Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in our Frugal Kitchen ~ April 29, 2024

                                           

My Frugal Week

On Tuesday I boiled a carton of eighteen eggs to have for the week and also made a gallon of green tea. We continue to use what we have in our pantry and cook from scratch, mostly eating a whole foods diet rather than relying on processed food. 

I made a batch of Minestrone soup this week and made individual bowls for the freezer, which will be nice to pull out for lunches in the future. I ended up with seven individual portions for the freezer. 

Recipe of the Week

This recipe for Cucumber Salad first appeared in a Southern Living magazine that I had picked up at a yard sale one summer.  Since that time I've made this recipe dozens of times and it has become a tried and true family favorite. Perfect for when your garden is filled with cucumbers and tomatoes. 

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers
1 large tomato
1 small red bell pepper
1 small purple onion
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Cut cucumbers and remove seeds with a spoon.

Chop cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, and onion.
Whisk together oil and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl until sugar dissolves. 

(I put the dressing ingredients in a jar & shake well)

Add cucumber mixture, tossing to coat. 

Cover and chill 3 hours.

Photo of the Week

Vegetables being sauteed in EVOO for minestrone soup. 

What’s for Lunch

Leftovers, 15 Beans Cajun Soup Beans, Yogurt & Fruit, Cottage Cheese Egg Salad.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ BBQ Pulled Pork, Green Beans with Onions, and Carrots.

Tuesday ~ Baked Fish, Baked Sweet Potato, Broccoli & Cauliflower. 

Wednesday ~ Salmon Patties, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans & Onions. 

Thursday ~ Hamburger Scramble, Homemade Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans with Onions. 

Friday ~ Bailey had book club, so I was on my own for dinner. I made a pot of the Sardinia Minestrone soup and had a bowl for my dinner. 

Saturday & Sunday~ Tacos, Red Onions, Lettuce, Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (my favorite), Cucumber Tomato Salad, and Corn. 

What’s on the Menu for This Coming Week

We are serving at least one meatless meal this week to save money on meat, so I’ll make Bean & Cheese Enchiladas for dinner one night. I'm also making a Sausage Casserole with Cauliflower Rice. 

Later this week I’ll need to do some grocery shopping, so the rest of the week is undecided right now. Please come back next week to see what we end up making for these dinners. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

Mortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Fourth Frugal Friday of April 2024

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week
It's springtime in Tennessee and with that brings folklore about the cold weather snaps. This week we experienced Blackberry Winter when the blackberries are in bloom. 
There are three main Tennessee springtime winters:
Redbud Winter usually arrives in MarchDogwood Winter runs from late March through early AprilBlackberry Winter comes around the first of May 
When my birthday arrives in May, we know the cool weather has passed for the season. Same can be said in Autumn, when Bailey's birthday rolls around in late October, we know the hot weather is gone for the season. 

The representative for my trunk pump came last Friday to measure me. He had a family emergency the Friday before, which is why he didn't come. So now he will submit this to my insurance company and start the waiting period. 
On Saturday I had some errands to run and then came home and did some laundry. Bailey was running low on inventory, so it was a good time to go through my clothes and sort out any I no longer wear. Afterwards, I steamed them for her. I measured them on Tuesday and she had them listed by the end of the week. 
On Wednesday evening members of the church come by as I had some stuff to donate for their yard sale. They left here with two pickup truck loads to sell. They serve our community by giving away free food every two weeks and are using the funds from the sale towards this project and I can't think of a better place to donate these items. 
Freebies
The Fussy Librarian and Robin Reads are both websites offering free books to read.  
Photo of the Week

Bailey saved money this week by using up multiple press on nails. She had several left over, but not enough for a whole set. She called them Frankenstein nails. The ladies at her book club thought they were so cute. 
Savings of the Week
After physical therapy on Thursday I went into Food City for some sweet potatoes and found a package of cube steak and a package of round steak on markdown. So, I picked those up and put them in the freezer. It's been a long time since we've had either of those. 
It's been a quiet week here, how was your week? Any frugal wins to share?

Thank you for dropping by my frugal blog, you are always welcome here. 
We would love to hear all about your week in the comment section.

BelindaHomemaker at HeartMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Menu Plan Monday ~ 4-22-2024

 

My Frugal Week

Here we are already at the start of another new week. I hope you are doing well and saving money in your frugal kitchen. We definitely saved money in our frugal kitchen this week by cooking from scratch and eating all our meals at home. 

Recipe of the Week

This week I made my own homemade chicken nuggets and it's really easy to do if you want to make your own. I used what chicken I had on hand, which was two of the five ounce cans. If you have a twelve ounce can you can use that. Or you can use any type chicken you have on hand. 

I made these twice, the first time I used a fork and mashed the chicken and mixed the ingredients together well. The second time I mixed them in my food processor, which made a big difference and is the method we preferred as it made them more like chicken nuggets. 

I used a small cookie scoop to make them into even shapes and this recipe made eight nuggets. I made a double batch in case eight wasn't enough for the two of us, so naturally we had leftovers. 

