Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Yearly Right of Passage in Texas


Bluebonnets! We may take more but this is the initial set.













Fourth Week of March



Sun Mar 26th:
Dinner: Fish Sticks and homemade mac-n-cheese

Mon Mar27th:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: Ramen noodles, blackberries and potato chips
Dinner: Pancakes, bacon and eggs

Tue Mar 28th:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: burger and side salad
Dinner: Pork Stir Fry with steamed rice




Wed Mar 29th:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: sandwich with chips
Dinner: Honey Bourbon Steak Tips from the Tasty Southern Kitchen blog. The change I made was grilling the steak instead of cooking it on the stovetop. Phillip was not a fan, think the bourbon pushed it over his sweet limit.



Thur Mar 30th:
Breakfast: Donuts
Lunch: NAP, had some blackberries but mostly napped!
Dinner: Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake from Tasty Kitchen's blog. This is always good and easy to make up. I used leftover rice from earlier in the week and subbed leftover steak for the chicken.



Fri Mar 31st:
Breakfast: Donuts
Lunch: Wrap and Sweet Potato Fries ( out with coworkers )
Dinner: Hot Dogs and sauteed asparagus

Sat Apr 1st:
Dinner out with Mom who was in town!

Third Week of March

This post is after the fact so I am just going to put up the meal plan along with dinners as I can not remember all meals for all days at this point.


Sun Mar 19th:

Dinner: Creamy pasta with asparagus and bacon from the Love Grows Wild blog.


Mon Mar 20th:

Dinner: Salad with baked potato. I baked an Idaho for Phillip and a sweet potato for me. Clark ate off both our plates and Logan had a sandwich.


Tue Mar 21st:

Dinner: Phillip's birthday so I picked up Chinese!

Wed Mar 22nd:

Dinner: Grilled Teriyaki Flank Steak from the RecipeGirl blog . I can not stress enough how magical this steak was. The flavor was amazing.


Thur Mar 23rd:

Dinner: Phillip picked up Chips and Dips just because

Fri Mar 24th:

Dinner: Cheesesteaks using the leftover flank steak. I used this recipe from The Little Kitchen blog.

Sat Mar 25th:

Dinner: Friend sat with the kids so we could go out to dinner. We tried a local Italian place that opened up down the street from us. It was yummy!

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Second Week of March



Sun Mar12th:
I was not feeling up to getting anything together for dinner so it was a fend for yourself night

Mon Mar 13th:
Breakfast: cereal
Lunch: Frozen dinner, banana and peaches
Dinner: Grilled flanken ribs, cinnamon apples and steamed rice

Tue Mar 14th:
Breakfast: donuts with the boys
Lunch:




This week fell apart!!! I came down with a stomach virus on Tuesday night and just let the boys fend for themselves for a couple of days. 

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

March Grocery Lists and Total

This month's grocery trips.....hoping against hope this is it!

Mrs. Baird's Bread Outlet

4 pkgs cinnamon raisin bagels
2 loaves cinnamon raisin bread
2 loaves white sandwich bread
2 snack cakes
1 loaf potato bread

Total: $6.98


Winco Trip:

