Mar 4, 2013 |
Ever since WinCo discovered my WinCo Wins and Meal Planning posts, we’ve had a wonderful relationship. They let me share my Food and Savings posts. I get to share their incredibly low prices. It’s a Win-Win situation for everyone!
For the last two months, I’ve strived hard to provide hearty, healthy meals for my family while saving money.
One benefit I’ve discovered is when I eat healthy, I eat less. I can pack in two cheeseburgers, a large fries, and a Shamrock shake in fifteen minutes or less when I’m hungry. My breakfast of choice will always be the McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin with Egg.
My Favorite From McDonald’s
But when I eat healthy, the nutrition fills me up so I don’t blimp out. Being an unofficial spokesperson for WinCo makes me more aware of my food budget. I want to do them proud! After all, WinCo is responsible for these great savings.
For March, I took inventory of my pantry and freezer and realized I needed to buy very little. With plenty of frozen meats and leftovers from the previous Meal Plans, the bulk of my food shopping went to healthy lunch items.
How does lunch for under a dollar sound to you? It sounds like a Win-Win to me!
WinCo Wins!
I bought five dozen eggs for $5.84. That’s less than $0.10 each! The string cheese? $0.12 each. Flour tortilla: $0.20. Celery and carrot: about $0.15 total. And the yogurt? This is the most expensive item, ringing up an entire half dollar. Where else could you get such a healthy, delicious, filling lunch for less than a buck and change?
Oh, the coffee? Not to worry. I use my recyclable Starbucks cup and fill it from home.
Protein. Dairy. Veggies. Grains. And coffee.
As you can see, This Girl is all about the savings without giving anything up.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jan 28, 2013 |
On the heels of a somewhat-successful January Meal Plan, I’m keeping with the motion and starting to plot out my Meal Plan for next month.
This one will be different. I don’t have a $100 gift card to shop at WinCo. But because I was unable to keep to January’s plan in its entirety, I still have plenty of food in my pantry and freezer.
*Here’s where I give a HUGE shout-out to my Mom who’s let us eat much of her food because, well, we’re pretty much living with her until the new furnace unit is installed. And let’s face it… I’m not keen on staying in a cold house even with the cat wrapped around my head at night.
Pillow Thief
For starters, I have a list of meals to make, but I’m not putting them on a schedule. Considering the difficulties in the last two weeks, it’s easier sometimes to have a selection available without an actual Plan.
With that in mind, my February Meals planned consist, so far, of the following:
Ratatouille
- Slow Cooker Ratatouille, 3 days
Veggie Pizza
- Ratatouille Pizza, 2 days
Ratatouille Frittata
- Ratatouille Frittata, 2 days
Bowl of Chili
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili, 3 days
- Texas Hash, 4 days
That takes care of half the month.
I always keep frozen chicken and salmon filets. I have three favorite ways cooking each of these: citrus baked, breaded, and blackened. That’s six different meals right there, and if only half offer leftovers, that’s three more meals.
There’s a happy chance we’ll be eating at Mom’s at least twice a week. Okay, more than a chance. We get together even if it’s just for toast and peanut butter. So there’s that.
There’s still plenty for lunches and breakfasts, too. The only foods I should have to buy in February are milk, eggs, and cat food for the fur-family. Which, if you ask me, is a really great savings!
And that is my UnPlanned February Meal Plan.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Help me to reach my funding goal before February 1st!
Just click on the photo below and click “BACK THIS PROJECT” to pre-order YOUR copy of The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition!
Jan 27, 2013 |
I write this with a downcast keyboard.
I have failed my January Meal Plan. I cheated. I strayed. And I failed.
But not completely. And, looking at making lemonade out of these lemons… now I have that much more in my freezer to get us through the month of February. So, you know… there’s that.
Fresh!
In a nutshell, my Meal Plan was waylaid by a broken furnace, leftovers at Mom’s, and a funeral. With all of these happenings I had little need to keep up with my Meal Plan.
Twice more I found myself at a local drive-thru, but I made better choices than I used to. For instance, instead of a full meal, I ordered the cheaper cheeseburger and instead of a soda I took an iced tea or smoothie. I needed something warm to offset the chill in the air.
I did make my Slow Cooker Turkey Chili on the 16th and that’s held us for a few days. There’s even some left, still, for February’s freezer selection.
Bowl of Chili
In the midst of a colder house and little motivation, we opted for the ease of one of our “extra” meals. My favorite stand-by, La Choy Chow Mein.
January Extras
And a few days later on the 22nd, I brought home a treat: a DiGiorno’s self-rising frozen pizza. Hey. It was the last episode of my beloved FLASHPOINT. I needed something special for the occasion. I also came home that evening to a very sick Dot.
What with the cold house (again) and the inclement weather and the back-and-forth of staying intermittently at Mom’s house… my poor Dot ended up with a virus. The good news is that while she was down for the count, it was a short count. 24 hours later she was ready for the world again.
A new furnace has been ordered, which conversely adds to my stress level because… well, did you know furnace units are expensive? Like I wasn’t having enough problems with the budget… At least I’ll be warm in my worries. But because in SoCal, furnace units either go on the roof or on the side of the house it can’t be installed until the current round of winter rains stop. Which should be in another 2 or 3 days.
In the meantime, have I mentioned how I love living so close to my Mom? Yup. We’ve invaded her home, her kitchen, her life.
She has the most amazing tea shelf. Today’s all about the chamomile.
Cozy Chamomile
So if you’ll excuse me now… I have some popcorn to eat and a movie to watch. Oh, and some new recipes to write.
Possible 2nd Edition Additions
Happy Eating!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Help me to reach my funding goal before February 1st!
