Menu Plan Monday 3/15-3/21

Last week's menu plan went pretty smoothly despite the fact that I didn’t post my menu on fridge!  My family was all out of sorts because I didn’t post it for them. At the beginning of the week, I found it funny that they rely on that posted menu being there!  However, come the end of the week, I wasn’t finding it very funny because they kept “bugging” me with “Mom, what’s for dinner?” “Mom, what’s for snack?” and on and on!  So I decided that not posting the menu for the family to see is a bad thing and I will try not to do again!

This week’s shopping trip was just filling the holes!  I spent less than $25 for the week!  I am so happy!   After talking with my kids and showing them that when we go out to eat as a family it is costing us at least $25 for the meal. I decided that one of my goals this year is to feed my family of seven at home on $20 or less per day!  To help show my kids that we can eat three very filling meals (along with 2 snacks) at home every day for the price of what we pay for one meal out at McDonald’s or Wendy’s.

This week’s menus are still using many things out of my freezer and pantry. This week though I am sticking in a new recipe!  Also this week’s weather is to be very nice, so I am pulling out the outdoor’s grill to do some of my cooking this week!  It has been months since I have had any grillin’ food!

Lunches listed are for the kids & me. Unless we are having leftovers, our lunches are served with apple slices or baby carrots along with fruit juice or water.  Hubby usually takes a dinner leftover along with various snacks for his work lunch.

A special thanks to Erin-$5 Dinners for hosting Menu Plan Monday while Laura-Organizing Junkie is away with her son! Need help with your menus; go check the over 400 other delicious meal plans that have been linked at Erin-$5 Dinners' site or look down in my right sidebar for my menu suggestion lists! 

Sunday (3-15)

Breakfast: eggs, sausage, hash browns, and cinnamon rolls

Lunch: sandwiches and chips

Dinner: beef gravy over noodles served with green beans

Snack: snack basket

 

Monday (3-16)

Breakfast: cereal, toaster strudel

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  grilled chicken and potato pockets served with corn and rolls

Snack: brownies & milk

 

Tuesday (3-17)

Breakfast: waffles and sausage

Lunch: chicken nuggets, and mac & cheese

Dinner:  grilled burgers and fries served with a fresh veggie tray

Snack: ice cream

Wednesday (3-18)

Breakfast: bagels, eggs and cereal

Lunch: sandwiches & chips

Dinner:  salsa chicken (new recipe—which I will post if it is any good!) over rice served with corn

Snack: snack basket

Thursday (3-19)

Breakfast: French Toast

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: skillet pork chops served with boiled potatoes and peas

Snack: snack basket

 

Friday (3-20)

Breakfast: cereal and toaster strudel

Lunch: sandwiches & chips

Dinner: roasted chicken served with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn and biscuits

Snack: cookies & milk                                            

 

Saturday (3-21)  

Breakfast: “Cook’s Choice”

Lunch: ??? 

Dinner:  sloppy joes served with fries and a fresh veggie tray

Snack:  snack basket  or popcorn

 

 

 

 

Weekly Shopping Trip--Savings $5.25

I know what you are thinking looking at the title for this post!  "She only saved $5.25 this week???"

Well let me tell you the rest of the story!....

In working at trying to keep my average of $1 per person per meal going strong, I decided to take a break for any "heavy" grocery shopping this week!

My freezer and pantry are full of various meats, potatoes, rice, baking supplies, and snacks.  So I used what I had on hand and just got a few of the necessities. 

So I made up my menus for this week and found that I only needed to get milk, juice(apple juice and koolaid), eggs and garlic bread.   So all total I spent $21.36 for this week's of groceries!  I would have spent a $1 less if I had remember to grab the Meijer Mealbox coupon for the garlic bread!  

So instead of giving you a breakdown of what I purchased this week, I am going to give you the breakdown as to where I am so far for the year.

So far for 73 days of groceries, I have spent $1427.02 out of pocket.

Which averages out to $19.55 per day.

Which means that for 3 meals per day it costs me $6.52 per meal to feed my family of 7.

Which means that it averages out to 93¢ per person per meal! 

For more savings stories head over to MoneySavingMom's Super Saturday Savings or to BeCentsAble's Centsable Savings Stories.

Chex Muddy Buddies

Last week on my very productive day, I made up some Muddy Buddies Mix for taking to the marriage retreat that hubby and I went to over the weekend.  

I used this recipe as my guide and I doubled it because I was making it for a large group and I wanted to use the whole box of Corn Chex. Did you know that there is just under 16 cups of Chex in the whole box!?!

I measured out the box of Corn Chex so that I knew how much I needed of the other ingredients. I didn't have any regular chocolate chips but I did have a 10 oz. bag of peanut butter/milk chocolate swirl chips so I used those instead. 

In my pan on the stove, I melted the bag of swirl chips, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 stick of margarine until they were blended and smooth.  I poured the chocolate/peanut butter mixture over the cereal that was waiting in my big mixing bowl. 

I gently stirred(so I did not crush the cereal) the warm mixture throughout the cereal until the mixture was evenly coated on the cereal. 


