My trip for GF items today...

The grocery ads hit on Wednesdays here, so I stopped at Hy-Vee on the way in to work this morning to pick up some things. I was lucky enough to find some coupons in the aisles of the Health Food area that saved me even more. $19.50 for everything in this picture. Not too bad, especially the gluten free baking mixes. With coupons I got those for $2.25 each.

I like to have things like that on hand, but the key to eating my healthiest, and to keep the weekly grocery costs down, is by making those treats, not meal staples. In fact, the Larabars made me feel like a "wild child"...but they were 4/$5, are a good source of Potassium and fiber, have a full serving of fruit, and are nice to keep at work for those moments when I'm starving but don't have an apple or something on hand.

By the way...please note the "extravagance" of the boxed stock. I am the poster child for making my own, but with my schedule, there are times that I'm out of my freezer stash and need stock. These are organic, have no junk in them, and I was able to get them for under $2 each with coupons. I am finding homemade soup to be a staple of my GF diet, so these will be nice to have on hand.

Gluten-Free Banana Bread French Toast

My MIL was here over the weekend visiting so she could be here with the boys for Halloween. When I picked her up from the airport Saturday morning and brought her home, she told me a story she thought I'd find "quite amusing".

It seems "Mom 2" has discovered several food blogs that she loves and visits on a regular basis. She uses these blogs to follow links and explore other food blogs. One day, while hopping from blog to blog, she made a discovery. She was at MY blog! I had mentioned that I had my own blog, but I'd never given her a link to the blog. Imagine her surpise when she realized she knew the author. :)

She spent quite a bit of time here, reading about the garden, the family, and browsing the recipes. Which saved me from having to tell her about my gluten-free diet- she already knew! She was asking me about what I had made, how alternative flours tasted, etc. I have slowly but surely built up a small GF pantry, and am getting a little braver each day in trying out new things. When I realized I had some ripe bananas, I thought I would let her taste for herself what something might taste like with GF substitutions. I made 2 loaves of banana bread using this recipe, except I subsituted 2 cups of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Mix for the flour, baking powder, etc., and I added 1/4 cup sour cream.

It turned out wonderfully, and we all enjoyed nice warm banana bread on Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning, I got out the 2nd loaf of banana bread, thinking the boys would enjoy having it for breakfast. My 8 year old looked at the banana bread, then looked at me and declared that he wanted Banana Bread French Toast. I had never even thought of such a thing before, but okay. I'm game.


GF Banana Bread French Toast

8 slices of your favorite GF banana bread, or use recipe above
3 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1t GF vanilla
1t cinnamon

Heat a skillet over medium heat and grease lightly. Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon, and let banana bread soak in the mixture for 2-3 minutes, turning once to coat.

Cook in skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, flip, and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, or until egg mixture is cooked through and french toast is nicely browned. Serve with maple syrup.

I was very pleased with how this turned out. The egg mixture and pan-frying gave the banana bread a wonderful "melt in your mouth" texture. It felt very decadent, which was exciting, considering I haven't had anything along these lines since I stopped eating gluten.

I'm looking forward to my son's next request---hopefully it will generate another delicious creation!

Menu Plan Week of 11/1

Here's what the week looks like...

Monday 11/1

Mini Meatloaves ( I will use corn flakes instead of bread to make these GF) $3.00

roasted red potatoes .50

sauteed kale with garlic and bacon $1.50

$5.00

Tuesday 11/2

chicken and mushroom risotto (using homemade stock) $4.75

baked sweet potatoes $1.00

salad .75

$6.50

Wednesday 11/3

I am taking the boys to see Trans Siberian Orchestra with a friend and her kids, and we'll go out to eat after. I will be making extra meatloaves tonight and hiding them in the downstairs fridge so they will actually make it to Wednesday and hubby can have them for dinner.

