Feeding my Boys

Menu Plan Monday 10/11

2010-10-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

I have really been slacking lately when it comes to menu planning and grocery shopping. I made myself sit down and come up with a simple plan so we don't end up eating out every night this week, so here it is:

Monday - Spaghetti
Tuesday - Tacos
Wednesday - Dinner at my parents' house
Thursday - Breakfast for dinner
Friday - Chicken?
Saturday - Unsure

We will see about Friday and Saturday. I'll try to update this post when I have a better idea and after I've been grocery shopping.

Visit Menu Plan Monday for more (and probably better) meal plans for this week.

Henry's 9/26

2010-09-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

There were some great deals at Henry's this week. I shop at the Park Ave. location so I'm not sure if all Henry's in San Diego are running the same specials. I got all this for $35.44:

Pears: 50¢/lb = 53¢
Powdered Sugar (bulk): $1.29/lb = $1.23
Plums: 50¢/lb = 35¢
Gala Apples: 50¢/lb = 51¢
Avocados (2): 88¢/ea = $1.76
Bananas: 65¢/lb = 64¢
Red Onions: 50¢/lb = 78¢
Simply Orange Juice: $2.99
Horizon Organic Milk (3): $2.99 ea - $1 off 3 coupon = $2.66 each
Sun Harvest Canola Oil: $3.99
Newman's Own Balsamic Vinegar: $5.49
Baking Powder: $1.79
Flour (Bulk): 59¢/lb = $1.51
Raspberries (2): 2 for $4 = $2 each
Eggs: $1.29

Menu Plan Monday 9/27

2010-09-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

Monday - frozen pizza & salad
Tuesday - tacos, rice, beans, & frozen vegetables
Wednesday- dinner at my parents'
Thursday - grilled balsamic chicken
Friday - Halloween party at Disneyland
Saturday - We will be at Disneyland during the day, so either we will be eating there or grabbing something on the way home
Sunday - Spaghetti & salad

See more weekly menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Hubby's Lunch 9/24

2010-09-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

This Laptop Lunch contains: leftover salad, kiwi, leftover chicken, and a baked potato.

Chicken & Leeks Dinner 9/23

2010-09-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

This dinner consisted of chicken and leeks (one of my favorites), a bagged salad that I added some green onions and cucumber to, and my mom's recipe for baked macaroni and cheese made by my sister. My sister has moved into our apartment complex and we have been having "community" dinners. Sometimes she makes the main dish and I make the sides, sometimes I make the main dish and she makes the sides, sometimes we make our own dinners and just bring our plates to the other one's apartment and just eat together, etc. We are really enjoying this arrangement and it's fun to get together to share a meal with family almost every night. We are very blessed!

Hubby's Lunch 9/23

2010-09-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

This lunch contains a quesadilla, steamed carrots and green beans, and apple slices.

Hubby's Lunch 9/22

2010-09-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

This bento contains pasta with bits of leftover cheese, black grapes, and cucumber slices. I save the cheese slices that I cut out shapes from and use the leftover bits for mixing in with pasta or rice, making quesadillas, or melting over eggs and other things.

A Very Late Menu Plan Monday

2010-09-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

Wednesday: Dinner at Gram's & Papa's

Thursday: Chicken & Leeks

Friday: Grilled Chicken

Saturday: Date Night

Sunday: Frozen Pizza

We aren't sure of our weekend plans quite yet. We will probably go swimming at my parents' house one day and may or may not stay for dinner. If we don't stay, then we will just heat up a frozen pizza. Whichever day we don't go, we will probably go out to eat while the little one stays at Grandma's.

