Pallet for Home

I was able to stockpile three packages of chicken sausages which were $0.99 with coupon. The $0.99 tomatoes were included in the Chicken Tortilla Soup we had tonight (first photo), AND Brushetta which is on the menu for tomorrow, AND a quart of diced fresh tomatoes which are now in the freezer.  All that for less than the price of one can of tomatoes.  I'll post the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe tomorrow!

We are down to a few oranges and a pint of blackberries in the fridge, but I have some frozen berries in the freezer, and hope to pick up cheap apples tomorrow.  That should get us through to the end of the month with fruits, and we have enough milk and eggs carried over from Week 3.

Total grocery spending for Week 4:  $40.59. 

This post is linked to:
MoneySavingMom's SuperSaving Saturday
BeautyAndBedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Ann Kroeker's Food on Fridays

It would be nice if I actually had a plan!  I've been battling a little health issue, which has interfered with my life, including planning the meals for this week.  But I'm not giving up!

Today, we had cereal with milk and hash browns for breakfast.  Lunch was baked potato and quiche with salsa, a weird combo, but my dd17 loves baked potatoes and since they have more bio-available potassium than a banana, I let her have them as often as she wishes.  She also weighs 98 pounds...  I on the other hand, stick with the quiche.

This evening we had a yummy green salad with baked chicken, cottage cheese, and a black eyed pea salad with fresh cilantro.  I didn't like it as much as I had anticipated, but my dh likes cilantro, so he'll have the rest with lunches, or crackers for a snack later in the week.  I also took a loaf of Panera Asiago Cheese bread from the freezer, and toasted it in the oven to have warm with the rest of a cheese ball. 

The Pantry Challenge plan for the rest of  Week 4 looks something like this:

Breakfasts
Quiche cups with phyllo dough, fresh orange juice
Homemade waffles with peanut butter and bananas, milk (using my waffle maker!!!)
Bagels with cream cheese, milk or cocoa
Shredded Wheat with milk
Cinnamon rolls with milk, stewed apples
Repeats x2

Dinners
Chili with beans, onions, cheese and fritos, Apple Sticky Bun Bread Pudding (new!)
Spaghetti/Ravoili with tomato meat sauce, parmesan, green salad
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Cabbage Sausage Stew, bread
Beef and Noodles with English peas, (my new recipe for the week) with Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake

Lunches
Bean & Cheese Quesadillas, carrot sticks with ranch
Green salad with baked chicken, orange slices
Grilled Cheese sammies,
Creamy Mac & Cheese or Creamy Fettuccine (another new recipe!)
Pigs in Blankets (to have with leftover chili)
Leftovers from dinners

I'm going to try my Any Meal Cheese Pie recipe, and make Quiche Cups using  phyllo dough I have frozen. I've gotten to the "creative stage" in the Pantry Challenge!  I'm out of my comfort zone, and am having to put together things we don't normally eat, but I know I can do this!

Ann asked if I would post my recipe for homemade biscuits, but I have to admit that it is not my original recipe.  It came from a Southern Living magazine article written by Deborah Lowery, circa 1987,  and the recipe was created by Mrs. Ken Altizer, from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Cloud Biscuits
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients, then cut in shortening.  Combine egg and milk, beat slightly, then add to flour mixture, stirring until just moistened.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead 3 or 4 times.  Roll or pat out dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with biscuit cutter.  Bake at 450* for 10-12 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, if desired.

I hope you like them as much as we do!

My Big Give results for the week were pretty exciting!  I was able to clean out a little of the pantry, and decided to bless another family with some of my abundance.  I also cleared out several clothing items from our closets, and a few odd dishes that really were not necessary.  So since the new year, I've given 23 items away! 

Sadly, I also broke an antique lamp because my giveaway box had become lodged under the bookshelf where the lamp was sitting.  So, my house is actually 24 items lighter, but I'm not counting the lamp in my total since I could only throw it away after the disaster! Needless to say, I was not a happy camper after that little incident, and the 30 minutes it took to clean up the glass from my concrete floors.

As far as the Pantry Challenge, I've done really well this week.  We finished off the last of the fresh strawberries from the wedding, but still have plenty of other fruits.  One night we had Crockpot Swiss Steak, and I saved half the package of steak to marinate and grill.  We also had a turkey soup made with the frozen carcass from Christmas. It stretched into lunches for two days for the whole family!  I'll include the recipe below.

We had the steaks I set aside on Friday night with baked potatoes, and steamed cauliflower, and watched a bit of Little Dorrit.  If you like costume dramas, keep reading as I have links and news for the latest BBC/PBS films now airing.

