How to Eat Whole Foods with a Large Family on a Budget

I decided to take a grocery challenge for this week. The Inspired Bloggers Network issued the challenge. Could I build a menu, including three meals and two snacks for each day, with only $25 per person for an entire week?

Groceries are the bane of my existence. lol I have a total of 11 people in my family: 5 adults and 6 children(two of them are nursing babies). Having two adults on the Trim Healthy Mama diet, two on special allergy diets, and a budget of only $300 a week for food, diapers, and toiletries can make for some serious number crunching each menu planning day! I try to serve at least two veggies with each dinner meal, one grain for the littles, and sometimes need to make up to 4 different meals for dinner each night. So, without further ado, here's my menu for this week...

Breakfast:

Pancakes, Eggs, Oatmeal, and Muffins

Pancakes are one of the cheapest meals I can make my kids. With just two eggs and two cups of flour, I can feed the whole bunch. Normally, we eat them with no sugar jam, or a sprinkle of non-dairy, nut-free chocolate chips.

For the THM-ers, I made refrigerator oatmeal to take and go.


Lunch:

We make turkey sandwiches, mac and cheese, salads, homemade bread, hardboiled eggs, and roasted veggies from the garden.

My dh buys a salad at work each day and brings leftovers to eat with it.

Dinner:


Sat.: Breakfast for dinner! We had omelets and my oldest dd had a Italian Cream Cakein a Mug THM style.
Sunday: 2 chickens roasted, rice, roasted broccoli, carrots
Mon: Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes, Chicken Nuggets, French fries, broccoli, salad
Tues: Chicken Crockpot Chili, mac and cheese, salad
Wed: spicy black bean soup and turkey sandwiches
Thurs: Chicken spaghetti, pasta carb, salad
Fri: Pork roast, salad, green beans, potatoes, sauerkraut

For my total this week, I spent $250 for all our groceries, including toiletries and diapers. Snacks for us are usually cheese sticks, crackers, popcorn, or fruit.



I hope this helps!




Blessings,

An Update of the Baby Kind....

Charlotte Rose 3.5 months old already!



She is soooo sweet, and squishy, and all around wonderful. :)


Don't you just want to eat her up?lol


I am so blessed.


Blessings,

Gluten Free/Peanut Free/Dairy Free Edible Playdough

Here's my recipe for GF/DF/PF Edible Playdough...



1/2 cup soynut butter or sunflower butter
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp potato starch (you could probably use corn starch too.)
1/4 cup sugar
About 1/2-1 cup powdered sugar, just keep adding until a dough forms.



Mix the first 4 ingredients together first. Then knead in powdered sugar until it's doughy. :)

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Peanut Free-Dairy Free Edible Playdough.

Ok. so, life in my family is quite interesting.lol We have a million allergies, some even life-threatening. I have been watching other people with envy for YEARS as they play with edible playdough. How fair is it that the two main ingredients are milk and peanuts? We are allergic to both! For years, I've just thought this was something that we would never get to do. I even looked on Pinterest!lol

Well, today I decided to experiment and find a recipe that we could have.

Here are the stars of the show...


And is was success!



And it even tastes good.lol



Here's the recipe...

1/2 cup any nut or seed butter, you could even use Biscoff Spread. I used a forlorn jar of soynut butter that no one would eat.lol

1 package of pudding mix, any flavor. (Jello brand are dairy free, just cornstarch and sugar.) We used vanilla, but I think we'll go with chocolate next time.

About 1 tbsp potato starch. (I think I'll skip this next time.)

Mix in enough powdered sugar to make it a dough. It was about 1/2 cup. I just kept mixing until it wasn't sticky. :)

So there! A dairy free, peanut free playdough that you can eat!


Blessings,

Montessori Language Object and Card...

Here is a sample of what I am working on...



I'll be making (with a swap group) 2"x2" object cards with the name tag on the control photo. Then I'll cut the name off of the second one for matching against the object or the name.

This has many uses in a Montessori homeschool.

For the younger set, they can match the object to the photo...


They can match the starting letter to the object...



Or to the photo...


And as they learn, they can then match the Letter to the object, photo, and word..


Finally, they'll be able to spell the word (I wonder how many will notice my mistake in this photo...lol)


So, that's what I'm up to.lol

Blessings,

Empowering our young ones...

I'm a big fan of things that help our little ones do "Big People" things. :)



Sometimes, it's as simple as a knife that won't cut fingers off.lol



And confidence is accomplished...



a job well done is enough to make anyone proud.




