Life's Accidental Journey: July 2007

Monday, July 30, 2007

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Cheesy Chicken Casserole, chopped raw veggie plate

Tuesday - Chicken Casserole (left-over) with fried spinach

Wednesday - Crustless, 3 cheese, bacon and onion quiche', salad

Thursday - My Family's Favorite Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce

Friday - Meatloaf sandwiches, chips

For more menu ideas be sure to check out Laura at Organizing Junkie!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Frugal Friday Bananas

Okay, most of you probably know that you can freeze really ripe bananas to use later in breads, smoothies etc.

But did you know that you can freeze them in the peel?

I didn't know this until a couple of years ago. I had read that you had to peel the banana and then double wrap it in plastic wrap and then put it in a plastic bag, get the air out and seal the bag.

So even though we'd frequently have bananas that were just past the eating stage, I'd sometimes throw them out because I wouldn't have time (or the motivation to be honest) to do all that work.

Then I read somewhere that you could just throw the whole banana in the freezer. Peel and all.

Well, that was certainly easier than the other method. So I gave it a try. And was amazed that it worked perfectly.

We now have a whole drawer in our freezer devoted to bananas.

To make a smoothie, I take a couple out and run them under hot water just to knock the frost off and then use a knife to peel the skin off and in the blender they go.

To use in muffins or bread, simply thaw (in the fridge overnight is probably best, but I do it on the counter top for a couple of hours too), cut off one end, and squish the banana goo right out like toothpaste from a tube. It's the perfect banana mush.

My Family's Favorite Smoothie

2 frozen bananas, peeled
frozen strawberries, a big handful (probably a cup or two)
milk or oj (enough to make it milkshake texture)

All you do is throw it in a (good strong) blender and whirl it up.

For more Frugal Friday, be sure to check out Crystal's Blog.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Who Doesn't Love Dairy?

Okay, I rarely do blog contests. But I mean, really. Milk? Who can resist that all by itself? And organic milk? Come on!

Five Minutes For Mom is hosting a giveaway for approximately $300 in free Horizon Dairy coupons!

Thanks for the heads up Andrea!

A Link

I was really convicted while reading this post in Camilla's Blog today.

I encourage you to read her words on this topic and see if you're not touched in the same way.

Monday, July 23, 2007

New Reading List

A package came in the mail with some books I'd ordered. I love, really ♥ love ♥, having books in queue. I've updated my reading list if anyone is interested.

Menu-Plan-Monday

We've got another weird week of activity. Today thru Friday, we have a Girl Scout camp from 6-9pm. The girls are pretty excited about it, but that is just terrible for supper plans. We have to leave here by 5:15. Which would mean that we would have to begin to eat by 4:30 in order to get done and get it cleaned up.

Four thirty doesn't work for my family.

So we'll eat early, and then probably have to have a little snack when we get home at 9:30-10:00. Ick.

Monday - Grilled chili burgers and hotdogs (leftover from the cookout yesterday), Pasta Salad

Tuesday - Soup and (Fried Bologna) Sandwiches

Wednesday - Jennifer's recipe for Baked Ranch Chicken. Squash casserole. (I didn't get to make this last week, because we didn't make it to the butcher. I've got it now and am really looking forward to it. We don't have the camp on Wednesday, so I plan a full supper.)

Thursday - Chicken (leftover) burritos, cheesy beans

Friday - Soup and (Egg Salad) Sandwiches

For more great recipe ideas be sure to check out Laura's Blog!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Frugal Friday Campusi

My Frugal Friday tip is timely (at least to me) as I'm rushed out the door this morning to our local home school curriculum fair.

As a homeschooling mom I'm always searching for the best deals on curriculum. Well, last year someone told me about a place online that you could search the internet for just such books with either the ISBN # or Title. Or you could search by Author or keyword. This place is:

Campusi

(Think of it like "Campus" and then "I" for internet.)

When you type in what you need, and then click "compare prices" you get several sites listed with the price of the book including shipping. Listed from least to most. You can choose if you'd like to buy the book new or used in many cases.

It is bar none the best way I've found to get specific books that I'm looking for in my home school endeavor.

For more Frugal Friday tips, be sure to check out Crystal's Blog!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Frugal Deals

Despite the fact that I've not posted about it at all in a few weeks, I have continued to hone my frugal shopping skills. It seems to be easier now and is taking much less of my time.

This is what I bought last week at C*VS. After coupons and E*CB's I paid $1.95 out of pocket. And I only did that because I didn't want to lose the nickle out of a 2.00 E*CB. After this shopping trip (if memory serves) I had 9.50 E*CB's left, and "earned" 22.00 more E*CB's.

This is what I got yesterday.

