a try at

Meal Planning...........

I'm so used to just having a food budget but with our house not selling yet we're now down to specific meal planning.

But it's working so far.

I'm writing out actual lunches and dinners.

Last weeks menu was created using up our pantry/freezer items and then shopping for what was needed to make them into a meal.

Granted I also needed breakfast- which was easy with 3 boxes of cereal and 2 dozen poptarts but I needed to think of snacks & hubby's lunches which would differ from the kids and I due to him not being home when I cooked.

But over all not to shabby at $120 last week with plenty of cereal,potatoes,eggs,snacks & hubbys sandwich supplies leftover for this week.

So my grand total for this weeks 5 lunches & 5 dinners was $43

Can you believe it! I was so ecstatic when I looked up to pay.

Please note:

meat will be skipped every other night but beans are replacing it.

Nobody complained last week- which was nice,snacks are the biggest hurdle for the kiddos but slowing they seem to be getting that snack is snack which is at about 2:30 - 3:00 between lunch & dinner. Not after breakfast, not after lunch, not after dinner, or even at bed time.

I'm very interested to see what this totals out to on food for the 15 days, normally we spend $300 every 15 days, so far we are at $163 with 8 days to go, but then I have to remember that we had stuff left over from last month, so my true budget/value/cost will be the next 15 days following payday.

Aug.13,1996

Alexander Lee was born!

I was a week over due,

running across the street to beat the red light bounced him right along.

I labored at home until mom could come get me and drive me to the hospital,

we got there and I delivered around 30mins later.

7lbs7oz 21in long

He was a surprise-I didn't know his gender-I could have sworn I was having a girl.

The names I had where Angelica or Angelina or anything with Angel- in it.

I can't believe he's 13 today.

I can't believe I was 17 having my second child.

Oh these boys better not make me a Nonna anytime soon.

Isn't he handsome!!!

Around here on your birthday you get the day off-no chores-no responsibilities,

you get to pick your dinner of choice and the cake you want.

Recipe time-

This fed 6-

Be warned I cheat when possible and I don't measure much!

Chicken Fried Steak

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Brown Gravy

Buttered Green Beans

Marble Cake w/3 layers of hidden chocolate frosting

Chicken Fried Steak-

You'll Need;

Beef Cubed Steak

Flour

Eggs & Milk

Saltine Crackers

salt & pepper

garlic & onion powder

Vegetable oil

Large frying pan

Meat pounder thingy

3 bowls

Tongs

Slotted spoon

Cookie sheet

-set oven to lowest temp-warm-around 170F

-pour flour in 1 bowl (about a cup)

-crack 2 eggs in 1 bowl mix well with 1/2 cup milk add garlic & onion powder to taste

-squash and crumble 1 pk of saltines in 1 bowl (you might need another pk)

-heat frying pan on med-5 with enough oil to coat the whole pan about 1/4-1/2in (you will need more oil as you cook)

-take one steak and pound until double the size salt & pepper to taste then cut in half

-flour it, egg it, saltine cracker it place in heated pan

-repeat-hopefully you can get those two in together

-while those two cook you can start the next two

-once golden brown flip-once both side are done place in oven on cookie sheet

-using slotted spoon get the burnt saltines out of oil and add oil if needed before placing in the next two

-repeat as needed

-once all are done they can sit in the oven until need

~I have no idea if that's the right or wrong way to cook chicken fried steak but that's how I've created doing it and no one here complains~

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes-

You'll Need;

Russet Potatoes

Butter

Milk

Sour Cream

Shredded Cheese

salt/pepper/parsley/garlic powder

Big Pot

Big Bowl

Strainer

Potato masher

-Peel and Chop 8 potatoes into about 1in pieces

-Place in cold water and bring to a boil until fork tender (I don't time things-they were soft once all the meat was done)

-Strain

-put in bowl with a big spoon of butter

-Mash a bit then salt/pepper/parsley/garlic powder to taste

-Mash a bit more and add in Sour Cream (about 4oz-I poured in half of a container)

-Mash a bit more and add in a Shredded Cheese (about 1 cup)

-Mash Mash Mash add milk to get texture right (I did about 1/4 - 1/3 cup I think)

Brown Gravy-

You'll need;

~ HeHe HaHa ~

2pks of your favorite Brown Gravy Mix

2 cups water

Whisk

Small Pot

-Mix the mix & water in pot & heat on med-5, whisk till bubbly and thick, remove

Or follow directions on your package

Buttered Green Beans-

You'll Need;

Frozen Green Beans

Butter

salt/pepper

Bowl

-Fill bowl full of Green Beans-top with water-zap it for like 5 minutes

-When done-pour out some of the water and then mix in butter/salt/pepper to taste

Marble Cake w/3 hidden layers-

You'll Need;

1 box Marble Cake Mix (and what ever it calls for)

1 tub Chocolate Frosting

1 tub Vanilla Frosting

2 8in circle pans

Big Knife & lots of plates

I am by no means a baker- I can cook but I cannot bake- again you've been warned!

Bake cakes as directed

Once cooled-

Slice both cakes into 4 cakes

Lay one cake down top w/ chocolate frosting, top w/ another cake & repeat untill you have 4 cakes w/ 3 hidden layers of frosting

Frost and decorate as you wish-

I suck- so heres my candy topped,bad frosting job cake.

I warned you I cheat!

Enjoy if you try any of these!

date night

We were invited to ComedyUnderground in Tacoma last Friday night

by a few guys here that we also knew in Stewart.

How fun to have a date night.

It wasn't fun that we were the two not drunk.

I so don't miss those days-I guess I'm getting old.

There were a few comics in the lineup.

The head liner was Rick Pulido.

He was way to funny.

We got there early so we walked around a bit.

How pretty Old Tacoma is.

We agreed we'd need to go back to fully walk it

and get lunch someday.

There's lots of little shops

and restaurants in between all those business buildings.