Last Days of August, First of September

We are heading into the last days of the month and even though I am disappointed that my grocery budget went over this month I am learning what does and does not work. This month the menu will not be as thin this week even with the pantry challenge. Saturday was my next to last CSA pick up and so the decision needs to be made now to continue the CSA through fall, change farms and use a different CSA or even just use the farmer's market.

Sunday:
Breakfast: Kaloches
Lunch: Mexican food out with friends after church
Dinner: Vegetarian White Bean Chili from delish knowledge. We have had this chili before and it is tasty and a good meat free option since I try to have 1 meat free meal each week. I used the leftover Mayo Cabo beans from Saturday's dinner and some chopped tomatoes also leftover from another meal.

I also wanted to use up some soft bananas and try out a recipe so Sunday afternoon I baked Double Chocolate Banana Bread from Buns in my Oven. This turned out to be really tasty but how could it not. The only change I will make next time is to back off on the cook time a bit as I started developing a crust on my loaf. 



Monday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Turkey and cheddar sandwich with chips and a slice of double chocolate banana bread
Dinner: Grilled Teriyaki Flank Steak  from Recipe Girl with steamed brown rice and Ranch Roasted Carrots from Six Sisters' Stuff.

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch:Ham and cheese sandwich with slice of double chocolate banana bread
Dinner: BBQ Pork with Cheesy Grits from Kevin is Cooking. This time I left out the cayenne pepper and we liked it better.

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Treated to french toast and bacon by friend
Dinner: Soft tacos

 Thursday:
Breakfast: cereal
Lunch: ham and Swiss sandwich with cantaloupe and honeydew melon
Dinner: Hot dogs with homemade mac and cheese

Friday:
Breakfast: cereal
Lunch:Ham and Swiss sandwich
Dinner: Slow cooker roast chicken from Chew Out Loud served with corn on the cob.

Saturday:
Breakfast: Shipley's donuts
Lunch: Pizza
Dinner: Broccoli, Chicken Cheesy Pasta

Books July 26th through August 21st

I have been plugging along clearing up my currently reading list on goodreads. It was my goal last year to clear the 41 books off of it but I failed. This year I will succeed, I am a mere 3 books from accomplishing this goal!


In print I finished Abominable Science!: Origins of the Yeti, Nessie and Other Famous Cryptids which was interesting but too long. They could have conveyed the same facts in a much shorter book.  The next book was Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, A Life Reclaimed- A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings which was a heavy book to read. I had started it a long time ago and could not continue once I reached her kidnapping. I picked it back up and made it through this time. It is her story to tell but like a couple others I have read recently I was not overwhelmed. They need a ghost writer to tell their stories, one who can give them a coherent voice and time line. Once I finished this one I jumped into Life Without Oil: Why We Must Shift to a New Energy Future and that is where I am still currently. I should have it finished within the next week but we shall see.

In the world of audio books I have plowed through several starting where I left off on the last post with The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the People's Temple which it turns out was written by a local author. It was a good book but really heavy on names and minute details. I started forgetting who people were and just focused on the central story. I picked up a light book after this with An Irish Country Doctor which is the first in a series taking place just after the war. I am on the fence about reading any more of the series. I have also checked out a bunch of parenting book lately and the first in the bunch was How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life With Children Ages 2-7. The tips in the book were good and most worked on my younger one for about 2 days and then he was wise to my tricks. The next book I listened to was supremely interesting. I love to know the origins of things so Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man which you probably could tell by the name is the story of modern frozen foods. This was a quick listen so I went right into Payoff: The Hidden Logic that Shapes Our Motivations. This one was disappointing because it was a shortened version of another book I read and so all the information was not new to me. The only salvation for this book was it was only a 3 hour listen and then I was able to move onto something else.  Next up was another parenting book The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting: Raising Children with Courage, Compassion and Connection. This one was also short at just over 2 hours which was good as I really got nothing out of it. The next parenting book I listened to was also short but unlike the others I got so much out of it. From the beginning she was describing my child and I am really looking forward to reading more books by this author. Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. Finishing up that one led me to the current book of You'll Grow Out of It which I am about 1/3 of the way through now. There are a ton cued up to listen to as soon as I finish this one and hopefully I will have good things to tell you about them on my next post as well as be able to say I am done with my currently reading list!

4th week of August

This week I am focusing on using up a lot of leftovers that were generated last week.

