Meal Plan Monday

I have not been good at meal planning the last couple of weeks. It has been busy and we have had our share of sickies. I am planning on going grocery shopping tomorrow, so I need to work on that soon. So much to do, so little time. I will come up with a plan by tomorrow. I think I am ready for a vacation!

The 30-Day Giving Challenge

30-Day Giving Challenge
Ten bloggers have teamed up for this year's challenge. Join us! If you have a heart for giving, we invite you to join us from November 1 – 30, 2010 as we take giving to new heights, combining the efforts of thousands of people. We’ll be working together to bless our friends, family, neighbors, and complete strangers by making a conscious effort to give each day of November. And we’ll do it all for God’s glory.

Go HERE for more information.

Have you started Christmas shopping?

I started Christmas shopping the beginning of October. Our goal this year is to pay for all Christmas gifts with cash. I have been looking at deals online and just sent off for my parents Christmas gift from Picaboo. I made them a photo book from Picaboo where I only had to pay shipping (saved $30.00). Right now is the time to look for deals from Shutterfly, Snapfish and Picaboo.

Also look for coupons, I received $10.00 off Beauty and The Beast and Tinkerbell for little missie. I pre-ordered Tinkerbell and received a $10 gift card at Toys R Us and when I bought Beauty and The Beast, I received a free pumpkin, Cinderella water bottle and popcorn at Vons. These are the type of deals to look for.

I am also cashing out my Swagbucks($35.00 into Paypal), Mypoints (gift card to Panera) and Myview (cant' tell, it's for hubby) for Christmas gifts. I also participate in Pinecone research surveys and receive money into my Paypal account when I complete surveys. Let me know if you want more information on any of these. Happy shopping!

If you want more information on how to save for Christmas or buy Christmas gift with cash (no credit cards) take a look at her article HERE.

I actually made dinner!

Butternut squash and chickpea fritters

Pork chops, fritters and green beans


You know how much I like butternut squash and they are finally popping up at Farmer's Market. I came across the recipe in Sunset and added one ingredient to it.

Butternut squash and chickpea fritters Recipe:

8 oz butternut squash
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 tsp fresh chopped sage
2 pieces of whole wheat bread
1 egg
2 tbsp flour
3 pieces bacon (the ingredient I added)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp red chili flakes

1. In a food processor pulse the bread until you make bread crumbs. It is optional to roast the squash, or you can use the pre-cubed squash from the store and put it in the microwave until it is tender. I prefer roasting the squash since it adds more flavor. Cook 3 pieces of bacon and crumble once cooled. Add the squash, chickpeas, egg, flour, sage, bacon and seasonings and mix together until combined.
2. Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or use the bacon grease to cook the fritters in until they are golden brown and cooked all the way through.

Pork Chop Recipe:

This was the best pork chops I have had in a long time and it was so simple.

Pork chops
1 tbsp grape seed or olive oil
4 cloves of garlic minced
salt and pepper
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp soy sauce

1. Salt and pepper the pork chops on both sides and put in a Ziploc bag. Add the garlic, oil, soy sauce and thyme. Combine and put in the frig to marinate.
2. A couple hours before dinner I marinated the pork chops and grilled them on the grill until they reached 160 degrees and let them sit until it reached temp. of 165 degrees.

That is it and they were savory and juicy!

My favorite green beans:

Fresh Green beans
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1. Soften green beans in the microwave or boil for a couple of minutes until softened a bit, but still have a snap to them.
2. On medium heat add sliced onions to the saute pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil and cook until caramelized adding the soy sauce half way through.
3. Add the green beans once the onions are cooked and add the minced garlic, salt, pepper and chili flakes and cook until desired doneness.
4. Taste and season with more salt or pepper.

Meal Plan Monday

I have not been feeling that great lately. I think whatever virus I had has now trying to infect my body so I have not done much cooking lately. I meant to make the pork chops tonight that I never got around to from last week, but that is not going to happen again. I only cooked once last week and we went to my in-laws for dinner and ate canned soup. Hopefully I can kick this bug and get back into the cooking mood again.

Meal Plan Saturday

Sunday- Gilroy Gardens
We are going to eat at Chili's since we have a $20 G.C. and 2 free kids meal coupons.

Monday- Breakfast included with our hotel stay
Sandwiches since we will not get home until later that afternoon.

Tuesday- Chicken Marsala

Wednesday- BBQ chicken sandwiches and fruit

Thursday- Pork chops, squash and chickpea fritters and salad

Friday- Out to dinner

Do you meal plan?

Not Planning Ahead
It's Tuesday, you're tired, and have no idea what you'll make for dinner. A great night for takeout, right? Using data from the BLS, it's estimated that the average family of four spends over $4,000 on eating out -- a very expensive habit that will make you broke in a hurry.

New Orleans-Style BBQ'd Shrimp

This was worth the effort, delicious! One of my favorite meals I have made. I splurged a little on the shrimp at $8.99lb (on sale). I saved by cleaning the shrimp myself. I suggest getting fresh shrimp, not frozen.

