Start planning....keep in mind your family schedule...you don't want to plan a meal that takes long to cook when you have activities planned that get you home later than normal....those are the nights for simple meals - soups and sandwiches, a roast that's been cooking all day in a slow cooker, something along those lines (and yes, sometimes our family does chicken nuggets and french fries because they are fast and easy, the kids will eat them, and it gets everybody back on schedule when we have late nights).
If you do a roast and have a good amount leftover, it does NOT have to stay as a roast. You can add the leftovers to a vegetable broth with fresh veggies and have a yummy soup; throw shredded roast in with cooked (and cooled) rice, some soy sauce, veggies and you have a beef stir fry; slap some on some bread, add cheese and heat, and you have a quick and delicious sandwich....there really are LOTS of recipes you can use to turn leftovers into completely different meals. The trick is to go through your cookbooks (or find recipes online or check out some books from the library) and have some ready to go.
Remember to have variety...while you might like red meat several nights a week, most people's bodies can't properly digest a huge amount....alternate with poultry (ground turkey instead of ground beef in spaghetti makes a healthier meal with little to no taste difference), seafood, or even meatless meals (3-cheese tortellini in marinara sauce, for example), and change up the vegetables as well....don't always have broccoli or some other vegetable as you and your family will get sick of it...alternate....have fresh salads every few nights, introduce new veggies every now and then (a big one in our house is the California blends either plain or with cheese - these are broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots..nice and healthy).
Those are the basics.....as you get more confident, you can add salvage stores to your shopping routine - GREAT discounts on the supplemental foods - side dishes, condiments, drinks - but seldom on meats.....now, take a deep breath and get started!.....Next up...basics of saving on the things kids need....
Monday, August 9, 2010
saving when it comes to kids and food - part 1, food
So, it's almost time for the kids to head back to school...time to get ready to start saving in a pretty big way.
I have been meal-planning for well over a year now (after a brain-fog induced break of about 3 years), and the money I've managed to save has allowed for us to pay off a car, reduce the amount of our home equity loan by a huge amount, and upgrade some thing that we normally stick to the lowest level of (kids shoes, for example). A friend of mine recently asked if I was still working on saving money and then asked if she and i could sit down one day so that I could show her how to get her grocery budget under control. With 4 children, I can see where she's coming from, so I said that once the kids were back in school, we should get together and I'd sit down and show her what *I* do, understanding that it won't be exactly the same for her.
So, here's the basics to get going on meal-planning and saving money.......
Initially, it will require a little bit of time because one of the key components of getting this to work is knowing what you already have available to you. So, a couple of days before you are ready to shop, you should start taking a food inventory. Yes, I said a couple of days....if you try to do it all in one day, you will end up tired, frustrated, annoyed, and ready to trash the whole plan. Start with 1 of the following: pantry, fridge and attached freezer, cabinets, or...if you have one....a separate freezer. Just plan on taking the inventory of 1 of these...if you get to more than one, consider yourself in bonus-land! Since I've been doing this for a while, I can take inventory of all the places we store food in less than an hour. You are NOT taking stock of things like salt, herbs, spices, oil, etc., but instead are looking for the bigger ingredients, side dishes, etc. (soups, pasta, veggies) as well as main ingredients (beef, seafood, poultry).
Plan on your initial inventory day(s) to total about 3 hours of work....you need to be fairly accurate when taking inventory so that you don't find yourself in a jam later in the month. For example, instead of writing ground beef, write "3 lbs ground beef". For me, I tend to purchase the value packs that weight about 5 pounds and divide it into separate ziploc bags of 1 pound each (or thereabout since my small kitchen scale seems to keep hiding from me...just make the amount in each bag close to equal). This way, you can see that, depending on the recipes used, you can make 5 nights of spaghetti, tacos, hamburger stew, or other recipes that call for 1 pound of ground beef/hamburger.
