I found a great weekly memo co-hosted by Alessandra of Out of the Blue and Eve from A Striped Armchair.  This meme encourages bloggers to share the books they have checkout from the library.  Our family goes to the library every Saturday.   This week I was sick, but hubby went to the library for me.  Below is what I currently have checked out from our local library!!

Audio Books:  The Lace Reader – Brunonia Barry
All He Ever Wanted -Anita Shreve
Three Cups of Tea – Mortenson

Books:  What Can I Bring Cookbook?
Desperation Dinners! – Mills & Ross
Desperation Enertaining – Mills & Ross
Cheat. Fast. Good! – Mills & Ross
Guide to Minnesota Vegetable Gardening
A Minnesota Gardener’s Companion –

I stumbled acorss a great monthly reading carnival website.  Discover something new to read at 5Mintuesforbooks.com.   I am joining in the last minute, but better late than never.  

January – I read the following…..

January

Things I Want My Daughters to Know: A Novel – Elizabeth Noble – (4.5/5)

The Shack – William P. Young – (4.5/5)

February

Moloka’i – Alan Brennert – (4.5/5)

What is on my nightstand for February???

The Secret Between Us – Barbara Delinsky

Firefly Lane – Kristin Hannah

Bummer…once again I did not have a waste free 2 weeks.  I am getting better and knowing that I need to post what I have wasted, holds me accountable.   This is my second week particpating in The Frugal Girl’s Food Waste Fridays.  Below you will find what I wasted during the last two weeks. 

• Flavored spread for my bagels.  This was hidden in the back of my fridge and a new one had already been opened and was 1/2 used.
• Left Over Chicken Noodle Soup
• French Onion Chip Dip – also hidden in the back of the firdge – about 2 TBS left.
• Chilli – this one is all my fault.   I madea double batch of chilli and was going to freeze the leftovers, but didn’t get around to it.  
• I would have some bananas, but I am going to make some banana bread!!

I usually clean out the fridge before getting groceries so I only post food waste every two weeks.  

Last Week Favorites/Add to Online Cookbook:

Easy Mac and Cheese (Family Favorites 121)
French Silk Pie
BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Menu for 2/1/09 – 2/08/09

Sun – 2/1  Rotisserie Chicken (crockpot) – Cheese Oven Fries (Family Favorites 164) *Add to Website**- Gr. Beans

Mon – 2/2 – Tater Tot Hotdish (Dad Cooking)

Tues – 2/3 -Spaghetti and Meatballs – garlic Toast  (Dad Cooking)

Wed – 2/4 – Grilled Cheese and Soup

Thurs – 2/5 – Easy Chicken and Rice Bake (Rochester) *Add to Website**-

Fri – 2/6 – French Pizza Bread – *Add to Website**-

Sat – 2/7 – Easy Chicken Parmesan over Angel Hair Pasta – Peas – Mom sick…we had KFC instead!

Sun – 2/8 – Pork Chops –Parmesan Noodles – Vegetable

Menu for 2/9/09 – 2/15/09

Mon – 2/9 – Beef Enchiladas – Chips and Cheese Sauce

Tues – 2/10 – Linguini with Vegetable and Sauce – Garlic Bread – Pears

Wed – 2/11- Breakfast – Egg Casserole – Sausage Links

Egg Casserole
1 1/2 pounds ground pork sausage
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 cups mozzarella cheese
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. Lay crescent rolls flat in the bottom of the pan. Combine cooked sausage, cheese, eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour over crescent rolls.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until bubbly and rolls are baked.