Blessings,

Snack Bins for Hubby and Son...



A few weeks ago, I started making snack bins for the two older men. They are both trying to lose weight and Jon thought, "What if we had snacks already prepared that were under 200 Calories each?" Then we could just choose different combos for the day and never eat too many calories. Pinterest to the rescue! I searched for low calorie snack ideas and snacks for under 200 Calories. This website popped up and was a huge help in the snack department.



photo of Eric's box in progress



1. They wanted no more than 1000 calories during the day, not including breakfast or dinner.

2. They could divide up the calories however they choose.

3. Everything would be grab and go. That way, dh could take them to work and not worry about messes.

So, here's what I've come up with...

Choose 3 of these per day in your box:

1. Turkey Sandwich Thin (3oz of turkey, one sandwich thin, lettuce, tomato, and mustard) 200 calories

2. Muffin Pizza (100 Calorie English muffin, 1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, 3 turkey pepperonis, green peppers) 200 calories

3. Bagel Thin w/laughing cow cream cheese wedge 145 calories

4. 2 hard boiled eggs w/ 1tbsp reduced fat mayo and mustard 161 calories

5. Triscuits and Babybell cheese 170 calories

6. Veggie Pita thin w/hummus 150 calories + veggies

Choose 4 of these per day in your box:

1. Cottage cheese, flavored 90 calories

2. Apple and cheese stick 141 calories

3. Greek yogurt 140 Calories

4. 100 Calorie Pop Corn

5. 90 Calorie Granola bar

6. Carrots and low-fat ranch 52 Calories

7. 100 Calories of fruit (1 piece or 1 cup)

8. 70 calorie Italian ice (Obviously this one is for weekends. :)


They really come together quickly and the guys really love them. Now to work on one for the younger ones. :)

Blessings,

School This Year 2012-13

This year I have 3 official students with an active 2.5yo thrown in for good measure. (The baby just tags along and makes things more interesting.lol) I really had a hard time deciding on curricula this year. I had to balance learning sytles with the amount of actual time that I can sit at the table. It's great to know what styles work with each child but if everything is very teacher intensive, that doesn't leave much of me left for the little ones. So, balance was key for me this year.

Here's the list of working items for each child...

Genevieve:

Heart of Dakota's "Preparing Hearts for His Glory"

What I love about this curriculum is that most of the assignments are written to the student or are easy enough for a bright 4th grader to do on her own. I sit with her for the read alouds, Bible, language arts, and occasionally math. Everything else, she can do without help. Love the focus on the Bible!

First Language Lessons Level 1

We're going through this quickly. I'm a late starter to grammar instruction. I like to start them reading, then work on spelling, then grammar, and finally writing. Genevieve's been focusing on spelling for the last 6 months and has really taken off, so we've just begun focusing on grammar. We'll probably go through Levels 1-3 this year.

All About Spelling Level 4

Genevieve has really made incredible progress with this program. She went from being unable to spell, to spelling at a 4th grade level in 6 months' time. We started this in January, took 2 months off for a new baby and she just finished level 3 last week. Really amazing!

Math U See Beta

She's been in this level for over a year. What can I say? Math is NOT her strong suit but she is making PROGRESS. That's all that matters to me. She'll be in Gamma in a few short weeks.

Isaac:

I went back to an oldie but goodie for this guy....

KONOS!

He's loving the study on American Indians so far. We're using Squidoo lesson plans to hash out a good direction for his lessons KonosI really like how it is put together! He's learning a ton. We do all the reading right before bed and he's always asking for more.lol We're going to follow the whole year 2 program. :)

Reading Eggs:

This is great for the non-bookie kind of learner. He's picking up reading without pain and I don't have to teach it.lol

Explode the Code:

I'm using this as his "Handwriting" and for more phonics help.

Math U See Alpha

He just started and is enjoying this level.


Sophia:

Sophia will be working with Isaac on History and Science. They'll be doing projects together and listening to the same stories.

She's using a new program that I found on Confession's of a Homeschooler's blog:

K3program

She's also going to do the K4 program this year also. We're starting off slow. :) It covers all the basics: Phonics, writing skills, math, colors, shapes, and anything else she may have missed being the 5th child.lol

David:

He's doing Preschool Busy Bags, Montessori learning, and anything else I can cook up to keep him busy.


That's it for now. My hope is to add photos and links to the things that we do each week starting next weekend. We'll see if that happens. :)

Blessings,

Photos...and A video...