8 pk V*iva paper towels
12 pk C*ottonelle bath tissue (double rolls)
4 jars R*agu
4 jars S*kippy Peanut Butter
16 pk E*nergizer AAA batteries
16 pk E*nergizer AA batteries
250 caplets E*xcedrin Extra Strength
100 caplet E*xcedrin Migraine

After my E*CB's and coupons, I paid $26.62 out of pocket. And I got back 35.00 in E*CB's.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Tuna Patties

Recipe (and trust me, I use the word loosely) follows pics.

I start with several small, or 3-4 big packs of light tuna. Of course you can used canned as well. I found these packs on sale Buy-1-Get-1-Free. I've also heard that you can substitute canned Salmon, but have never tried it that way.

As per most of my concoctions, chop some onion. This is about a cup.

Throw in a handful of Parmesan cheese.

A cup or so of breadcrumbs

This is the special ingredient. A couple of tablespoons of this makes them nice and spicy. Of course, use which spices you like.

A handful of shredded cheese (they do not taste cheesy at all, this just tends to make them moist and can certainly be omitted)

A tablespoon or so of chopped garlic or to taste

Dump in the tuna (and not shown but needed, 1 large egg)

I have no idea why Worcestershire is so good in this, but it is. I use a few shakes.

Mix it all together

Spoon it out on a greased pan.

Douse liberally with olive oil (this gives it a crunchier exterior)

In the oven at 425 for about 15-20 minutes. I then turn on the broiler to brown them a bit.

And this is the finished product

Preheat oven to 425

Recipe:

7 single serve packs of light tuna (or possibly equal amounts of Salmon?)

1 cup of chopped onion

½ cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup (or more) bread crumbs

2 T Greek seasoning (or whatever you like)

½ (or so) cup of shredded cheese

1 T chopped garlic (or to taste)

1 L Egg ***Not pictured, but needed to bind ingredients***

1 T (or so) Worcestershire

Mix and shape into patties, place on greased baking pan. Douse with olive oil. Cook for 15-20 min. at 425. May need to broil for a minute or two afterward to brown a bit.

Serve with homemade tartar sauce (and my girls like to add ketchup, like with fish sticks?)

***These are actually very, very good fried. Just mix them up as directed and then fry in small quantities in a skillet with an inch or so of med/high hot oil until golden brown (several minutes per side). But be warned, they splatter and pop hot oil like nobodies business. That's the only reason I bake them now. I can't stand the oil splatters.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Menu Plan Monday

It's gonna be a busy week. We have our local Homeschool Curriculum Fair (the big one) here this week and I'm chairing the volunteer committee that staffs one of our co-op's booths.

So all the more reason to stay organized with a meal plan. And also keep it really simple this week.

Monday - Spicy black beans and rice with chopped onion. Homemade bread.

Tuesday - Bean soup (made from leftover spicy black beans) and cornbread.

Wednesday - Jennifer's recipe for Baked Ranch Chicken. Squash casserole.

Thursday - Egg Salad Sandwiches, some type of easy pudding pie.

Friday - Eat Out (Homeschool Curriculum Fair all day)

For more menu ideas, be sure to check out Laura's Blog!

Friday, July 13, 2007

Frugal Friday Laundry

Washing clothes for a family of 5 can be expensive. Or not so expensive.

A few ways I save on laundry:

1. I can spend $15 at S*ams for a big bucket of laundry detergent or I can spent approximately 52¢ to make the same amount.

I've posted before about how I make my own laundry detergent. I've done this pretty much exclusively for a year now and have had no problems (or complaints) at all.

2. I wash everything I can in cold water, year round. The only thing that gets hot water is the whites (occasionally) when I use the Yellow Out. I know it's cheaper to use cold water on the gas bill and it's more than likely easier on the clothing.

3. I usually (time permitting) hang most of our clothing* to dry year round. I do not have an outside clothes line. I have this:

Just a simple drying rack.

It's easy to put up in the pantry on laundry day. It holds almost 2 full loads of clothing if I'm mindful of how I position them.

Use the ends.

Here I've added hangers to add extra space.

The stuff is dry in a few hours unless the weather is icky and even then it's dry the next day. And I don't have to run the dryer, which saves on the electric bill. Plus, it's definitely easier on the clothing than machine drying. No shrinking!

The contraptions collapses to nothing when not in use. And is easy to put away.

*Towels and jeans get dried in the dryer. I've found that they tend to want to mildew if hung to dry inside.

ETA: You can find the info on washing soda (one of the ingredients in homemade laundry detergent) here. Thanks for bringing it up CharityGrace

For more frugal tips, be sure to visit Crystal at Biblical Womanhood.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

A Question

Andrea asked if I still made my own laundry detergent and expressed that she was having trouble finding the washing soda. I started to answer her in the comments, but it got too long. Plus I figured she might not be the only one having trouble finding the washing soda, so I wanted to tell how I ended up with it as well.

