This Week's Meal Plan

Because I've been very busy at my new job and have less energy left at the end of the day, I've chosen meals for this week that are less intense for me to prepare.

Saturday: Breaded Fish Fillets, Roasted Cauliflower (1/2 head leftover from last week), and Mixed Green Salad with Italian Vinaigrette

Sunday: Hot Dog Hotpot (from Economy Gastronomy)

Monday: Beef and Blue Cheese Pot Pie (using leftover cooked roast beef) with Mixed Green Salad with Italian Vinaigrette

Tuesday: Vegetable Potstickers with Sweet Coconut Ginger Brown Rice

Wednesday: Smoky Tomato Soup with Toasted Baguette with Tepenade and Melted Mozzerella (using up some Tepenade I had leftover from last week)

Thursday: Black Bean Cakes with Sweet Potato Fries

Friday: Use it up day

Accomplishments April 5 to April 11

I have been swamped with my new job! It'll be great once I get caught up and settled but right now it's the reason that I haven't posted for a couple weeks. Right now I keep fluctuated between feeling like I'm starting to get ahead and like I'm drowning. Because of the intensity at work right now, I didn't accomplish as much last week.

Made: from scratch vanilla pudding, oatmeal packs, a vegetable soup from all the leftovers bits in the fridge (it turned out especially delicious), chickpea candies, and a batch beef roast (this provided one main meal and several containers of leftover roast beef and 5 cups of beefy broth for the freezer)

We went to the zoo for free with our Public Library's Museum and Arts Pass (which explains the polar bears in this post!)\Spring has been very hesitant here but this was a beautiful day so it was great to spend most of it outside checking out the animals.

I cut open my tube of face sunscreen to get the last couple uses out, turns out that I was able to get 7 more days use out of it! I never used to cut open bottles to get the last bits but I've started recently. It not only cuts down on a little bit of money, it cuts down on our waste in a year if we're diligent about using everything.

This Week's Meal Plan

We're eating a bit more meat this week than we typically do (and no fish), but I was really trying to buy the last number of  grocery items this week, and these meals mean that I use mostly things I already have with only the purchase of a few sale items. We were also send home with lots of leftovers this week from supper at my mother-in-law's and we already had some so I don't have to cook today!

Sunday: Leftovers (Chicken and Vegetable Stew with Dumplings)

Monday: Pasta Primavera

Tuesday: Lemony Lentils and Kale

Wednesday: Pepperoni Pizza Chili with Garlic Muffins

Thursday: Slow Cooker Butter Chicken with Rice

Friday: Cabbage and Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Saturday: Creamy Herbed Chicken with Apple, Carrot, and Beet Salad

Accomplishments Mar 8 to Mar 14

Made: a batch of all-purpose cleaner

Took out some children's books and a DVD for my husband and I (No) from the library.

Visited my parents last weekend who live 2.5 hours up north in a house in the woods. We spent some time enjoying some outdoor activities. My son got to try snowshoeing (using my childhood snowshoes!) and cross-country skiing (which he LOVED). It was fun...but I'm REALLY ready for spring to show up.

The Sunday that we were up there was Value Village's 50% off sale, so we went. The prices at the VV closest to them are a bit lower than any of the ones near us so it makes the 50% extra good. I bought some great items of spring clothing for myself (8 items, mostly higher-end, including a shirt that is identical to one I had last year that I loved but got a stain on that I couldn't remove!), two shirts for my son and a pair of dress pants for my husband. The total for all of these was less than the retail cost of one of tops I purchased.

My mother also gave me a winter jacket that she had bought for herself at a thrift store for $18  but she found a bit too small to be comfortable. It's a Rossingnol ski jacket originally retailing for over $350 and in perfect condition. My father also gave me a box of mason jars that he has been collecting for me. He's hoping it will encourage me to do more canning this year..and then share.

The biggest accomplishment of all this week was I got a new job! It's with the same organization I already work for but its a better and more challenging position that is, essentially, my ideal job. It came with a small raise and I negotiated successfully for a higher one. I have never before negotiated my salary, as with many people I think, it's something that falls outside of my comfort zone. I have been really making an effort at being more assertive lately and it's been paying off in more ways than one. With applying for and obtaining this job plus 10 minutes of negotiation I managed to increase my salary by $4500 -- worth a bit of squeamishness I think! I am so excited by this new opportunity and it will help us to move ahead with our goals of finally paying down our debt that much  more quickly.