Ok, now that you've gotten an accurate list of what you have (and hopefully you have like things grouped together - makes things MUCH easier! - try putting all beef together, all pork, all poultry, all seafood, all veggies, then misc), it's time to see what you have and what you need to purchase....well, almost......this is where you can take 1 of 2 paths. The first is to start planning meals based on what you already have without seeing what is currently on sale at the local grocery stores. The second path is to set your inventory aside and go through the circulars from the grocery stores, making a list of what they have on sale (which is what you are going to be buying more of than anything else).
I switch back and forth between these 2 steps depending on what we have on hand when I do my inventory (which, after you've done your first month of planning doesn't take anywhere near as long!). Currently, I have meals planned out through 8/23, mainly using what we had on hand, with minimal grocery purchases. Payday is coming up, though, so it's time for me to double-check what we have left and plan as far as I can, then go through the circulars and coupons to prep for the next grocery run.
So, say you want to go the circular route first. You need to have your inventory out as well because, if you have a lot of poultry, you don't really want to buy too much more, especially if your beef inventory is small or non-existent. Go through ALL grocery store circulars, even if they aren't stores you typically go to....if they are stores you pass in your daily travels, even if you haven't shopped there before, make a note of what they have on sale that you will use. That's a BIG thing...a bargain isn't a bargain if the item will just sit and not get used by the family. I tend to have a notebook with me when I go through the circulars and I have a page for each grocery store where I write down everything, including the price, that I'm interested in buying (it also helps if you note the brand...like NVgranola bars for Nature Valley instead of just writing granola bars - makes for easier coupon matching later).
Once you have your potential shopping lists done, do a quick read-through to compare the prices at each store - cross off the ones that are most expensive, but make sure they are identical items....don't cross of steaks at one when another store doesn't have steaks, but has roasts...make sense?? Now you start your planning. You should do your best to have a meat, veggie, and carb at each meal....sometimes it will be difficult (especially if you have picky eaters), but do your best.
By now, some of you are probably ready to give up because this is too hard or takes too long, or you have small kids and no time....baloney! Kids sleep, and you can do this in little chunks of time....or, it mustn't be important enough....Our grocery bills have been cut in half (if not more) since I started doing this on a regular basis....that's a decent amount of money (say, close to $500 a month) that I have been able to put towards paying off debts....your choice.
Ok....try to have a variety of meals during a week - heck, you can even start by just planning for a week to get used to meal planning. Also, remember that leftovers are our friends, not something to wrinkle your nose at, then toss when they go bad. If you have children, try to keep their tastes in mind, but do NOT cater to them. They need to learn to try new things, and in our house, the rule is that you must have at least 2 bites of something. If you don't like it, you are more than welcome to make yourself a PB&J...but nobody will make it for you.
contd...................
I have been meal-planning for well over a year now (after a brain-fog induced break of about 3 years), and the money I've managed to save has allowed for us to pay off a car, reduce the amount of our home equity loan by a huge amount, and upgrade some thing that we normally stick to the lowest level of (kids shoes, for example). A friend of mine recently asked if I was still working on saving money and then asked if she and i could sit down one day so that I could show her how to get her grocery budget under control. With 4 children, I can see where she's coming from, so I said that once the kids were back in school, we should get together and I'd sit down and show her what *I* do, understanding that it won't be exactly the same for her.
So, here's the basics to get going on meal-planning and saving money.......
Initially, it will require a little bit of time because one of the key components of getting this to work is knowing what you already have available to you. So, a couple of days before you are ready to shop, you should start taking a food inventory. Yes, I said a couple of days....if you try to do it all in one day, you will end up tired, frustrated, annoyed, and ready to trash the whole plan. Start with 1 of the following: pantry, fridge and attached freezer, cabinets, or...if you have one....a separate freezer. Just plan on taking the inventory of 1 of these...if you get to more than one, consider yourself in bonus-land! Since I've been doing this for a while, I can take inventory of all the places we store food in less than an hour. You are NOT taking stock of things like salt, herbs, spices, oil, etc., but instead are looking for the bigger ingredients, side dishes, etc. (soups, pasta, veggies) as well as main ingredients (beef, seafood, poultry).
