Seasonal Menu Plan:::Monique

I finally did it! I put together an entire menu for March, April, and May.

This is what it looks like. I then use my weekly planner and pull off what we would like for the week and then go shopping. I did a special meal for this week since Tuesday is St. Patrick's Day but other then that they all came from this master plan. I'll post more about this tomorrow or Monday.

It does help with the shopping also. I have a good idea when we go to Sam's or Vitamin Cottage how many of something I will need for the next three months. We can't afford to buy everything at once for all three months but the cheaper things I can pick up and then more expensive items (like meat) we decided we would only buy a months worth.

I Survived!:::Jenn

Picture the Splitting Headache Mama who has pushed through and been productive in spite of it all. This is the same character who knows she had dance class at 4PM which would make 5:30 dinner a challenge--the heroic soul who planned early in the day to pull out a frozen meal (chicken, broccoli, and pasta casserole) that would mean a balanced meal in one dish--one that would cook while she shuttled das kinders to artistic venues. Now picture the same Splitting Headache Mama rushing back into her lair of domesticity (kitchen) to ensure the five extra cooking minutes have not rendered the meal unfit for a family. Are you with me? Can you feel the energy? Now feel her complete confusion, transformed into utter dejection as the opening of her high tech culinary creator (stove) released no heat. Can you see the salvation dinner sitting there in it's cold, frozen defiance, laughing at the unsuccessful attempt to turn it into something usable. If you are still with me on this one, still feeling Splitting Headache Mama's pain (literal or figurative, either one will work), you will understand the amazing strength and perseverance she showed when she took her dejected creativity and went back to the drawing board. She forced herself to open the vault of creativity (refrigerator) and make another attempt. She fought off the Take-Out Monster who attempted to force her to the phone, and endured the "oh they don't really need dinner" doubts that Bad Mommy tried to send her way. Out of the vault came pieces of salvation (leftovers) to be nuked into acceptable (if eclectic) versions of sustenance for a questioning family. Hunger overcame the "we're having what with that?" doubters, and dinner was one again saved. (Enter dun ta da dunnnnn music.)

Sorry no pictures this time, some meals do not warrant being remembered forever!

Success:::Monique

We went to Casper today for my husband's post-op doctor appointment.  I knew this was coming up, and since his appointment was at 10:30 a.m. I knew we'd be there for lunch because we had grocery shopping to do as well.  Thanks to Jenn's post, I started thinking about what to take yesterday.  First, I decided to hard boil some eggs.  Then, I asked my husband what else he would add to make packing a lunch better for him.  He suggested adding some fruits and vegetables.  So this morning I cut up some cucumbers, green peppers, and baby carrots.  I also took a few bananas.  This morning I packed everything in my L.L. Bean canvas bag.  Here's the list:

6-7 cloth napkins

knives

spoons

loaf of bread

peanut butter

jelly

container of hard boiled eggs

bananas

granola bars

bag of sliced veggies

I also made everyone some watered down juice in their new water bottles.  Liam got one of these for school and I liked it so much I bought everyone one.  It is nice to make them all at once in the morning and everyone has their water/juice for the day.  

We ended up going to Sam's before we ate so we had a few additions.  The daughter refused to eat peanut butter and eggs so she had some cheese that we had just bought, then all the boys had to have some also.  :)  So we added some cheese to the menu and I also found some semi-natural brownie bites for dessert.

The real test was when we got home.  I asked hubby how lunch was.  He was pleased!  He was even happy we are saving money and was satisfied with the addition of the eggs and vegetables. Yeah!  I'm so happy we are figuring out a way to make this work.  I think it would be even more successful if we would go to Casper on a day other than Friday (meatless for us), and if we bought a cooler.  I would have also added trail mix and cheese sticks if I would have had them on hand.

All They Are Cracked Up To Be!:::Jenn

These perfect little packages of protein, what's not to love? As I am not a vegan, and I buy cage-free, organic eggs, I have nothing but admiration for these little gifts. They are fast, easy, economical, oh so very versatile and always a hit. I can use them in a million different recipes ( well I haven't actually tried, but I have faith). A pretty jar of the hard-boiled versions leaves me prepared for a jaunt into the world with no concerns about hungry kids, and equally prepared for snack time. They can easily be transformed into a meal themselves (egg-salad sandwiches) or used to improve another entree (green salad or tuna sandwiches). The "incredible, edible egg" indeed!

