In an effort to keep loading our diet with fruits and vegetables, I find myself returning again and again to The Cheapest Fruits and Vegetables Month by Month. Not only do I find it to be a great resource, but it also reminds me to be creative in my meal planning and exposing my kids to a variety of flavors that I normally wouldn't think of.
So to make things easier on all of us, I've decided that the first Friday of every month I'm dedicating to posting the cheapest fruits and vegetables as well as a Creative2xmom tried and true recipe using at least one item from the list. Hopefully this will keep us all on budget and expanding our horizons in the produce dept.
January's Cheapest Fruits and Vegetables
Oranges
Grapefruit
Tangerines
Tangelos
Lemons
Papayas
Cabbage
Leeks
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage Salad (I'll often times serve this with Corned Beef for St. Patrick's Day)
1 head green cabbage
8 green onions
1-2 c. peanuts, shelled and chopped
4 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 pkg Top Ramen Noodles (raw)
Chop cabbage and onions. Mix with other ingredients and toss with dressing.
Dressing:
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
And while I haven't personally tried this one yet, it will be on our menu some time this month:
Pine Nut Chicken Cutlets and Cauliflower Au Gratin
For more Frugal Friday ideas, check out Life as Mom.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Play it again, Mama: Asian Noodle Salad
ot sure where I found this recipe, but we love it. It's delicious, quick, and healthy. Plus with the peanut butter, it's a real hit with kiddos. It's making my mouth water just thinking about it.
For more Frugal Friday ideas, check out 5 Minutes for Mom.
Asian Noodle Salad
Dressing:
- 1/3 c. peanut butter
- 1/4 c. soy sauce
- 1/4 c. rice vinegar
- 1/4 c. oil
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (we added 3 and will probably make it 4 next time)
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
Salad
- 1 lb. long thin spaghetti noodles
- 3-4 c. shredded veggies (I used carrots and zucchini, you could use cabbage as well)
- lightly steamed veggies (sugar snaps, asparagus, etc)
- Cook noodles according to directions
- Prep veggies and sauce
- Drain noodles and mix in veggies and sauce
- Serve at room temperature or chill. I personally love it chilled.
Enjoy!
Check out other Nourishing Frugal Foods at Keeper of the Home.
For more Frugal Friday ideas, check out 5 Minutes for Mom.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Book List 2010
The following is my list for 2010. I'm hoping to actually read more than this, but in the interest of not overloading myself, here's what I have planned:
Christian Living:
End of the Spear by Steve Saint
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald
Motherhood:
My Heart's at Home by Jill Savage
Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
Homemaking:
The Complete Herb Book by Jekka McVicar
55 Most Common Medicinal Herbs by Dr. Heather Boon
Christian Living:
End of the Spear by Steve Saint
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald
Motherhood:
My Heart's at Home by Jill Savage
Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
Homemaking:
The Complete Herb Book by Jekka McVicar
55 Most Common Medicinal Herbs by Dr. Heather Boon
Play it again, Mama: How to Throw a Curious George Birthday Party
When I set out to throw my 4 year old son a monkey party, I had no idea what I was looking for. He's just at the right age where I wanted to incorporate the theme as much as possible, and yet he's too young to really plan a lot of cooperative games. So this one took a bit of creativity.
Planning did however get a bit easier when N suddenly decided we weren't just having a monkey party, but a Curious George party. Now there's something I can roll with. But how do you keep a 4 year old character party from breaking the bank? That's what I set out to discover. Here are a few things I learned along the way:
1. We made our own invitations. A picture of N in his Monkey costume from Halloween, some sale scrapbook paper, and I was on my way.
2. I calculated how many kids would attend and even recognize Curious George. If they were 2 and up, I had character plates and cups for them. If they were any younger or over 13, it was plain yellow and red plates and cups. Plus I bought all the solid color party supplies at the Dollar Tree. Along with an array of colored balloons. The balloons were great party decor and each of the guests took one home as well.
3. We have a trampoline and although I was nervous, it turned out ok. There always seemed to be one adult nearby to watch the kids and break up any rough housing. Additionally, we borrowed a small bounce house from a friend that attends our church. Don't be afraid to exchange services and equipment with other families. This can cut down on your cost drastically. Just be the type of family that other people want to share with.
4. Another thought on keeping these elements under control: Print out a sign with your character and label the activities "2 Monkeys" (or however many you are comfortable). Many preschoolers are used to seeing similar signs in school deliniating how many friends can use an activity at a time.
5. We planned the party for early afternoon, after lunch, but still early enough that party guests could take a late nap afterwards. This drastically cut our food costs as we only served a few chips and salsa, and cake and ice cream. Quick, simple, affordable. Additionally, we avoided the costly soda, and served ice water and juice at the party. I did some research an other foods that monkeys eat are fruit salad and nuts, maybe popcorn. Depends on your budget and ambition.
