New Books

Please Help! I need some new books to read. I like something fun, whether that's action, murder mystery, romance, or whatever. Just nothing serious. Any suggestions?

Meal Plan Monday!

Breakfast

Apple Strudel Muffins and Oatmeal

Lunch

Mahi Mahi sandwiches/ PB & J sandwiches/ Bananas/ chips and dip

Dinner

Mon: beef and chicken empanadas w/ refried beans leftover from last week
Tues: Oven fried Chicken and Mac n' Cheese
Wed: Gnocchi w/ sausage and vodka sauce w/ italian monkey bread
Thurs: Hot Dogs w/ homemade french fries
Fri: Leftover Mac n' Cheese w/ tomato soup
Sat: Biscuits w/ sausage gravy
Sun: Dinner w/ my parents

Dessert
S'More Pie- I'm so excited about making this it looked amazing! I'll try and take pictures while I make it and the finished product.

Beautiful ONE year old Bella (pic heavy)

I wanted to post some pictures of Isabella from her first birthday dinner party last week and our trip to the Zoo this weekend. We had such a fun time! Enjoy!

Food Waste Sunday!

A day early... We are going to San Diego Zoo tomorrow not only for Valentines Day but to celebrate Isabella's First Birthday! I'm so excited! She is going to love all the animals.

Unfortunately I had completely forgotten about some leftover meat marinara sauce from when I made lasagna at the back of the fridge and so I had to throw it out. It was at least enough for one good sized spaghetti meal. I was very bummed. But on the good side of news that was all that was wasted this week. Very impressed with myself and Adam. Hopefully better next week.

Also, I was really happy with Adam and I we ate all the meals we said we would and we haven't gone over budget once yet this month. We're just barely at the middle but I am very pleased with ourselves. I have two more shopping trips left for the month and I have exactly 1/2 of my grocery budget left. I should definitely be able to stay within our budget this month.

Homemade Cleaning Supplies

I keep reading how people can make their own cleaning supplies and the idea is very intriguing to to me. So I googled. There are a load of different ways to clean one's house all while using just lemon, baking soda, vinegar, salt and a few other ingredients depending on what you want to clean.

Here are a few of the most practical and most used formulas for cleaning your home, like Great-Grandma use to do it.

All Purpose Cleaner- Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water. Store and keep.

Uses- remove water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows, bathroom mirrors, etc.

Disinfectant- Mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 cups hot water. For stronger cleaning power add 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap. Wipe on with dampened cloth or use non-aerosol spray bottle. (This is not an antibacterial formula. The average kitchen or bathroom does not require antibacterial cleaners.)

Uses- to clean the the bathroom sink or toilet bowl.

Laundry Detergent- Mix 1 cup Ivory soap (or Fels Naptha soap), 1/2 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup borax. Use 1 tbsp for light loads; 2 tbsp for heavy loads.

Uses- Doing laundry

I have a lot of cleaning supplies at my house but I think as I run through them I may just try some of these recipes and see how I like the outcome. There are so many things running around out there on the web about what a person can do to be more environmentally friendly while being frugal, now it's time to try some of them out. I got these formulas from Earth Easy www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm. Try them out tell me how you like using homemade versus bought.

My Meals for the Week 2-8/2-14

Breakfast- Oatmeal(me and bells)/ granola bars(adam)

Lunch- ham and cheese sandwiches/ leftovers/string cheese/ oranges/ chips

Dinner-
Monday- Baked potatoes topped with chili, sour cream and cheese, cornbread and salad
Tuesday- Italian sausage pizza and salad
Wednesday- Leftover chili and cornbread
Thursday- Hawaiian baked chicken and fried rice
Friday- Date Night Out for Valentines Day!
Saturday- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and tomato soup with oranges
Sunday- San Diego Zoo day! If were home in time for dinner tamales, retried beans and chips

Dessert- leftover Superbowl King Cake and Birthday Carrot Cake

Food Waste Sunday!

We haven't been doing very well at not wasting food, but it's not as bad as it used to be. This week it was mostly produce that I didn't use fast enough. Hopefully next time I will notice before they go bad and cut it up to freeze.

Food Waste:

1/3 container Cottage Cheese
1/2 of celery
1 hard boiled egg
shredded chicken
lettuce about 2 cups

I don't have picture because I can't seem to download to my computer right now.