This is the salad I served along with it, I even roasted my own beet.

Recipe for shrimp:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 large garlic clove, minced
Salt and Pepper
2 lbs extra-large shrimp with heads attached
Cayenne pepper, how ever much you want. I added about 1 tsp. so it would not be too spicy for the kids, but I would have liked more.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the onion, rosemary and oregano and cook until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes then add cayenne, salt and pepper and remove from heat.

2. Rinse the shrimp and devein the shrimp if you did not have it done for you. Put the shrimp in a 4 Qt dish and pour the warm sauce evenly over the shrimp. Bake uncovered and stir every 10 minutes until the shrimp are opaque throughout. I checked mine at 25 minutes and removed them. I then took the heads off the shrimp and the shells off and put them back in the sauce until I was ready to serve them.

3. Serve with warm crusty bread.

Salad:
Lettuce mix
1 beet roasted (1 hour wrapped in foil at 450 degrees)
1/2 cup goat cheese, cream cheese and cottage cheese
Any type of nut you like
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil (I used grape seed oil)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix the cheeses together with salt and pepper in a food processor.
2. Cut your beet into thin slices.
3. Mix honey and vinegar together and stream in olive oil.
4. Put it all together and enjoy.

Cheap Chicken

A couple of weeks ago Vons had Foster Farms chicken on a ridiculous sale. The packs of bone in, skin on chicken breasts came to $4.51 for a six breasts! I love this type of chicken for making broth and my enchiladas and chicken tortilla soup. Last night made chicken enchiladas and this morning I made chicken tortilla soup. We have enough enchiladas for another meal and enough soup to last me through the weekend (I will eat it for lunch everyday until it is gone). That is about 6-8 meals for cheap.

Chicken $4.51
Tomatoes $2.15
Jalapenos and Serrano chiles .75
Corn $1.00
Pink beans $1.61
Tortillas $1.99
Sour cream $2.95 used about .35 cents worth
Red bell pepper $1.00
Cheese $3.00
Avocado .99

For all this food it came to......$17.35
It may be cheap, but yummy!

Garlic and Herb Pork Loin

I used a whole head of garlic for this yummy goodness.

Saute one onion with 1 tsp. each of sage and thyme.

Rub the mixture all into the pork loin with 1" cuts into the pork, stuffing the garlic and herb mixture inside.

Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Recipe:
1 tsp. finely chopped sage
1 tsp. chopped thyme
1 whole head of garlic
1 yellow onion
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 to 4 pound pork loin (depending on the size of your family)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Dice your onion and add 2 tbsp. of olive oil to your saute pan. Add onion over medium heat and saute for 10 minutes. Add your sage and thyme and season with salt and pepper and take off of heat.
2. Meanwhile heat your oven to 350 degrees. Get as much of the paper off the garlic head and cut the top of the garlic off exposing the garlic. Put in a oven resistance bowl, sprinkle with cayenne and 1 tsp of olive oil. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes or until the garlic is soft. Let it cool and squeeze the garlic out into the onion mixture and mash the garlic up mixing it all into the onion and herbs.
3. Cut 1" cuts into the pork loin about 1" apart. Rub the garlic and herb mixture into the pork loin getting into the slices of the pork loin. Place in a dish and cover. Marinate 8-24 hours. I only marinated mine for 2 hours and it was still good.
4. In a oven resistance pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil and heat over medium/high heat. Add your pork loin and make a crust on the bottom where the garlic and herb mixture is not (the garlic will burn if you have garlic on the bottom). Place in a 350 degree oven, uncovered for about 30-40 minutes until it reaches 165 degrees internally. Let the pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Meal Plan Saturday

I am happy to be back planning meals for this next week. I have to say with pantry week I did not eat as much because it was not as tasty as what I usually make. Maybe I should cook like that all the time, no not really. Today I am planning on going through my favorite recipes and see what I want to make. I am happy that my Tuesday night class is over with so I do not have to rush on Tuesdays. I will post my menu sometime today.

Saturday- Boys going to the football game and little missie and I will do something together.

Sunday- My nephews birthday dinner at The Great Wall.

Monday- Grilled Salmon, basil and garlic linguine and green beans

Tuesday- Garlic herb pork tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes and artichokes

Wednesday- Chicken enchiladas and homemade beans

Thursday- BBQ'd shrimp, french bread and salad

Friday- Bullard Talent's Harvest Carnival. I'm working the hot dog booth, so we will be eating hot dogs and then Bullard High's football game after that.

Makes and Bakes:
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
Chicken tortilla soup
Apple pie for cake walk

Deal of the week!

Free Shampoo and Conditioner!

I don't know if any of you saw this deal but it was worth driving to Riverpark for it. If you Liked Ulta you received a coupon for a free John Frieda shampoo or conditioner priced at $6.99. I Liked them on my FB page and hubbies FB page. I went on 2 different days so I got a shampoo and conditioner for free! The girl ringing me up said she wished she could use a coupon like this!