Week 1, Day 6

Breakfast: brown rice cereal for the kids and leftover tapioca for me - really not that different from cereal, not terribly filled with sugar.  Jason stayed home sick and had a egg burrito.

Lunch: PBJ's with veggies - it varies by kid, but pickles, mandarin oranges,  etc.  Only Dai finished her lunch.  Jason had a bean and rice burritos or two.  I had leftover tamale pie - but it was almost 2 by the time I got to eat so I was very tempted to grab fast food on the way home from school.  Looking back I am very glad I didn't.

Dinner: Creamed onions (Jason made them and said they were too much effort so he will never make again but I love them!), leftover pumpkin (made with balsamic and not that awesome so I threw the rest out after dinner), cornbread (leftovers from day before and we finished it up though I did have to take off the bottom part) and bean and rice burritos with all the fixings.  The missionaries came for dinner.  I made brand new rice and beans yesterday but Jason was nervous that because we had guests we would finish them all - we didn't even come close.  We did however, eat all but one tortilla.  Luckily he can get more at the Costco near his work.

I used $13 of the grocery money to get Jason Walborne.  Jason also dranks loads of tea - so glad I had it on hand.

Week 1, Day 5

Breakfast: Cressida had brown rice cereal.  Jason had cold cereal to finish it up after we went to church.  The rest fasted.

Lunch: Cress had a bagel with cream cheese.  The bagel was from Sister Seamons, whose brother works at a bakery and gives her day olds to hand out on Sunday.  Jason had a burrito with leftover beans. The rest fasted.

Dinner:  Tamale pie and salad.  We had lemon zinger iced-tea.  Jason had tamale pie as a kid but I don't think that I had.  I thought it was good, but Jason wished it had more zip.  Cress and Phyllis weren't huge fans of the topping - Jason's same complaint when he was a kid.  I made southern corn bread but it didn't cook quite right and burned to a crisp on the bottom before the inside was done.  I have made it before but the batch then wasn't as thick.  I just can't locate that recipe.  It is my favorite cornbread.

I got four recipe books from the library.  Makes me want to branch out and try new things.  

Week 1, Day 4

Breakfast: Breakfast burritos, eggs and cheese.  Dai reminded us about rice.  Cress had rice - she doesn't like burritos.  I ate two persimmons (the squishy kind) and Dai and Jason had a banana. Jason had coffee and I had Roma with cream - twice.

Lunch: turkey stew that I made from last night but it was bland so we added salt and pepper to our bowls.  Then I added more slat and poultry seasoning to the rest in the crockpot and put it back on to heat.  I had a Diet Dr. Pepper.

Snack: Cold Stone Creamery ice cream - used our gift cards

Dinner: turkey soup, sliced homemade bread, leftover salad (only enough for two) and the pumpkin I made last night and Phyllis ate one of last night's meatballs with rice.  We made lemon zinger ice-tea. Turkey soup is all gone.  We had milkshakes, except Cress who chose not to finish.

Tomorrow is fast Sunday so less need for food.

Shopped at Nob Hill for Almond Milk - $4.  Total $220 where I only get about $260 per pay period for groceries.  

Week 1, Day 3

Breakfast: leftover cracked wheat cereal with the fixings.  Except Cress had oatmeal since she was still asleep when we ate and we finished up the leftovers.  The leftover pancakes have mysteriously disappeared.  Phyllis ate a little bit of leftover pumpkin because she was still hungry - but she was mad that I didn't let her have applesauce instead.

Lunch: Peanut butter and honey for Dai.  Peanut butter and banana for Cress and Phyllis.  I had cream cheese.  We all had toasted hamburger buns as the bread because I had them in the freezer for a long time and hadn't made bread yet.  Phyllis and Cress split a banana and they each had a cookie from yesterday.  I had more (but don't tell.)

Dinner: Brown rice with meatballs and brown gravy.  Salad - same type as last night.  Leftover pumpkin.  I did roast some with balsamic but it wasn't done in time.  We have a lot of leftover rice so we will do that for breakfast.  It looked so nice in bowls down the table.

As a side, we are using English cucumbers - about a half per salad.  And the tomatoes are not really in season, but luckily cheap anyway if a touch green.