We ordered in one night (I was stuck in a snowstorm and I was home late and came home to a massive tantrum....that's my excuse anyway!) and one other night we went out for a celebratory dinner! I don't feel guilty about that one in the least! The other nights we had tasty and frugal homemade meals including an especially inexpensive Ham Fried Rice made with leftover rice I had stashed in the freezer and leftover smoked picnic ham that I had purchased for .99 a pound and some sale frozen peas among other ingredients.

All in all...it's been an exceptionally great week!

This Week's Meal Plan

This week's meal plan as very typical for us. We are having fish one day, meat twice and the balance are vegetarian meals. We usually have a soup once a week and a pasta dish once a week. Thursday need to be super quick as L has swim lessons in the evening. I'm trying to focus on eating a higher proportion of vegetables as well, for instance this particular Borscht recipe is meat free and filled with of a variety of veg.

Sunday: Salmon Loaf with Creamy Dill Sauce and Sauteed Green Beans (Using 1 can of pink salmon in combo with 1 can of wild sockeye salmon--both purchased on sale-- to lower the cost)

Monday: Thai Turkey over Rice (using frozen leftover cooked turkey purchased on sale during the holidays)

Tuesday: Baked Shells with Tomato and Smoked Gouda (using some pasta sauce that I batch cooked last week and froze and using smoked gouda that I got on a killer sale last week) with Green Salad and Homemade French Vinaigrette

Wednesday: White Bean and Sundried Tomato Stew

Thursday: Borscht (cooked in the slow cooker) served with Rye Bread, hard boiled sliced eggs, and pickles.

Friday: Salibury Steak with Potatoes and Roasted Carrots

Saturday: Use it Up Day!

Accomplishments Feb 15 to Feb 21

Made (other than regular meals): a batch of turkey broth (10 cups) using 1/2 turkey frame and a few odd chicken bones and whole bunch of vegetable scraps, cleaning wipes, a big batch of Breakfast Cookies (froze most of them to enjoy over the next couple months), Rice Pudding using up some leftover rice.

I also picked off the bits of meat and a few carrot bits from the broth I made and blended it with a bit of the leftover rice to make 2 meals for our dog. He was, of course, thrilled.

This week we spent a lot of our free time enjoying the outdoors including going tobogganing as a family, and going on a guided nature hike. My husband also took L to our local outdoor skating rink after work one day. Winter doesn't look as though it's planning to leave us anytime soon, so we might as well make the most of it!

I tried a new super frugal meal, a Tomato Curry, but it was a complete fail-- no one liked it one bit. Oh well! I love trying new meals, since you never know which will be a new keeper and I'm especially always looking for new quick and easy vegetarian options to add to our repertoire.

I washed out several plastic storage bags for reuse.

Picked up some new kids books from the library.

My father-in-law and his wife stopped by for a visit and brought L a great hoodie that will fit him next year as well. It's super warm as it's lined in a furry material which will be great if next winter is anything like this one!

Accomplishments Feb 8 to Feb 14

Made (other than our regular meals): 50/50 Bread, Coconut Date Balls, and a big batch of red pasta sauce. I've made several different recipes of red/spagetti sauce but this was my favorite. It comes from the book Not Your Mother's Make Ahead and Freeze Cookbook that I took out the previous week from the library (the author also has two fantastic blogs that I follow through Feedly: Life as Mom and Good Cheap Eats). 

We went to see a movie as a family using a leftover child ticket that we were given ages ago and two adult movie passes that my husband received for his birthday last month, so it cost us nothing. We went to see Frozen as L has been begging to go see it. He loved it and the animation was just so gorgeous that I enjoyed it too. We've been playing the soundtrack off of Youtube at home and he's been singing along while practicing writing out all the characters names. In a way it's been good literacy practice!

