Another apology

Yes, yes, I know. I'm absolutely terrible. I'm truly sorry, but things have been crazy busy (still are, for that matter), and things are in an upheaval. I hope to be back to give an overview - at least of the budget - by the end of the month. AND that would make it the end of this year! :)

Hello

I'll be back again sometime, but right now just isn't the time. Sorry.

Hello, again!

Your lackadaisical blogger is back after yet another crazy week. I should probably stop making promises that are practically impossible to keep, like, "try to do better" ... :P No promises are contained in this post! It's just a quick update:

Sunday evening we ladies of the house headed to Dickson and were gone until Wednesday afternoon-ish. We had a friend over from Tuesday afternoon until Thursday morning, and Mama and I went grocery shopping yesterday. So, the grocery budget total is now: $381.64.

This, That, and The Other

I'm a terrible blogger, I know. Life happens and I end up wanting to do anything but sit at this computer and type out menus and budgets. So I won't make any excuses - I really have none. I'll leave you with a promise to try (and more than likely fail) to do better next time. The budget? It's at a healthy $800.17!!! And finally, here's today's menu:

Breakfast: Get whatcha want

Lunch: I made Kyle and myself tortilla pizzas. We're really enjoying the fresh tomatoes! I thinly slice tomatoes, add a little fresh chopped basil, throw on some mozzarella, add pepperoni, and throw on a little more mozzarella. It's delicious!

Dinner: We had 3 pork chop left from the pack we bought a few weeks ago (I used the rest of the pack on the "stuffed" pork chops I made on Mama's birthday about a month ago.). What's a family of 6, including 1 teenage boy and another almost there, going to do with only 3 pork chops? Then it struck me! Don't use them as pork chops! So I cubed up the meat, marinated it for a while (sherry, sesame oil, white wine vinegar, honey, soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, powdered ginger), tossed it in flour, browned it, and then simmered it in the rest of the marinade (plus chicken broth, red wine vinegar, molasses, more ginger, crushed red pepper, and some cornstarch to thicken it - which I don't know that it really needed). Yeah, it made a huge mess of the kitchen, but the end result was pretty close to what I was going for, and wasn't bad, if I do say so myself! I served that on top of rice, with fried apples and roasted bell pepper and squash on the side.

Peach Pies

Breakfast: Bread pudding using some of the left over rolls

Lunch: Tomatoes and baked sweet potatoes

Dinner: A wild rice and chicken casserole of my own invention with sliced tomatoes and toasted rolls (used the rest of the left over rolls) WITH PEACH PIE FOR DESSERT!!!!!!! Best. Pie. EVER!!!!!!

A Delicious Dinner

Breakfast: Get whatcha want

Lunch: Left-overs and tomatoes

Dinner: Steak, roasted green beans, and rolls! 'Twas REALLY good! :)

A Delightful Experience

Breakfast: Get whatcha want

Lunch: Fresh tomatoes and cottage cheese and roasted green beans

Dinner: We were all gone in separate directions. I went to Nashville with friends (for a Trinity College Choir concert - it was AMAZING!!! If you get a chance to go, do so!), Claire and Kyle had practice, and the others went to Dickson for the evening.

I'm behind again

Yep, I'm behind. And I'm not going to try to remedy it all the way. I'm just going to pop in here and say that thankfully I got paid recently, and at the same time we had various, random party expenses (yes, we hosted a little get together yesterday evening -  it was loads of fun!) which brought the grocery budget down to $394.83.

PEACHES!!!

Breakfast: Blueberry muffins!!!

Lunch: Get whatcha want

Dinner: Barbecued chicken legs, roasted green beans, and Alton Brown's fingerling potatoes! T'was delicious!

WE GOT PEACHES TODAY!!!!!!!! They're SOOOO good!!!! And now all that's left of the grocery money (until tomorrow, supposedly) is $13.06. Was it worth it? Oh, yes.

A day of left-overs

We still have a bunch of left-overs in the fridge, even after yesterday.

Breakfast: Not left-overs! Bagels/get whatcha want

Lunch: Yep, left-overs

Dinner: You guessed it! Left-overs...

Let's pretend...

That Monday and Tuesday didn't happen - food-wise anyway - 'cause I don't remember much of anything. So that brings us to today. Mama and I went grocery shopping today (by the way, Aldi's has great prices on chicken this week! We were totally out of chicken, so I was delighted to find that!). The grocery total is now: $46.62. Yeah, ouch... Thankfully payday is just around the corner!

