Planning a menu

Part of being a good homemaker is providing healthy and wholesome meals for your family. Sometimes you have to do this with a tight budget, and thats where menu planning comes in. The biggest benefit to menu planning is saving money. More money saved, more money earned. And it is absolutely possible to eat well, and eat healthy, on a tight budget. Its easy to get overwhelmed with creating a menu, but if you take it slow and dedicate a little bit of time here and there, you can become an old pro at it. Once you establish a rough draft, adding to your menu will become easier and easier each time you do it.

Here's some ideas of how to do it.

Every other Thursday and Friday I plan my family's menu for two full weeks. There are a few things I have to take into consideration when making my plan. The budget for the two weeks I have to work with determines what goes on my plan, then the sales adds and coupons I have play a part, family plans, and finally my master list.

My master list consists of things I always need to have on hand, things like flour, sugar, butter, peanut butter, popcorn....I have one for the pantry and one for the fridge. I almost always need to replenish something from my list when doing my shopping. I also always shop in bulk, because this will save money on things I use often. I will replenish whatever stock needs it before anything else, so I check my pantry and write down what I need to restock, then I check it against the master list. Funny thing is, Ive been doing this for so long, I can mentally cross things off and add things, without checking the list anymore. This is another benefit of menu planning. I do still keep a shopping list.... Im efficient, not crazy!

When you first start out, the best thing to do is make a list of ALL the meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) (including the sides) you can make, all the snacks you eat, and the things you drink. This is the most time consuming part of meal planning, it took me 3 1/2 hours to put down a full months menu (in an organized and easy to sort way) on the computer. You can do this on paper or on the computer, whatever is easier for you. I will say this though, nothing can get spilled on or torn when its stored on the computer. Things like breakfasts, snacks and drinks frequently repeat themselves, so this helps when creating a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly menu.

After you've made your meal list, make a check next to the things you eat most often. This will get you on your way to creating a master list. The most likely items on that will include cereals, pancake mixes, lunch meats.....Next, take a break. That was a lot of work, I know, but totally worth it in the long run.

Now you're ready to create the plan! All you need to do now is decide what you want to include, and how long you want that meal planner to last. Plan your meals, starting with breakfast and including snacks. These plans can be as intricate or as simple as you would like, just make sure you have in mind the amount of food you need. Check your coupons, your sales ads before you begin planning, and the master list, because these will determine what you can make based on budget, as well as what you may want to buy now during this sale or before the coupons expire. Star the things you need from your master list on your menu. Once you've gotten everything down, start your shopping list, starting with your starred items, then going over each meal to see what you will need, then check against your pantry list to see what you may already have.

Heres a sample day of mine based on this weeks sales:
BREAKFAST-oatmeal*, with apples (I try to always have apples, but sometimes they're too expensive to buy) and cinnamon and orange juice
SNACK- yogurt*, with blueberries and chopped almonds*
LUNCH- (this will sometimes be leftovers, so keep that in mind when planning as well.)  Tuna* sandwiches with carrot sticks* and chips (frito chips are on sale this week, for .99), with juice*
SNACK- I try to have two before dinner to serve, usually a healthy snack and a treat like cookies or brownies. Chocolate chip cookies with milk*, right after school. Popcorn*, a pear and a string cheese*
DINNER- Coconut shrimp with orange sauce for dipping, garlic bread, steamed broccoli*

Get the idea? Once you have your menu down, you'll be able to see what you need pretty much right off, you will know what you need because you have checked your master list, and you can better gauge the amounts of certain things you will need. For instance, if you serve cold cereal 5 days a week, your milk consumption will go up, but you wont need as much pancake or waffle makings, and vise versa. In my family we use about 1/2 cup of milk for cereal and 1/4 for oatmeal, and oatmeal is cheaper than cereal, usually, so we have that 3 days a week. The more cold cereal we have, the more milk we need.

To cap this off, heres a few quick tips to consider:
*save money by preparing your own fruits and veggies; forget the convenience packages, they typically run you about 3 bucks more for less.
*buy only whats on sale, and never steer from your list.
*try to buy in bulk whenever possible. not only does it save money, but you consume less. Less packaging and less shipping=less carbon footprinting
*check out farmers markets in your area, 9 times out of 10 you're gonna get a better deal on in season produce
*consider planting a few staples of your own, including herbs. maybe even think of raising chickens for fresh eggs.
*when your family's extracurriculars make it difficult to get a meal made, a menu will come in handy because you can better prepare. Plan quick and easy or crock pot meals and prep the night before or in the morning. You can eat earlier or later than usual this way, no more spendy fast foods or unhealthy convenience items. You'll have snacks prepared ahead of time as well to tide everyone over.
*have one or two nights a week dedicated to a left over meal. this is one of my favorite ways to be frugal!