L has been really interested in the Olympics and we've been letting him watch a little bit each day, a bit of all the different sports. We crafted together a 'gold medal' as you can see in the picture above. We bought the blue ribbon (which came on a big spool that I'll be able to use for lots of other purposes) and used cardboard from a cracker box, a hot glue gun to make the relief, and paint that we had. My husband speaks Russian so he painting on SOCHI 2014 in both English and Russian....you know to make it authentic :) It has been a prop for lots of dramatic play this week. Above he is practicing his victory pose.

We usually spend Valentine's day in, but this year decided to go out and forget about being frugal for one night -- not only to celebrate Valentine's Day but my husband's big raise (we knew it was coming but it was great that the day finally arrived!) We went to a fantastic and very authentic Japanese restaurant.

I decided to buy L's valentines to give away at school because when I priced out several DIY options they cost about the same and of course that didn't take into account my time. He crafted a special one for his teacher however.

Accomplishments Feb1 to Feb 7

So I completely  missed posting accomplishments for last week! I was unwell and it took me a long time to catch up!

Made (besides meals): Italian Herb Bread, Peanut Butter Granola, personal sized apple crisp in the microwave to use up a blemished apple, stovetop popcorn with homemade cajun seasoning, and a batch of All-Purpose cleaner.

The good news is were well under for our food and household budget for January. The bad news is that we were over for eating out. Waaayyyy over. :(

Picked up a movie for my husband and I, some children's books, and a cookbook from the library. The movie was Brooklyn Castle and we really enjoyed it.

The above picture is of an inexpensive and easy activity that my son loved! We filled two squirt bottles that we already had with water with food coloring and he painted our abundant snow.

It was a bit of a light week for me as far as accomplishments! I'm just satisfied that I was feeling well.

This Week's Meal Plan

Last week we ordered in food one night, because I was feeling terrible and I caved. I felt really guilty afterwards. I like going out to eat and ordering in, but we have a monthly limit and we were already way over. This week I wanted to make a couple freezer meals to have something for those days where nothing goes as planned. I'm hoping to make more in the next few weeks as well to have a stockpile, so that when we do eat out or order in, it's a real decision and I can actually enjoy it.

Sunday: Mother-in-Law's

Monday: Pesto Chicken Penne Casserole (plus made two more as freezer meals)

Tuesday: Miso-Glazed Salmon and Sesame Rice (we didn't have this meal last week because we ordered                    in one night, unfortunately)

Wednesday: Stirfry Vegetables over Rice Noodles with Red Thai Curry Sauce

Thursday: Pesto-Infused White Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Stew with Toasted Homemade Italian Herb
                  Bread

Friday: Pork Chops marinated in Italian Dressing, served with Roasted Lemon Broccoli and Arborio Rice
             with Basil and Mozzerella

Saturday: Cream of Turkey Soup (using leftover frozen turkey) with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with
                 Mozzeralla, Sliced Tomato and Pesto on Homemade Italian Herb Bread

What are your favorite make-ahead meals?

Accomplishments January 18 to January 24

Made: Breadcrumb Cookies (pictured above) made from breadcrumbs from stale homemade bread that I whizzed in the food processor and stored in the freezer until I had time to turn them into cookies (recipe from Tightwad Gazette), Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes, Savory Cheese and Seed Cookies, Olive Puffs, Italian Breadsticks (froze half the dough to use this week), and buttermilk bread.

I spent the less in groceries for this week than I think ever have! I spent $42, which is about half of what I usually spend. I know there are lots of people out there who go for weeks on end without spending any money on food, but I'm proud of this amount for us for now.

I washed out some freezer bags to reuse.

It was my husband's birthday this week! I  brought home some leftovers and cake from my mother-in-law's birthday meal for my husband that we used for a pack lunch and dessert. He said he didn't want any'thing' for his birthday gift so I presented him with a list of fun but inexpensive experiences represented by a picture. He got to circle the one he wanted.

I reorganized all my craft supplies, which is an accomplishment in itself but also in the process rediscovered several items that I had completely forgotten about!