Sunday:
Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch: Sandwich and fruit potluck at church
Dinner: Smoked Sausage and corn on the cob

Monday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Turkey and cheddar sandwich with yellow watermelon
Dinner: Pulled Pork Sweet Potato hash with eggs from 2 teaspoons.  This hash was really good and made me wonder why I have avoided hash for so long. Phillip's thought was cooking the eggs separate and then adding them to the cooked dish. I may try this next time since cooking in the cast iron skillet held the heat for a lot longer and cooked the eggs beyond over easy.

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Ham and Swiss Sandwich with yellow watermelon
Dinner: Smoked Sausage and Rice One Skillet Meal from All Things Mama.  I subbed mixed veggies for the broccoli. I also used leftover smoked sausage and rice. 

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Cheddar fries and hamburger with friend
Dinner: Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon by The Recipe Critic. I halved this recipe and moved it to the stovetop for a reduced time because I was using the leftover beef from Carne Guisada taco night. I used all the mushrooms I had on hand, many carrots and all the potatoes along with all the leftover beef. I have never liked beef stew which honestly despite the name is what this is. The texture of the cooked veggies is what always turned me off before but I will admit this recipe changed my mind. I loved the way this tasted.

Thursday:
Breakfast: Cereal and bagel provided by work for the first day of classes.
Lunch: Pizza with coworker
Dinner: Hawaiian One Pan Pasta from Taste and Tell. We did not like this one, it was so incredibly salty. I ended up throwing the leftovers straight in the trash.

Friday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch:  Ham and Swiss on a pretzel bagel with watermelon
Dinner: Meatloaf muffins with cinnamon apples. I finely chopped some mushrooms and shredded carrots to add to the meatloaf. As always I formed the meat around a bit of velveeta for some cheesy goodness.

Saturday:
Breakfast: Phillip made cinnamon toast
Lunch: grazing while cleaning house
Dinner: Mayo Cabo beans cooked with bone from a smoked pork butt with Cheddar and Cream Cheese Cornbread from Melanie Makes.

Updated August Grocery Total

CSA pick up

Farmer's Market

When working out the budget I forgot my need to include the CSA pickup in the total. This adds $24 from the CSA and $22 from the Farmer's market to my total for the month. I also headed to Winco last night to get some milk and ended up picking up a couple of other items. I was proud that I only had 5 and not half the store.

Windo Trip:
~2&1/2 lbs bananas     $1.22
1 lb mushrooms     $1.58
1 gallon milk     $.95
1 box  cheese and cracker snacks   $4.68
1 bag chips    $1.18

Total:::: $9.61

Running Total for the month: $354.73

3rd Week of August

This week I have some great Fruits and Veggies to use in the menu. We were very adventurous with our menu last week and that may continue this week.

Sunday:
Breakfast:Kaloches
Lunch: McDonald's
Dinner: Mac-N-Cheese

Monday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Ham with White Cheddar, watermelon and a brownie
Dinner: End of Summer Dinner at Rosa's with friends

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: 1/2 Club sandwich and some fries
Dinner:Garlic Rosemary Pork adapted from the Gunny Sack and Parmesan baked potatoes from Favorite Family Recipes. I put the pork in the slow cooker rather than grilling it with a little bit of chicken stock. Dinner turned out great even though it looks a bit bland in the photos. Clark really liked the "chicken" as he called it.

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Grilled chicken wrap and fries
Dinner: Sushi, dumplings and part of a spring roll. We went out after inventory as per tradition. The boys had McDonalds

Thursday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Ham and white cheddar sandwich and a pear
Dinner:Chicken Bok Choy Stir Fry from Low Carb Yum. This was not my favorite stir fry ever. It was just ok which was mildly disappointing, the recipe was so easy I was hoping it would be amazing.

Friday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Roast Beef and Cheese
Dinner: Sonic with the boys, picked them up from a friends house and a late evening swim meant dinner in the car on the way home. 

Saturday:
Breakfast: Biscuits with apricot jelly
Lunch:Grazing at the house
Dinner: Carne Guisada from The Food Charlatan in soft tacos 

Meals for the 2nd Week of August

I finally finished this week's menu. I was having a hard time thinking of what to make this week. As odd as it seems I have a harder time with more ingredients. Toward the end of the month I always make mention of having to get creative but I am finding that it is easier.