Yes, I still make almost all of my own laundry detergent. Occasionally if I get super busy and I find some on cheap, cheap sale (less than $2 for 40+ loads) then I'll buy it.

Finding the washing soda was a problem for me too. And no, you can't (in my experience, though I've heard of other that do it) substitute baking soda.

First thing I would do is to ask the store you shop at if they would carry it for you. Lots of stores are happy to get shoppers requests. They may want the UPC# and it's either 33200-03020 or 033200-030201. :D

You can also call this # -

1-800-524-1328

And they'll tell you what stores stock it closest to you. This is what I did and found that they sold it in a little town 30 or so minutes away. The next time I was close, I grabbed about 7-8 boxes while I was there.

And of course you can always buy it online.

http://www.soapsgonebuy.com/

or

amazon.com

But the shipping is really high, so be mindful and see that you are still getting a great deal.

I know this sounds like a lot of work just to get the ingredient, but the savings can be so huge that I definitely think it's worth the effort.

Hope this answered your question. I love to talk about this type of thing, so any other questions/comments ask away!

Nothing to See Here

The schedule is going pretty good. I've not had any big changes so far but I did fail to schedule a time to clean the top of the fridge. That is the dustiest place for some reason. And it's visible when you walk down the stairs.

Today the sun it out. WooHoo! It's been rainly and cloudy and muggy for so many days that I thought my hair might start to grow mold. Really (almost). The humidity here in this valley can at times be over the top.

I failed to mention that a few weeks ago my bread machine died. Yes, the lovely $5 monstrosity. The machine actually still works, but the rubber piece that holds the kneading bar in came out and when I attempted to wash it out, some little teeny springs came out?

This same bread machine that I paid $5 for is now going used on eBay for like $100. And they're old and you can't buy parts for them anymore. So I decided to go with another one. I'll post about it when it comes. My family really misses the homemade bread.

At Stephanie's Blog she'd mentioned a while ago about some Celtic Sea Salt.

We've typically bought salt from a little natural store downtown, but it's not convenient at all. So I finally broke down and got the kind that Stephanie recommends.

I've not tried it all yet, but the salt and pepper in the grinders are pretty unbelievable.

Best get the day going.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

My Family's Favorite Meatloaf

I've been meaning to put this up for a while. I think I could literally make this meatloaf every single week and have no complaints.

Recipe follows pics.

You start out with bell pepper and onion. I only had a small bell pepper from the garden. It worked out fine. Just throw in as much as you have/want. This is probably about 3/4 cup of bell pepper and 2 or 2 ½ cup onion. I like it chopped fairly small.

Dump it into a big mixing bowl with about a cup of Parmesan Cheese.

I add basil, parsley, oregano, and chopped garlic. I don't measure, but if I had to measure I'd say roughly a tablespoon of each spice and 2 T of garlic. I also add a big splash of something wet. I like a seasoning called Allegro. But Worcestershire is fine too. (A big splash equals about 2 T I would estimate.)

Spray a baking dish. This one is odd sized. About 9 X 11. Any size will do. It just changes the cooking time if the meatloaf is thicker.

Add a good squeeze of some type of mustard.

A big squeeze of ketchup (maybe 1/2 cup).

A couple of eggs.

A couple of cups of breadcrumbs.

Appr. 2 lbs. of your favorite hamburger meat. Note: I really don't think the leanest works well in meatloaf. We use ground chuck.

Appr. 1½ C shredded Cheddar cheese.

Mix it up GENTLY.
This makes such a HUGE difference in the finished product. If you don't want it dense and heavy, mix it gently. Then gently shape it into your sprayed pan. (Excuse the gloves. I just have to.)

In another small bowl, pour in 8oz or so of tomato sauce and about ½ cup ketchup.

Add a big splash (appr. 2 T) vinegar.

Add in about 1/4 cup of sweetener (here I'm using Splenda)

Mix it all into a nice sauce.

Drench the uncooked meatloaf with this yummy sauce.

And after a mere 75 (or so) minutes, you have your finished meatloaf.

RECIPE:

Preheat oven to 375°

1 Large Chopped Bell Pepper
1 Large Chopped Onion
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 T Dried Basil
1 T Dried Oregano
1 T Dried Parsley Flakes
2 T Chopped Garlic
2 T Allegro or Worcestershire Sauce
2 T Mustard
½ Cup Ketchup
2 Large Eggs
2 Cups Breadcrumbs
2 lb Ground Chuck
1½ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Gently mix all of this together and pat it into a prepared dish.

Tomato Topping:
8 oz. Tomato Sauce
½ Cup Ketchup
2 T Vinegar
¼ Cup Sweetener (Sugar/Splenda)

Mix well and top the raw meatloaf. Cook meatloaf uncovered for approximately 75 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temp of 165°.