I ran some errands on Monday as I was not at work (I have every other Monday off). As usual, I combined this trip with other errands to get more done. For instance, this is how this outing worked: First, I took the dog to the neighborhood park with a frisbee and he got a good play. I walked around block and picked L up from kindergarten. We walked around the corner and I deposited some cheques at the bank. L got an explanation of how ATMs work and the dog got a treat from an employee. We walked and talked about what he did at school the couple blocks to the drug store, where I requested my prescription. We walked a couple more blocks to the library, dropped off our returns, and L picked out a couple books and a movie while I browsed a magazine and picked up a bread baking book that I had on hold. I also paid a fine :(  We walked back the way we came, stopping to look at the fire trucks at the station and picking up my prescription at the drug store. We then picked up some celery at the little fruit and veg shop. They also sell lovely flowers and  L chose which he thought were the prettiest, although we didn't get any. I timed it so we came home at the same time my husband got home from work and he read L his new books while I made supper.

This is what I love about living in a highly walk-able neighborhood, rather than a chore, these outings are a pleasure and a way to fit in some outdoor exercise (even when it's -4 F, which it was that day!).

This week's flops: I accidentally spilled bleach on one of my son's nice shirts. I had a bad week of migraines and ended up getting take-out on one evening (and then felt guilty about it of course)

How do you make errands enjoyable?

Savory Cheese and Seed Cookies

Aren't savory cookies just crackers? Well, no, not really. These little guys still  have the texture and appearance of cookies so I think the name is pretty spot on. These cookies are an adaptation of a recipe from Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids. These are a great snack for everyone in our house. I like to eat a couple with a serving of fruit.

Ingredients

- 1 cup grated cheddar
- Scant 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (this flour ground from soft white wheat, rather than hard wheat) or substitute all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp hulled pumpkin seeds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup crispy brown rice breakfast cereal (use white rice cereal if that's what you have)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
3. Put cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl and cream together. Add in the flour, baking powder and seeds.
4. Put rice cereal in a plastic zippered bag and break up with a rolling pin. (This is an awesome kid job!) Add to flour mixture and mix everything together, using your hands.
5. Squeeze into small balls the size of cherry tomatoes, roll between your palms, then flatten between your hands. Place on baking sheet and flatten a little more with a fork.
6. Bake 10-14 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Once fully cool store in an airtight container or freeze.

Makes about 18 cookies

This Week's Meal Plan

This week I am again working on using up some of what's in the freezers. I don't have a a large freezer, just a small one above our apartment-sized fridge and a small 5 cubic foot additional one, but they are absolutely indispensable to me.

I keep a list on the outside to keep track of what exactly I have in them at any time, to cut down on those things that get lost in the back and are then wasted. I write them in pencil so I can erase and add as needed. Then when it gets really too messy I just make a new one.

Here's a terrible picture of what it looks like. It's nothing fancy but it works for me:

Sunday: Out (L is invited to birthday party and it's in the evening and they are providing supper)

Monday: Arroz con Pollo (This is new recipe from this book that I've borrowed from a friend.It's like a really simplified Paella. Instead of chicken, I'm going to be using frozen leftover turkey from a turkey I bought for .79 per pound)

Tuesday: Baked Caprese Rigatoni (I'm making this with mostly canned tomatoes, although in the summer I use fresh)

Wednesday: Miso-Glazed Salmon and Sesame Rice Salad with Sugar Snap Peas (Frozen wild salmon fillets where a good sale price this week and I am not buying mirin but instead adding a bit of sugar to additional sake to cut down on the cost. This is our priciest meal this week which will be about $8 for 4 servings)

Thursday: Pork Chili Verde with Tortillas, Refried Beans, Tomatoes, etc (Thursdays my son has swim class in the evening so this is a great slow cooker meal that will be done when we get home. I'm using cubed pork that I purchased as a large pork loin for .99 per pound as well as artisinal Salsa Verde that I got for $1 per large jar on clearance)

Friday: Vegetarian Minestrone with Italian Bread Sticks, served with cheese and olives (I froze the dough for half the batch of bread sticks I made last week so I just need to thaw, cut, let rise and bake. I will be using this recipe for using up bits of veg that need to be used up, using homemade broth and sale pasta and cannellini beans)

Saturday: Dal Fry with Naan (I'll be buying naan this week, as I just don't have the time to make my own but this is a tasty and very inexpensive vegetarian meal)

This Week's Meal Plan

This week I am proud of myself for how little I spend on groceries for the week. I only spent $42 which is about half of what I usually spend, and this included stocking up on 2 kinds of flour and on natural peanut butter.

