Country Heart and Home

Menu Monday

Here is our menu for July 21st- July 27th

Monday- Italian Sausage Subs, with onions and peppers and french fries

Tuesday- Fried Chicken Salad, baked potato

Wednesday- Shrimp fried rice, egg rolls

Thursday- Broiled fish, baked potato, broccolli

Friday- hm pizza

Saturday- My grandparents are treating my mom, my dad, my younger brother, his wife, their kids, my dh, myself and our kids to dinner for our anniversaries, which are all in July,  They bought about 14lbs of shrimp and are bringing it here to our house, I have to cook it all and my mom, my sil and myself are in charge of the sides and anything else we might need for the dinner. This is their anniversary gift for us all. 

Sunday-  BBQ RIbs, potato salad, corn on the cob, cucumbers from the garden

Canning...

Slowing down an minute to blog.....

Whew!! Its been busy around here, but I guess this time of year its busy for alot of folks.

For us its been mostly time spent with the family or time working around the house in one way or another.

This past week for me its been weddings, and family cookouts over the weekend and then for the past few days I have been canning green beans. Hopefully my next couple of days will be doing just the same thing. These beans I have gotten from my great Aunt Trish's garden, actually its my pap's garden but he doesn't garden much anymore so my aunt Trish is using it this year. Pap said he might bring me another 5 gallon bucket of beans on Thursday. I am really looking forward to it, I hope it works out.

My garden is still coming along but I haven't gotten anything out of it yet except a small mess of beans and a cucumber. My green beans are starting to bloom alot now so hopefully my own garden will keep me busy with canning soon. if not I hope we have the money to buy ahead so I am able to can it all for winter.

My goal for beans is 52 qts, right now I have 18 qts and 2 pints. Strawberry season  has come and gone and I did can some strawberry jam and froze some whole for later. I am not sure of the count but I am pleased with what we got put away.

Right now the wild raspberries are in season, I will make a batch or two of jam from them as well.

It feels good to have all of those full jars staring back at me from their place on the storage shelves.

How is your gardening season and preserving comng along?

Menu Monday 7/7/08

Hey!! Remember ->this <- post? Well yeah, so I had a great plan right? Well I never got to the store to get  the rest of the meat items that I needed to complete this menu that I planned, nor does it look like I will have the funds to do so..... So looks like we are taking above said menu and are going to rifle through the freezer and see what I can come up with for meals this week!!

Luckily for me I have a fair amount of leftover side items in the fridge to work with plus some leftover meat items from the weekend that will do nicely for lunches this week!!

As far as a dinner menu goes.......

I am thinking of :

I think I may have a lb of hamburger so I think Spaghetti with hm garlic bread sounds good to.- I am actually thinking that would work well for tonights dinner.

Beef Roast - in the freezer with leftover Creamed Potatoes- from Sunday, corn- in pantry with hm rolls. - For Tuesdays dinner

 Broiled Salmon- in the freezer, with baked potatoes, spinach - in the freezer for wednesday

Thursday is our 9th wedding anniversary so hopefully I can come up with something special for that, we should have a little bit of money for that.

Friday will be hm pizza

Saturday- We are going to a wedding so dinner will be taken care of!!

Sunday-  Chicken, alfredo noodles, brussle sprouts.

For breakfasts this week, we have cereal, oatmeal and pancakes plus juice
For desserts we have leftover fruit salad, leftover peach cobbler and ice cream all from the weekend
As far as leftovers go we have leftover potato salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw, onion slaw, creamed potatoes, baked beans, sweet potato souffle, hot dogs and bbq ribs, I think most of this will be used for lunches this week.  In fact dh took a piece of leftover steak, creamed potatoes and green beans in his lunch today. All of those from last nights dinner. I have just enough green beans for youngest ds's lunch today.

So we are good and I shouldn't have to buy anything for our menu this week.

What are you having good this week?

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

Yesterday was such a busy day that I didn't get here to blog, but I did remember to call my parents yesterday at 2:04pm!! 