Thurs -2/12 – Dad Cooks/Mom in Duluth – LEFTOVER BUFFET

Fri – 2/13 – Tacos For Crowd – Tex- Mex Confetti Rice

Sat – 2/14 – V-Day – Steak -Baked Pots/ Veggie – Banana Cream Pie

Sun – 2/15 – Pasta Sausage Bake – Caesar Salad

GROCERY SHOPPING:

Bread Thrift Store – $ 7.59 (bread and buns)

Walmart – Stuff for school lunches, etc – $24.64
Lunch meat – 1lb – 3.88
1 lb Sausage x 2 = 5.96
Alfredo Sauce – 2.22
Buttermilk Pancakes 3.14 (yes, it would be cheaper to make and freeze my own pancakes for Tommy’s breakfast)
Refried Beans – .98
Fruit Cups – 1.90
Jello Pudding 2/.78 = 1.56
Juicy Juice Boxes for Lunches 2 x 2.50 = 5.00

Aldi  – where I buy a bulk of my groceries – $91.35

Festival – $27.52
French Bread – 2.99
Standing Rump Roast (to make french dip next menu) 12.46
rotini – 1.27
Linguine
Au Jus
Mrs Grass Noddle Soup – 2/$3.00 
Green Onions – 1.19

TOTAL SPENT FOR 2 WEEKS OF GROCERIES:  $151.11 / 2 = 75.55 per week!! 

RESULTS:  A Full Fridge

Look at what was waiting for me when I got home from grocery shopping!!!   Hubby started supper for me!  Gotta love that man of mine!

Audrey is doing  365 Days of Mom Fashion Advice.  Very cool.  I am still working on getting caught up on it!!  It is very interesting.   I need all the help I can get!

Have you ever heard of the neck test for trying on pants???   I hate trying on clothes and sometimes I buy pants at Sam’s Club where you really can’t try them on.   I am going to try this and I will let you!!  Very interesting…Check out the Video….try it and let me know if it works for you!!!

Are you weraing the right size bra????  BraSizeInfo.com

SHoes and Handbags….YEAH!!! 

Copy Celebrities Style???  http://www.myfashioncents.com

I am back from my grocery shopping trip.  Today I went to Aldi and Festival and I am very happy with my results!  I was at budget and I bought quite a bit of meat for future meals.    I bought enough groceries for two weeks and stocked up on meat.   I found 2 pounds packs of 90/10 hamburger for $2/ 0ff per pack at Aldi.  I bought 8 pounds.   I also bought 1/2 a pork loin that was 11.47.  Hubby will cut this up and make center cut pork chops. We should get another 3 to 4 meals out of that.  So I spent about 31.62 on meat that wasn’t on the list, but was a very good deal.   I have to keep my eye out for those sort of deals as it helps with my overall budget. 

I also picked up some things for my oldest son.  Some soup, tylenol, and thermomotor as he is sick.  It is so hard to have him living on his own when he is sick.  He called around 5:30 this morning saying he was sick.  It was all I could do to not get dressed and run over there.   We stopped by to see him this afternoon and take him some things.   I think in my mind, he will always be my baby.   Poor Kid. 

Sara Lee Bakery – 4.32

Sam’s Club – Grapes – 6.87 and SunnyDelight – 2.37 = 9.24

Aldi – 115.38

Festival – 31.10

Total = 160.04 / 80.02 per week

Wasting Food……

I starting reading the blog of The Frugal Girl and she posts a picture each week of the food that she had wasted.  She does very well and has very little waste of food.  I need to do better about keep track of what is in the fridge, so I am going to join her and post my food waste for the last two weeks.

Here is what I had to throw out today when cleaning out the fridge.  2 peppers (yellow and Red), cut up cukes I forgot to take to work for lunch.  One piece of lone lost celery and a container of Spaghetti.   Now I will admit the spaghetti was probably  fine, but it was a week old and I am not comfortable eating anything that old.  

Hopefully next time I will do better.  Not too bad for the first time!

Jen C

How to Prepare for Grocery Shopping…..

1.  Complete a basic inventory of meat/protein on hand.   I take a notebook and write down what is in my upright freezer.   This week we have:

1 pkg bacon
steak – 4 meals
Flounder – 1 meal
Rotisserie Chicken – 2
Country Ribs – 2 pks
Kielbasa – 1
Chicken Breasts – 2 bags
Pork Chops – 3 chops
Hamburger (raw) – 1#
Hamburger (cooked) – 1#
Country Style Ribs – 1
Whole Chicken – 1
Meatballs – 1

Fries – 2 bags

2.  Based on the meat on hand I plan my meals for the 2 weeks.  When planning my meals I look at my calendar for the next two weeks and see how my work schedule will effect my meals.   Some nights will require very quick meals and some will need to be prepared in the morning or hubby will need to cook since I will be working late. 

