Lessons Learned

Earlier this month I mentioned the January Grocery Challenge.  I decided that I was going to spend for the whole month what we typically spend in a week at the store.  In fact, it was actually at the lower end of what we spend in a typical week.

So here we are, at the end of the month.

I have learned a few things.

• It CAN be done. We obviously couldn't do this every month but once or twice a year, yes, we can.  We have 4 cents left over.  :)
• I need to pay more attention to what is in our pantry and freezer. As the month wore on, I got more creative in my meals.  The other night I knew I had a package of pork chops and plenty of potatoes. So I did a little Googling and found a recipe that used those two ingredients.  And we had a dinner.  Our fridge is a lot less cluttered.  I got some items out of the freezer. And I used up some of my "stockpile" in the pantry.  I just need to inventory on occasion to see what we have.  Which brings me to my next point...
• I am the one who makes the menu. I take a LOT of things into consideration when I do that including our plans for the week, time at home, different types of food, different meats.  But I will say that I tend to base most of my decisions on what I am in the mood for.  And that is okay sometimes. I make the menu, I do the shopping, I do the cooking.  There has to be some perk. :)  BUT that being said, sometimes I need to base my menu more on the foods we already have in our house.  Buying a big bag of potatoes is MUCH cheaper then buying a few at a time. But it won't do any good if I just use a few.  So I need to plan more meals (not necessarily back to back) that use those potatoes.
• I have learned a LOT about food storage including what can be frozen.  I am still learning. I am so thankful to live in the world of Google where I can find what I am looking for with a few clicks. I have always had fresh herbs go bad on me because I can't use them all in a short period of time.  Never occurred to me that I could freeze them.  Or that I could freeze half and half which I need on occasion but not regularly.  I am learning.
• I have discovered how much I can make "home made" with ingredients on hand. I have found two different sandwich bread recipes that I just LOVE.  Toward the end of the month, I told the kids we would not buy more bread to save up our money.  Instead I made it. At first, they kind of balked.  I think one child said, "I kind of miss store bought bread now that you bake it all of the time..."  But now that they have had a few tastes of the good stuff, they actually get excited when they see a new loaf on the counter.  I am not saying we will never buy bread again, but I plan to make it more than we buy it.  (That also allows me control in what goes into it...)
• I have learned to prioritize.  I LOVE pistachios.  But they are not cheap.  And my Christmas stash ran out about a week ago.  I eat them daily.  Except not now since I am out.  So I started eating a pistachio blend I had in the pantry.  It is not the same thing.  Good but not the same.  However, it wouldn't be fair for me to spend all of that money instead of buying a gallon of milk for the family. :)
• Never look a gift horse in the mouth.  When we went to Mississippi a couple weeks ago, I came home to find two gallons of milk and some bananas...gifts from my parents. If they hadn't done that, I am not sure we would have quite met the challenge.  My poor son has been out of his favorite beverage for about a week now.  He is very grateful to have picked up a few from his grandma this week.  
• I have learned a LOT about convenience foods.  We have moved away from a lot of packaged meals but there are times we do rely on convenience foods.  One example:  Uncrustables. I am not saying that I will not buy them again. I will.  But I have already told my dear daughter (who eats them like crazy) that I will be buying one or two packages for the month.  Otherwise, she can make her own.  Just today I was reading up on how to make my own chicken nuggets and microwave macaroni and cheese.
• Simple is best.  We don't need 5 different bags of chips. Maybe 2 or 3 but not 5.  From now on I will have a couple of bags of favorites in the pantry and no more. We waste a lot of food because the kids will ignore one kind of chip while they eat up another.  The ignored chips go stale and get tossed.
• Substitute with what I have.  The potatoes and pork recipe I just used called for red potatoes. But my potatoes were Yukon gold.  I went with the Yukon gold.  It didn't drastically alter the taste and I used up some food we already had.
• I need to "prep" food more.  Like use meat bones to make broth.  Or chop up whole onions and freeze them until needed.
• I need to watch flyers for sales and stock up when I see a much needed item (like chicken).

These are just a few of the lessons I learned from the January Food Challenge.

Though the challenge may be over for now, I plan on using these little lessons to help me with my February Food Challenge...

cutting our regular weekly bill (monthly average) by 25%.

Reba

Celebrating the Little Things...

Due to the food sensitivities of one of our kiddos (that I really will address in part 2 of "Food for Thought" at some point), one thing we haven't been doing is eating out.

Now if you know us at all, we used to eat out fairly regularly.  I am not sure it was weekly.  But it was at least twice a month.  And maybe sometimes more than that.

