Menu Monday and Soapbox

Happy Labor Day! The celebration of the working men and women that have made our country what it is.   
Maybe it's my age and every generation feels this way as they "mature," but I feel that we, as a country, have lost the pride that comes with working.  It doesn't matter if you are a surgeon saving lives, a janitor keeping schools clean, or a stay-at-home mom raising the next generation to be kind and productive citizens, every job is important.  I find that my parents' generation works harder than mine, and I work harder than my children.  This is just a personal generalization.  
Nonetheless, Happy Labor Day! 

As you know, I have been on a couponing binge.  My linen closet is full of soaps, detergents and shampoos.  BREAK TIME!  Time to get back to reality and focus on saving those pennies I have been using for Tide pods (that I will be giving to mom since I don't like to use a pre-measured amount of anything!) and putting everything toward debt. 

The good news is that I have a wonderfully full pantry and freezer(s) and do not HAVE to buy anything other than some fresh fruits and veggies to complete meals.  Even then, not many. And yes, there will be many "farm frugal" meals that tend to be less healthy as one would like.  

My goal is $20 a week on groceries for the month of September.  If there are excellent sales on meats or veggies then I will partake, of course.  

Let's see what I can make with what I have: 

Today (Monday)-Leftover buttermilk biscuits with bacon gravy. Leftovers from the past week for lunch.  There are hot dogs, chips, and who knows what else!  (I will be cleaning out the fridge today because of my having been on an Ultrafit diet that has caused lots of leftover and more than likely waste.) Before breakfast I threw together a chicken cheese bacon casserole with some cream soup and mushrooms before our deboned chicken goes bad.  That will probably be supper.  I will also be making some chicken salad for our lunches tomorrow and the next day probably.  I will have to make some bread if I don't have any.  Sounds like a kitchen day, doesn't it? 

Tuesday-Oatmeal with blueberries, boiled egg (I have about 6 in the fridge). Sloppy joe using the no-salt tomato sauce that I hoarded from Aldi's clearance aisle (Ultrafit find), and use some of our garden tomatoes and peppers, and spice it up.  I do have hamburger buns left from grilling out Saturday for Jake's birthday.  This will be Bruce's lunch for tomorrow as well. While I have the canned tomato products out, I will fix spaghetti with marinara and mushrooms, broccoli and some homemade bread with Italian seasoning.  

Wednesday-Egg and sausage English muffin for Bruce to take and finish up the other five for the freezer. Lunch and supper will be salad with grilled chicken and the fixins (cheese, croutons that mom gave me, tomatoes, peppers, celery, red onion, corn.  The chicken is Perdue ShortCuts that I got for under a buck with coupons and rebates.  Never mind the 49 48 chickens in the freezer that we butchered.  (See what those coupons do-brainwash!) It is going to be a fend for yourself (FFY) kind of meal. 

Thursday-Eggo waffles (yep, coupon and sale stock up).  Lunch will probably be something that is still leftover like spaghetti or salad or maybe even the chicken casserole from today.  I am sure there is something to be finished up.  I will put the crockpot on for supper with some frozen chicken breasts from Zaycon about two years ago (before they got cheap meat and went belly up) that really need to be used. I will throw in some cream of soup starter (homemade), either canned or dehydrated mushrooms rehydrated, whatever mood I'm in by then, some spices and water.  I will cook the rice that evening in chicken broth.  I will add the frozen bean medley that I have in the freezer from Aldi or Trader Joe's on the side and there we go.  

Friday-Bruce will be working, so he can take a SEC English muffin from the freezer, as well as PB&J sandwiches that are frozen.  I have a ton of Dole and DelMonte fruit bowls (peaches and mandarin oranges) to pack with that.  I may need to either make trail mix or cookies or banana bread or something Wednesday or Thursday to bulk up his lunch.  I am sure Sarah and I will have leftover chicken and rice.  I cannot stand frozen PB&J sandwiches so that is never on my list.  I think for supper we will have meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas and buttermilk biscuits.  I still have about 40 pounds of hamburger from my Zaycon order a few months ago-one of the reasons I wasn't going to order again (meat quality went way down!) I will stretch the loaf with some carrots, oats, onions and peppers and top with a no-salt ketchup BBQ-y glaze.  You know I don't use very many recipes and cook with my olfactory receptors. 