This post is participating in: Menu Plan Monday

Ralphs 9/19

2010-09-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

This trip to Ralphs was all about stocking our home bar. Ralphs had some great sales on liquor which I was able to combine with a couple of good coupons. We walked out of there with all of this for $108.40. Here is what we got:

Healthy Choice Steam Fresh Entree (2): $4 - $1 coupon = $1.50 each

DiGiorno Pizza: $4.99 - $1 coupon = $3.99

Rice-A-Roni (10): 10 for $10 = $1 each

Deluxe Ice Cream (2): 2 for $4 = $2 each

Le Petit Ecolier Cookies: $2.99 - $1 coupon = $1.99

Ralphs Frozen Vegetables (10): 10 for $10 = $1 each

Coffee-mate Flavored Creamer: $2.39 - 74¢ coupon = $1.64

Captain Morgan Rum: $13.99 - $5 off 2 coupon = $11.49

Jose Cuervo Espcial: $13.29 - $5 off 2 coupon = $10.79

Bombay Sapphire Gin: $22.99 - $5 off coupon = $17.99

Russet Potatoes: 99¢/lb = $3.08

Black Seedless Grapes: $1.99/lb = $3.66

Kiwi: 2 for $1 = 50¢ each

Cucumbers: 79¢ each

Red onions: 99¢/lb = $1.30

Green onions: 2 for $1

Organic Leeks: $1.99/lb = $2.23

Gala Apples: 59¢/lb = 70¢

Organic Chicken Breasts: $7.10

Energizer Batteries: 2 for $4 - $1 coupon = $1.50

Whole Foods 9/17

2010-09-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Here is our trip to Whole Foods. We spent $64.91 and got:

Fage Greek Yogurt: $1.99 - $1 coupon = 99¢

Good Belly Juice: $4.99 - $1.50 coupon = $3.49

Happy Baby Yogurt Melts (2): 2 for $6 = $3 each

Arrowhead Mills Baking Mix (2): $9.38 - $2 off 2 coupon = $3.69 each

Westbrae Organic Canned Beans (4): 4 for $5 = $1.25

Annie's Friends Grahams (2): 2 for $5 - $1 off 2 coupon = $2 each

Stacey's Pita Chips (2): 2 for $5 = $2.50 each

Pirate's Booty: $3.99

Lundberg Organic Brown Rice (2): 2 for $5 = $2.50 each

Beef Meatloaf: $6.74

Organic Chicken Breasts 3 pk: $4.39

Organic Pears: $1.89/lb = $2.21

Organic Broccoli: $2.49/lb = $3.78

Organic Fuji Apples: $1.99/lb = $2.23

Organic Bagged Salad: $1.99

Red Bell Pepper: $3.99/lb = $2.03

Hubby's Lunch 9/8

2010-09-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

This lunch has mac & peas (Annie's Mac & Cheese with frozen peas cooked with the pasta), watermelon, cucumber slices, and Nature Valley almond and granola clusters. Adding frozen veggies to boxed mac & cheese is an easy way to add extra veggies to your meal.

Dinner 9/7

2010-09-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

These are little tostadas made out of Bisquick and cornmeal, topped with taco meat and cheese, served with organic refried pinto beans, and mixed vegetables. I used this Betty Crocker recipe, but used ground beef instead of turkey because that is what I had on hand. I had to use a little more milk than what the recipe called for to get the dough to the right consistency.

Bento 9/7

2010-09-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

This bento includes brown rice, leftover grilled chicken, cucumber slices, and green grapes.

Dinner 9/6

2010-09-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hubby grilled chicken, sprinkled with a Mrs. Dash chicken grill seasoning, and corn on the cob. I cut up some watermelon to go with it. Simple and yummy grilled summer dinner.

Albertsons 9/6

2010-09-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

After our grocery splurge at Whole Foods, I needed to pick up some milk and meat so we went to Albertsons. I bought all of this for $19.08.

My best deals were:

4 lbs of chicken breasts: $7.61

5 ears of white corn: $1

Shredded cheese: 2 for $4

Whole Foods 9/5

2010-09-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

Here is the result of my grocery trip to Whole Foods. I spent $123.03. A little more than I would have liked (especially since we didn't buy any milk or meat), but we hadn't done any kind of grocery shopping in at least a week. We needed a lot of pantry items and produce.