Sunday:
Breakfast: Kaloches and donuts
Lunch: Potluck at church
Dinner: Tacos

Monday:
Breakfast: Bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: BBQ provided by work as we had a working lunch
Dinner: taco soup

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: Ham and Swiss sandwich, cheese and crackers, and strawberries
Dinner:Garlic Sauce Chicken from Diethood served with steamed broccoli and baked potatoes. Mixed reviews on this dish. I really liked it, Phillip thought the chicken was a little dry which with a cooking time adjustment I think could be fixed. Clark loved it because he considers the outside plants his so we used some of his flowers and trees in the dish. 

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch:Wendy's with a friend
Dinner: One Pan Chicken and Spinach with Gnocchi from Chelsea's Messy Apron. 
Mixed reviews on this one also. I once again liked it but Phillip was on the fence. He thought it was ok although he enjoyed having gnocchi prepared a different way.

Thursday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Sandwich
Dinner #1: Retirement party for coworker: had a roll, chicken leg, and smidge of baked beans
Dinner #2: Family dinner actually was 5 hours later and consisted of Mongolian Beef  from The Woks of Life with Chow Mein from Dinner then Dessert. 
I was able to use the rest of the cabbage I bought for the wonton recipe and the leftover spaghetti noodles from the other night. I did add some mushrooms to the chow mein because I like them and I had them. On the Mongolian Beef I left out the peppers and scallions because you know we do not like heat. This was a success. The beef was pretty tender and tasty. I no longer have a Wok so I used a cast iron skillet. This chow mein was good although I would have preferred my regular noodles instead of the spaghetti.

Friday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Gyro and fries with friends
Dinner:Grilled cheese! I used the leftover bacon in Phillip's.

Saturday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: crackers, ham and cheese 
Dinner: Drunken Penne Pasta from Penne Pasta in Creamy Vodka Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms from Julia's Album.  I used fresh tomatoes so I cooked it down longer than the recipe called for as the sauce needed to thicken. I of course used some Moonshine we had rather than the vodka. I thought it tasted good, Phillip thought it was just ok. He said he would eat it again but not in the regular rotation.

I looked for a recipe because I needed to use these up.

August Groceries

I was off work on Friday and the boys were playing with friends so I did my big grocery shopping and hopefully will be done for the month. Phillip will pick up milk which helps keep me out of the store.


Liquid hand soap refill   $4.09
2 pkgs Dial bar soap  $10.86
2 pks diapers   $13.94
2 tubes deodorant  $4.56
2 pkgs pads  $6.44
2 pkgs dryer sheets  $6.61
1 box freezer bags   $1.22
1 dishwasher cleaner  $3.89
4 tubes men's deodorant  $13.64
1 bag epsom salt  $3.56 ( this is for a trade which is a different line item in my budget so I will subtract it from the grocery total)
 1 pkg dishwasher detergent tabs  $4.48
1 pkg bottle nipples  $2.00
1 pkg nitrate gloves  $1.25
2 pkgs fruit snacks  $2.96
2 pkgs crackers  $4.60
1 can water chesnuts  $.89
1 box chicken bouillon  $.74
2 boxes granola bars  $3.76
1 box kosher salt  $2.44
1 box fruit snacks  $1.48
2 bottles soy sauce  $3.48
2 boxes salt  $3.92
4 cans diced tomatoes  $2.16
1 box fruit roll-ups  $1.48
1 box tea bags  $1.58
3 boxes snack cakes   $3.84
2 pkgs boxed raisins  $2.74
2 cans tomato sauce  $.60
10 bottles apple juice $16.80
1 jar Nutella   $4.78
1 can tomato paste  $.44
1 pkg salami $3.33
1 pkg pepperoni  $3.08
1 gallon milk  $.95
1 box ice cream cones  $3.26
1 container  heavy cream  $2.01
3 cans biscuits  $5.58
1 pkg broccoli  $.98
2 pkgs cheese sticks  $4.96
2 pkgs crescent rolls $3.56
~1/2 lb sliced turkey  $2.98
~1/4 lb sliced turkey  $1.63
1 dig bone  $1.49
~1lb sliced ham $4.38
1 pkg butter $2.69
1 Dublin root beer   $1.28
 1 container margarine  $1.26
1 pkg croutons $.88
2 pkgs mandarin orange bowls  $3.76
1 pkg gnocchi  $2.70
1 bottle Parmesan cheese  $2.18
3 pkgs powerade  $11.94
1 pkg noodles  $.85
~1/2 lbs pasta shells  $.57
~3/4 lbs pistachios  $5.49
1 head of lettuce $2.98
~1&1/2 lbs potatoes  $ .96
~1/16 lb ginger root  $.06
~1/2 lb grits  $.67
~3 lbs sugar $2.02
~2&1/4lbs baking soda  $1.66
~3/4 lbs penne pasta   $.53
~1/4 lb dental dog chews  $1.87
~1/2lb raw sugar   $.55
1 pkg tortillas    $1.98
~3&3/4 lbs bananas   $1.54