2 bottles laundry detergent   $10.96
1 case Dr Pepper                   $4.38
5 gallons apple juice              $16.40
1 gallon milk                          $.99
1 2-liter Pepsi                         $.98
2 8-packs powerade                $7.96
1 jar marinara                        $1.48
1 jar apricot preserves            $1.94
2 cans diced tomatoes          $1.12
3 jars Nutella                        $8.94
3 boxes snack cakes             $3.90
1 box fruit snacks                 $2.00
1 box pretzel crackers          $1.98
1 box pita crackers               $1.98
1 Dublin bottled root beer    $1.28
2 cans refried beans              $2.76
1 can diced tomatoes            $.56
1 box crackers                       $1.48
1 jar applesauce                    $1.98
1 box brownies                     $1.98
2 boxes fruit snacks             $3.48
1 can tomato paste                $.44
1 pkg shredded cheese         $1.85
1 pkg muffins                       $1.98
1 can black beans                 $.68
1 jar peanut butter                 $1.68
1 pkg peaches                     $1.78
1 pkg cream cheese            $1.64
1 pkg sour cream                $.78
1 skirt steak                        $6.05
1 pkg fish planks                $2.98
1 frozen pizza                     $3.98
1 pkg frozen corn                $1.00
1 pkg mixed fruit                $1.78
1 pkg frozen broccoli          $1.00
2 wedges gouda cheese       $5.60
1 pkg cinnamon rolls          $1.62
1 pkg gouda cheese sticks   $2.68
1 pkg cheese sticks             $2.98
2 pkgs sliced cheese            $6.44
1 pkg baby spinach              $1.98
1 pkg cheese                        $2.98
1 pkg baby bell cheese        $2.48
5lbs potatoes                        $1.47
~2lbs bananas                      $.80
2lbs strawberries                 $3.00
2 Asian pears                       $1.76
~1lb gala apples                  $.79
~1lb spaghetti                      $.82
~1/4lb  cinnamon bunnies   $.39
~1lb shell pasta                    $.79
~1&3/4lbs  sugar                 $.78
~3/4 lb raw sugar                 $.75
1 pkg dishwasher detergent  $2.96
~1/2 lb gunny fish                $1.13
~1/2lb pistachios                  $3.48
~3/4lb trail mix                    $2.03
~1/2lb nut mix                      $2.30
~1/4lb onion powder           $.78
1 pkg aluminum foil            $.76
1 box sandwich bags           $1.19
1 box Kleenex                     $.98
2 pkgs diapers                      $13.94
1 pkg trash bags                  $3.76
2 bags chips                         $3.76
2 bags fish crackers             $3.36
2 bottles bath wash              $1.86
1 pkg egg noodles                $.98
bar soap                                $1.08
1 donut                                  $.48

Total:  $182.19


Braum's Trip:

3 quarts ice cream             $9.69

Total: $9.69


Sprouts Trip:

2lb bag clementines          $1.98
~1&1/2lbs grapes              $1.47
1 head butter lettuce          $2.99
~1&1/4lbs red yams          $1.18
~1lb onion                         $.47
1 box fruit leather             $2.78
1 block monterey jack      $2.03
~1&1/2lbs cashews          $7.68
1 pkg pistachios                $3.99
~1/2lb dried apricots        $1.92
2  pkgs bacon ends           $3.00
1 beef shank                      $2.79
2 pkgs beef stew meat      $6.33
1 pkg pork chops             $2.47
1 pkg loin chops               $4.16
1 pkg stir fry strips          $2.19
1 whole chicken              $4.57
1 loaf french bread          $.99


Total: $47.57


Subtotal for the month::::::   $246.43

I used a $40.03 rebate I had to pay for some of the groceries so out of pocket thus far has been $206.40

In case you add up my receipts the totals will not seem to match, I use coupons and bag credits at most stores and do not account for those on here. There may come a day when I document them line by line.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

First Full Week of March

This week's menu


Sun Mar 5th:
Dinner: Grilled steak, steamed corn and buttered french bread.


Mon Mar 6th:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: MacJr, peaches and cashews
Dinner: Baked Corn Dogs from The Domestic Kitchen Blog.


I made them using the corn shaped cast iron pan
Tue Mar 7th:
Breakfast: Bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: bagel with fruit and cashews from a celebration here at work
Dinner: Slow Cooker Beef  Bourguignon from The Recipe Critic Blog. The only change I made was to skip the potatoes in the crock pot. I wanted to serve with mashed potatoes and did not have any baby potatoes at the house anyway to add. It was not bad, just not really worth the extra effort yesterday morning. I also forgot the bread in the oven until I saw smoke last night so that was another snafu.


Wed Mar8th:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch:Wendy's because AC was messed up at work and I was turning into an ice cube.
Dinner: Did not feel good when I got home so switched up the nights and made baked spaghetti

Thur Mar 9th:
Breakfast: cheese danish at Logan's school for muffins with mom
Lunch: pizza
Dinner:Layered Ham and Cheese Potato Bake from Buzzfeed. Mine looked nothing like the recipe photos. It did not taste bad and Phillip said he would eat it again.
Fri Mar 10th:
Breakfast: donuts with the boys!
Lunch: Lunch out with coworker
Dinner: Beef and Broccoli Noodles using leftover beef.

Sat Mar 11:
Dinner: Creamy Chicken Enchilada Chili from Chelsea's Messy Apron. I used leftover corn and fajita chicken from the freezer and the end of a package of cream cheese.  This was good and the leftovers will be lunch this week. It did taste similar to Taco Soup.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Grocery Total For February

The total was still above where I had hoped to be but I did manage to stay out the stores.