My overall spending for the week was $26.34 but the breakdown reveals I actually did quite well.  I purchased lunch for myself, my dd17 and a friend we picked up after car trouble for a cost of $8.65.  I also purchased 2 gallons of raw milk ($7.50), because my friend was going to the dairy (about 45 minutes away.)  I also was given another gallon of milk the same day, so I have enough now for two weeks!  Overall, that puts my spending in the $10 range for Week 3!  It's my best total yet!

If you're interested in free entertainment, I have great news! In case you haven't heard, Return to Cranford is playing now on Masterpiece, Sunday nights on PBS. If you missed the first episode, you can watch it online here. The second episode will air tomorrow evening.  Check your local listings for times!

When it concludes, I believe the new Emma with Romola Garai will begin the following week.  We have seen it once already online, and it was excellent.  This is another great BBC/PBS movie we will own! 

Here's the recipe for Gramps' Chicken Basil Soup and then directions on how I modified it.

Gramp's Chicken Basil Soup
In crockpot, assemble the following:
1 chicken leg/thigh portion or 2 thighs
2 carrots, peeled or scrubbed, and diced
3 cloves garlic
3 chicken bullion cubes
lots of basil, dried or fresh.  We like fresh best, leaves only, chopped fine. *
sea salt
pepper
cayenne to taste (about 1/2 tsp. is my preference)
water to cover everything plus two to three cups

Reserve the following:
1/2 cup cooked barley**
2/3 cup cooked rice***

Add ingredients except rice and barley to crockpot.  Cook all day on low.  Stir in barley and rice about 30 minutes before serving.  Can also be cooked on stove.

Now here are my notes and modifications:
*basil ~ I prefer to use fresh from the garden, and because of the bulk of fresh leaves, the measurement is probably about 1 to 1/2 loose cups of leaves.  If using dry, use at least 1 Tbsp. crushed, (meaning crush it in your palm before adding to soup!).  Let it cook all day, then add more to taste at end, if needed.

**barley ~ I don't prefer barley, but will use it occassionally.  Don't add uncooked barley, as the starch will make the soup slimey and thick, like pudding.  Not a good texture for soup, trust me.

**rice ~ If cooking on the stove, you can add uncooked rice, and let simmer until the rice is tender.  Just make sure you have enough liquids to keep the soup from getting too thick, as rice absorbs 1 1/2 cups or so of liquids for every 1 cup of dry rice.  You may also use frozen rice, or leftover rice from another dish and add to crockpot during last hour or so of cooking time.

This is a very "forgiving" recipe and a family favorite here, when served with a crusty bread and green salad.

I used the carcass of my Christmas turkey to make the broth for this soup, by using the Bone Broth recipe that includes a little bit of vinegar to draw the nourishment from the bones.  The one I use is actually from Nourishing Traditions, but the one listed above looks about the same.  If you haven't made this recipe, you really should try it.  It's especially great if you've had any type of illness because the nutrients are bio~available.  I make my bone broth in the crockpot for 18 hours, or on the stove for about 6 hours.

We were quite busy last week preparing for the wedding, but still managed to do well with the Challenge.  My goal was $30 a week, and I'm happy to say that I finished under the budget, mainly because I was able to stretch what I had cooked to cover several meals. 

I must confess that we ate dinner Wednesday at the Bachelorette party, and Sunday's meals were all eaten at the facility, since we were there all day for prep and cleanup before and after the event.  School was cancelled Thursday and Friday because of the extreme cold, so we ate leftovers and potato soup with salad, which also lasted several days.

Overall, I spent $20.58 for the week on groceries and a little stockpiling, and $8.77 at ChickFilA for a missions fundraiser in which we participated.  I'm very pleased that we were able to stay under the budget!

Tonight, I took frozen turkey bones from Thanksgiving and made a simple turkey and rice soup with basil, the rest of the cheap shredded carrots and an onion.  It was filling enough to have with just a few crackers.

For lunch we had green salad with chicken breast I had fixed yesterday.  There were a few fresh strawberries left from the wedding, and we had those for dessert after our salad lunch, dipped in a small amount of chocolate.  What a treat!  We also brought home a little fresh pineapple and a cheese ball from the wedding, and have had that for snacks for the last few days.

We're having temps in the teens, and with tomorrow's high expected to be 11 degrees, I'm glad for opportunities to run the oven to keep the house feeling toasty warm.  Tonight's Pantry Challenge dinner was Any Meal Cheese Pie, Garden Salad, and grape juice. 

I was in a hurry to get the pie made, so I decided to skip the crust.  I'm glad I did!  It turned out great, and I really needed the shortcut, as I'm washing and packing all my serving dishes to use at a wedding we are attending this weekend.