Meals On the Go:::Jenn

I grew up in a family that packed a cooler for every trip. We just didn't eat out, ever. We happily traveled all the way to Washington, DC and never considered eating anything not out of the cooler. We also made regular trips around the state with the same expectations. Part of this happiness came from the fact that mom had mad cooler packing skills. She knew how to stock it full of things we loved or didn't get often. Things that tasted good at room temperature (I still drool over the thought of warm cheese) and that were either fun to eat or took a while. Also, she balanced those with things that were hearty and nutritious, so we didn't end up feeling gross. We got yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, jerky, trail mix, cheese sticks, sunflower seeds (lots of time involved in those), and chips (which we never got otherwise). Imagine my surprise when I met my DH and he balked at this understood concept that, we don't eat fast food or gas station fare on a trip or outing, we pack a yummy cooler. It has taken a few determined years for me to come up with some Daddy-tested items that enlist his support, instead of just his tolerance of packing food. Mostly I have found that with the right "main course" item he is happy no matter what the "side items" are. These are some of our biggest hits; all can be made a day ahead and therefore are easy to pack when it's time to go. Breakfast burritos (the egg, potato, and sausage variety), pigs in a blanket (little sausages inside a roll or biscuit), or any type of meat pie variation. (An eastern European idea where meat or fish pieces or patties are wrapped up in a roll or pastry crust to cook.) These are a more recent addition to my menus but so far, are a huge hit. Inspired by my sister's trip to Russia (and how many savory pies she found there), I have been experimenting. So far, every attempt has met with success.

Breakfast burritos: makes 15 (they freeze well, too)
18 scrambled eggs
1C cooked sausage (optional for vegetarians)
1C shredded cheese
1C green chili (you can skip it but they are really dry then)
2 /2 LB of cooked potatoes (cubed or sliced, baked or fried. I haven't tried hash brown or Tatar tots but it might work well too and save a step.)
Mix all this together in a big bowl and measure out a scoop with a 1 C measuring cup onto a standard burrito size tortilla. (Not the big wrap ones or the little fajita size). Wrap it up in tin foil and refrigerate or freeze. To warm them up, just toss them all in the oven at 200-350 for 10-20 min until hot. Packed tight in a little cooler they will stay warm and fresh for hours. They actually taste better made ahead, as the flavors meld together.

Pigs in a Blanket: count on 3-5 per person
Any little cocktail sized sausage or hot-dogs cut to this general size will work.
biscuit or roll batter. You can make roll dough or use refrigerator biscuits. I tend to use the flaky type of refrigerator biscuits and divide them in half to cover more sausages.
Just roll them around the sausage and pinch closed. They usually take a few minutes longer than the recommended baking time.

Meat Pies: These are very filling. One is probably plenty for most people.
Either bread dough or pie crust will work and can be homemade or store bought. (The pastry crust version is more crumbly, so pack extra napkins.)
Any savory type filling works.
Either hamburger, salmon or tuna patties are easy to wrap around and can be made for dinner and the extras wrapped up later. (These are cooked first and then wrapped up when cool.)
A salmon/tuna salad mix can be made into a ball and wrapped up with pastry crust for a tasty combination, though they are messy to make. The filling should be about the size of a large lime and just enough pastry to cover and pinch around it.
Any mix of savory diced meat and sauce with say mushrooms, or a shredded BBQ beef type filling in a roll is another winning combination.
All of these should be cooked as you would the outside covering (around 350 usually) since the filling is already cooked or ready to eat before stuffing.

Pizza:::Gina

As has been mentioned on this blog before, watching Super Size Me last summer really motivated some change in our family. We all knew fast food was bad before watching that, but somehow we didn't really get how bad it is until then.

Anyway, once we saw that, our fast food consumption dramatically fell off (but our healthier eating-out choices picked up, so...). One thing we never could quite shake, though, were pizza nights. With $5-6 large pizzas around here, it was so often a temptation too strong to resist.

