cooking up a storm

First off….

Thank you so much for dropping by yesterday and sending Sean and I some love.  Really.  It was so nice and at the end of dinner, Sean said, “read me the comments off your blog!” (since he doesn’t have the luxury of checking the blog in between laundry cycles, as I do) and we had a fantastic time going through them.  It really meant alot to us. Thank you. Thank you.

It made me cry just reading them, because I am hormonal  my day.

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So…..

I have been in the kitchen! Cleaning out the pantry has proven a challenge, but one that allows me to get creative and have some fun!  Thanks for all that have joined in!

*****SAVINGS ALERT!!  Strawberries (16 ounces) are just .77 cents right now******

Here are just a few pics of the participants pantries.  We have dozens of people participating (lots are camera shy), which means there will be money saved everywhere!!:

April:

Amber:

Roxanne:

Elma: (and PS…I almost DIED when Elma sent me this. Look at her vintage PYREX!)

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I have had a few people email and mention some of the foods they are trying to make from their pantry and most with great success, so keep up the good work, ladies!! Please send me any recipes you feel would be helpful and I will forward them like it’s HOT!!

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While trying to clear out my pantry and make meals for the family, Mary and I decided to get together and do some bulk cooking.

What do you need?

Yummy ingredients……check:

 

Bare feet and baby on hip……double check:

Sassy apron (thanks JJ) that you can find HERE and own forever!:

Some disposable baking tins (I found 3 for a buck at the DOLLAR TREE):

And get to cookin!

We made two casseroles–and for those of you who aren’t big on casseroles….well…..no dice.  I love em’ and am convinced that they make a belly happy, so, sorry.  I DO think that you can make them healthy if you want to substitute ingredients, but like they say…moderation is key, so only have one slice (of ooey gooey goodness).  And seriously….WHO can turn away a slice of Burrito Casserole?  Even Mary’s husband (who is a chef) requests that one.  It’s too yummy.

Just don’t light things on fire like we did… (yep. thats the recipe we burned. oopsie) :

All in all, I went home with 6 meals to rotate and had a great time with a friend.  Try it!

If you want the recipe for Burrito Casserole, email me/comment and I will send it your way.  The other recipe we made was from our favorite Pioneer (and no, I don’t mean Martha.  She’s soooooo 2008).  

It’s YUMMO and worth trying.

Have a fantastic Tuesday and I will be back tomorrow with some bits and bobs.

Rachel

 

Frugal Francine Domestic Challenge Reminder

**I have been asked about the produce and how I can only spend 10 bucks a week–1.)I look for the stores flyers in the mail and buy whatever produce is on sale and use that.  We (and Miss K too) are not picky with which fruits and veggies we will eat AT ALL and so eat any/all.  2.) We also have an orange/avocado tree in the backyard (which i think is starting to sprout again) and TONS of canned peaches, pears, oranges, pineapples that we have stockpiled, not to mention loads of frozen veggies we have accumulated. Eventually I will have to up the produce cost, but until we have used all our canned/frozen stuff, we will buy what is on sale and use what we have.  3.) SPROUTS and Trader Joes usually has some really good deals (3 tomatoes for 1$, good price on green beans, peppers,broccoli etc) and we also buy big fruits and cut them up (watermelon and cantaloupe is CHEAP right now and it lasts for awhile).  SPROUTS has great deals on leafy greens and veggies.  I have found that my daughter MUCH prefers veggies and fruits to starch (bread, sandwiches, crackers), so the produce cost will eventually have to go higher because we will peel through what we have quickly.**

Start your engines–

The challenge begins today, so get creative and start depleating your pantry.

Thanks to those of you who have joined and who have sent me pics of your pantries!  If you still want to play along, join in and read what its all about HERE.

Let’s get cooking!

*I will be posting more about the challenge on Tuesday with pics and some recipes/ideas*

Frugal Francine’s Domestic Challenge #1

I was struck by a comment my dad made on THIS post.

He mentioned not buying food until everything in the fridge is used.

So, I got to thinking.

How many times do I give in and go to the store to “stock up”, when my pantry and shelves have tons of food sitting there, waiting for me?  Basically, its laziness getting the best of me.  Wastefulness.  Laziness.  Pick one of them.  Or both.

Mary (my friend) and I were talking the other night and decided to do something about this domestic epidemic. We are going to create a challenge of sorts for anyone who wants to join us.

We are going to use what we have on our shelves BEFORE we go and buy more food.  CONCEPT!

GASP.

There are a few exceptions.  We will buy veggies for the week (I have a limit of $10.00 a week for produce), and will also buy dairy and poultry (my limit is $15.00 for the week).  I know that doesn’t seem like enough, but you’d be surprised how inexpensive produce can be–and GOOD too!  I will use coupons for the cheese, eggs, milk and meat.

Other than that, we are going to see how long our pantries will take us.

Here is a picture of Mary’s pantry:

 

And here is mine:

 

(hmmm…..who do you think has the nicer camera and knows how to work it?!  haha!)

If you want to play along, leave a comment or email me and we can exchange recipes and tips for making it happen.  It will be a great way to use what we have, reduce waste and save our families money!

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I’m thinking that Frugal Francine will bring new and fancy DOMESTIC CHALLENGES from time to time.  Join me (I mean, her).