Here were some of my best deals:

Kiss my Face bar soap: $2.99 -$1 coupon = 99¢

Wallaby yogurt: 4 for $3 = 75¢ each

Organic apples: 3 @ $1.99 lb = $2.31

Hubby's Lunch 8/27

2010-08-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

This bento contains: Wheat Thins (in the silicone baking cup), salami, Colby Jack cheese stars, green bell pepper strips, and blueberries. I really love how colorful this bento is, but if I were to pack it again, I think I would have put the blueberries in a cup as well so they wouldn't end up on top of the cheese and meat.

Whole Foods 6/26

2010-08-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

I love shopping at Whole Foods, but it is not the most economical place to shop. We do buy our dog food there, so we find ourselves there every couple of weeks. Between sales and coupons I can usually find a few good deals. My grocery total for all this was: $29.08.

Wallaby yogurt: $.75 each

Milk: $1.69

Butter: $2.49

Canned beans: $.99 each

Organic Chicken Broth: $3 each

Organic canned refried beans: $1.39

Pirate's Booty: $3.99 each - $1 coupon: $3.49 each

Nectarines: $5.08 ($2.99/lb)

Hubby's Lunch 8/25

2010-08-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

This bento contains brown rice, leftover chicken, and green bell pepper strips.

Dinner 8/24

2010-08-25T23:27:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night we had a Good Earth chicken meal, leftover Crescent rolls, and baby spinach with yellow bell pepper. We really enjoy the Good Earth boxed meal. It was easy to put together and a healthier option compared to other boxed meals. The meal contained 100% whole grain pasta and had no artificial colors or preservatives. All you need in addition to the box is meat, olive oil, and water.

Hubby's Lunch 8/24

2010-08-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

I love making Bentos. I think I missed making bentos the most. They are fun to make, a great way to use up small amounts of leftovers, and a great exercise in portion control. For Wesley's lunch today I packed brown rice, a thigh/drumstick leftover from a rotisserie chicken, and some of the vegetables from last night's dinner. To add a little decoration I cut out 3 stars from a slice of Colby Jack.

Dinner 8/23

2010-08-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Last night we had Spaghetti; broccoli, red bell peppers, and onions; and Crescent Rolls. The sauce was from a jar, but the veggies were fresh and homemade. I sprinkled the veggies with garlic powder and then sauteed them in olive oil for about 5 min over medium high heat. You want the broccoli and peppers to stay crisp and the onion to just start to brown. Then I sprinkled them with salt and some grated Parmesan.

I'm Back

2010-08-23T23:56:00.000-07:00

I took an unexpected almost one year hiatus from my blog. I can't even remember the events that led up to me walking away from it, but I'm happy to say I'm back.

In the past year, I gave up menu planning on my own and tried several different menu planning services. As a family, we couldn't find one we were happy with. We were either spending way too much money at the grocery, or we just didn't care for types the food included in the plan, or the system was too complicated, etc. The biggest deal breaker for us was we felt trapped by our menu plan.

The most important lesson I've learned about menu planning for my family while I was away is that we are very spontaneous. Judebug and I may cruise over to my parents house on a random weekday and more often than not we stay much longer than expected. Pretty soon it's late in the afternoon and either it's too late to cook the meal assigned to that day or my parents end up inviting us to stay for dinner. Or my sister stops by with her boyfriend and suddenly our original meal plan for two and a half isn't going to cut it.

My dilemma was how do I plan meals for my family, but not miss out on the time with my extended family. I haven't come up with the perfect system, but it's been working for us. I look forward to updating this blog once again.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-09-20T20:50:00.001-07:00

Monday - Chicken Pasta Salad

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Hamburgers

Thursday - Cheeseburger Pie

Friday - Pizza

Weekend - Korean BBQ Steak

As always you can find more menus at Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-09-13T20:46:00.001-07:00

Monday - Fajitas

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Eating out

Thursday - Grilled Chicken Kebabs

Friday - Palm Springs!