Thursday 11/4

spaghetti and meatballs (K has been begging me for meatballs. I will eat these sans pasta) $4.00

sauteed kale with garlic $1.00

bread and butter .50

$5.50

Friday 11/5

turkey tacos $3.00

corn .50

tomato avocado salad $1.50

$5.00

Saturday 11/6

slowcooker pot roast (using a smaller roast) $5.00

salad .75

bread and butter for boys .50

$6.25

Sunday 11/7

grilled pork chops $2.50

acorn squash $1.00

broccoli .75

$4.25

Amazing deal at Fareway this week...

It was already pretty awesome. 5lbs. of potatoes for .72. 72 CENTS!!!! But it gets better. Now through Mother's Day you can print this coupon and take it to Fareway here in Omaha for 2 bags for .72. 7 cents per pound. That rocks.

Menu plan Week of 5/2

Between the meals on the grill, and the meals on the smoker, I'm excited to use the MPM grill logo for the first time this year! I kept the meal plan pretty well last week, except for today. Didn't feel like dealing with pizza, so we did brats. I have tonight's menu, along with the rest of the week, below. Monday through Sunday's meals feed a family of 4 and come in at $30.

Sunday-
Grilled brats in buns w/ cheese $3.75
beans $1.50
apple slices .50
$5.25

Monday-
spaghetti w/ turkey meatballs- $3.75
salad .75
green beans .40
$4.90

Tuesday-
grilled pork chops $3.50
cheesy broccoli rice $1.00
bread & butter .50
$5.00

Wednesday- Cinco de Mayo
bean and cheese nachos $1.75
super sweet corn .50
guacamole $1.00 (thank you .39 avocados at Aldi!)
pineapple $1.00
$4.25

Thursday-
ham .00 (free w/ a gift certificate to Honey Baked Ham store)
au gratin potatoes $1.00
salad .75
$1.75

Friday-
grilled chicken $2.00
rotini w/ alfredo sauce .75
broccoli .50
$3.25

Saturday-
brisket $5.00
sweet potatoes .75
bread and butter .50
$6.25

Sunday-
smoked pork butt $3.00
buns .50
fries .50
corn .50
$4.50

Week's Total- $29.90

Wow!

Welcome to a typical day at the office. Me. At my desk. Eating lunch. Today I didn't really feel like eating the lentil soup I brought, so I grabbed one of the frozen meals I keep stashed in the office freezer. Eating Right Chicken Poblano. I don't think I've ever had a frozen meal that has as much flavor and spice as this. Pretty darn good.

Calorie Count only gives it a C for nutritional value, but I guess you can't have everything, right?

Keeping extra food at work is a great way to make sure that your daily cravings and mood swings don't put a dent in your grocery budget. Or your weight loss goals. I use my coupons and sale ads to stock up on freezer meals, cans of soup, boxes of crackers, microwave popcorn etc., and keep them here. Then, if I forgot to pack lunch or was running late or just didn't want what I brought, I won't be tempted to eat out.

Just make sure you put your name on anything you put in the community fridge or freezer. I learned that one a long time ago.

Menu Plan Week of 4/19

I totally cheated tonight. Hy-Vee had their deli family sized lasagna on sale for $6. I got one to try. They don't mess around--completely loaded with cheese and sausage and well worth the $6. And well worth the careful eating I'll need to do for the rest of the week to make up for it!
This week's menu comes in at around $38-ish (wasn't really into math tonight!)

Monday-
Lasagna $6.00
green beans .40
corn .50
french bread with herbed olive oil dip .75
$7.65

Tuesday-
Turkey chili dogs $2.35
fries .50
apple slices w/ caramel dip 1.00
$3.85

Wednesday-
broccoli, ham and cheese stuffed baked potatoes $2.50
garlic bread .75
salad .75
$4.00

Thursday-
Southwestern Steak Salad $5.00
tortilla chips $.50
$5.50

Friday-
chicken with sun-dried tomatoes $3.50
egg noodles .50
steamed carrots .25
$4.25

Saturday-
southwestern chicken bake $5.00
salad .75
$5.75

Sunday-
Pizza Night
$7.00 (going to try a dessert pizza too this week)

Potatoes Gratin

This week Bag n Save has all of their Land o Lakes products at great prices. I combined with coupons and bought some items that aren't everyday purchases for me- buttermilk for pancakes, and half n half.

