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, Pumpkin Pie.  I put a pie, half a turkey breast, stuffing and a prepared entree of turkey and stuffing in the freezer.  We still have plenty for turkey salad sandwiches, plus two quarts of broth from the carcass and another cup or more of meat bits.  John's mentioned having numerous favorite turkey dishes.  For my part, I'm starting to feel gobble-ish.

Leftover Turkey, Stuffing, Gravy, Cranberry sauce, Potatoes and Pie

Chuck Roast with Root Vegetables, Green Beans, Pear Salad

Polska Kielbasa, Steamed Cabbage, Cheesy Potatoes, Baked Apples

Tamale Pie,  Orange and Onion Salad, Chocolate Pudding

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings, Coleslaw, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Mayo Muffins

Macaroni and Cheese, Broccoli,  Apple, Walnut and Lettuce Salad, Gingerbread

Philly Cheese Steak Burger Pizza, Green Salad  

Menu Plan

It's been two months of vacation and off time and very little work time for us.  And I say this quite sincerely...If we could just figure out how to have an income and no need of heading out to work, I'd enjoy this on a more consistent basis, lol.  Well it all ends this week, the day before the holiday starts to be exact.  From here until well into next year it's routine work weeks and squeeze in what we can during the off week.

So what did we do this past week.  Rather than sit here at home we took off to go to the beach!  Yep, went to the beach and then we stopped off to visit the grandbabies, so we could have our family Thanksgiving and celebrate the twins first birthday and wish a happy anniversary to their Mama and Daddy.  We came home yesterday and as I said it's pretty much routine for the next several months.  Well, truly, life is anything but routine with my husband around.  He likes to shake things up routinely, so who knows what routine is really all about? lol

Meals come around regular enough though, as does laundry and dishes and any other form of housework.  It's one of the few jobs that knows no season.  It's work all year round, isn't it?

You'll note there is no Thanksgiving day menu for our house.  We had our family dinner with the grands' and their parents Saturday.  Mama is having dinner at her house on Thanksgiving day and is NOT having turkey (she dislikes it, sigh).  John has a promise of a proper Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday though Lori did as good a job as any could.  John just wants the stuffed turkey (I bought a breast) and I'll make a pumpkin pie.  We skipped that at Jd's since birthday cake abounded and Mama has also NO PUMPKIN PIE, sigh, just as she said NO to turkey, sigh.  I do not understand this prejudice that she has against turkey. Oh well...Meals:

Lasagna, Salad, Bread and butter, Ice cream
Frozen lasagna from the store at that.  Yes, really.  John had jury duty today (cancelled last week but we were out of town) and I had errands to run in town since we did not shop for groceries this pay period.  I can easily get buy with what we have here but I had needed the trinity: milk, eggs, bread and a turkey breast and while I was at it, soda and something for supper and a few snacks.  We also happen to need fruit but will use canned until we can do our regular grocery shop.  There's plenty of lettuce and cabbage and carrots for raw veg this week.

Taco soup, Corn bread, Pineapple Salad
I'll attempt a leftover makeover and  use some of the leftover chili liquid base with additional ingredients to make our soup.  I'm thinking a bit of corn, perhaps some black beans, a little scrambled hamburger, some cumin.  That should make it taste like taco soup.  Fingers crossed on this experiment!

Alfredo Chicken and Pasta, Green Beans, Green Salad, Garlic Toast
I'm going to slice the boneless skinless chicken breasts the way I did the other day, so two breasts  should net me two meals worth of meat.  I'll make the Alfredo sauce from scratch and I'll check to see if I've got any broccoli before I commit to the green beans.

Thanksgiving Meal at Mama's, I am taking Jiffy Corn Pudding.

Oven Fried Chicken Fillet Sandwich, Oven Fries, Carrot Raisin Salad
My second chicken meal. Ha. Technically the THIRD since Mama is serving chicken for Thanksgiving.  Seriously.

Porcupine Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Coleslaw, Corn Muffins, Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Yes, I am making a lot of cornbread this week.  It's a ruse to get plenty of dry crumbly cornbread to make that stuffing next week.   I'll use up the pineapple I opened to make salad and my Lazy Day Yellow Cake recipe to make a small upside down cake.

