Altering the plan a tad...

I believe earlier in my posts I wanted to be "done" with the plan by the end of the month. Well, I got a little side tracked(family visiting, Maia was sick, birthday parties), but...I am ready to hit the ground running to finish up in my original time plan. Its July 21st, so I have 10 days to finish up. I only have 4 meals left to make. No big deal. At least, that's what I am telling myself.

I have completed the lasagna, chili, spaghetti bake, and the chicken and bean enchiladas. That leaves me with Beef Stew, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Mexican Casserole and Pulled Pork with BBQ sauce.

I have a good start on the proteins for the meals. I have beef, pork, and chicken for the Mexican casserole already. So, I just need to get a chicken for the chicken noodle soup. I will just add that to the meals for next week, and POOF... RIGHT back on track.

I keep telling myself reasons why I haven't "kept up" with the plan, but really...those reasons don't matter, and I am going to wish them away. They are negative excuses that are weighing me down. I still have plenty of time. When you look at the "big picture" one could say I am ahead of the game, since, so far, many of my meals have made more portions than I expected.

That reminds me, I need to pick up some more disposable Glad OvenWare. I ran out. I am about to make my meal plan for next week. We have some leftovers from some family gatherings, we will just eat those this week, so they don't go to waste. I will be creative and think of a way to re purpose them. I am getting a little tired of sandwiches...my pantry is filled with odds and ends. If I come up with anything good, I will blog about it.

Monday 7/26: Beef Tacos

Tuesday 7/27: Grilled chicken with side of fresh fruit

Wednesday 7/28: Hot Ham and Cheese Subs (new must-have pregnancy thing)

Thursday 7/29: Pork Chops with Apple Bourbon Glaze (getting a little fancy), with Rice.

Friday 7/30: Lemon Pepper Scallops with Rice Pilaf and side salad

Wow, I am excited about my menu already! I want those scallops now. HA! Well I have included a shot of my grocery list, and what it looks like. Please ignore the handwriting...

Now I will work on cooking tomorrow and/or Friday night, at least 1 meal on the list, while we eat leftovers. Guess I should pull out the pork and the beef to defrost. Then this weekend I will try to tackle two or three more, then I will be pretty much done. Then its time for the baby shower, and preparing for this tiny little bundle of joy. I am a very lucky woman. I have a wonderful husband and a fantastic daughter. They both really appreciate me, and I them. I have a supportive family, and learn something each and every day. My family is extensive - Aunts. Uncles, cousins. Some I talk to very often. I truly appreciate them and everything they taught me about love and life, the good the bad, and the ugly. My mother is very good to me, and to Maia. I know she is super excited about her 8th grand baby that is due sometime next month. Thanks to everyone, I love how you have impacted my life.

Wow...guess that was some pregnancy mushy gushyness...but...its all true! :)

Mmmmmm lasagna!

I made the lasagna and it turned out perfect! Here is the recipe I used, slightly adapted from my Mom's recipe. Which I will say is my favorite. I am getting better!!!

Ingredients:
1 package of hot sausage links (6 links total).
1 lbs ground beef
1 large package on baby Portobello sliced

2 cans of tomato sauce - my favorite is the Garlic & Herb by Hunts, the one way down at the bottom and usually the cheapest.

1 package of lasagna noodles (not cooked)

1 large container of cottage cheese
1 C Parmesan cheese
1 C shredded mozzarella
2 eggs

I made a "red sauce" with the meat and mushrooms, and a "white sauce" with the cheeses and eggs. Here is what I did exactly.

Red sauce:
1 C of water into large skillet. Add sausages. Cook 5 min on one side, 5 min on the other side while covered on medium-high heat. Then remove the cover, and toss most of the liquid. Cook another ten minutes total, turning 1/2 way until both sides are browned. Then remove from pan, leave the delicious goodness on the bottom of the pan. Add the ground beef. Add oregano, salt and pepper (to taste). Slice the sausages. When brown, add mushrooms, and cover again. Leave covered until mushrooms are done, add back in the sliced sausages. Then I let it cook for another 2-3 minutes to cook-off some of the liquid. Add 1 can of tomato sauce.

White sauce:
Mix 3 cheeses and 2 eggs. Add oregano and pepper. I didn't add any salt here since there were so many cheeses. This should be a pretty thick sauce.