I am still swimming in potatoes---I had gotten 15lbs for $1.49, and that's a LOT of potatoes for us! So I decided to make one of my comfort food favorites. Please note that this is NOT a low fat recipe hehehe....just a wonderful, simple, classic baked dish. I keep the seasoning fairly simple. You could certainly perk it up with rosemary or other spices. I have also sprinkled bacon in for even more decadence. I used a 4 cheese blend on this...you can really use whatever you have on hand, for slightly different tastes every time you make it.

Potatoes Gratin

3lbs potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
3T butter, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese...cheddar or your choice
2T flour
1 1/2 cups half n half
1t salt, divided
1t pepper, divided (I used a garlic pepper blend to spice it up a bit more. I also used a little more. You can adjust according to your taste)

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare a square 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Layer half of the potatoes and half of the onions in the dish.
Sprinkle with 2T flour, and half of the salt and pepper. Place half of the butter slices across the top.
Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
Add the rest of the potatoes, onions, butter, seasoning, and cheese. Pour the half n half over the potatoes. (I sprinkled a little paprika over the top for color- also helps with the browning and I just love a nice crust on top)
Place dish in oven. After 5 minutes, reduce to 375 and bake for 50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and top is golden.
Restrain yourself from eating half the pan.

Because of the sale prices I paid, this dish cost me just under $2 to make, and is enough for an army. We barely made a dent into it last night.

Stocking back up on fresh produce...

Since we left for a few days, we made sure to eat all of the perishables, so this week a good chunk of the food budget is going to replacing those. Here's what I is on my list for shopping according to the new ads:

Fareway-
green grapes .99/lb
bananas .29/lb
green beans .99/lb
broccoli .99/lb
leaf lettuce .99/bunch
braeburn apples .69/lb (price match from Hy-Vee)
Iowa Chops $1.99/lb
Fastco Cheese 2 for $2 with coupon in ad

Bakers-
Strawberries- 4lb. flat for $1.49/lb
CoffeeMate Creamer 32oz. $2.38 (and I have .75 coupons)

Hy-Vee is having another Red Hot Weekend Sale, but that ad won't be available until tomorrow night. I will see if there's anything then. Bag n Save has some decent prices on Land o Lakes products, and I may try to get there as well.

Spiced Carrots

These are on the menu plan for this week, so I went ahead and made extras for the freezer as well.

2lbs. carrots, washed, peeled and cut into thick coins
1.5 cups apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
1t cumin
3/4t ginger
1/4t coriander
1t lemon zest
2t honey


In medium saucepan, combine carrots, along with everything but the zest and honey, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for around 8 minutes, until carrots are tender but firm. Remove from heat. Toss cinnamon stick, add zest and honey, toss to coat, and serve.
This worked out to 3 portions for our family, at a cost of under .50 per serving.

Menu Plan Monday 3/1 (and we've become a smoked bbq joint!)

The neighbors have to be jealous at the smells coming from our garage. Hubby has the smoker working at full power these days! This weekend, he did 2 yummy pork shoulders.

We enjoyed this for dinner last night and then divided it all up for the freezer. We will be using this meat in carnitas, nachos, and some other meals coming up in the next few weeks. At .99/lb., an amazing deal! Apparently, though, that wasn't enough. So we move on to the brisket that went into the smoker last night. First we had to trim it up.

Then I mixed together a nice rub.

Yellow mustard. Who knew it could be so useful in adding a little flavor and helping the rub to form a "crust".

We have the finished product on the menu for tomorrow. Looking forward to getting a taste when I get home!

While hubby was master smoker yesterday, I was at work in the kitchen. Using a $1.88 package of lean ground turkey, a .75 cent bag of kidney beans, my homegrown/homecanned tomatoes, and a mix of spices, I made a DELICIOUS pot of chili! This actually broke down into 5 different freezer portions to use as we need to. All for about $4.50.

I like to let the chili sit in the fridge overnight because I think it tastes better that way. We'll be enjoying chili tonight, and later this week as well.

