Wacky Wednesday at Trucchis!

Attention Southern MA peeps - it's time for another Wacky Wednesday at Trucchi's TOMORROW 4/7! This month is the "breakfast" edition - here's what I'll be picking up:

Plumrose Bacon 1lb - $1.99
Bananas - $0.33/lb (banana muffins at my house!)
Trucchi's English Muffins - 3/$1 (last time this was a limit of 9)
Post Cereas (Raisin Bran, Cocoa Fruity or Cupcake Pebbles) - $1.69
use $1/2 off any Pebbles cereal from 3/14 SS
Dozen eggs - $1.29

MYSTERY ITEM - Trucchi's Raisin bread - $1.39

The last time this WW deal came around, I made Bacon & Egg McMuffins for the freezer for SUPER cheap! Butter is on sale for $1.99 at both Shaw's and Stop & Shop so this is a great time to make quick freezer breakfasts! Here's how I do the muffins:

-Scramble 1 egg per sandwich, fry 1-2 pieces of bacon for each sandwich as well. (I do these in batches of 12)
-Slice and toast the english muffin, butter both sides lightly with 1 tbsp pat of butter (hey, I never said these were health food!)
-Layer a 1/2 cup scoop of eggs, bacon, and 1 slice of cheese on the bottom half of the muffin, top with the other half.
-Wrap individually in plastic wrap, store in gallon freezer bags.

To heat: Thaw, then wrap in a paper towel (keeps the muffins moist) and microwave for 30-40 seconds. I usually take a couple out the night before and put them in the fridge!





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Menu Plan Monday - Mar 29th, '10

Happy Easter! We're looking forward to a GORGEOUS weekend here, which should make for some fun egg hunts on Sunday :)

Last week's meal plan was going really well until Thursday - I had a lot of leftovers so we had some for dinner instead of making pizza, and then Friday I forgot to take the steaks out to thaw. That worked out ok though, since the rain would have made for some soggy grilling :) We have a fun grill pan from Ikea, but it just isn't the same!! Going to try AGAIN to have that steak dinner this week, barring any unforeseen issues.

The Curried Turkey was REALLY good - even my toddler gobbled it up! The Taco Bake was another big hit, the Bisquick batter on the top baked up great in spite of being frozen! And just for the record, Fluffy French Toast made with Texas Toast is my new favorite snack...when it's re-toasted and then loved on by some butter and strawberry jam...yummmmm...

Here's what we're eating this week (including a few repeats that we missed last week!) Don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more menu ideas and recipes!

monday - Chicken Ranch Pizza, salad - OAMC ($5.90 for 6-8 servings)

tuesday - Asian Pork Roast ($5 Dinners cookbook), rice, veggies - OAMC ($4.96 for 4 servings)

wednesday - Grilled steaks, baked sweet potatoes, green beans ($6.70 for 4 servings)

thursday - Sloppy Joes on homemade rolls, salad - OAMC ($4.62 for 4 servings, plus lots of leftover buns!)

friday - Something with kielbasa in the crockpot - I'm experimenting! (TBD)

saturday - Leftovers (Free!)

sunday - Easter! Meals with famiy (free)




Stumble It!

Menu Plan Monday - Mar 22, '10

After a gorgeous weekend, we're waking up to....rain. Well, you know what they say about New England...if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes :)

Last week we did GREAT sticking to plan. The Sue Sue's Casserole was a hit, especially with my toddler! It was a little heavy on the onions, and I *think* if I play around with it I can make it more like a creamy beef stroganoff casserole. We also managed to use up just about ALL of the leftovers - I love me a clean fridge!

This week we actually have TWO days when the whole family is home for dinner! I also had to plan for plenty of leftovers, this weekend hubby and I both work so we need enough to cover our meals on those days.

Here's what's on our table, don't forget to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more menus and recipes!

monday - Curried Turkey Tidbits, rice, mixed veggies - OAMC ($2.62 for 4 servings)

tuesday - Easy Taco Bake - OAMC ($3.21 for 4-6 servings)

wednesday - Fluffy French Toast, fruit, eggs ($5.04 for 6 servings)

thursday - Chicken Ranch Pizza, salad - OAMC ($5.90 for 4-6 servings)

friday - Grilled steaks, sweet potatos, mixed veg ($6.70 for 4 servings)

saturday - Leftovers (Free!)

sunday - Leftovers, hubby will be eating at his mom's (Free!)