6. We kept the guest list short. We have a small house and a small yard. And every one of Big Boy's friends has a younger sibling. That adds up fast. So I invited four of his closest friends and their younger siblings, and all pertinant family members (grandparents, and aunts and uncles). That's it. Most of the guests came from church. Since I knew I'd be taking a special snack to his class during the week, I felt that could be his time to celebrate with classmates without my having to invite 15-20 more kids.
7. We make cute little Thank You cards (I'll share these some time next week) and will be mailing them out with our Christmas cards this year. This doesn't work for everyone, but with a middle of October birthday, I figure it's not too late to send out Thank You's at the end of November. Save a stamp or two.
That's about it. There's plenty of resources on the web to help you plan with games for older kids. But this year we kept it simple and all the kids seemed to love it. A little music playing in the background and plenty of time for parents to visit. We had a great time.
Party favors waiting for the guests.
Plain paper bags decorated with monkey stickers and labeled "Monkey Munch." Warning: this is a VERY dangerous recipe to have.
We filled snack size baggies inside for the guests to take home with them.
Curious George masks waiting for the party guests
I printed these off the internet and purchased elastic jewelry cord from Walmart. I measured the length of the cord on my children and labeled them (BK=Big kid and LK=Little Kid). After knotting the end of the cord, I sealed it with a tiny bit of clear fingernail polish to secure it.
So cute!
Scenes from the party table
I found that buying locally, the initial cost of supplies was higher, but I saved drastically over Amazon on the shipping. Only thing I couldn't get was the stickers I wanted.
Plastic Bananas hanging from twine in our backyard tree.
Cheap unexpected party decor.
Big Boy with his Curious George cake (by Grandma).
My mom used the Wilton's 3-D Bear cake pan and transformed it into a monkey with a chenili stem tail.
Grandma's a whiz with cakes so we've saved the cost of buying a cake each year.
Grandparents are often willing to volunteers services and time.
Two friends wearing their Curious George masks
Big Boy riding his bike after the friends have gone home.
Other ideas we had (some I wasn't brave enough to try):
*George says
*Pin the Banana in George's hand
*Cover an outside way with butcher paper and let the guests paint with washable paint
(Apparently George likes to draw on the walls)
Further Curious George/Monkey Party Resources:
Curious George Birthday Party-- the most extensive resource I found. Great ideas!
Curious George Mask--This is a great mask. It's the one we used and sooo cute.
Curious George Parties--Great ideas for the preschool set. Very practical!
Monkey Birthday party--Great game ideas!
Monkey Cupcakes--super cute cupcakes that we didn't use, but I would love to try sometime. Our preschool wouldn't allow sweets, but this is what I had planned on making.
For more Works for Me ideas, check out We Are THAT Family.
Planning did however get a bit easier when N suddenly decided we weren't just having a monkey party, but a Curious George party. Now there's something I can roll with. But how do you keep a 4 year old character party from breaking the bank? That's what I set out to discover. Here are a few things I learned along the way:
1. We made our own invitations. A picture of N in his Monkey costume from Halloween, some sale scrapbook paper, and I was on my way.
2. I calculated how many kids would attend and even recognize Curious George. If they were 2 and up, I had character plates and cups for them. If they were any younger or over 13, it was plain yellow and red plates and cups. Plus I bought all the solid color party supplies at the Dollar Tree. Along with an array of colored balloons. The balloons were great party decor and each of the guests took one home as well.
3. We have a trampoline and although I was nervous, it turned out ok. There always seemed to be one adult nearby to watch the kids and break up any rough housing. Additionally, we borrowed a small bounce house from a friend that attends our church. Don't be afraid to exchange services and equipment with other families. This can cut down on your cost drastically. Just be the type of family that other people want to share with.
4. Another thought on keeping these elements under control: Print out a sign with your character and label the activities "2 Monkeys" (or however many you are comfortable). Many preschoolers are used to seeing similar signs in school deliniating how many friends can use an activity at a time.
5. We planned the party for early afternoon, after lunch, but still early enough that party guests could take a late nap afterwards. This drastically cut our food costs as we only served a few chips and salsa, and cake and ice cream. Quick, simple, affordable. Additionally, we avoided the costly soda, and served ice water and juice at the party. I did some research an other foods that monkeys eat are fruit salad and nuts, maybe popcorn. Depends on your budget and ambition.
6. We kept the guest list short. We have a small house and a small yard. And every one of Big Boy's friends has a younger sibling. That adds up fast. So I invited four of his closest friends and their younger siblings, and all pertinant family members (grandparents, and aunts and uncles). That's it. Most of the guests came from church. Since I knew I'd be taking a special snack to his class during the week, I felt that could be his time to celebrate with classmates without my having to invite 15-20 more kids.