Plan on your initial inventory day(s) to total about 3 hours of work....you need to be fairly accurate when taking inventory so that you don't find yourself in a jam later in the month. For example, instead of writing ground beef, write "3 lbs ground beef". For me, I tend to purchase the value packs that weight about 5 pounds and divide it into separate ziploc bags of 1 pound each (or thereabout since my small kitchen scale seems to keep hiding from me...just make the amount in each bag close to equal). This way, you can see that, depending on the recipes used, you can make 5 nights of spaghetti, tacos, hamburger stew, or other recipes that call for 1 pound of ground beef/hamburger.
Ok, now that you've gotten an accurate list of what you have (and hopefully you have like things grouped together - makes things MUCH easier! - try putting all beef together, all pork, all poultry, all seafood, all veggies, then misc), it's time to see what you have and what you need to purchase....well, almost......this is where you can take 1 of 2 paths. The first is to start planning meals based on what you already have without seeing what is currently on sale at the local grocery stores. The second path is to set your inventory aside and go through the circulars from the grocery stores, making a list of what they have on sale (which is what you are going to be buying more of than anything else).
I switch back and forth between these 2 steps depending on what we have on hand when I do my inventory (which, after you've done your first month of planning doesn't take anywhere near as long!). Currently, I have meals planned out through 8/23, mainly using what we had on hand, with minimal grocery purchases. Payday is coming up, though, so it's time for me to double-check what we have left and plan as far as I can, then go through the circulars and coupons to prep for the next grocery run.
So, say you want to go the circular route first. You need to have your inventory out as well because, if you have a lot of poultry, you don't really want to buy too much more, especially if your beef inventory is small or non-existent. Go through ALL grocery store circulars, even if they aren't stores you typically go to....if they are stores you pass in your daily travels, even if you haven't shopped there before, make a note of what they have on sale that you will use. That's a BIG thing...a bargain isn't a bargain if the item will just sit and not get used by the family. I tend to have a notebook with me when I go through the circulars and I have a page for each grocery store where I write down everything, including the price, that I'm interested in buying (it also helps if you note the brand...like NVgranola bars for Nature Valley instead of just writing granola bars - makes for easier coupon matching later).
Once you have your potential shopping lists done, do a quick read-through to compare the prices at each store - cross off the ones that are most expensive, but make sure they are identical items....don't cross of steaks at one when another store doesn't have steaks, but has roasts...make sense?? Now you start your planning. You should do your best to have a meat, veggie, and carb at each meal....sometimes it will be difficult (especially if you have picky eaters), but do your best.
By now, some of you are probably ready to give up because this is too hard or takes too long, or you have small kids and no time....baloney! Kids sleep, and you can do this in little chunks of time....or, it mustn't be important enough....Our grocery bills have been cut in half (if not more) since I started doing this on a regular basis....that's a decent amount of money (say, close to $500 a month) that I have been able to put towards paying off debts....your choice.
Ok....try to have a variety of meals during a week - heck, you can even start by just planning for a week to get used to meal planning. Also, remember that leftovers are our friends, not something to wrinkle your nose at, then toss when they go bad. If you have children, try to keep their tastes in mind, but do NOT cater to them. They need to learn to try new things, and in our house, the rule is that you must have at least 2 bites of something. If you don't like it, you are more than welcome to make yourself a PB&J...but nobody will make it for you.
contd...................
Friday, July 23, 2010
Summertime chaos
Wow, sorry to have not posted anything since March. I looked back and that was around the last craft fair, which always leads to craziness, then the end of school, and summer travels, as well as summer school work for the kids, and house repairs for my and hubby....it never seems to end.
Anyway, we are getting tighter with our grocery budget, not really because we are more financially limited but because hubby will be starting a new job and will be "buying back" his prior govt (military) service, which means that we need to have the money ready. By doing this, he'll be applying his military time towards government retirement, which isn't a bad thing.
