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Shared Oct 24, 2011 comment

This week’s abbreviated menu

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 24, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Since the Relevant conference is Thursday through Saturday of this week (I’m so excited about it I can hardly contain myself!), our weekly menu is a little different.

I’ll be flying out early Thursday morning and not getting back until Sunday afternoon. Except for some snacks I’m bringing for traveling, all of my meals are provided at the conference. Jesse will be flying out for part of the conference since we are giving a joint workshop on The Business of Blogging and the children will be staying with family during that time.

So, I’m only planning meals for five days this week, since the rest of the meals will be taken care of. I made sure to plan very simple and easy meals since I’m determined to actually arrive at the conference rested up and relaxed, instead of frazzled and exhausted like I did last year. 🙂

Breakfasts

Cinnamon Roll Bread, fruit, scrambled eggs
Johnny Cakes (a homeschool project since we’re studying about early American history. Let’s hope these are better than last week’s hasty pudding recipe!)
Granola bars
Cereal x 2

Lunches

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup, crackers, cheese, apple slices
Cheese Quesadillas, apple slices
PB&J, carrot sticks, apple slices
Tossed salad hard-boiled eggs, feta cheese, and dried cranberries
Lunch out for children & Jesse

Dinners

Dinner with extended family
Parmesan Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
Frito Chili Pie, steamed corn, fruit salad
Cheesy Beans and Rice, fruit salad
Crockpot Tortilla Soup, fruit

What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.

Shared Oct 24, 2011 comment

Why Should I Plan a Menu?

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 24, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post by Emily from Our Frugal Happy Life

I am what you might call a hard-core menu planner. During the last week of each month, you are guaranteed to find me sitting down with my menu planning binder and a blank calendar. Yes, that’s right. I plan our dinner meals one month a time! I started doing this about 14 months ago and it has made such a difference in how our household operates.

While you may not want or need to plan your meals one month a time, I encourage you to try menu-planning in some form. For some homes, planning one week of meals at a time works better. If that’s best for you, go with it!

Six reasons menu-planning benefits our family:

1. There’s no what’s-for-dinner panic at 4:30 p.m.

This is probably the main reason why menu-planning is a must in my home. If left without a menu plan, you will find me staring at my refrigerator and pantry at 4:30, totally unable to come up with anything for dinner. With a menu plan, that doesn’t happen!

2. The entire family knows what is for dinner.

My husband knows to check the menu plan if he wants to know what’s for dinner. It hangs on the side of our fridge all month.

3. It allows for flexibility.

When I plan our month of meals, I take into account meetings, get-togethers, church functions, etc. that may affect whether or not we eat dinner at home. I can plan simple, quick meals for nights when I know we need to leave at 6:00. And if our schedule changes abruptly one night or week, I can switch a few meals around in the plan.

4. It encourage variety and trying new menu items.

I like to put a few new meals on the menu each month when I make the menu plan. By doing this, we have found a number of new favorite meals, like homemade Spanish rice, Chicken Enchilada Dip, and Cheeseburger Soup, to name a few.

5. It helps you plan ahead for shopping.

Because we live in a rural area, we don’t grocery shop on any sort of regular basis. We typically pick up groceries whenever we are in a neighboring town that has a store. With my monthly menu plan, I know in advance what items I definitely need to pick up on one of my shopping trips. This also helps because I know what to look for in the sale ads.

6. It’s fun!

Let’s face it: menu-planning is just plain fun. Or is it just me who thinks that?

I am an organized person, so menu-planning fits well with that. While I don’t enjoy dreaming up dinner on the fly, I do enjoy sitting down once a month and planning our meals. And honestly? Cooking dinner is more fun when I already have a plan in place!

Do you menu plan? Why is menu-planning helpful for your family?

Emily has celiac disease and is gluten free. She is a pastor’s wife in Wisconsin and a homemaker. She blogs about celiac disease, gluten free life, coupons and frugal living at Our Frugal Happy Life. She is here to say that it’s possible to be gluten free, frugal and happy!

Shared Oct 22, 2011 comment

Freebies In My Mailbox

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 22, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Here are what freebies arrived in my mailbox this week:

Free Twinnings Tea samples

Free Kleenex Cool Touch samples

Free RedMonkey Seasoning samples

Free AXE Hold + Touch sample

Free can of Progresso Soup coupon

Free June Jacobs Papaya Purifying Enzyme Masque

Free Infusium sample

Free $10 Babies R Us Gift Card plus Aveeno Baby sample

What freebies have arrived in your mailbox this week?

