Menu Plan Monday Garden Edition 9/5/11

Happy Monday rockers! I had a nice menu planned out for you last night and then woke up and picked all of this (Except the bananas). I'll stick that other menu in my back pocket for another week. This menu is pretty typical for most weeks in the summer as the garden really starts to take off. Here we go, in no particular order:

Pasta night-this week spaghetti (uses tomatoes, zucchini and bell peppers)
Pizza night-uses tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers and also the onions and spinach that are in the fridge.
Mexican night-Chicken tacos. I'll throw chicken in the slow cooker with onions and bell peppers. Then make a batch of salsa.
Stir Fry night-Clean the fridge style. I'll use some of every vegetable in the house along with the leftover slow cooker chicken and then serve it over the spaghetti squash.
Sandwich-ish night-this week cheeseburgers with corn and fried zucchini
Slow cooker night-Undecided although I'm fairly sure that it will be chicken veggie soup. Three out of five people in the Headbangin' Household are fighting summer colds, so we could use the extra nutritional boost.
And finally leftover night.

Lunches-leftovers, sandwiches, corndog muffins

Breakfasts-banana pancakes, zucchini bread, baked oatmeal, cream of wheat

Snacks-chips and salsa, peanut butter or jam toast, banana smoothies, fruit, yogurt

Desserts-Zucchini pie, zucchini cookies, smoothies

Until next time, rock on my friends!

Cheap School Supplies Rock! Week of 8/28/11

We made another trip to Office Max this week to take advantage of the sale. We paid a little more this week because most of the things we were after were a whopping quarter. Only the colored pencils were a penny. All in all, I still think we rocked it. In total we had 25 items and paid $5.20 after tax! I'm planning another trip to pick up some more Sharpies. They will make an awesome addition to the Christmas gift baskets for my crazy concert crew! Happy shopping!

Until next time, rock on my friends!

Menu Plan Monday 8/29/11

Happy Monday rockers! Have you ever had one of those weekends where things got so crazy that by Sunday night, you feel like you didn't get anything done? While I did get quite a bit of groceries prepped and frozen over the weekend, the only thing I managed to get into the oven was a big pan of chicken to use through the week. Now, I feel like I need to play catch up over the next couple of days. I also have a ton of produce to use from the garden out back. As a result, here's what the Headbangin' Household will be eating:

Monday: Breakfast: cream of wheat and toast

Lunch-Hot lunch at school for the kids (gross I know, but I've had a seriously proper Monday morning) Mom and Dad get leftovers.

Dinner- Stuffed bell pepper burritos with homemade salsa (this makes alot so I'll make extra burritos to freeze for lunches). I use the recipe as a guide, but I chop the peppers and mix them with everything else instead of fill them. The kids prefer it this way.

Tuesday: Breakfast-breakfast sandwiches (I'm going to make a few extra and try to freeze these. I've read it works well, I've just always been afraid to try. I hope it works!)

Lunch- leftover burritos

Dinner-Zucchini casserole with chicken and spinach added in and mashed potatoes on the side (Can't wait for this...total comfort food!). I saute the zucchini instead of boil it. We also prefer it with spinach (or broccoli) instead of the carrots.

Wednesday: Breakfast-Peanut Butter baked oatmeal

Lunch- Homemade chicken veggie soup with croutons that I'll make from leftover french bread from the weekend.

Dinner- leftovers from Tuesday dinner

Thursday: Breakfast-cream of wheat and toast

Lunch- corn dog muffins (just cut up some hotdog pieces in your favorite cornbread recipe)

Dinner- Breakfast! Biscuits and gravy, bacon (making extra), fruit salad

Friday: Breakfast- leftover biscuits and gravy

Lunch- BLT's from leftovers

Dinner- Pizza night! Going to use bell peppers, green onions, zucchini and tomatoes from the garden. I'll also use some spinach I picked up on mark down. I'll also freeze a few slices for a lunch next week.

Saturday: Breakfast-danishes with zucchini jam, fruit

Lunch- leftover pizza

Dinner-Zucchini patties and pasta salad

Sunday: Breakfast: Cereal

Lunch-leftover pizza

Dinner- Chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice, cucumber tomato salad

Desserts: Zucchini pie, zucchini cookies or warm delights with blueberries

Snacks: fruit, yogurt, peanut butter toast, chips and salsa

What's cookin' at your place this week?

