Frugal Friday

This week was a good one for being frugal! I didn't do anything amazing...but I didn't spend either :0) I made homemade lunchables....for 9 people....so that saved us about $14. I switched from cleaning with paper towels to rags. This was a hard one for me as the kids do a lot of cleaning in chore time, so it was easier for them to use paper towels...but not as frugal...so now we use rags. I keep them in a cute container that the kids can easily get at. I did a few "make-do" things....like; I needed ice cube trays to make colored ice (the preschoolers are doing an ice theme this week, and we are going to paint with colored ice today!)...my freezer makes ice cubes, so we didn't have any, I used an egg carton. I needed crackers or cornflakes for my meatloaf...instead....I took 5 minutes and ran about a billion heel pieces of bread through my food processor and now have enough bread crumbs to use instead of cracker/cereal crumbs for a long time! I have simplified my meals by far...they are healthier and way less variety! What I mean by this is...if I buy 3 different kinds of crackers...and they eat all but a few in the bag...then we have odds and ends of crackers...but say I only buy "x" amount of the same kind of cracker...then there will be less waste and less for me to try to decide. We LOVE Ritz crackers...they work for many different kinds of treats...you can put pb on them...jelly on them...tuna, cheese...lots of different variety in ONE cracker! We also are eating fruit and veggies with every meal. To me...in my mushy mind, this is way more simple! I have been cooking more of the meals...where breakfast used to be cereal...I now cook on most days. this is more simple and frugal...and it keeps them full until lunch...hence cutting out another snack...frugal and simple! I am lovin' this! :0)

Winter Comfort Food

We love this easy and frugal recipe in the colder months! The kids have named it "Thanksgiving in a Pan"! :0)
Layer in a large pan:
cooked chicken or turkey (cut in pieces) mixed with some cream of mushroom soup
cooked corn (we always use leftover)
mashed potatoes
prepared stuffing

then bake at 350 for about 40 mins or until nicely browned and crispy on top!
We love this as it is such comfort food and reminds us of Thanksgiving! We created this recipe after Thanksgiving one year using all the leftovers. I am known at my house for putting all the leftovers in a pan, putting cheese on top, and baking it for dinner :0) Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not....LOL....but it uses up the pesky leftovers. Speaking of leftovers...what we usually do is this...we take a portion out of every meal we serve through the week and put it in a small container and freeze....then, once a week we give the frozen meals to an elderly man to cut down on his food costs. We love doing this...it helps us use the leftovers, and it helps this single elderly man not have to cook (which in my opinion is not a safe thing for him to be doing)...win win situation!! Is there someone who could use your leftovers??