More from our kitchen as we winter in...

We have been stocking things up for the winter months... basically just when they are in season we buy a little extra and then we can enjoy it through the months it is not in the stores.  I shared the pumpkin baking not too long ago.  

 After thanksgiving we used a few turkey carcasses to make stock (ladies from our church gave us their's).  It is SO SUPER SIMPLE to make stock... everyone should be doing this and saving money.  It is SO delicious, too!  Great for soups, stews, sauces and a variety of other cooking uses.   

and I have a few bags of pecans that have been frozen.  

I am, however, quite low on my frozen bananas for smoothies!  LOL  Must raid a store soon to see if they have some bulk buys on overripe bananas.  They make great banana bread and muffins, too.  

There are also frozen blueberries, a variety of meats purchased on recent holiday sales and frozen Amish bread and a meatloaf.  I am hoping to get back to more bulk cooking and baking in the new year.  It is so very convenient to have things ready to heat and serve.  :)  It also saves a ton of money since most our money goes to the crazy gas prices these days... we will take the savings wherever we can get them.  LOL

Lunch Box Ideas...

First, let's make it very clear that I am not ashamed that I am a total Doctor Who Geek... and I love this lunch box!  It is to be released for sale in October 2011... click the picture for details.  LOL  Moving forward....

During school... both, when I homeschooled and now that three out of four are in public school, I have kept fresh fruit in a bowl on the table and in the refrigerator.  I also keep things such as carrots and celery cut up and ready to pack.  

If I have to cut apples up for packing I will soak them in lemon water and then strain and pack them and add just a touch of the lemon water for transport and it keeps apples and pears nicely until lunchtime.

If my children take apples they often want peanut butter or some kind of dipping sauce.

A Nice Little Cream Cheese Fluffy Fruit Dip


8 ounces cream cheese 
a Tbsp honey
whipping cream to lighten
a bit of cinnamon,
 nutmeg 
and/or cardamom if you like 
or you can add a touch of vanilla extract


Whip it all together and use for dipping fruit of all kinds - berries, melons, apples, etc...

 I will sometimes cut up cheese cubes or slices to go with the fruit, too.  My children are big cheese and fruit consumers.  LOL  Try a variety of cheeses.  I cut them about the size of dice.  Six cubes is a serving.  I cut cheddar, monterrey jack, colby/jack, pepper/jack and mozzarella for them.  It is often cheaper to buy the big block at Sam's or Costco and cut it yourself.  It doesn't take that much more time and there are no fillers in the block cheeses like there are in the prepackaged precut stuff.

Costco has great fruit in spring and right through late summer and early fall.  I can find things like plums, strawberries, blueberries, melons, celery, carrots, pears, apples, peaches, grapes and broccoli.  These are great snacking items and so easy to wash, prepare and pack.

If crackers are your thing... there are some really cool gourmet style crackers offered for sale at Costco and Sam's but maybe you can find them on your grocery aisle in smaller amounts.  I, honestly, love the big box with my big family and the variety is great... not to mention the different shapes for my younger ones.  Very fun food!

I truly believe that raw foods are a great source of nutrition and I encourage my children to eat lots.  We do not drink juice or send those juice boxes when they can have water and fresh fruits.  They get a juice at breakfast a few times a week and they really do not need more.  Juice can often be empty calories and have sugar and corn syrup added.  We don't really need all of that so we skip it.   I have been known, however, to send an almond or rice milk with them for a special treat for after they drink their water.  They sell them in little travel boxes now that can stay at room temperature.

My children are meat eaters but there are certain vegetarian items they really enjoy.  

They are fans of hummus and I have used a variety of different beans with much success.  The favorite is still the garbanzo bean hummus but black bean hummus is a close second.

My Black Bean Hummus 

goes something like this...

1 can or 12-14 ounces cooked black beans rinsed and strained

1-2 cloves garlic

lime juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 Tbsp Tahini

a handful of Cilantro

Throw it all in a food processor and blend thoroughly

Olive Oil - drizzle until smooth consistency to finish.

Serve with crackers or on tortilla or Naan bread

You might check out this great link for Bento Boxes or create your own versions with little Rubbermaid or other plasticware from places like Walmart, Walgreens, local grocery stores, Dollar Tree or other dollar stores or discount places.  You might even find used stuff in good condition at thrift stores such as Goodwill or Savers in your area.  Just stay away from obvious microwave damage and staining or questionable use marks.  I have also invested in a small collection of glass containers with lids for refrigerator storage.  Anchor Hocking has some nice stuff as do Corningware and Pyrex.

If lunch is fun and in fun little containers and lunch boxes then, I know, I would feel special about my lunch.  I know my own children do, too.  Add a hand sewn napkin (choose a cotton cloth with a fun pattern that they will love and individualize for each child) and a cool or funky set of plastic utensils and you have a very fun and friendly lunch experience from the minute they open their lunch each day.  Just a small way to tell them "I love you!" ....and a very appreciated one even if they don't always say it out loud.   LOL

To finish off a meal you could also put something a little special in every now and again... I recommend Monster Cookies.  They are a fave around here.  :)

More ideas coming... stay tuned!

A week's worth of meals... for less than $100.00

If I have not shared this before (my facebook people have heard this for sure) we are living the Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover.  That means that we are scraping and pinching every tiny bit we can to get out of debt as quickly as we can.  One of our biggest issues upon evaluating what we spent was our grocery budget.  We have taken that to heart and changed our ways... mostly.  LOL  Being a foodie I tend to like odd little treats in the way of food and drink when I can get it but I am learning to delay gratification in this realm.  I did buy a chocolate soda and a bag of gnocchi the other day but for the most part I have been a really good girl the past few months.

With culinary school and crazy work schedules I have been neglectful in the sharing of menus that we eat at home so I am going to start putting more of that here again.  So, without further adieu...

This week's meals include:

Taco Salad - lettuce, ground meat, tomatoes, avocado slices, grated colby/jack cheese, salsa, red onion or green onion and it all goes on a bed of tortilla chips.  YUM!

Whole wheat waffles with pecans and homemade strawberry or blueberry syrup and a side of Vermont Maple Syrup Sausage.

Beef Lasagna with broccoli and garlic toast

Chicken Fried Steak and homemade mashed potatoes with a big side salad and dessert is peanut butter pie for a birthday boy's complete favorite meal on Saturday evening!

Baking a cake for church dinner and cutting up fruit as a side and this will all go with everyone else's contribution to the meal

Grilled Chicken with veggies

Roasted Pork Tenderloin (on sale this week and gonna get two big meals out of this one) with rice and veggies

Breakfasts include homemade granola with yogurt or milk, breakfast egg burritos, a variety of hot cereals, toast and fruit.  We do not eat cold cereal in our house anymore... WAY too pricey for the budget.

Lunches are usually leftovers, big salads or sandwiches and there is always fruit for snacking.

Another key to making sure you stay under budget is to check the sale fliers and circulars and STICK TO YOUR LIST... do not buy something that is not on it.

So, that is what a week of meals looks like in our house.  Sometimes there is more vegetarian stuff and in hot summer months lots of cold meals are a hit.  In the winter there are lots more soups and comfort type foods.

If you need a little help getting started there is a great resource on the left-hand side of my blog.  It is a link straight to E-mealz.com and it gives you a week's worth of meals at a time and a shopping list to keep you on track.  Once you get the hang of it you can do it yourself but it is a great way to start off and get it under control quickly.  Go check it out!  :)