This will get us to the weekend.  I will do a separate weekend menu so my little brain doesn't get too overwhelmed.  

Hope you have a blessed and productive day!  

Monday 5.14.18

Hello Monday!
Did you have a good weekend?  Hope all the Mothers had a wonderful Mother's Day.
This weekend I pretty much took off the best that a happy homesteading wife can.  After the 1 o'clock milking, feeding and watering, Hubby and I took a little trip on the lake.  It was a nice time, but it was sooo hot!!  I got a few good pictures.  I was too excited when I saw two bald eagles and didn't get a good steady shot of either one-can I blame the rocky boat?  It was a nice 4 hours off the farm but still in nature.

Thought it was a bird until I got close

Lots of gar in one cove

Majestic

Smallest of Hubby's four catches

Deer were thirsty too

Just released catch of the day

Catch of the day-tee hee hee

She's watching me...

Still watching me...little creepy

For Mother's Day, we took Mamaw to the Artisphere in the Ville.  This is her caliber of art, not my painting on the feed barrel art, but true professional artists with prices to match.  We tried to convince her to prepare for her scratch art exhibit next year.  I think she would do quite well.  Once home, hubby and daughter helped put up some strawberries we picked Saturday.  (Not good form in leaving them overnight, but they did not go to waste.)

What's on the agenda today? You might see a certain routine starting to develop.

 I will do some basic "after the weekend cleanup."  I also will be going to town to pick up a few some flowers before the rain tomorrow to get those in the ground, some groceries for this week's menu and to drop off a library book.  When I get home and get all the animals well-watered, fed and somewhat comfortable, I will do some canning and baking after lunch. Luckily it is a crockpot day so supper should be fairly easy.  In fact, this week is a little heavy on the crockpot, but we are supposed to get rain for several days so that will be nice.

Hope you have a productive and blessed day!

Monday 5.7.18

We survived the weekend!  We had tried our hand at an underutilized local Farmer's Market. (I have only seen one vehicle/vendor there one time in seven years.)  We had a few lovely customers, but was it worth the 2 and 3 days of cooking, and all of the work that Mamaw put into it.  No.  I do believe that with consistent showing up it would grow, but when you have goats to milk, babies to feed, gardens to tend to, housework, cooking for the family, you know, a life not dependent on that income, it makes it a stressful chore.  We shall see what happens.  

What is on the agenda for today? 

I really have to get the house at least straightened up.  Having spent Thursday and Friday cooking and preparing for the market and going to the market, I got behind.  I am putting in a concerted effort to make breakfast for Hubby every morning.  Fingers crossed.  It will actually make things easier for me as far as having to prepare bulk sausage, egg and cheese biscuits and keeping them in the freezer.  I will do this occasionally either if we have an abundance of eggs, breakfast meat goes on sale, I have leftovers to use up or the mood strikes. It will be nice to have the backup if I am sick, tired or just plain stubborn.  

I am going back to pick some more berries.  I have a couple more weeks to do this and I intend to load up the freezer and jam shelf.  I did get 5 pints of jam and 6 pints of strawberry lemonade concentrate done last week.  

I have 50 Cornish cross chicks coming this week so it is imperative that I get the barn ready and make sure all of the equipment (waterers, feeders, heat lamps) are washed and ready for them.  I also need to make sure I have some cookies (I think mom's leftover market cookies might come in handy) to give to the post office for receiving the baby chicks.  

