Preserving Foods

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Pantry Challenge & Menu Plan 07/09–07/15

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Baked Potato Soup

I’m sure you all are wondering how we did this past week?  Well, we actually did very well! I went through both refrigerators to see what needed to be used up &, for the most part, had very little that I just could not get incorporated into our meals before it went bad.  The few things that I found to be trying to push their usage, I fed to the chickens before it did go bad.  (No, I do not feed my chickens food that is bad, I promise.  They’re some of the post spoiled birds on the plant!)

 

So, what did we eat for the rest of the weeks?  Let’s see.  We had: Beef tips & rice, roasted chicken with veggies, wings in homemade BBQ sauce, fresh corn on the cob, homemade seasoned fries, baked potatoes with assorted toppings, & homemade baked potato soup using roasted potatoes!  Yum!

I’m sure you’re wondering, “why all the potatoes?”  Well, I had several potatoes that were starting to look less than stellar that I knew would not last much longer, so I made sure to incorporate them as much as possible. I only had 4 that I had to throw out, & those would’ve had to go out anyway since they were bad in the center.  But, they didn’t actually go out.  They will be going into my compost bin!  See, they still had use, just the original intended purpose.  I was also able to use up the last of our fresh mushrooms!  They meals also made enough for at least Brian to have some to take to work for his, and a couple of times a little more was left so that we, too, could enjoy them the next day.

 

I did, however, have to go to the store for more milk, bacon, Worcestershire sauce, mixed salad greens, dates, mushrooms & heavy whipping cream.  (I also picked up a water & can of Pringles since Melia was with me & had not eaten – cheaper than drive thru). I spent $45.56 more out of our $400 budget, which leaves me with $224.18 for the month.

 

Side note:  I forgot to mention that we have a birthday in the family this week, so that many constitute a meal out, which I will not count against us since will we be doing something fun with the birthday girl & will not be close to home.  I will, however, pack snack foods for us to munch on!

 

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Now, that we’ve caught up on how we did, here’s our menu plan for this coming week.

 

Breakfast:

  • smoothies
  • homemade yogurt with fruit and/or granola
  • hard boiled eggs
  • banana bread
  • homemade muffins (?)
  • pancakes/waffles

 

Lunch:

  • leftovers
  • sandwiches
  • fresh fruits/veggies

 

Dinner:

  • Homemade Cheeseburger Mac (Monday)
  • Chicken Caesar Salad
  • Tacos with homemade whole wheat tortillas
  • Leftovers
  • Crock Pot ™ Chicken & potatoes
  • Pizza – homemade (for birthday girl & guests)
  • Possible meal out – if not, I’ll figure out something

 

Now, that week #1 is done & we’ve done fairly well, I’m definitely ready for week #2.  This week, I’ll also have my dehydrator & canner going. I’ll be working on mushrooms, cherries, potatoes, carrots & garlic.  Check back periodically for updates, especially around Monday/Tuesday when I’ll update on how our week went!

 

Post Linked To: Organizing Junkie

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And time moves on…..

Our last couple of weeks have been swamped with things going on.  Not only did we wind down Awana and our homeschool co-op classes for the year, but we also threw in VBS last week!  Whew!!  What a whirlwind that always is, but we always look forward to it and enjoy it immensely.  By the end of the week, we are also looking forward to a break once again. 

 

Now, we are in the middle of getting our two girls ready to head off to Awana camp on Saturday.  It’s hard to believe that it’s already time for camp again.  It just seems like last years camp ended only a couple of months ago.  And, just like last year, we have spent the last 3 days shopping around trying to find all of the clothes that my girls need.  We have an extremely hard time finding shorts each year for them to wear because, not only do we dress modestly (shorts have to be within a few inches of the knee), but the camp requires it, too (Yay, Awana!!  Thank you!!)  But, it makes clothes shopping hard.  But, just like last year, God led us to the appropriate stores and we managed to find shorts that are very pleasing.  Then, we having the bathing suit issues.  I’m not even going to get started there.  But, suffice to say, we managed to find them, as well.  They cover EVERYTHING that needs to be covered and both parents and children are happy!  One thing I have learned this year is that the tankinis cover WAY more than a one piece ever thought about covering!  Who knew?!  The top is similar to a halter top style but comes up plenty high enough on the chest and back, and the bottoms resemble a normal swim suit bottom but have a little skirt over top, which makes them resemble boy shorts with a little length!  How cool is that!  AND, they more than meet in the middle so that no skin is exposed that does not need to be exposed. 

 

Other than my stressing over shopping (which I detest, by the way), I have also been playing with another new love in my life:

 

Oh my!  This is one of those purchases that I wish I had made many years ago!  Unfortunately, it came during the week of VBS, but I still managed to get in some “play time” with it!  So far, I have dehydrated mushrooms, bananas, strawberries, apples, zucchini chips, herbs, and bell peppers!!  They have all turned out amazingly well!  I’m excited to be able to use these new foods in future dishes, plus all the space & food savings that I’m going to benefit from it!  It’s so nice to be able to save my freezer space for things like meat, some fruits/veggies, cheeses,  & broth.  Yes, I know I can pressure can my chicken broth, but I just haven’t had the time, so it’s nice to have that option. 

 

So, now you know what I’ve been up to for the last few weeks.  Hopefully, things will settle back down and I’ll be able to post on a more regular basis again.  Pics will be coming soon of all the lovely things that I’ve dehydrated!  I’m sure you’d like a peek at them, wouldn’t you?