No Postings Until Monday 5/17

Hi Everyone,
My mom is coming to town, and I want to spend as much time with her as possible! So, since the Blogging is a hobby, it is going to go for a few days! Sorry for any inconvenience (if anyone out there reads this :). Talk to you Monday!

Day #23, Grocery Store Challenge

What a fantastic and rejuvenating Mother's Day weekend I had! My husband whisked me off for the day to a small little beach town that I love! But now, it is back to the real world :) I have to say that not going to the grocery store is actually such a blessing! It is nice to not worry about it and know that each week the only thing I will be doing is heading the Farmer's Market...no packing up the baby and timing it between feedings, etc. Okay, enough rambling, tonight for dinner we are having a beautiful fresh salad (I love how all the flavors mix...plus, I love to add cilantro!) and stuffed zucchini...yum!

I know this was not on the meal plan, but I have some zucchini that I really wanted to use! I have made this before, and all I do is bake the zucchini, and then remove the inside and mix it with a little cooked bacon, sautéed mushrooms,and caramelized onions, and then put a little cheese on top and broil it...my taste buds are watering just thinking about it :)

Gone for the Day

My wonderful husband is whisking me to the coast for the day, but I'll be back on Monday!

Day #20, Grocery Store Challenge

Whew...half way there!!! Well, today we went over to the coast for the day, so I am exhausted! Looks like leftovers for dinner! Dinner last night was delicious...definitely recommend it if you like greens, or if you are in an adventurous mood :)

However, I am going to try a new recipe in the breadmachine for a quick breakfast tomorrow before my grandmother's flight: Apple Pie Bread (not sure where I got this recipe):
1 1/8 c. Milk (I only have Vanilla Soy, so that's what I use)
3 TBSP Oil (I substitute apple sauce)
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. yeast
1 large diced, peeled apple

Day #18, Grocery Store Challenge

Had a wonderful time this morning at the Farmer's Market with my grandmother and decided to pick up some swiss chard. I am going to make a take on Rachael Ray's Garlic and Oil Spaghetti with Greens. I have made it before and it's delicious, so we'll try it tonight with chard instead of traditional greens! I'm sure it will be tasty. I am also going to add some fresh tomatoes to top it off, and a great salad...yum :) I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow!

Day #17, Grocery Store Challenge

I really wanted to go to the store this morning! I was so tempted to go out and buy regular milk (we drink soy so it lasts a very long time, and we buy it in bulk at Costco) for my grandmother, but she insisted the soy was fine. Wheh...another temptation averted :) My grandmother is insisting on taking us out to dinner for the next few nights, so no new recipes...but, for lunches (since there is company, no leftovers), I baked some tasty sweet potatoes (I love to rub the skin with olive oil and kosher salt and then not wrap it in foil for a really crisp skin), and we had salad and fruit salad! Sooo good!

Day #16, Grocery Store Challenge

My grandmother came in today and I fixed a crockpot Tritip--delicious. I'm not sure where I got this recipe, but I rubbed the Tritip with minced garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, oregano, and then I put a little Worcestershire and Red Wine Vinegar over the top. Plus, we had fresh asparagus and fruit salad...yummy :)

Day #15, Grocery Store Challenge

It has been 2 weeks and we are going strong, but this week I my grandmother is coming to visit for a few days and I really want to go to the store! You know how that is...I want to stock up and make sure I have everything that she might want! But, I am going to resist this urge :) Tonight for dinner, I am going off my meal plan a little and making a "Salsa Steak." I don't really have a recipe, but at the Farmer's Market I got all the essentials to make salsa (which I really want!), but we do not have any chips! So, I am going to make the salsa, and then bake it with the salsa. We'll see how it turns out! And, let me say that I am just so blessed to have a husband who will eat almost anything :) I'll let you know tomorrow if my "Salsa Steak" was any good :)

Day #13, Grocery Store Challenge

Went to the Farmer's Market again today and only spent $6 for this week's groceries! I think it has turned in to a competition to see how little we can get away with! This week we came away with a huge bunch of Swiss Chard, green chiles, tomatoes, green onions, and grapes! We made a huge salad and had salad and homemade bread for lunch (yummy!). For dinner we are going to be eating leftover pasta from the other night with the rest of our salad!

It's so nice to know that we are being frugal with what God has given us and not living in so much excess with our food. I am really excited to see what other challenges are put before us :) Thanks for joining us on this journey!

Day #12, Grocery Store Challenge

So, today I had to make a meal for the International Students Group and it needed to be vegetarian. Since I couldn't go to the store to make my usual curry, I had to get creative! For dinner tonight is a Roasted Red Pepper Pasta dish (aka Clean Out the Fridge Pasta!). I start with a premade Alfredo sauce, and then cleaned out my veggies in the fridge (red peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant) and roasted them (I just had to make sure there were more red peppers than anything else). Now, this is not the healthiest recipe, because to the Alfredo I also added the rest of the block of cream cheese I had, and some leftover Parmesan cheese. After the veggies are roasted, I puree them in a food processor and add them to the Alfredo sauce. Turns out different every time, but always good. Plus, it allows me to clean out my fridge a little :)

Day #11, Grocery Store Challenge

So sorry about not posting yesterday...I forgot to put "Blog" on my to-do list, and I forgot to do it! Figures :) Yesterday, we had our oven baked BBQ ribs (just a little homemade BBQ sauce on some ribs) with green salad and fruit. Lots of leftovers! Tonight we were invited to dinner by my in-laws so we are going to have some Italian :) So new recipes to share for today!