Until next time, rock on my friends!

Cheap Groceries Rock

We went to Save Mart this week to pick up a few things on sale with coupons. Here's what we got:

25 packages of pasta (10/$10)

20 pounds of chicken (on sale for .59 per pound)

4 pounds blueberries (2 pound pkgs. were marked down to 1.99!)

2 big packages jalapenos (.99 each and our peppers haven't blown up yet in the garden. Mama needs to make some jalapeno jelly!)

1 pound baby bella mushrooms (regular 4.99 per pound marked down to 1.99)

4 (2 liters) Pepsi Max (I've never tried this stuff, but they were on sale 4/$4 and there was a .55 blinkie on the shelf, so .45 ea. Sold!)

I used 25 $1/1 coupons for the pasta and 4 of the .55 coupons for the Pepsi. The grand total out of pocket for all this was $21.21!!!

How did your shopping go this week?

Until next time, rock on my friends!

Super Simple Gift Idea

With all the back to school and gift giving talk this week, I wanted to share this quick and easy idea with you. It cost me a penny. It would have been .02 if I used the red folder to make the tag. The marker, index card and ribbon I already had. At Christmas time, I'll actually take a few extra moments and fancy up the tag a bit, but for a trial run in August, I think it's pretty cute! Until next time, rock on my friends!

Cheap School Supplies

Staying with the Back to school theme this week, I wanted to show you just how cheap some supplies really are this week. My total (after tax) for everything pictured (11 items) was a whole 12 cents. Yeah, 12 cents. These folders are great for report covers and for a penny, even if you cut them up for colored paper, it's a great deal! Check out your local Office Max ad, grab a handful of pennies and get going! Happy shopping! Until next time, rock on my friends!

Back To School=Gifts!

If you did it right, summer went by way too fast this year. I know it did around here! We've been back to school for a couple weeks, but we're still ironing out all the kinks. Back to school also means it's time for me to dust off my Christmas binder and start planning. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy, but with 124 days left, and an extremely tight budget this year, I don't have any time (or money) to waste! Here's a list of back to school items that I try to stock up on now, so I don't have to pay full price later. Keep in mind, over the next couple/few weeks, the stores will also be putting alot of these on clearance. Backpacks. Why? It never hurts to keep a spare in the closet so mid-year, when someone has a blowout, I don't have to rush out and pay full price. They also come in handy for overnight trips and 72 hour kits. The character themed backpacks also make a cute gift for little ones. Lunch boxes, water bottles and Thermos's. Why? Keeping a spare or three in the house keeps my sanity in check when my son forgets his at school on Friday, or my daughter leaves a banana in her lunchbox over the entire winter vacation and it dies a slow and stinky death. Yeah, spares are good. I also keep one for shopping days and yard sales. Pack a lunch and save yourself a trip through the drive thru! These also make cute little birthday and holiday gifts. Binders. Why? I personally have a binder addiction, in case you couldn't tell here or here. They are awesome for organizing coupons, concert venues and ticket stubs, holidays and household papers. You can organize your recipes or print off your favorites and make a "cookbook" for gifts. Add printer paper to list as well. It's super cheap this time of year. Why on earth would you want to pay double later? Composition books. Why? These are no more than .50 now. If you decorate the front with some cute scrapbook paper, you'll have made a journal gift for someone on your list. Pencil pouches. Why? Last year, I made a few survival kits at Christmas and used the pouches instead of jars. I loved the way they turned out, so I'll be picking up plenty of extras. They are great for storing puzzles and board game pieces long after the kids tear up the boxes. Sharpies. Why? Most schools don't allow these anymore, but they write well on homemade CD's and DVD's. I also won't go to any concert without a sharpie in my pocket. In case you missed that story check it out here. Pens, pencils, crayons, markers, erasers, sharpeners, glue, etc. Why? Oh, where to begin? These items are all on sale now for a penny to a quarter. Think stocking stuffers, gift baskets, Easter baskets, goody bags, rainy day or heat day kits. If you participate in any of the shoebox donation drives during the holidays, or want to donate to a shelter or school, a very little bit of money can go so far this time of year. To be continued... Until next time, rock on my friends!