When the boys found out we'd be doing this challenge they were mostly dismayed at the thought of doing without pizza. In our more frugal days, we made plenty of homemade pizza, so we all knew it could be done. It was just a matter of doing it. Which we did tonight. (Actually, I had some issues and they ended up being calzones, but...you get the point, lol.)

And, a la Tightwad Gazette, I quadrupled the dough recipe and froze three balls of dough, so we can do it again weekly all month if we so choose.

More on Planning:::Monique

I've been intrigued by a few mothers that use once-a-month shopping.  While right now I only plan by the week, I would love to be organized enough and have the money to go to Colorado and do my shopping once a month at Vitamin Cottage.  I love this place.  I know I can save us money by doing this also.  For instance, I can buy plain old, pesticide-filled apples here at a grocery store for at least $1.50lb.  Sometimes it's almost $3.00lb.  At Vitamin Cottage I can buy ORGANIC apples for .99lb!  I can also save big on the almond milk we buy.  We buy it by the case because we go through it so quickly.  I can save $8-10$ a case when I purchase it at Vitamin Cottage rather than our co-op here in town.  

I'm still pondering this thought though.  I've learned some about once a month shopping from one of my favorite blogs.  I also have heard about seasonal planning, which also intrigues me.  The ideas here is again the long term planning so you don't have to sweat it every week, but also so that you have a rotation of meals that is specific to the season.  For instance, lots of people don't want to eat heavy, hot foods in the summer when it is 100 degrees out.  So things like chili would be in the winter rotation.  Lighter foods would be in the summer rotation, and then you might have special foods for other times of the year such as Christmas and Easter.  I would love to be able to plan out a whole month or season and then just rotate throughout the year.  I would have a master list(s) of meals and then a master shopping list for each of those rotations as well.  I can't seem to make it jump from my head to paper though. :(  Here is an example from another of my favorite blogs.  

Anyway, maybe by writing about this it will help me make that jump!

We Did It:::Monique

When I signed up for this and decided to make it a New Year's goal of mine to not eat out, I knew that our trips to Casper were going to be an issue.  We go there sometimes once a week for doctor appointments, meetings, shopping, etc.  We have tried to cut down the trips to only once or twice a month because the price of gas was so high last year.  We are doing better, but sometimes we just like to get out of town.  We also do bulk shopping at Sam's Club (no Costco here!).  Well, our first trip to Casper this year came Saturday.  When DH got home Friday night and we talked about going to Casper, I asked him if we could take a lunch. He said yes.  Saturday when we got up I packed a loaf of bread, peanut butter, jelly, chips, snack bars, pretzels, water, knife, spoon, and cloth napkins.  We ate in the parking lot at Sam's Club.  I made everyone a sandwich and we had small picnic in the car.  No one but DH complained.  

If I'm going to keep everyone on board with this, I think I'm going to have to come up with some other ideas.  So what is everyone doing when they have to make a trip to a different town or are out and about for the day?  

It is usually a minimum of $30 when we eat out at a fast food restaurant.  So, I'm so glad I saved us that on Saturday.  If we make two trips to Casper a month, that is $60 or more we'll save!

On The Go:::Jenn

While I had planned some lovely picture of these plump and tasty little life-savors, my Bug had other ideas. I try to keep something in my "Mama Bag" so that when we are out running and time gets away from us I don't give into the temptation to pick something up. This started last summer when we kicked the fast-food machine habit for good and is still serving us well. Yesterday we were running what was supposed to be one errand, but turned into three errands and a favor. The clock took us past the lunch hour and only the small bags of nuts and apricots saved us from giving into the blood sugar crashing monster that is the eternal foe of unprepared souls from not-eating-out land. Dry fruit, nuts and, a few LaraBars are the standard answer to kiddie hunger pains when we are not at home. They keep well forever in my bag, are high in actual food value, and the girls will eat them--especially when hungry. So, when I got home and decided to do a picture for this posting, my little one decided that they had made her tummy very happy and that I "just had to do the picture with a smiley face."