Saturday - Palm Springs!

Sunday - Palm Springs!

As always, you can find more menus at Organizing Junkie!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-09-06T21:45:00.001-07:00

Monday - Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

Tuesday - Leftovers (hubby has class)

Wednesday - Eating out (delivering a meal to a mom w/a new baby)

Thursday - Tostadas

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - Stir Fry

Sunday - Fried Chicken

I'm also going to try and bake some Chocolate-Stuffed Peanut Butter Brownies this week.

As always you can find more menus at Organizing Junkie!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-08-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

Monday - Pesto (didn't have this last week)

Tuesday - Judebug and I will be going to Nighttime Zoo, Hubby has class

Wednesday - Chili, sandwiches, and applesauce

Thursday - Grilled chicken

Friday - Steak sandwiches and french fries

Saturday - Hamburgers, chips, and fruit

Sunday - Pigs in a blanket, chips, and applesauce

You can find more menus at Organizing Junkie!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-08-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

Monday - Tostadas (we didn't eat these tonight b/c my parents invited us over for dinner)

Tuesday - Leftovers (Hubby's school night)

Wednesday - Asian Steak

Thursday - Pizza

Friday - Pasta w/Pesto

Saturday - we will be at a birthday party

Sunday - Disneyland! We have APs, and I'm not sure what time we will be home

As always, you can find many more menus at Organizing Junkie.

Grocery Shopping

2009-08-23T21:51:00.001-07:00

Here is what I got at Trader Joe's for $56.86! I got organic ground beef, organic chicken, organic milk, mostly organic produce, and alcohol. We are trying to cut back on the amount of snack foods we buy and eat more fruits and vegetables.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-08-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

Monday - Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

Tuesday - Eat out

Wednesday - Tarragon Chicken w/Buttered Leeks

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Breakfast

Saturday - Party at my Parents'

Sunday - Tostadas

You can find more menus at Organized Junkie.

Pizza

2009-08-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

This pizza was a big hit, both husband and Judebug (who barely eats anything) loved it. I used garlic and herb pizza dough from Trader Joe's, jarred sweet basil and tomato pasta sauce, and shredded mozzarella. On one half I left just cheese and the other half was a trio of Italian meats (pepperoni, salami, and prosciutto) and red onions. Next time I make a pizza I'm going to try brushing some olive oil on the crust. It tasted fine and was done, but didn't get a nice golden color.

Two Step Chicken

2009-08-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had Two Step Chicken, refried beans, and french-style seasoned green beans. The chicken was so easy to make and took less than 30 minutes. The one thing my husband didn't care for was all the tomatoes, so if I make this again, I will look for a less chunky salsa.

We decided to try doing our grocery shopping at Trader Joe's this week. I was pleasantly surprised. Our bill was only $53.16! We got staples like chicken, ground beef, milk, sugar, pasta, bread, plus a few extras. I will just need to get soda and cereal at Target, and we will get produce at the Farmer's Market.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-08-09T21:49:00.001-07:00

Monday - Breakfast

Tuesday - Two-Step Chicken

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Spaghetti

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - Hamburgers and Pasta Salad

Sunday - Leftovers

For more menus, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-05-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

Monday - Leftovers (I will be going to a friend's jewelry party)

Tuesday - Leftovers (I am going to a Children's Hospital Volunteer meeting)

Wednesday - Breakfast for Dinner

Thursday - Stir-fry Chicken with Soba Noodles

Friday - Soup and Crackers

Saturday - Corn Dog Muffins

Sunday - Tilapia Oregano

For more menu plans, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie!

I've Been Behind!