Breakfast: Get whatcha want (I'm assuming... Daddy was the only other one up when Mama and I left this morning.)

Lunch: Mama and I had Einstein's Tuscan Pesto Chicken (or something like that) and smoothies. It was all quite good, but we thought it was rather pricey.

Dinner: Cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and smoked sausage with corn on the cob on the side.

The Weekend

It's over, unfortunately.

Saturday:

Breakfast: Get whatcha want, I think; I don't really remember...

Lunch: Left-overs

Dinner: Claire and Kyle were at a gig, and the rest of us went into Dickson (Lowe's run;). We grabbed Subway while we were there.


Sunday:

Breakfast: Scones

Lunch: Cabbage, carrot, potato, and smoked sausage soup/stew, slaw, and lemon bars

Dinner/fellowship: Coffee punch (that didn't get used at the baby shower) and potato stacks (I did more or less the same thing, but I added sliced onion to the potato layers - it was good!).

Finally Friday

Breakfast: Get whatcha want

Lunch: Left-over chicken salad

Dinner: BLTs!!!

Over the last couple of days we reduced the grocery money to $695.66.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Breakfast: Eggs and English muffins

Lunch: Left-overs

Dinner: Chicken salad

Today's Thursday, which means, of course, it's cookie day! I look forward to this day all week. Today I made Chocolate Crinkles. Today's batch didn't look as nice, for some reason... Oh well, they still tasted good.

Also today, Luke and I picked some blackberries! They're just coming in, and I'm hoping to take full advantage of the many wild ones we have around us.

Wednesday's Meals

Breakfast: Get whatcha want - I think most of us chose cereal.

Lunch: Left-over pasta, pepperoni stuff

Dinner: Grilled veggies and smoked sausage and rice

Done with Tuesday

Breakfast: Get whatcha want

Lunch: Tacos

Dinner: Left-over tomato soup

Mama and I had to go into town early yesterday morning, and we picked up some things we'll need this weekend. We spent $32.26, making the total $730.94.

Monday came way too soon.

Breakfast: Blueberry muffins!

Lunch: Left-over beef hash

Dinner: Pasta, pepperoni, mushrooms, sauce... Claire threw it together.

Daddy picked up some items that were running very dangerously low (as in, we had about 4 eggs left, and maybe one onion...!). He spent $68.97, making the total $763.20.

Father's Day Weekend

Saturday:

Breakfast: Get whatcha want

Lunch: Again, get whatcha want. I was alone in the kitchen most of the day preparing for the Lord's Day, and I was too busy with that food to think about Saturday's meals...

Dinner: It was AWESOME! All of y'all who didn't get any, be jealous. Daddy grilled steak kabobs - just steak and peppers. MAN, it was GOOD!!!!


Sunday:

Breakfast: Get whatcha want

Lunch: Tomato parmesan soup, Napa cabbage slaw, scalloped turnips, and pecan pies

Dinner/Fellowship: Buffalo chicken roll... things. Supposed to be bites, but thought they would hold up better as individual rolls.

Friday - Pay Day

Breakfast: Left-over pie, smoothie, get whatcha want

Lunch: Left-overs

Dinner: I turned the left over faux boeuf bourguignon into beef hash. It's nice and versatile that way.

I also got paid yesterday, meaning the total is now $832.17.

Behind again?!

And I thought I was doing better... :/

Wednesday:

Ah, I know what happened! I was gone all morning on Wednesday; I'm not sure I got on my computer at all that day! While we were out, we spent $37.51 of grocery money, bringing the total to $382.17.

Breakfast: Get whatcha want

Lunch: Mama, Claire, and I were gone, so we picked up chicken strips, honey mustard, and Pringles at Walmart for lunch. I don't know what the menfolk had.

Dinner: Squash casserole, greens, and salad - maybe another dish, but I don't remember...


Thursday:

'Twas Mama's birthday!

Breakfast: Claire fixed an egg and greens casserole thing.

Lunch: Get whatcha want

Dinner: Stuffed/rolled pork chops, grilled garlic scapes and broccoli (bite-sized pieces, foil pouch, olive oil, salt and pepper), fried apples, baked the left-over stuffing, and cranberry sauce/gravy thing. It was a really awesome dinner! I was especially pleased since I didn't have any idea what I was going to do at 3pm. :) For dessert Claire and I fixed a couple fresh blackberry pies. Oh, gosh, that has got to be one of the best pies EVER!!!!! (The recipe is for the strawberry version; for blackberry, peach, or another type of soft fruit just substitute the appropriate jello.)