The Meal Planning Hassle {Home Life}

The never-ending necessity... It's like Laundry; you do it one day only to have to do it again the next.  It's exhausting. Especially when you have to fit it into a budget.

It makes me tired just to think about it.

What's for dinner?

If you can wing it with contents of your cabinets, freezer, and fridge then power to you! I need to have a plan. I cannot just wing it. It stresses me out.

And trying to decide what to make?! I still have issues like I talked about in this post from over a year ago. Do I cook for something I will enjoy, or something everyone else will? Granted, the family needs to eat too.

I gave up and stopped planning. What we spent on groceries pretty much doubled. We ate fast food and processed pre-packaged way more than we had been. Of course, at the time I wasn't focusing on the budget too much anyway. But, I needed to start figuring out food and lowering the expenses there because it was starting to hurt expenses in other areas.

Trello

I needed to get back to meal planning. I needed to have an easy answer for the "what's for dinner" question. So I started using the meals we were making and created a list in Trello.

As we went through the meals I would check them off so we had some variety until we ate from the whole collection and then uncheck them and start over.

It worked for a while. But I quickly grew tired of the process. I wanted to not have to be the only one making the decisions, but none of the meals sounded good to the other members of the family.

A friend had posted, on Facebook, about a freezer prep and planning site with meals to make for the month. I could fit the subscription into the budget, but the number of meals to pick from overwhelmed me, and fitting food for one month into the budget of half a month was not an option. I would have to at least go every two weeks.

Meanwhile, the question still lingered. Every day. What's for dinner.

These are the things I have started using to help alleviate the meal planning hassle recently and it's been working for the last few months.

5dinners1hour

I came across another meal prep option, in video form. The people were prepping meals in 30-45 minutes for the entire week. I watched several videos in a row and was impressed. The concept was similar, the price was the same. I decided to give it a try and if we didn't like it I would cancel the subscription.

The meals were pretty good. It was different than we were used to. But they fit into our normal (not inflated) paycheck budget. Plus we've tried new things. Things we wouldn't have even thought to attempt before! Just this weekend we had salmon. Both of us have had bad experiences with salmon. It was not something we would have thought to try. But we did, and we enjoyed it!

Even the husband was joining in on the prepping of the food! If you want to check it out, it is 5dinners1hour.com.

The question was still there. What's for dinner?

But the kids enjoy looking through the pictures and help planning the meals. They like helping do the work on prep day (we do it on Sundays). Sure it takes us longer to prep 5 dinners than an hour (we use mostly fresh ingredients), but it has been amazing.

Ibotta

I started using Ibotta again to help with the costs. Since it's a rebate program, the return is not as fast. Plus a lot of the items are pre-packaged which does not make it into our home as often. But, with snacks for the kids, cereal in the morning, toilet paper, and craft supplies it does indeed add up. I've had a few gift cards come through for Walmart, and used to buy things we needed! It's not points based but actually change. I prefer that so much more!

You can check it out through my referral code https://ibotta.com/r/vvggcw another bonus is it doesn't cost anything to sign up!

Zaycon

Have you jumped on board the Zaycon train yet? We first got some ground beef. It was amazing. The meat comes in 40lb increments, so make sure you have room! It was yummy meat.

They just had a 99 cent per pound chicken sale. I had to jump on that. When you pay regularly 1.99 per pound, 99 cents is amazing!

Check them out through my referral code: https://zayconfresh.com/refer/zf341341 
I only get credit if you buy something.

As of now, Zaycon's doors are closed. Sad as it was awesome meat.

Click List

Our local Fry's Foods (Part of the Kroger family) offers click list pick up. 

I don't use click list to order my food. I use it when I am planning to make sure I stay within budget. It keeps a running tally of the price. I can see whether items are on sale with the ad. 

Then when I am in the store I have the app on my phone and it has them listed in aisle order in the store. Perfect to make the trip go smoothly and quickly. I just go in order of the aisles as I shop! It's been life changing!

