Birthday Party Menu

We ended up postponing the party due to sickness and inclement weather, but we still enjoyed a little family party – just the three of us!

The theme was "healthful" this year. We should always do it, but we made a greater effort for the sake of my nephew. It was fun to see sales correspond with the "healthful" idea; hopefully, there will be similar sales when we reschedule.

This was the plan:

Organic Tortilla Chips (from Sam's Club)
Carrots (from Sam's Club)
Radishes (from Publix)
Celery (from Publix)
Broccoli (from Publix)

Homemade Hummus Dip
Pinto Bean Dip (from the freezer)

Deviled Eggs
Black Olives (from the pantry)
Mixed Nuts (from the pantry)

Grapefruit Punch (from Publix)

Homemade Fruit Smoothies:
Bananas (from Sam's)
Apples (from Publix)
Pears (from Publix)
Frozen Peaches (from the freezer)

I was planning to make a Chocolate Birthday Cake – from scratch – but decided to wait until we reschedule the party. (Instead, I used a brownie mix I had on hand.)

Recipe for Hummus

The balsamic vinegar gives this recipe a definite Mediterranean twist!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp garlic powder (OR 1 clove garlic, peeled)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cumin
2 to 4 Tbsp plain yogurt

Directions:
In a blender (or food processor), combine garbanzo beans, oil, vinegar, garlic (powder), salt, and cumin. Blend, gradually adding yogurt, until desired consistency is achieved.

Serve with fresh vegetables, crackers, pita chips, or tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Eating from The Pantry: Final Update

We're planning to continue "Eating from the Pantry" – at least for a while longer, supplementing (as we have been doing) with fresh fruits and vegetables and deals that are just too good to pass up!

Here's how the challenge has gone so far – during January. Our goal was $15 (or less) per week on groceries (including food and household needs).

Week 1:
We spent only $7.63 on groceries, basically for two meats. (We were on vacation, sharing cooking duties with our friends.)

Week 2:
We spent $11.15 for groceries at Publix, $0.59 for milk at Walgreens, and $1.38 and $0.38 for miscellaneous deals at CVS.

Week 3:
We spent $12.92 for groceries at Publix and $0.16 on miscellaneous deals at CVS. (Remember that the beauty of shopping at CVS is the ExtraCare Bucks program!)

Week 4:
We spent $8.89 for groceries at Publix – and later allowed a splurge of another $2.00 for ice-cream, thanks to a $1.00/1 coupon from Publix Preschool Pals!

The FREE SoyJoy Deal (limit 6 per card, limit 3 per transaction) is still going on at CVS (until 02/14); it was fun to pay for five boxes (two and then three) with ECBs and $0.00 out of pocket! These aren't our favorite, but they do come in handy as snacks.

An "Eating from the Pantry Challenge" is a great way to save – not only because you're using what you already have on hand but also because you're stopping to figure out what you actually have on hand and then coming up with (creative) ways to use it!

Eating from The Pantry: Another Update

We're in the fourth week of our (much-needed) "Eating from the Pantry Challenge" – and still enjoying it! We've been constantly reminded that stocking up when items are on sale (and finding new creative ways to be frugal – i.e. eating carving pumpkins!) are worthy investments.

What's Cookin'?! Lots of good food!

Here's the menu for this week:

January 25 thru 31

Breakfasts:
Pumpkin Bread (using the newly updated recipe that includes sweet potato!)
Grapefruit
Scrambled Eggs with Toasted Sweet Butter Bread
Cereal, cereal, and more cereal

Lunches:
M: Leftover Chicken and Veggie Stew
T: More Leftovers
W: Mac & Cheese with Stewed Tomatoes, Fresh Fruit
Th: Special Potato Soup
F: Sandwiches, Fresh Fruit
Sat & Sun: TBD (probably more leftovers)

Suppers:
M: Tri-Colored Pasta with Tomato Sauce & Cheese, Veggies
T: Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Whipped Potatoes with Sour Cream, Peas & Onions
W: Leftover Chili (from the freezer) with Cheese, Fresh Fruit
Th: More Leftovers
F: Dinner Out (to celebrate a birthday!)
Sat: Birthday Party!
Sun: TBD (probably party leftovers)

I'm excited about the Birthday Party Menu, which I plan to post later. (I'm thankful for the benefits derived from a stocked pantry, a free Sam's Club membership, and recent deals at Publix!)

