Our Weekly Menu

 This week's menu-- a roasted chicken and more!


**For weight loss and general health, we eat a diet low in grains but higher in protein, healthy fats, vegetables and fruit.  For the most part, we avoid wheat, corn, refined sugar, starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes and most processed foods. It is a work in progress--our diet isn't always perfect and we are far from eating all organic but we have both lost a good bit of weight since changing to eating this way in March of 2011 and we feel great! And for the record, we do eat a lot of brown rice and eggs and we're ok with that!**

I menu plan from Wednesday to Tuesday each week.  


Suppers


1. Rotisserie-Style Chicken, brown rice, green beans
2. Mexican chicken skillet (using leftover chicken from day 1), brown rice, avocado, cheese, sour cream
3. Salmon patties, spicy roasted cauliflower, roasted beets
4. Chicken gravy (using broth and chicken from day 1) over brown rice, steamed carrots
5. Eat Out
6. Meeting #1: Take sweet potatoes, crustless pumpkin pie, vanilla ice cream
7. Meeting #2: (Finger foods):Take deviled eggs

Lunches

1. Soup leftovers, cucumbers
2. Tuna salad with celery and peppers, cheese
3. Chicken dinner leftovers
4. Hot dogs, rice salad, cheese
5. Celery with egg filling (leftover deviled egg filling), random bits of leftovers, cheese, peppers, hard-boiled egg
6. Canned or frozen soup, celery with peanut butter
7. Church Fellowship: Take Crockpot chicken and rice (turned out very good!)

Breakfasts

We eat mostly eggs for breakfast at this point as they are less expensive than meat! This week we have scrambled eggs (4x) and eggs baked in a muffin tin (3x). Some days served plain and other days with cheese, avocado, a little ham or salsa.

To bake eggs in a muffin tin:


Grease muffin tin. Break one egg into each hole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until set to your liking. We like yolks still runny. Let cool a minute before removing to plate.


When I do this, I bake a whole dozen and then refrigerate the leftover for several days worth of breakfasts!

Snacks

Snacks this week are: peanut butter banana smoothies, mixed fruit and yogurt smoothie, kiwi, strawberries, bananas and apples.

We typically eat fruit for snacks!

What's on your menu this week?

**This post is part of Menu Plan Mondays!

Inexpensive Photo Album Gifts

Since we got a camera that takes better pictures, I've enjoyed taking pictures of the littles throughout the year and then compiling them into a small album for their birthdays.

Not only is it a pretty easy gift but also one that parents really love and appreciate! And all littles love to look at pictures of themselves.

Last year for Toddler Girl's 1st birthday, I had a coupon code for a free Shutterfly photo book. It turned out beautifully and I only had to pay shipping.

Without a coupon code, however, photo books are a little out of my gift budget so I began thinking of a simpler option for Baby Boy's 1st birthday in March and Toddler Girl's birthday in April.

I found that by purchasing small basic "brag book' type albums at Dollar Tree  for $1 each and then getting about 20-30 photos printed, my cost was around $5 per album. Less than shipping for a free photo book!

But...these cheap little albums are boring and the selection of covers was lacking. Hmmm... I noticed  that I could replace the cover art with pictures or my own art to personalize it, so that's what I did!

I used a combination of scrapbook paper, fabric and a little Heat and Bond adhesive (glue if using paper) to create cute monogrammed covers.

Not only are these albums inexpensive but they're a super easy and personalized gift too!

**This post is a part of Frugal Fridays!

Trash Picking!

The Small Folk will be cheering when they see today's trash picked treasures!

These were FILTHY but in good condition so I hauled them home and gave them a good scrubbing!

Our fleet of outdoor riding/push toys.

You'll notice two are the same. That's ok...we also have two toddlers here!

Our Weekly Menu

This week's menu plan-- We're having a bit of a cold snap so soup is on the menu again!
  
**For weight loss and general health, we eat a diet low in grains but higher in protein, healthy fats, vegetables and fruit.  For the most part, we avoid wheat, corn, refined sugar, starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes and most processed foods. It is a work in progress--our diet isn't always perfect and we are far from eating all organic but we have both lost a good bit of weight since changing to eating this way in March of 2011 and we feel great! And for the record, we do eat a lot of brown rice and eggs and we're ok with that!**

I menu plan from Wednesday to Tuesday each week.