What do you do?
I'm still working on ways to keep my budget down or to stay in my budget. It's a constant learning game. What are some strategies you use to stay within your grocery budget?

What's for Dinner: Chicken Con Salsa (3-Ingredient Crock-Pot Recipe)

How many of you make time to sit around the dinner table in the evening as a family? It took us a while to get to the point where we were doing it every night. Here is one of our family meals that we enjoy together.

I honestly do not remember where I learned this recipe and I have not been able to find anything like it anywhere. The hubby and kids really enjoy it on those random occasions that I make it and I have no idea why I do not make it more often. It is such a simple recipe with only 3 ingredients and served over rice it is so yummy! Maybe because I am not a huge fan of touching raw chicken, let alone chicken with the bones still in them.

I call this Chicken Con Salsa, mostly because it is just chicken, salsa and corn. Serve over rice and it's complete! I've even frozen ahead and made later!

Chicken Con Salsa

(a 3-Ingredient Fix-it and Forget-it Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 package of bone-in chicken thighs (approx 1.5lbs or 9 thighs)

32oz Herdez Salsa, I use mild/medium but you can use whatever heat you prefer

1 lb frozen corn

Directions:

remove the skin from the thighs. I also prefer to remove most the fat as well. (don't forget to wash your hands after handling the raw chicken!)

place chicken bone side down at the bottom of your crockpot

cover with salsa

pour in corn

cover and cook on low for 4.5-5 hours or until chicken is cooked through (it is suggested that chicken reaches internal temperature 180°F) It will literally be falling off the bone!

Prepare rice according to package directions either on the stove or in a cooker when you have that amount of time left for the crockpot (i.e. I start the rice with 30 minutes left as that is how long it takes to cook 3 cups in the cooker) 

Serve over cooked rice and enjoy!

and then get seconds and not worry about presentation...

I use a 7qt crockpot. you can divide the recipe in half if you have a smaller one.

*update* here is a printable 5x7 recipe card so you can easily access this recipe whenever you need! Just click on the picture!

click here to download the card

Try it! What did you think?

Happy cooking!

What's For Dinner: Tuna and Rice Casserole {Recipe}

I have never really been a fan of tuna casserole. I don't really like tuna all that much. It's fish. I don't like fish. And, everyone always puts peas in their tuna casseroles. I don't like peas. 

I found a tuna and rice casserole that had a bunch of veggies in it not just peas, and then (isn't that how it always goes) could not find it again later! This was before pinterest. I had to figure out a casserole that we, meaning hubby and I, would eat. But since little man likes peas, it had to have peas. Luckily he is not the picky one. So after much trial and error, here is the recipe!

Tuna and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:
7oz tuna drained
1 cup rice uncooked
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
2 small potatoes
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup peas
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided into 1/4 cups)
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tbs black pepper (I like a lot, Season to your taste)

Directions:
1. Clean and chop potatoes into small bite size pieces.

2. cook rice and steam potatoes. I add a small amount of butter and about 1/2 tsp pepper to the water.

I love my rice cooker. Probably the best investment I made when I moved out. It has a steamer to use with the rice cooker! They don't sell my model any more. I bought it at Mervyn's before they were even saying they were going to go out of business. But they have more up to date ones like this Aroma 3-Cup (Uncooked) 6-Cup (Cooked) Rice Cooker and Food Steamer, White (affiliate) version. And it comes in black and red too!

3. Use this time to chop veggies

4. preheat oven to 375

5. Add veggies to a casserole dish. I like my Pyrex Bakeware 2-Quart Casserole Dish with Lid (affiliate). Then the soup, milk (I use the can to measure out the milk) and sour cream. mix in the sour cream. then add tuna and spices. It's easiest to stir and mix in this order. I am a messy cook and I make the smallest mess this way. ;)

6. Stir in rice. and 1/4 cup shredded cheese.

7. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.

8. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Don't worry about the cookie sheet underneath. I cook everything in the oven on a cookie sheet when the bottom rack is not covered in foil.

I let the casserole cool uncovered for about 5 minutes before I dish it out for hubby and I. I dish it out for the kids to cool faster.

Enjoy!

Baby Girl is 1! {Happy Birthday}

On July 19th, my baby girl turned 1! On July 20th we celebrated her birthday with friends and family. :) Over at GYCT Designs I'm sharing the sheets I made to help me with planning and organizing the birthday party as part of her Sizzlin' Summer Organization Series.

Enjoy some of the pictures here of the party, her cake Hubby decorated and her 'eating' it, and the dress I made her. :)

We used a Koala theme for the birthday cake and invitations. It also happens to be the mural that is on her wall in her bedroom! :) We used the Koala from the Create a Critter for the  (affiliate)for the Cricut Expression Cutting Machine (affiliate) , cut it out from cardstock and used it to make an impression in the frosting.  Hubby then filled it in with frosting once removing the cardstock.

She was shy listening to happy birthday

Baby girl, just like her brother, was not a fan of the frosting!

And some more cake eating pictures, mostly because I missed the first bite...

We had family and friends over, and I am so thankful for them celebrating with us. I was too busy to take too many pictures, but here are a few good ones.

Cousin's helped open presents. They are such good helpers.

I made her a dress for the day too, in a very thin material to help stay cool. It's the Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop's Sweetheart Halter (affiliate). I just extended the shirt to make it a dress. 

Don't forget to head over to GYCT Designs and check out the sheets I made that help me plan birthday parties (and other parties). 

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! May you have many more!

What's For Dinner: Beef and Broccoli One Pot Wonder {Recipes}

I am not a chef. I barely consider myself a cook. I can do casseroles. I love bakes. And, I am looking for one pot wonders where-ever I can find them.

One thing I have difficulty doing? Following recipes as they are written and remembering what I did for next time. I have a habit of pulling recipes from websites and altering them as I cook, doing what works for what I have at the time that I do it. So I am trying to write down what I do as I do it, just in case it does, or does not, work.

I had limited items in my pantry one day and I needed something different and I found this recipe from Campbell's Kitchen... I decided to give it a go and ended up not even following the recipe really and it came out like this instead.

Beef and Broccoli Pasta: One Pot Wonder

Ingredients:

1 Tbs  oil
1-2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 yellow onion chopped

salt/pepper

1 tsp each: ginger, curry powder, dried basil, ground fennel

2 Tbs soy sauce

1 lb ground beef

2-4 cups broccoli florets

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1.5 cups milk

1.5 cups water

1 package of pasta. I like Garofalo Pasta (affiliate)  I use the 1.1 lb packages from Costco. I like the Gemelli. You can use the 1lb packages too, I like the Fusilli Pasta (affiliate)

     

Directions:

heat oil in a large skillet or pot (big enough to put it all in). At Med-high heat, Add seasonings. You can add more or less depending on your tastes. and brown quickly. Not more than a few seconds to a minute. I often throw these in while I am waiting for the oil to heat up.

Add garlic and onion and saute until translucent. Depending on my mood, or the kids craving attention, I will caramelize the onion.

Add ground beef and cook through.

Turn down heat to medium, add broccoli and soy sauce. stir fry for a minute or two. Longer if you prefer your vegetables softer.

Add cream of mushroom soup, heat through

Add milk and water. cover and return to simmer. It looks like a lot of liquid but it's ok. the pasta will absorb a lot of it and it will thicken later.

Add pasta, return to simmer. turn heat to med-low. Cover and cook according to pasta directions or until pasta is done. stir frequently.

Once pasta is done remove from heat and sit for about 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it stands.

I love this dish. I think it has to be one of my favorites and I don't like mushrooms!  I will even eat this leftovers cold! Even the kids like it!

How do you follow recipes? Do you cook as they say to or end up with something almost completely different?