Yesterday, 30 Yrs ago at 2:00 pm my parents were married.

30 yrs of marriage
3 kids
7 grandkids

Yep I think they have alot to be proud of!! I know I am proud to be their daughter!!

More Blessings!!

Its Thursday so that means that my grandma and Pap came to see me and the boys today. They usually always come on Thursday and they always bring the boys a treat and me the coupons from the previous saturday's paper, needless to say we are a bit spoiled, lol loved. Today they brought us another treat, they brought a full plastic shopping bag full of fresh picked green beans!!! My Pap picked them for us out of my great aunt Trish's garden, with her permission of course, she told him to get us a mess.

Since my mother just gave me a crockpot full of cooked beans I decided to go ahead and can these. So here I set waiting for the canner to come up, so I can set the weights and start the timer.

Out of that one mess of beans, I got 4 qts and 1 pint.

I love home canned goodies!! I feel a little better going into winter when you can look at the shelves and see all those full jars starring back at you!! I hope to be able to can many more jars of veggies before fall!!

I wish I could update you with a canning total but I need to check the shelves first, maybe next time.

Feeling the love!!!

What a blessing!!

My mom called me and asked me to come over yesterday when she got home from work, my great aunt had given her some fresh green beans and my mom snapped and cooked them and gave me a crockpot full!! Mmmm that was so sweet of her!

Then on top of that she gave me some leftovers from when we had dinner there on Saturday with her and dad and my younger brother and his family, then she gave me some other stuff from the freezer and pantry.

So all in all I came home with

Fresh cooked green beans
leftover chicken tenders for the boys from Saturday
1 large can of  Ravioli- not something we eat alot of but my dad thought it was something else when he bought it and he doesn't like Ravioli so they passed it along to us
2 cans of frozen orange juice  concentrate- again they didn't care for it so they passed it along
1 bottle of salad dressing- my grandparents gave it to my parents its not something they would eat as its a vinegrette type dressing but those are my favorites so I was happy to get it!!

What a blessing!!!

Menu Monday

Now that I posted my shopping list and budget plans I guess I should  post my menu.....

This is our list for the next 18 days, I realize that is an odd number but that is the amount of meals I needed to get me through the bills that are coming up until my next big shopping trip. I will still have to buy a few odds and ends like bread and milk but hopefully not a whole lot until my next big shop.

Tonights dinner is:  Fried chicken Salad ( Chicken Tenders over a huge salad) with Baked Potatoes

The rest of the menu looks like this:

Baked Chicken Pieces, mashed potatoes, green beans
Steak and cheese subs, french fries
Lasagne, hot rolls
Broiled Salmon, baked potato, spinach
Beef Roast, mashed potatoes, green beans
Spaghetti
Beef and green pepper Stirfry, over rice
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
Chicken, Alfredo noodles, broccolli
Italian Sausage Subs
Hm Pizza
Pork Chops, fried potatoes, lima beans and corn
Nachos
BLT'S
Meatball Not-Zagne

I do know for sure that on the 4th of July we are having Burgers, Hotdogs, Baked Beans, Potato Salad and the day after we are having leftover sidedishes from the 4th with BBQ Ribs.

Grocery Budget

Tomorrow is the start of a new month and I am going to do my best to keep my grocery budget in check.

I am budgeting 400.00 for the month, that includes everything and is for 4 of us.

