03/13/2012

meal plan

I am officially a huge fan of Bountiful Baskets. Not only do I have a surplus of fruits and vegetables in my fridge right now, but I also don’t find myself buying the same produce every time I go to the grocery store.  I also love that each week it is a surprise of what I am going to get in my basket, so it makes me think out of the box when I am planning meals for the week. This week I got a bunch of delicious vegetables including sweet peppers, poblano peppers, asparagus, kale, romaine, green onions, carrots and cucumbers. Fruit wise I got half a pineapple, mangoes, apples, bananas and oranges. I plan on using half of the poblanos to make this salsa (thanks Erica!) and the other half for the braised pork on Saturday.

On the menu tonight, quiche, which I have been craving the past few days. I am a big fan of brinner.

Monday- Butternut Squash Stew w/ Ground Turkey and Salad w/ cucumbers, peppers

Tuesday- Quiche w/ Bacon, Kale and grilled asparagus

Wednesday- Homemade Pizza

Thursday- Orange Chicken w/ brown basmati rice (TJ’s)

Friday- Out

Saturday- Braised Pork w/ Green Chilies (St. Patrick’s Day!!)

Posted at 7:12 am | Permalink | Meal Plans | Comment ( 0 )

03/12/2012

weekend

It’s been quite a weekend
full of unexpected surprises, excitement (no, I am not pregnant)
and sadness all wrapped up together

I am anticipating many good things in the year to come
and Jesus is at the forefront of all of them

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  -Jeremiah 29:11

1. My produce for the week from Bountiful Baskets
2. My pup
3. Saturday lunch (chicken sausage, peppers and mozzarella pizza)
4.  Lunch for the week

 

Posted at 6:33 am | Permalink | Uncategorized | Comments(2 )

03/07/2012

keeping it real

I will be the first to admit, that sometimes dinner does not go as planned
like last night for instance
I had high hopes for my herb roasted chicken even though the previous time I attempted to make it we were having friends over for dinner and it turned out bloody and inedible and we ended up buying a roasted chicken from the store
yeah you would think I would have learned my lesson
well, long story short, strike two
again, the bird came out bloody and disgusting and it almost made me cry and throw my hands up in the air
mainly because it was going on 7:30 and hubs and I were starving
so in the words of Chef Michael Simon, “If it doesn’t work out, you can always order pizza”
thank you Chef, my husband agreed completely

Posted at 8:42 am | Permalink | Uncategorized | Comments(2 )

03/06/2012

meal plan + budget tips

I walked outside to snow falling this morning. Only in Washington, folks.

I finally got around to going grocery shopping last night, it’s been a few weeks since I really did some serious shopping. As much as I love food, I hate grocery shopping. Most times when I go I feel rushed. Thankfully last night I got home early, made dinner and then headed out with plenty of time to find the best deals. I made my meal plan for the week on Saturday so it was easy to make a list of everything I needed. I only bought items that we will use this week for meals, with a few extras like bread and cereal that will spill over to next week as well. It really helps me save $ doing it this way. Flyn and I finally got around to setting a monthly budget for groceries and I am trying my best to stick to it. To be honest, I actually really enjoy the planning part of it. Even though I have to be more careful with what I buy now, it’s not as hard as I thought it would be. There are certain items that I will still spend a little extra on like good meat, cheese, canned tomatoes, veggies and fruit and some things that I don’t mind buying the cheaper brand (canned beans, frozen veggies, etc)

A few tips I have found to helping us save $

  • don’t go to the store hungry
  • plan your meals out before you go so you know exactly what you need and don’t end up buying food that will go to waste
  • just because it says 2/$5 does not mean you have to buy 2 of them (most of the time at least)
  • bulk food bins are your friend ( I buy everything from lentils, trail mix, flour and nuts this way and save a ton of $)
  • check out the Manager’s specials (most grocery stores have them in the meat section, watch out for exp dates though)
  • shop around to find the best deal (I rarely ever go to just one store to buy all of my groceries)

How about you, any tips for making your grocery budget stretch a little further? I would love to hear your tips!