OUR MENU FOR 1/20 – 2/1/09

Mon – 19 – Breakfast:  French Toast, Eggs and Bacon 
Tues – 20 – hubby home- Sausage Lentil Soup – Carry over from last week
Sausage Lentil Soup

• 1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 lb. (about 2 cups) dried lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup ham, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 Tsp thyme
• 1/4 Tsp pepper
• 1/4 Tsp cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cans (14.5 oz. each) beef broth
• 2 cans (14.5 oz. each) chicken broth
• 2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped

Combine all ingredients except for the spinach in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours or until lentils are tender. Add spinach and cover. Let stand 5-10 minutes or until spinach wilts. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Wed – 21 – working late- Spaghetti and Meatballs – garlic Toast 
Thurs-evening meeting 6-8 – Versatile Slow-Cooker Chili  – Freeze some leftover for Baked potato Bar Night
Friday – Family Night -mom in Duluth – Frozen Pizza
Saturday -24 –  Baked Ham – Easy Mac and Cheese (Family Favorites 121) – Green Beans
Sunday -25 – Garlic -Lemon Chicken  (Family Favorites 134) – Uncle Bens Rice – Carrots – Fench Silk Pie
Mon – MPTP – LEFTOVERS
Tues – Easy Chicken Parmesan over Angel Hair Pasta – Peas
Wednesday – Grilled Cheese and Soup
Thursday – Baked Potato Bar – Chilli/ Broc and Cheese
Friday – BBQ Pork Sandwiches / Fries  – Carry over from last week
Saturday 31 – Winterland Dinner and Dance at Church
Sunday – 1 – Rotisserie Chicken (crockpot) – Cheese Oven Fries (Family Favorites 164) – Gr. Beans

3.  Next I take the meat on hand and plan the meals I could make with each item.  This list was used to complete the menu in #2.   First I list the day I need meals and if I will cook or not.  Then I go back and add when we will eat. 

1 pkg bacon – Breakfast
steak – 4 meals
Flounder – 1 meal
Rotisserie Chicken – 2
Country Ribs – 2 pks – BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Kielbasa – 1 – Sausage Lentil Soup
Chicken Breasts – 2 bags 1. Garlic Lemon Chicken 2. Easy Chicken Parmesan
Pork Chops – 3 chops
Hamburger (raw) – 1#
Hamburger (cooked) – 1# – Chili
Country Style Ribs – 1
Whole Chicken – 1 -Rotis Chicken – Mac and Cheese
Meatballs – 1 – Spaghetti

Fries – 2 bags – Using 1

4.  My last step is to go through each recipe and figure out what ingredients I will need to purchase and add those items to my shopping list.

5.  Budget for Grocery Shopping – Cash -$150 + 50 Festival Gift Card = $200 for the week.  I try to make do with only 160.00 for the two weeks.  I will let you know how well I do!!  Wish me luck!! 

Next week:Make this for hubby………..

http://www.recipezaar.com/Banana-Cream-Pie-8143

I am going to try and make this bread this weekend.  I don’t think I have ever baked anything besides quick breads, but my hubby really loves bread.  I will bake it and have it with supper one night.  Hmm…maybe with a soup???

http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/?p=944

What else can you say, but BRRRRRRRRRRRRR.  I am dreading heading out to work.  I need to fill gas too and it is so cold.  Our thermometer is reading at -22 degrees.  Yes, that is a negative before the 22!!  I can’t wait until this cold front moves alone.  Today will defintiely be a long john wearing day!!!  I am more appreciative of my new windows on days like this!

So keep warm folks!!!  Well I am off to get Tommy ready for school and head to work!

I am spoiled rotten!!  Hubby had gotten me my wii fit for my birthday, but this morning he bought me a new laptop!   Woot.com has a very good deal on a tablet if you are in the market for a new machine.  Only $5.00 shipping, you can’t beat that!

Jen C