I have this week's menu planned and I did go to Sam's and Aldi yesterday in preparation, but I did not get everything (lemons were sold out!  What!?) and still need to make a trip today to finish up the shopping so there are no "glitches" the rest of the week.  Is this the most healthy menu...no...but I am trying to find balance between what is on the homestead, what is in the pantry/freezer and what is affordable and what is healthy-oh, and if it tastes good too.  I am packing everyone's lunch, including mine and daughter's so that we don't scrounge around at 12:30 and just eat chips...unless it has specified chips, and they are in the brown lunch bag! 

It is finally normal "southern spring" weather-in the 80's.  Finally time to get those sweatshirts, jackets and camouflage hunting outfits out of the closet and under the bed.  I always leave at least two sweatshirts out for those 2 am possum attacks that require running out in the cooler night air. 

It is dawn and I hear the roosters crowing.  That is my cue to get out there and feed, water, prepare to milk and feed and get the day going.  I hope you have a blessed and productive Monday! 

Food Friday

Do you feel like you are in a rut in the kitchen?  The same meals over and over and over...
It's especially true when you are on a tight budget and try to buy bulk to save and stretch.  Now that the coldest days are past and soups and stews are no longer as appealing, it is time to mix up the menu a bit, just a little anyway.  That means that my menu will be dependent on whatever the stores put on sale though.

Aldi had fish on sale so I bought a package.  We had fish tacos and baked tilapia from it.  The California vegetable medley was also on sale for 95 cents.

 I went through the freezer and found our rooster quarters from this summer and some from a huge 10-pound bag and figured I needed get those cooked up too.  Baked chicken quarters, cauliflower bake and green beans.  We barbequed the rest and had potato salad with it.

We will still have our beans and cornbread this week, especially since the hog jowls were reduced.

Even trying one new recipe every once in a while seems to help rejuvenate the chef in me, especially if it is a good one.  Another thing that really re-motivates is finding a little shop with some really awesome, wholesome ingredients, such as the cornmeal and wheat flour.  Time to bake again!  Why do I bake in the summer more than the winter?? 

Food Friday 7/31/15

I know, I know.  I still have not done my menu for the next month.  There is just still so much in my freezers.  And I have tried very hard over the past few weeks to change my mindset regarding the NEED to go grocery shop every week.  And it has pretty much worked.  I still see so much food to be used that I can't imagine without writing it down what I actually NEED.  I did do an inventory of freezer and pantry and it filled a sheet of paper. 

We are going to the Big Town today for Daughter's Orientation and other college to-do's.  So we are heading to the bee supply shop for a smoker and Sam's for strawberries, so I am going to try and get a decent list together for efficiency. 

I will let you know...

No strawberries.  I picked up some produce, including fresh greens and spinach, cherry tomatoes (as mine are completely gone now), green peppers, apples, cantaloupe, organic green grapes, frozen banana berry and frozen blueberries, as, again, mine have been used up in muffins, parfaits and just eating, and some pinto beans, cottage cheese, and canned peaches. 

I have jarred up some salad (greek, house and chef); I have peaches and cottage cheese to jar up as well as parfaits (greek yogurt, oats, blueberries, honey, and either apples, melon or other fruit as a top layer) for breakfast or lunch or even dessert.  I also made some spaghetti sauce in the crock pot for a couple of uses.

Frozen marinara, ground beef and canned mushrooms in the crockpot

Blueberry oat apple parfait

Salad in a jar for a quick lunch or supper;
I add flax oil and red wine vinegar, apple
cider vinegar or good old lemon juice

I didn't purchase any meat yet.  I still have quite a bit of everything: pork loin and bacon for the family ( I am going to avoid this myself), chicken, both ours and some breasts I bought, hamburger still divided for meatloaf, meatballs and whatever else we need it for, I still have the turkey that I need to cook (Thanksgiving dinner does not appeal to me in 115 degree heat index-call me crazy!), still have some deer burger and some beef chuck for a roast and strips for a salad or whatever.  So we are set for at least a week or more!