Birds in a window...WW

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, go here or here or here!

Menu Plan Monday...

I haven't done so great on cooking the last two weeks. We still ate at home, we just had leftovers or other things rather than what was planned on some nights. So, I pulled these meals from what we didn't use over the last two weeks. The only thing I have to purchase for these is salad stuff.

• Sunday--leftovers
  
• Monday--pork roast, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, oatmeal bread
  
• Tuesday--lemon chicken soup, grilled cheese sandwiches
  
• Wednesday--beef broccoli stir fry, Jasmine rice, egg rolls
  
• Thursday--honey mustard chicken, broccoli/rice casserole, salad
  
• Friday--steaks, mashed potatoes, salad
  
• Saturday--leftovers
  

Be sure to check here for the results from my October Challenge!!

For more menu plan Monday fun, head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Last week we tried this recipe for the first time and really liked it!! Thanks, Carol, for the recipe!!

Beef Noodle Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

6 ounces egg noodles
1 pound ground beef
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cook the noodles according to package directions.

3. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce and garlic, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer.

4. When noodles are done, stir them and the cheese into the simmering sauce until cheese is melted. Stir the sherry into the sauce and stir for 1 minute, then place in a 2 quart casserole dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese to taste.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Results from October Challenge!!

You might have read that we challenged ourselves to not eat out in October and be better at what we spend while grocery shopping. It wasn't always easy, but I think we did pretty well. I added it all up and our difference between Sept. and Oct. is amazing!! This is just for grocery shopping (food only...no cleaning supplies or paper goods) and eating out. In October, we spent $390 and in September we spent $1040!!! That means we saved $650 in the month of October!! I broke it down even further...

In September we spent $405 on eating out and $635 at the grocery store. Considering that pretty much none of that $635 was spent on meat (as we have a freezer fully stocked with meat), that is a lot of money!! Especially if you factor in that we budget $400 a month on groceries!! Now, we haven't changed this budget in years and I realize prices have gone up, but with not having to buy meat, there should be no excuse for our spending.

In October, we did break down a few times and eat out. Here is a list:

• We got a snack at Auntie Anne's (a pretzel, large soda, small lemonade, pretzel sticks, and two dips)=$11
• The boys and I ate at Costco (one slice pizza, chicken bake, soda)=$5.50
• Bought something at Safeway deli (hey...it isn't eating out if it comes from the grocery store...right?? ...NO!!)=$8.00
• Hubby ate at McD's for breakfast a couple of times =$12

So, that brings our total for eating out in October to $36.50 and grocery shopping to $353.50. We even packed a lunch a couple of weekends for family outings. Once was when we went to the park (typically we would have stopped at Subway) and the other was when we went to Mt. Vernon. Mt. Vernon does offer food, but the fast food area is seriously over priced. In Sept. we ate there and spent $32.50 on a chicken salad sandwich, a burger, nachos, personal pizza, 2 sodas and chicken nuggets with fries. They have a restaurant there that you can eat at for about the same price and the food is WAY better, but it has been closed for special events the last two times we have been there. I also packed a lunch one day when the boys and I went to the mall!!

I'm not saying that eating out is a horrible thing. I think we all deserve a break occasionally. The problem for us was that we were doing it way too often. It didn't even feel like a treat anymore. Our 5 year old came to expect it and would announce almost daily that our month was up. He even started saying we could eat at Wendy's or Taco Bell because they are cheap....it is the restaurants that are expensive. Today he asked if our month of not eating out is over. I informed him that it is, but that we are going to be eating out WAY less than we used to. We truly needed something drastic to get us to stop. Although we were not perfect, I think we did great. I admit, too, that knowing I would be sharing this information here helped keep me motivated. I feel we can improve more on our grocery shopping, so I need to keep up with planning meals based on what we have in the house. I feel that if we are doing great at not eating out, it is okay to splurge a little at the grocery store. It is WAY cheaper to buy a treat at the grocery store (that will most likely last more than eating it once) than buying it at a restaurant and having it all gone in one sitting. We just need to work on balancing it all out. We did great on not eating out, so I feel that is why we still spent close to $400 on the groceries. To not feel too deprived (LOL), we still got a few special things at the grocery store. Also, there were several things purchased at the grocery store that will last us more than the month.

Anyway, all that to say I am very proud of us....now we just need to keep it up!! And....I hope that I have inspired you if you feel you need to work on this area!!

Happy Birthday to me!!

Today I turned 28!!  Hubby and the boys took me out and I got to pick out a new rug for the living room and got some new lotion and hand soaps at Bath and Body Works!!  We also ate out twice!!  My husband's birthday was yesterday and his parents sent us both money for our birthdays, so we were able to use that to eat out and not feel bad about it!!  Thanks!!

Mt. Vernon Fall Harvest Days...WW

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, go here or here or here!

I won!! I won!!

Tasha at What's Happening Our Way had a Halloween hide and seek contest and I was the first to turn in correct answers and won a $25 gift card to Target. Yippee!! I can't wait to go shopping!! Thanks, Tasha, for the fun contest!!

Menu Plan Monday...

Well, last week did not go as planned. On Tuesday, I had just got Lucas up from his nap and was coming down the stairs carrying him. I thought I was at the bottom step, but wasn't and fell. I was able to catch myself enough to keep Lucas from getting hurt, but I hit my knee on the floor (leaving a nice bruise) and somehow twisted my ankle. I ended up at the ER because it hurt worse than any sprain I have ever had. They did x-rays and nothing was broken, but I've been limping around (I have a follow up appt. today at 4 PM). So, my husband helped out more with dinner (he made a huge pan of mac and cheese for lunch and then helped make a meatloaf to go with that for dinner) and we had leftovers and easier things (like hot dogs, etc...). So, I didn't get to some of my meals, but I still mostly changed my meals for the week to the ones that I had planned already.