Speaking of Publix, I should tally up my (grocery) spending for the last two weeks. I'm struck with the fact that blogging can be a type of public journaling, where we write what we don't mind our family and friends reading. In fact, we hope they will read – and maybe even comment now and then! (Hee! Hee!)

Have I mentioned that we love Publix?! Yes, we do!

On the January 19 trip, we spent $12.92 – within the goal of $15 per week during this challenge.

On the January 26 trip, we spent $8.89 – again within our goal and actually a better total than expected because they gave me the Ocean Spray 100% Juice at 2/$3.45!

The biggest highlight, of course, was winning the 10-inch cookie – in the monthly drawing for the Cookie Club! (Well, we paid $0.20 tax for a $9.99 cookie.) Even the cashiers and customer service folks were excited for us, as they tried to figure out how to ring it up!

We love Publix! Yes, we do!

We love Publix! How 'bout you?!

Recipe for Special Potato Soup

(Adapted from a family friend’s recipe, this dish made us fall in love with rosemary and thyme!)

Sauté until softened:
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 Tbsp dried onion
2 Tbsp olive oil

Add:
6 medium-sized potatoes, cubed (or 4 cups mashed potatoes)
2 large carrots, grated
3 cups water
1 tsp salt + 1 tsp seasoned salt
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp rosemary
¼ tsp cumin
Dash of garlic powder

Cover and simmer about 20 minutes (or until vegetables are tender). Then remove from heat and mash with potato masher (or purée in blender).

Add:
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded (cheddar) cheese

Reheat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted.

(Yields approximately ten 1-cup servings.)

Enjoy!

Inspiration & Encouragement: JOY in Work!

God intends for His children to rejoice in their vocations – in their daily work!

Most honorable vocations exist to meet the needs of people; God has ordained His world so that people with various abilities meet various needs. We should think of our vocation, therefore, not as a necessary evil to pay the bills, nor even as an opportunity to become rich, but as the primary path of our Christian walk wherein God has planned good deeds for us to do.
(Jerry Bridges in The Fruitful Life)

What an encouragement! Because God Himself says:

By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
(Ephesians 2)

These thoughts have been a blessing to me this week, so I'm sharing them today – "Just for the JOY of It!"

Publix Highlights – 01/26

We're in the fourth week of an "Eating from The Pantry Challenge" – and we're still enjoying it!

We'll be making a last-minute run to Publix for the following deals today!

Quaker Instant Oatmeal – B1G1 for $3.89
Use "Buy one Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Get one Naked Juice FREE" coupon (Publix Family Style Magazine, Spring Issue) (Get a free subscription!)
Stack with $1.00/1 Quaker Oatmeal printable coupon
Stack with $1.00/1 Naked Juice printable coupon (Join "Juice Nation" by clicking on link at bottom right.)
All FREE after coupons!

Hunt's Canned Tomatoes (14.5 oz) – B1G1 for $1.39
Use $1.00/4 coupon (All You Magazine, December 2009)
$0.45 each

Bosc or Anjou Pears – $0.88 per pound

Red, Golden Delicious, or Gala Apples (3 lbs) – $2.49

I’ll also redeem a "rain check" from last week:

Buy two Ocean Spray Grapefruit Juice (64 oz) – $2.00 each
Get one bag (5 lbs) of Fresh Red Grapefruit FREE
$4.00 for everything!

Drum roll, please!

My little one won a 10-inch Decorated Cookie in the monthly drawing for the Cookie Club – just in time for her birthday!

Gotta love Publix!

Inspiration & Encouragement: Celebrating Little Moments!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, allow me to say... In the goodness and grace of God, it's often the little moments in life that bring great joy – from the mundane to the sublime!