Suppers
1. Hot dogs (chicken, nitrate/nitrite free), sweet potato and beet fries
2. Grilled Israeli spice chicken legs, brown rice, big green salad with Basic Vinaigrette
3. Chicken lentil soup (crockpot), baked sweet potatoes
4. Salmon, baked sweet potatoes, steamed veggies
5. Leftovers
6. Meeting #1: Take Shrimp Jambalaya (crockpot)
7. Meeting #2 (Finger Foods): Take veggies and homemade onion dip, chips (To make dip, I used about 2 1/2 Tablespoons homemade mix (click link for recipe) added to 16 ounces sour cream.)

Lunches
Green salad with tuna and lots of veggies, cottage cheese
Soup
Leftovers 3x
Hot dogs, cottage cheese, rice chips
Church fellowship: Take veggies and dip, applesauce cake

Breakfasts
We typically eat eggs as part of our higher protein/lower grain diet. This week we're eating scrambled eggs and a baked egg and cheese casserole for breakfasts.

Snacks
Our snacks are typically fruit. This week we have apples, pears, red grapes and bananas to choose from. We also add some applesauce, plain yogurt and peanut butter to some of these.

What are you eating this week?

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday over at Organizing Junkie!

Simple Toddler Activity: Clothespin Poke

Most of the activities I make for the resident toddlers are super easy and use supplies I already have. I especially like to incorporate recycled items and an activity gets bonus points if I can quickly assemble it while the toddler stands nearby waiting patiently.

Well, waiting anyways!

This activity fits all the criteria! I saw this in The Toddler's Busy Book and got an empty egg carton I had discarded that morning. Within 5 minutes, Toddler Girl had a new activity to play with!

Directions:

• Using scissors, poke a small hole in each section. Hole should be just big enough for the clothespins. 

• Place a clothespin in each hole and let toddler push them in and take them out.

This activity teaches:

• One to one correspondence--one clothespin for each hole.
• Fine motor skills.

I was surprised how difficult this was at first. She had to work to get the clothespins in and out. But she hung in there and soon had it mastered! Toddler Girl (age 2) has really enjoyed doing this.

**As always, activities such as these should only be used with supervision. Clothespins could come apart posing a choking hazard or could hurt the child. Because of this, these types of activities are used primarily as "table time" activities around our house!**

Painting Trim

 

Painting trim in the hallway today. 

I've put off this task for almost two years. Ahem...

What are you doing in your home today? 

Quick Tip for Travel

We go on occasional overnight or weekend trips. I like to have a bag for bringing dirty laundry home. While I do have a cloth laundry bag, it's quite large and also seems to be in a different suitcase than we keep using--and I keep forgetting to dig it out! So I typically like to throw in a  couple plastic grocery bags to use.

I've forgotten any sort of laundry bag during the last few little trips we've taken, so this morning when putting our suitcase away, I tucked a couple bags in the front zipper pocket.

All set for next time!

Pinecone Research Accepting New Applications

One of the ways I add to our household income is by doing surveys through Pinecone Research. These surveys usually take about 15 minutes to complete and they typically send me about 2-3 per month. They pay $3 per completed survey. Payment can be received by check or via PayPal.

Obviously, at $3 a pop, this is not a huge boost in income! But it's a little and when saved for a period of time adds up. In fact, we put all of my Pinecone survey money into our Christmas envelope last year and it nearly covered Christmas gifts for our extended family!

Pinecone is now accepting new applications. So if you're looking for a relatively easy way to make a little extra  go here to apply.

Aunt Susie

 Our last visit with Aunt Susie.

St. Patrick's Day 2012

Andy's great-aunt Susie passed away last week. She was 94 years old.

Aunt Susie lived with Andy's family helping with the children for several years when he was little. She was very much like another grandmother to he and his sister. In the last few years, she lived with Andy's parents because she was no longer able to live alone. She fell and broke her hip this winter and spent the last couple of months in a nursing home.

She lived a long life rich with experiences and always had many stories to tell!  She dearly loved her family and will be greatly missed.