At the beginning of October, when we changed up our child's diet, that all came to a screeching halt.

I will confess, once in a great while, hubby and I grab a bite to eat.  Those rare date nights.

And three of the kids have had a meal or two out with friends.

But our family eating out has been non-existent.

Much to the dismay of our kids.

It is funny the things we grow accustomed to.

I can't say they accepted it gracefully.

Almost every Sunday after church (a common time for eating out), our kids have asked, "Can we please, please, please eat out today?" 

Sometimes they even chant restaurant names.

I have tried to be VERY careful about how I address it.

I don't want one child to feel the brunt of the siblings because of it.

I mean, it isn't the child really.

It is us.

Us because we know the child and the needs.

It is our decision.

That being said, here we are three months later.

We have learned a lot along the way. 

We are still learning.

But we at least have a pretty good idea about what works.  And what doesn't.

Since the holidays are over and things have settled down, I felt like it was time.

Time to try.

It used to be when we went out to eat that we would hop in the car and then try to figure out what kind of food we were in the mood for.

Easy peasy.

This time wasn't quite as easy. 

I had to do some legwork before.

I really researched both restaurants and menus.

Changed my mind a few times.

And finally settled on one.

Then I packed a few items up in a little "cooler".

Did a quick menu rundown with the child.

And finally we were ready to go.

I should mention that I post a menu in the kitchen every week, so the kids knew what we were doing.

And they were besides themselves with excitement.

One kid was counting down.  Daily.

The food sensitive kid could barely sit still Friday.

His teacher even knew that he was going out to eat.

So finally it was here.

We hopped in the car (with our little cooler) and went.

And it was good.

The kids (younger) were a bit out of practice with manners and took a bit of time to settle down.

But they finally did.

And we enjoyed every minute. Well, most minutes.

The ordering was a bit complicated but the restaurant handled it all with ease.

The food was good.

And I think the whole experience was much more appreciated this time around.

Happy and full, we came home and watched a little t.v. as a family before heading to bed.

The best part?

We didn't have any major fallout today (usually it is about a 12 hour delayed reaction).

It gives me hope.

We won't be eating out every week.  (We don't really need to anyway)

And our eating out locations will definitely be limited from now on.

But we now know it is possible.  We can do this.  

So today, we are celebrating the little things...

Reba

A Challenge for Myself

I am taking a break from the many Christmas pictures (because, yes, there are more to come :) to put my challenge in writing. Or rather typing.

This is a challenge for myself. And I guess it is for my family too since it will affect them. :)

Here it is...

For the month of January, we are going to TRY (as in make every attempt) to eat on 1/4 of our usual food budget.  I actually don't have a true budget (which is another challenge for 2013) but I am basing this on what we normally spend a month.

The kind of funny thing is what I am proposing is what actually was the total food budget for hubby and me when we first got married.  Now that is what we spend in a typical week!

Why?

I don't know.

The other day I was driving home from my umpteenth grocery store stop feeling a bit ill about all I spend a month.  That on top of the holiday spending that takes place in December, and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. 

I LOVE to cook and have had so much fun trying new recipes, making favorites, cooking healthier and more from scratch this past year.  And we eat at home more now than ever; eating out is a rarity.

But with that (along with a child's food sensitivities), our spending has gotten out of control.

I know that housing is supposed to be like 30% of your monthly income (or less) but should food be that high on the list?

So as I was driving, I thought to myself, "Why not live out of the pantry and freezer as much as possible for the next month?"

The ironic thing is I had a friend do this in the past and thought she was a bit crazy. :)  But now it makes perfect sense.

My freezer is still full of beef and some other foods I have bought while on sale.  Our pantry is rather stocked.  Hubby just stopped at a specialty food store and picked up some much needed supplies for our food sensitive kiddo.  And we got some of our favorite (and more expensive) treats for Christmas (like pistachios, Ghirardelli chocolates, Red Bull for the hubby, etc).  So we are stocked up.

We are not going to starve.

We just need to use what we have.

I tend to plan for the week by going solely on my cravings.  I don't have to be pregnant to have those. I just get in the mood for a food and decide that will be on our next menu.

The problem is that I go out and buy for the week, ignoring the items we already have that we have stocked up on.

Which comes back to why I need to do this challenge.

Don't get me wrong.

This is not a long term solution. We can't do this forever.  With six of us, our pantry and freezer will eventually be empty. And those people around my table will still expect some kind of meal on the table.

But maybe for just a month, we will see what we can live with food wise and what we can't.

I don't expect us to have a lot of extra money at the end of the month to go live it up with...I am pretty sure my December spending already used up part of January's anyway.