To sweeten the pot:

I can feed my family of 5+ (WE OFTEN HAVE EXTRAS!!), very, very well on $400 or so a month, and often much less, in Southern California. I used to spend $600 a month for 4 because I wasn't organized and kept buying things that weren't on sale. I also ended up making a lot of the same things for dinner and running back and forth to the store to get something I didn't have, or bought take out because I didn't want to deal with the "Whats for dinner?" question. More trips, more gas used. I was also better able to plan for when we would be busy, like during softball or soccer season, when practices and games dominate the week nights.

Happy planning!!!!!


*edited with a full 2 weeks menu, here.

Turning a house into a home

What makes a house a home? Its not about how clean a surface is, or gourmet meals, or designer decor. Its not the size or location of the home. Its not whether you have a job outside the home or are a stay at homer. Its the little things a homemaker does to make her family and friends feel warm and welcome in her home.

Its the welcome mat that has been freshly washed, the pots of flowers and the wind chimes singing in the breeze to welcome guests.
Its the chairs sitting near a window that say, "Sit for a bit."
Its the snapshots of family and friends scattered around the home, and the books just asking to be picked up and read.
Its the windows thrown open wide to let in the sunshine and fresh breezes, the sounds of birds chirping and kids playing.
Its the laughter and the noise.
Its the blankets on the backs of chairs and couches, and the pillows just waiting to be squeezed.
Its a candle glowing warm and bright, and the small knick-knacks telling all who your family is.
Its the freshly polished furniture you take great pride in preserving.
Its the drink offered when someone pays a visit.
Its a batch of freshly baked cookies in the cookie jar.
Its a home cooked meal at the end of the day.
Its a kiss goodnight.

These are the things that make a house a home.

I am happy to report that some of our "unfinished business" is well on its way to becoming finished! Today my wonderfully amazing hubby patched the walls of the "new" bedroom with what I now know as drywall mud, which, incidentally, is necessary, since the walls were showing some studs where the cupboards tore pieces of the wall away. Tomorrow a second layer will go on and we will be able to proceed with sanding and painting. YAY!

We also picked a few color cards for the room, and since I love collecting them, my purse was full of chips for future wall colors for several rooms of our home, as well as the color for the front and back doors. Apparently I have passed down my obsession with paint to Alanna, our oldest, because she is requesting stripes on her wall and collected her own arsenal of paint cards, specific to her wants.

She WANTS black walls....we compromised on pink with black stripes. So we came home from the depot loaded down with several good pinks. Its now just a matter of getting it just right to go with the bedding....

Ive also used the sewing machine for my own purpose, and am really excited with the results of my new kitchen curtains. They are not completely finished, but I will show one valance as a teaser, just to prove Ive really been working at something.... I have eight windows to cover, and have 4 valances done so far, I still need to make eight panels out of semi-sheer red fabric as well.

This is a valance doing its thing, unfortunately the door is sporting a mismatched hue thanks to my efforts to change things; I used a red I wasn't sure about over chalk board paint, about a year ago. I so dislike indecision....Also, I slapped a rod up that wasn't the right size and its crooked since its squeezed between the frame. I promise you, my decorating efforts are not usually so....sloppy. The second picture shows the detail work on the top, and the third shows the bottom hem, and why you shouldn't lift your eyes from your work!

unfinished business

I still have yet to do any sort of craft or home projects. I'm taking a break from the sewing machine for the weekend, and just hanging out around the house, watching movies with my girls and relaxing. Tomorrow we'll be off to a potluck and egg hunt for Easter. I did spring clean one bathroom, as I said I would be, and its all ready to be painted whenever I can get around to it. It seems like I'm saying that a lot lately....

We have a lot of unfinished projects around here, things that need doing. I'm trying to organize a to-do list with these projects, but I have yet to find the oomph to get it going. There is just so very much to do, and I'm only one little person.

The first thing we need to finish is our oldest daughter's bedroom. We ripped all the built-ins out, and now we have an empty wall, waiting to be patched and painted. That's the big hold up. I am perfectly capable of patching the holes and painting myself, but my husband wants to do it with special stuff that I have no clue how to use. I'm half tempted to go in there and use plain old patch tape and spackle just so I can get it finished. She's sort of bummed she isn't in there yet...and so am I. I'm itching to get in there and decorate it. I can't wait to go shopping for all the little accessories!

All right, here are my spring cleaning tips for the bathroom, as promised. Its a very short list and it takes an hour to accomplish.


