Search Results for: blog fridge friday

Black Friday’s Sweet Potato and Beef Stew

I know some people avoid going to the malls on Black Friday because it’s crowded. But apparently, there are a whole bunch of bargain seekers who do not feel the same because if they did, the malls wouldn’t be crowded. I love going shopping on Black Friday. In one fell swoop I get all the Christmas shopping done. That’s 12 kids (that includes my own as well as nieces and nephews), my husband, my mom, and my in-laws. Very rarely do I have to go shopping beyond Black Friday. Yep, I’m one of those route planning, get-up-at-the-crack-of-dawn type people. But … Continue reading →

Ask a Food Blogger: How Do You Create a Menu Plan?

I’m excited to answer my first food blogger question: I know I would eat healthier and we’d eat more meals at home if I had a weekly menu plan. But how do you go about creating one? You are correct on both counts: menu plans will help you eat healthier, stick to certain goals, and it will decrease the likelihood that you have to get take out for lack of preparation. One thing that can help with menu preparation is recipe software. Most recipe software has grocery list features as well as menu planning features. I have written before about … Continue reading →

The Importance of Menu Planning

We save more money when I practice menu planning. I have to admit that far too often, I just wing it with figuring out what is going to be for dinner, and that tends to lead to more spending, either because we decide to go out to eat, we use up the more expensive convenience foods we keep on hand for emergencies, or we ignore our pantry or fridge and have more expired food. Since one of my goals this year is to stay on track with grocery spending, I am adding regular menu planning to the list of practices. … Continue reading →

How to Make a Weekly Frugal Food Plan

Food is quickly becoming one of the biggest expenses in the average family’s budget. Attack your food budget with a weekly money-saving plan. Each day pick a task that will help you save money on your food bill. Developing a weekly frugal food plan can reduce the cost of feeding your family. Below, you can see an example of my own weekly frugal food plan. You can use it as a guideline and customize it to make it your own, so it makes sense for you and your family. Sunday Go grocery shopping with a list and coupons. Distribute bulk … Continue reading →

Have Fun During Lent

Today is the first Sunday of Lent—-the season of self-reflection and self-denial. Not exactly fun stuff, right? Compared to the raucous revelry and face-stuffing silliness associated with Mardi Gras, the solemn season can appear downright depressing. However, it doesn’t have to be. This Lent, I am trying to teach my young daughter that the season should be marked with anticipation. The 40-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and runs through Holy Thursday is typically a time when people give up bad habits and participate in prayer, penance and repentance. It’s also a time Christians are mandated to abstain from … Continue reading →

The Kitchen Saga, Part Three

Oh, the trepidation. It’s renovation week. It has finally arrived. This is the second time that we’ve renovated using contractors. The first time was when I was very, very pregnant. This time, we’re not doing much DIY simply because we don’t have the time, and delightfully, we do have the money. This is a blessing, in that we don’t need to actually do the work. This fills me with trepidation, since we’re at the whim of someone else’s abilities and schedule. Already, our final kitchen installation has been rescheduled. Everything’s going out this Friday, and it’s not coming back until … Continue reading →

Dealing With Thanksgiving Leftovers

It’s done. I have cooked, baked, served, consumed and cleaned up enough food for a small army. No matter how conservative I try to be when making a holiday dinner there is always too much food. There are just so many yummy foods to have at the holidays, and so many of them taste good mixed together that you have to have a little of everything. Now my fridge is bulging, bowls, casserole dishes, Tupperware and who can forget the pies? That’s a lot of food for two people. The really good thing is since it’s a long weekend I … Continue reading →

Adjusting Your Health and Fitness Plan

Lately I have been writing about my mid-year goals and the changes I have been making. Since my last blog my schedule has changed and I am going to make some adjustments. For my healthy eating goals I am still going to keep up my current plan of three fruits and three veggies a day. To do this I am going to buy my veggies once or twice a week. Then I will put them in those small reusable containers in the fridge already to go to take to work. For fruit I am going to have some bananas, melon, … Continue reading →

Snacking on Vegetables and Fruits

Recently I mentioned in a blog some of my mid-years goals. One of my goals was to eat three fruits and three vegetables a day. This has been going really well and has helped me to explore new foods. Previously, one of my favorite veggies to snack on was carrots. Whenever I would go to a party, I would load up my plate with carrots before I even look around at the other options. Starting with a healthy choice would make it less likely for me to eat a ton of sweet snacks later. Although I love carrots so much, … Continue reading →

A Strange Easter

What a strange Easter this has been. Not going to church Good Friday and again today for Easter Day, as it is already here in Australia, has been very odd. It makes it not feel like Easter at all, because to me Easter has less to do with chocolate, eggs and bunnies and more to do with the most amazing event in history, the resurrection of Jesus. To be here and see my husband go off on his own to church again this morning is hard. We’re so used to going to church together and sharing these special occasions together. … Continue reading →