7. We make cute little Thank You cards (I'll share these some time next week) and will be mailing them out with our Christmas cards this year. This doesn't work for everyone, but with a middle of October birthday, I figure it's not too late to send out Thank You's at the end of November. Save a stamp or two.
That's about it. There's plenty of resources on the web to help you plan with games for older kids. But this year we kept it simple and all the kids seemed to love it. A little music playing in the background and plenty of time for parents to visit. We had a great time.
Party favors waiting for the guests.
Plain paper bags decorated with monkey stickers and labeled "Monkey Munch." Warning: this is a VERY dangerous recipe to have.
We filled snack size baggies inside for the guests to take home with them.
Curious George masks waiting for the party guests
I printed these off the internet and purchased elastic jewelry cord from Walmart. I measured the length of the cord on my children and labeled them (BK=Big kid and LK=Little Kid). After knotting the end of the cord, I sealed it with a tiny bit of clear fingernail polish to secure it.
So cute!
Scenes from the party table
I found that buying locally, the initial cost of supplies was higher, but I saved drastically over Amazon on the shipping. Only thing I couldn't get was the stickers I wanted.
Plastic Bananas hanging from twine in our backyard tree.
Cheap unexpected party decor.
Big Boy with his Curious George cake (by Grandma).
My mom used the Wilton's 3-D Bear cake pan and transformed it into a monkey with a chenili stem tail.
Grandma's a whiz with cakes so we've saved the cost of buying a cake each year.
Grandparents are often willing to volunteers services and time.
Two friends wearing their Curious George masks
Big Boy riding his bike after the friends have gone home.
Other ideas we had (some I wasn't brave enough to try):
*George says
*Pin the Banana in George's hand
*Cover an outside way with butcher paper and let the guests paint with washable paint
(Apparently George likes to draw on the walls)
Further Curious George/Monkey Party Resources:
Curious George Birthday Party-- the most extensive resource I found. Great ideas!
Curious George Mask--This is a great mask. It's the one we used and sooo cute.
Curious George Parties--Great ideas for the preschool set. Very practical!
Monkey Birthday party--Great game ideas!
Monkey Cupcakes--super cute cupcakes that we didn't use, but I would love to try sometime. Our preschool wouldn't allow sweets, but this is what I had planned on making.
For more Works for Me ideas, check out We Are THAT Family.
Eating from Your Pantry--Week One
Did you really think I could stay away for a whole week? Who was I kidding?
Starting next week Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom are teaming up to bring us the challenge of Eating from the Pantry. Funny enough I had already planning on doing this myself starting THIS week.
I was looking in my cupboards not too long ago and realized I had stockpiled a good supply of deals. And while getting ready for Grandma's house last week, I threw some leftovers in the freezer. So my freezer's looking pretty happy and full too.
Although I don't think I'll last an entire month, I'm going to give it a shot. I'm giving myself lead way on produce and dairy. In fact, we made a grocery run this morning and stocked up a few things. Additionally I'm giving myself some slack with the holiday and traveling to see family this weekend. But for the most part, what you see here was all stocked in my kitchen:
Menu Plan Dec 28-Jan 3:
Monday:
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs (all from pantry)
Lunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, salad (all from pantry)
Dinner: Stirfry (all from pantry)
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Frozen Waffles (from pantry)
Lunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, fruit cocktail, graham crackers (crackers from store)
Dinner: Chili and Cornbread (all from freezer)
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Yogurt and fruit (from store)
Lunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, fruit jello, corn (all from pantry)
Dinner: Veggie soup in crockpot (all from pantry)
Thursday:
Breakfast: Cottage Cheese and fruit (from store)
Lunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, fruit jello, cheese cubes (all from pantry)
Dinner: Lentil Tacos (tomatoes, sour cream from store) @ the kids' request-- in fact, Big Boy asked for extra veggies
Snacks till Midnight: (from store): Taquitos
(from the pantry): pepper jelly, popcorn, sparkling cider
Friday:
Breakfast: Yogurt and granola (yogurt from store)
Lunch: Chicken Salad sandwiches, apples, string cheese (all from pantry)
Dinner: dinner at Sister in law's
Saturday:
Breakfast: Granola and milk (all from pantry)
Lunch: In Sacramento-- Fresh Choice???
Dinner: In Sacramento
Sunday:
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, cereal (all from pantry)
Lunch: Sandwiches and salad (all from pantry)
Dinner: Mexican Corn Chowder and tomato soup ( all from pantry)
Extras:
Peppermint Patty Cookies
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