But I like a good challenge.

I am eager to see what we can do.

Even if that means no shrimp for me. :(  (I almost got some the other day since it wasn't technically January but felt like that was cheating, so I put them back)

So I am putting it out there, in print.

Now I have people (all 3 or so readers :) to hold me accountable.

I do have a few guidelines for myself:
Paper products/personal care will NOT count in the total.

While I want to be frugal, some things are non-negotiable.  Things like milk, bread, and fresh fruit.  I may try to be more economical buying them but they will have to be bought. I will just have to be careful about the extra stuff I get.  I cannot skimp on the healthy stuff just to stay in budget.

Hubby is heading to the store in a bit and that total WILL count for January since the bulk of the food will be used in January.

Eating out will not count in the total. We rarely eat out any more other than an occasional sushi night.  But that is a separate part of the budget, so if we do, it will not count against us.

I can always use coupons to help but that is not my strong point. :)  Plus coupons are almost always for processed foods which we are not as likely to use these days. But it is a possibility.

Snacks and supplies for school (my class) do NOT count in the total.

While I don't want to share how much my total is for the month (mainly because I am embarrassed to admit what I typically spend :), I will give occasional updates with a percentage.  If I can remember how to do the math to figure that out.

So there it is.

It is out there.

Now it is up to me to meet that challenge head on.

Reba

Planning Meals

This is a post from my food blog that I thought I would share about how I plan meals around here. It may not be of interest to anyone, so if it isn't, just come back this weekend. I am sure I will be much more entertaining in another post. Well, as entertaining as I get. I am a mom, a wife, a teacher. I am not exactly living the life of an entertainer.

Back to the post:
The other day I mentioned a meal we were having later this week. A friend joked, "You know what you are having later this week? I don't know what I am having tonight!"

The truth is I have to.

I have to plan.

Otherwise we would be eating out a lot.

Planning ahead is the only way I can survive.

I typically plan a week at a time. I used to plan for two weeks (mainly to avoid trips to the grocery store) but that was difficult. Plus I usually ended up with two carts of groceries which was really hard to navigate. I have also found that shopping for a week at a time reduces a lot of wasted food. I used to buy foods thinking I might cook something in the future. Then I would forget it was in the freezer. Now I only buy essentials ahead of time (ground beef is a good bet, especially if I can buy a big package and split it into 1.5 pound portions).

Anyway, I usually plan on Saturday or Sunday. I really prefer Saturday because I am much more likely to get to the grocery store on Saturday. On Sunday, with church and the mandatory nap (that gives me energy for the upcoming week), getting to the store is near impossible unless my dear husband volunteers to go. (And thanks to the iPhone app Grocery IQ, that is much easier these days to do :)

To actually plan the menu, I first look at our family schedule. When will we be home? When won't we? How much time will I have to cook? Those answers determine a lot.

Right now Mark and the big kids are attending church on Wednesday nights, so that is an automatic "On Your Own" night. It is really hard to cook for just me and the little people. Plus we need an "On Your Own" night once a week. It gives us a chance to use up on leftovers. The kids love it because they get to choose what they want (Ramen noodles a lot of times). And as much as I really do enjoy cooking, it is nice to have a night of just relaxing.

Thursdays (currently) are practice nights. The girls both have sports practices. So that is a crockpot night. That way, the food is warm whenever we have a chance to eat. We tend to eat in "waves" on those nights.

The weekends are reserved for the more complicated meals since I know we will have time. During the summer, that is the ideal "grill" time. I have also recently started having one child a week help me plan a meal to actually cook with me some time that week. The weekend is a good time for that too.

Typically in a week we have (at least one) chicken meal, a meal with beef, and a meal with pork. We are obviously not vegetarians. In fact, a couple people in our house don't consider it a meal without meat. Anyway, another night is normally either breakfast for dinner (like eggs and cheese or pancakes with a side of bacon) or sandwiches of some kind. In the winter, soup is a weekly event, grilling during the summer. We still do eat out on occasion, so if I know that is going to happen, I take that into account with the menu. And when Daddy is going to be out of town, a night with popcorn and Shakes or smoothies is a strong possibility. It is just kind of our special thing to do.

I try to vary the cuisines. Mexican typically in a week. Some kind of Italian. A little Chinese on a really good week.

And I typically do a mixture of the "tried and true" recipes and at least one new recipe (typically from Pinterest or food magazines).