We rejoice that she is in heaven with Jesus!

We love you, Aunt Susie!

Trash to Treasure Table

My husband brought this table home with him from a  flea market a few weeks ago. 

I'll admit that when I first saw it, I wasn't overwhelmed by its beauty! I liked the size, shape and style but all I could see was the amount of work it would take to make it look nice. But it was only $6 and a much nicer size for our space than the current table. In addition, we hope to possibly purchase a home within the next year or so and this small table would be a great size for many purposes.

A good cleaning took care of most of the dirt and some of the marks on the top as well as helping the smell a bit. But it still looked rough. Lots of scratches and stains.

I shot a quick message to my sister who loves to repaint and fix up thrifted furniture in need of TLC. She didn't think it would take much to get it looking presentable. Then she offered to help me paint it if I wanted to bring it to her house Easter weekend.

Well sure!

So I packed it up in the car along with a small thrifted stand that also in need of a paint job.

Road trip!

I decorate with a lot of red and lately I've been admiring the combination of aqua and red. My sister said she had some aqua paint I could use.

So we got out the supplies and started working. These pictures tell the story of turning a table that was fit for the trash into a treasure!

These projects did not take long at all with the proper tools and two of us working! We distressed the edges a bit at the end for a charming look and gave the table top a couple coats of Min-wax.

Love the finished product!

Our Weekly Menu

 The contents of last week's produce basket.

I was away for a couple of days this past weekend and we plan to be gone again next weekend. This menu plan is for all the days in between!

 **For weight loss and general health, we eat a diet low in grains but higher in protein, healthy fats, vegetables and fruit.  For the most part, we avoid wheat, corn, refined sugar, starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes and most processed foods. It is a work in progress--our diet isn't always perfect and we are far from eating all organic but we have both lost a good bit of weight since changing to eating this way in March of 2011 and we feel great! And for the record, we do eat a lot of brown rice and eggs and we're ok with that!**

Breakfasts 

• Scrambled eggs- 2x
• Baked egg cups, bacon-2x
• Baked egg cups, sauteed veggies
• Scrambled eggs, sausage- 2x 

Lunches 

• Easter Sunday Fellowship dinner-- Crockpot sweet potatoes(made plain without spices and added ingredients), applesauce
• Veggie cheese ball, celery sticks, sweet potatoes-2x
• Leftovers-2x
• Rice salad, hard-boiled eggs

Suppers

• Hot dogs, variety of leftovers
• Beef and mushroom gravy on rice, spicy roasted cauliflower, marinated and broiled tomato slices
• Southwestern Lentils, veggie, cheese
• Salmon, sweet potatoes, sauteed vegetables
• Meatza, sweet potato fries, veggie

Snacks

We typically eat fruit for snacks. This week we have a variety of pears, apples, oranges and pineapple to eat. Plus yogurt. And some coconut milk which I'll use in a smoothie one day. 

**This post is part of Menu Plan Mondays!

What's cooking in your kitchen this week?

He Is Risen!

On the first day of the week, 

very early in the morning,

 the women took the spices they had prepared 

and went to the tomb.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

but when they entered,

they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were wondering about this,

suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightening

stood beside them. 

In their fright,

the women bowed down

with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them,

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? 

He is not here; he has risen!"

Luke 24: 1-6

Enjoy your Resurrection Sunday celebrating our risen Savior!

**Easter garden idea courtesy of Pinterest!

Gingham Pennant Garland Fun

I've had the urge to make a pennant garland for a long time now. So one afternoon, I sat down with a pile of gingham fabric and used my pinking shears to cut out a stack of triangles.

Then I sewed a couple of simple garlands which I hung in my kitchen and dining room windows.

I still had a stack of triangles to use and wondered what else to make with them. A sweet pair of burlap pillow covers were the result. 

And the next day, a pair of denim pillow covers!

It's fun to create.

**Pillow covers are in my Etsy shop.**

7 Things We Don't Usually Spend Money On

I was inspired by Crystal's list of 7 things they don't buy and decided to make my own. I did add the word 'usually' because there are always exceptions from time to time!

7 Things We Don't Usually Spend Money On

1. Pop. Or soda or soft drinks--whatever you want to call them! And juice. Except for natural ginger ale for when we're sick! We drink mostly water.