By the way, if you want to start getting great freebies in your mailbox, just start signing up for the freebies I post every day that interest you. Within 4-6 weeks, your mailbox will start filling up with great freebies!

Shared Oct 22, 2011 comment

Freezer Cooking in an Hour: Easy Italian Breadsticks, Chocolate Banana Bread, Crockpot Tortilla Soup

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 22, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I did a quick Freezer Cooking in an Hour session on Thursday morning while the children worked on some homeschooling projects at the kitchen table. I had picked really simple and easy recipes, so everything went off without much of a hitch.

11:oo a.m. — Set the timer and threw all the ingredients for the Easy Italian Breadsticks in the bread machine.

11:05 a.m. — Put all the Crockpot Tortilla Soup ingredients in the crockpot to simmer.

11:18 a.m. — Started making the Chocolate Banana Bread. Jesse called and we talked for a few minutes while I finished up the bread.

11:22 a.m. — Stuck the bread in the oven and sat down to finish our morning homeschooling lessons while yummy smells wafted through the house.

12:30 p.m. — I pulled the bread out of the oven and let it cool. Then, we taste-tested some Chocolate Banana Bread before I sliced the rest and froze it. (It was so good that I knew it wouldn’t last long unless I froze it right away!).

Later that afternoon, Kaitlynn helped me make the dough into Easy Italian Breadsticks and we baked those.

All together, it took me about 55 minutes total to make a batch of Easy Italian Breadsticks, a loaf of Chocolate Banana Bread, and a big pot of Crockpot Tortilla Soup that will last us for two dinners and one lunch. Being intentional about cooking ahead a little bit once or twice a week can really be a sanity-saver!

Note: The breadsticks and banana bread were fantastic. We thought the soup was just so-so.

Did you bake or cook anything to freeze this week? I’d love to hear about it and see a link to your recipe, if you have one.

Shared Oct 21, 2011 comment

48-Hour Giveaway: The Ultimate Guide to Freezer Friendly Meals Eook (10 winners) + $50 Amazon.com gift card (2 winners)

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 21, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I was really excited to see The Ultimate Guide to Freezer Friendly Meals: Chicken ebook that two bloggers put together. It was well-laid out out, organized, and full of yummy-looking recipes.

Many of the recipes were ones that are already our family favorites or looked like something we’d love. I especially appreciated that the recipes were simple and used basic, normal ingredients (no leeks or mussels listed!).

I did want to mention that I was expecting all of the recipes in this ebook to be freezer recipes, but from what I counted, only 12 of the recipes actually included detailed freezer/thawing instructions. Many of the recipes just used frozen or fresh chicken and were intended to be prepared and served immediately. Most of them could have easily been adapted for freezing and I would have loved to see that element added to this ebook to make it live up to its name more.

But otherwise, I thought it was a great ebook and would be beneficial to someone who buys chicken in bulk or is looking for some tried and true chicken recipes.

Would you like to win a free copy of The Ultimate Guide to Freezer Friendly Meals: Chicken ebook? To enter to win a free copy or one of two $50 Amazon.com gift cards, just click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address. 10 winners will be chosen and posted on Monday. This giveaway ends Sunday, October 23, at 11:59 pm, CST.

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Click here to sign up!

Shared Oct 21, 2011 comment

Books Read This Week: The Rose Conspiracy, Forgotten God, Don’t Make Me Come Up There

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 21, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

The Rose Conspiracy — This is the second fiction book I’ve read this month. If you know me well, you know that is very out-of-character for me, but I’ve been trying to break out of my non-fiction rut a little bit. And Craig Parshall’s book was good enough to capture my attention and keep it. In fact, I knew I was going to enjoy this book after I didn’t want to put it down after the second page.

If you enjoy legal fiction, you should definitely check this book out. It’s intriguing, thought-provoking, and overall well-written. Some of the plot was a bit weak, but it was still very engaging.