I've done much better this week with my $30 budget, and was even able to stockpile a few items.

The Mrs. Renfro Peach Salsa was clearanced at $0.50 a jar, the carrots $0.49 and the peppers were free after coupons.  If your store has clearance items that are marked lower than the value of a coupon, and they are leery to give overage, ask if they will adjust the price to the coupon value.  I do that with the manager at my local store, which makes him happy and I still get to pay for the item with my coupon.  My total for everything above was $1.77. It's a win~win.

My goals for the Challenge are:
1. To spend a maximum of $30 per week on groceries for the family. (I spent $31.24 total for Week 1.)
2. To try at least one new recipe each week.   (I made Cranberry Orange Muffins last week.)
3. To use the small appliances I have. (I used my juicer.)
4. To save all the rebates I receive during the month. (Received 2 last week; deposited into savings.)
5. To send off atleast $50 in rebates during the month. (Sent for $16.00 so far.)

This will be a busy week because we're helping friends with a wedding, and school starts again tomorrow.  (Yes, I'm trying to be excited about that one!)  The menu I planned is pretty detailed, and I hope I can pull if off.  Here's the breakdown:

Breakfasts:
Eggs & bagels with fresh juice (two meals)
Cereal & milk (three meals)
Muffins (two meals)

We always eat cereal on mornings when we have classes away from home.  It's easy and we love our Shredded Wheat!   Plus with the Kellogg's Calendar Rebate going on right now, eating cereal is free.  I may change the muffins to waffles and use my waffle maker.  It depends how busy I get later in the week. 

Lunches:
Grilled sammies with veggies and ranch  (have canned soups to add if needed)
Any Meal Cheese Pie with salad and fresh juice
Swiss Steak with rice
Potato soup with carrots and cheese
Wendy's (on co-op day we have an hour to travel to our next class across town, and this is easy)
Leftovers (from any of the above meals)

Dinners:
Spaghetti with green salad and bread
ChickFilA (for a missions fundraiser we are working)
hamburger rice with carrots
Pigs in a Blanket, steamed cauliflour and carrots, stewed apples or fruit crisp
leftovers on Wednesday (this is Clean~Out~The~Fridge night)
King Ranch Chicken and green salad
Wedding food (which I will not be cooking!)

Several of my recipes are crockpot meals, and I will be cooking ahead when I can.  We also have navel oranges, and frozen berries that I will incorporate where I can.

I'm glad Week One is over!  I proved to myself that we can have nutritious meals from our stockpile and a few fresh items we have on hand.  Overall I did pretty well, but I did spend over my $30 goal for the week.  Here's the breakdown of my spending, and rebates:

$00.00   3 salsa for free with coupons
$  6.24   8 Starbucks Christmas blend 10 oz. bags/2 Kashi Go Lean Crunch
$  0.68   1 Cranberry Juice (paid with RR from Walgreens and will get a rebate)
$  2.66   2 Jello No-Bake desserts/ 1 box crackers (which will be part of a rebate)
$  3.25   1 Gallon milk
$  2.56   1 20 oz. Tortilla chips/2 Fuze beverage
$  0.00   Taco Bell item free Fresco Taco with printable coupon
$  1.40   Wendys snack while out shopping
$10.40   Bottled water (have some to carry into Week 2)/ ground turkey/ bullion for stew
$ 7.09    1 huge bottle Ranch dressing

$34.24  Total spending for Week 1


I was able to send for $16 in rebates this week.  These included:
$ 3.00   True North TMF, from a purchase earlier in the month
$10.00  Kellogg's Calendar Rebate (this is my 3rd one to send off.  There is a limit of 8 per household.)
$ 3.00   GingerAle Rebate NWPN rebate from Hot Coupon World

The cranberry juice I purchased will generate a $3.00 rebate, so I could take that off my total, which would drop my OOP to $31.24, so all in all I think I did really well.  I'm going to do my best to stay UNDER $30 for next week, though, for bragging rights and all!

I just read a great article by Wayne Greene, Editorial Writer for the Tulsa World.  While I usually don't endorse most editorials printed by the "Tulsa WorldLY" as we call them, this one had some rather interesting facts considering I'm doing the Pantry challenge.

Greene writes:

"One in five Oklahoma children is at risk of going to bed hungry tonight.

In November the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service said that 14 percent of Oklahoma residents are "food insecure," meaning they lack consistent access to adequate amounts of nutritious food. Of those, 5.9 percent are in the agency's most severe level, "very low food secure."