2. Cleaning Supplies. I do buy dish detergent and ingredients for homemade laundry soap.  I use mostly vinegar and baking soda for household cleaning and it works great and frees up space in the budget for better food.

3. Paper Towels. We use reusable rags and cloth napkins. I do occasionally have a cheap roll of paper towels in my cabinet just in case, but not a regular purchase.

4. Dog Grooming and Bathing. Fortunately, Rock is short-haired and doesn't require a lot of grooming. But he does need baths regularly! Our kennel does a wonderful job and charges $30. While we feel that they earned every penny of that, when our income dropped a few years ago, that was one expense we chose to cut. It was a chore as Rock didn't care at all for baths and we had no idea what we were doing, but bathing him ourselves was a huge savings! He is very used to baths now and does really well. Purchasing a hand held shower head at a yard sale for $2 last summer  has made this chore so much easier and faster!

5. Magazines and Subscriptions. I receive two magazine subscriptions for Christmas each year from my mom and mother-in-law. We also get Reader's Digest as a gift. Occasionally, I'll get a free subscription that I see featured on a deal blog. While I don't subscribe to it anymore because we don't use as many coupons, All You is usually worth the cost for the coupons included, especially if you can get it a good deal on it! Magazines pile up around here so it's better that we don't get anymore!

6. Fabric Softener and Dryer Sheets. I really dislike the filmy feel that fabric softener leaves on clothes and honestly, I never been in the habit of using either one of these. So not a hard thing to bypass!

7. Most Processed Foods. While there are still a few 'splurges', eating mostly meats, fruits and veggies have helped with this! We've been particularly mindful of foods containing HFCS. And while this does save some money, I believe the health benefits far outweigh the financial savings!

What about you? What 7 things do you choose to not spend your money on?

Our Weekly Menu

I've started planning my weekly menus from Wednesday to Tuesday instead of Sunday to Saturday. This works much better with my Wednesday or Thursday grocery trips and even a more relaxed time of the week to plan rather than cramming it into a busy weekend!

 **For weight loss and general health, we eat a diet low in grains but higher in protein, healthy fats, vegetables and fruit.  For the most part, we avoid wheat, corn, refined sugar, starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes and most processed foods. It is a work in progress--our diet isn't always perfect and we are far from eating all organic but we have both lost a good bit of weight since changing to eating this way in March of 2011 and we feel great! And for the record, we do eat a lot of brown rice and eggs and we're ok with that!**

Suppers

1. Mexican chicken skillet, rice, sour cream
2. Salads with tuna, tomato soup
3. Sausage, rice and veggie skillet, roasted cabbage
4. Turkey (pre-cooked and in freezer), baked sweet potatoes, green beans
5. Eat Out
6. Finger Foods at meeting--fruit plate
7. Meeting--Salad, Italian oranges

Lunches
1. Leftover ham and lentils, salads
2. Salads with chicken
3. Sausages, cucumbers and green peppers, spinach salad, cheese
4. Birthday party!!
5. Church fellowship-- Chicken broccoli rice casserole, fruit plate
6. Leftover chicken broccoli rice casserole, peas and mushrooms
7. Canned soup, hard-boiled eggs, veggies

Breakfasts
As part of our low-grain, higher protein diet, we eat eggs almost every morning! This week, I have some sausage links on hand so we've had that with our eggs several mornings as well as some sauteed veggies some days.

Snacks
It was recommended to us by our nutritionist friend to eat fruit separately from meals. This is because fruit sugars digest differently. So we try to follow this advice most of the time especially when we eat at home during the week. For this reason, our snacks are typically fruit. This week we have apples, oranges, cantaloupe, bananas and strawberries to snack on. A bit of each variety thrown into the blender today made a very tasty smoothie!

What's cooking at your house this week? 

