Meal Plan and Grocery List for the Week

     Oh my word...February is here!  I can't believe how mild this winter has been.  Not that I'm complaining...I really don't care for snow.  My kids, on the other hand, are bummed because they have only been able to go sledding once this year so far.  Oh well...I am just hoping that with this beautiful weather comes an even more fabulous spring! 
     Today, the sun is shining through my dining room windows, TJ is doing is homework, and I am getting ready to take my daughter to Michael's to find a car for the Pinewood Derby that her girl scout troop is going to participate in.  I am really looking forward to getting out for some reason!  I am also sitting here planning my week of meals.  I have gone back to work three days a week, which is great for our budget, but not so great for my house.  Keeping up with four kids, a husband, and a dog while working is definitely a challenge.  They go through a lot of clothes!  My washer never stops!  But I digress...back to thinking about our meals for this week.
     This is how our week is panning out...tomorrow is Sunday, therefore, we go to church and then Grace has a girl scout meeting at 2.  There is a pot luck after church tomorrow so we won't have to worry about lunch so it is breakfast and dinner, plus whatever I decide to contribute to the pot luck.  Then Monday is a crazy night...Ryan has a cub scout meeting and Ethan is visiting a local boy scout troop.  Tuesday night TJ has a meeting and won't be home for dinner, Wednesday and Thursday are open (for the moment), Friday night is the inspection and impound for the pinewood derby which is next Saturday morning.  So...since I am working on Monday's, Thursday's, and Friday's...I am trying to preplan the prep work for those nights, this way I can still cook from scratch, but it won't take me as long. 
     I am still planning two meatless meals a week.  Last week we had a beautiful eggplant parmesan on Monday night that I served with a salad, and last night I made a delicious veggie pot pie that was full of veggies and we didn't miss the meat one bit!  I think for this week, I am going to make a quiche for dinner one night, full of broccoli, onions, and cheese and for our second meatless meal, I think that I am going to go with a veggie minestrone soup.  If there is one thing that I love to make, its soup!  It is easy, delicious, inexpensive, and I can have it on the table in 30 minutes or less! 
     So here is the plan for the week:
Sunday:  Breakfast- Crockpot egg casserole (the cost of eggs has decreased significantly!)
               Lunch- Pot Luck- I am going to take Swedish meatballs
               Dinner- Roast Pork (I have it in my freezer already, when I bought it, it was $1.99/pound and it is just over 2 pounds.  The roast was a total of $4.23)
                             Twice-Baked potatoes with cauliflower, broccoli, and cheese (this is a house favorite!)
                              Fresh dinner rolls
                              Applesauce
Monday- Breakfast- Cereal, banana
                 Lunches- Packed lunches (Ham or PB&J, pretzels, cheese crackers, homemade trail mix and Juice box.)
                  My lunch is usually 1 Greek yogurt and something crunchy like pretzels.
                 Dinner- Minestrone Soup, homemade bread.
Tuesday- Breakfast- Cheese Omelets, toast
                 Lunches- Packed lunches
                 Dinner- chicken enchiladas, yellow rice
Wednesday- Breakfast- Oatmeal cinnamon muffins, banana or orange
                      Lunch- Packed Lunches
                      Dinner- Broccoli and cheese quiche, salad
Thursday- Breakfast- Leftover quiche or cereal, with fruit
                   Lunch- Packed Lunches
                   Dinner- Mini Meatloaves, au-gratin potatoes, green peas. 
Friday- Breakfast- Cereal, fruit
              Lunches- Packed Lunches
              Dinner- Shrimp Scampi ( I bought the shrimp two weeks ago on sale for $5.98 a pound...they are medium size) with Salad
Saturday- Pinewood Derby Day!
I am providing pancake bites for the snack table at the derby so I have purchase the supplies for those too. 
                  Breakfast- Blueberry Muffins, fruit
                  Lunch- Pizza (We purchase pizza at the pinewood derby)
                  Dinner- beef tips over mashed potatoes (I have two chuck steaks that I bought on sale that I am going to cut and use for this meal.) & Dijon green beans.

Grocery List-
eggs (2 18 packs)    $4.36
bread (3 loaves)      $4.17
milk (3 gallons)       $5.97
butter (2 pounds)    $5.78
deli ham- (1 pound) $4.08
potatoes (5 pounds) $1.99
frozen peas (2 pounds) $1.98
Corn meal (5 pounds)  $2.78
Bananas (5 pounds) $1.95
frozen blueberries $2.99
Vanilla Greek Yogurt (family size) $3.79
1 box dittalini pasta $1.38
1 bag of carrots $0.69
1 celery bunch $1.39
1 pkg. 12 cheese sticks $2.79
1 16 oz. sour cream $1.28
yellow rice -$.98

Total for the week- approximately $48.35

If you notice, there is no meat on this list...I am pretty well stocked at this point.  I also have a pretty stocked pantry so my list is small. 

