2-3-14

I have been a  busy little bee this weekend.  And, yes, I am counting today as part of the weekend since I had the day off. 

Saturday we got our taxes done.  We're getting a sweet refund, thank goodness!  Then we went out and about and did some window shopping.  After we made it home I worked on clipping coupons and organized those.  Well, Michael organized them.  I worked on planning meals.  Sunday morning, bright and early, we went grocery shopping.  With sales and coupons I saved over $100.  That always makes for a happy Monica.  I got a ton of groceries too!  Why, you ask.  Because I had a plan. 

After a long day at work, I want nothing more than to come home, ring a bell and wait on my servants to bring me my dinner.  Oh wait, I don't have servants.  So, I like to make my own fast food.  You see, to paraphrase a popular line from a Barbara Mandrell song, I was into freezer cooking before freezer cooking was cool.  Yesterday I made chicken and spinach lasagna rollups, chicken pot pie soup, irish beef stew, and navy bean soup.  Today I made chicken and bean burritos, jambalaya, and three batches of turkey spaghetti.  I now have enough put in the freezer for at least 14 meals with leftovers to take for lunch the next day. 

Lasagna Roll ups

  Irish Beef Stew

Navy Bean Soup

Chicken and Bean Burritos

Spaghetti Sauce with Turkey

Sorry, I have no pictures of the jambalaya or the chicken pot pie soup. 

Not only do I have these meals in the freezer, I also have the ingredients to make a creamy garlic pasta and several different varieties of chicken and a pork chop night.  So now, no matter what I am only a few minutes away from an awesome meal, leaving me time for other stuff...like knitting.  It also helps me with portion control and not spending money on awful food choices like Burger King, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Captain D's  Zaxby's, etc.  I have had a chance this weekend to get about a third of the way through one baby blanket and got the yarn for 2 more. 

Michael wants everyone to know that he rolled each of these skeins into balls for me.  My man:  always willing to help.  He swears I work him like a house-elf, but we all know better. 
Tomorrow I have to go back to work so I can make money.  Oh to be a lady of leisure!  Until I make that happen though, I will try to content myself with being a self proclaimed Queen of the Kitchen.   

2-18-13

What an exciting weekend this has been!  I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that my husband and I are going to Boston.  He had an opportunity to get tickets to see the Red Sox play the first full week of May and that's what led to us planning tis trip.  We've known since the end of December that we would be going, but we've been waiting until we got our taxes done to actually book anything.  I am happy to report that we got our tax refund Saturday morning and we have now booked and paid for our entire trip!  We leave here on May 6 and come home on May 10 and we're staying at the Revere Hotel.  We are so stinking excited!!!!! 

We also went to see a movie Saturday morning which we haven't done in quite a while.  We saw Identity Thief with Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy.  We loved it!  It was so funny!  Sunday I planned what meals we'll have for the next couple weeks and went grocery shopping.  We came home and I premade some stuff.  Today was a State holiday so Michael and I have had the day off.  we went out this morning and got new car insurance.  I know that doesn't sound exciting at all, but trust me it is.  We're saving money and we'll no longer be doing business with Nationwide.  Win, win.  Since we've been home I've done some more cooking. 

When we decided to go to Boston, we knew we would have to try to save money so that we can afford to do everything we want to.  One of our biggest money sucks has been picking up dinner on the way home from work.  Not only is that not frugal, it's also not very healthy in the long run.   I knew I had to figure out something that would be convenient, but healthy.  I started digging around Pinterest and found a ton of recipes that i could premake and freeze.  I've been planning 2 weeks of meals and shopping the weekend after each payday.  Then the day I do my grocery shopping I cook and prepare as much as I can. 

Here is my meal plan for the next while:
Quinoa, Spinach and Mushroom salad (use less salt than recipe calls for)
Chicken and Mushroom Casserole (added one onion, thinly sliced and 1 tsp. chopped garlic)
Shrimp Pie
Pork Carnitas (don't change a single thing!  Seriously.  Don't do it.)
Baked Tilapia and Sweet Potatoes
Chicken Sandwiches and corn on the cob
Chicken Pot Pie
Quesadillas
Chicken and Apple Meatloaf (used extra lean ground turkey instead of chicken)
Chicken, Kale and Rice bake (I'm using chicken instead of smoked turkey)
Chicken in White Wine Sauce, Sauteed Kale and Sweet Potatoes

Yesterday I made the Pork Carnitas and put it in the fridge.  We'll have burritoes with it on Tuesday night.  I also made the Quinoa, Spinach and Mushroom salad for supper last night.  Michael took the chicken off of two rotisserie chickens for the Chicken and Mushroom Casserole and the Chicken, Kale and Rice bake.  Today I made the Chicken and Mushroom Casserole and the Chicken and Apple Meatloaf.   Now, all I have to do, for the most part, is heat stuff up when I get home and that definitely counts as a plus in the win column!