Last night our family had a fun night. I decided to have an object lesson while making homemade pretzels. I used the recipe I saw on the Food Network by Guy Fieri found here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/guys-knot-for-nuthin-everything-pretzel-recipe/index.html
We all took part in adding ingredients and I let everyone pick whichever topping they wanted. They had fun raiding the spices.
The object lesson was even with the exact same dough, they made their own shapes and had choices in their toppings. It is kind of like life. We are all the same - human beings - but we all look different and make choices that can be positive (the salty pretzels turned out great) or negative (garlic wasn't a favorite of one child) but we must live with the consequences of our actions.
It can be just a moral lesson, a more philosophical or religious discussion. I hope you find this helpful.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
January Gone!
I made it through January - whew! I had some fun health issues - woke up one day with my fingers swollen up like sausages! Life can sure throw you some interesting curves. It turned out to be a reaction to something I touched. I am blaming my husband's chlorine-drenched swimming suit and have stated that this is the sign I shouldn't be doing laundry anymore, but all that happened was a box of disposable gloves ended up next to the washing machine. I got a laugh and it is all okay again.
The day I woke up with the problem was a day I was not able to use my hands very much so it was a good thing I had prepared my menu before hand. It was a night I was supposed to fix Spaghetti Pie (which was delicious the next night) but I had planned a whatever/leftover night. The family survived and we enjoyed Spaghetti Pie (recipe courtesy of my friend Cheryl which I tweaked) the next night. This is a pretty easy recipe and money saver.
Spaghetti Pie (courtesy of Cheryl Phipps)
6 oz. vermicelli (cooked, drained, and chopped) - I used thin Healthy Harvest Spaghetti
½ clove garlic, minced
¼ c butter
½ c Parmesan
1 lg. egg, beaten
1 t. dried basil
1 c. ricotta cheese or sour cream - My family doesn't like texture of ricotta, I used cottage cheese
6 oz. shredded mozzarella
Filling
1/2 pound lean ground beef - I didn't have Italian sausage so I used 1 1/4 pound ground beef
3/4 pound Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
15 1/2 oz. prepared spaghetti sauce
To make crust, combine vermicelli with next 5 ingredients. Chop the mixture and press into a 10” pie plate. I used a 9x13 pan - it made a TON
To make filling, cook ground beef, sausage, and onion together. Drain fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and heat thoroughly.
To assemble pie, spread ricotta cheese on crust. Top with filling and cover with mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 6.
The day I woke up with the problem was a day I was not able to use my hands very much so it was a good thing I had prepared my menu before hand. It was a night I was supposed to fix Spaghetti Pie (which was delicious the next night) but I had planned a whatever/leftover night. The family survived and we enjoyed Spaghetti Pie (recipe courtesy of my friend Cheryl which I tweaked) the next night. This is a pretty easy recipe and money saver.
Spaghetti Pie (courtesy of Cheryl Phipps)
6 oz. vermicelli (cooked, drained, and chopped) - I used thin Healthy Harvest Spaghetti
½ clove garlic, minced
¼ c butter
½ c Parmesan
1 lg. egg, beaten
1 t. dried basil
1 c. ricotta cheese or sour cream - My family doesn't like texture of ricotta, I used cottage cheese
6 oz. shredded mozzarella
Filling
1/2 pound lean ground beef - I didn't have Italian sausage so I used 1 1/4 pound ground beef
3/4 pound Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
15 1/2 oz. prepared spaghetti sauce
To make crust, combine vermicelli with next 5 ingredients. Chop the mixture and press into a 10” pie plate. I used a 9x13 pan - it made a TON
To make filling, cook ground beef, sausage, and onion together. Drain fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and heat thoroughly.
To assemble pie, spread ricotta cheese on crust. Top with filling and cover with mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 6.
Monday, January 11, 2010
New Year Goal #1 Meal Planning
I created this video to take you through the steps to create a family Master Menu.
Meal Panning Step-by-Step
This is how I manually used to do it but now with the software we sell (Feed 5 for 50), about 80% of the work will be done for you. Using the software is easy. You need to enter your recipes and then drag and drop them into a calendar. Then the shopping list is generated for you automatically! Go here to purchase the download:
Feed 5 for 50 Software
Good Luck!
Meal Panning Step-by-Step
This is how I manually used to do it but now with the software we sell (Feed 5 for 50), about 80% of the work will be done for you. Using the software is easy. You need to enter your recipes and then drag and drop them into a calendar. Then the shopping list is generated for you automatically! Go here to purchase the download:
Feed 5 for 50 Software
Good Luck!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
What Your Grocer Won't Tell You
* If you hate crowds and lines, shop at dinnertime (5-9 p.m.) or even later. Only 4 percent of shoppers hit the aisles between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. Least crowded day of the week? Wednesday!
* Go ahead and reach way back for the fresh milk. Everybody does.
* Coupons with a bar code are easy to scan. The other ones take an eternity.
* That star fruit has been here a lot longer than the broccoli. Familiar produce turns over more quickly than exotic things.
* The more products you see, the more you are likely to buy. That's why the aisles are so long and the milk is usually in the far corner.
