Eat from the Pantry Challenge-Monthly Menu

I have made our menu plan for the month and it looks pretty good. I'll be off to Winco and Costco this morning to replenish a few things before we start our "Eat from the Pantry" challenge. I will mainly just be buying dairy items, refilling my spice jars, and topping off my sugar and flour buckets. I think we are good to go, so wish us luck. I'm sure we'll be at the Farmer's Market for veggies and Costco for milk, but my focus is to use what we have or make do without! I am totally hoping to stay out of the grocery stores as much as possible this month!

Here's what we have on the dinner menu this month:

• Pizza x 5 (Every Friday, but I think we'll switch it up by making individual sizes)
  
• Sloppy Joes
  
• Fajitas
  
• Talapia
  
• Beef Tri-Tip x 3
  
• Roasted Chicken x 2
  
• PW's Chicken Pot Pie
  
• Poor Man's Meal
  
• Breakfast for Dinner
  
• Spaghetti
  
• Tacos
  
• Pulled Pork (may use PW's recipe)
  
• Hamburgers x 2
  
• PW's Enchiladas
  
• Lemon Chicken
  
• Fettuccini Alfredo
  
• Toasted Cheese and Soup
  
• PW's Marlboro Man Sandwich
  
• PW's Lasagna
  
• Pork Country Ribs
  
• Meatloaf
  
• Quesedilla
  
• Pasta with Red Sauce
  

Until next time,

Pantry Challenge

Well, I challenged myself to use what we have in our food supply for January and now I see the pantry challenge all over blogland. I guess great minds think alike! I always menu plan for the month since I get paid once a month, but this time I really wanted to use what we have on hand. Hopefully we'll get off to a great start since we don't go back to school until the 11th. I am hoping to prep a lot of stuff while I'm still on break so life back in the real world will be easier!

I will have to buy milk and produce over the month, but as far as everything else goes we are looking pretty good. I'll be posting my freezer inventory and pantry inventory over the next few days so you all can see where my menu plan came from!

Goals for this challenge:

*Save grocery money
*Prepare as many things from scratch as possible
*Make room for possible bulk meat purchase this spring
*Make myself really stick to my menu plan
*Have fun trying new recipes
*Keep all my mens' tummies happy

Until next time,

Gratitude in 2009

I have been thinking a lot about what I am most grateful for in 2009 and it finally dawned on me; my family.

I think the faces I get to see everyday will speak for themselves.

My "Z"


My "L"


My "N"


and my best friend "K"

With these men in my life I have it all!
I am looking forward to seeing what 2010 has in store for us!

For more Gratituesday head on over to
Laura's at Heavenly Homemakers.

Until next time,

Menu Plan for the Week 12-27-09

I cannot believe it is the last week of 2009! It has been such a crazy year in our house, but also such a year of growth. We have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to reflect on as we begin 2010. Planning and budgets and organizing are always my favorite things, but there is something about having a fresh start that is invigorating! I am looking forward to seeing where 2010 takes us!

Here is what we have planned for this week:


Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Waffles , Pancakes, French toast, Frittata (I'll be restocking the freezer this week!)


Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Leftovers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather


Dinners:
Sunday- Leftovers

Monday- Quesedilla with Chicken or Beef, Beans, Spanish Rice

Tuesday- Beef Stew, Rolls, Salad

Wednesday- Country Ranch Chicken, Rice, Steamed Veggies

Thursday- YOYO Night

Friday- Homemade Pizza, Salad

Saturday- Sloppy Joes, Corn, Salad

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Until next time,

Merry Christmas

From our house to all of yours…we wish you a very Merry Christmas and an amazing New Year!

Love lots,

The Monkey Pak

Oh the Books I can Read!

I love to read, but I am not really a fiction reader. I love books full of information on making my life better, easier, tastier, more frugal, (you fill in the blank). I feel like Number 5 in Short Circuit, "I need more input!" (Okay, my boys and I are probably the only ones who know that line, but we love that movie!)

I am so looking forward to the stack of books I have acquired over the last few months. Some of the books I had in my Amazon cart forever, but I finally broke down decided to use some of my Swag Bucks to help with my order. I also received a couple as gifts to read over the break. I am on winter vacation, so after this week I will have a lot of time to go through all of these glorious resources.

As I go through them I will let you all know what I think. So far, so good, I think I made some wise choices. There is so much information out there about nutrition, cooking, parenting, and living. It is a lot to sort through, but I'm on a mission to do the best I can for my monkeys (the big one too). I hope I can get through most of them over vacation, but that may be a tall order. One thing is for sure, I will be trying out a lot of recipes from PW and Nourishing Traditions over the next few weeks!

So today on this Gratituesday I am grateful for the resources I am discovering in the stack of books on my nightstand and for the time off to tackle reading all of them! Visit Laura at Heavenly Homemakers to see what everyone else is grateful for today!

Until next time,

Menu Plan for the Week 12-20-09

We are finally on winter break and boy, are we enjoying not having to be anywhere! I am so looking forward to Christmas this week. The presents are almost all wrapped and we are ready for some cookie baking over the next few days. I am so very thankful to have this time off with all my monkeys, we sure needed it!