Make sure you drain your chicken well, the drier the better. I only added the parmesan cheese because I felt like the mixture was too wet. And, you may not want to cook yours for eight minutes longer once you flip them. I like my food well done, so you can do less time on the flip side if you prefer. 

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

1 can of chicken or equivalent (I used two 5 ounce cans)

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1/4 cup cheese

1 egg

Spices of your choice (I used onion powder and dill)

Directions: 

Drain chicken and place into food processor.

Add cheese, egg, and spices.

Process until mixed well and uniform.

Using a one inch pastry scoop, make 8 chicken nuggets.

Air Fry at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, flip and cook 8 minutes longer.

What’s for Lunch

Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, Deviled Eggs, and Soup.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Chicken Fajitas with Onions & Peppers, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cheddar Cheese, Onions, Corn and Baked Apples. 

Tuesday ~ Grilled Chicken, Salad, and Roasted Sweet Potatoes. 

Wednesday ~ Salisbury Steak with Beefy Mushroom, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli. 

Thursday ~ Baked Fish, Brussel Sprouts, and Baked Sweet Potatoes. 

Friday ~ Bailey had book club, so I baked a Purple Sweet Potato for dinner, which was delicious. 

Saturday ~ Homemade Chicken Nuggets, 15 Bean Cajun Soup Beans, Roasted Potatoes and Stir Fry Vegetables. 

Sunday ~ Beefy Baked Beans Baked Sweet Potato Chips, and Sugar Snap Peas. 

What’s on the Menu for This Coming Week

This week we have fish on the menu along with pulled pork and chicken. Please be sure to come back next week to see what we end up having and what side dishes we serve with these main dishes. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

Mortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Third Frugal Friday of April 2024

                                              

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week
I sold one item on eBay this week. 
I used up three packets of protein powder I bought to try out in the last year, so I'm glad to have used them up this week. 
The representative for my trunk pump never came last Friday. I waited for thirty minutes and called and was told someone would call me right back, but no one did. So, rather than clean downstairs, Bailey and I left for an adventure. 
We took the last of the books downstairs plus some of ours to McKay Used Books. They will only let you process three bins of books at  time and we had six, so we left some to be processed the next day. 
While they processed our books, we shopped for new ones for us. I found Dr. Fuhrman's book, Eat For Life, for $6, which made me happy as I had it on my wish list on Amazon. I'll be reading it once I finish A Man Called Ove. 
Afterwards we went to our favorite Chinese buffet for lunch/dinner, and then went thrift store shopping in Fort Oglethorpe. I didn't buy anything from the thrift store. I looked, but nothing caught my fancy. 
After that we stopped and got specialty drinks from Sonic. They sell half price drinks all day long on their app. I got a Blackberry Lemonade, which was delicious.
On Monday I steamed forty pieces of clothing for Bailey to photograph for her shops.  On Tuesday I measured them in order for her to list them for sale.
Rather than let it languish in my drawer, I returned a clothing item that didn't fit me well.
I stopped in at Whole foods after an appointment on thursday, I saved 46 cents using my Amazon Prime membership. 
Freebies
We received four free calendars from the USDA Defend the Flock series. I also received a free issue of Southern Living magazine. 
That's all the news to report from here this week. I hope you've had a very good week. I'd love to hear all about it in the comment section. 

Thank you for dropping by my frugal blog, you are always welcome here. 
We would love to hear all about your week in the comment section.

BelindaHomemaker at HeartMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Menu Plan Monday ~ April 15, 2024

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Grilled Chicken, Lettuce , Tomato and Corn Salad. 

Tuesday ~ Minestrone Soup

Wednesday ~ Pulled Pork, Honey Carrots, Corn, and Lord Chesterfield Beans. 

Thursday ~ Orange Chicken from Trader Joes, Broccoli, and Oven Roasted Potatoes. 

Friday ~ Chinese food... I had Shrimp, Crab Rangoon, Broccoli, and Pineapple. Bailey had her favorite Cajun Chicken and Coconut Shrimp. 

Saturday ~ A concoction I created using canned beef, canned potatoes, onions, corn, and some cheese. It was a big hit and I had three servings left for lunches this week. It used up some canned goods from the pantry and fed us inexpensively. A win-win in my book. 

Sunday ~ Salisbury Steaks, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans with Onions. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

Mortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Second Frugal Friday of April 2024

                                                   

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
Quote of the Week

Laugh More, Gripe Less, Ignore Critics, Say Yes, Order Dessert, Love Life ~ Gretchen Scott

My Frugal Week
Last Friday evening Bailey had a book club meeting in the North Shore area of Chattanooga. They were serving drinks, so I drove for her and the meeting was only two miles from Whole Foods, so I went and looked around. 
I ended up buying several things, including olive oil, green tea, red peppers, almond milk, power greens, spinach, carrots, mangos, and one Dekopon orange to try. Total spent was $76.87.  
I sold three items this week without really even trying. One of them was a book I found in Dad's office that sold for $50 on eBay. 
On Monday I went to the retina specialist for two eye injections and they gave me a pair of eclipse glasses. I had my eyes dilated, so I didn't want to look at the sun, but Bailey did and she was able to see the crescent shape of the sun from where we are located. 
On Tuesday I worked on several things such as laundry, cleaning, mailing packages, and measuring clothes to sell. This is Bailey's movie night, so I have the night off from cooking, so I just heated up  some of the soup I made on Sunday for my dinner. 
Wednesday was my physical therapy appointment and I went to Target afterwards. I found a container of the protein powder we use on the clearance rack for $9, so I bought that, which was a $10 savings. 

