Meal Planning

Meal planning is so fun to me, but I can also obsess over it.  I'm trying to find a happy medium.
I took inspiration from the wonderful Jamie Grizzle, and tried to buy in larger quantities and at a different store.  I think I have improved my meal planning by doing it this way.  Maybe next time I can be brave enough to purchase for the whole month instead of just half a month.

I have learned a few more things this time around...
If I plan out some easy and fast meals and have the ingredients to cook them all, we eat out less.

If I cook more, we have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Buy breakfast and lunch stuff for more than just 1 week at a time.  We tend to run out of those faster than anything else.

Shop at the cheapest store you can find!

Make sure to use things that will last more than one meal.  Like a bag of salad- we can get at least 2 meals if not more out of one bag.  Same with bacon, plan meals to use it all up so that it doesn't get forgotten.

Don't get away from the list!  I ended up spending at least $12 on things that were not on my list and that we did not need.  This is the hardest part!

Going to the grocery store alone is the BEST!


Here are my meals for the next 10 days:

• Baked Potatoes and Salad
• Waffles and Bacon
• French Onion Soup, Cheese Toast and Salad
• Breakfast
• 3 Cheese Tortellini Soup and Crescent Rolls
• Green Beans, Yams, Corn, Tomatoes and Cornbread
• Chili
• Meatball Subs and Cheese Fries
• Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes and Pasta Salsd
• Honey Garlic Chicken and Rice
• White Chicken  Chili and Homemade Granola Bars (for a friend)

Total Spent- $118.00

Nothing fancy.  Simple eating around my house these days!

Starting Christmas Early

We are getting Christmas started a little early this year and I'm loving it!
We went to see Santa for the first time ever with Madi.  She is going through a "scared" phase, so I had no idea how she would react, but she did great.  Bass Pro Shop has a wonderful Santa!

Daddy taught her how to drive a remote control truck.

Then we rode the carousel- with our Hello Kitty from Easter of course.

I started on a little art project that will hang on our front door.  Just need to add a little ribbon!

 Madi had her Thanksgiving Feast at school last week.  I'm pretty sure she is the cutest little turkey around!

My Favorite Grocery List

Homemade Granola Bars

I made homemade granola bars last night and they were amazing! 
It is a very simple recipe, that of course, came from Pinterest.
I really don't know how I did anything before Pinterest cam along!
Here is the recipe.  Check out the link to the blog it came from.  It is a great blog!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup packed brown sugar 
1/4 cup peanut butter (crunchy)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cups Quick Oats (not rolled oats)
2 cups crispy rice cereal
3 teaspoons vanilla

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, stir crispy rice cereal, quick oats together.

In a medium saucepan, combine honey, butter, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then bring the temperature down to low, and simmer till sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Pour in vanilla and stir.

Pour hot butter/sugar mixture over dry ingredients. Stir until all ingredients are moistened. Press into a parchment-lined jelly roll pan.


I can't even begin to tell you how good these were!  All night we kept going back to cut off one more little piece. 
Madi spent the night with her grandmother last night, so I'm not sure if the are picky-eater-three-year-old- approved, but I have a feeling she will love them!
The girl is all about peanut butter and sweets.

I'm Back!

I haven't blogged since April!  
That is a long time.
I think I just got lazy about it.  
But I am back and can hopefully do a better job!
 
Here are a few of my favorite pictures to catch you up on the last couple of months.

I'll be back with another post~ hopefully!
Blogging might have to be added to my to do list so I will actually remember.

April 15th- 22nd

April 15th- Madi picked out a new night gown when we shopping and it is her favorite.  She loved the dancing shoes and tutu!  We need to get this girl into a dance class!

 

April 18th- Diesel waiting patiently for Madi to drop some of her breakfast for him.

April 20th- Yogurt Mountain was a hit!  She ate every bite!!

April 22nd- Pouting asking me not to take her picture.

April 8th- Not exactly the shoes I had picked out for her to wear on Easter.

April 9th- Madi showing me how to hold a baby.  She won't let anyone hold this one though.  It is her favorite!

   

April 12th- Madi and her buddy Diesel.

 April 13th- Madi's teacher sent me this picture of Madi at nap time.  She covered up her baby to go to sleep too.

 April 14th- We had a great family day which consisted of shopping, bass pro shop and smoothies!

April 1st- 7th

April 1st- At our church Easter Egg Hunt.

April 2nd- I love when m fridge looks like this!

 

April 3rd- Madi got a pretty good shiner tonight while playing!

April 5th- We got stuck in traffic on the way to school, so Madi got in a little morning snooze.

April 6th- Madi climbed up on a stool, got a banana off the counter and peeled it herself for a snack.  

April 7th-  Spent the morning at Gran's with her cousins.  Madi and her baby had a long nap!

March 25th- 31st

March 25th- Ben had a great idea to get this box out of the garage and let Madi color all over it.  She had so much fun doing it too!

 

March 27th- Our later afternoon wagon ride.

 

 March 28th- Madi pretends that the shampoo and soap are babies and they were going to sleep on their nap mats.

 

March 29th- Madi wanted to get herself ready for bed tonight- which included a hair bow and rain boots.

 March 31st- I walked my first 5K with this wonderful group of friends!

 This is just a picture I took one morning before school.