Here is what we have planned for this week:


Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Cinnamon Rolls, Pancakes, French toast, Frittata


Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Summer Sausage and Crackers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather


Dinners:
Sunday- Hamburgers, Onion Rings

Monday- Homemade Beef Tacquitos, Spanish Rice, Beans

Tuesday- Chicken Stir Fry, Steamed Rice

Wednesday- Homemade Pizza, Salad

Thursday- Toasted Cheese Sandwiches and Soup

Friday- Christmas Day Feast- Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli, Gravy, Sweet Potato Casserole, Rolls, Deviled Eggs, Pumpkin Pie, Dutch Apple Pie

Saturday- Leftovers Feast

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Until next time,

Menu Plan for the Week 12-13-09

This is our last week before WINTER VACATION! I am so excited, but I still have a lot to accomplish at home and at school. We get to go to N's Christmas program on Tuesday. I had so much fun at L's program; I can't wait to see the next one! Our menu went a little off kilter last week, but we still ate at home. I am hoping to keep on track this week and just cook what I planned!

Here is what we have planned for this week:


Breakfasts: cereal, oatmeal, waffles (freezer batch), banana nut muffins, Frittata


Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, fruit or veggies, granola bars, fruit leather


Dinners:
Sunday- Tri-Tip, Rice Pilaf, Broccoli

Monday- Ravioli with red sauce, Italian Sausage, Buttered Bread

Tuesday- Tacos, Beans, Spanish Rice

Wednesday- Pot Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Bread, Salad

Thursday- Poor Man's Meal, Salad

Friday- Homemade Pizza, Salad

Saturday- Fried Shrimp, Scalloped Potatoes, Broccoli

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Until next time,

Keeping Faith

I have been thinking about all of the good things that have happened in our life this year and I came to one conclusion, even with K losing his job we are very blessed people. As I wrote our family Christmas letter I realized all of the good things that have come from K being at home this year. First of all, he is happy again. Going to a job you really hate is definitely draining on your very soul. Almost as important, the boys and I have noticed a better man coming back to us. K has always been a very loving and honorable man, but he had been so frustrated at work that he had become pretty grumpy at home. I am so thankful the boys get to see this positive transformation of their daddy. K has worked hard this year to do things around our home to make it a better place for all of us, especially me! He has made me a fenced in garden, a great storage pantry, and worked hard on completing projects around the house! Having K home has meant the boys get to spend a lot more time with their daddy, which in my opinion is always a good thing!

Even with the stress we could be feeling I am pretty peaceful in my life right now. Money is not the most important thing in the world. The most important thing in the world is building strong relationships with the people you love! So today I am grateful for the blessing we received when K lost his job. I've written about blessing in disguise and this has definitely been one! I didn't know when this all started how it would turn out (and I still don't J), but I know we will have a stronger family bond because of it. We have been watched over and protected and I know things will work out the way they are supposed to. I just have to keep my faith that there is a reason everything in my life has happened the way it has, this self-proclaimed control freak is not in control right nowJ.

On this Gratituesday you should head on over to Laura's to see what everyone else is grateful for this week.

Until next time,

Menu Plan for the Week 12-6-09

This month is flying by so quickly! I am looking forward to the next two weeks as we countdown to wait for our winter vacation from school! Nine more school days left! Can you tell we're already for a break?!?

Here is what we have planned for this week:


Breakfasts: cereal, oatmeal, waffles (freezer batch), pancakes (freezer batch), banana nut muffins, French Toast (freezer batch), Frittata


Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, fruit or veggies, granola bars, fruit leather


Dinners:
Sunday- Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Salad

Monday- Talapia, Buttered Noodles, Broccoli, Salad

Tuesday- BBQ Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad

Wednesday- Pork Country Ribs, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli, Salad

Thursday- Tri-Tip, Rice Pilaf, Asparagus, Salad

Friday- Homemade Pizza, Salad

Saturday- Roasted Chicken, Red Potatoes, French Green Beans

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Until next time,

Busy!

I realized I haven't been posting much lately. Life is happening all around me. Halloween costume making, Thanksgiving hosting, and now Christmas projects for school fill my mind. Sorry for being a bad blogger, but real life is calling me in multiple directions. Home, school, friends, it's a busy season in my life. I am hoping I'll be able to breathe a little better after the 18th, ah Winter break! Three glorious weeks to regroup and recharge!

Anyway I wanted to share one of the songs my L and my students will be singing for their Christmas programs at school. I wasn't sure if the kids would like the song, but they love it!

Let it be Christmas by Alan Jackson.

Have a great weekend!

Until next time,

Friends and Family

We were so very lucky over this Thanksgiving weekend to have our friends and family stay with us at our home. You always learn so much more when you "live" with someone. I learned that I love having this people in my life and I missed them just moments after they left. Our house was too quiet. (I know that's hard to imagine with the boys running around everywhere.)

Today I am thankful for having the chance to get to know my friends and family even better! We had a great time and I hope this will be the first of many Thanksgivings we spend together. So today I am grateful for visiting with our company over the long weekend! Head on over to Laura's for Gratituesday to see what everyone else is grateful for this week!

Until next time,