And the preparations continue...

You know how you have one good day when you live with chronic pain, so you try to do everything you can't normally do? Of course you pay for it later... BUT you get that list dwindled ever so slightly! 

Yesterday was one such day. I was feeling able to ignore the lower pain levels. So we went to pick up my motorcycle that has sat dormant at my fiances for a couple months and bring it back to my place.

Its a good 40 minute drive and the rain decided to give my bike a bath... while I was driving it back. But its now where it should be. 

Then we were able to run errands that I can't find the energy to do during the week while I work. Upon returning home with groceries, I got the bright idea to start cooking and freezing meals again. Until yesterday, I had a grand total of 3 frozen dinners. Being nearly halfway through the pregnancy, I think I should really pick up my game on this...

I made 3 more dinner to freeze and one for me to eat while I cooked. I have decided that Louisiana Purchase boxed dinners suck.

Flavorless but leaving an after taste I can't quite place. *shivers* Anyhow... The dinners I made were all ones that I have been wanting to try but keep putting off. And had my kids begging to dig in to at least one of them. Which is one I'll be making again for dinner tonight. I started a beef stew in the crock pot while I cooked a pepperoni pasta dish (my kids want this one) and a beef and bean soup.

I'll include those last two recipes for you guys. I paid for my efforts in pain last night. But I'm a strong believer that it will pay off later when the baby is born or on those nights that I'm just too tired to cook after work. Tonight, I'll be starting all over again. I think I'll make some brownies while I'm at it too... 

So here are a couple recipes you might want to try. The soup one is a favorite of mine while my kids can't wait to dig into the One Pot Pepperoni Pizza Pasta. 

Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use

1 pound Italian sausage

1 1/2 cups each chopped onion and diced carrots

1 cup chopped celery (include leaves if you want)

1 tablespoon minced garlic in oil

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

5-6 cups chicken broth

1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans, drained

1 cup elbow macaroni

Place 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces with edge of cooking spoon. Remove to a plate and set aside. 

Add remaining oil to same pot; saute onions, carrots, celery, garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook 7-9 minutes or until tender; then return sausage to pot. 

Stir in broth, tomatoes, and beans. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 15-20 minutes, uncovered. Right before serving, bring soup to a full boil and add macaroni; simmer over medium, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until al dente. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. 

Substitute:

You can use ground beef instead of the Italian sausage. 

One Pot Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion

40 slices of pepperoni (or just wing it like I did)

24 oz jar of spaghetti sauce

3 cups penne pasta

2 cups of water

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 

Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet and drain excess fat.

Add some of the slices of pepperoni and spaghetti sauce.

Add pasta and water, stir and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed and pasta is tender.

Remove lid and sprinkle top with cheese and remaining pepperoni.

Broil until the cheese is lightly browned. 

Money and time saving meal planning

I really dislike shopping with my kids. It's a lot of, "Mom! I want that!", "Mom, I'm tired.", "Can we go home and play Mario Kart yet?" Or even just straight up "Waaaahhhhh" from being too tired. So I decided to plan my meals ahead. Anywhere from 2 weeks to a whole month, depending on my financial status. I have a list of meals that I know my family loves. I have a list of things we need that I've been writing as things diminish in my pantry and I know we use often.

Knowing your family and their favorites is the most important part. Knowing your schedule is another important factor. I work part time. My husband has a time-consuming Lego hobby. Plus there are the daily tasks and chores of keeping house and home schooling. On the nights I work, my husband has to do the cooking. On the nights I'm off - I pick it up. So when I'm picking meals I have to pick the easy ones for his nights alone. I also try to incorporate things we get on WIC. We get beans, brown rice, cheese, fruits and vegetables, among other things. All healthy stuff. Beans and rice are one of my easy choices for my husband to cook. He likes to add sausage and onion to it.  None of us really like brown rice. So to compromise, we mix half white and half brown. Even my kids love it. It also makes the bag of white rice stretch farther.

When I'm planning, I also check the sales and try to match my meals with them. I print coupons based on what we use and try to match them with stores sales.

So here's how you get started. And yes... It's going to take time and effort, but it pays off later.

Start by making a list. Write meals that you know you and your family eat regularly and love. Know your ingredients or list them with the meals. I keep mine in a notebook but you could use a binder. Especially with the clear page covers so you can just flip through while planning.

Step two, is knowing your budget. We know when big bills are due and plan around them. I prefer to plan at least two weeks at a time, but maybe you can only do a week per stretch. Once you know your budget, count the days and pick a dinner for each one. Throw in a couple of lazy meals. Some days you aren't going to want to cook. So make it something easy to put together or make that the take out night. Either way, writing it into your list will remind you. Then pick breakfast and lunch items to fill in. I always keep peanut butter on hand. Tuna works well too. Snack things like chips, cookies, desserts - whatever little things you need to have on hand get added to your list next.
Now if you're really on a roll and want it super organized, take it a step further and actually list the items by category i.e.- meats, frozen, can aisle, snack aisle... You get the idea? I don't often have the patience and I'm still getting used to my stores here, but sometimes I aim for the ballpark. This makes your trip easier and faster. Also organizing your coupons to match your aisles helps too.

Now the fun part (not) of shopping! Coming home, you might have a kitchen looking something like this picture.

Another thing to keep in mind is how much storage space you have around your kitchen. We are fortunate enough to have a large pantry. But we are limited in freezer space. We don’t buy a large amount of freezer foods at once. Sometimes we have to go back to the store for things like bread, fresh veggies and fruits, or more freezer items.

Sometimes when I buy onions and bell peppers, I will chop them up and keep them in the freezer. Just remember that when you pull them out to cook not to let them stay thawed. They can get a little mushy. Cooking them right away tastes better.

I hope this is helpful in getting you started on meal planning. Be sure and leave a comment on anything you think I missed! Love hearing from you all.