Here's a photo of Isaac and Sophia. Love Isaac's eyes and Sophia's loving nature shows through...

Here's a photo of David, the stinker.lol

I just did a Preschool Busy Bag Swap with some local friends and this was one of the bags...fishing with cute little fish and numbers on them. I took a video of David doing this bag, although I had to shoot at odd angles due to potty training. :)

Catching Up.

Ha! Like that can even happen. In my last real post A WHOLE YEAR AGO, I wasn't even expecting a baby! Now look...



Yep! A new baby arrived on June 7th. Charlotte Rose.

So, how do I begin this blog over again? Do I skip over all that happened or do I add it in as I go? Not sure. :)

Many things have happened since I last posted. Allison moved out and is now moving back in once she returns from Puerto Rico with her new boyfriend.


Jon graduated highschool and is now in college this semester with the hopes of joining the Air National Guard in January, going through boot camp and then finishing up college, hopefully debt free from the guard, then wants to join the Air Force and go through Officer Training. He has really worked hard this year to tone up and get physically fit for the job. He also received his Eagle just this past weekend. What a feat that was! I don't think any of us have ever worked that hard before.lol

Genevieve has taken her place as leader of the pack. She's a good organizer and helps me tremendously. She turns 10 on Oct. 1st and is hoping for a Beta Fish.

Isaac is always the first to obey and the quickest at his jobs. I'm always amazed at how fast and efficiently he works.

Sophia is our ray of sunshine. If fairies were real, I'd believe that she was one. She flits around on her toes, dancing and twirling wherever she goes. (but watch that temper of hers, it'll catch you off guard if you cross her.lol)

David is tornado of trouble. We've been gating off areas of the house just to keep him contained. He's working on potty training and is finally "getting it." Hopefully soon, we'll only have one in diapers again.lol

I accidently named Charlotte wrong. Who knew that I'd give birth to Mary Poppins? Oh well, she'll just have to make this name work.lol She's the most delightful baby I've ever had. Happy, content, smiley, alert, and sleeps through the night-most nights anyway. :) Love that baby.

So, that's a quick update of our happenings. Hopefully soon, I'll update our school happenings and life in general. :) (maybe some recipes too.lol)

Blessings,

Granola Bars

Granola Bars

Mix together:

1.5 cups brown sugar(or sucanat)
1 cup oil

Add in:

2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups oats
2 cups flour

Add ins:

1 cup chocolate chips

or

1/2 cup walnuts(or any nut)
1/2 cup coconut(or dried fruit)

or

a little of everything. :)

Grease 9x13 pan. Add mixture and press down with greased hands. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Cut into squares while hot. Enjoy!

Recipes for Week 2 and 3 Dinners

Succulent Roast Chicken ( I do this in the crockpot and double it.)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/succulent-roast-chicken/detail.aspx

Make broth with bones overnight!

Chicken pot pie

Add some leftover chicken to a 9x13 pan. Make gravy with broth, flour and margarine roux, salt and pepper. Add to pan with frozen peas and carrots and whatever veggies are in season. Top with a pie crust or and bisquick crust. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Pasta Carbonara (I 3x this recipe)

From Better Homes New CookBook

1 egg
1 tbsp milk (I use rice milk)
1 tbsp margarine
4 slices bacon chopped up
4 oz spaghetti
1/4 cup parm cheese (I omit)

Cook bacon until crisp. Combine egg, milk, butter. Cook noodles until al dente. Drain pasta and add sauce. Stir until creamy. Add bacon, salt and pepper to taste, and cheese if desired.

Chicken Soup

Add homemade broth, leftover chicken, whatever veggies you have and cook until veggies are soft. Add noodles. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with bread.

Chicken Spaghetti

Add leftover chicken to some spaghetti sauce. Add a green pepper, 1/2 an onion, 2 cloves garlic minced. Serve over pasta.

Overnight Brisket

Place one large brisket into a crockpot, fat side up. Coat meat with onion powder and one palmful of dried onion flakes. Coat with salt and cook overnight, about 12 hours. In the morning shred meat and remove fat. Serve with mashed potatoes and set aside extra for later dinners.

Shepard's pie

Add brisket to 9x13 pan with broth from brisket. Add veggies, we use frozen peas and carrots, sometimes cabbage and onion. Cover with leftover mashed potatoes. Bake at 350 until heated through. Add cheese on top if desired.

Oven Baked Chicken

Coat Leg and thigh pieces with:
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Bake at 400* for 1.5 hours or until cooked through.