On top of all that....I was behind on laundry before I hurt my ankle. However, we live in a 3 level townhome with the laundry room on the bottom floor and all bedrooms on the top level (where 99.9% of the dirty laundry accumulates). So, I was not able to move laundry up and down and I really didn't want to mess with it any way. I say I was behind on laundry....I had been washing it, and hanging the hanging clothes, but not folding the folding clothes. So, this weekend hubby helped me get caught up. He is more than happy to transfer everything over, but I do all the folding (mostly because I am picky). I sat on the couch and folded laundry for 2 HOURS!! I wonder how many calories you burn folding laundry....LOL!!

Also, we are still doing well with our October challenge of not eating out. Our month is almost over!! Logan announced almost daily that our month WAS over....he was not happy about the no eating out thing. Check back next week to see what we spent on eating out in Sept. vs. eating out in October!!! I haven't added it up yet, so I am anxious to see our savings!!

So...on to this week's menu!!

• Monday--Greek lemon chicken soup, grilled cheese sandwiches

• Tuesday--beef noodle casserole, salad, green beans

• Wednesday--pork roast, mashed potatoes, steamed Normandy veggies, old fashioned oatmeal bread

• Thursday--beef broccoli stir fry, Jasmine rice, egg rolls

• Friday--(husband's birthday)--Italian cheese balls, green bean casserole, salad, 3 layer raisin pie --->this is his favorite meal!! (I got the recipe for the cheese balls and pie from his mom!) Scroll down for recipes
  

• Saturday--(my birthday)--I'm planning leftovers, but hubby says we aren't having leftovers for my birthday--->truthfully, I don't mind

• Sunday--leftovers

• breakfasts: oatmeal, pancakes, cold cereal, or breakfast sandwiches

• lunches: hot dogs, mac and cheese, soup, ham and cheese sandwiches, or pb&j sandwiches
  

For more menu plan Monday fun, head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Italian Cheese Balls

1 c. fine bread crumbs
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts (these should be very fine..almost like bread crumbs)
4-5 eggs, beaten
1 med. onion very finely chopped
1 clove garlic very finely chopped
1 t. salt
1 t. sage
1 t. thyme
1 t. pepper
1/2 c. oil

Combine all ingredients except oil, mixing well. Form into small balls and lightly brown in oil only enough to set balls. Put in baking dish.

Sauce:
Spaghetti sauce or
mushroom sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup (perhaps cream of celery)
1/2 c. water
veg. bouillon cube
1 c. sour cream

Dissolve bouillon cube in 1/2 cup water. Add to soup and sour cream. Mix well.

Place sauce and 3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese over balls and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

I usually double this recipe as we really like these and love having left overs!!


***These can be pretty labor-intensive, but I buy shredded cheese and get my walnut meal at Trader Joe's. It makes the process a lot faster!!


3 Layer Raisin Pie
(I have to say I am not a big fan of this pie...I prefer chocolate, but my husband and his family love it)

1 c. raisins, chopped
2/3 c. sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten
1/3 c. water
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 T. butter
1 c. sour cream
1 baked pie crust

Combine: sugar, raisins, egg yolks, and water in sauce pan. Cook over med. heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil. Continue boiling and stirring for 1 minute. Remove from heat and butter and sour cream. Chill.

Beat: 4 oz. cream cheese and 1/3 c. powdered sugar

Beat: 1 c. whipping cream

Mix: Whipping cream and cream cheese mixture together.

Cover bottom of pie crust with half of cream mixture. Cover with raisin mixture and them top with the rest of the cream mixture. Refrigerate.


Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Pampered Chef
“It’s good for you” cookbook

2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
½ cup chopped onion
1-2 lemons
2 Tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 cans (14.5 oz each) Chicken Broth
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup uncooked white rice

Lightly spray 4qt. pot with cooking spray. Heat pot over medium heat and add carrots, onion and garlic. Cook and stir 2 min. Stir in chicken, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, ¼ cup lemon juice, soup, chicken broth and black pepper. Bring to a boil and stir in rice; reduce heat. Cover; simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley just before serving.

Smart boy!!

Tonight Logan and I were talking. I've been lazy and STILL haven't taken down his "Happy Birthday" sign in the dining room. He kind of scolded me about them still being up because I told him I'd leave them up for a little while and it has been more than a little while. I told him that Daddy's birthday was coming up, so maybe we would just leave it up for Daddy. Well, Daddy's birthday is Nov. 2nd and mine is Nov. 3rd. Daddy told Logan that Momma's birthday is in one week. I asked Logan what he is going to get me for my birthday. He thought for a little bit and told me lotion. Then I asked him what he is going to get Daddy. Deodorant!! Smart boy....LOL!!

Having fun with Daddy....WW

Somehow last week slipped by and I totally forgot to do a WW. I didn't even realize it until Thursday!! Here are two pictures to make up for it!!




For more Wordless Wednesday fun, go here or here or here!

A new favorite past time....

You may recall my post about Lucas' favorite past time. Well, he has a new one!! He loves to listen to music. However, he doesn't want to wear the FP3 player around his neck....he has his brother do it as he walks along behind him. He thinks it is the best thing ever!! Thankfully, Logan thinks it is pretty fun, too!!