I try to make meals that most of the kids will eat. I cannot please them all every single day. I have one who won't eat potatoes or veggies or even fruit. Another one doesn't really care for eggs. The youngest used to not eat much meat but that has changed a lot in the past year. And yet another is very picky and likely to turn her nose up at most things I make. I just try to make side dishes that will feed those tummies. I refuse to make separate meals. If I know it is something they absolutely won't eat, I will allow them to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But really, that is rare. Usually SOMETHING offered on the table works for them. If anything, I figure they will be really hungry for breakfast the next day. (The one exception is when we make bacon wrapped grilled shrimp, we will throw some chicken on the grill because that is more a mom and dad favorite than a kid favorite, though in recent months, they have been eating it too)

Oh, and we do almost always have some kind of bread. And I do make an effort to offer veggies or fruit which is a challenge since most of the kids are not big veggie eaters. Sometimes carrots and Ranch is the best I can do.

It all sounds like a lot of work, but really, the actual menu part comes together in moments. (By the way, I usually post the menu on the fridge and point children to read it when the questions start coming..."What's for dinner?") The grocery list and the actual shopping is my time consuming project.

I will say though that once I started doing this, our eating out (especially fast food runs) dropped. Even on nights I am really tempted, I remember that we have a meal planned with all of the ingredients, and MOST of the time, I go ahead with my plan to cook. Most of the time. :)

I am not sure we save tons of money not eating out as much because our grocery bill is not exactly cheap. Ever try buying for a family of six? I am still working on being a more frugal shopper. (Not that I am really extravagant, though we do have one "splurge" meal a week typically)

But for those precious family moments around the table, eating a homemade meal, talking about our day, it is worth it.

I wouldn't trade those moments for anything.

Even the long trips to the grocery store.

Reba

Mama Mia!

No, not the movie/musical, though it is showing here at our local arts center. I actually have yet to see it. I really need to.

It just came to mind because I have been thinking about food. And when I think about food, "Mama Mia" comes to mind as the chef kisses his fingertips (and hopefully washes them promptly before cooking anything else).

Food.

Oh, dear food.

What is it about being home, in my sweats, all day long, that makes me think about food?

I dread weigh in next week (as I sit here and type rather than exercise like I should).

Let's just look over the last week and a half...

Hmmm, last Tuesday I think it was (first snow day), I had a hankering for Mongolian Beef and Fried Rice. Yes, healthy I know. It sure was yummy though. Of course, then we had to have a little Chocolate Lava Molten Cake to go with it...

Then one day last week when I was done being home and cooking, we picked up pizza. Have I ever mentioned how much I love pizza? Then, one week later, we had pizza again...

My sister mentioned something about homemade donut holes (using refrigerated biscuits and a Fry Daddy) on Facebook last week. I had forgotten about those. We used to make those when I was little. I mentioned it to Lauren, my eternal sweet tooth child. She was ready to go for it. So we did. We have had that twice.

Miracle Lasagna. I don't know why it is called that. The only miracle will be if I don't gain a few pounds from eating it.

Hopping John and fancy little ham sandwiches for Super Bowl Sunday.

Pumpkin cake with caramel sauce.

Apple cinnamon muffins.

Chocolate lava molten cakes again after our dear neighbor traipsed through the snow to deliver the one egg I was missing to make this dessert after I mentioned I was missing an egg on Facebook. Yes, Neighbor of the Year! (My children actually broke out into a cheer when the egg arrived. Not joking at all. We are a sad bunch.)

Baked potato soup.

Pancakes and bacon.

I think child 2 has made two batches of brownies now. She loves cooking and baking (did I mention her sweet tooth?). She is using mixes but she makes them all by herself.

Several batches of hot chocolate. Okay, I didn't drink any...I don't drink hot drinks. But my kids are going through it like crazy!

Deviled eggs.

The newest recipe: Cheesy Chicken Marsala. Oh yum. I had to stop myself from licking the dish clean. I love Marsala sauce.

Catfish Hole. How could I forget Catfish Hole? Best hush puppies in the whole world. And crab legs. Yum.

I know, I know, I am doomed.

But it sure has been yummy!

Reba

Top Chefs

This past year, we transitioned from reality shows to cooking shows for our television entertainment. We started watching shows like "Chopped", "Top Chef", "Iron Chef", "Cake Boss", and "Cupcake Wars". Ironically, I often watch these shows while I exercise on my elliptical. :) It isn't that we spend hours watching t.v., but after the kids have gone to bed, we often turn the TV on while we do other things like fold clothes, exercise, surf the Internet. And these are often the shows we turn to in such times. I have a real appreciation for food, so watching these shows is really fun for me.

I didn't realize how much influence these shows had until we started looking at our food presentation at restaurants, using "food lingo" like "reduction" of a sauce, and heard our oldest daughter ask one day how her "plating" was for whatever food she had just made.