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Grocery Trip - week 10, '10

Hello, payoff!

Last week's shopping was the first post-Once a Month Cooking week, and boy did it show! Total spent was $32.87, and that was INCLUDING formula, some baby food supplies, and a big container of honey. The honey wasn't TOTALLY necessary, but the Lazy Granola I made for OAMC is such a hit, I'll be making it on a VERY regular basis.

It's SO hard to resist stocking up when I know I could squeeze a little into every week till the end of the month, but I'm really trying to see the impact OAMC has on the budget! At this point I've only used one OAMC meal per week, which would stretch my freezer stash almost to June - my goal is to use 2-3 per week, but either way the extra investment last month should do my budget good at least through April!

Here's what we bought last week:


BJ's
2 gallons milk - $4.96
51oz canister BJ's formula - $16.99 (got $3 instant rebate!)
3lb bag sweet potatoes - $2.49 (for baby food)
3lb bunch bananas - $1.44
3lb jar BJ's honey - $6.99

Total: $32.87

This week I got $3 in store savings!






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Menu Plan Monday - Jan 11, '09

So I've noticed a good number of folks are participating in the Eat from the Pantry Challenge put out there by Money Saving Mom and FishMama, and as luck would have it, we're currently in a position where eating from the pantry is becoming a necessity. My stockpile is good (thankfully!) and we had a few financial curveballs to start the year that created the need to tighten things up. This week I am attempting to plan completely out of the pantry - the only thing we *should* need is milk.

Last week went well, we had an unexpected night out of the house and were treated to some yummy chili at my sister-in-law's! Other than that we stuck to the menu - the Asian Pork Stew was good, but I think I need to tweak it a bit more before I include it in my recipe box. We have some leftovers, but not so many that I'm afraid to cook! I hit a CRAZY sale at Trucchi's this week and scored breakfast fixin's for SUPER CHEAP (try $0.33 packages of English muffins!) so I'll be making bacon egg & cheese muffins for the freezer - hooray for OAMC breakfast!

Here's our delve into the pantry - don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for lots more menus and recipes!

monday - Homemade Pizza ($2.94 for 6-8 servings)

tuesday - Burgers on homemade buns, veggie, chips ($3.70 for 4 servings) **the dough will be made into enough buns for 2 dinners plus dinner rolls for later in the week

wednesday - Shredded BBQ chicken on homemade rolls, veggie ($2.90 for 4 servings)

thursday - Breakfast for dinner! Eggs, pancakes, fruit ($2.60 for 4 servings)

friday - Sausage and Penne Bake ($7.45 for 6-8 servings)

saturday - Leftovers - we're both working (free!)

sunday - Dinner at the in-laws! (free!)




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Another DIY moment - homemade baby cereal!

It's official. My friends are convinced I've gone off the frugality deep end!

Baby O (aka the Noob) had his 4-month checkup yesterday - and aside from weighing in at a WHOPPING 16lb, 9oz and 26 1/2 inches, most notable was that our pedi gave us the green light to get him started on solid foods!

The thought of paying $3.50 or more a box for the Gerber cereals was making me sick to my stomach...so I did a little poking around online, and discovered how EASY it is to make homemade baby cereal! The most helpful site I found was WholesomeBabyFood.com, they lay out recipes for oatmeal, barley and rice cereals and offer lots of good tips about choosing grains, storing cereal, and preparation. There are also some great recipes for mixed cereals!

Turns out all you need for easy, CHEAP baby cereal is your WHOLE grains (rolled oats, whole brown rice grains, whole barley), a food processer/blender/coffee grinder, and water! (a note: you should NOT use Instant oatmeal, and rolled oats are preferred over quick oats as they have been through less processing)

Homemade Infant Cereal

1/4 cup whole grains (rolled oats, brown rice or barley)
1 cup water

Grind 1/4 cup of your whole grains in the grinder/food processor. The end result should be powdery and smooth with no visible large pieces. While grinding, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once water is boiling, whisk in grain powder slowly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for appx 10 minutes. KEEP WHISKING!!! This will prevent it from clumping and burning.