In the meantime, I'm up to my eyeballs in new craft items and trying to keep the children relatively safe this summer, while taxi-ing them to swim lessons, etc. wow....seems like it wasn't that long ago that summer vacation started, and now it's already almost over.....but before school starts back up, there are: doctors appointments, vet appointments (new kitten), teeth to be extracted (DD again), paperwork to be filled out, lessons to learn, sewing to be taught, recipes to be experimented with.....wow.....
Anyway, we are getting tighter with our grocery budget, not really because we are more financially limited but because hubby will be starting a new job and will be "buying back" his prior govt (military) service, which means that we need to have the money ready. By doing this, he'll be applying his military time towards government retirement, which isn't a bad thing.
In the meantime, I'm up to my eyeballs in new craft items and trying to keep the children relatively safe this summer, while taxi-ing them to swim lessons, etc. wow....seems like it wasn't that long ago that summer vacation started, and now it's already almost over.....but before school starts back up, there are: doctors appointments, vet appointments (new kitten), teeth to be extracted (DD again), paperwork to be filled out, lessons to learn, sewing to be taught, recipes to be experimented with.....wow.....
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Competitive?? Me????
So, I've been told that I'm competitive....ok, I'll own up to it in some respects. However, I find it hard to believe that "competitive" is often the first thing that people think of when they hear my name. Now, of course, I'm entered in a "fabric stash busting contest" on one of my favorite websites - Pattern Review.com. Well, the contest started in February, but I was busy working on business-related projects then, so I couldn't really get to clearing out my stash. It ends on the last day of the month, and I'm trying to figure out how much stash I can actually work with and get cleared out. But competitive??? Nah....see, if I was competitive, I would be furiously working to catch up to the leader, who has over 70 yards of finished projects entered in the contest.
I'm actually having fun and not even worrying about trying to win. It's pretty cool to just sew and clear out fabrics that I've had for a long time (years in some cases). Of course, there is always more fabric and more projects....what I need is more time to complete all that I want to do....lol.
Will be working at the local craft fair/show this weekend, so new sewing until Monday because I'll be too wiped out. Then I have to upload all the new items into my Etsy store....so maybe no sewing until the middle of next week....crap... Of course, I could always just say the heck with the contest and just get to work on the summer items that I have for myself and the ones that DD picked out for herself (too cool having my 6yo pick out her patterns AND her fabric!). I also have fabric to make 2 pairs of cargo pants for DS, but I think I'll wait until closer to the end of summer for those - he tends to really shoot up over summer vacation, probably because I decrease his ADHD meds and increase the food available for him (and allowing him to graze all day probably helps as well!).
So....not sure what the point was to all this....just random brain drain, I suppose. I will be trying to finish off the rest of today's wall (MBR, wallpaper), which really should only be 3 more strips of wallpaper, but a lot of cutting around things (lightswitch, smoke detector, door moulding, etc.), so more labor intensive than it really needs to be. Want to start looking for artwork to put up on the walls because it looks SO huge and empty now that it's lighter, but hubby says we should wait until the room is done before looking at artwork. We've already vetoed Surrat, Dali, and Degas. Cassat isn't high on the list either. I'm thinking Monet, but that might be too light for a room that is already done in light colors....maybe VanGogh.....of course, these would all just be prints.....and there's always the other option of "whatever I find at: Target, Ross, Michael's, TJ Maxx"....lol
night all
I'm actually having fun and not even worrying about trying to win. It's pretty cool to just sew and clear out fabrics that I've had for a long time (years in some cases). Of course, there is always more fabric and more projects....what I need is more time to complete all that I want to do....lol.
Will be working at the local craft fair/show this weekend, so new sewing until Monday because I'll be too wiped out. Then I have to upload all the new items into my Etsy store....so maybe no sewing until the middle of next week....crap... Of course, I could always just say the heck with the contest and just get to work on the summer items that I have for myself and the ones that DD picked out for herself (too cool having my 6yo pick out her patterns AND her fabric!). I also have fabric to make 2 pairs of cargo pants for DS, but I think I'll wait until closer to the end of summer for those - he tends to really shoot up over summer vacation, probably because I decrease his ADHD meds and increase the food available for him (and allowing him to graze all day probably helps as well!).
