Menu Plan - Week of January 31st

I had to chuckle the other day. A friend of ours was trying to figure out what to have for dinner. We gave then a bunch of suggestions - spaghetti, burgers, corn chowder, pancakes, and more. Unfortunately none of them worked out. This family ended up heading to the local pizza joint. Now I love a night off from the kitchen as much as the next gal. However, unexpected trips to the local take out place add up to a blown budget. So when asked why I menu plan, my number one reason is to save money! I feed our family of 5 on $80.00 a week. And I know I couldn't do this without menu planning. Not to mention the 4pm stress of what are we going to have for dinner doesn't exist!

Monday

Breakfast: Homemade Yogurt and Granola

Lunch: Ski Day Picnic - Hummus, Veggies, Cheese, Crackers, Apples, Blueberry Muffins

Dinner: Apres Ski Party

Tuesday

Breakfast: Poached Eggs on Wheat Toast and Grapefruit

Lunch: Alphabet Soup and Crackers

Dinner: Chicken, Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf and Broccoli

To Do: Thaw Pesto and Ham

Wednesday

Breakfast: Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Lunch: Orzo with Pesto and Tomatoes

Dinner: Cheese Bow Tie Pasta with Ham and Peas with 90 Minute Rolls

To Do: Soak Beans make yogurt & kefir

Thursday

Breakfast: Oatmeal Bar

Lunch: Tuna Wraps and Apple Slices

Dinner: Black Bean Burritos and Mexi Rice

To Do: Make Tortillas

Friday

Breakfast: Cheese Omelets and Oranges

Lunch: Mac & Cheese with Carrot Sticks

Dinner: Homemade Pizza

Saturday

Breakfast: French Toast and Bacon

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: New England Clam Chowder

Sunday

Breakfast: Cold Cereal

Lunch: Grilled Cheese and Roasted Tomato Soup

Dinner: Ribs, Sauerkraut, Mashed Potatoes and Corn

To Do: Make Bread

So that's our $80 menu for the week. Of course you don't see the snacks and deserts. What are you having this week. I'd love to hear about your menu plan and food budget. And if you still aren't sure about menu planning or need some more inspiration, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for her Menu Plan Monday.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by Amanda, aka Soule Mama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

~~~~~

~~~~~

In gratitude this week for:

• Games in front of the wood stove
• Frozen pipes now thawed that didn't burst
• School for the girls back on track
• Evenings of knitting by the wood stove
• A husband who can see

Wishing you all a glorious weekend!

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny for her Yarn Along. In her words:

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a single photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

Last night I cast on this amazing little pouch. Knit on straight needles it is the stitch pattern that makes the pouch. Ingenious really. I am hoping to make three, one for each of the girls for a Valentines Day gift. I may felt them, not sure yet. And keeping with the knitting theme, I just started Casting Off by Nicole R. Dickson. I'm not far enough in to give an opinion yet, but the book is set in Ireland - one of my favorite places. So we will have to wait and see.

And after last weeks failure to find a sock pattern, I decided to bite the bullet and figure out this magic loop thing. Well, boy and I glad I did. Magic loop is another one of those ingenious methods. So above are my first pair of toe up socks knit magic loop style. The pattern: Lewis Creek Socks can be found on Ravelry for FREE!

Hannah has been bugging me for a pair of fingerless mitts. So when we were at the yarn shop getting me needles for my socks she picked out this lovely teal. Yes, this is the third project. Do I have too many going? I hope I get them finished.

I did manage to finish these little pants for Rebekah's doll Rosie. They were a quick and simple knit and Rebekah loves them. Of course now she wants me to knit Rosie a shirt. I'm thinking a vest or sweater. The girls and I have been readings selections from Winter. It is a wonderful collections of songs, poems and stories.

And last but definitely not least, I must send out a Big THANK YOU to Jen over at S/V Mari Hal-O-Jen. Jen and I "met" through this wonderful community created by Ginny and her Yarn Along. Jen is knitting the beautiful shawl and I simply asked her what pattern she was using. Jen was kind enough to search for the pattern and posted a few links are with a charge for the pattern. That was sweet enough, but here is the really amazing thing. She happened to have two copies of the pattern and send one off to me. How sweet! Now I am in search for the perfect yarn for this True Blue Friend shawl. Even the name fits. The kindness of this blogging community of ours never ceases to amaze me. You are all wonderful!