Allow to cool, stir in breast milk, formula, or fruit as desired and to make cereal the desired consistency.

That's IT!

The cooked cereal can be stored in the fridge for up to 72 hours or frozen, so it's easy to make ahead of time. And of course, if you're already making hot whole grain cereal for your family, you can just puree your already-cooked breakfast for the baby!

Cost for an 8-oz box of Gerber cereal: $2.50 to 3.50 ($15-$21 for 42 oz)
Cost for a 42-oz canister of Rolled Oats from Price Rite: $1.79

Savings: $13.20 or more!





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Menu Plan Monday - Dec 14, '09

Hallelujah! The leftovers have left the building! :)

We actually made it through the entire week AND the massive amounts of leftovers that were piling up. I feel good because I know that nothing went to waste! It actually prompted me to take a hard look at the recipes I post, and set up links between recipes that make good use of leftovers. It'll take a while, but it's now on my 2010 projects list!

We are in for another busy workweek, that's what happens when your husband works in retail - so that means only 1 night this week we'll both be home for dinner. We did a lot of baking at my mother-in-law's this weekend, so I don't know how much I'll do on my own outside of what's on the menu...that depends on how often the Boy Wonder begs me to break out the mixer :)

Here's our table for the week, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more menus!

monday - Fish sticks, tater tots, green beans ($5.50 for 5 servings)

tuesday - Crockpot Sloppy joes on burger rolls, mixed veg ($9.86 for 4 servings PLUS about 8 servings worth of leftovers!)

wednesday - Homemade pizza ($2.95 for 6-8 servings)

thursday - Veggie Lo Mein ($2.90 for 4-6 servings)

friday - Chicken Fajita Soup, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (cost to follow)

saturday - Stovetop Mac & Cheese with salsa ($4.39 for 6 servings)

sunday - Holiday party at hubby's work! (Free)




Stumble It!

Menu Plan Monday - Nov 30th, '09

We came. We saw. We ate. (and ate, and ate and ate!) Turkey day is behind us, and while we may still be enjoying the leftovers we can now focus on Christmas madness! This is actually my favorite time of year, a happy bright spot at the beginning of my least favorite season: winter. Yeah, I live in New England and can't stand the winter. So sue me ;)

Last week we did very well sticking to the menu, and I only had to make a minor adjustment on Friday because we had family at the house - thankfully my pizza recipe doubles and triples easily! This week I have a craving for spinach, so it's showing up in a couple of recipes (all of which freeze well so I'll probably make doubles!). I have an itch to try something I saw on Laura's menu a few weeks ago - a mexican dish with cinnamon rolls on the side - but I think it'll have to wait till next week when I have more time. If I can get the kiddos to cooperate though, I may be trying Amy's cinnamon roll recipe this week and pop them in the freezer :)

Here's what's on our table, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for MANY more recipes and menu ideas!

monday - Leftover Sausage Potato Soup from the freezer (free!)

tuesday - Crockpot Vegetable Curry over rice ($6.06 for 8-10 servings)

wednesday - Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup ($2.10 for 4 servings)

thursday - Turkey Veggie Lasagna ($5.78 for 6 servings)

friday - Shrimp Scampi with broccoli and linguini ($7.00 for 4 servings)

saturday - Unbelievable Chicken & Pasta ($6.35 for 6-8 servings)




Stumble It!

Menu Plan Monday - Nov 16th, '09

I am SO not ready for the holiday season...I know retailers are trying to get a jump on holiday spending, but sheesh folks, can you at least let the turkey get cold first??? :)

We did *moderately* well sticking to the menu plan last week - I haven't been fantastic with night-before prep so we had to switch a few meals around, and one night I had to pull out a freezer meal instead of cooking because we ran really late getting home. But that's the nice thing about menu plans, it's a PLAN, not a law :)

This week my husband is home more nights than usual but we've got a lot of running around to do so I'm working off a lot of crockpot and freezer meals. I was going to try jumping back on the OAMC bandwagon this month, but I think it'll just have to wait till after the holiday madness has passed.