**This post is part of Menu Plan Monday!

This 'n That

• This time change has messed me up. I don't know why it's been so rough but I have been exhausted! Maybe I need to get more sleep... I love the longer daylight though.
• We made a quick trip to Georgia last weekend to see Andy's great-aunt. She broke her hip a couple months ago and has been declining in health. It was a good visit although not very long!
• One of the other guests at a recent Pampered Chef party told me about a produce co-op in our area. We got our first basket this week and are very pleased with the selection and quality for the price. More on this later...
• Baby Boy is almost one! He crawls at lightening speed, is starting to climb and can take a few steps when he desires. 
• Toddler Girl is almost two! She has quite the personality and is talking a lot now. We understand a lot now but some days we find our interpreting skills lacking. "Wounded Cheerios" and Lego Fries" was the best we could come up with this week!  She is like a big sister to Baby Boy  and is quite the role model for him. ;-)
• Do you have any good ideas for organizing and hanging necklaces? I have a jewelry box for earrings and other small pieces but need a better system for necklaces. Any ideas--especially something that hangs on the wall--would be appreciated. I've looked at a few ideas on Pinterest but haven't found exactly what I want yet. 
• We've had 80 degree weather here for the past week or two. Time to switch out the clothing! My mom called me today and they had multiple inches of snow in Oregon where she lives. And it's spring!

What's going on in your life?

Toddler Activity: Sticky Collage

This is one of my favorite toddler activities ever!

All that is needed is contact paper and collage materials--anything that will stick well to the contact paper. No glue or tape needed so it's super easy for toddlers to do independently once you get it all set up for them.

Of course, no matter how independent, supervision is always advised for toddlers. Or teenagers. But teenagers will probably not be as interested in creating a sticky collage!

Anyways...

Tape a large piece of contact paper to the door, table, the wall or even the floor and let your little ones go to town sticking collage materials to it.


I usually use clear contact paper but any kind can be used. Clear is good if you want to carefully cover the front of the collage when it's completed.

In my years of working with toddlers, I've done many variations on this activity. This can be done with many themes or colors of collage materials and the contact paper can be cut in different shapes-- rectangles, hearts, trees, wreaths, zoo animals...

Very fun!

**For the collage on this day, we started with pieces of scrap fabric but most of them didn't stick as well to this paper, causing some frustration of the part of the toddler. So I filled a small muffin pan with small pieces of tissue paper and construction paper and this worked much better for her!**

**On a funny note: I had to stop her several times from taking the tray of fabric scraps to the trash can. She kept picking it up and saying, "Mess. Trash!" **


Lord help me!

Cleaning Out The Car

Thinking of household tasks that somehow get put off indefinitely--cleaning out the car is always one of those at our house!

My excuse could be that we are a one car family and if I have the time to clean out the car, the car is gone for the day. But the real reason is that I don't like to do it!

So I put it off until I can't stand it anymore!

Yes. 

Since today was really nice and sunny, Toddler Girl and I went out to the car with a trash bag. We filled the whole thing up in no time at all! We also brought a small stack of things in from the car and put them away.

I had been storing two big bags of dog food in the trunk for a few weeks since we kept forgetting to bring them inside, so we brought those in too. 

Later on, I washed the windows and swept the car out.

Much better!

Could your car use a little TLC today? Or is it always squeaky clean? :-)

Soup Frozen In Muffin Tins

Just when you thought I would not find another alternative use for muffin tins, I came across this on Pinterest.

I thought this would be an excellent use for leftover soup. Especially if there's only 1 or 2 servings left.

I had an extra quart of chicken and rice soup last week so poured it into a muffin pan and froze it.

Yesterday, I popped them out and stored them all in a gallon freezer bag. Run a bit of water over the bottom of pan and they'll pop right out!

To use, just place several "soup pucks" in a mug and microwave.

I haven't actually tried the nuking in the microwave part yet but I don't see why it wouldn't work!

I'm thinking this would be a great way to have chicken soup on hand for sick season!

**And in other muffin pan news, Jessica shares how to make lemon cubes. In muffin pans!

What A Difference A Year Makes!

Recently I came across this post and noticed this picture of Toddler Girl (back when she was still Baby Girl!) a little over a year ago.

2011

 I barely recognized that baby in the picture! So when we headed to the park today, I grabbed my camera in hopes to get a similar picture. But this time, a picture of a big girl!

 2012

Here she is at almost 2 years old already!

Where has the time gone?

A Last Pot Of Chili

March typically signals the end of soup season at our house. At least heavy hearty soups!