The focus this week was to use up stuff in the freezers, not only to save money as we paid for L's skate lessons this week which are pricey, but also to make space in them. They are packed full!

Sunday: At Mother-in-Law's (family birthday dinner for my husband)

Monday: Turkey Rice Casserole and Caesar Salad (using leftover frozen cooked turkey)

Tuesday: Smoky Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Wednesday: Spaghetti (vegetarian) with homemade Italian Breadsticks and Caesar Salad

Thursday: Pepper Steak and Mashed Potatoes (the pepper steak is already in the freezer, I just need to
               dump it in the slow cooker)

Friday: Pierogies and Cabbage (using up some leftover cabbage)

Saturday: Tuna & Olive Croquettes (We didn't up eating this meal last week. I had a bad migraine and  
               caved and bought take out)

Accomplishments January 11 to January 17

Made: Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins (using the pumpkin puree that I made here with free pie pumpkins), Buttermilk Biscuits, batch of black beans (I cook pounds of dried beans at a time in the slow cooker, which is 8 15oz equivalents), Chocolate Ricotta Mousse, cleaning wipes and homemade 'shout'.

I still had my cold sore this week :( I resisted the urge to purchase over the counter cold sore medicine even though I really really wanted to, because it was on sale for $13.99 (!) and that just really isn't worth it for something that only makes it go away SLIGHTLY faster. I couldn't justify it.

I 'made' new art for the bathroom by printing out an image on larger format printer from Graphic Fairy of an octopus and putting it an existing frame. I just used Word to size it to 11x14 and printed it on regular printer paper.

My husband trimmed the back of my hair. Getting our hair professionally cut isn't something that we are willing to give up completely (it's the one thing I wear every day after all!) but this little trim means I can put it off longer. In my spendthrift days I used to spend over $200 a pop to get my hair cut and colored at a high end salon (it was just for looks, I don't have any grey hair yet...although I likely will find some later now that I've said that). I haven't colored my hair in over 5 years and my husband and I now get our hair cut by students at a very good salon school. I still get compliments and now my hair costs me $36 instead of $200. I know free sure beats that but we can afford this arrangement and I'm happy with it.

Checked out some cook books and children's books from the library.

One the weekend we went to one of our favorite areas of our city, Kensington Market. My mother-in-law came as well. It was a pleasant outing as I picked up some dried bulk herbs, some coffee, and I bought corn tortillas from a latin grocery store. They were 3 dozen for $3 which is an incredible savings over the grocery store where I can get them on sale at 10 for $2. 

At the market my mother-in-law bought L a blood orange because he liked the way it looked. He found it too tart but I ate it and used the peel to make Citrus Vinegar for cleaning. It turned the vinegar the most beautiful color!

My husband and I watched an episode of Game of Thrones on Project Free TV.

I got pork loin on sale for .99 per pound. I bought to for a total of 11 pounds. I cut 3 pounds of a marbled end into stew meat, the other marbled end into a 3lb roast, and cut the remaining nice loin pieces into chops (I ended up getting 11 thick cut chops). Thick cut pork chops (or any pork chops) are much  more expensive per pound than whole pork loin so doing it this way is much more economical and takes almost no time. If you haven't done this before, here's a little video tutorial.

If you eat meat, do you do any of your own 'butchering' to save on the cost?

This Week's Meal Plan

As you can see below and in my previous meal plan posts, I only usually meal plan for our suppers. That's because with only three of us (with one of us being 4 years old) there are usually leftovers for lunches plus I try to keep some things on hand to make quick lunches to eat at home or brown bag for work if there's nothing ready (an example of one of our emergency lunches besides sandwiches is Tuna and White Bean Salad packed with Triscuits for scooping and some cut up fresh vegetables).

We usually only have desserts a couple times a week. Sometimes it's a baked good that I've made, sometimes it's ice cream (I have a serious weakness for ice cream!), or some fresh fruit. For instance, this week we will likely have fresh pineapple which were sale for $1 each as a dessert one day and ice cream which was also on sale for dessert on another, as I didn't do any dessert baking this week.