Grand Total::::::::283.29

Monday, February 27, 2017

Last Days of February, Beginning of March

I know I say this repeatedly but it was tough making a plan this week. I really feel worn out emotionally between the funeral some family drama and sick kids so focusing on this and picturing the week was a strain.


Sun Feb 26th:
Dinner: fend for yourselves.

Mon Feb 27th:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: out with coworker
Dinner: Beef Stroganoff using the leftover ground beef from tacos last week

Tue Feb 28th:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: out with coworker
Dinner: fish sticks and mac-n-cheese. I could not find pork chops in the freezer although I swore they were there when I made the menu plan.

Wed Mar 1st:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: frozen dinner, strawberries and a cheese stick
Dinner: Crustless quiche from A Pretty Life's blog. I made it using the leftover ham and some spinach.


Thur Mar 2nd:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch:strawberries, cheese stick, pretzels
Dinner: Hasselback potatoes from Damn Delicious blog. Served with biscuits. I intended to make a salad but the lettuce was turning so I skipped it. I went with hasselback potatoes because the ones I have on hand were too small to be baked potatoes on their own.

Right before I went in the oven



Fri Mar 3rd:
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: out with former coworkers
Dinner:At Phillip's request we had spaghetti

Sat Mar 4th:
Dinner: Pizza

Books Jan 24th Through Feb 27th



First category of books for me was audio books. I had to recheck it but I did finish White Trash: 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, I have since recommended this book to all my Facebook friends. It was a long listen but ultimately worth it, it was well researched and interesting. After finishing this one I listened to All There Is: Love Stories From Storycorps which is another I would recommend! It made me ugly cry several times. I immediately started FoxCatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John Du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold which completely the opposite of the other book's is not one I would recommend. It is not that the story is bad but it was not what it was billed as. If Mark basically wrote an autobiography that included the story of his brother's murder and that is what title and blurb should have said. I have just an hour left in this one and should finish it up while driving home tonight.


I reread a couple of Kindle books this month and then another in a series I have been reading came out. I finished Blaze in one day, it was good....not as good as some in the series but good.


In the world of print books I finished The American Way of Eating: Undercover at WalMart, Applebee's, Farm Fields, and the Dinner Table. The subject matter was interesting and informative but I am not a fan of the author as a researcher or storyteller. After this one I fell back on an author I like, Ann Lamott. I read Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith and as expected enjoyed it. Ann does tend to repeat some stories from book to book but it feels like talking to an old friend. I am currently reading 2 books at the same time due to the fact 1 of them will not fit in my purse to read while I am out and about. Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of  Correspondence Deserving a Wider Audience. I really think this is a book I want to own. I have loved reading the letters from various people and learning history through these letters. The other book I am reading is Becoming China's Bitch: and Nine More Catastrophes We Must Avoid Now. I am not very far into the book yet but like the author's centerist views and find his research to be thorough.



Fourth Week of February

Cleaning up drafts on the blog and I accidentally deleted this original post so here we are again!!!

This week had a couple of days where I did not make plans because we would be with family.



Sun Feb 19th:
Lunch: Something I do not normally fix but we did not go to church I winged a pasta dish.


I cooked down some bacon pieces, used some of the grease to cook some mushrooms and garlic. I then added a can of diced tomatoes. Once all that had simmered together I added some cooked penne and the bacon.

Dinner: Pulled pork tosatadas

Mon Feb 20th:
Lunch: Leftover pulled pork tostadas
Dinner: Wake with family

Tue Feb 21st:
Lunch: Food with the family after the service
Dinner: Grilled Cheese

Wed Feb 22nd:
Lunch: pulled pork tostadas
Dinner: Tacos but used ground beef instead of leftover pulled pork

Thur Feb 23rd:
Lunch: pulled pork tostadas
Dinner: Brinner!!! We had pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs

Fri Feb 24th:
Lunch: out with coworkers
Dinner: I broke from the meal plan and made chicken pot pie

Sat Feb 25th:
Dinner: Brown Sugar ham, strawberries and green beans


There was a lot of ham leftover and so I stripped it off the bone and then put 1 portion in the fridge to use this week and the rest in the freezer for future meals including the bone.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Third Week of February

I have not made a meal plan for this week and there is too much unknown to even try at this point. Phillip was originally was supposed to be out of town at a conference this week but we found out this morning that his 49 year old uncle had a heart attack and died last night leaving his wife and 2 kids age 8 and 4 behind. We are not sure when the service is or what we will be needed to do so I can not even make myself address the issue of a meal plan at this moment.