Week One is Done:::Tammy

Well we survived our first week. Remember? The only way I could get hubby on board was to go at it a week at a time? Well HE did just great. I on the other hand could be found at Studio 127 begging my in-laws for gift cards to McDonald's...lol. My birthday is coming, we shall see how it goes. :D My teenager also did not do well. She was being technical and pleading for a Late Night run on New Year's Eve. In fact, just today she had hoped we could "call the whole thing off."LOL

First of all...I need to say that we eat meat when we can, but most meals are meatless. We also enjoy white flour for it's frugalness and don't have any food restrictions except one peanut butter/milk allergy. We DO have picky eaters but they just. need. to. get. over. it.

Next, I wouldn't call these confessions...just sanctioned eating out.

We went to DQ on Saturday night for ice cream and used the gift card. So it doesn't count.
We went to the movies and had popcorn and soda. But the entire movie-going experience was a gift from a friend at church. So it doesn't count.

I add a caveat to my exceptions...I forgot I was married and would be having an anniversary coming in November.

Our meals have been pretty okay. We did a pantry challenge the week before Christmas so our meals have been a mishmash of various items from our stash of food.

A pantry challenge consists of making an inventory of everything in the pantry, fridge, freezer,  etc. and making a menu out of it. We have used this particular inventory for four weeks and have had to buy very little. I guess it helps that we bought half a pig and are able to purchase from Care and Share.

The most interesting meal by far was the:

Leftover Thanksgiving Carcass Turkey with Elbow Macaroni and Broccoli Scampi 

When made with "normal" ingredients, this dish is a staple to our menu. Dad cooks up some chicken with garlic and olive oil. ( I mean...I guess...I don't cook it). He boils up some penne or bow tie pasta. Mix it together, add the chicken and steamed broccoli, a bit of butter, and, I think, some parmasean cheese. Viola...a one pot meal (the easiest to clean up).

I made the concoction listed above. We had frozen our turkey carcasses from Thanksgiving for later use. I boiled the whole shebang in my canning pot (*gasp* on the new flattop...I know...scary) with some herbs and veggies. When it had cooked down pretty good I drained all the liquid to put into tupperware for freezing. We will make turkeyless turkey and dumplings sometime with it. Or turkeyless turkey and noodles. With the warmed carcass, I deboned it all and stored it in the fridge until use. I got two good bowls full of meat....SWEET! So I attempted the above scampi recipe and the kids liked it. Leftovers went to work with my hubby. He makes much better scampi than I do. 

The best meal this past week has been:

Spicy Meat and Cous Cous

This is an old recipe we have had since the early days of our marriage, though I cannot remember where we got it. Originally it was Spicy Lamb and Cous Cous, but I'm not a shepherd (in the literal sense, though I DO have a herd ;)) and lamb is expensive. So we call it Spicy Meat and put in whatever meat is on hand.

First, make a marinade of honey, soy sauce, garlic or garlic powder, and cinnamon (which is why I LOVE this recipe). Cut up the meat and let it sit as long as you want. :) Warm up some olive oil and cook it. Originally it called for broiling, BUT we tend to burn when we broil and it's not always convenient for our monthly fire drill, so electric skillet it is. Cook up some cous cous and add the meat to it. It's YUMMY. We had it with salad that was days away from being chicken feed and some of the FREE salad dressing I got by couponing. :D

I don't have pictures because, you know, that would require PLANNING.

Tomorrow night we are having biscuits and gravy with some more PIG in it! B&G as we call it at our house...especially the meatless kind...is the most frugal meal we can make next to spaghetti. The most expensive ingredient is the baking soda of the biscuits. This meal is dinner AND dessert. The kids like to put honey and jelly on leftover biscuits.

As an end note: Our savings so far would amount to $60. I know...it's bad. But I figure my hubby was home for four nights this past first week and we would have eaten out two of them. It costs $25 to $30 for the three of us to eat Late Night. I can buy a LOT of groceries for $60...or a real cute chicken purse for my birthday...hint hint hint.

Oh and btw...I have lost three pounds this week. If that ain't a sign I don't know what is!