Monday, July 09, 2007

Chore List

Okay, here is my newly revised chore list. The girls are expected to do as well on each chore as I would do. They get a hefty (in my opinion) allowance for all their hard work.

Again, this schedule was created for Fall when the middle of the week is busy with outside activities. That's why M and F is so full.

We've not even done this a full week yet, so it's likely to change as I see fit. But I think it's a good place to start.

Jillian (9)

Monday -

1. Water Dogs

2. Make Sure Dogs Have Food (leave note for Daddy if they are low)

3. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

4. Make Bed

5. Get Mail

6. Fix Couch

7. Dust

8. Wipe Down Stove, Refrigerator and Dishwasher

9. Mop Downstairs Bathroom

10. Put Bags in Empty Trash

Tuesday -

1. Water Dogs

2. Make Sure Dogs Have Food (leave note for Daddy if they are low)

3. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

4. Make Bed

5. Get Mail

Wednesday -

1. Water Dogs

2. Make Sure Dogs Have Food (leave note for Daddy if they are low)

3. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

4. Make Bed

5. Get Mail

6. Fix Couch

Thursday -

1. Water Dogs

2. Make Sure Dogs Have Food (leave note for Daddy if they are low)

3. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

4. Make Bed

5. Get Mail

6. Empty Trashes

Friday -

1. Water Dogs

2. Make Sure Dogs Have Food (leave note for Daddy if they are low)

3. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

4. Make Bed

5. Get Mail

6. Fix Couch

7. Windex (Including Back Porch Table)

8. Carry Up Clothing and Shoes From Laundry Room

9. Mop Upstairs Bathrooms

Saturday -

1. Water Dogs

2. Make Sure Dogs Have Food (leave note for Daddy if they are low)

3. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

4. Make Bed

5. Get Mail

6. Stock Bathrooms with TP

Julia (12)

Monday -

1. Unload and Load Dishwasher

2. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

3. Make Bed

4. Vacuum Downstairs (Including Steps)

5. Clean out Car

6. Wipe Down Banisters, Light Switches and Doorknobs

7. Clean Upstairs Bathroom Counter tops and Mirrors

8. Empty Trashes

Tuesday -

1. Unload and Load Dishwasher

2. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

3. Make Bed

4. Fix Couch

Wednesday -

1. Unload and Load Dishwasher

2. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

3. Make Bed

Thursday -

1. Unload and Load Dishwasher

2. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

3. Make Bed

4. Fix Couch

5. Put Bags in Empty Trashes

Friday -

1. Unload and Load Dishwasher

2. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

3. Make Bed

4. Vacuum Upstairs

5. Clean out Car

6. Carry Up Clothing and Shoes From Laundry Room

7. Clean Laundry Room Counter top, Mirror, Freezer and Washer and Dryer

Saturday -

1. Unload and Load Dishwasher

2. Carry up and Put Away Clothes

3. Make Bed

4. Fix couch

5. Refill all Soaps

Mom -

Monday -

1. Menu-Plan-Monday

2. Detail Kitchen

3. Microwave

4. Fridge and Freezer

5. Wipe Down Cabinets

6. Toaster Oven

7. Make Bed

8. Laundry

9. Make any Needed Convenience Foods. Muffin Batter. Yogurt. Instant Oatmeal. Granola. Etc.

10. Review Sales Papers

Tuesday -

1. Make Bed

2. Put up Clothing

3. Errands

4. Put away everything bought

Wednesday -

1. Make Bed

2. Put up Clothing

3. Help Mike with anything while girls are gone

Thursday -

1. Make Bed

2. Put up Clothing

3. Tubs and Toilets

4. Make Grocery List

Friday -

1. Make Bed

2. Laundry

3. Kitchen Floor

4. Frugal Friday

5. Make Menu Plan For Monday

6. Weeding

7. Sweep Front Porch

8. Put up Clothing

9. Do Bills and Office Work

10. Sweep Back Porch

11. Work on Kitchen Prep. Making Breadcrumbs. Shredding Zucchini. Cookie Dough to Freeze. Etc.

Saturday -

1. Make Bed

2. Put up Clothing

3. Work on Detail Project (ex: clean out a drawer, organize pantry, etc)

4. Work on Monthly Project or Fun Stuff with Girls

I've obviously not included things for myself like making meals or cleaning up from meals. The only reason I've put things like "make bed" is because I tend to forget about it at times. And I'm terrible at hanging up clothing until it gets to be a stack.

We each have a notebook to keep the lists in. This one is mine.

Here it is opened up.

There is an overview sheet that summarizes each day stuck down in the page divider.

And then the actual list for the day is put in a clear protective sheet and put behind the page divider.

So how do you go about scheduling your week with children?

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