Just click on the photo below and click “BACK THIS PROJECT” to pre-order YOUR copy of The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition!
Jan 16, 2013 |
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
I love chili. I especially love chili when I can just put it in the Slow Cooker and come home to a wonderfully aromatic kitchen. Sometimes, I prefer overnight cooking. Talk about your sweet dreams! Let’s face it, a Cooking Girl’s favorite perfume is onion, right?
My Slow Cooker Turkey Chili is an extremely easy, inexpensive combination of meat, canned goods and a chopped onion. It’s also one of my favorite recipes, and the reason I included it in The Unemployment Cookbook.
For less than $10, this fills my 4-quart Slow Cooker and offers up bowlful after bowlful of hearty, hot, and healthy eating.
Bowlful of Goodness
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 lbs. ground turkey
- 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 can white or Great Northern beans, drained
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 1 can kidney or chili beans, with liquid
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 can crushed or diced tomatoes, with puree
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- Seasonings (1/2 TBS chili powder, 2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp paprika, salt and pepper to taste)
DIRECTIONS:
- Put 2 lbs of ground turkey in the bottom of the Slow Cooker. Break apart.
- Separately, mix together the canned goods and chopped onion.
- Separately, mix together the seasonings.
- Add 1/2 seasonings mix to the canned goods mixture.
- Top ground beef with canned goods mixture.
- Top with remaining seasonings.
- Cook on low for 6 – 8 hours, or on high for 3 hours.
The best part is that you can change this recipe anyway your taste buds want. For a meatier dish, change the kidney beans to a can of chili with beans and meat. Or add diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic and onion. Through in a packet of taco seasoning mix. Omit the corn or replace with a can of mixed veggies.
However you like your chili, let the Slow Cooker do the cooking for you. You’ll have more time with your family, your favorite book, or just your favorite chair.
As always… Happy Eating!
Bowl of Chili
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Help me to reach my funding goal before February 1st!
Just click on the photo below and click “BACK THIS PROJECT” to pre-order YOUR copy of The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition!
Jan 13, 2013 |
Where do I start? January’s almost half over. WHAT?! Am I the only one doing a head-turn at that statement? I hope not!
The last week had its Ups and Downs. I would expect nothing less, as life is proving itself more and more to be a teeter-totter. But I’m having a lot of fun learning how to balance each valley and peak. Just because there’s highs and lows doesn’t mean one has to be exclusively good or bad. There’s a little bit of everything everywhere. And each day, life is becoming more fascinating to me as I learn what makes it tick.
The same morning that Amy wrote this wonderful article
By Amy Zillner of the Hesperia Star
I narrowly escaped a wrong-way driver who came within inches of a head-on collision with not only myself, but the car next to me. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that all things are fleeting.
It was my first full week of work since before the holidays. And cold! Winter decided to stay around for longer than just a few hours. Thursday brought a day of inconsistent snowfall, and Friday left with a stunning winter sky.
Snow in the Foothills
Winter Sunset
I’ve been able to share my Meal Plan with many readers, and that excites me. Not just because of what it means to me as a Writer, but also because the feedback has been so encouraging. Whether its emails through Kickstarter or Blog comments or Facebook notifications… I can’t begin to express my gratitude for all your support and encouragement.
And now, this week’s Recap:
On January 6, Slow Cooker Turkey Chili was on the menu. But as you know from last week’s Recap, I made the Baked Frittata instead.
On January 7 & 8, there was still leftover pizza and frittata in the fridge. Dot spent Tuesday out and about, and had dinner elsewhere.
Rather than make the Slow Cooker Turkey Chili later in the week than planned, I froze the meat and prepared to move on to the next dish on calendar.
Here’s where I confess to cheating on my Meal Plan: on Wednesday I treated myself to breakfast from McDonald’s.
My Favorite From McDonald’s
I’d been exhausted from the holidays, and feeling run down. As much as I praise my Meal Plan and frugal budgeting, my body was asking for this food. You know those moments before you get sick when you crave certain flavors? This was it. I indulged with $5.38 and treated myself to a warm breakfast. It got me through the day and when I came home, I made Potato Chip Casserole.
Potato Chip Casserole
This is another family favorite. While Dot crushed the bag of chips, I mixed the soups and milk. Half an hour later, we were enjoying this salty, crunchy, meaty hot dish while talking about our day with each other.
It’s so fun to cook together and eat together. I love these times with my daughter. I absolutely love them and I absolutely love her!
On Thursday, we ate dinner at Mutti’s again as my cousin Betty came to visit with two of her friends. They’re from Wisconsin, and driving around the country. This delightful trio regaled us with their travel stories and photographs. Mom made the delicious Texas Hash, and her guests were delighted enough with the recipe to buy the last copies of the first edition of my Cookbook! (Thank you, Betty, Pat and Marge!)
Dot went out with friends on Friday, leaving me to scrounge for a few snacks as I wasn’t hungry enough for a full meal.
On Saturday, I attended a Writer’s Club meeting with Amy (the aforementioned reporter), then met Dot at Mom’s to watch the Green Bay Packers… let’s not talk about that any more, shall we? Thanks. We helped Mom clean up her leftovers and didn’t get home until nearly 9 o’clock.
That means I’m nearly a week behind on my cooking, but a week ahead on the Plan. What I didn’t make last week, I’ll make this week, and next.
For the remainder of this month, I have everything I need except milk. We’ll have more Ratatouille, Veggie Pizza, Potato Chip Casserole, Texas Hash, and the Slow Cooker Turkey Chili.
So. What’s on your plate?
What are some of your favorite recipes?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
