Menu Plan Monday - Jan 18, '10

I hadn't planned on it, but it looks like I'm all in for the Eat from the Pantry Challenge! Last week we did GREAT with the menu plan, and my weekly grocery trip (including bulk diapers from BJ's) was under $40 - only $10 of that was spent on actual food! I'm trolling the depths of my pantry for this week's menu to see how far I can go.

I've got a HUNGRY 5 month old on my hands to boot - so a good chunk of last week's shopping was for fresh veggies for baby food! So far he's been doing GREAT with solid foods, eats his homemade baby oatmeal twice a day plus fruits and veggies! He's built big and solid, I'm starting to wonder if he'll be too heavy for the infant carrier before his 6 month checkup...it's a good thing he's so cute...






This week, aside from baby food making, I only have 5 meals to account for - hubby's rescheduled holiday party is Sunday, and Tuesday is MY BIRTHDAY! Woot! We got some gift cards for Christmas so we're going OUT. I have most of what I need for all the recipes, so I'm anticipating another super cheap shopping week!

Here's our table, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menus, recipes, and pantry challengers!

monday - Autumn Chowder, homemade breadsticks from the freezer ($4.26 for 6 servings)

tuesday - It's my birthday! It's my birthday! Date night :)

wednesday - Chinese Beef and Broccoli over rice ($5.20 for 4-6 servings)

thursday - Black Bean Quesadillas, sliced avocado ($3.50 for 4 servings)

friday - Homemade pizza, veggies ($3.45 for 6-8 servings)

saturday - Cabbage Roll Casserole leftovers from the freezer, leftover breadsticks - FREE!

Sunday - Hubby's work holiday party! Free!




Stumble It!

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!





Stumble It!