• Looking forward to enjoying Krispy Kreme Donuts because of the great Valentines Day Offer!
• Reading "The Gingerbread Man" and "The Little Red Hen" to my little girl – from the recently acquired book set I dearly loved as a little girl. 
• Looking out the window at this afternoon's winter rain, remembering that two days this week we had the windows open to let is some fresh air and sunshine. Yes, it really got that warm in mid-January!
• Reading a heart-felt letter from a dear saint in Spain, written to encourage my nephew who is battling cancer. She hasn't ever met him or anyone else in the extended family, but she's a wonderful example of how Christ's Church, His Body, should function!

So, I'm sharing these little moments – “Just for the JOY of It!”

My biggest bargaining deal yet!

When I first started couponing and bargain-hunting in earnest about a year and a half ago, I never dreamed that it would lead among other things to my finally being able to get the 13-volume book set that I dearly loved as a child!

The big box arrived right before Christmas! The price tag was $195 for a gently used set, listed by a third party seller on Amazon.com. Thanks to Swagbucks* and yard sales, I had paid only $3.99 out of pocket for the set – and that was for shipping!

This afternoon I sat down with my daughter to read two stories from Volume 2, the book that is on her level. What a joy!

Most of all, I'm thankful to God for teaching me much patience and perseverance...

*If you haven't signed up yet for Swagbucks, I hope this post will help to persuade you. What exactly are Swagbucks? Read details here and here – and then sign up here.

Eating from The Pantry: Update

We're in our third week of the "Eating from the Pantry Challenge" – and we're still enjoying it! In fact, I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn't realize how stocked our pantry was; we really needed this challenge!

What's Cookin'?! Lots of good food!

I've decided not to try to reconstruct the vacation menu for the first week – but it was good! I'm thankful that our friends shared the cooking responsibilities with us.

Here are our menus for last week and this week:

January 10 thru 17

Sunday, January 10: We were still traveling. We enjoyed breakfast at a Hampton Inn (very nice free lodging, thanks to credit card points)! After church we ate lunch with family and friends, and on the way home we stopped at a restaurant for supper.

Breakfasts:
Pumpkin Bread
Yogurt
Cereal, cereal, and more cereal!

Lunches:
M: Leftovers
T: Mac & Cheese, Stewed Tomatoes
W: Pasta with Veggie Tomato Sauce & Cheese, Applesauce
Th: Egg Salad Sandwiches, Pear Slices
F: More Egg Salad Sandwiches
Sat & Sun: We were traveling again and greatly enjoyed Venison Fajitas, Vegetable Soup with Mexican Cornbread, and Dairy Queen Treats, among other good things! (I get no credit for those wonderful meals.)

Suppers:
M: Ramen Noodle & Veggie Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
T: Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Four Cheese Bowtie Pasta, Green Beans
W: Beef & Veggie Stew, Tomato Bread
Th: Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Mashed Potatoes with Cheese, Lettuce Salad with Olives & Cheese
F: Pork Barbecue with Trimmings (We were invited to eat with friends, so I get no credit.)
Sat & Sun: We were traveling. (See above notes.)

January 18 thru 24:

Breakfasts:
Grapefruit
Cereal, cereal, and more cereal!

Lunches:
M: Leftovers
T: More Leftovers, Noodle Soup, V-8 Juice
W: PB & J Sandwiches, Pear Slices, V-8 Juice
Th: Leftover Chili, Sweet Butter Bread
F: Leftovers
Sat & Sun: TBD (Leftovers?)

Suppers:
M: Scrambled Egg Beaters, English Muffin Toast, Venison Sausage
T: Chili, Sweet Butter Bread
W: Pumpkin Curry Soup
Th: Chicken & Veggie Stew, Sweet Butter Bread
F: Baked Potatoes with Broccoli, Cheese, and Sour Cream
Sat & Sun: TBD (Leftovers?)

A big benefit of this "Eating from the Pantry Challenge" is realizing how blessed we are!