Layering in 13x9 pan:
I put 3 large scoops of white sauce on the bottom. Maybe 1 cup total (it didn't cover the bottom completely). Then added uncooked noodles lengthwise. 3 long ways and 1 to finish off the end. Next I added a 1/2 of the red sauce, topped with 1 cup of white sauce. Add more noodles in the opposite direction. Add the second 1/2 of the meat sauce, and the last of the cheese. Top with noodles in the same directions as the first layer. Shake on more Parmesan cheese, then add 1 full can of tomato sauce to the very top. Shake down the sauce so its fully covered all over. Top with mozzarella. Cover with foil. Cook covered in foil for 1 hour. Then cook uncovered for 25 min or so. Until the top is golden and a little crunchy. Let sit for AT LEAST 30 min before you cut it.

Voila! The lasagna smelled SOOOOO good cooking, I couldn't resist cutting myself a slice. This was a good 3 hours from start to finish...(and the kitchen isn't clean yet). I can think of a million ways to change this up. Using spinach in the white sauce, using chicken instead of beef, etc. I am sure with the right selections, you could make a healthier version with fat free cheeses, more veggies, etc. If you don't like sausages or mushrooms, omit those, add your favorite veggies. You can use ricotta in the white sauce if that's what you have or like. I prefer the cottage cheese. I like the texture and the moisture it adds. I might to to make another one with more veggies. I love zucchini in tomato sauce, so maybe I will make up something to do with zucchini....but I am getting ahead of myself. I have a plan, and I am doing our best to stick to it.

Danny ended up eating a late lunch today, so I didn't make the Chicken Mexican casserole, but I will make it tomorrow. No reason I can't "rearrange." I have to learn to be flexible.

Well those dishes aren't going to wash themselves....

Making progress...

Well so far, things have worked out better than I thought. I made spaghetti on Saturday night, and ended up with MORE than enough. Danny and I ate dinner that night, and I made so much I was able to freeze 3 baked spaghetti pans. (Pasta noodles with meat sauce topped with more sauce and cheese.) Today, I made chili. Same thing happened. I over estimated what I needed. We had chili and cornbread for dinner, and then I was able to freeze two small portions, plus I froze some extra cornbread muffins. I am pleased with the plan of two meals that turned into 5 meals. Then, while we were eating dinner tonight I poached some chicken for chicken and bean enchiladas and to also use in my chicken mexican casserole tomorrow(see recipe below).

Now I am up to 7 meals in the freezer. Two pans of chicken and bean enchiladas all done and in the freezer. I have labeled them all with a temp to cook them at and for approximately how long. Then Danny can easily help too. Surely he can handle turning the oven on and popping a meal in.

For this upcoming week I have shopped and planned for this weeks meals. Plus adding two freezer meals. Here's the menu:

Tuesday - Chicken Mexican Casserole - 3 pieces of cooked chicken breasts(chopped), 1 can rotel, 1 can cream of mushroom, 1 can cream of chicken, 2 C cooked rice, 1/2 bag of tortilla chips, and shredded cheese- 13x9 pan. Mix rotel, cream of chicken and cream of mushroom (1 whole can of rotel makes it a little too spicy for Maia, so I usually use 1/2 can or less.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in cooked chicken, top with cooked rice, crumble chips and make this the next layer. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is melty and delicious. Super easy casserole.

Wednesday - Pork Loin with Fried potatoes and broccoli - Grill pork loin, let rest. Potatoes- peeled and chopped, add a little margerine to the pan, add mrs. dash or seasoned salt. Cook covered until soft. Steam broccoli.

Thursday - Kielbasa with mac and cheese, side of corn - Grill kielbasa (aka polish sausage).

Friday night - Freebie/Leftovers - I am headed out to dinner and a movie with a friend, so Danny can fend for himself. Maia will probably go to my Mom's.

While at the grocery store I bought stuff to make the lasagna and to make beef stew (freezer meals). I think I am going to make a full size lasagna. Leftover lasagna is great, so I think that will work out best. My Mom has the best lasagna, but I am going to keep trying. I follow her recipe, and it still doesn't work out right. Eventually I will get it right. I plan to make that tomorrow while throwing together the quick casserole.

I only spent $98 at the grocery store this week. Danny said "you can't do all of that for less than $100" and I did. I think he secretly challenged me so I wouldn't overspend, but I got everything on my list plus a few extras.