2009-05-31T22:32:00.000-07:00

But I'm updating now! Here are two dinners from this past week. The first is baked chicken, I just took out some seasonings from my spice cabinet, seasoned both sides, and then baked at 350 for 30 min. I served egg noodles, bread, and carrot sticks on the side. The second meal is meatloaf. I've been working on my meatloaf recipe and I think I am happy with how this one came out. 1 lb ground beef, 1 cup plain bread crumbs, and 1 egg. I also add Worcestershire Sauce, sage, garlic pepper, and parsley flakes. Basically whatever I have on hand in the spice cabinet that sounds good. Combine everything and put in loaf pan. Then I put 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce over the top. Bake at 350 for 45 min. I topped mine with Provolone slices and baked an additional 5 min to melt the cheese. I served bread, orzo, and a salad consisting of romaine, cucumber, bell pepper, shredded carrots and homemade Greek Lemon Dressing. My lemon dressing recipe is 1/4 cup oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-05-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

My husband finished his class last week, so he will be home every night for dinner this week. If we meet for Bible study this week, I will switch Thursday's meal with Saturday's. Here is the plan:

Monday: BBQ at my parent's (I'm bringing a salad and brownies)

Tuesday: Meatloaf

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Baked Chicken

Friday: Eating out or Leftovers (we'll see what the budget looks like on Friday)

Saturday: Mac & Cheese and Hot Dogs

Sunday: Soup w/Toast

I hope everyone is enjoying the blog so far.

For more weekly meal plans, visit Organized Junkie every Monday.

Dinners

2009-05-24T21:52:00.001-07:00

This past week I made Taco Pie and BBQ Chicken for dinner. I forgot to take a photo of the Taco Pie. Every mom needs to know how to make Bisquick Pie. The only necessities are ground meat, 1/2 Bisquick, 1 cup milk, and 2 eggs. Brown your ground meat and put in pie plate. Mix milk, eggs, and Bisquick together and pour over ground meat. Bake at 400 for 25 min. This is the basic recipe, you can turn this into whatever you want, by adding other ingredients, putting cheese on top, etc. For taco pie, I add a taco seasoning packet to ground beef and put shredded Mexican cheese on top after it is done baking, then pop it back in the oven to melt the cheese. You could add chopped green chilies to your taco meat, serve with sour cream, lettuce, and tomato on top, etc. The photo here is of the BBQ Chicken. It is simply chicken breasts with BBQ sauce poured over the top and baked. Makes good leftover BBQ chicken sandwiches. I served the chicken with couscous, frozen biscuits, and raw cucumber and red bell pepper.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-05-18T16:01:00.001-07:00

Monday: Hot Dogs

Tuesday: Taco Pie

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Soup and Sandwiches

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: BBQ Chicken

Sunday: Leftovers

For more menu plans, check out Org Junkie's website!

Grocery Shopping and Dinner 5/14

2009-05-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

I have been really behind with my blog. My son had a fever most of last week and we found out that he has a double ear infection. Also we went to Disneyland on Monday, which pretty much threw off our whole schedule this week. Anyway, here is my grocery shopping from Vons. My total was $75.18, and my total savings were $82.46! For dinner tonight we had chicken sandwiches and frozen seasoned veg. I just seasoned the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and then cooked on the stove top with a little bit of olive oil. I used whole wheat french bread mini loaves, provolone cheese, and a little bit of BBQ sauce to make the sandwich.

Dinner 5/9

2009-05-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

I've been behind on posting because I have been dealing with my little one's double ear infection. Tonight I made a very simple dinner, baked pasta. I boil a package of pasta (tonight I chose rigatoni), drain, pour in a casserole dish, pour a jar of pasta sauce on top (I used roasted garlic tomato pasta sauce), bake 20-30 min at 325. You could put cheese on top, or mix ricotta in with the pasta for a lasagna effect. Super simple and very tasty.

Dinner 5/5

2009-05-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

We had taco fixings for dinner tonight for Cinco de Mayo. We were planning on having this dinner with my mother- and father-in-law (it is also his birthday), but the little one had a fever this afternoon when he got up from his nap, so we stayed in tonight. We didn't have tortillas, so we ate our taco meat, refried beans, and rice over tortilla chips. I actually prefer it this way when I make tacos at home.