Fried Rice

add chicken, cabbage, peas and carrrots, onion to pan. Add leftover rice and cook over high heat until hot and browning. Add 1 egg and then add this sauce...1/2 cup soy sauce, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp honey, 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard, 2 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp ginger. Cook until hot.

Split pea soup

1 bag split peas
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 large carrots
1/2 lb ham or bacon-browned

Add to soup pot and cover with water. Cook until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with bread.

Recipes for Week 1 Meal Plan Dinners

Slow Cooker Carnitas
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-carnitas/detail.aspx

Moosewood Refried Beans (from my friend De'Etta)

"Moosewood" Refried beans - Crock pot version


2 C raw pinto beans
6 C water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C chopped onion
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 C minced green pepper (I didn't have any so left this out)
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 C rice


Mix all in your crock pot. Cook on high. At 5 hours it was "beans and rice",
by 8 hours I only had to stir and it was mashed...with a few chunks...we
like chunks. I could have put it in the blender or mixer and made it really
smooth. Again - add oil if you like the taste. You could fry it if you'd
like.

Nacho Layer Dip

Mix leftover meat with beans, rice, and salsa. Spread on bottom of 9x13 pan. Mix sour cream and homemade taco seasoning and spread on meat mix. Cover with cheese. Bake until hot. Serve over chips with extra sour cream, cheese, lettuce, salsa, and guacamole.

Enjedra

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=21477.0

Pork LoMein

Boil 1/2 package of egg noodles.

Make sauce: 1/2 cup soy sauce, 2 cloves of garlic-minced, 1/4 tsp ginger, 2 tsp honey and a squirt of spicy brown mustard, 2 tbsp oil

Chop up leftover pork. Add whatever veggies you like. We use chopped cabbage, onion, frozen peas and carrots, and broccoli. Saute over high heat. Add one egg and scramble. Add sauce and noodles. Enjoy. :)

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

4 ounces bacon or 5 tbsps spanish olive oil

1 med onion, finely chopped
1 med green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dried black beans, rinsed and soaked or 2 16oz cans black beans
2 cups raw white rice
4 1/2 cups water
2 tsps salt
1 bay leaf
2 tbsps Spanish olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
Freshly ground black pepper to taste


1. In a large saucepan, cook the bacon 6-8 minutes over low heat, or
heat the oil until fragrant. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic
and cook, stirring, until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add the remaining
ingredients and cook over med-high heat until all the water has been
absorbed and small craters form over the surface of the rice, 10-15
min.

2. Stir with a fork, cover, and cook over low heat until the rice is
tender, 10-15 min. Discard bay leaf and serve.


Makes 8 large servings.
From the cookbook: Memories of a Cuban Kitchen by Mary Urrutia
Randelman

Fall-Winter Meal Plan 2011

Here's a three week meal plan with grocery list.

Fall-Winter Meal Plan 2011




Breakfast:

Pancakes
Smoothies
Yogurt
Muffins
Cereal
Oatmeal


Lunch:

Homemade Pizza
Homemade Pretzels
Homemade Bread
Chili
Soup
Spaghetti

With: Fruit


Dinner:

Week 1:

Pork Carnitas w/Pintos and Rice
Nacho Layer Dip
Enjedra
Oven Baked Chicken w/mac and cheese
Pork LoMein
Breakfast
Black beans and rice


Week 2:

2 Whole Chickens (crockpot), mashed tators
Chicken Pot Pie
Pasta Carb
Soup w/bread
Chicken spaghetti w/g-b biscuits
Breakfast
Brisket , mac and cheese

Week 3:

Brisket, potatoes
Shepherd’s Pie
Enjedra
Oven Baked Chicken or Fried, rice
Fried Rice
Breakfast
Soup




Grocery List:



Frozen strawberries and blueberries
Frozen Peas and carrots x2
Frozen Spinach x2
Eggos
Cheddar Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Sour cream
Rice milk x2
Milk
Soy milk x2
Eggs 5dz
Soy yogurt
Orange juice
Yogurt
Margarine
Veggie Oil
Lentils
Brown rice
Paprika
Mustard powder
Thyme
Egg noodles
Ginger
Shortening
Soy Sauce
Lemon Juice
Pepper
Spicy Brown Mustard
Tortilla chips
Pintos
Black refried beans
Salsa
Mac and cheese x4
Black beans x4
Rice
Spaghetti sauce x2
Spaghetti noodles x2
Bisquick
Flour x2
Baking Soda
Oats
Oatmeal
Baking powder
Salt
Chocolate chips
Cereal (shredded wheat)
Raisins
Cinnamon
Honey
Applesauce
Onion powder
Onion flakes
Yeast
Sugar
Baby food
Juice boxes
Cumin
Diced tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Garlic powder
Oregano
Bay leaf
Split peas
Chili powder
Buns
Bread
Tortillas
Bagels
Sausage
Bacon x2
Brisket
Chicken legs and thighs x2
2 whole chickens
Pepperoni
Pork roast
Bananas
Celery
Cabbage
Lemons
Fruit
Potatoes x2
Salad
Broccoli x 3
Carrots
Green peppers
Green beans
Onion (bag)
Garlic
Avocados
Lettuce