So....not sure what the point was to all this....just random brain drain, I suppose. I will be trying to finish off the rest of today's wall (MBR, wallpaper), which really should only be 3 more strips of wallpaper, but a lot of cutting around things (lightswitch, smoke detector, door moulding, etc.), so more labor intensive than it really needs to be. Want to start looking for artwork to put up on the walls because it looks SO huge and empty now that it's lighter, but hubby says we should wait until the room is done before looking at artwork. We've already vetoed Surrat, Dali, and Degas. Cassat isn't high on the list either. I'm thinking Monet, but that might be too light for a room that is already done in light colors....maybe VanGogh.....of course, these would all just be prints.....and there's always the other option of "whatever I find at: Target, Ross, Michael's, TJ Maxx"....lol
night all
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Sewing and such
So...the Spring craft show is this weekend. I spent last week sewing like a demon and wound up sick with a serious head cold, and have now given up on any more business sewing. But, since sewing is also one of my ways to kick back and relax, I've resorted to delving into my fabric stash and am making clothing for both my daughter and myself. It's nice to be able to work at my own pace and not have a deadline that I'm racing to reach.
So far, I've made my daughter's Easter dress as well as a test version of it (she's very petite and I didn't want to make a dress only to have her swimming in it), a dress for myself, and 2 skirts for myself. I will finish a smock dress for her tonight, and will move on to a skirt for her and a button-up top for myself....maybe tomorrow, maybe Thursday.
So, I'm pretty sure this only applies to a few people (the sewing part), but the bottom line is that sometime, you have to take a day or so and just do what you love, so that you can get back to being balanced. There are days when it seems like all you do is give, give, give, or take care of everyone but yourself. When you realize that you are having all your days like that, it is time to take the chance to reset so that you can be a better you. Seriously, if you aren't taking care of yourself how can you expect to take care of anything or anyone else??
My family, I know, appreciate all that I do around the house, even though they don't always say thank you - when I stop doing something, they notice. The same can be said when you stop taking care of yourself. My children and husband noticed that I was no longer enjoying my sewing and that I was getting edgy and upset and were wondering what the problem was....that made me sit back and re-evaluate. Sometimes you need to do that....you NEED to do it for yourself AND for your family.
I'm finding that I am actually enjoying sewing clothing again....it's nice when the stress if lifted. I'm also finding that I'm enjoying relearning who I am and what I enjoy. I have learned that I do NOT really like wallpapering a huge bedroom, but will finish it because I started it. I have learned that I actually like cooking from scratch, but don't mind whipping out a batch of cookies from the fridge section of the grocery store. Another thing that I've learned is that I'm my own worst critic and I'm slowly figuring out how to relax towards myself.....lol. So, I no longer stress out if I can't get all the laundry washed/dried/folded in a day, which is pretty cool...lol.
Take time for you and you never know what new things you might discover!
So far, I've made my daughter's Easter dress as well as a test version of it (she's very petite and I didn't want to make a dress only to have her swimming in it), a dress for myself, and 2 skirts for myself. I will finish a smock dress for her tonight, and will move on to a skirt for her and a button-up top for myself....maybe tomorrow, maybe Thursday.
So, I'm pretty sure this only applies to a few people (the sewing part), but the bottom line is that sometime, you have to take a day or so and just do what you love, so that you can get back to being balanced. There are days when it seems like all you do is give, give, give, or take care of everyone but yourself. When you realize that you are having all your days like that, it is time to take the chance to reset so that you can be a better you. Seriously, if you aren't taking care of yourself how can you expect to take care of anything or anyone else??
My family, I know, appreciate all that I do around the house, even though they don't always say thank you - when I stop doing something, they notice. The same can be said when you stop taking care of yourself. My children and husband noticed that I was no longer enjoying my sewing and that I was getting edgy and upset and were wondering what the problem was....that made me sit back and re-evaluate. Sometimes you need to do that....you NEED to do it for yourself AND for your family.