* Like employees with a good attitude? Shop at chains that are employee owned. When employees have a stake in the profits, it shows in their attitude.
* The "grazers" order food at the deli, eat it as they're shopping and get rid of the wrappers before they check out. We also call that stealing.
* I'm not just selling groceries, I'm selling real estate. Look high and low - literally - for good values from smaller manufacturers who can't afford to stock their products in the eye-level sweet spot.
* We're marketing to your kids too. That's why we put the rainbow-colored cereals and other kiddie catnip at their eye level.
* Be wary of "specials". When people see signs with numbers "8 for $10!" "Limit: 5 per customer" - they buy 30 to 100 percent more than they otherwise might have.
* The baby formula is locked up because thieves resell it on the black market. Ditto for the cough medicine, smoking-cessation products, razor blades, and batteries.
* Driving your Ferrari to the Piggly Wiggly and want to avoid shopping-card dents? Park far, far away.
* You'll end up tossing 12 percent of what you buy.
Courtesy of Readers Digest. More things found at: http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/16-more-tips-from-your-grocer/article119347.html?trkid=MAG_FEB09
* Go ahead and reach way back for the fresh milk. Everybody does.
* Coupons with a bar code are easy to scan. The other ones take an eternity.
* That star fruit has been here a lot longer than the broccoli. Familiar produce turns over more quickly than exotic things.
* The more products you see, the more you are likely to buy. That's why the aisles are so long and the milk is usually in the far corner.
* Like employees with a good attitude? Shop at chains that are employee owned. When employees have a stake in the profits, it shows in their attitude.
* The "grazers" order food at the deli, eat it as they're shopping and get rid of the wrappers before they check out. We also call that stealing.
* I'm not just selling groceries, I'm selling real estate. Look high and low - literally - for good values from smaller manufacturers who can't afford to stock their products in the eye-level sweet spot.
* We're marketing to your kids too. That's why we put the rainbow-colored cereals and other kiddie catnip at their eye level.
* Be wary of "specials". When people see signs with numbers "8 for $10!" "Limit: 5 per customer" - they buy 30 to 100 percent more than they otherwise might have.
* The baby formula is locked up because thieves resell it on the black market. Ditto for the cough medicine, smoking-cessation products, razor blades, and batteries.
* Driving your Ferrari to the Piggly Wiggly and want to avoid shopping-card dents? Park far, far away.
* You'll end up tossing 12 percent of what you buy.
Courtesy of Readers Digest. More things found at: http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/16-more-tips-from-your-grocer/article119347.html?trkid=MAG_FEB09
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
I am Now Teaching Lunchtime Seminars
Free 30 Minute Lunchtime Seminars
Have you heard that children benefit tremendously from eating dinner together as a family? A recent BYU study credits family dinners with great benefits for working mothers by reducing conflict and strain from working long hours. "Parents, not just kids, benefit from time eating together”, says Jenet Jacob, an assistant professor of family science at BYU and lead author of the study.
Our company will teach your employees how to:
‘Plan Better. Shop Better. Live Better.’
Empower your employees to:
• Learn Menu Planning Skills
• Learn Shopping Strategies to save money at the grocery store
• Learn how to balance their time so they focus on work instead of what to fix for dinner
By teaching your employees that a little preparation can go a long way, our lunchtime seminars will help your employees feel less stress on the job and in turn, become more productive. This presentation is geared towards the person most responsible for the grocery shopping and meal preparation which could include anyone (women, men, married or single).
If you are looking for ways to help your employees be more successful at work and at home, please consider scheduling this valuable FREE presentation. Call Lisa at 801.836.2110 to schedule your lunchtime presentation today.
Have you heard that children benefit tremendously from eating dinner together as a family? A recent BYU study credits family dinners with great benefits for working mothers by reducing conflict and strain from working long hours. "Parents, not just kids, benefit from time eating together”, says Jenet Jacob, an assistant professor of family science at BYU and lead author of the study.
Our company will teach your employees how to:
‘Plan Better. Shop Better. Live Better.’
Empower your employees to:
• Learn Menu Planning Skills
• Learn Shopping Strategies to save money at the grocery store
• Learn how to balance their time so they focus on work instead of what to fix for dinner
By teaching your employees that a little preparation can go a long way, our lunchtime seminars will help your employees feel less stress on the job and in turn, become more productive. This presentation is geared towards the person most responsible for the grocery shopping and meal preparation which could include anyone (women, men, married or single).
If you are looking for ways to help your employees be more successful at work and at home, please consider scheduling this valuable FREE presentation. Call Lisa at 801.836.2110 to schedule your lunchtime presentation today.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
A Whirlwind Shopping Day!
Today was payday so it was time to do my twice-a-month major shopping trip. I had already taken the following steps:
Smiths
Retail total $94.04 - paid $61.86 - saved 35% - plus have $4.00 in free groceries next shopping trip plus I received a $.10 off fuel rewards up to 100 gallons
Albertsons
$73.61 Retail paid $43.15 saved 42% PLUS I received a $5.00 off your next shopping trip catalina coupon to use on my next shopping trip!