 

Monday-leftovers from Saturday Spicy BBQ Pork (I  like to use it for tacos instead of sandwiches, I just omit the BBQ sauce)

Tuesday- Herb Roasted Chicken w/ Cafe Green Salad

Wednesday-Lentil & Rice Burritos w/ leftover roast chicken

Thursday-DC/Small Group

Friday- Homemade Pizza w/ Fresh Mozzarella and Chicken Sausage (pizza dough via Bon Appetite, March 2012 issue)

Posted at 8:41 am | Permalink | Meal Plans | Comments(3 )

03/01/2012

parentals

Whew it has been a busy week here at the Sam house!
glad for some good time spent with family though
last night we had my parents over for dinner
we noshed on good food, company and played a few rounds of Monopoly Deal
on the menu..

a fresh baquette from Le Panier (my favorite French bakery in the market) w/ olive oil & balsamic dipping sauce
ceasar salad courtesy of my mom

Spinach Lasagna Rolls
these were super easy and fun to make
my only complaint, the noodles turned out a little on the dry side
maybe next time I will put more sauce on top to help keep them from doing that?
and for dessert we had Peanut Butter Pie
because what is dinner without a little peanut butter, I say

Posted at 8:15 am | Permalink | Fun Stuff | Comments(2 )

02/29/2012

cupcakes + girl talk

Cupcake dates with girlfriends are the best
sometimes you laugh and sometimes you cry even
but best of all it usually takes place over good food
or dessert in this case
I met up with my friend Lori and we went to Pinkabella
I ordered the coconut cream cheese cupcake

and of course I couldn’t leave without getting one for the road
a German chocolate for hubs

 

Posted at 9:07 am | Permalink | Fun Stuff | Comment ( 0 )

02/28/2012

mondays

Sometimes a date night on a Monday is just what you need to get the week started
hubs picked me up from the bus and offered to go out for dinner
we tried out a new restaurant  Wanta Thai
and it definitely lived up to its 5 star rating


probably the best pad thai I have had
and I’ve had my fair share
also get the crab wontons, they are bomb
oh and did I mention that if you check in on facebook when you are there you get 5% off your bill
how about you, any out of the ordinary plans this week?

 

Posted at 8:43 am | Permalink | My Favorite Restaurants | Comment ( 0 )

02/27/2012

meal plan

Monday- Out

Tuesday- Baked Potatoes

Wednesday- Spinach Lasagna Rolls, dessert?  (having parents over for dinner)

Thursday-Grilling (small group party)

Friday- Super Quick Minestrone Soup

 

Posted at 8:11 am | Permalink | Meal Plans | Comment ( 0 )

02/23/2012

thursday things

Top of the morning to ya’ll
not sure why I just decided to use a British and Southern accent all in one sentence there
my only explanation is that it’s Thursday
I realize I haven’t posted any Thursday Latelies, lately
my sincere apologies
I do have things I am thankful for this week
but instead of a cool video today, you get word and pictures
because I am that cool

1. My hot husband who I always look forward to going home too at the end of the day
2. Mittens, which without my hands would freeze off at work, no joke

3. Words With Friends, your life will never be the same
4. I just discovered The Chew with one of my favorites, Chef Michael Simon. It’s a breed between a talk show and a cooking show. Watch it, if anything I promise Chef Simon will make you laugh he is so quirky
5. Trader Joe’s Roasted Gorgonzola Crackers I have could eat a whole box of these

 

 

 

Posted at 9:00 am | Permalink | Uncategorized | Comments(2 )

02/21/2012

meal plan

Hey there, I am sorry I have not been updating my meal plans lately, I am still doing them but I’ve gotten so spoiled using Pepperplate that I don’t ever post them on here. Let’s change that, shall we?

Monday- Beef Curry

Tuesday-Homemade Pizza w/ Chicken Sausage, Onions and this Simple Pizza Sauce (so easy and my new favorite sauce!)

Wednesday-Pork Chops w/ Brussels Sprouts and Quionoa

Thursday- Tex-Mex Chili

Friday- Out (hubs gone)

Posted at 11:05 am | Permalink | Meal Plans | Comment ( 0 )