Just print them out and cross off what you already have in your pantry/fridge. I'll upload recipes or links in another post. :)

Jr. Homemakers Club

I've been working through some cute projects for a Jr. Homemakers Club that I'm starting in August. I thought I'd post finished work, by me, and sometimes by Genevieve, as I get the curricula settled for this semester. I'll also post links to where I found the ideas.

We'll be working on Sewing first and this is our first project...

A Bandana Shirt that Genevieve made herself...

I got the project from Trey and Lucy . On the site, it's a dress, but for girls this age, it'll be a shirt. :)

Next up, a Tie on Dish Towel, also from Trey and Lucy . I'll post a photo once it's complete. :)

Our next project will take two classes. It's an Oliver + S pattern that's free here...Lazy Days Skirt

It should be fun!


I'll post the photos later and in the next post I'll list our Crochet projects.
Blessings,

It's Bounce House Season!

I just pulled out the bounce house for the summer. Wow, the kids sure have grown. lol  David, the newest bounce houser is in love. lol  What a fun way to spend a too hot day.

I wish I could go in there. :)


Blessings,

David 16 months...

I felt it was time to get some good photos of David. You know, the kind of photo that would grace the walls of the grandparents houses. :)

This is one of Davids favorite expressions...


(Why did you just hit me with your camera?)

Or how about this one...


(What is that smell?!)

These next two are my very favorites though...


(Mr. Cute)


(Mr. Adorable)

I can't believe how big he is already! He's walking really good now. His favorite thing to say is, "Mommy? Mommy? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." It's hilarious. We were at Genevieve's dance recital and David would wait until it was dark and really quiet and then shout out, "Mommy?...Mommy?" (like he was lost and frightened) and then he would say, "Blah, blah, blah, blah." Everyone in the whole back row would start cracking up. Lots of fun with this little guy. :)

Blessings,

Spelling Program...

Here's some of my new program that I am working on for Genevieve.

First, she'll grab a bag of one of these phonograms...

Long a sounds: ai, ay, eigh, ea

Long e sounds: ee, ey, ie, ea, y
Long i sounds: igh, ie, y
Long o sounds: oa, oe, ow
Long u sounds: oo,ui,ue,ew
Short Vowels: a, e, i, o, u
Diagraphs: ch, tch, wh, ph, sh, th
R controlled sounds: ar, er, ir, or, ur
Long vowels with silent e: a_e, i_e, o_e, u_e
Soft c, Soft g, oi, oy, ou, ow, ing, ang, ong, ung, wor, ear, kn, wr, qu, dge, ck, aw, au, ea (bread), oo (foot)


Let's say she picks Short Vowel "a."


She'll first look at the bag to see how many short vowel a's she needs to write.


Then she'll grab a piece of paper and write them in red ink.


Now, she opens her bag and finds 8 photos that have the Short A sound. (The pink cards in this photo were from http://www.shop.montessoriprintshop.com/Color-Coded-Phonics_c103.htm )


She also pulls out these little wooden alphabet pieces. I got these from a craft swap years ago, but I think they are from Oriental Trading Company.


After she gets them all correctly spelled, she can put everything back into the bag for tomorrow. It is self correcting because she will run out of letters or have left-overs if she has some incorrect. It's also good for perfectionists since she's using moveable letters instead of writing them down and "getting them wrong."


She completes this project over again until Friday.

On Friday, she pulls out her paper with the 8 a's on it. She then pulls out her photos. Using the photos from the week, she WRITES the words around the letter a's on the page.


The project is complete once she gets all words correct. She then puts her paper into her new dictionary of spelling and moves onto the next spelling phonogram.

I'm still tweeking the program in that I'd like to have paper that allows for room between words and I'm also going to give the wooden letters a paint job so that they stand out better on the paper.


Blessings,