Walmart
$116.54 retail and spent $93.04 saved 21% with coupon savings
Costco
Spent $128.62 (with $12.00 in COSTCO COUPON savings)
I checked at Walmart before I shopped at Costco to get a per ounce price and these items were all better priced - EVEN if I had used coupons at Walmart.
BOTTOM LINE: I spent 1 hour preparing creating the shopping list, matching coupons and doing an inventory of my pantry/freezer. I spent 2 hours shopping and putting items away. I will now only need to shop twice the rest of the month for milk and fresh fruits and vegetables. Those trips should take less than 30 minutes total. ALSO, I have $9.00 to use at the grocery stores for other items that I may need/want.
I have 4 teenagers (ages 12, 14, 16 & 18) and will have them home for 9 days at the end of the month for Christmas break so I needed to make sure I had items for lunches and snacks. Also, many of the items I purchased will last much longer than the two weeks for the pay period.
Retail cost of my items $424.81 and I spent $326.67 saving $97.84. With 3 hours worth of work and a ton of time saved the rest of the month - I figure I just paid myself $32.61 an hour!
- My Master Menu has been planned for the month of December
- I had inventoried my Prepared Pantry to see what I needed to purchase to complete my meals for the rest of the month
- I went through my coupons to match them to items I needed
- I had made my lists for the 4 stores I was going to shop at to get the best deals possible
- I had my shopping list ready to go at 9 a.m.
Smiths
- Pasta Roni - sale price 10/$10
- Cheese-its - sale price $2.69 each and after purchasing 3 I got $3 off - PLUS I had a $1.00 off 2 MANUFACTURER'S COUPONS
- Bananas - sale price $.39 lb
- Chef-Boy-R-De Ravioli - sale price 10/$10 plus I had a STORE COUPON for $1.00 off 5
- Kroger Butter 1 pound - $.99 - in store sale price
- Cutie Oranges - $3.99 plus I had a .55 off one MANUFACTURER'S COUPON
- Stouffer's Lasagne - $8.89 plus I had a 1.00 off one MANUFACTURER'S COUPON (FOUND ONLINE) - I bought 3 and received a $4 off my next shopping trip catalina
- I also bought some Kraft colored mini-marshmallows to make some fun Christmas cookies.
Retail total $94.04 - paid $61.86 - saved 35% - plus have $4.00 in free groceries next shopping trip plus I received a $.10 off fuel rewards up to 100 gallons
Albertsons
- Cheetoes/Fritos $2.89 each paid .99 with STORE COUPON
- Tropicana OJ $3.99 each paid $2.39 with STORE COUPON
- Tillamook Brick Cheddar 2 pound brick $6.99 paid $4.99 with STORE COUPON
- Darigold Butter $2.79 paid $1.79 with STORE COUPON
- Green Giant Steamers Vegetables $2.39 paid $1.59 with MANUFACTURER'S COUPON
- Tyson Bag Frozen Chicken Breasts $6.99 paid $3.99 with a CATALINA COUPON that I received on a previous shopping trip
$73.61 Retail paid $43.15 saved 42% PLUS I received a $5.00 off your next shopping trip catalina coupon to use on my next shopping trip!
Walmart
- Purchased several small trial size items for Christmas Gift Bags I am putting together, including Blistex Lip Balm that I had a .55 off coupon for
- Purchased stocking stuffers, including Chocolate Oranges for $2.88 and I had a $1.00 off coupons
- Air Freshener
- Several medications - I had MANUFACTURER'S COUPONS as well as a MANUFACTURER'S COUPON (FOUND ONLINE)
- I purchased 1 store brand and all the rest name brands
- Gum
- Wall Calendar & small message board
- A couple of last Christmas gifts
$116.54 retail and spent $93.04 saved 21% with coupon savings
Costco
- Tillamook Shredded Cheddar
- 4 packages frozen Egg Rolls (18 count) 7.59
- Christmas gift
- Head & Shoulders
- Hot Pockets & Lean Pockets
- Cottage Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Skim Milk
- Electrasol
- Mandarin Oranges
- 5 dozen Eggs
Spent $128.62 (with $12.00 in COSTCO COUPON savings)
I checked at Walmart before I shopped at Costco to get a per ounce price and these items were all better priced - EVEN if I had used coupons at Walmart.
BOTTOM LINE: I spent 1 hour preparing creating the shopping list, matching coupons and doing an inventory of my pantry/freezer. I spent 2 hours shopping and putting items away. I will now only need to shop twice the rest of the month for milk and fresh fruits and vegetables. Those trips should take less than 30 minutes total. ALSO, I have $9.00 to use at the grocery stores for other items that I may need/want.
I have 4 teenagers (ages 12, 14, 16 & 18) and will have them home for 9 days at the end of the month for Christmas break so I needed to make sure I had items for lunches and snacks. Also, many of the items I purchased will last much longer than the two weeks for the pay period.
Retail cost of my items $424.81 and I spent $326.67 saving $97.84. With 3 hours worth of work and a ton of time saved the rest of the month - I figure I just paid myself $32.61 an hour!
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