That means Oklahoma is the fourth hungriest state in the nation. " 

I really had no idea it was that bad here. And we have such an abundance, even with a limited grocery budget for the next few weeks!  So, I've decided that a portion of my savings from the Challenge will go to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, who according to the article cited above, used a large donation of wonton wrappers to make lasagna, which I had no idea could be done.  Talk about creative! (Here's a recipe link to a similar dish that sounds great, minus the pork.)

The menu here for the last few days has been:
Breakfasts of cereal with milk and fresh juice, or homemade pancakes with milk and fresh juice
Snacks of leftover Cranberry Orange muffins or oranges
Lunches of nachos or green salads with turkey
Dinners of homemade cheese/veggie pizza with salads and homemade beef stew with crackers.

We'll have homemade sausage balls tonight along with a cheese ball and crackers I picked up last week, plus fresh salsa (free w/ coupons) and chips and whatever the other partygoers bring. 

Have a safe and merry New Year's Eve!  I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone did this week with the wrap-up posts coming on Saturday!

With the Pantry Challenge in full swing at my house, I'm trying to think ahead and be creative with new recipes.  I reread the Use What You Have posts from MoneySavingMom's blog, and found a link for a website that is going to be of great value to me in the coming weeks.

Supercook is an exhaustive website that allows the input of ingredients, and then chooses recipes according to what you have available in the pantry.  I'm looking forward to trying it!

Tuesday's menu includes the following:
Breakfast: cereal with milk or pancakes, fresh orange juice
Lunch:  cheese pizza & veggie pizza, green salad with cottage cheese
Snacks:  nuts and apple slices
Dinner: playing "Survivor" which means we eat whatever leftovers are in the fridge, and since there are quite a few leftovers to finish off, this will not be an issue!

There are several great coupons and rebates that expire on the 31st, so I'm going to use the last of my Walgreens Register Rewards to purchase some of the items, and will probably spring for the rest out of pocket, since I have $30 for the week, and haven't had to spend anything so far.

So, I spent the day making an inventory of my pantry, freezer, and fridge.  I'm not completely done, but I have a good enough idea to start a basic menu for the next week or so.  Since I made playing games this week a priority, I spent part of my inventory time playing Phase 10 with my family, and then visiting with our dear friends who braved the snowy, icy streets to share a cup of tea and a Cranberry Orange muffin.  It was time well spent.

My husband is on vacation this week, so the menu for this week will be a little different than for the rest of the challenge, but I have officially begun the challenge anyway, instead of waiting until January 1.  This way, I'll already be in the "swing" when school and our regular schedule begin again next week.

My goals for the challenge are:
1. To spend a maximum of $30 per week on groceries for the family. I will still go to the grocery store but my only purchases will be dairy, eggs & produce and water, and anything I can get free with coupons.
2. To try at least one new recipe each week.
3. To use the small appliances I have, or let them go at the end of the month.  This includes my juicer, Foreman grill, and waffle maker.
4. To save all the rebates I receive during the month.
5. To send off atleast $50 in rebates during the month.

I'd like to lower my OOP for the per week spending, but I'm leery because we spend on average $7 a week in bottled water, which we purchase by the gallon.

This morning, I used my Champion juicer to make fresh orange juice, and I salvaged part of the pulp to use in Orange Cranberry muffins.  They were delicious, and I felt inspired because I had all the ingredients on hand.  If it was that easy to make something new from what I already have, surely I will be able to make a good plan for the next month's worth of meals from the pantry as well!  I'm hopeful, anyway!

Here's the recipe I used for the muffins:
Cranberry Orange Muffins
2 1/4 cup flour (I used a combination of oat, whole wheat and unbleached)
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Mix these in a large bowl.  Then cut in:
1/2 cup butter
In seperate bowl, combine by wisking:
2 whole eggs
pulp of 2 oranges
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp orange juice
enough milk to make moist but not runny (I used raw milk that was ready to expire)

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, and stir until moistened.  Add extra Tbsp. milk if needed.  Fold in:
3/4 cup dried cranberries ( you could use fresh, but this is what I had on hand).

I also added 1/2 tsp of McCormick's Chai Spice, but you could skip this step, or add cinnamon in it's place.

Bake at 350* in greased or lined muffin tins for 20-25 minutes.  Makes 18 medium muffins.

You could also add grated orange peel if you have organic oranges, but I didn't so I skipped that ingredient.  It would add greatly to the orange flavor.  This was a new recipe to me, and the first time I made muffins by cutting in the butter, but I really liked the flavor, so I will add this to my Heirloom Family Cookbook and make these again. 

Don't forget to serve them with the fresh orange juice or some aromatic hot tea!