I find it helps me enormously to plan out our suppers but overall I prefer to leave aspects of our food for the week unplanned to allow for some spontaneous creativity and using up random food items.

Sunday: Smoked Pork Picnic Roast (puchased for .99 per pound) with Mustard and Brown Sugar Glaze with Green Beans, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Pineapple rings, and Buttermilk Biscuits

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Vegetarian Pad Thai

Wednesday: Curried Turkey with Spinach and Tomatoes over Rice (using leftover turkey in the freezer from the holidays that I bought for .79 per pound)

Thursday: Black Bean and Tortilla Bake with Carrot Cumin Salad (using black beans that I batch cooked from dry in the slow cooker. I make 8 15oz equivalent portions at one time. This black bean recipe is one of our all-time favorites. The salad is a new recipe, hopefully it turns out!)

Friday: Tuna-Olive Croquettes with Fries and a TBD side vegetable

Saturday: Smoky Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (on home-made bread)


If you meal plan, how do you allow for spontaneity with food...

Accomplishments Jan 4 to Jan 10

The holidays were just so hectic, I found myself unable to carve out the time to post (although I still kept track of my accomplishments in the tiny notebook that I carry around in my purse).



This week was pretty awful.

I received some very difficult medical news and have a tough decision to make in the next week. To top it off, we have some other stressful family issues we are dealing with this week, I had three migraines (one of which was severe), and a cold sore was the icing on the cake (I have only had one cold sore in my life and it was 15 years ago. Ugh)

However, there were some bright spots in the week for sure and some successes, both frugal and otherwise.

Made: Leek and Potato Soup (using up unexpected leftover leeks from another recipe and leftover bacon), 12 cups of turkey broth made with bones and vegetable scraps saved in the freezer, 50/50 bread, oatmeal packs, Honey Tahini Balls (like these but made with tahini to make nut-free for school), ranch dip, and All-Purpose Cleaner.

My parents visited us after the holidays (we were away in Florida for most of them, which was so lovely) and my mother left behind a couple bags worth of food that we enjoyed this week and beyond including: baked goods, juice, cheese, crackers, kielbasa, and popcorn).

Made some changes to one of our staple soup recipes to adapt it to the slow cooker, and it tasted every bit as good as the more laborious version. L has swim class again on Thursday evenings so our meal that night needs to be super-quick as he really wants both of us to be there if possible.

I picked up some new Christmas lights to replace our dead ones for 70% off at Target as well as some wrapping paper. I picked up a couple wrapping paper rolls that are not at all very Christmas-y and can also be used for birthdays and other occasions.

We went tobogganing on a nice snowy day with all of us (including the dog who had great fun but also seemed to think we were ridiculous).

Listened to music on Songza and watched some episodes from Season 4 of Game of Thrones on Project Free TV.

I washed out a couple of freezer bags to reuse and hung a couple of loads of laundry to air-dry. We limited ALL of our laundry doing this week to off-peak hours (which tends to be tricky for us and still get it all done)

Started taking the stairs every time at work. It's only 3 floors but given the nature of my job I have to do it many times a day. I have also started exercising at home again. However, I need to figure out some ways to get more cardio into my life without sacrificing a lot of time or money which I don't have. It's easier when it's not winter and running and biking are option.

So I guess despite everything, this week was ok
(ok is as far as I'll go however!)

What do you try to focus on during especially stressful weeks?

This Week's Meal Plan

This week we are eating meat three times, which is once more than typical for us, however the amount per meal are very modest.

My focus this week was on EASY as part of post-holiday recovery!

Sunday: Leftovers

Monday: Homemade Bolognese Sauce (made a couple of weeks ago as a batch and frozen) over Creamy Crock Pot Polenta

Tuesday: Turkey  Tostadas (using frozen leftover turkey)

Wednesday: Pasta with Tuna and Dijon Cream Sauce

Thursday: Lentil and Tomato Soup with Whole Wheat Pitas and Hummus

Friday: Kielbasa Stew (using Kielbasa that my mom left behind from visiting during the holidays)

Saturday: TBD....