I asked Andy this morning if he minded having chili for dinner even though the weather has been somewhat warm.

His response: "Not at all!"

Chili is one of his favorites and it seems I don't remember to make it often enough.

As I prepared dinner, I realized that this may be one of the last pots of soup for this winter!

We'll soon be moving from heavier hot foods to lighter and cooler choices. Salads and 'cold plates' will be making more of an appearance on our table once again.

I don't have a recipe for chili. I brown a pound of ground beef and then just dump ingredients in until it looks and tastes right.

• Diced tomatoes
• Chopped green pepper
• Diced onion
• Tomato sauce
• Lentils
• Pinto beans
• Sometimes kidney beans
• Chili powder
• Garlic or garlic powder
• Salt
• Water for right consistency

 When beef is almost done cooking, I like to throw the peppers and onions in with it and let them saute a few minutes. Combine all ingredients with cooked ground beef. Bring to boil on stove and then turn heat down to lowish and let simmer for an hour or so.  Or cook it in the crockpot like I did. Turn on high for 1-2 hours and then on low for 3-4.

Don't you love my exactness? :-)

Serve with cheese, sour cream and green onions for garnish. I had some fresh avocado, on sale at Bi-Lo this week, which we sliced and ate on our organic baby lettuces, also on sale this week!

Yummy!

What springtime foods are you looking forward to eating?

Scrubbing

Today, I had "scrubbing the high chair and booster seat" on my list as a chore to do during nap time. It's one of those tasks I tend to put off and we all know how awful those chairs get if not scrubbed down often!

I like to use dish detergent and warm water in a spray bottle for this task. Just spray it on, let it soak for a  minute, then wipe down with a wet rag.

But my spray bottle wouldn't work for me today so I dumped the soapy water into a bucket and just scrubbed with a rag. This worked just as well!

A toothbrush specifically set aside for cleaning works wonders for cleaning edges, corners and any other spot that needs extra friction to get the job done!

The high chair and booster seat looked so nice and shiny after just a few minutes of scrubbing that I decided to go ahead and wash down our table and chairs while I was at it.

Nice and clean!

What have you been putting off that you can do today?

Expensive Free-Range Chicken Challenge

We were totally excited to discover that our grass-fed beef source was now also offering free-range chickens. I ordered two with my recent beef order to try them out.

These birds are BIG. Of the two I purchased, one was 6 pounds and the other 8 pounds. At $3.00 a pound, this means that these chickens average about $20 each. The health benefits and superior quality are totally worth the price of course, and we feel that making strides towards purchasing as much local grass-fed and free-range meat as possible is important. But still... yikes!

I took the 6 pounder out of the freezer a couple weeks ago and decided to challenge myself to getting at least 6 different meals out of this expensive bird. Six low-grain, healthy meals.

Hmmm... could I do it?

Well, I do love me a good personal challenge! So I cooked up that chicken, and kept notes on a slip of paper hanging on my fridge so I could remember the details of how I used it.

Here are my notes and how this challenge played out. I share this in hopes it will be an encouragement and give some fresh ideas for stretching your grocery budget!

Goal: 6 meals for the 2 of us from one chicken.
Chicken details: 6 pounds; approx. $20.

Meal #1: Rotisserie-style crockpot chicken served with baked sweet potatoes and steamed green beans.
Amount of meat used: Each of us had two moderate portions. Conservative but not stingy. Meaning we were well-fed!

After this meal, I picked every little bit of chicken off the bones and stored it away in the refrigerator. Also drained off the cooking broth and saved that in a jar. The juices from the Rotisserie-style chicken makes the BEST gravy. The bones were also set aside for making homemade chicken broth.

Note: We did not eat all these chicken meals one right after the other. Although it probably wouldn't bother us that much!

Meal #2: Chicken gravy, green bean and rice casserole served with broccoli.
Amount of meat used: A generous cup chopped chicken plus approximately 2 cups pan juices from cooking the chicken.

To make gravy: Melt 1/4 cup butter over low heat and whisk in 3 T. flour. When smooth and bubbly, slowly add broth, stirring constantly and cooking until thickened. Milk can also be added, if desired.