I often watch these shows with my mouth watering, secretly hoping that I can be a guest judge, especially if the food consists of seafood of any kind.

Anyway, I digress (as usual).

Not long ago, I mentioned to Mark that my favorite dinner to make is tacos. It is the one meal ALL of our kids love to eat and we (being Mark and me :) usually make it together. It is rare for us to both be in the kitchen otherwise.

So not long ago, Mark said, "I think you and I need to cook together more often...like maybe try a new recipe together every other week (coinciding with our "off weeks" with Life Groups)." That is one reason I love this guy. He hears what I like, then tries to figure out a way to make that happen more often. Isn't that thoughtful? It is such a precious way he shows love for and to me.

Anyway, tonight was our first cooking night. We let the kids choose a video to watch (a treat for them), and we went to work in the kitchen. It was my turn to choose a menu. I have been craving PF Chang's, so I did a little google search and found a PF Chang's copycat recipe for Mongolian Beef. That is one of our favorites there. I also found a recipe for fried rice. Then as a bonus, last night on another friend's blog, I saw a recipe for Molten Chocolate Cake. I thought that might be a fun dessert which is a rarity around here...usually dessert is a small piece of candy.

There was a snafu here and there. I really thought I had gotten ginger which is important in Chinese cooking. No luck there. So we had to use the powdered stuff. And for whatever reason, I did get fresh cilantro which doesn't typically go with Chinese food...oops! My fried rice didn't turn out quite like I had hoped...I think it needed a little more sauce and a little more fried. But an hour later, we had a nice little meal on the table...

The Mongolian Beef was delicious. It tasted just like PF Changs' beef to me. The fried rice...well, it worked. By the end of the meal, it was pretty much all gone, so I guess we didn't do too bad for our first time.

After dinner, I sent the kids (and Mark) to watch the end of the movie they had started, then I went to work on the molten chocolate cake. It is a very easy recipe. I have these nice little ramekin dishes I have been itching to use...they came in perfect for this. The only trouble I had was that a couple of the cakes ended up being a bit more molten than I had hoped, but in the end, it all goes to the same place, right? We scooped out a little ice cream and then had some dessert...

I will say the dessert was a HUGE hit with my kiddos. They seemed to enjoy every bite. Maria told me about every two minutes just how good it was. I think we will be making that again some time. (I will also say that it was really RICH. I LOVE chocolate but I could not eat it all...)

So, for our first cooking night, I would say overall it was a thumbs up experience. I loved being in the kitchen with my main man. And of course, food is a particular love of mine. So how could we go wrong with this combination?

Mark gets to decide the menu in a couple weeks...wonder what we will cook up next?

Reba

Pumpkin Muffins

One of my co-workers brought warm pumpkin muffins to an in-service earlier this year. I was hooked. I started making them for the family every few weeks. Now, we pretty much eat them weekly. And when we run out, Joshua immediately asks me to go to the grocery store so I can make more. I figure they are somewhat good for you with pumpkin in them. :) (By the way, I stock up on pumpkin any chance I get...there was a shortage earlier this year and likely will be another one next year). Anyway, I had a request for the recipe...here it is. Simple, but yummy!

Ingredients:
1 small can of pumpkin
1 bag of cinnamon chips (made by Nestle I think...around here I can only get them at Harps, and I am not just saying that due to family connections...if you go to the Nestle website and put in your zip code, it will actually tell you where to find them. If you cannot, then I have heard chocolate chips or butterscotch are good substitutes.)
1 spice cake mix

Mix the three ingredients together. Nope, no water, oil, etc. needed. Just those ingredients. It is really thick and gets difficult to stir, but keep at it. I figure I am building up my arm muscles anyway.

Fill muffin tins, even with tin. A couple of things I have learned. Using cupcake liners is a LIFESAVER. Helps so much during clean up time. If you don't use them, spray well. They are sticky. The other trick I recently discovered...I am now using a cookie scoop. You know the thing that you push on with your thumb and it pushes the dough out of the scoop? Well, that thing is amazing. When I used to try to fill the tins with a regular spoon, I had to scrape because as I said, it is really sticky. I can whip those things out in no time with the cookie scoop. And I use it for the muffins way more than I do for cookies. I can easily make 12 large muffins and 12 or so minimuffins with the recipe. It makes a lot.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

You can also add raisins, nuts, etc. And some friends have even added a glaze. However, for us, the three ingredients is ALL we need. Yum, yum, yum. (Oh, and if you have any left over, just warm in microwave the next day...good as new!)

Enjoy!