Grocery shopped today. Has to renew Costco membership so that took most of this pay period's grocery money but we are fine.  I went to Fresco and Costco.

         Costco

eggs	$8.29
cheese	$12.39
sour cream	$3.99
mushrooms	$8.78
mandarin oranges	$5.99
Brussel sprouts	$5.99
Costco membership	$110.00
stamps	$45.75
	$201.18
Fresco
onions	$2.00
potatoes	$3.84
boiling onions	$3.98
tomatoes	$4.45
	$14.27

With Jason's raise we are less tight so I wasn't going to itemize, but I reviewed some old entries and how it made me more accountable.  So, I did.

I am making turkey soup in the crockpot tonight.  Using homemade turkey stock and half a pumpkin, celery, carrots, onions, potatoes, turkey, seasonings.  Hope it is good.  

Homemade Vinaigrette

Phyllis loves this so I am writing it down for future reference.  It seems to be pretty popular.

3/4 c balsamic vinegar
3/4 c plus 3 T olive oil
1/4 c water
4 garlic cloves
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 t brown sugar
1 t honey
1 T Dijon mustard

I used to make a light and a regular and store them in two small pint canning jars with lids and rings, but of course not sealed.  As they got lower, I mixed them and realized that seemed so much easier - so there it is.

I also have a Caesar dressing I have made in the past that I like well - so I will give that a try again and see how it goes.  

Week 1, Day 2

Breakfast: Cracked Wheat cereal with milk and brown sugar and raising and bananas an sauteed mushrooms

I grind the wheat myself - made way too much this time but a few days ago it was too little.  Ach so! I had bananas and had some mushrooms that I was afraid would go bad if we didn't get to them so I sauteed them.  Phyllis,Cress and I ate those.  Cress woke late so she didn't have a banana.  Jason had coffee and I had Roma with cream.  

Lunch: We had scrambled egg tacos - two each, I think.  The girls say that was their idea since I was serving warmed up corn tortillas and scrambled eggs.  They did ask for cheese, but really?  What e;se you gonna do with a tortilla and eggs?  Each girl also had a string cheese.  

For lunch Jason took leftover gringa beans and tortillas.  I guess two people at his work have commented on his near professional burritos wrapping skills.  

Dinner: Bean burritos, a salad made with lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. toasted pine nuts for the salad (on the side) and homemade balsamic vinaigrette, except Dai who had store bought buffalo ranch from ages ago.  We also had iced-tea made with a loose-leaf herbal blend Nicole Tervalon gave us and sealed in teabags Lisa Hansen gave me for Christmas.  

Phyllis asked, as I was preparing to toast the pine nuts, if they could be eaten untoasted.  I said, "Yes, but they aren't as good" and she and Cress tried one - neither liked it.  After Phyllis had a big salad she asked if she could have some plain toasted pine nuts.  Since we said no, she had another big salad with nuts.  Then I divided the rest up between Cress, Phyllis and me before clearing the table.

We had bought ice-cream yesterday for after our hike, but never got to it, so we had milkshakes for dessert.  The girls had chocolate, I had blueberry (made with frozen blueberries that Tess Douglas gave us when she moved), and Jason had mint chip (made with leftover slow churn ice-cream Elise left behind when she was here in the first part of December).  Dai also made chocolate chip cookies today because she was looking for something to do.  We gave 10 to the Castros.  

Week 1, Day 1

I am still interested in what we eat.  As a nation as well as a family, but I can look at it on a family scale.  So here goes - again.I think I will also include some family favorite recipes, etc.  Of course, that doesn't mean I will never blog about food on my other blog...

Breakfast: Pancakes with maple syrup or applesauce

We use a whole wheat recipe but we also had 1.5 cups of a whole wheat mix that Tess Douglas gave us when she moved.  We used that up, too.  We have some leftovers in the fridge.

Lunch: Chicken salad and oranges

Jason used the last sandwich thin and the rest of us had crackers.  Cressida did not really like it but dad was sharing chocolate with those who finished, so she did.  Plus we were going hiking and required some fuel in her body.

Snack: Oranges and string cheese (we finished the oranges that Grandpa and Grandma Hansen gave us last Saturday from their tree)

Dinner: burritos with gringa beans and rice and all the fixings, except guacamole