Ok, so I know this is way more than the typical yarn along post. Lots of pictures and projects, but I just couldn't help myself. This knitting things is becoming a slight addiction.

Menu Plan - Week of January 24th

Ok, so I'm a little late posting this weeks menu. We had a cold snap about 10 below zero yesterday and this morning which left us scrambling to get the chickens taken care of as well as our own water - it has a tendency to freeze in various parts of this old house of ours. The chickens are fine minus a few frozen, cracked eggs and we have water thanks to a few strategically place heat tapes.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programing - the menu. And yes the older girls did ski in this COLD weather.

Monday

Breakfast - Yogurt and Granola

Lunch - Ski Day Picnic (egg salad, hummus, veggies, apples, cheese)

Dinner - Apres Ski Party

Tuesday

Breakfast - Poached Eggs on Sourdough Toast and Grapefruit

Lunch - Salmon Patties, Brown Rice and Kiwi

Dinner - American Chop Suey, Bread, and Salad

Wednesday

Breakfast - Banana Muffins and Yogurt

Lunch - Pita Bread, Hummus, Carrot and Celery Sticks and Oranges

Dinner - Chicken Divan and Apple Sauce

Thursday

Breakfast - Oatmeal Bar and Bananas

Lunch - Mac & Cheese and Peas

Dinner - Black Bean Burritos and Mexi Rice

Friday

Breakfast - Cheese Omelets and Oranges

Lunch - Tuna Wraps and Apples

Dinner - Pizza

Saturday

Breakfast - Pancakes and Bacon

Lunch - Leftovers

Dinner - Corn Chowder and Blueberry Muffins

Sunday

Breakfast - Cold Cereal and Fruit

Lunch - Alphabet Soup and Crackers

Dinner - Pork Chops with Pesto, Fried Potatoes and Green Beans

And don't forget to head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by Amanda, aka Soule Mama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

~~~~~

~~~~~

In gratitude this week for:

• Late Night Snowball Fights between giggling Sisters
• Lots of yummy, hearty meals to keep us warm and nourished
• Evenings of knitting by the wood stove
• Happy chickens = lot of Eggs

Wishing you all a glorious weekend!

Sloppy Joe Crescent Casserole

I have had a few requests for this recipe so I thought it was time that I shared it. The original idea came from my mother-in-law. I've tweaked it for my family. I hope you will do the same.

1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef or turkey

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 green pepper chopped

14 ox can diced tomatoes

6oz can tomato paste

1/2 cup ketchup

1 heaping tsp powdered mustard

1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

3 Tbsp molasses

1 Tbsp white vinegar

sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 tubes (8oz each) crescent rolls

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

milk

sesame seeds

In a heavy skillet brown the meat along with the onion and green pepper. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, ketchup, powdered mustard, chili powder, molasses, vinegar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5-10 minutes adding a little water if id gets too dry. Of course you can stop right here and serve this over hamburger rolls.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9"x13" pan. Open on of the tubes of crescent rolls and press the seems together to make a large rectangle. Lay in the bottom of prepared pan. Spoon meat mixture on top. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Open the second tube of crescent rolls and press seams together. Place on top of cheese. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cut into squares to serve.

Of course you can make this casserole using your sloppy joe mixture. My mother-in-law made the original recipe with a sloppy joe seasoning packet from McCormick. Do what works for you.

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny for her weekly Yarn Along where we get the chance to share two of our passions - knitting and reading.

Cast on my second Baktus as a quick and easy project after my attempt to find a sock pattern failed miserably. You know how it goes - find pattern, pattern wont download. Search Ravelry and find another pattern, but don't have the right size needles. Back to Ravelry again and find yet another pattern, this time I don't know the magic loop thing (yet). And so I gave up on making myself a pair of socks, but just for the moment.

I did manage to finish this cute hat that I thought was for me. Boy was I wrong, Hannah snatched it up and it has hardly been off her head. This was a quick knit and I was able to use some yarn left over from Christmas sweaters. The tassels were fun thanks to the video recommended over at SpiderWomanKnits.