Sun Feb 12th:
Leftover lettuce wraps, Phillip was still sick and just ate plain rice.

Mon Feb 13th:
Breakfast: donuts and kolaches
Lunch:The remaining lettuce wrap filling
Dinner: Casserole with penne pasta, the rest of the broccoli, Velveeta, The sauteed mushrooms, and grilled chicken.

Tue Feb 14th:
Breakfast:biscuit
Lunch: Leftover casserole from dinner the night before
Dinner: Enchiladas, rice and beans out with former coworker who was recently widowed.

Wed Feb 15th:
Breakfast: donut
Lunch:Frozen dinner and chips
Dinner: Hot dog with steamed corn

Thur Feb 16th:
Breakfast: Biscuit
Lunch: Frozen Dinner
Dinner: leftovers

Fri Feb 17th:
Breakfast: donut
Lunch: lunch out with former coworkers
Dinner: Leftovers

Sat Feb 18th:
Dinner : Pulled Pork from A Mind "Full" Mom's blog served with cinnamon apples and steamed corn.


Friday, February 10, 2017

Last Trip Was a Fantasy

Sooo my goal of staying away from the store died last night....

Kroger Trip:

1 gallon milk   $1.59
3lbs rice    $.99
2 pkgs razor replacement blades   $7.98
1 can tomato paste    $.39
1 pkg mushrooms    $1.19
~1&1/2 lbs bananas   $.86
1 loaf bread    $1.00

Total: $14.66

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Last Grocery Trip for February "Crossing Fingers"

I went out on Saturday and did what we call my "big" shopping for the month. Which this month especially means I am done, I picked up all I thought we would need to get through this month.

Target Trip:

1 case diapers     $21.99
1 pkg diapers      $8.99
1 pkg wipes        $1.97
1 veggie/cheese plate   $2.29
1 sunscreen       $2.54

Total: $38.37



Winco Trip:

4 gallons apple juice    $13.12
2 gallons milk     $3.03
3 (6) packs Powerade    $11.34
2 boxes honey buns   $2.60
1 pkg goldfish    $1.68
1 box pancake mix  $.48  ( brought this to work for our food pantry)
2 boxes cheese and crackers  $3.96
1 box sandwich bags  $1.14
1 box freezer bags   $2.17
1 box cereal      $2.00
1 box snack cakes   $1.30
1 can ro-tel  tomatoes   $.52
1 jar peanut butter  $1.81
2 cans refried beans  $2.76
1 Dublin root beer   $1.28
1 bottle Teriyaki sauce   $1.58
2 packs fruit cups   $3.56
1 bottle laundry detergent    $5.48
2 bottles kids bath wash   $1.86
1 pkg fish sticks    $2.98
2 pkgs string cheese   $5.96
1 pkg frozen corn    $.95
1 pkg fajita chicken  $4.98
1 pkg mixed veggies  $.88
1 skirt steak   $4.73
2 pork roasts   $8.95
~2&1/2 lbs grapes   $4.71
1 pkg bacon pieces   $2.73
1 pkg pepperoni  $3.09
2 pkg shredded cheese  $1.96
1 pkg sliced cheese  $2.58
3 cans biscuits   $5.55
1 can bean dip   $1.88
~.05lbs ginger root  $.09
1 bag cheetos   $1.88
1 pkg spinach    $1.98
2 bags tortilla chips   $1.36
1 pkg sliced cheese   $2.58
1 head butter lettuce  $2.98
1 bag fritos   $1.88
1 bag cereal   $3.00
~1/2 lbs nordic fish   $.82
~1/4lb cinnamon gummy $.36
~3/4lbs raw sugar  $.70
~1/4lbs banana chips  $.49
~3/4lbs shell pasta    $.55
1 bag wavy lays  $1.98
1 loaf bread  $.93
1 bag BBQ chips  $1.98
1 pkg tostada shells $.98

 Total: $135.16

SubTotal for the month $268.63