We went shopping Sunday and spent 158.36

For 158.36 we got:

1 box of 12 frozen hamburger patties
24ct american cheese
1 pkg lunchmeat
2 lbs hotdogs
2 lbs butter
2 lbs bacon
4 lbs mozzarella cheese
1 bag frozen chicken tenders
1 bag salad mix
2 boxes spaghetti noodles
1 box microwave popcorn
2 jars horseradish
1 jar grated parmesan cheese
2 cans baked beans
1 bag tortilla chips
1 loaf of bread
4 pks of spaghetti seasoning
2 jars spaghetti sauce
6 cans green beans
1 lbs organic carrots
0.77lbs of cucumbers
3 bell peppers
1 jar nacho cheese sauce
3 pks Lipton Noodles and sauce
1 jar sesame oil
4 cans sliced mushrooms
1 gallon vinegar
2 gallons spring water
10 lbs potatoes
1 container grape tomatoes
1 pk pull ups
1 pk nighttime pull ups
3 air filters

Budget 400.00
Total Spent 158.36
Total left to spend 241.64

As for savings, I price matched the pullups they were like 9.50 or 10.50 but another store had them for 7.49 and then I used 1.50 off coupons for each pack!! In total I used 5.55 in coupons, not my best coupon day but every little bit helps!!

Out of the above listed groceries I was able to buy a few things that will not get used for this round of menus, hopefully I will be able to put those few things back and save them for stock up.

I'm back again with changes to the menu....

Since the niece and nephew aren't coming to stay the weekend and since my menu was based somewhat heavily on their favorites, dh has ask that some changes be made.....

So here is our new menu:

6/23 We had whole roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn

6/24 We had Breakfast for dinner, bacon, sausage, eggs, l/o mashed potato made into mashed potato cakes

6/25 Kielbasa, baked potatoes, spinach- I am still going to make beans of some sort for me since I don't care for kielbasa, but dh loves it

6/26 Pork chops, fried potatoes, brussle sprouts

6/27 Steak and cheese subs, french fries and probably watermelon for dessert

6/28 Treat night, dh wants to get take out and rent movies

6/29 Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, pan gravy, green beans

Wow, ya know looking at this I realize that we are having potatoes every night except one, dh must be craving potatoes, good thing they are relatively cheap, makes it good for the budget, lol

Ok so there are the changes to the menu!!

We are not getting company....

I just got an email from the stepmom that the niece and nephew have plans this weekend and then they will be out of town for the week of the 4th so I guess it will be just us!!

 I am not sure if that changes my menu or not, since all of the meals planned for the weekend were their favorites, I will wait and see what dh thinks.

It may be a weekend of cuddling our little people and watching movies, who knows. I do have a bridal shower to go to this weekend but I am betting the most of the weekend will be spent hanging out with our boys!!

Our weekend

I almost forgot to blog about our weekend, we had a good time!! We had a cookout for our oldest.  About 2 weeks ago there were all kind of graduation balloons on a  neighbors mailbox and he wanted to know what they were for, after we told him, he wanted to have a graduation party, well his kindergarten class didn't have a graduation ceremony so we decided to have a cookout, complete with water balloon battles and toasting marshmellows in the evening, he had a blast, and I am really glad we did it!! We even had a cake for him it said "Look Out 1st Grade!!! Here Comes Colby!!" He loved it!!

Our littlest one is talking alot more and  earlier this week we went out to lunch with dh's gram and she took us to Popeye's, it was really really good, Brady ate out of his lunch and mine,lol 

That evening he told his daddy all about it. When you ask him where he had lunch he smiles really big and says "Pie Pie's" (Popeye's)  and if you ask him what he ate he says "Wice" and "Beas" ( Rice and Beans)  How cute is that???

Menu Monday...

Our menu this week will be a little up in the air, I am not really sure what will happen this week but I do need a plan.

I need to get the menu made for the next couple weeks, hopefully with sale ads and coupons I can make it stretch a bit more, as money is tight right now, but of course its tight everywhere, its not just us.

I also have to take into concideration that my niece and nephew may be coming to stay the weekend. During their visits I like to have lots of homemade goodies for them and lots of home cooked meals, lots of their favorites that they don't get at home often.

So with all that in mind our menu is a little up in the air.... But here is a tenative menu.....

Monday 6/23- Whole roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, corn

* looking forward to leftovers of this meal!!! Its good for my budget.