But, tomorrow, I forgot that I am providing a meal for a local International College Students Group (vegetarian dishes). I normally go to the store and purchase some coconut milk and do a curry, but I can't go to the store! So, it's time to get creative :) I'll let you know what I come up with!!! Any suggestions?

Day #9, Grocery Store Challenge

Wow, nine days already :) We used the leftovers from last night (plus made a little more rice) for fried rice. Here is our "secret" family recipe for fried rice (okay, really not that secret!), but you can't really worry too much about calories when eating this!

Fry up a few slices of chopped up bacon over medium high heat. When the bacon has given up its fats, drop in green onions, and veggies (we like to use carrots, zucchini, broccoli, whatever is around). Once the veggies are a tender add a few eggs (how many is up to you!), and quickly scramble them. Add rice and soy sauce (I also like to throw in a little sesame oil too).

And there you have it folks...a quick dinner without the grocery store!

Day #8, Grocery Store Challenge

Yah! It has been a week and I have spent $8.50 on groceries! Today, I have a new recipe simmering in the crockpot, a batch of whole wheat bread in the breadmaker and brown rice in the rice cooker :) The recipe I am trying today is Sesame Chicken from the Better Homes and Gardens Slow Cook Once, Eat Twice cookbook. A basic rundown of ingredients are Chicken, Sesame Oil, Rice Vinegar, Snowpeas, Water Chestnuts, Orange Juice, and Garlic.

Well, only 32 more days :) And, like I promised, here is our meal plan for that time:

4/26 Fried Rice with Green Salad and Fruit
4/27 Oven baked BBQ Ribs with whole wheat cous-cous and Green Salad
4/28 Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Spanish Rice, and Cornbread
4/29 Leftovers
4/30 Roasted Red Pepper Whole Wheat Pasta with Green Salad and Fruit
5/1 Baked Sweet Potatoes, Cheese Pennies, Green Salad and Fruit
5/2 Asian Chicken Salad and Fruit Salad
5/3 Garlic & Oil Spaghetti with Greens, and Fruit
5/4 Leftovers
5/5 Chili Verde Pork, Brown Rice and Fruit
5/6 Swiss Chard and Tomatoe Frittata and Fruit
5/7 Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Green Salad and Fruit
5/8 Turkey meatloaf, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Steamed Veggies
5/9 Leftovers
5/10 Jerk Chicken with Roasted Veggies and Pineapple, Steamed Brown Rice
5/11 Sweet and Spicy Sesame Noodles with Shredded Jerk Chicken
5/12 Jerk Chicken Quessadillas with Slaw Salad
5/13 Spaghetti with Whole Wheat Pasta, Green Salad and Fruit
5/14 Leftovers
5/15 Artichoke Red Pepper Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
5/16 Marinated Grilled Steak, Steamed Veggies, and Fruit
5/17 Phunky BBQ Pork Pho Noodle Bowls
5/18 Rosemary Potatoe Fritatta with Fruit
5/19 Leftovers
5/20 Some kind of clean out the fridge meal!
5/21 Out of town
5/22 Out of town
5/23 Out of town
5/24 Pot Roast with Green Salad and Fruit
5/25 Lasagna Rolls with Green Salad and Fruit
5/26 Taco Soup with Cornbread and Fruit
5/27 Grilled Pork Chops, Veggies and Fruit
Now let's see if I can follow this plan :)

My Husband Cooked Today :)

It was a great day today...I didn't have to step in to the kitchen to cook OR clean all day! My husband blessed me with breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Of course, it was nothing special or fancy, but it gave me a little break. Basically, what I am trying to say is that I do not have anything to really share about my experience in the kitchen today since I wasn't in it.

And, I am still 6 recipes short of the rest of the challenge, but I WILL post my plan as soon as I finish it (hopefully tomorrow!).

Day #6, Grocery Store Challenge

It was a beautiful day here for the Farmer's Market. We loaded up on fruits and veggies and spent a mere $8.50! With all the new veggies we had a wonderful salad for lunch (almonds, strawberries, cottage cheese, snap peas, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes...the works!), and for dinner a nice stir fry.

I found this recipe for a sauce that I absolutely love: Asian Tofu Salad. I stir fried fresh veggies and chicken, made some brown rice and we had a delicious and healthy dinner! By the way, if you have never tried a recipe from EatingWell.com, I highly recommend it.

I am so excited that we have almost gone one week without grocery shopping...how exciting!

Day #5, Grocery Store Challenge

Well...today my husband and I had to run some errands after he got home from work, and I ran out of time to make dinner. So, we went to a local taco shop and had some tacos for dinner. Sorry, no exciting, cool recipes to share!