I'm finding that I am actually enjoying sewing clothing again....it's nice when the stress if lifted. I'm also finding that I'm enjoying relearning who I am and what I enjoy. I have learned that I do NOT really like wallpapering a huge bedroom, but will finish it because I started it. I have learned that I actually like cooking from scratch, but don't mind whipping out a batch of cookies from the fridge section of the grocery store. Another thing that I've learned is that I'm my own worst critic and I'm slowly figuring out how to relax towards myself.....lol. So, I no longer stress out if I can't get all the laundry washed/dried/folded in a day, which is pretty cool...lol.
Take time for you and you never know what new things you might discover!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
wondering......
...if anybody is even bothering to read what I write since there are seldom any comments. It's a little disturbing, but then again, I can always take the view that writing here is cathartic and not really care if anybody reads or not.
Regardless, I have sent off a box of samples to be reviewed by a video blogger who reviews Etsy shops. Now, I sent the box on the 2nd and she still hasn't received it, but then again, she lives in Canada...still, it said 5-10 days...argh. I'll call tomorrow since the only info on the USPS website is that it was accepted on the 2nd..whatever. Also getting ready for the Spring Craft Show at Expoland (Fishersville, VA) on the 20th and 21st. I think I've done all the sewing for that....at least all that I can fit in without making myself totally sick and stressed. I'm hoping that this will be a great show - the fall one was MUCH better than I expected. I have some new items and more of the items that sold out in the fall, so I think it will all work out. Right now I'm debating whether I should price everything separately, or just have my price lists out like I've had at the last couple of shows....will ponder this for a little while (I have small price tags, so that's not the problem....going through EVERYTHING and tagging it might take a while, though).
Dinner was not a home run tonight. Hubby had asked if, should the price be acceptable, I could get swordfish and cook it for dinner. Ok, found some at a decent price and that's what we had tonight, along with Alfredo pasta and peas. Well, first off, DD protested loudly that she did NOT like peas, followed by her stating that the fish smelled funny. No, it wasn't bad, but she's used to tilapia, salmon, or catfish, so yeah, I could see where she was coming from. We have a house rule of "2 bites, then get PB&J" so we reminded both children of that. DD ended up with her sandwich. Having never had swordfish before, I was not sure of what ot expect, but hubby said that with a little lemon juice it is fantastic...therefore, lemon juice was put on before I even tasted it. Ok, so it wasn't too bad...definitely different from the flounder and other fish I grew up eating. However, hubby made the comment that he didn't think it was frozen while at it's freshest, so he wasn't too impressed - not at my cooking, but at the fish in general. Hey, we tried it, but we are now thinking that if we want good seafood, we should wait until we are actually closer to the sea (living in the Shenandoah valley has it's perks, but fresh seafood is NOT one of them!).
So, the discussion about dinner went into a discussion about when I was younger and how I used to go fishing with my Nanny or crabbing off one of the local docks. That then led to a discussion about family vacation and possibly introducing the children to fishing and crabbing the way *I* used to do it....well, not on the Rt 50 bridge because it would be too distracting for a 6yo and a 9yo (one of which deals with ADHD)....but maybe near my mother's house. SO I've called her and she is going to check to see when the rides open up in Ocean City and when the park that she works for opens back up (Easter weekend, I think), she's going to check the fishing/crabbing schedule and we will go from there. Now, we could go up for our DSs birthday or we could wait and go up for hubby's birthday...so we are still trying to figure out the logistics. More than likely, this will be our only family vacation that is more than one night away from home, given the finances and job situation - nothing bad, just things are up in the air right now - so we want to really give it some thought.
And that's pretty much my thought process for tonight....time to head off, get the kids' their snacks and get them to their rooms, then I'm going to play with fabric....for me and the children, not for my business.....