Forgotten God — In typical Francis Chan style, this book will make you think, examine your heart, and plumb the depths of your beliefs about the Holy Spirit. You may not agree with all of the author’s conclusions, but I can guarantee you that it will make you think and re-examine Scripture in a new light. Highly recommended.

By the way, if you’ve not read Crazy Love, I’d heartily recommend that book as well. One of the best books I’ve read this year.

Don’t Make Me Come Up There — If you are a mom or care for children on a regular basis, you will find this book hilarious. Kristen is an incredibly gifted writer who knows how to communicate spot-on truth in a laugh-out-loud-funny manner. I hope this is the first of many books she writes. I will definitely be buying them all!

Read-Alouds:

Paul Revere — I read this book when I was a youngster, so it was fun to get to enjoy it with my children. The Imagination Station: Showdown With the Shepherd — Another book in our well-loved Imagination Station series. And once again, the children were so captivated by it that I could have read the whole thing in one setting!

Currently reading: EntreLeadership, He Heard Hannah, Kisses from Katie, In Search of Balance,and listening to Purple Cow audiobook. You can see all of the books I’ve read in 2011 so far here. Read all of my book reviews here.

Have you read any good books recently?

(Note: The Amazon.com links in this post are affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.)

Shared Oct 21, 2011 comment

Easy Italian Breadsticks in the Bread Machine

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 21, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Reader Amy R. sent me this recipe and said “I wanted to share this recipe with you… It is definitely our family’s favorite bread. My husband calls them ‘Better than Olive Garden Breadsticks.'”

Better than Olive Garden Breadsticks? This I have to try!

So yesterday, I threw all of the ingredients in the bread machine before we started our homeschooling lessons.

A few hours later, the dough was ready to be rolled into breadsticks.

I was running short on time, so I rolled some into breadsticks and the rest I just rolled out and sliced.

Kaitlynn enjoyed helping me roll her own “breadsticks”.

The verdict? These were very delicious. I’m not sure that the sliced dough option worked as well as the breadsticks I actually rolled into “ropes”, but I will definitely be making this recipe again in the future.

The whole family agreed that this recipe was a keeper. Best of all, it is so simple!

Easy Italian Breadsticks Recipe

1 cup warm water
3 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Topping:

2 Tablespoons butter (melted)
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Place ingredients in your bread machine in order listed. Run the dough cycle. When complete, divide the dough into 12 balls and form into 4-6-inch ropes. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Mix the butter and parmesan cheese and brush over breadsticks as soon as they come out of the oven.

Shared Oct 20, 2011 comment

Reader Poll: What temperature do you keep your house at in winter?

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 20, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Brooke emailed in:

I know that keeping the thermostat low in the winter and high in the summer can be a real money saver. My question what temperatures do people keep their homes at that balance saving money and comfort? -Brooke

We all have different families and circumstances, so what works for one family won’t necessarily work for others. However, just for fun, I’d love to hear what temperature you keep your house at in winter?

Find more money-saving tips here.

Shared Oct 19, 2011 comment

How to Significantly Increase Your Income Without Working Harder (Part 7)

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 19, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We’ve talked about a lot of different things in this series and I hope it’s been helpful and inspiring to you. But I want to close with a reminder:

Remember that it’s just money.

Entrepreneurialism is something I’ve always been passionate about and I love to help people find creative ways to earn more money. However, it’s imperative to keep a balanced perspective.

Money doesn’t buy happiness. Money doesn’t equal fulfillment. If it did, Hollywood should have some of the happiest people in existence. In reality, many of them are struggling through divorce, depression, addictions, and more.

Consider why you want to earn more money: if it’s just so you can buy bigger and better stuff, I can tell you right now that it’s not worth it. The more you have, the more you’ll want. It will never be enough.

Properly stewarded, money can be an amazing tool. It can help feed and clothe the hungry. It can build houses, schools, hospitals in the poorest of countries. It can provide nourishment and medicine for malnourished children. It can help your disabled neighbor be able to pay her rent or your recently-widowed aunt be able to buy groceries.

Use your resources wisely. Invest your time carefully. And make the most of what you have been given so that you can bless others generously.

But remember that money is not the be-all and end-all of life. Don’t spend all your life chasing more and end up missing out on the richest moments of life.

There is more to life than a bigger paycheck.

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Shared Oct 19, 2011 comment

Teddy Bear Bread

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 19, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

My sister came over this afternoon and the children had so much fun making Teddy Bear Bread with her.

