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Meal Planning

mushrooms

 

This week is a fun week. My daughter has her many choir this week,  She sings in 3 choirs one at church and 2 at school.  She also is starting addutions for a church play and also go found out she is singing solo for the talent show at school.  I am so Proud of my little singing angel.  I love hearing her sing,  she sounds so happy.

My Son has finished swimming.  I was a great season. He has decided to volunteer with kids and is loving it he is teaching see kids swim.  He is so happy and working hard.  So far I expect this to be a good week with a teenager.

Meal Planning with Teens

Sunday : Chicken Pot Pies

Monday: Broccoli Cheese soup

Tuesday: Baked Chicken, Butternut Squash, Spinach

Wednesday: London Broil, Rice and Beans,Broccoli

Thursday: Pork Roast, Brussels Sprouts, Fingerling Potatoes

Friday:  Pasta Night

Saturday: Homemade Spring Rolls, Fried Rice, Pot Stickers

 

Be sure to check out my $40 Amazon Gift Card and Dark Rising Book Giveaway

Link up with : Organizing Junkie and Motivation Monday

Cooking, LIfe

Pulled Pork Mac N Cheese and Menu Planning 11-16-15

My heart breaks for Paris and Beirut.  When think of Paris I am reminded of a city that is kind and patient to foreigners which has been my experience.  I hope and wish love, peace, for safety for all in Paris and Beirut.

Kindness and understand can change the world

This weekend was fun, I went to NYC for a the KidzVuz Holiday event which is a toy and product showcase for bloggers.  Due to the events in Paris I was nervous about taking the train and going to Time Square with my daughter. I love taking my daughter every year to this event.  This year I decided to live by my mantra Never Live Scared so my daughter and I went to NYC.   After 911, I flew 11 days after on 9/22 with my family.  The point of a terrorist is to instill terror, I have to live and not give into the terror.   I feel it is important to share persistence and love of life with my children.

My daughter understood what happened in Paris, because she was watching the TV with me when the reports came on.  When we  on the train she showed me her earrings she told me it was in support of the victims.  I thought how thoughtful even a 10 year old can understand the impact.

 

eiffel towern earring from stella and dot

More on my trip- I love eating when in NYC because even the inexpensive restaurants are good, make sure you order the fresh cooked food.  The reason is because it is really hard to get a restaurant to survive in New York City with so much competition and the ablity for people to leave reviews if your food is bad you are gone.   My daughter and I stop by a little deli  she had a BLT and I had a Gyro both were fresh sandwiches with fries and the cost with 2 drinks $18.00.   What a great deal.

I also made Pulled Pork Mac n’ Cheese this past weekend will Pulled Pork on top.   I had a small pork roast 1.7 lb too small to make a fresh roast and I did not feel like cutting it into chops stuck it frozen in the slow cooker for a few hours with a can of broth, shredded it and tossed in BBQ sauce.  I also had left over Pasta from a dinner during the week.  I made a cheese sauce mixed the pasta, I had some small pie trays baked the mac n’ cheese for 30 min.  I add the pork and more cheese on top broiled till golden.  Yummy,  it was an unplanned meal I would do again.

Pulled Pork Mac n Cheese

Menu Planning

Those week my my son starts swim team which means he will be exhausted and hungry. He gets to swim 3 hours a day for high school swim team exhausting right.. I don’t think I could do one lap. The meal plan this week must be hardy.

Monday: Perogies and Kielbasa

Tuesday: Chicken and Rice

Wednesday: Fish Asparagus and Couscous

Thursday: Sausage and Peppers with Homemade fries

Friday: Pizza

Saturday : Fend for yourselves night

linking up to

Organizing Junkie Meal Planning Monday

Motivation Monday

 

Cooking

How to Budget Meal Planning with Teens

7 Meals = $69 meal planning Family 4 with Teenagers

Budget Meal Planning with Teens: Times are tight for all of us.  Meal Planning is one of the best ways to save money.  I have been meal planning for years, I found that many people who shared their meal plans online had a different family than I did.  I have Teens and Preteens –  lets face it 4 hamburgers is not enough to feed a family of 4 with growing over 6ft boy..   I just could not relate to feeding my family on $50 a week ?   They  were not in the world I lived in.