Grocery Shopping and Dinners

2009-05-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Friday night: We ate at Ranchos North Park. This is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. There are so many options! Traditional Mexican, vegetarian, and vegan options.

Saturday night: My parents took us out to B-B-Q Smokin' Sam's in Chula Vista. Pretty good BBQ place. Good chicken and brisket. The sweet potato fries were awesome.

Tonight: My husband made dinner for me! My little one needed some mommy time (AKA an extra long nursing session) so hubby stepped up. I got an awesome free sample of Fiber One pancake mix at Vons today. The package made about 10 pancakes! So he made those, kielbasa, and eggs. It was very yummy.

Here is my grocery shopping today from Vons. My total was $80.82. I forgot to put the case of water on the table for the picture, but I got that for free. The 12 packs of Cokes were buy 2 get 2 free, and if you bought 4 Coke products you got a 24 case of Dasani water for free.

Dinner 4/30

2009-04-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a variation of Creamy Chicken Breasts. I used 1 lb of organic chicken tenders, cream of mushroom, provolone, plain bread crumbs with my own spices, and no wine or butter. It came out very well and got 2 thumbs up from the hubby. I think I will use less bread crumbs next time I make it. The sides: frozen biscuits, frozen organic mixed veg, and a pasta side mix.

Dinner 4/28

2009-04-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

I did not take any pictures of last night's spaghetti because I used jarred pasta sauce. We had a well baby check up late yesterday afternoon and my sister came over to check out our new Wii, so I needed a quick and easy dinner. Tonight I actually made Sunday's dinner, meatloaf, because I realized the sell by date on my ground beef was tomorrow. I don't have a specific recipe for my meatloaf, I just use what we have and eyeball all the measurements. Tonight's meatloaf was: 1 lb ground beef, plain bread crumbs, 1 egg, worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, S & P, sage, and parsley flakes. When it is almost done baking I sprinkle shredded cheese on top, again whatever we have on hand. Tonight was sharp cheddar. I served biscuits and seasoned frozen vegetables on the side.

Meal Plan Monday

2009-04-26T21:11:00.001-07:00

Monday: Spaghetti

Tuesday: Creamy Chicken Breasts

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner

Friday: Eating out

Saturday: My parents are taking us out to dinner!

Sunday: Meatloaf

Check out other great meal plans @ I'm an Organizing Junkie

Dinner 4/25 & Vons 4/26

2009-04-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we had breakfast for dinner. This is one of our favorite meals. I always make a big batch of pancakes for we can eat the leftovers in the morning during the week. I also baked some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from a Betty Crocker mix. I did some grocery shopping at Vons today. Got all of this for $70.31.

Dinner 4/24

2009-04-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to take a picture of our dinner tonight. We were so hungry and it looked so good! On Fridays, we like to eat out and try someplace new. We had to get take-out since the little one is sick and I didn't want to take him out or leave him with Grams. We tried Zia Gourmet Pizza in Normal Heights. We love supporting local businesses and this is a truly unique pizza place. I had a slice of the Cheesy and the Potato. The Cheesy has cream cheese, feta and mozzarella with basil. The Potato has rosemary potatoes, garlic, feta, cream cheese, and mozzarella. Wesley tried the Carnivore (turkey pastrami, garlic, feta, mushrooms, walnuts, cream cheese, and mozzarella) and the Sweet Southern French (chicken, feta, caramelized pears, walnuts, and mozzarella). Added bonus: they sell Mexican Cokes! Wesley and I both give this place a big thumbs up!

Dinner 4/23

2009-04-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

Bible study was cancelled this week and the little one has a cold. Impromptu dinner tonight is heating up some Italian Wedding soup and some biscuits. Also, I forgot to make Wesley's lunch yesterday due to having a hard time getting the baby to bed. Hopefully, I can pack something tonight and post it later.