Here's what's on our table, and pay a visit to Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hundreds more menus and recipes!

monday - Homemade pizza, sliced veggies ($3.97 for 6-8 servings)

tuesday - Obama's Chili, homemade cornbread ($8.40 for 8-10 servings)

wednesday - Corndog Muffins, mixed veggie ($2.00 for 4 servings plus extra for the freezer!)

thursday - Italian Chicken Skillet ($4.35 for 6 servings)

friday - Pineapple Pork Roast, mashed sweet potatoes, veggie ($6.75 for 6 servings)

saturday - Breakfast for dinner! Pancakes and scrambled eggs with fruit ($3.39 for 4 servings)

sunday - Dinner at the in-law's (free!)




Stumble It!

Bulk cooking and bad blogging

OK, so this week I have been a baaad blogger. I put the boy to bed with the best of intentions and plans to write each evening, and then find myself passed out cold on the couch....oh the joys of pregnancy!!!

We actually underwent a big schedule change these last 2 weeks - hubby started 2 jobs and is now working a LOT more than before. We got used to having him around! The good news is, his income will put us back on track pretty fast....and did I mention that one of his jobs is at IKEA???? Helloooooo discount :)

I am really working on getting back to regular blogging, but the pregnancy is throwing me for a loop...this is the first time I've been so tired, and apparently heartburn is on the daily menu now. We had our level 2 ultrasound (because I am the ripe old age of 35 and considered "high risk") and everything was exactly as it should be...I am about 21 weeks, the baby weighs about a pound and has all necessary parts where they should be :) NO, we are not finding out the sex of the baby! Maybe I'll run a contest toward the end for guesses :)

If you HAVE read my last few posts, you've gotten a taste of my latest obsession...Once a Month Cooking. I'm still not ready to just plan a month ahead - I really like shopping the sales week to week and for me, planning the month seems a bit restricting. But the stars aligned, and there are BIG meat sales last week and this week at my grocery stores...which makes bulk cooking a reasonable prospect. The ladies over at Once A Month Mom are truly an inspiration, they make everything so simple! It's hard not to want to join in the fun...

So here's what I am going to attempt... I plan to gradually assemble the dishes through the next few weeks instead of doing one big cooking day...I'm not quite there yet! I figured that I only have to plan for 4 meals per week because I always do leftover night, we eat at my in-laws just about every week, and I would be disowned if I didn't make homemade pizza :) This should allow enough for about half frozen OAMC meals and half fresh cooked meals for the month!

Breakfasts:
Breakfast Burritos
Banana Sour Cream bread (from OAMM's February menu)
Choc Chip Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (April OAMM Menu)

Lunches:
Pizza roll-ups with pepperoni (OAMM March Menu)
(most of our lunches are leftovers, or made fresh, but these rollups were a hit!)

Dinners:
Enchiladas (since I have to buy tortillas for breakfast anyway)
Orange Apricot Pork Chops (no cooking - just assemble and freeze!-OAMM April Menu)
Chicken Cordon Bleu (since I will probably have leftover ham from Easter- OAMM April Menu)







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Menu Plan Monday - Dec 1st

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanskgiving...and for those who braved the Black Friday crowds, I hope you escaped with all of your appendages still attached.

We're doing really well sticking to the menu - this past week was easy because there were so many nights we planned for leftovers or eating somewhere other than home. But all of the recipes were successful, especially the Oatmeal-Cornflake cookies...I ended up baking SIX batches before the week was done. I scored some cranberries on sale and chopped two cups of those in the food processor for some of the cookies - they didn't add a lot of flavor but made them look VERY Christmasy! I was thinking chopped dates and nuts might be pretty good too...

Here's our plan for the week - don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more inspiration and to post your own menu! Also - I've added a MPM calendar in my sidebar - let me know what you think!

monday - Leftovers night - free!

tuesday - Autumn Chowder, homemade rolls ($4.85 for 6 servings)

wednesday - Homemade Hawaiian pizza (with pineapple and bacon) ($3.74 for 8 servings)

thursday - Slow cooker chicken and dumplings using these biscuits for the dumplings ($3.16 for 6 servings)

friday - Ham and cheese oven omelette using this recipe and leftover ham, toast ($3.15 for 6 servings)

saturday - Chicken leg quarters from this sale with Italian dressing marinade, veggie, rice ($4.23 for 4 servings)

sunday - Dinner at the in-laws! Free night!