Tuesday 6/24-  Breakfast for dinner- Sausage patties, potato cakes from leftover mashed potatoes, eggs, toast

Wednesday 6/25 - Kielbasa, baked potatoes, and Spinach I will also make red beans with rice, as I don't care for kielbasa but dh loves loves loves it!!

Thursday 6/26-If there are chicken leftovers, probably chicken and dumplings, lima beans and corn, if not, Fish Fillets, mac and cheese, brussle sprouts

 Friday 6/27 - Steak and cheese subs, french fries

Saturday 6/28- Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread

Sunday 6/29- Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans

Of course this is all speculative, its just a " this sounds good at the moment" kind of menu until I see what is what as far as weekend plans go and what is in the freezer and how much money we have for shopping!!

Whats good on your menu this week?

Menu Monday :)

Our menu plan was followed pretty well last week but we had some substitutions due to a funeral, and other things, but luckily I have plenty of stuff in the freezer that it wasn't a big deal to switch out somethings.

But here we are at a new week and I need to have a plan in place for this week. Since I have somethings left from last weeks menu, menu making this week should be a breeze.

Tonight : we are having Beef and green pepper stirfry, over rice

Tuesday: Chicken scampi over linguini

Wednesday: Fish fillets, mac and cheese, brussle sprouts

Thursday: Stuffed shells with meatballs

Friday:  Shrimp and veggie Fried Rice

Saturday: Burgers and hot dogs on the grill, chips and watermelon

Sunday: Whole roasted Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn

Menu..

Ok so I have be lax on the menu posting so I sat down last night and I have a plan in place until the 18th of June:

So far this is what we have had:

1- Beef Roast, mashed potatoes and green beans
2- Spaghetti
3- Ham, fried potatoes, eggs

Here is my menu from now till the 18th:

 4- Broiled Orange Roughy, Baked potato, Spinach

5- Lasagne, hm rolls

6- Italian Sausage subs with onions and peppers, french fries

7- Beef Kbobs, grilled veggies and either rice or baked poatoe

8- Whole Roasted Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans

9- Pancakes and sausage

10- Hot dogs, mac and cheese

11- Beef and green pepper stirfry over rice

12- Broiled Salmon, baked potato, Spinach

13- Hm Pizza

14- Burgers, french fries

15- Steaks on the grill, baked potatoe, salad

16- Crispy Chicken Alfredo with brocolli

17- Shrimp Fried Rice

18- Pork chops, fried potatoes, brussle sprouts

I finally got into the garden, and other things.......

I just couldn't take it anymore, earlier this week I planted 3 tomatoes, 4 cukes and 4 brussles sprouts, in some planter boxes I had.

Then last night dh came home and tilled a bit for me and we ended up planting 27 more tomatoe plants, 15 bell pepper plants, 4 cayenne pepper plants, and 4 jalapeno pepper plants. We also planted 4 pumpkins that our oldest planted in school and brought home as well as a bean plant that he planted at school and brough home as well, I am not sure what kind of bean but we planted it just the same!! He was rather excited!!

Then this morning I got up and went berry picking with my oldest and my dh's gram. The littlest guy stayed home with daddy as he was still asleep. We ended up picking almost 15lbs of berries before we got soaked with the big storm that blew up on us.

So my plan for today is to get some jam made!!

Hope your having a great weekend on your homesteads!!

Breathing Easier...

I need to update since my last post. Dh went to the dr, they did xrays, blood work, urine samples, etc, then sent him over to the hospital for an upper GI then back home, he was also given a shot for anti inflamitory and a prescription for pain meds as needed, He had to give a stool sample as well and then we were to wait until today for results. The results showed nothing so the dr said the pain could have been caused by a very nasty gastro-intestinal virus, but my husband is leaning more towards stress, he has a very stressfull job. We are going to work on ways to reduce his stress but in the mean time I am praising God that he is ok and nothing is seriously wrong. Thanks for reading..

Waiting...