But, we did walk around Costco (we had to return a few things) and saw some great deals on the bread that my husband normally likes for his lunch. I am happy to say that we did not succumb to temptation! I am very proud of us :)

Instead, right when we got home, I started up the bread machine. I figure I can make a few loaves and freeze them...we'll see how that turns out! Since it's the weekend we are going to try some new recipes for breakfast breads (tomorrow: Apple Raisin Oatmeal bread!), and then Sunday I'll make some whole wheat bread for his lunches.

Recipe Progress

Okay, it's late and I should probably be in bed, but I was on a mission tonight. I have found everything except 7 recipes for my 40 day challenge. Yah! Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that I am going to be able to follow it :) My whole point is that once I figure out the last 7 recipes I will post it! Really, I just had to post this to show myself that this was a big accomplishment...LOL!

Day #4, Grocery Store Challenge

Today has been a great day! I got a minute to myself to flip through my new Better Homes and Gardens magazine, and found a great recipe: Pork Tenderloin (cut bite size) wrapped with zucchini spears. Since I already pulled out chicken, I decided to make zucchini chicken sandwiches (chicken sandwiched between two pieces of zucchini), with lots of fixin's (sauteed onions, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, etc.). I feel like today I actually got to be a little creative with dinner! We'll see how my husband likes it :)

I still have not visited the supermarket (okay, I am not counting Costco because there are more than just groceries there!), but Saturday morning we are going to head to the farmer's market (our first trip since the baby was born!). I am really looking forward to that. Before then, I am trying to figure out what is on the meal plan for next week...I better get a move on! I pulled out all the cookbooks, leafed through them, but got too overwhelmed to write anything down. Don't worry, I will pull myself together eventually!

Day #3, Grocery Store Challenge

I am a Rachael Ray addict...I LOVE her recipes. So today I tried one of her recipes and it is really tasty! Today for dinner is Sweet and Sour Thai Noodle Bowls.

I would say today was the toughest day so far! I went to Costco today and I am so proud of myself...NO food products! I even had store credit :) It was tough not to buy a few things (we ran out of peanut butter and trail mix), but we are going to survive! Thanks for being on this journey with us!

Day #2, Grocery Store Challenge

Luckily, I still have leftovers from this past weekend, so again, I really didn't have to do much on the creative side today :) We had leftover Beef Barley stew, with some cornbread, greek yogurt and blackberries. However, I did pull out all my recipes, and cookbooks in order to find some new recipes. I have started my 40 day meal plan, but got interrupted several times today with a crying baby.

However, one website that I had a ton of recipes printed out from and realized I really enjoyed is EatingWell.com. And, of course I haven't cracked open a cookbook in awhile--but I pulled out my favorite Paula Deen (I always keep too much butter in my fridge and freezer so I am sure I can find something in there :).

Day #1, Grocery Store Challenge

Since it's only Day #1 it was not very hard to create a meal tonight. However, one compromise that I had to make was to agree to make my husband's lunches for the entire 40 days. He likes to eat the same things for lunch everyday, and since I am messing up his routine, I agreed to be the one to get creative with his lunches. So...that is going to be another part of this challenge!

Since I am a planner (a blessing and a curse!), I am going to try to create a 40 day meal plan. I am going to look through some magazine recipes and cookbooks that I have and try to find some fun and creative ideas!

For Dinner Tonight

We had steamed artichokes, baked sweet potatoes, strawberries and steamed veggies. We aren't vegetarians but we just had quite a few veggies that were starting to go bad! Excited to see what tomorrow brings.

Challenge #1 "The Grocery Store"

As we were brainstorming, one thing I noticed was the abundance of food that we have around our home. Last year, missionaries from Haiti visited our church and we had them over for dinner. One of the things they mentioned that really hit home was that they do not have food! They could not believe that you could go into a grocery store and that food was on the shelves. They do not have any food that is in excess and not being used.

As I looked around my pantry, fridge, freezer, and kitchen, I realized how much excess food we have truly have in our home! We do not want to live in excess, and therefore, our first challenge is to not buy anything from the grocery store except for fresh fruits and vegetables. It will be quite a challenge, but I know that we can do it together!

Our journey begins tomorrow, April 19th, 2010...and we did not go out and buy a bunch of groceries this weekend :) Some of our goals for this challenge include: Save money (who doesn't want to do that in this economy?), spend more time together cooking, and be creative in the kitchen (I often get into a rut!). This is going to be a great challenge!

The Premise Behind the Blog

Our family has decided it is time for us to begin challenging ourselves to save money, become healthier and learn to cherish what we have! We decided that in order to do this, we would take steps together, as a family, by doing several "40 day challenges." We have brainstormed some ideas of different challenges including: no TV, working out together, not dining out, calling a friend or family member, praying together, etc. We will do each of these challenges for 40 consecutive days.

Each idea has a specific goal and purpose, but mainly we just want to challenge ourselves and each other! So...why 40 days? Well, in the Bible, 40 is a number that is often used for challenges and trials. This is why we have chosen 40 days.

We hope that you will join us on our journey of challenges :)