These two are following in the footsteps of their capable-in-the-kitchen sisters.  Maybe I should write a curriculum called From Peanut Butter Balls to Meatballs.  Or... maybe not. 

They had fun and they were yummy.  Next time, we'll be sure we have all of the ingredients before we start!

I'm not cut of the to-the-penny cloth when it comes to budgeting, but seeing our weekly grocery bill move from the $130 range to the $150 range and beyond (eek!) brought out a new facet of my personality.  We made a few changes last spring and the savings have been encouraging.  I've found that sticking with a standard menu throughout a season works well for us.  For breakfast, we've been eating oatmeal or bran muffins daily.  Oatmeal can be made into muesli overnight and the addition of yogurt and almonds and fruit make it a more complete meal.  The bran muffins are from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American and are baked fresh in the morning from a batter that lasts several weeks in the fridge.  We have a serving of plain yogurt (flavored with a bit of honey) or a slice of cheese with our muffin for protein.  The girls usually have nuts or almonds for a mid morning snack if one is needed.  At lunch, we've been having a particular sandwich (turkey club, blt, turkey and avocado, pbj, etc...) every weekday.  Dinners are based on our favorite summer recipes.  By following this plan, my bills have gone down along with those odd times of meal crisis. 

Since it worked well over the spring and summer, the girls and I sat down and figured out what we'd like to do for fall.  Hopefully, this plan will last through November! 

Breakfasts - sticking with bran muffins and a variety of oatmeal preparations for weekdays. 

Snacks - nuts, almonds, raw milk cheese slices

Lunch - pbj or "sandwich of the week" with whatever fruit is on sale at the grocery OR bowl of reheated honmeade soup with fruit and maybe a grilled cheese

Monday Dinner - bone in chicken done as bbq, traditional baked, or marinated

Dan has a late night on Mondays and leftover chicken works well for him as a sandwich.  We buy our bone in chicken from a local hobby farm a couple of times a year.  

Tuesday Dinner - stew meat as goulash, stroganoff, stew, soup, etc... 

This is a meal that might end up a bit staggered depending on Hannah and Holly's schedule.  I chose stew meat because it's a great day for a crock pot mea. 

Wednesday  Dinner - ground meat as burgers, meatloaves, meatballs, italian dishes, etc...

I go to the meat market after picking Abby up from her piano lesson, so this is the perfect day for fresh-not-frozen ground beef.  It's much easier on the hands when making meatballs! 

Thursday Dinner - boneless chicken breasts with lemon butter wine, lemon artichokes, sate with chinese veggies, paprikash, cacciatore, etc...

The boneless breasts from the meat market will still be fresh-not-frozen, which is easier for sauteeing or cutting into tenders. 

Friday Dinner - finish anything in the freezer first.  Then, rotate pork tenderloin, ham, chicken sausage, homemade pizza or calzones

Saturday - soup or something seasonal

Sunday - steak, brisket, roast or something seasonal

Baby was hungry...

Speaking of baby, I'm 16 + weeks now and starting to feel sweet movements.  The icks are still having their fun with me, but hopefully, they'll make an exit before the 26 week time frame I experienced with Sarah and Abby.  (I'm trying not to think of the possibility of this lasting through week 40!)  In between, I feel pretty well and we're making progress toward finishing up the school year. 

I should say, "Yum - for one!" as no one else cares for my St. Patrick's Day feast.

This entry is not my doing.  Dan insists you see the eggs I made for breakfast last week.  For once, it was NOT my fault.  The spice manufacturers are conspiring against us by changing the tops on all of their jars.  Take note, the shaker is in the flip top.  It is not attached to the bottle.  Grrrrrr....

Thursdays are crock pot days in our home as there's a lot going on between ballet classes, violin lessons, and a wee bit of teaching.  Today I made beef brisket.  It's a satisfying meal and surprisingly easy.

1 beef brisket

1 bottle Heinz Chili Sauce

1 empty Heinz Chili Sauce bottle worth of water, shaken to include every last bit of chili sauce ;)

Set on high/low/keep warm throughout the day per your crock pot and cook until meat is tender and falling apart. 

I serve this over egg noodles with a side of broccoli florets.