On Thursday I reused a pump bottle from body wash and cleaned it out thoroughly. I then drained my prescription shampoo bottles into the larger bottle, which has a pump. I made sure to use a funnel and let each one drain fully. 
The larger bottle and pump will make it easier to use in the shower, and I have way less containers of the small prescription bottles now. I also covered my homemade label with tape, so it won't get ruined in the shower. 
Today we are heading downstairs after Bailey shops the buggy sale at our local thrift store and I have an in-home appointment to be measured for a trunk pump for my lymphedema, so a busy day is one hand. I hope you have a wonderful day and a beautiful weekend. 

Thank you for dropping by my frugal blog, you are always welcome here. 
We would love to hear all about your week in the comment section.

BelindaHomemaker at HeartMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Menu Plan Monday ~ April 8, 2024

                                   

My Frugal Week

I inventoried my pantry again this week as I've been using up a lot of what we have on hand, and my previous numbers were off, so now it has been updated. 

Recipe of the Week

The Blue Zones are seven areas in the world where people live very long and healthy lives and part of that is the diet they've eaten over the years. Here is one such recipe for Sardinia Minestrone, which you can find on their website here. 

I made my own version of this on Sunday and it made sixteen cups worth of soup, so I'll have plenty for lunches this week and even some to put in the freezer. 

Sardinia Minestrone

Ingredients:

1⁄2 cup dried fava beans

1⁄2 cup dried cranberry beans

1⁄3 cup dried chickpeas

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2⁄3 cup)

4 medium celery stalks, chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

3 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced (about 11⁄2 cups)

1 1⁄2 cups chopped fennel or 2 tablespoons fennel seed

1⁄4 cup loosely packed fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons

chopped fresh basil leaves

2⁄3 cup of Sardinian fregula, Israeli couscous, or acini di pepe pasta

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1⁄4 cup finely grated pecorino Romano (about 2 ounces)

Directions: 

Soak the fava beans, cranberry beans, and chickpeas in a large bowl of water for at least 8 hours or up to 16 hours (that is, overnight).

Drain in a colander set in the sink. Rinse well.

Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.

Add the onion, carrots, and celery; cook, stirring often, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds.

Stir in the tomatoes, potatoes, fennel, parsley, and basil, as well as the drained beans and chickpeas.

Add enough water (6 to 8 cups) so that everything is submerged by 1 inch.

Raise the heat to high and bring to a full boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly, uncovered, until the beans are tender, adding more water as necessary if the mixture gets too thick, about 1 1⁄2 hours.

Stir in the pasta, salt, and pepper.

Add up to 2 cups water if the soup seems too dry.

Continue simmering, uncovered, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into each off our serving bowls.

Divide the soup among them and top each with 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese.

Tip: You can vary the beans in the minestrone: pinto beans make a good substitute for cranberry beans; great northern or cannellini beans, for the favas.

Tip: Use the stalks and fronds that come off a fennel bulb for the most intense flavor. No feathery fronds on the bulb? Add a teaspoon of fennel seeds to the aromatic vegetables you sauté to begin the dish.

Tip: Add other fresh vegetables from the garden or market, such as zucchini, cabbage, green beans, and cauliflower or broccoli florets.

Tip: Want a stronger tomato taste? Stir in a tablespoon or two of tomato paste.

Photo of the Week

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ I took ground chuck out of the freezer to thaw and gathered up cans of beans and tomatoes to make chili for dinner tonight and for the next few days.  I had so many different varieties of beans and tomatoes, so decided to use them up and make a big pot of chili. 

I ended up with enough chil that I was able to put eight bowls (2 cups each) into the freezer. 

Tuesday ~ This is movie night for Bailey, so she had BBQ Chicken Pizza while I had a simple bowl of chili. Even though I enjoy being in the kitchen, I do enjoy days when I don't need to cook too. 

Wednesday ~ Chili

Thursday ~ Dirty Rice, Potato Salad, and Coleslaw. 

Friday ~ Macaroni & Cheese, Steamed Broccoli. 

Saturday ~ Fish, Butternut Squash, Brussel Sprouts. 

Sunday ~ Sardinia Minestrone was made for lunch, but I also made BBQ Pork Ribs, and served that with Green Beans and Onions for dinner.

What’s on the Menu for This Coming Week

We have plenty of ground beef, fish, chicken, and pork on hand to make meals this week. I'll probably make salmon patties, pulled pork, chicken fajitas, and tacos. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

Mortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27