*First, as with any room, sweep down the ceiling and walls, shelves and alcoves to displace the dust.
*Spray the inside of your shower or bath with soap scum remover and let sit.
*Empty out your medicine and under the sink cabinets. Stick it all in a box and go through it all after you have cleaned.
*Fill a bucket with hot soapy water and wash out the cabinets.
*Using a paintbrush, sweep out the window sills and vacuum the screens. Wash the windows.
*Next step is washing down the walls, trim, and switches. 
*Take an old toothbrush and scrub the grout in the tiles and around the tub and toilet with a solution of baking soda, vinegar and water. Rinse with a clean rag and plain water.
*Wash the baseboards down.
*Clean the base of the toilet.
*Finally scrub out the bath tub and shower and rinse well.
*Last, sweep and scrub the floors with a clean rag.
*Give everything a wipe down with your favorite bathroom cleaner, shine the faucets and let dry while you go through the box of stuff you took out.
*Get rid of any expired medications or cosmetics, things that aren't used and broken electronics like blow dryers and curling irons. Clean the caps of bottles and wipe them down. Don't forget to clean your accessories like pictures, candles and vases, and the soap dispensers and such. Hang fresh linens.
*Put everything back in an organized fashion, using baskets or buckets to hold things. Then step back and admire the sparkle.

Its raining, its pouring, the old man is snoring!!!

Well, no old men here, but it is raining again. Woke up this morning to a freezing house and am currently bundled in sweats and socks until the heater warms this old house, and these bones, up. I love the rain when I don't have to drive in it, and I love to bundle up when its cold out. I love the cold. Its invigorating and there is nothing like snuggling under a blanket on a cold rainy day and reading a good book. I bake more when its cold out, which my family loves. We drink loads of cocoa and cider.  I spend all summer longing for that first cold front to hit, the first leaves to turn and fall, the harvesting of the vegetables, our breath fogging the air with the stinging morning cold, the fall and winter holidays....

However, I especially love spring rain; when all the flowers and trees are blooming, its quite a sight to watch the water drip off the opening buds. There is a different feel to spring rain, a wakening of the earth. The smells are different, the air is different, the earth is different. I can open the windows with a spring rain, and smell the newness in the air. There is a new optimism with spring rain.

Im sure youre all wondering why I am going on and on about the spring rain. Well, I live in Southern California, where until this past winter rain isnt really something that happens very often. We had a lot of hard rain this past winter, and it was very cold and dreary. I can look out the windows of our home and see the effect all the rain we had on the mountains, they are still covered in snow, almost all the way down. And they are going to get more with this new, shorter wave of rain. And thats good for us. I welcome every winter with the hopes of rain like we had,  but Im glad winter is over, so we have a little more sunlight and a little more warmth, so that I can throw open our windows and watch nature do its thing.

When youre a homemaker, being able to let in fresh air is like buying new shoes. Almost anyway!

I know that I havent posted a whole lot, so Im going to make it up by posting a quick and easy recipe for banana nut muffins. And I promise to share some crafting at some point in the near future; the humane society's blankets go in tomorrow, so Im all done with that project. And Im going to be spring cleaning the bathrooms so Ill make a short post on the ins and outs of spring cleaning a bathroom very soon.

The recipe: Quick and easy banana nut muffins (is also fantastic as a bread!)

Preheat your oven to 350*
Grease or paper a cupcake tin, or a loaf pan with cooking spray.

You will need:
4 very ripe (this allows you to use less sugar) bananas, mashed
1/3 c. melted butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2- 1 c. coarsely chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are great in banana bread/muffins), optional

In a large bowl, combine bananas and melted butter, mix together with a wooden spoon. Add in the sugar, vanilla, and egg, mix together. Sprinkle salt, baking soda and  half the nuts over top of mix, mix in. Add in flour and mix, being careful not to over mix. You dont want tough dough. Fill your pan, top with remaining nuts and bake 20-22 minutes, until wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm with a pat of butter and a cold glass of milk.

And enjoy!!

strawberry cupcakes with lemon icing

 took a break today from all the sewing Ive been doing to make cupcakes. I wish I could say I had something really cool to share with everyone, but all Ive got are small padded blankets for the humane society's shelter, and they aren't exactly perfect! I am doing them in a hurry, and as bad as this may sound, the dogs and cats that just got neutered and spayed aren't going to care if the lines are crooked or not.... Ive made them with flannel and fleece, so they're soft, and definitely padded as per their request. It was a volunteer project that seemed easy at first, but after 20, I wish I were sewing curtains for my kitchen instead.