I have this secret fear that all this hard work will somehow not work out. I told Danny tonight that with our luck in planning the fridge will probably quit working or we will lost power for days. But really, that's just my brain trying to prepare me for the worst. IF something happens, I can easily take food over to my Mom's fridge/freezer, etc. and we wouldn't lose anything.

Oh and on a side note: Totally bummer there were no coupons in the paper this weekend. I was ready to cut and shop...but alas, there is always next week. I even tried to print some, but the printer is not working right either...brand new ink, and it is barely visible when you print. So, I gave up on the coupons this week. Now I need to start planning on meals for next week.

I will have to find time to make the beef stew, but if I can squeeze it in this week, I will do it this weekend.

What are your favorite recipes that you make? Something family friendly.

Step 2...

I cleaned out the freezer, there was a lot of stuff in there just taking up space. I am much happier with how it looks now. Instead of digging around and being irritated at what's in there I can actually find stuff, and there is plenty of space for the frozen meals. I froze some fresh berries that are in season and on sale, so when the fall comes we'll have some that we can use. Smoothies seem to be Maia's new favorite thing. She is using the Magic Bullet almost all by herself. We used the Yoplait smoothie mixes from the freezer section, but they were just "fun." I think from now on I will freeze some of my own yogurt cubes and use the fresh fruit we already have frozen.

I have rearranged the pantry, but it still needs work. The pantry will just be the way it is for a while. Nothing that impacts "my plan." I will tackle that once I get throught he freezer meals.

On to STEP 2 - I have gone to the grocery store and bought my supplies for dinner and some lunches to take me through to Monday night. I doubled the spaghetti and the chili. So when I cook that on Sunday and Monday, I can just freeze the leftovers.

Here is my weekly plan...

Thurs. - We were supposed to have Bratwurst with potatoes tonight, but Danny decided he needed to run some errands and we went out to eat afterwards. I just put the Brats in the freezer so I can pull them out next week or the week after.

Fri- MIL's birthday - We are headed out to eat again, so I didn't buy anything for Friday night.

Saturday - Lunch - Pepperoni Rolls with a side of Fresh Pineapple
Dinner - Tacos - Hard and Soft with tomatoes and lettuce, and refried beans

Sunday - Lunch - Sandwiches and Fruit
Dinner - Spaghetti with Garlic Bread (Doubled for #1 freezer meal post-preg)

Monday - Lunch - Cheeseburgers
Dinner - Chili with Cornbread (Doubled for #2 freezer meal post-preg)

While shopping for groceries I bought 6 freezer containers that will go from the freezer to the oven, and are disposable, but can be reused if they hold up. Gladware - 3-pk for $6. I probably could have got a better buy at Wal-mart, and not Homeland, but I was using coupons, and Homeland still doubles. Yay!! I didn't want to have to run to another store just for a small savings. Overall I spent $139, but that included lots of fruit for snacks, plus cereal, milk, bread, and the $12 for the freezer containers. It was higher than what I normally spend for less than a week of groceries, but I am pretty sure I overbought on hamburger, so it will all work out in the end. When I buy ground beef I buy the biggest pack at the best price, and freeze in smaller portions. Since I was doing hamburgers, chili (doubled) and spaghetti (double) I bought two big packs. In hindsight, I have enough for a lot more than that.

I am a bit bored with my meal plan for this upcoming long weekend, but I will post some pictures and recipes when I make them. I feel pretty good about the start I have towards the freezer meals for when the baby comes. I also have my meal plan for next week all laid out and ready to shop for. I will hunt a few coupons, get them printed, and I will be ready to roll. Blogging about my plans makes it easier not to fail at it.

Thanks for reading my blog...let me know if you have any suggestions :) I plan to get better at "saving money" with eating at home. We got really lazy for a while and were eating out a lot. We decided at dinner tonight that we are going to do our best to put more money in savings and spend less money on frivolous things. I realize the irony in having this discussion at dinner, but you have to start somewhere. I am terrible at thinking for the future...but I can do it. At least I am going to do my best. I am very much a "live in the moment" kind of a girl. Danny is the exact opposite. Which is good because if both of us were "live in the moment" we would have a bunch of bills and things we don't need. We are a good balance for each other. I let him "cut loose" and enjoy fun just for the fun of it, and he brings me back to reality so we don't go overboard.

Who uses coupons? What's your best way to save money using them? This is fairly new to me, and I want to get better at it. Let me know your tricks...