Total for Winco Trip:  $193.68
Total accounting for Trade: $ 190.12

My total thus far is   $328.62- 29.50 in rebates = $299.12 or skating just under budget for the month!!!!

Most of August's Groceries

The internet was out at the house and with a repair person on the way I kept the boys out on Tuesday for a bit. I picked them up at the sitter and then we went to Winco to do some minimal grocery shopping. I ended up using some coupons with sale items which we did not necessarily need but that will be consumed soon enough.

Winco Trip #1:

1 Gallon Milk      $.95
2 Boxes of Fruit Roll Ups     $2.96
8 bottles Powerade    $3.98
1 can store brand refried beans   $.68
7 boxes cereal  $13.16
Hershey's chocolate syrup  $1.88

Total: $20.14


Last night I hit up Sprouts on the way to pick up the boys as was my plan. Wednesday is double ad day so I was able to take advantage of both sets of sales.

3 lbs strawberries     $2.94
~2 lbs of grapes        $3.37
1 pint blueberries    $1.96
~2 lbs sweet potatoes   $1.83
5 bags chips   $9.95
~1 lb bulk cheddar cheese   $2.54
~1 lb bulk white cheddar cheese  $2.57
~1 lb sliced white American cheese  $3.07
~1/2 lb chocolate almonds   $1.83
~1 lb trail mix    $4.94
~1&1/4 lbs bacon
2 pkgs stew meat   $5.76
~1/2 lb ground pork
~2 lbs ground beef   $5.04
1 whole chicken   $5.53
4 choc chip muffins   $2.99

Total: $61.46

Forgot to put the sweet potatoes in the picture

I intended to get the shredded cabbage for dinner at Sprouts but they did not have any so I made a stop at Kroger. They had a bunch of stuff on clearance that I did not "need" but stocked up on anyway

4 cans Bush's refried beans  ( these are Logan's favorite and are hard to find so grabbed some) $5.00
1 jar spaghetti sauce   $1.49
1 pkg hamburger patties   $4.49
1 pkg steak ( 2 steaks)   $3.24
4 lbs ground turkey  $10.36
2 pkgs lunch meat  $4.49
1 smoked sausage  $1.69
1 celery  $1.49
1 cont half and half  $1.00
1 pkg mushrooms  $1.69
1 floral bouquet  $2.99
1 pkg bagels  $1.99
1 pkg coleslaw  $2.79
2 pkgs peanut butter cups  $.99
2 pkgs beef bouillon  $ .76
1 pkg flour tortillas  $.49
2 pizza crusts  $1.75
1 bag chips  $1.99

Total: $49.52

Subtotal for the month: $138.50

August Groceries

August is going to be an interesting month. I want to do the pantry challenge again as it is getting messy and over full. I also need to save some money this month because there are 5 weeks which I will have to pay the sitter for and school will start mid-month.  The CSA share should help out with the veggies and drive the menu planning. I did stop last night and pick up some ice cream hoping to bribe the boys into not hearing the ice cream truck when she comes down our street. If they stick with what we have on hand it will save a bundle.

Braum's Trip:

2 containers ice cream:::  $7.38

July Grocery Totals

When my mom was in town we bought some snack groceries but I am rolling those into my vacation budget and not the grocery budget. With that said we did go to the farmer's market this past weekend. I am tempted to add that to my August budget since most of it is being consumed in August but since I did spend the money in July I am throwing it on the total here.

This was $36 worth of wares from the farmer's market. $10 of that was the goat's milk soaps the boys really wanted.

Subtotal for the month: $386.39
Farmer's Market :          $36.00
Total for July:::              $422.39

Partial Completion of Narrow Path in Backyard

The plan on the narrow section of our backyard is a "retreat" for me. I plan on putting a chair back there after I get the path done so I can hide and read while the boys are playing in the yard.

Farmer/Helper

Materials to use on the path