I also finished the Toast arm/hand warmers I was working on last week, but find it hard to take pictures of my own arms, go figure. So until I can get one of the girls to snap a picture they will remain a mystery.

As for reading, I am almost finished with Knitting, by Anne Bartlett . I am really enjoying this novel. It is a quick read, I just need to find more time to read. The girls and I are still enjoying the antics of the Penderwick sister. And I have been thumbing through Nourishing Traditions. LOVE, JUST LOVE this book. It has so much wonderful information organized in such a user friendly format. Right now I have my flour soaking to make crackers tomorrow in the dehydrator. Who would of thought. I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Photo Journal - Winter's Arrival

Our first winter storm greeted up the other morning. We were all happy to see snow instead of the dead and grey of a snowless winter. Everyone was excited to bundle up. The younger two took to the back yard to build a snow house. Sarah headed into the woods to capture the beauty around us. I am always impressed with ability to capture such simple beauty that many would just pass by. Enjoy your journey through our snowy wonderland.

Along one of our favorite trail through the forest.

A snowball's shadow.


The sun rings.

An abandoned shack.

Through the birch.

Menu Plan ~ Week of January 17th

Monday

Breakfast - Poached Eggs on Oatmeal Wheat Toast and Grapefruit

Lunch - Grilled Cheese with Pesto & Tomato with Carrot Sticks

Dinner - Spaghetti, Green Salad and Garlic Bread

To Do - Make yogurt, bread and crackers

Tuesday

Breakfast - Pancake Sausage Muffins and Yogurt

Lunch - Alphabet Soup and Crackers

Dinner - Spinach Quiche and Fruit Salad

To Do - Soak rice, make cookies

Wednesday

Breakfast - Crepes with Ricotta Filling and Fruit

Lunch - Salmon Patties, Brown Rice and Gingered Carrots

Dinner - Taco Pie

To Do - Make tortillas

Thursday

Breakfast - Sunny Side Up eggs, Sourdough Toast

Lunch - Tuna Wraps, Apple Slices

Dinner - Sloppy Joe Casserole and Corn

To Do - Soak Oatmeal

Friday

Breakfast - Oatmeal Bar

Lunch - Left overs

Dinner - Homemade Pizza

Saturday

Breakfast - Pancakes and Bacon

Lunch - Mac & Cheese, Green Beans

Dinner - Roast Chicken, Potatoes, Carrots, Celery and 90 Minute Rolls

Sunday

Breakfast - Yogurt and Granola

Lunch - Almond Butter Sandwiches and Applesauce

Dinner - Chicken Pot Pie

I'd love to know what is on your menu this week? How do you incorporate enough fruits and veggies in your diet, especially this time of year? And if you aren't sure what you are eating this week, or are sick of serving the same old thing, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for her Monday Menu Plan for TONS of ideas and inspiration.

Homemade Hand Lotion

One of my goals for 2011 is to make more of our health and beauty products. With four girls in the house we go through A LOT of health and beauty products. And while I try to purchase quality natural products the budget doesn't always allow. Yet, with our skin being our biggest organ I really want to watch what my family puts on it. So began the search for homemade recipes that would be frugal and natural.

Up first - Homemade Hand Lotion! With the wood stove going non-stop to keep us warm, the air in the house is so dry. On top of that the cold outside doesn't do wonders for the skin either. Everyone seems to have dry itchy skin this time of year and the result is we go through LOTS of lotion. So when I stumbled on a recipe for homemade lotion, I just knew I had to give it a try. The first batch was lovely, but not a thick and creamy as I would have liked so I have tweaked it a bit.

You will need:

• olive oil
• water
• emulsifying wax
• essential oil of our choice (optional)

We are going to make about 2 cups of lotion. I haven't tried to double this yet, but I think I will soon.

First put 1/4 cup olive oil in a glass measuring cup. Add a rounded 1/4 cup of the emulsifying wax. Melt either in a hot water bath on your stove top or in the microwave.

To the oil and wax mixture add your essential oil, about 20-40 drops depending on the oil and the strength of the scent you want. So are we have made lavender and peppermint. Both are lovely.

Heat up 1 1/8 cups of water. You want your water to be around 120-130 degrees. Pour the water into the oil and wax mixture and watch it turn a creamy white.