On to the rest of the plan for the week. We feed two adults, a 7yr. old and a 4yr. old for 7 dinners. This week's plan comes in under $30, and is rich in whole grains, beans and fresh vegetables. (and copious amounts of cheese hehehe).

Monday-

turkey chili w/ cheese and multi grain chips $2.50

corn .50

spinach and orange salad .75

$3.75

Tuesday-

beef brisket $5.00

whole wheat angel hair (.30) tossed in olive oil (.05) and parmesan (.15) .50

roasted asparagus (1/2lb. @ $1.49/lb.) .75

$6.25

Wednesday-

skillet cheesy penne pasta w/ meat sauce (using up leftovers from freezer and home canned tomatoes) $1.50

green beans .40

mixed greens salad .75

$2.65

Thursday-

Pork carnitas tostads $2.50

refried beans .60

corn .50

$3.60

Friday-

chili dogs $2.00

steak fries .50

apples .50

$3.00

Saturday-

pork fried rice $2.00

pot stickers $2.00

$4.00

Sunday-

homemade pizza night $5.25

Chicken and Kale Soup

I altered yesterday's meal a bit after picking up some kale this week. I decided to try adding it to a chicken vegetable soup. I really liked the results.

8 cups chicken stock or broth (I make my own and freeze it)
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2T olive oil
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
40z. mushrooms, diced
salt and pepper
2 cups cooked diced chicken breast
1 cup corn
1 head of kale, washed, dried, and chopped into small pieces
1t herbes de provence

In large pot on stove, heat 2T olive oil. Add celery, carrot, onion, garlic and mushrooms, and saute for about 4 minutes. Salt and pepper lightly. Add broth and potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, add chicken, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are soft.
Add kale, corn and herbes de provence, and let simmer for an additional 10 minutes, until kale is tender. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread and a salad.

I just had a bowl of this today and it's even better reheated!

Chicken and Red Bean Enchiladas

I made a small variation to my normal Chicken Enchiladas recipe tonight so as to sneak some beans into the boys meal. They like beans, but tend to eat them better if they're in something, rather than a standalone side. I had thought about making rice tonight but decided not to, so I put the beans straight into the enchiladas.

10 flour tortillas
2 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
1t onion powder
2 cups cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In small bowl, mix soup, sour cream and salsa. In large bowl, mix together chicken, beans, half of the soup mixture, onion powder and 1 cup cheese. Heat tortillas in microwave for 30 seconds so they are flexible. Fill each tortilla with 2-3T filling and place seam down in a greased casserole dish. Pour remaining soup mixture over enchiladas, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake for 30 at 350 until golden and bubbly.

We served with additional sour cream and salsa, lime, corn, and salad with a honey lime chipotle vinaigrette.

This recipe has been linked to the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Another Omaha Blogger!

This past weekend, I stumbled upon OmahaCouponClipper. I was excited to find another blogger in Omaha dedicated to budget living, and Brandy's blog is very focused on specific local sales and match-ups, which is great! I try to do this from time to time, but I'm not very vigilant at keeping everything updated. Brandy is, and I'm thrilled to have her doing it! Stop by her blog and say "hi"! :)

Freezing Broccoli

Broccoli crowns without the big stalk are on sale at Fareway this week for .99/lb. This is a great price, and we eat a lot of broccoli here, but I'm not sure we're going to get to it for a few days, so I took 10 minutes when I got home from the store to make sure the broccoli will be ready when I am! First, you want to wash it and cut it into spears or florets like I did here. Next, bring a big pot of water to a roiling boil.


Once the water is boiling, you drop the broccoli in for about 90 seconds, til it turns a pretty bright green. Drain
To stop the cooking process and to keep the pretty green color, make sure you rinse well in cold water. Let the excess water drain, and then you can divide into freezer bags to your liking.
I purchased 2lbs. of broccoli exactly. I was able to divide it up for 3 dinners. .67 each for nice broccoli spears at dinner. I will pop this into a steamer to cook. Easy!

Time to start planning for the garden!

Hard to believe since my garden is still pretty snow covered that I need to start working on plants so that my garden will be like this again...