What's on your menu this week? 





           

Smoked Sausage and Red Pepper Hash

Making breakfast for dinner is something that my children love, however, my husband isn't a big fan.  As a result, I usually plan breakfast nights when my husband has to work late or attend a meeting at church.  Thursday night was one of those nights for us.  TJ was supposed to work late and I promised the kids waffles for dinner.  They were ecstatic, but when TJ walked through the door at 6:15 (his meeting ended earlier then he had been expecting), he wasn't exactly excited about eating waffles. 
So I had to improvise and this beautiful hash was what I came up with.  I had all of the ingredients in the house and was able to throw this together in just a matter of minutes.  I served it with fried eggs on top and an English muffin on the side and my husband loved it!  This was breakfast for dinner, with an adult flare.  Since this recipe is so versatile and easy, it will be sure to grace our table frequently from now on.   

If you don't have smoked sausage in the house, you could substitute bacon, breakfast sausage, or corned beef.  Yummy!  In addition, you can use any veggie that you like.  I think that this would be fantastic with mushrooms, zucchini, or even eggplant.  You could serve this on a meat free night by leaving out the meat and adding one of those "meaty" veggies.  The highlight of this dish was the runny egg yolk on top.  I meant to take a picture of that but my hubby was a hungry man and I never had the chance to snap that shot.  The combination worked perfectly together!

Simple ingredients sometimes make for the best recipes!

Smoked Sausage and Red Pepper Hash Serves 4-6

12 oz. smoked sausage cut into slices
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 medium potatoes, cubed (small)
A pinch of red pepper flake (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. canola oil

In a large skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the oil and the potatoes.  Cook, stirring every few minutes, until all sides are beginning to brown.  Add the onion and pepper and seasonings.  Continue cooking until the potatoes have browned and the onions and pepper are tender.  Add the sausage and cook until brown and heated through, about five minutes.  When the hash has reached your own level of crunchiness, remove from heat and cook the eggs.  Serve with the eggs on top. 

The entire cost of this meal was about $4.25, therefore the cost per serving in our house was $0.71 a person. 

***This can be served for breakfast and lunch too!  There are no limitations.***

***This recipe was adapted from The Two Bite Club-Kielbasa, Pepper, and Onion Hash

Enjoy!

Blessings to all!

Super Delicious Banana Cupcakes

Okay, so this week the most remarkable thing happened...I had bananas that were really ripe.  It is pretty rare that we have leftover bananas because I seem to have a house full of mini monkeys, but I was excited to have them so that I could experiment with a new banana cupcake recipe. 

The last time that I made banana cupcakes, I got something that I wasn't expecting...banana muffins.  Yup...I got muffins.  They were delicious, don't get me wrong, but they were more like bread then cupcakes.  I felt like I was a contestant on the show Cupcake Wars and I could hear the judges saying that the consistency of my cake was poor, dense, and bread-like.  So I have been on a mission ever since to find a recipe that tastes like bananas with the texture of a beautiful, soft, and moist cake. 

I am happy to say that I think that I found it! 

I was searching Pinterest and I found a lot of recipes for banana cupcakes, however, they were all made from the same base as banana bread and I certainly didn't want a repeat of my last failed attempt.  So I came across this recipe which is originally from foodfanatic by Kristan Roland.  I decided to try it because the recipe called for butter and buttermilk, which I know is a great base for delicious cupcakes.  I changed the recipe just a hair because it called for a lot of sugar and these bananas were so ripe, I knew they would have their own sweetness, so I added less.  In addition, the cinnamon cream cheese frosting sounded so tasty that I just had to try it, but I didn't like the look of her recipe, there was not nearly enough powdered sugar in it...I didn't want to eat a mixture of butter and cream cheese on a cupcake, it sounded so heavy and dense.  I made my own cream cheese frosting recipe and added cinnamon and it came out perfectly light and creamy! 

The flavor combination of the banana and the cinnamon cream cheese frosting is the BOMB!!  My husband and children were completely in love with the first bite.  I know that these cupcakes will be a popular addition to our yummy creations! 

These cupcakes are light, fluffy, and absolutely divine.  They have a beautifully balanced taste of banana and butter.  These would be the perfect complement to a cup of coffee with a friend or a beautiful gift for someone who needs a little pick-me-up. 

It is a gloomy winter day, so if your looking for something to do, here is the perfect baking day recipe!

I hope you enjoy!

Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing (Makes 24)

3 medium ripe bananas mashed
2 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best but you can use bottled too)
3/4 cup real butter (I would use real butter, but margarine would work in a pinch)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs (room temperature is best)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (room temperature)

Directions:
1. Combine the bananas and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.
2.  In a large bowl (or a mixer) combine the butter and sugar and whip until smooth and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, whipping to combine.  (This adds air to the mixture and helps to create that light and fluffy cake.)  Add the vanilla and combine well. 
3.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and the baking soda.
4.  Intermittingly add the flour/baking soda a cup at a time with 1/2 cup of the buttermilk ending with the buttermilk.  Mix on medium for about 2 minutes until the batter is creamy (be careful not to overwork the flour as it can have the opposite effect if it is over-mixed) 
5.  Carefully fold the bananas into the batter like you would if you were folding in egg whites, careful not to completely mix.  This helps the fruit be a swirl in the batter and it won't sink to the bottom of your cupcake cup. 
6.  Bake at 365 degrees for 18 minutes or until they are golden and spring back when touched.  Cool on a rack until completely cooled.  Baking at a slightly higher temperature helps the cakes to rise up over the cups so you get a beautifully, rounded cupcake top. 

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

3/4 cup butter softened
1 8oz pkg. of cream cheese softened
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 (heaping) tsp. of cinnamon
3-1/2 cups of powdered sugar
2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Using an electric mixer, combine the butter and the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  One cup at a time, add the powdered sugar, starting out on low speed and moving to medium when the dust settles, scrapping the sides of the bowl well in between each addition.  Add the whipping cream and whip it until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the cinnamon and combine well, making sure that the cinnamon is evenly dispersed.  Pipe onto the cupcakes when they are cooled.

These cupcakes are best eaten within 3 days but can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. 

Cost per cupcake- $0.25 (This cupcake would cost at least $0.70 if purchased as a prepackaged item) 
***The cost per cupcake is based on the costs for the ingredients that I purchased at Aldi.***

I hope that you enjoy this beautiful cupcake! 

Blessings to all!

New Year's Resolutions

     This year, my New Year's resolution was to get out of bed at 5:30 every school day.  Let me just tell you, I am not a morning person, in fact, I hate mornings.  I always feel like a big bad grumpy bear when I'm getting my family ready for the day.  So, I thought (like a complete moron) that if I got out of bed earlier, then I would be more prepared for the day.  So on the 4th, I was like, you can do this (get up at 5:30), and then the morning came, and it was so dark, and my bed was so warm, and I and slept right through my alarm.  Epic fail!!  Clearly...I have more work to do in that regard.  I am really trying to get up with a spring in my step...I don't want the grumpy bear to be the last person that my kids see before they go to school!  It is definitely not easy to change my ways but I am hopeful that I will conquer this morning thing and we will be a happier, more organized family in the mornings. 
     The second big change that is coming this year is that I am going back to work part-time.  This is going to be extremely difficult!  My family is so used to having me around that I am sure that this is going to be a great adjustment.  Going back to work is going to mean even more planning and organization, especially when it comes to our meals for the week.  I am going to have to be completely on my game. 
     The goal for the blog this year is to make my pictures look perfect!  I know that a great picture is key to helping you to understand how my recipes are supposed to look and taste.  I am doing some research and I hope that my pictures will take less time to upload and they will look as fantastic as they do on the professional blogs out there!  In addition, a post daily would be great too, but realistically, I think a good goal for me would be two posts a week.  Time management is definitely something that I need to work on in 2016! 
     I am going to be posting delicious recipes that are not only budget friendly, but are also healthy.  In my opinion, if you are serving your family a well balanced diet, then you are on your way to keeping your family healthy this year!  Some big changes are coming to our meal plans this year.  The first is that I am now planning two vegetarian meals a week.  This is not only really healthy, but it is a great way to save money.  The second change is that I am adding more seafood to our menu and I plan to serve it at least 2 times a month.  I happen to love a great haddock fillet, but it is definitely hard to convince my children to try it.  My goal is to introduce new seafood options so that my children can form their own opinions about fish.  Scary right!
    Pinterest is my friend and I am on Pinterest every day pinning delicious recipes that I either have tried or really want to try.  In addition, I have board entitled "Blog" and that is where I pin all of the recipes and articles that are related to my blog. I encourage you to check it out when you get a chance.

I am also looking for feedback.  If you could kindly think of some constructive criticism that I can use to improve my blog, please share them with me.  I am not looking for negative feedback...just some ideas or changes that you would like to see on my blog in the future.  I am grateful that you come to visit and I hope that my blog helps you to become better meal planners and cooks this year!

What are some of your New Year's resolutions?  I would be happy to hear what you think about the coming year and some of your ideas!

Blessings to all in 2016!

Check out some of my recipes!  This is a banana chocolate chip muffin that is easy and delicious!