Pour the white liquid into a pint canning jar and let it sit over night. In the morning you will have homemade lotion. Really it is that easy! And as for cost. I found a great deal on olive oil not too long ago so a quarter up cost me $.16 and the quarter cup of emulsifying wax cost $.43. The essential oils can vary a lot, but I don't think the cost is all that much. So two cups of lotion cost about $.65.

I hope you enjoy this lotion as much as we do. Next up homemade lip balm . . .

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by Amanda, aka Soule Mama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

~~~~~

~~~~~

In gratitude this week for:

• A birthday celebrated again
• a first day on skis
• papa able to join us at the ski mountain for the big day!
• a new read aloud for the family

Wishing you all a glorious weekend!

Look who's 4!

I can't believe my sweet babe turned 4! Four! Where did the time go? She isn't even a babe any more. Really she hasn't been for a while now, but it is hard for this mama to let go.

Boo, as she is affectionately known, is the glue that holds this crazy family of ours together. She can make us all laugh. She is fabulous at giving orders. She is a helper and a doer. She is a singer and a dancer. And as you can see she is a silly face maker, especially for the camera. Sarah was trying to get her to pose in her birthday vest, pants and green socks that are all mama made. Fat chance! But this is our Boo. The picture is just perfect!

I didn't get a pictures but her birthday table was beautiful. All of her presents were wrapped in her play silks - green, frugal and pretty to boot. Of course each gift has to be played with or posed with before she could move on. Such a gracious little girl. She wore the princess cape the rest of the evening.

Make a wish! I wonder what four year olds wish for? I know one who would like a pony. The cake - just what the birthday girl ordered - chocolate & more chocolate! It actually turned out quite yummy and not to sweet. I used a mayonnaise chocolate cake recipe that I will share later.

Sarah make Rebekah these beautiful water colored alphabet cards. They have been working on spelling every one's name. Bekah's best buddy the dog was first.

Also received was a dress and sheep family and water trough (for her farm) from Gramma and Grampa, bubbles from Hannah, a star wand and the book, The Snow Children. this ended up being the perfect book as Boo's birthday brought the first BIG snow storm.

What a fabulous day for a fabulous girl. Happy Birthday sweetheart! We love the BIG girl you are growing into.

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny again for this weeks Yarn Along.

The girls and I just started reading The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. This is the second Penderwick novel. We loved the first one and were excited to finally read the second. The third in the series is due out in May!

The lovely yarn was purchased with a Christmas gift certificate to a local yarn shop. Oh how nice it is to have a yarn shop the next town over. They have only been open for a few months and I am happy to say are doing quite well. On my needles is a sew of wrist warmers for myself. the pattern is Toast, a quick and easy knit.

Here is how I spend the rest of my gift certificate and last weekend. Knitting a Shalom for myself. This one one of the patterns that I have been wanting to make since I learned to knit about eighteen or so months ago. I put it on my ravelry cue in September of 2009, not really thinking that someday I would be able knit a sweater, let alone one for myself. So what a joy if was to knit and wear this finally.

I also finished the green birthday socks from last week, but they are wrapped and waiting to be opened this evening. I'll share those later.

Menu Plan ~ Week of January 10th

We have another birthday this week. Rebekah picked her breakfast, lunch and dinner. Luckily she has good taste and we are not eating mac and cheese or ice cream for three meals that day.

Monday
Breakfast - Oatmeal Bar and Grapefruit
Lunch - Ski Day Picnic
Dinner - Apres Ski Party

Tuesday
Breakfast - Cold Cereal (not something we do ofter, but I scored four boxes for FREE last week)
Lunch - Mac & Cheese and Peas
Dinner - Chicken Enchiladas and Mexi Rice

Wednesday
Breakfast - Dippy Eggs with Wheat Toast and Sausage
Lunch - Roasted Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Dinner - Spaghetti & Meatballs, Garlic Bread and Salad - Birthday Cake

Thursday
Breakfast - Flapjacks and Applesauce
Lunch - Tuna Wraps and Peaches
Dinner - Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Carrots, Celery and 90 Minute Rolls

Friday
Breakfast - Coffee Cake
Lunch - Egg Salad Sandwiches and Apples
Dinner - Homemade Pizza

Saturday
Breakfast - Cheese Omlettes, Hash and Toast
Lunch - Pigs in a Blanket and Veggie Sticks with Ranch Dip
Dinner - Hamburger Stroganoff over Rice and Green Beans

Sunday
Breakfast - Yogurt and Granola
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Chili and Cornbread

So what are you having to eat this week? I'd love it if you would share. I am always on the look out for tried and true new recipes. I get tired of the same thing again and again. If you need some inspiration head on over to Menu Planning Monday sponsored by I'm an Organizing Junkie. I always find a bunch of recipes I'd like to try.