Dinner 4/21

2009-04-21T19:07:00.001-07:00

Tonight we had spaghetti, broccoli, and biscuits. This is how I make spaghetti:

Brown ground beef
Add canned tomatoes
Simmer while making the rest of dinner

What kind of canned tomatoes you use depends on how you like your sauce. I like a very thin sauce, so I use 2 14.5 oz cans of seasoned diced tomatoes with 1 lb ground beef. My husband likes a saucier sauce, so sometimes I'll just use one can of the diced and a can of tomato sauce or paste. Buying seasoned tomatoes is also helpful because I don't have to add anything else. I like to use Hunt's or Del Monte. We tried a new pasta tonight. It is semolina pasta, but has added fiber and calcium. We try to eat whole wheat pasta, but I still prefer the semolina kind. It was really good, both my husband and I liked it.

Wesley's Lunch 4/21

2009-04-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Wesley's lunch for tomorrow consists of pancakes, an apple, green beans, and granola. I have been informed that my husband eats different parts of his lunch throughout the day, so that is why all of the food doesn't necessarily go together as one meal. I really like making pancakes for lunch because I can make a few extra for breakfast the next morning.

Dinner 4/20

2009-04-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had baked chicken, biscuits, saffron rice, and salad. I just coated the chicken in Italian bread crumbs and baked for 30 min at 350º. The biscuits are Pillsbury frozen biscuits and the rice is a Mahatma mix. I really love the bag of frozen biscuits, especially is you are just cooking for one or two people. I like doing very simple baked chicken breasts because the leftovers are so versatile. I also baked some brownies for dessert.

Menu Plan Monday 4/20

2009-04-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the menu for the week.

Monday: Baked Chicken

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Bible Study (ordering out or pot luck)

Friday: Dinner out

Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner

Sunday: Leftovers

Since I'm just getting back into the swing of things, I wanted meals that would be fairly easy to put together. I'm adding two leftover nights because we are trying to be better about eating leftovers.

For more meal plans, visit Meal Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Wesley's Lunch 4/20

2009-04-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

This is my husband's lunch for tomorrow: leftover chicken, watermelon & grapes, green beans, and crackers.

Grocery Shopping Week of 4/19

2009-04-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

My grocery budget for each week is $100. The only foods that we always buy organic are milk, meat, eggs, and anything my baby eats. This week I spent $86.65. To the left is from Vons, totaling $54.02. On the right is from Whole Foods totaling $32.63. The deli package is organic chicken breast from a local farm. I also had to buy organic frozen baby food because I didn't get a chance to make any this past week while I had mastitis.

Easter Dinner

2009-04-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I made Easter dinner for my family, my grandmother, and my aunt. My mom usually makes holiday dinners for the whole family, but my parents and sister were in Germany this Easter. I made Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, a salad with honey french dressing, peas with almonds and bacon, and garlic cheese biscuits. For dessert, I baked two different cakes, spice and chocolate, both in fluted pans. Then I mixed fresh strawberries and raspberries with a can of blueberry pie filling. Put some of the fruit mixture on a slice of cake and topped with whipped cream. Simple and delicious. I was hoping to take more pictures, but the batteries ran out in the camera.

On a side note, I found out I have mastitis. Bed rest is recommended so I will not be making dinner until I am feeling better. Hopefully I will be updating with meals later in the week!

Meet the Mommy

2009-04-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

I'm Nichole, a 24 year old stay at home mom. My family consists of my husband and our 8 month old son, "my boys." We also have a cat named Winston, and a dog named Henry. We live in an apartment in the North Park area of San Diego.

I started this blog as a place to visually organize my kitchen adventures. I cook dinner almost every night, pack lunches for my husband to take to work, and make baby food for my son. I try to do all of this on a budget. I am using The Grocery Game to help me figure out coupons and grocery sales. I will also be participating in Menu Plan Monday.

Here are a few things you may want to know about my cooking.

We are omnivores, but I try to include some meatless dishes to help save money.
We try to buy organic and local when possible.
We try to use as many leftovers as possible, but this has been difficult for us. To keep leftovers to a minimum, most meals I make have 4 servings or less.

Thanks for reading!