Planned Leftovers:::Gina

Planned leftovers seem like a pretty basic concept in meal planning, but I think it can be more complicated than it sounds for a variety of reasons. Quickly, the concept is to cook extra so that you have leftovers. Here are some roadblocks to this idea, though:

• Someone in the house (while I would never presume to point fingers, this person often goes by a title that starts with a "D" and rhymes with bad) refuses to eat leftovers. The best way to counter that is to "morph" the original dish into other incarnations. Think roast turkey into turkey soup, turkey salad, turkey casserole, etc. Another tactic is to never utter the "L word." They probably can't tell, anyway.
• People snack on foods that are awaiting another fate and/or take them for lunch. Obviously, this is simply a matter of letting people know what your plans are. Intentionally using leftovers for lunches is another way to implement planned leftovers.
• Food goes bad before you get around to using it. This is clearly just another matter of planning, and if you use a meal planning technique, it's easily avoided.

Here are some other ideas for how to implement this:

Home Sanctuary

Roast Chicken Ideas (can just as easily be implemented for your own at-home roasted chicken)

Chaos in the Kitchen (she has several posts that start off with "Planned Leftovers")

Recipezaar

Family Education

Good Neighbors:::Gina

One idea, that isn't so much of an idea as an observation I suppose, is to have a buddy to undertake any kind of food-based challenge with. A couple of years ago, Miche and I did a Once-a-Month-Cooking day (which was infinitely more fun with two), after which we each had a month's worth of entrees in our freezers.

My sister watches my kids about once a week, during which she is often tempted to take them out for fast food. I proposed that instead of doing that, she make lunch for them, in exchange for which I'll cook her dinner one night. That saves me from feeling obligated to send money for her, and probably keeps her from eating out one night each week, as well.

Tonight, Jenn (one of A Year Without Eating Out's contributors, knew I was going to be tired and sorely tempted to eat out after being up for a birth all night long. She offered to throw an extra pan of cornbread in the oven with her own to help with our meal for the evening. Since we always have soup nearby in some form or another, this was very helpful. Some day when she's under the weather or busy for whatever reason I'll be sure to pay it forward and take something over for her family.

 

So, consider using a buddy system if you can. If nothing else, you'll have an ear, shoulder, and smile. But you might just have dinner some night.

Not Eating Out For A Year:::Tammy

First of all, we eat out a lot. Most nights when my husband is off we have "late night."   It is a habit we started a long time ago. I think at first staying in will be easy. It's later that may be difficult.

He was on board when I suggested it to him though I had to promise him that we would do it a week at a time.

Our teen was insisting that "year" meant Jan1 to Dec 31. She was hoping for some leeway. Since she can only have junk food if we can have it she'll be begging food off her friends I guess. :D

On that note....we went to a new church on Sunday and all first time guests get a fast food gift card. Our family of nine (Dad was home) was gifted with $90 of gift cards for DQ. :D I'll be holding on to those.

We menu plan but our problem is that we don't like what is being served (though we insist the kids eat it--go figure) and we end up eating out, skipping our dinner to eat later. So I need to beef up the menu or just learn to be content with what I have planned on the menu.

We will be menu planning today as we usually do every two weeks. We are also trying to eat from our pantry so we buy less food and save even more money. Let's see what I can come up with.

Tonight we are having ham loaf. It's a favorite and goes pretty fast. I think I will try to make four and freeze two.

Tonight will be hard because my husband is off and we like to watch a movie and have late night as we call it around here. But....considering I am trying to watch less tv, late night might not even cross our minds.

Failing to Plan:::Monique

Okay, I will post, but not about tonight's Ham and Beans.  My MIL made them and, alas, I did not take a picture.  They were pretty good and she also made huge dumplings to go with them.  I don't eat ham (clogs the intestines, but no, I'm not Jewish) but the beans were pretty good.  I'm not quite sure what happened to the cornbread, but it fell apart when I took it out of the pan.   It tasted good though.  I didn't bake that either.  ;)  

I have actually been trying not to eat out since this summer.  The biggest thing I've found to help in this department is planning our meals.  I have planned for a long time.  I used to plan biweekly because that's how often DH gets paid.  I would just make a list of meals and we would shop for them and then eat them in random order as to our tastes and likes for the day.  Then I came upon The Organizing Junkie.  Have you seen this blog?   She does Menu Plan Monday.  I decided to try it.  It couldn't make that big of a difference, planning weekly, could it?  Oh boy, was I wrong.  I use this form from www.TheHomeSchoolMom.com.  I plan breakfast, lunch, dinner, and tea (aka afternoon snack).