Once the cereal was evenly coated with the chocolate/peanut butter mixture, I poured it carefully into the waiting grocery paper bag that I had put 3 cups of powdered sugar in the bottom.   Then I rolled the bag shut and shook the bag so that the powdered sugar would coat the cereal well.  After about a minute I opened the bag to see how well the powdered sugar had coated the cereal. I saw that the powdered sugar was soaked into the cereal.  So I added about another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to the bag and shook it for another minute.   Here is the end result....

Tasty Muddy Buddies Mix!!!

You are probably wondering why I choose to use a grocery brown paper bag/sack to coat the cereal with the powdered sugar?!?  Well it is a trick that I learned from my mother!  Putting the cereal in the bag allows you to put all the cereal while it is warm into the powdered sugar to coat the cereal. It also makes the process go a bit quicker and you don't end up wasting a ziploc bag or two with the coating process. It also allows for less mess!  

I made this mix in less than 10 minutes!

So here is the recipe:

18 cups Corn Chex

10 oz bag swirl chips(used peanut butter/milk chocolate)

1 stick margarine or butter

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided

Melt chips, margarine, and peanut butter until smooth. Add to the cereal.  Stir and evenly coat the cereal with the mixture.  Put 3 cups powdered sugar into a brown paper bag. Pour cereal into a brown paper bag with the powdered sugar. Roll top of bag down, shake the bag until the cereal is coated with the powdered sugar. Pour in the other 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, if necessary and shake the bag. 

This post is linked at: 

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace!
  
• Kitchen tip Tuesday, over at The Finer Things in Life(Amy is guest hosting this week!)! 
• Tasty Tuesday at Forever, Wherever
  
• I am Blissfully Domestic at Blissfully Domestic!

Matters of the Heart

Dear Faithful Readers, 

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing you this letter.  I want to let you know that I am pulling back in my blogging until I can find the balance I need between my blogging and my life.  I have allowed my time on the computer to overtake my life, so I need to pull back and refocus my life, my marriage and my relationship with the Lord!

My hubby and I went away this past weekend on a church sponsored marriage retreat.  I was having the greatest time in the world spending time with my hubby and getting to know other couples in our church when I had a "bombshell" rock my heart and the world that I had known.  I feel hurt, betrayal and anger right now from the "bombshell".  I need to heal my heart and emotions from the "bombshell" and get the proper focus in my life.  

I need to have limited time on the computer when my hubby is at the homefront.  

I need to work at strengthening my marriage, and my walk with God before I put myself in front of this "idol"/computer. 

Despite sounding vague, I would appreciate your prayers as I work through this time of hurt and healing!  I am praying that I become stronger in my walk with my Lord and Savior and even love my family, esp. my hubby more through this time of healing. 

Thank you for your understanding and prayers!!!

Your Friend, 

Sonshine

P.S.  I still plan on doing some blogging but it will be limited and not everyday.  

Menu Plan Monday 3/8-3/14

Last week's menu plan went pretty smoothly despite it being a shorten week for me with going to my church’s marriage retreat and my MIL being here for a several days.

This week’s shopping trip was one of getting some deals!  I should not have to do much in the way of shopping this week!  I will need bread and milk before the week is out but that is about it!

This week’s menus are pretty mundane as I am using up pantry and freezer stockpile.   I am sure that there will be some meals this week that my family will not enjoy as others but that is what happens when you are lowering your stockpile.  Friday and Saturday dinner meals are yet to be determined and will be based on what is left in the freezer and pantry.

Lunches listed are for the kids & me. Unless we are having leftovers, our lunches are served with apple slices or baby carrots along with fruit juice or water.  Hubby usually takes a dinner leftover along with various snacks for his work lunch.

A special thanks to Laura-Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday! Need help with your menus; go check the over 400 other delicious meal plans that have been linked at Laura-Organizing Junkie's site or look down in my right sidebar for my menu suggestion lists!

Sunday (3-8)

Breakfast: eggs, sausage, hash browns, and chocolate donuts

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: Wendys

Snack: snack basket

 

Monday (3-9)

Breakfast: cereal, toaster strudel, and yogurt

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  baked chicken, mashed taters & gravy, corn

Snack: snack basket

 

Tuesday (3-10)

Breakfast: waffles and sausage

Lunch: chicken nuggets, and mac & cheese

Dinner:  spaghetti & garlic toast

Snack: muffins & milk

Wednesday (3-11) 

Breakfast: bagels, eggs and cereal

Lunch: sandwiches & chips

Dinner:  chicken clubs, fries and corn

Snack: snack basket

Thursday (3-12)

Breakfast: Pancakes(from freezer)

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: Salisbury steak, mashed taters & gravy, and green beans

Snack: cookies & milk

Friday (3-13)

Breakfast: cereal and toaster strudel

Lunch: sandwiches & chips

Dinner: ???

Snack: ice cream night                                          

 

Saturday (3-14)  

Breakfast: “Cook’s Choice”

Lunch: ??? 

Dinner:  ???

Snack:  snack basket  or popcorn