Regardless, I have sent off a box of samples to be reviewed by a video blogger who reviews Etsy shops. Now, I sent the box on the 2nd and she still hasn't received it, but then again, she lives in Canada...still, it said 5-10 days...argh. I'll call tomorrow since the only info on the USPS website is that it was accepted on the 2nd..whatever. Also getting ready for the Spring Craft Show at Expoland (Fishersville, VA) on the 20th and 21st. I think I've done all the sewing for that....at least all that I can fit in without making myself totally sick and stressed. I'm hoping that this will be a great show - the fall one was MUCH better than I expected. I have some new items and more of the items that sold out in the fall, so I think it will all work out. Right now I'm debating whether I should price everything separately, or just have my price lists out like I've had at the last couple of shows....will ponder this for a little while (I have small price tags, so that's not the problem....going through EVERYTHING and tagging it might take a while, though).
Dinner was not a home run tonight. Hubby had asked if, should the price be acceptable, I could get swordfish and cook it for dinner. Ok, found some at a decent price and that's what we had tonight, along with Alfredo pasta and peas. Well, first off, DD protested loudly that she did NOT like peas, followed by her stating that the fish smelled funny. No, it wasn't bad, but she's used to tilapia, salmon, or catfish, so yeah, I could see where she was coming from. We have a house rule of "2 bites, then get PB&J" so we reminded both children of that. DD ended up with her sandwich. Having never had swordfish before, I was not sure of what ot expect, but hubby said that with a little lemon juice it is fantastic...therefore, lemon juice was put on before I even tasted it. Ok, so it wasn't too bad...definitely different from the flounder and other fish I grew up eating. However, hubby made the comment that he didn't think it was frozen while at it's freshest, so he wasn't too impressed - not at my cooking, but at the fish in general. Hey, we tried it, but we are now thinking that if we want good seafood, we should wait until we are actually closer to the sea (living in the Shenandoah valley has it's perks, but fresh seafood is NOT one of them!).
So, the discussion about dinner went into a discussion about when I was younger and how I used to go fishing with my Nanny or crabbing off one of the local docks. That then led to a discussion about family vacation and possibly introducing the children to fishing and crabbing the way *I* used to do it....well, not on the Rt 50 bridge because it would be too distracting for a 6yo and a 9yo (one of which deals with ADHD)....but maybe near my mother's house. SO I've called her and she is going to check to see when the rides open up in Ocean City and when the park that she works for opens back up (Easter weekend, I think), she's going to check the fishing/crabbing schedule and we will go from there. Now, we could go up for our DSs birthday or we could wait and go up for hubby's birthday...so we are still trying to figure out the logistics. More than likely, this will be our only family vacation that is more than one night away from home, given the finances and job situation - nothing bad, just things are up in the air right now - so we want to really give it some thought.
And that's pretty much my thought process for tonight....time to head off, get the kids' their snacks and get them to their rooms, then I'm going to play with fabric....for me and the children, not for my business.....
Monday, February 1, 2010
Money Saving Recipes - Goulash
3/4 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 (10 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 1/2 cups penne pasta (or large elbow macaroni)
1-In large skillet, cook ground beef with onion and carlic until beef is browned and onion is tender. Drain well and add pepper, oregano, soup, green pepper, and undrained tomatoes. Stir well and simmer uncovered, for 10 minutes to blend flavors (feel free to leave out the green pepper if you choose).
2-Cook pasta until almost al dente. Drain and stir pasta into mixture in skillet.
3-Bring mixture to a simmer; simmer, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes or until pasta is tender and mixture is blended. Serve immediately.
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 (10 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 1/2 cups penne pasta (or large elbow macaroni)
1-In large skillet, cook ground beef with onion and carlic until beef is browned and onion is tender. Drain well and add pepper, oregano, soup, green pepper, and undrained tomatoes. Stir well and simmer uncovered, for 10 minutes to blend flavors (feel free to leave out the green pepper if you choose).
2-Cook pasta until almost al dente. Drain and stir pasta into mixture in skillet.
3-Bring mixture to a simmer; simmer, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes or until pasta is tender and mixture is blended. Serve immediately.
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