I start getting my seeds and supplies together this week, and I'll be designing a garden layout plan. Hubby is going to extend the bunny fencing to the front this summer as well, and try that instead of the water scarecrows, as they are just hellbent on getting to my green beans. This year I hope to end up with more than just a handful!

This year presents a bit of a challenge...I need to rotate where I had tomatoes last year, and because of the garden's shape, any of my options for where to relocate will have less space. Less space means less tomatoes. Bad because I won't have as many for salads, salsas and sauces, good because it will free up some space to try some new things. I will be doing lettuce and spinach this year, expanding my herbs, and perhaps trying some carrots. I will also be expanding my peppers, because hubby wants to try his hand at smoking jalapenos to make chipotle peppers.

I will post as I progress over the next week...what are you planting this year?

Roasted Broccoli

There is officially nothing that doesn't taste better after roasting. Well, okay, maybe not...but broccoli sure wasn't on my list of roasting no-brainers. I was actually a little skeptical. I felt better after watching my 4 and 7 year old inhale their broccoli. This will be going into regular rotation around here, and it's sooo easy!

1lb. fresh broccoli, cut into florets
2T olive oil
1t kosher salt
1/2 pepper
1T lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425....spray cookie sheet with no stick spray and spread broccoli evenly onto sheet. Drizzle oil over broccoli, sprinkle with salt and put in oven for 15-20 minutes until broccoli is tender and has some nice browning. After removing from oven, season with lemon juice, pepper, and if desired, an additional pinch of salt.

Blue Cheese and Bacon Mac n Cheese

Here's a nice change of pace for a more "grown up" mac and cheese. My boys also loved it.

8oz spiral pasta
5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2T butter
3T grated white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2T flour
2 cups milk
2oz. blue cheese, crumbled
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1/4t nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
diced tomatoes (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, melt 2T butter over medium heat in saucepan. Saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add flour, whisk to combine and let cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, breaking up any lumps. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat slightly, stirring frequently until sauce thickens. Slowly add cheeses and whisk until well melted. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Drain pasta. Add to sauce. Add bacon, and stir to combine. Mixture will be a little soupy. This is good, as it will thicken while baking, but still be creamy and moist. Place pasta in a greased baking pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350 until top is bubbly.


I like to top with diced tomatoes. Enjoy!


Linked to the $5 Dinner Challenge

Tangy Dijon Dipping Sauce

Just a few simple ingredients you should already have on hand can give you a nice alternative to ketchup for fries, onion rings, etc. This would also be good with crab or salmon cakes.

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1T dijon mustard (I used horseradish dijon for an extra zing)
1T red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced (or cheat like I did and use jarred)
pinch of salt and pepper
Place all ingredients in bowl and mix well. Chill until serving.
I served this last night with oven baked fries. Delish!

Menu Plan Week of 2/8

I put this disclosure on this plan at the very beginning---we've barely eaten any of our Super Bowl snackies and still have a ton of food yet to come, so I'm thinking we're going to have a fair amount of leftovers to dispose of. That could displace some of this plan. That could change, though, depending on what kind of damage my hubby, the "Munchie Monster", decides to do late tonight :)

At this point though, here's what the week looks like. A reminder that I feed 2 adults and 2 boys, and that we will eat all 7 dinners here. This week's menu comes in just under $35.

Monday 2/8
Tacos $3.00
corn .50
fresh pineapple $1.00
$4.50

Tuesday 2/9
shrimp fried rice $4.00
potstickers $1.50
$5.50

Wednesday 2/10
pork chop and stuffing bake $3.50
green beans .45
$3.95

Thursday 2/11
chicken alphabet soup $1.50
grilled cheese $1.50
spinach salad $1.00
$4.00

Friday 2/12
baked mac and cheese w/ potato chip topping $2.50
honey cinnamon baby carrots .50
salad $1.00
$4.00

Saturday 2/13
Italian Beef on homemade buns $4.50
(well, hopefully homemade buns---first ever attempt- keep your fingers crossed
potato skins $1.50
corn .50
$6.50

Sunday 2/14
Heart shaped pizza night $6.00
some yummy something for dessert. not sure yet.