Macaroni and Cheese, Creole Green Beans, Oven Fried Okra, Pear Salad 
I've found that having a mac and cheese main dish can be a satisfactory thing if I am careful to make a rich cheese sauce, balance the macaroni and cheese with savory side dishes with plenty of texture and make things as colorful as possible on the plate.  This menu will hopefully hit all those marks.

And there we are,  a week's worth of meals planned to please, and not a single bit of turkey in the week. Boo!

This Week's Meals

I love my husband and I'm pleased as punch that he has thoroughly enjoyed football this season...but I definitely think I might as well stop talking to him until this season is over.  Even when he initiates a conversation his attention drifts back to the television before I get my reply started, sigh.  I think I've got this thing figured out, the football thing I mean.  He is available Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  Football is on the other four days, lol.

Meals this week are more iffy than usual.  We've a busy week ahead that involves more fun, our last opportunity to enjoy ourselves freely and fully until next May or so when John will again begin using up vacation days.  We have certainly made the most of these lovely autumn days this year. John surprised me Thursday night saying we were going out on Friday.  This was a subtle ruse on his part as well as an attempt to squeeze in a bit more fun.  He was distracting me from working too hard on the housework while we awaited the arrival of the eldest son and family.  I'll devote a post to that lovely day here in a while.  In the meantime, meal plans for the week ahead.

I don't plan to shop for groceries this week, though it is our Harvest week.  I'm sure I'll pick up a few things next week like a Turkey breast to stuff for John's favorite Thanksgiving Meal but that's next week.

Cubed Steaks, Oven Fried Okra, Potatoes with Green Beans, Tomato and Lettuce salad

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches, French Fries, Apples and Fig Bars
I'll use the burger buns left from our burgers this weekend for our sandwich buns today.  Leftover roast from last week that I froze will be sliced and cooked with onions and peppers and Italian seasoning.

BBQ Chicken, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Harvest Slaw, Corn Muffins

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwiches, Waldorf Salad, Caramel Popcorn

Lazy Day Beef Stew, Corn Muffins, Gingerbread with Applesauce
I'll have to find this recipe once more, but it bakes in a slow oven and calls for tomato sauce.  It's chock full of good root vegetables and green beans, too.

Creamed Hamburger, Mashed Potatoes, Green Peas and Toast

Chili, Tortilla Chips, Green Salad with Ranch Dressing, Pumpkin Cornbread
I'll split the ground beef into two portions and use half for this chili, doubling the beans and tomatoes.
I haven't tried the pumpkin cornbread in a number of years, but I figure I might as well make some to use up the lasts of the canned pumpkin I'll be using in my pie for next week (making pie ahead this week).

My Frugal Week

In the Kitchen:  I noted turkeys on sale this past week.  I'd meant to buy one because they are always a good bargain even at full price, but especially so on sale.  Aldi had a smoked Butterball turkey on sale which I thought would be good for sandwich meat.  I baked the turkey Sunday (it's a shorter time of baking but like any smoked meat must be cooked for a time to heat it thoroughly).  I divided the turkey into two breast halves, two thighs, 1 packet of legs and wings, and 1 bag containing the carcass and wing tips.  The meatier pieces will be our sandwich meats, the carcass will do nicely for soup and bean pot seasoning.

One thigh from the smoked turkey fed John and I supper one night with enough meat left on the bone to make picnic sandwiches for a day trip tomorrow.  I saved the bone and skin to add to the bag with the rest of the carcass.  I've found a recipe for a wild rice soup that calls for smoked turkey meat.

Do you do that?  Look at recipes and earmark those that call for ingredients you have on hand?  I've just made up a batch of applesauce muffins from a recipe that I set aside because I had half a jar of applesauce in the fridge that needs to be used up.  And the recipe for the wild rice soup that calls for the smoked turkey I have on hand. 

Katie made a big pot of chicken and dumplings during her visit this past weekend.  She used two of the boneless skinless breasts purchased last week.  There were enough leftovers for a second meal.

