The more you go, the more you spend

     With the arrival of twins, we started grocery-shopping every other week instead of every week. It meant more planning, but it also meant less hassle and less wasting of food, which helped us save about $100 a month in food cost.
     Once we became settled into this new grocery shopping pattern, there has been almost no last-minute grocery store trip and no just-because kind of impulsive food purchase. By the end of the two-week, you can see our refrigerator becoming quite empty, and it feels great to know that we put everything to the table.
     However, when it comes to fruits and vegetables, every-other-week grocery shopping presents a challenge. I figured we can use frozen fruits and vegetables during the second week and it has been working great. Kids actually love frozen fruits more than fresh fruits! Also, since it's almost impossible to find an organic milk that does not expire until my next grocery shopping, CJ usually makes a trip to HEB in the middle of the two-week period for another gallon of milk.
     I make and pack CJ's breakfast, lunch and snack to take to his office, so there isn't really any spending on food while he is at work. Also, Elisha and I do not like eating out, so we rarely gets to eat at restaurants. All in all, we are spending a little less than $500 a month for food (without counting in twin's formula cost), but, more than the saving, I really like the simpleness and peace this every-other-week grocery shopping has brought to our family.

TAPO

Something's Got To Go

     I got sick over last Thanksgiving week. It was meant to happen. I was running on an empty gas tank for a while, and just...crashed. I have not been sleeping nor eating enough to survive the pressure of motherhood. Everyday seemed to be just way too short to take care of the four human beings living with me.
     Lying sick in bed, I decided to let go of something that has been dear to me. Cooking. Cooking everyday. I decided it is okay to feed my family a few frozen meals each week as long as they are free of harmful ingredients.
     Now that Elisha is 6 years old, homeschooling alone is a daunting task. With twins crawling and being introduced different kinds of solid food, I have been spreading myself pretty thin. I had to think over: what can I give up without compromising the quality of our lives? No more cooking EVERYDAY.
     I still cook quite a bit, but now I spend about three half-days to prepare for two-week's meals, usually right after our every-other-week grocery shopping.    

     Here is a list of what I have been doing to streamline and simplify cooking:  
1. Chop, marinate, freeze chicken thighs. I would thaw and use them to make spicy chicken with carrots and potatoes or honey glazed chicken with potatoes.
2. Marinate chicken thighs with soy sauce, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and then freeze them. I would bake/grill them in a toaster oven, and then shred the meat to add to burrito bowls.
3. Fry and freeze bacon, and add them to our Sunday sandwich lunch.
4. Make pork cutlets and freeze them. We eat them either with rice or a big bowl of salad.
5. Make burritos (baked beans, shredded cheese, bacon, egg), and freeze them. These are mostly for CJ's weekday breakfast, but they come in handy as an easy lunch menu for Elisha and me.
6. Cook a big pot of chili. This is solely for CJ's weekday lunch.
7. Bake bread pudding with lots of egg, milk, and honey. This is also for CJ's breakfast. (Yes, somebody eats A LOT!)
8. Bake, slice and freeze 2 bags of sweet potatoes. I add them to breakfast oatmeal, which makes kids gobble up their otherwise plain oatmeal.

     Here is a list of frozen food from Trader Joe's we have been trying and enjoying:
1. Meat lasagna
2. Kalbi (Korean style short ribs)
3. Organic grilled vegetable pizza
4. Tilapia cutlets

     I would love to hear what y'all homeschooling mamas are doing to feed your family well without killing yourselves.

Everyday Is a Miracle    

Chicken, Turkey, and Tilapia

A few weeks ago, I read a research article on the relationship between red meat and cardiovascular disease. Since then, C.J. and I have been trying to reduce red meat consumption and replace it with white meats and fish. This change in our diet has left us with a few challenges.
First of all, white meats tend to be more expensive than red meats. Ground turkey is $0.50 more expensive per pound than ground beef. Chicken breast is $1.00 more expensive than beef roast or rib eye. So, instead of chicken breast, we decided to go for chicken thigh, which is not only cheaper than breast, but also much more tender and jucier. We decided to pay more for replacing ground beef for ground turkey. It's better to spend more now for quality food than to pay a fortune later to treat health problems.

Secondly, I, the master chef of our household, have never cooked turkey dishes before, so coming up with a few easy turkey meal recipes was a learning experience. I had to do my own share of homework and came up with a few turkey recipes: sloppy turkey joe, tureky chili, turkey burger, turkey meatball.

Thirdly, living in the midwest, finding fresh and inexpensive fish with low level of mercury is not an easy task to do. For now, I decided to go for tilapia as I know it has the lowest level of mercury and yet delicious and inexpensive.

TAPO

$5 Dinners

Erin Chase and her blog $5 Dinners is my new-found source of healthful yet inexpensive recipes. Mary Hunt, the author of Debt-Proof Living, wrote an article about Erin and her website on Crosswalk.

Bascially, she makes delicious and healthful meals to feed 4 people in her family and she pulls off those meals for less than $5! From my own experience, it's not an impossible task to do, but I know it takes a lot of planning and organization to come up with such meals. So, Erin, thank you so much for allowing us to take advantage of your expertise for free!

New Lunch Menu

Since we got married 10 months ago, we have been cooking lots and lots of pasta for CJ's lunch. His co-workers tease him, saying 'Pasta again?!', 'Are you Italian?', and I have been feeling guilty for it for a while. Finally, after 10 months, decided to come up with something new for his lunch, and started realizing how useful a slowcooker can be.

Here are three slowcooker recipes we use for lunch, which are very inexpensive yet healthful.

I. Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup with French Bread

I love Panera Bread's broccoli cheddar cheese soup, and found this recipe online.
(source) http://www.recipezaar.com/Panera-Broccoli-Cheese-Soup-150384

SERVES 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup carrot, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.
2. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.
3. Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper. Can be puréed in a blender but I don't. Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg.

II. Chicken Soup with Noodle or Dumplings

It all started from one rotisserie chicken we picked from CostCo oneday. Simply, we couldn't finish it all, and decided to use the leftover to make a warm, hearty chicken soup.

Ingredients
Chicken - roasted or boiled chicken, any part but skin and bone
Organic chicken broth
Vegetable - celery, carrot, potato, onion (feel free to use whatevery you have)
Water
Garlic
Salt and pepper
Noodle - any kind or dumplings

Directions
1. Chop vegetable
2. Sautee onion and garlic
3. Add everything in the slowcooker and boil on high for 2 hours
4. Add salt and pepper to taste
5. Just before you serve, add noodle or dumplings to cook
(For CJ's lunch, we replaced noodle or dumplings with french bread)

III. Chili with Oyster Cracker

Our church friend Julie introduced me to this heavenly chili recipe. Thank you, Julie!

Makes approximately 6 servings

Ingredients
2 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 C celery, sliced
½ C green pepper, chopped
½ C red bell pepper, chopped
1 – 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 – 28oz. can whole tomatoes, undrained & cut up
2 – 15.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
4 garlic cloves, minced
1t cumin
2t chili powder
1t ground red pepper (such as cayenne)
1t salt
½t pepper

Directions
1. In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion. Drain.
2. Combine beef, onion and remaining ingredients. Mix well.Cover and cook in slow cooker on HIGH for 3-4 hours.