Menu planning is going GREAT so far! It's only been a week, but I actually LOVE it. I'm serious. It seemed daunting at first but it really is wonderful to take all the guess work out of what we're eating each day. I used to cook based on what my husband or I were in the mood for, but now I find myself being in the mood for what we're making that day - we actually look forward to it! It takes some time figuring out what the plan will be, but I've made a list of all the meals I can think of (and I add to it as I find new ones) and then try to mix it up as much as possible while adding in the ones my hubby really loves or requests. When I first started the Menu, I just planned the main part, not the sides or veggies, but now I'm changing that and writing down exactly what we will eat. For example: Stuffed Chicken with craisins and baked green beans (this is one of our favorite meals and really easy!).
Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night we go to the chiropractor right at 5 pm. These nights require meals that I can cook in the crock pot or that don't take long to put together because by the time we get home we're usually pretty hungry! I've made a list of the meals that work well for this and they are reserved for these days. Things like Pot roast, BBQ chicken, Soups, Grilled chicken, etc are all nice meals for these nights.
You may also be wondering how we are doing with what we spend each month! You aren't? Well...I will tell you anyways! When I keep track, it works out that our month starts on the 15th. That's when I go shopping so the menu starts then and goes til the 15th of the next month. The month obviously isn't over yet, but I've been keeping track of every purchase since February 1st just to get an idea of what we spend and how much of it is necessary.
You should be proud of me! I put my credit card in the freezer!! I put it in a bowl and filled the bowl with water and it is no longer usable until I chip all that ice away! (I saw this in a movie years ago and thought it was silly but it REALLY IS A GOOD IDEA!) Damon keeps the other copy in his wallet for emergencies, but he doesn't go out shopping (for food and household items) like I do. He doesn't get tempted like I do :) By just having the check card it really makes me think; DO WE REALLY NEED/HAVE MONEY FOR THIS!? Usually, the answer is a resounding NO!
How my grocery list works...Each day I look at my Menu and get the required food out to thaw. If I use the last of an item (example; bag of frozen mixed veggies) I put it on my grocery list. This does not mean I will buy it next month, it just lets me know that we are out and I need to get more. I technically make TWO lists each month. One is everything we don't have and the next is things from that list that we are going to use on the new month's menu.
Make sense so far?
I am kind of OCD and I categorize my lists. Meat, veggies, fruit, sides, grains, dairy, beans, seasonings, sauces/condiments and extras are BOLD so I can find them easier while I'm shopping and then underneath are the items that correspond to them.
Here's an example of what part of my list may look like:
DAIRY:
milk
yogurt
sour cream
cheese
SIDES:
Soup Noodles
Au Gratin Potatoes
MEAT:
Pork Roast
Ground Beef
Most of these items are in the same area of the grocery store so as I get each item I scratch it out. This makes it easy to see what I'm still in need of.
I have 3 different color highlighters that I use (I know--geeky, right?)
Yellow signifies things that can be frozen - this helps me to know amounts I can buy. If it can be frozen I can buy more of it without it spoiling before we use it.
Green lets me know what store I'm buying
it from. If it's green it means I get it from Aldi. It means it is cheaper than
if I got it at Walmart without sacrificing good flavor or quality. Every penny
counts, right? For example, buying "hint of lime chips" at Aldi are
$3 cheaper than buying name brand at Walmart! That's a BIG difference! Although
Aldi has good deals, I do not buy certain produce or meat from them - I've
found bone fragments in ground beef and the produce doesn't seem very fresh to
me..
Orange means that we are out of the item but don't necessarily need it because it's not on our menu for the month. If I have it highlighted in orange, I only buy it if we have enough extra in the budget. If we don't need it and don't have the money, we don't buy it.
OK, enough about the menu planning, you want to know what I've been cooking, don't you?!
I've been busy and don't really have time to share it all with you (sorry, I do have a 3 month old baby remember?!) but I will share 2 recipes today :)
The first one is so yummy! This recipe is on our menu for today - and probably will be in each month at least once, if not more. It's the BEST bbq chicken I have ever had and ever made and it's so easy.
Here it is..are you ready for this? My house smells so good right now!
BBQ Chicken in the Crock Pot:
-Chicken breasts (frozen is fine!) I have 6 in there right now because Damon likes these leftovers for work. -BBQ Sauce - I use half of a large container of sweet baby rays - you can't really go wrong here.
-1/4 Brown Sugar
-1/4 Apple Cider Vinegar
-Crushed Red Pepper Flakes to taste
Mix BBQ, Brown Sugar, Vinegar and Red Pepper in bowl. Layer bottom of crock pot with chicken. Pour sauce over top of chicken. Cook on low 4-6 hours or until chicken is tender.
We eat the chicken breasts whole but you could easily shred the chicken and put it back in the sauce for 15 more minutes to make pulled chicken sandwiches.
We eat ours with Cheesy Broccoli Rice A Roni and then a veggie. I'm not kidding, it's so good you'll never cook it another way.
What's the other recipe, you ask?
It's pie crust! I got this recipe off of Pinterest last week because my dad wanted a fresh strawberry pie for his birthday! I could have easily gone and bought a pie crust, but I've been talking about trying stuff from scratch and why not try this? I've never made a homemade crust before, but this one seemed easy enough and it was! It just took a little bit of ahead of time planning because it has to sit in the freezer for a bit before you bake it.
Here it is:
Homemade Pie Crust for Sweet or Savory pies:
-1 1/2 c all purpose flour
-1/2 tsp salt -1/4 vegetable shortening (I used great value brand crisco)
-1/4 butter (next time I make this I may try all butter - not sure what difference it would make)
-4-5 TBSP Ice Water (I actually ended up using 6 but I've read this could change every time you make it. Add little at a time and stop adding once it starts holding together)
Butter a 9" pie plate and set aside.
In a large bowl mix together salt and Flour
Cut in the butter and shortening with a pie cutter (I used 2 forks) until it looks like a coarse meal.
Slowly add in ice water (actually use ice in the water) and mix with a wooden spoon until a ball is formed.
Put dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap and gently roll out to size you need.
Transfer to pie plate.
Freeze for AT LEAST 30 minutes - or as long as overnight.
This recipe only makes ONE piece of crust so if you need a top, you should double it.
You can either bake it empty (make fork prints in it so that it doesn't bubble and so that it cooks evenly) or fill it with filling and then cook it.
Cook it at 425 until lightly browned.
I tried this recipe twice, once without freezing it. It was flakier when I froze it which I liked better, so I really recommend freezing it.
Also, the second time I tried it, I added a tsp of sugar to the dough and I liked that too.
This crust is good for savory or sweet pies - and everyone who ate it Sunday really liked it.
ENJOY :)
I hope you're not all totally bored by my posts and I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday :)
No comments:
Post a Comment