After it was finished, they blind-folded me and led me upstairs to see their creations.

Suffice it to say, they were a bit over-the-top excited. (I have a hunch they may have eaten quite a few chocolate chips while making it, from the looks of their faces!)

But it was a very special memory, despite the sticky chocolate mouths and finger prints on the kitchen wall. 🙂

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Click here to download!

Shared Oct 19, 2011 comment

Ask the Readers: How do you air dry your laundry in the winter?

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 19, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s questions is from Darice:

Does anyone hang their laundry inside during the winter? I am looking to minimize our use of the dryer this winter to cut back on our
electricity usage and would appreciate any techniques, tips or tricks you may have for drying your laundry inside without a dryer. Thanks! – Darice

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Shared Oct 19, 2011 comment

Busy Bag Idea: Pinchers & Pom-Poms

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 19, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

The Pinchers & Pom-Poms from our Busy Bag Swap has been a fun way to practice fine motor skills.

The Busy Bag that came in our swap had pom-poms, colored paper clips, and tongs. You should be able to get all of these items at the dollar store, if you don’t already have them on hand. Or, you can improvise using things you have.

The object of the Busy Bag is to use the pinchers to pick up the pom-poms and paper clips. I had Kaitlynn put them in a bowl. You could have a child sort them in piles by color. Or count out a certain number of objects.

Kaitlynn also enjoyed trying to pick up the pom-poms with the paper clips.

Find more Busy Bag ideas here.

Shared Oct 19, 2011 comment

Last night’s Aldi shopping trip

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 19, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So this Aldi shopping trip wasn’t as exciting as my Dillon’s shopping trip, but I here are the details:

Artisan Lettuce — $1.99 (I’m so happy to see Aldi carrying this and I hope they continue! It makes my salad-eating habit much more affordable!)

2 cans of diced tomatoes — $0.55 each

2 bags of frozen peas — $0.99 each

2 bags of corn chips — $0.99 each

2 bags of baby carrots — $0.99 each

1 bag of tortillas — $0.99

1 bag of chocolate chips — $1.69

2 8-oz. blocks of cheese — $1.99 each

Butter — $2.79

Feta cheese — $1.99

Dried cranberries — $1.39

Milk — $2.93

Total with tax: $26.60

Shared Oct 18, 2011 comment

Tonight’s Dillon’s Shopping Trip: Spent $0, Saved $58.18!

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 18, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a really spectacular coupon-shopping trip. So I was pretty excited about tonight’s trip! Here’s what I bought:

2 boxes of Triscuits — $2.29 each, used $2/1 printable coupons = $0.29 each

2 Yoplait yogurts — $0.70 each, used $0.30/1 printable coupons (doubled) = $0.10 each

2 Schick Quattro razor packages — $3.50 each, used 2 $5/1 Ladies’ Quattro printable coupon = free plus overage

1 Schick Hydro Men’s razor — $6.29, used $5/1 Hydro printable coupon = $1.29 after coupon

2 Schick Quattro & Men’s Schick Xtreme razor — $3.16 & $3.50 each, used $6/2 printable coupon = $0.66 total for both

1 package Skittles — used free coupon

3 DOLE products — used 3 free coupons that Coupon Pro generously mailed me a few weeks ago

2 Clif LUNA bars — $1 each, used 2 $0.50/1 coupons (doubled) = free after coupons

1 Excedrin — $3.13, used $2/1 coupon (this printed at checkout the last time my husband went shopping) = $1.13 after coupon

Beech-Nut product — used free coupon

Before coupons and sales, my total was $58.18. After coupons and sales + a $5 catalina, the store owed me $0.73. I could have added on a small filler item, but I just decided to let the store have the small overage since I’d gotten overage myself already.

Shared Oct 18, 2011 comment

“The secret to having it all…”

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 18, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Battling discontentment? Go read this post.

photo credit

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

1. There’s no what’s-for-dinner panic at 4:30 p.m.

2. The entire family knows what is for dinner.

3. It allows for flexibility.

4. It encourage variety and trying new menu items.

5. It helps you plan ahead for shopping.

6. It’s fun!

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Read-Alouds:

Easy Italian Breadsticks Recipe

Remember that it’s just money.

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

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