So to relieve my stress I baked cupcakes. I meant to make them to welcome spring last weekend, but as I was spring "cleaning" my kitchen, I entirely forgot about the official arrival of spring in the midst of my paper chaos... I made strawberry with lemon icing, and boy have they eased some of the stress!!! Just the mixing and the smell during baking was enough to comfort, but of course I had to have one to try them out.

Ok so I had two....

Here's the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350*
Grease or line a cupcake tin with paper cups, or 2-3 cake tins for a 2-3 layer cake

You'll need a basic white cake mix, either from scratch or a box

1 small package of strawberry jello
About 1 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries
1/2 c. oil
4 eggs

Combine your cake mix with other 4 ingredients, making sure the strawberries are sort of cut up and mixed in. Bake for about 20 minutes, checking 2-4 minutes before the timer goes off for doneness.

For the icing:

1 box of powdered (confectioners) sugar
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp butter, softened
1 tbsp milk
3 tbsp lemon juice

Mix first 3 ingredients together, add lemon juice and mix. If its too thick, add a little bit of milk or more lemon juice to get the consistency you would like, too thin, add more powdered sugar, a little at a time. Just to warn you, this is a sweet frosting and a little bit goes a long way! Its not meant to be a thick frosting. To insure a smooth top, refrigerate for a bit, then frost. Add sprinkles before frosting sets, otherwise it will be impossible to add them. 


Enjoy!!

I haven't done a very good job of running my blog! Between internet troubles, spring cleaning and spring break for the girls, AND a sick dog, I just have not had a chance to get on here.

Speaking of spring cleaning, I'm very pleased with the progress so far. Not only have we cleaned out and gutted what used to be the office (and is soon to be our oldest daughters bedroom), I spent 3 days spring cleaning our kitchen, and was able to tear off paper that the previous owners had pasted to the cupboards. This is a monumental event for me, because after all the kitchen is the heart of our home, and it has taken me 2 years to accomplish this feat! I still have a wall to do, and the sink cupboards, but I know now that it is not as daunting a task as I had feared. A few more hours dedicated to ripping and peeling and my kitchen will be almost new! Its already brighter with just the one set of floor cupboards exposed. The paper on the cupboards was brown (it was actually a very clever idea, brown paper bags and Elmer's glue mixed with water), I think to look like stained cabinets and such, but it significantly darkened the kitchen, and there are 8 windows in there! She also took it a tad bit too far and covered every available surface, including the ceiling....She went paper crazy!! They are now a basic white, but I will paint them with a softer, more aged white within the next few months. Our home is 110 years old, and I want it to reflect a little bit of country antiquity.

I'm really hoping to post a before and after of both the office and kitchen soon (might get to it today!), as well as share a craft with everyone to get the ball rolling on this blog.

I also want to share a few spring cleaning tips really quick on the kitchen, since its been my focus this week:

*Start from top to bottom, so dust settles on the floor in the end. Sweep dust down from the walls and ceiling, and wipe down any wall shelves.
*Before doing any scrubbing, clear out your cabinets and get rid of things that are unused. You will be amazed at how refreshing it is to see into the cupboards! Also, replace or wipe down the current shelf paper.
*Go through your cleaning products and combine and use or throw out bottles with a tiny bit left. I prefer to use vinegar, baking soda and dish soap, but to each her own!! Alcohol makes a great window cleaner when combined with a bit of vinegar and water. Word of warning: YOU WILL SAVE A BUNDLE!!! I spend $3 for the alcohol and vinegar, and it lasts several months, as opposed to the 3+ bucks a month spent on a commercial cleaner, and it works sooo much better!! The scent does take a little bit of getting used to, but it does not linger long and actually refreshes the air as you work. Spray it on your door knobs and light switches, and BAM! instant sanitizer!
* To get into tight corners, soak cotton balls with your favorite cleaner and let sit for a bit, remove and vacuum out.
*For the edges of baseboards use a hard bristled tooth brush to sweep out the grime.
*Don't forget to vacuum the condenser coils of your fridge and under and behind the fridge and stove. I found a missing flip flop under the refrigerator! Sadly, as we couldn't find said flip flop, the other was thrown out last summer....
*To clean dirty grout, use a paste of oxy clean and vinegar,let sit and scrub with a tooth brush (not the one you used on the floor!!) wipe and rinse clean. This is also good at whitening sinks, just be careful not to scratch yours. If the caulking around the sink needs replacing, or its particularly dingy, now is a good time to do it. This is a very simple task, and anyone can do it.
*Before cleaning the floors, clean the oven.
*Finally, scrub the floors and then give everything a good wipe down. Then admire the sparkles from all your hard work

It is truly gratifying to create a clean home for your family.