I do however feed my family well on a budget.  I can do 7 dinner  with leftovers for about $70.   No one leave hungry. My husband is the envy of his coworkers for have amazing left over lunches,  while his coworkers heat up their Frozen TV dinners.

Check out my post on Tips for Menu Planning on a budget with Teens.

So this is what meal planning looks like when you try to fees your family on a budget for the weeks of Sept 27, 2015:

Budget Meal Planning with Teens:

  • Sunday : Pork Chops (4 for 4.85) , 3 heads broccoli ($2.00) , and 3 cup dry  Rice ($1.79)  (I make extra rice for fried rice later in the week) =$8.61
  • Monday :  Easy Roasted Chicken  12 thighs ($7.00), Butternut  Squash 2 (3.50 3.5 lb ), Salad (2.00) (tomatoes= garden, onion,  Pantry, peppers .50)  (left overs)=$12.50
  • Tuesday: Fried Rice (Left over from Sunday), with low sodium spam (2.50), left over broccoli, 2 egg (.52 for 2 eggs), Mushrooms 1. 50, Carrots.50 onion .50 corn starch = $ 5.52
  • Wednesday: Fish (5.99) and couscous ($2.59)  with asparagus  (2.99)=$11.57
  • Thursday: BLT  (Summers Tomatoes), Turkey Bacon ($1.66 a pound sale), Lettuce, Avocado ($1.50), Bread $1.25  6 Potatoes homemade french fries (1.50) =  $5.91
  • Friday: Enchiladas,  (left over chicken if any, ground chicken Meat $2.57), Cheese 1.99, Large can Of Enchilada Sauce ($2.59), Corn Tortillas $2.09) = $9.24
  • Saturday: Family choice- Make it and forget soup (I use chicken, mirpox, and noodles on the side- cost about $7.00) or chili $10.00

7 dinners  = 69.92   ($2.49 per person per meal w/ left overs)

Please note I live in the suburbs outside Philadelphia.  Food is not cheap here the cost of living is higher than other areas of the country.   I mainly shop at Aldi, Shoprite,  and my Local Produce Market/Outlet  with watching the sales at  Pathmark, Acme and Giant (which I might go to if they have an amazing sale) .   The prices I use reflect my Area.

Come back next week to see how I save next week Budget Meal Planning with Teens .

Be sure to check out my Post on 16 must have food items for 25 meals:

16 Must have Food Items for $38 to make different 25 meals

Link up to Motivation Monday and Organizing Junkie.

 

Cooking

Meal Planning

mushrooms

This past weekend was fun.   We when to an orchard and a car show,  I can’t wait to share you my photography from the past week. This week is a almost a full week of school, yes Wednesday is a Jewish Yom Kippur.   Next week is a full week of school.  Last night,  I sent the night working with my son on his Spanish test.  I think by the end of him taking this class, I am going to be fluent in Spanish.  It is going to be a long and grueling 2-4 years,  because he has to learn how to spell the words.  Clearly not a strong point of his  and or mine so learning in a second languages will be fun not.

Rigatoni_Pie_1_013_0011

 

This is the Three Cheese Italian Rigatoni Pie I made last week from One Little Project. My husband said he preferred the pie over lasagna.

 

Rigatoni_Pie_1_013_0011-2

Meal Planning Menu Planning:

Monday: Crust-less quiche

Tuesday: Spaghetti  with homemade meat sauce

Wednesday: London Broil, baked Potatoes, squash

Thursday:  Sausage and Pepper

Friday: Taco Night

Linking up with Organizing Junkie  and Motivation Monday

Have a great week.

 

Cooking

Meal Planning

mushrooms

Meal Planning ideas: The 2nd week back to school for the kids and they are already off 2 days for the Jewish holidays. This week feels like Fall is settling in. The breeze is coming.  I already went to my first High School Game in our town to watch my sons friends do an amazing job in the Marching band.   This past week I made Split Pea soup with an amazing ham bone I got from am Family Picnic.  Yummy leftovers to enjoy and freeze for later.

Meal Planning Ideas

Monday: Perogies and kielbasa

Tuesday:  Chorizo Sausage and Rice

Wednesday: London Broil, squash and potatoes

Thursday: Fish Bake

Friday: Pizza

Linking up with Organizing Junkie and Motivation Monday