I am waiting for my dh to call, he has had some pain in his stomach for the past couple of weeks, its getting worse and on the advice of a coworker he is having it checked out today, actually his appt was 9:45, its now 11:04 and I still haven't heard anything. The coworker seems to think that dh's symptoms are the same as he had and those symptoms turned out to be a bleeding ulcer, dh's gram has had similar pain and she seems to think that it may be a bad gall bladder so he is having it checked out. And I am waiting, waiting to hear that its fixable and he will be fine soon. Just waiting. Ok not just waiting, I am praying too but you probably already knew that.

I've done a lot of waiting the past 24 hrs, last night I spent 2 hrs waiting to see the pediatrician at the emergency clinic because my littlest guy was sick, turns out it could have been a ruptured ear drum but it has sealed itself  and he is back to his normal playful wonderful self. Thank God. The dr gave us a prescription for a pretty strong antibiotic, well I guess its pretty strong its stronger than any that he has even been on but thankfully he is better lots better than he was before we went.

Ok so that is all for now, its almost time to get my oldest on the bus so I will go but I will update as soon as I know something. Thanks for reading!!

Menu 5/19-5/26

I forgot to post my menu

Last night we had Broiled Orange Roughy, baked potato, brocolli

Tonight we are having Beef Roast in the crock pot, mashed potatoes, green beans

for the rest of the week we are having in no order

whole roasted chicken, leftover mashed potatoes, corn

Hot Turkey sandwiches, not sure of the sides yet

Fried Chicken salad

Breakfast for dinner

Homemade Pizza

Memorial Day we are having BBQ Ribs, Hamburgers, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Pound Cake with Strawberries

 
We will probably have a lot of leftovers this week but that is ok since I am low on lunch meat for dh's lunch and he can take leftovers this upcoming  week or I will  package them for the freezer for later.

Amazing Discoveries

Yesterday, the boys and I were outside, they have been cooped up for days because of all the rain so because it was nice outside yesterday and no puddles or anything laying around I let them run out some of that pent up energy.

I have to admit, I've  been pretty upset myself,  because it has been cold and rainy and I haven't been able to get into the garden, at all, I have nothing planted. Its very discouraging.  Especially when I had big plans of a huge bounty all canned up and or frozen and I have just been itching to get into that dirt .

It started with my dad who has been sick, God Bless him,  and understandably was alot later than usual getting here with the tractor to till it up for me and lay off the rows, but I understood and it was no big  deal, infact the day he came to till the garden for me I was actually still on complete bed rest and that day was the first day in over a week that I had even been outside, I had been on my back for a week and a half. My hubby went down to the garden with dad and my mom said if I thought I could manage it she thought I needed some sun since I looked pretty pale. As they  were working on the garden the PTO went out in dad's tractor after barely getting started so it was another week before he was able to come back with the other tractor to till it up. As soon as he finished laying off the rows it poured the rain and has been cold and raining practically ever since so you can see where my discouragement comes in right?.

I was feeling pretty down, here it is almost the middle of May and I still don't have a thing planted, yep I was feeling pretty low.

Then yesterday when we (the boys and I)  were outside I said to them "Let's walk down to the garden" I was hoping to go down there and see how muddy it was and see if I could possibly get some bean seeds planted later the next day after the sun and wind had more time dry up the ground and warm it up some.

When I got down there... I said "Huh!! Would you look at that!!"

I have almost an entire row of potatoes growing!!! Last year when dad tilled the garden he tilled 8 and 1/2 rows, the boys planted potatoes in the half row, the potatoes didn't do very well at all and then come fall when we tilled them up we all assumed we tilled that area up and dug the potatoes but I guess we didn't and instead of rotting in the ground during the winter the potatoes are up and growing like mad!!  I called my dad to tell him, I think he was as shocked as I was, but its a good shock!!!

So now I don't feel bad about having nothing growing in my garden, nope I don't feel bad at all infact I feel pretty happy and I think it was just the boost I needed to get me garden crazy again!! Yep, I'll be out there today seeing if its dry enough to plant anything!! Wish me luck!!