Hey la, hey la, my Girls are back!

We've been raising laying hens since the spring of 2009 and have LOVED fresh eggs. Oh the joy of heading to the coop first thing in the morning to collect the eggs, knowing that in only minutes they would become a delicious and nourishing breakfast for my family. So you can imagine the disappointment and frustration when my lovely girls began to molt and their eggs were no where to be found.

It has been months and not a single egg. Then there was an occasional egg. One egg was wonderful but not enough for our family by a long shot. Now imagine my joy when there were six, yes six lovely, fresh, delicious eggs from my girls. That was a few days ago and now there are eight eggs a day. Oh the joy. The poached eggs, the fried eggs, the omelettes, the quiches and frittatas!

Our simple coop my wonderful husband designed and built. Crazy as it sounds I love the anticipation as I walk out in the morning - what will my darling girls have for my this morning?

EGGS! Beautiful, delicious, nutritious eggs.

Can I tell you - My Girls are back! Hey la, hey la, My Girls are back!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by Amanda, aka Soule Mama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

~~~~~

~~~~~

In gratitude this week for:

• A birthday celebrated
• the arrival of my Plain and Joyful Newsletter
• the first ski day of the season
• knitting and sewing projects

Wishing you all a glorious weekend!

Yarn Along - A Little Birthday Knitting

Joining Ginny over at Small Things for the first Yarn Along of the year! It is so lovely to have a place to share what I'm knitting and reading at the moment. And I must admit I so enjoy visiting all the other crafty bibliophiles out there. Thanks for hosting, Ginny.

This weeks knitting is a little vest and pair of socks for Rebekah's who's birthday is next week. The socks are the same pattern I knit right after Christmas. The reason for the second pair - she wanted plain green socks, not green socks with flecks of other colors. Although the first green socks have only been off her feet long enough to wash them a couple of times. And that is saying a lot because Rebekah does not like socks. So this is one happy mama.

The vest is my variation of the Pebble vest that is popping up all over the blogging world. I didn't have any buttons in my stash that would do and knitting in the round is so much easier so with a little tweaking this is the vest I came up with. I love it and hopefully the birthday girl will too. You can see my ravlery notes here if you like.

Don't forget to hop on over to the Yarn Along and see what else is on the needles.

Menu Plan ~ Week of January 3rd

Oh it has been a while since I have posted our weekly menu plan. I must admit that during the holidays my menu planning got a little off track and our eating habits and grocery budget reflected this. But I'm not one to cry over spilled milk and this is a new day, actually a new year. So we just begin again.

Monday
Breakfast - Oatmeal Bar with all the fixings
Lunch - Ski Day Picnic
Dinner - Apres Ski Party

Tuesday
Breakfast - Blueberry Scones
Lunch - Roasted Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Dinner - Seasoned Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli and Apple Sauce

Wednesday
Breakfast - Crepes with Ricotta Cheese Filling and Fruit
Lunch - Mac & Cheese with Peas
Dinner - Sausage and Potato Frittata, Spinach Salad and English Muffins

Thursday
Breakfast - Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Lunch - Tuna Melts and Apples
Dinner - Black Bean Burritos and Mexi Rice

Friday
Breakfast - Poached Eggs on Wheat Toast
Lunch - Almond Butter Sandwiches and Oranges
Dinner - Homemade Pizza

Saturday
Breakfast - Waffles and Bacon
Lunch - Chicken Noodle Soup and Buttermilk Biscuits
Dinner - Chili and Cornbread

Sunday
Breakfast - Yogurt and Granola
Lunch - Chili Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Dinner - Stuffed Shells and Italian Bread

So what's on your menu for the week. I'd love to hear. And if your not sure and need some inspiration hop on over to Menu Plan Monday hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie.