This Week’s Supper Plan

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Here is this week’s supper plan.

Monday

• Sloppy Joes
• Salad
• Baked Beans

Tuesday

• Chicken Alfredo
• Glazed Carrots
• Biscuits

Wednesday

• Spaghetti
• Garlic Toast
• Cauliflower

Thursday

• Waffles
• Eggs
• Sausage

Friday

• Slow cooker meatballs
• Rice
• Peas

Saturday

• BBQ chicken
• Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
• Stuffing

 

Homemade Granola Bars 2

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The kids really loved the homemade granola bars I made last week.  However, Brian’s comment was “They’d probably be good if there was no peanut butter in them.”  Today I decided to try another recipe (no peanut butter).  It might be more healthy than those you can buy in the store, but I don’t think they are very low-cal!  The kids like them, however, so I can send them to school for snacks this week.  I love that this recipe is very versatile – use whatever you have on hand.  Here is the recipe I adapted from allrecipes.com.

Easy Granola Bars

Ingredients

• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 3 cups whatever else you have on hand.  I used:  rice crispy cereal, silvered almonds, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips.  Other options:  flaked coconut, raisins, crasins, reeces’ pieces, trail mix.
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 TBS butter – melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put the sweetened condensed milk in a bowl of warm water.
3. In a large bowl, mix the other ingredients with you hands until well blended.
4. Add the sweetened condensed milk.
5. Press firmly into the prepared pan.  (I wet my hands and use them for this step, also.)
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on how crunchy you like them.  Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut.  Let cool completely before serving.

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Do you use coupons?

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I got into a discussion today about using coupons.  Do I use them?  Yes and no.  A coworker uses coupon.com to print coupons.  I checked them out this afternoon.  Out of 15 pages of available coupons, I printed 2.  Yes, there were only 2 coupons I felt I might really use.  I use coupons mostly for health and beauty items and personal care items.  I have found that for most grocery items, it is cheaper to shop at Aldi‘s than buy the name brand items with a coupon.  Besides, at Aldi’s I don’t get distracted by all the extras the bigger stores offer.  It’s just the basics.

I have checked out several coupon sites and found that they all seem to offer the same or similar coupons.  I like to download coupons right on to my store card:  No clipping and no leaving the coupons at home.

In review, if I shop mostly at Aldi and plan my menu I don’t need to clip a lot of coupons.

Supper Menu for the Week

One of the things I’m working on this year is menu planning.  I find the week goes much better and I make fewer stops at the grocery store if I plan our supper menu for the week.  I always have things on had for breakfast, so I don’t plan that by the week.  The kids have to take their lunch every day, so they take leftovers or a sandwich or roll up.  So, I sit down on Sunday evening or Monday afternoon, browse the ads and make a menu for the week.  I made a chart for the called My Weekly Docket.  It covers Menus, Daily routines, and Weekly routines.   It has been a big help to me.   Here’s what I came up with for this week’s menu.

Monday

• Lasagna
• Broccoli

Tuesday

• Soup Supper at Grandma’s church

Wednesday

• Spaghetti
• Salad

Thursday

• Hot Dogs
• Baked Beans
• Green beans

Friday

• Sloppy Joes
• Steamed Veggies

Saturday

• Mini pizzas
• Steamed Veggies

 

 

Homemade Granola Bars

Earlier this week I took my first stab at making granola bars.  They turned out great and the kids loved them.  I love that they are made with ingredients that I have on hand in the house.  They are very sweet, though, so I’m going to have to play with it & try to tweak it.  My husband’s comment was “They would probably be good if they didn’t have peanut butter in them.”  Next time I might try replacing the peanut butter with chocolate chips.

Here is the recipe I used.

Granola Snacks

• 2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter  (I used smooth)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the rice cereal, oats, and raisins. Set aside.
2. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Combine the brown sugar and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until boiling, then remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Pour over the cereal and oat mixture, and mix well.
4. Press into the prepared pan using the back of a large spoon. Allow to cool, then cut into squares.

I actually use wet hands to press it into the pan.  I have no trouble with it sticking this way.

Packing School lunches

My children attend a small private school.  There is no hot lunch program.  So, every day they have to take their lunch.  Recently I have started having my kids pack their lunches for school.  Each night after supper the kids decide what they want for lunch the next day.  They know that they need a main item, 2 fruits and/or veggies, and a snack.  I make sure there are several choices from which they can pick.  If they want leftovers, they get it ready before I put them in the fridge.  If they want a sandwich, they make it at that time.   Each child (I have 3) has a shelf in the fridge where they put their lunch.  Each morning I grab what they have prepared and pack their lunch.  If they want something in their thermos, I warm it up & put it in.  

This has worked out great.  They take things that they like.  No more complaints about what they had in their lunch.  Also, they are eating more of their lunch and bringing less home. 

Hot Fudge Sauce

I was looking for a sweet treat for the family the other day so I decided to try to make some hot fudge for our ice cream.  I adapted a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com and it was excellent!  Smooth and creamy…yum!  I decided I would share it with you.

Ingredients

• 1 c. butter
• 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 c. white sugar
• 1 (12 oz). can evaporated milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp salt

Combine butter, cocoa, sugar, salt and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.  Carefully pour hot mixture into a blender and blend for 2 to 4 minutes.  Serve immediately.  Store in refrigerator.

I used my hand blender and blended it right on the stove instead of using a blender.  This recipe keeps well in the fridge & reheat great.  The kids & I love it!  Enjoy!

Shaving Cream Alternatives

Ever go to shave only to find out there is no shaving cream left?  I hate it when that happens!  What to do?  As a mother of 3 young children, I can’t just hop in the van & go pick some up.   The next time this happens to you, consider the following alternatives.   I have used several of these options.  In fact, I haven’t bought shaving cream for years.

1.  Hair Conditioner:  It leaves your skin soft & smelling great.  This is what I use most of the time.  I go to the dollar store & buy a big bottle of conditioner for about $2.00.  This lasts me a long time.

2.  Hand or Body Lotion: My MIL gave me a huge bottle of lotion that she doesn’t want.  I am using it instead of shaving cream. It smells great and will not go to waste!

3.  Shampoo – Lather up & shave away!

4.   Dish Soap – Really any soap that will lather.

5.  Baby Oil – This will help protect your skin against nicks.  Just be careful, it may gunk up your razor.

Conditioner is my favorite, but I have a huge bottle of lotion to use up right now, so that is what I’m using.

No More Excuses

Last Tuesday I turned on the tv and a new season of “The Biggest Loser” was starting.  I love watching that show because it really motivates me to exercise.  Their theme for this season is “No Excuses”.  I love that!  I decided to adopt it for myself and our family.  No more putting off those things I’ve been meaning to do.  2012 is the year to do them – No More Excuses!

I recently began following Heavenly Homemakers (Heavenlyhomemakers.com) on Facebook.  It has truly been a blessing to me.  They have inspired me to set some goals for 2012 – no more excuses!

1.  Pray  We are on this earth to worship God and serve His people.  I pray that I focus on living God’s way.  If I do this, I believe that I will be able to accomplish these goals.

2.  Daily Bible Readings/Devotions  I will keep up on my one year Bible (& not have to read 2-3 days worth at a time to catch up).  I will have daily devotions with my children – no more excuses.  (Actually, we have been doing this and it is going well).

3.  Organize our home  Our home definitely has that lived in look to it, but sometime I would be embarrassed to have someone come in.  I need to make sure as much is going out of the house as is coming in.  The kids can help keep organized – no more excuses!

4.  Live a natural lifestyle I am stealing this one from the “5 Simple Ways” e-book I downloaded.  I want to

1. Eat real food
2. Drink water
3. Stay home more
4. Exercise
5. Waste Less

5.  Save money  Now that we have no more house payments to make, we should be able to save money – no more excuses!

6.  Use Coupons  I get the paper.  I need to clip & use the coupons!  No more excuses!

7.  Laugh  I do not do this enough.  My kids are always giggling about something.  Hopefully, they can teach me to laugh!

God willing, I will be able to meet these goals.

Cleaning the Microwave

Does your microwave get dried and crusty sometimes.  Mine does.  Here are some tips to make cleaning the inside a snap!

Keep Your Microwave Looking New With These Cleaning Tips

Tip #1

Place a bowl of water in the microwave (with a non-metal object such as a wooden spoon or stir stick in the water*) and heat for 3 – 5 minutes, depending how hard the crud is really stuck on.

When it stops heating, keep the door closed to give the moisture and steam the heated bowl of water generated to have time to work.

Remove bowl (careful, it’s hot) and take a moist, warm cloth to the inside walls of the appliance. The crud bits should wipe off easily.

Tip #2

• Add a couple teaspoons of baking soda to a bowl of water and follow same process as above. The added baking soda will act as a deodorizer. If you’re brave, you can use the hot baking soda water to scrub, but be careful–it is HOT water. Use a thick sponge and make sure to keep water away from your fingertips. You could also add a splash or two of cold water to bring the temperature down.

Tip #3

• Mix 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in a bowl and follow the same procedure as Tip #1. The vinegar also acts as a freshener and deodorizer. You can also use this water when wiping down, but again–the water is very hot. Be careful.

Tip #4

• Soak a thick, clean sponge with vinegar and water (you can also use a hand towel instead of a sponge), set microwave on high for 3 minutes. Let it sit closed for a few minutes once heating is done–allows moisture and steam to work into all the crust bits and splatters. Open appliance and use the sponge to wipe down insides. The sponge will be hot, so wear rubber gloves to help protect your skin from the heat.

Another option:

• You can throw a few slices of lemon in a bowl of hot water and then heat as above. This will help freshen things up as well.

Of course, the best way to keep your microwave clean is to wipe it down as soon as you make a mess, but life happens. So try it! With these tips cleaning the inside of your microwave has never been easier .