To make casserole: Combine gravy, chopped chicken, cooked green beans(leftover from Meal #1) and approx. 3 cups cooked brown rice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread into greased 9 inch square baking dish. Top with a little reserved gravy, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.
This casserole made enough for 2 meals. 

Meal #3: Chicken and Broccoli Crustless Quiche served with tomato soup. (Broccoli leftover from Meal #2.)
Amount of meat used: 1 cup.
One meal plus 2 slices leftover. 

Meal #4: Chicken Patties served with sweet potato fries.
I used this recipe for salmon patties substituting chicken for the salmon. I left out bread crumbs and added 2 eggs instead of one. Also added some finely chopped onion and celery.
Amount of meat used: 2 cups finely chopped chicken.
One meal--every bite was gobbled up!

Meal #5: Vegetable stir fry with chicken served with rice.
I used a variety of vegetables I had on hand--broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and bell pepper--and seasoned with soy sauce, salt and garlic powder.
Amount of meat used: 1 scant cup.
One meal plus one lunch portion leftover.

Can we make it to 6 different meals? Let's see...I have only 1 1/2 cups of chopped chicken left.

Oh wait... remember those bones we saved? Let's throw those into the crockpot overnight and turn them into chicken broth! Then we can make soup.

Meal #6: Lentil and Chicken Soup served over rice.
Amount of meat used: 1 cup chicken plus 2 quarts broth.
Used lentils, onion, canned tomatoes, celery, 1 quart water, spices.
One pot of soup made enough for 3 meals!

Yay! I made it to 6 meals!

But wait... what's that lurking in the fridge? 

Another 1/2 cup chicken plus 1 cup broth!

What can I make with that?

Meal #7: Baked rice with chicken and veggies added in.
Amount of meat used: 1/2 cup chicken plus 1 cup broth used as part of the liquid.
Made enough for 2 meals-- one shared with friends and enough for another meal for the 2 of us.

Verdict: 11 meals plus several small leftover portions!

Disclaimer: This was for a family of 2 healthy eaters. A family of 4 with smaller appetites may be able to come close to equaling this. Otherwise, tweak to fit your family and individual needs and tastes. A whole chicken is a great way to stretch your grocery dollars as it can usually be made to last several meals!

How do YOU stretch a chicken? 

Celebrating The Ordinary Days

Life is just so daily. 

Mary Engelbreit

In the spirit of celebrating the ordinary, the mundane, the daily.... I'm sharing pictures from one day last week. I enjoy getting a peek into the routines and lives of other homemakers; maybe you'd like a glimpse of mine. 

 

On this day...

The little ones were here.

Rag wreath info here.

Like I said, the littles were here!:-)

Laundry soap was made. 

Doesn't the grated Fels Naptha bar soap look like cheese?

My "personal shopper" made a CVS run for me to pick up a few good deals. 

He even used some rain checks and coupons!

Toddler Girl loves wearing my shoes around the house. 

Love the dolly blanket hanging down here!

What ordinary simple moments are you treasuring today?

What's For Lunch? Meatza!

It's been nearly a year since we started on a serious diet change which eliminated most grains, especially wheat, starches, sugar and processed foods.  It's been almost that long since we've had homemade pizza. Which is something we ate a couple times per month previously.

We still do eat pizza and some other carbs occasionally but that is typically when dining in the company of other people.

We've made adjustments to a lot of sandwich and bread type meals and haven't looked back. Want  a burger? Eat it bunless! Want a sandwich? Try a lettuce wrap! Or eat deli meats and cheeses plain without the bread. Sloppy joes are delicious on rice with lots of toppings. Taco meat and fixings can be made into a salad forgoing the tortillas and taco shells.

But pizza... it just isn't the same to eat the toppings without the crust. And wouldn't that be sort of like soup?

So I was we were excited when I ran across this recipe idea for Meatza, a pizza with a meat crust!

This was the first time trying it out. I didn't have bacon on hand so left that out. I added Italian seasoning and some onion powder to the meat/egg mixture and topped our Meatza with green peppers and green olives.

Can you say, "Delicious!" It was awesome. And I'm quite impressed that it did indeed look like a pizza coming out of the oven and the meat crust held its shape when cutting and serving.

Like. Like. Like.

We are Meatza fans!