More tips and weekly Menu

A couple more things that will save you time and money:
* Every Tuesday in our town, the grocery ads come out. The ad starts the next day and runs to the following Tuesday. This is a great way to menu plan for the next week and stock up on things that you use often. Beware of loss leaders! It's ok to go into one store and just buy the stuff on the ad and then go to the reliable priced store for everything else. This is maybe not a time saver, especially if oyu have little kids. You'll have to decide on that one! Another good way to use the ad is to buy meat on Wednesday and if you really like it, you still have almost a week to come get more.
* Do a regular inventory of your freezer and shop there before you meal plan or shop. Once you start buying a larger quantity of meat or other things that freeze well, you will need to keep track of what you have in order to actually save that money. What good does it do to buy ribs on sale and then not eat them or even worse - throw them away 3 years later!
* I did a price comparison between Costco and Food Maxx because I wanted to be sure that I was really getting a bargain. I'd be happy to e-mail it to anyone who would like it, just know that it's the things that I buy and it may not be what you want to know. Ask me about the items you would like and I'll compare the next time I go shopping:)
* Did you know that the Kirkland brand at Costco imitates popular brands, but has a very high standard? It has to be as good or better than the original brand. They just came out with mayonaise that is supposed to be as good as Best Foods - really!- and is about half the price. I bought a jar and will let you know if it passes the husband test!
So, now for the weekly menu. I shopped in my freezer and pantry, checked my calendar for evening activities and came up with this:
Sunday: BBQ'd Salmon with garlic powder and pepper, Pasta with butter and herbs, steamed zuchinni
Monday: Whole Chicken with skin off in my Pampered Chef covered bowl with carrots and potatoes, all of it covered with Montreal seasoning, garlic powder and, pepper.
Tuesday: I have to go to Redding right after school and then have a meeting at school at 7, so it had to be quick. Chili dogs and potato salad (I will make that Monday night)
Wednesday: Pork Chops, Hash Brown potatoes, green salad.
Thursday: Leftover night! Actually we will be at a football game so it's pizza!
Friday: We will be at the cabin expecting who knows how many, so I am making a huge amount of tacos and burritos - easy and re-heatable in case people arrive at different times.
Hope this helps someone:) If you need more specific cooking instructions or recipes, just ask! Have a great week! I will try to do this on Sundays or Saturdays usually :)

The Inspiration

I started this blog after having many conversations with friends who don't meal plan. It's a trip to the grocery store everyday after work, then a hurry to prepare a meal while trying to keep the kids from eating all of the snacks before dinner! When I told them how I do it, they looked at me like I was weird! They said that if someone could just tell them what to prepare and what to shop for, it would be so much easier.
So, a few basic things that I do to save money and time:
*An extra freezer in the garage helps me be able to buy a lot of meat when it's on sale and also to buy a pig and half a cow every year. This way I can go to the freezer on Saturday or Sunday and look at what I have to plan with for the following week.
*A garden is a wonderful way to save money and the extra time it takes is enjoyable for me. Outside my kitchen on my back porch, I have several whiskey barrell halves filled with herbs. This allows me to use fresh herbs in my recipes and that really makes a difference!
*I only shop at the grocery store once a week. Every once in a while I have to make another trip, but I can usually get it all done once. If you notice, going to the store more often increases the chance of extra things getting into the basket leading to extra money spent and maybe even a little extra on your waisteline!
*I am a loyal Costco shopper, but only for things that I know I will use. All paper products, towels, sheets, and only food that we eat a lot of. It makes no sense to buy 96 of something that you THINK your family MIGHT like. Try a small box from the grocery store first!
*Planning meals ahead and combining dinner ingredients saves time and money. For instance, on Tuesday night you can cook two tri tips instead of one (if your family eats a whole on per meal). On Thursday you can fix french dip sandwiches! Just saute up some onions and peppers and add cheese - yum! Or cook a whole chicken one night and make a plan for the leftovers in a salad or soup. Less waste saves time and money.
*Do prep for more that one day at a time. If I know that I am making soup tomorrow and I am chopping onions for tacos tonite, I will chop the onions for my soup and save them in a ziplock bag for tomorrow. It's easier to chop what you can all at once and then you don't have to drag the cutting board out again! An added bonus is that the 5 extra minutes you spent chopping will make your next day's prep so much easier and faster.

Let me say that it doen's always work out this way for me and it won't for you either! Life happens and you just have to go with it. No one is perfect, but I don't get stressed everyday after work like my friends do, so I am thrilled to help. I hope someone benefits from this:) 

Also - I am a terrible typist so if you notice an error, please just ignore it unless it's so bad that you don't understand what I am trying to say!

OMG, It's 3 o'clock and what am I gonna do for dinner?!!!

Today, I came home expecting to make pesto pasta with chicken, steamed broccoli, and french bread. I soon discovered that I had sent my last bag of Costco pasta to the cabin with my teenaged son. Yikes - no pasta, now what? So, I spread my pesto on the french bread and placed Costco grilled/sliced chicken breasts on top and then shredded mozzarella cheese. In the oven for 20minutes and whamo - the best meal of the week. I happend to have a fresh tomato from the garden to slice on top. Add some fresh ground pepper and sea salt and our taste buds were reeling! So, simple and delicious. My teenaged daughter who likes nothing, even liked it without the chicken! Everyone was happy:)
Sometimes the best meals are whatever is in the cupboard:)