Cooked a sirloin roast for dinner on Monday.  I marinated it overnight.  While marinade may not be eaten after raw meat has been placed in it you can boil on the stove to use as au jus or freeze the marinade to use again for another piece of beef, provided you've kept it very cold and not let it warm at anytime in between removing the meat and putting into the freezer.

The leftover roast should make two more meals at least.  I put the meat away, cut into two portions for just that purpose.

Homemade just tastes best in my opinion. I made a pound cake...my recipe calls for a 10-inch tube pan which is a sizable cake.  I divide my batter between two 9 inch loaf pans.  I have to cut the baking time usually about 1 hour 10 minutes is enough) but we get TWO cakes from a single recipe.  I wrap one and put in the freezer and we have one for our afternoon coffee break snack.

Washed full loads of dishes on the shortest cycle.

Used water saved from rinsing dishes and water bottles to water plants.

Washed baggies to re-use.  

In the House:
Every now and then we're tested about our convictions.  John and I contemplated a big purchase this month.  As usual, we prayed about it and thought it out before we committed ourselves to getting an estimate.  We had a price point and we were pretty clear about it.  The 'guesstimate' was close to our price point.  However, when it came down to the time to purchase we given an estimate a bit higher than we were prepared to pay.  We thanked the company for the estimate and time but explained that we couldn't pay that amount at this time.  I think, truly, that they did their job well and we were all hopeful of the purchase, but in the end, it comes down to this: we're more committed to staying out of debt than we are to any purchase we hope to make.  Disappointed?  A little, but philosophical as well.  God knows our need and we've absolutely no doubt that at some point in the future we can make that purchase.  Now just isn't the time.

Picked up still more pecans.  I see plenty on the tree yet, but we need another  good hard wind to shake them out.  We'll take what I've picked up thus far to sell.

As a perk (pun intended) for voting Tuesday, Starbucks offered up free regular coffee to patrons.  John got his free but I had ordered a Gingerbread latte so didn't get mine free.  Wish he'd told me before I went to the counter.  I heard the clerk ask the girl in front of me if she'd been to vote yet when she ordered a regular coffee with a Gingerbread flavoring but I had no clue or I'd have gotten mine free as well.  BTW, Gingerbread Latte is a seasonal Starbucks offering and to my taste is far better than Pumpkin Spice.

We were 'out and about' as John says when we're doing errands.  He wanted a haircut, we took off trash, carried along pecans to sell, had plans to pick up a birthday gift for the twins and a Christmas present for a family member.  On the way home from our last stop, I noted that we'd have to run into town again this week just before guests arrived unless we made one more stop at the local grocery.  I should've thought to do this at Walmart when we were there but I was very intent on getting out without spending on anything except what we'd set money aside to purchase.  So we stopped locally and picked up the last of the items needed to serve dinner on Saturday.  Then we headed home.  We made the trip count that's for sure.

My last batch of pecans netted me $14 which means I now have exactly enough to book the hotel room for our stay for the twins first birthday.  Nice!
 
We've hung clothes to dry every single day, with limited use of the dryer on a cool and rainy day.

Affordable back ache relief:  I've had the worst time sleeping any length of time of late because my back/hip/knee ached horribly after two or three hours sleep.  That new pillow I bought was $9, formed for a side sleeper (my favored position) and is called firm medium.  Three nights I've slept on it and three nights I've had little to no pain whatsoever!  Who knew that the vast majority of my awful nights was due to a pillow not suited to my sleep position?  I bet I spent that much at least on pain relievers and night time sleep aids trying to get a decent night's sleep and the whole while a new pillow was what I needed.

Just staying home is the greatest relief, money saver and all around good place to be.  I am deeply grateful that the little things I do in my home can net me such satisfying results.  Little things  like selling pecans (we figured it netted me about $8 for an hour's worth of work) pay off, as does using fabric from my stash to make a shade and valances (the fabric was given to me).  And dear John has only mentioned at least once most evenings that he is surely enjoying his Christmas gift from last year (an upgrade that ended up saving us money because of the customer loyalty discount and the new package discount).  He's watched a ton of football. I'm beginning to understand the bare basics of the game myself.