Sunday, January 9, 2011

MPM--Let It Snow, Round 3

Hello! It's not quite as crazy here as it is in some places, with school canceled before the first flakes fall. But suddenly, all the weather people can talk about is "plowable" snow. Where that term came from, I have no idea, but it's quite the word du jour.

So, I'm stocked up on milk (for hot chocolate), pet-safe ice melt, the sleds are ready, and the new-to-us Lego kit is ready to go. And while I'll be shopping the freezer this week, I also have some hunker-down food ready to go.

Monday: leftovers (chili, noodles, soup, etc.)

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (of course)

Wednesday: roast chicken (hat tip to the Tipsy Baker), salad

Thursday: leftovers/freezer meal

Friday: probably pork roast, but we'll see when we get there. I was supposed to go out that night but the event was postponed, so I'm having trouble getting over it and planning around it. I'm also still in mourning over the pizza. I need to move on.

Last week, I got in to a few new recipes. I tried this rustic cabbage soup from 101 Cookbooks. No one else in the family was interested but I really enjoyed it. It felt substantial enough for a winter meal but light enough that it didn't weigh me down. This week, I'm also trying some apple quinoa muffins (which seems like a good thing for a snowy week) and our traditional cakes for the kids who taught my son this term, which now I need to rush in before the snow. So that should be busy but fun.

And I did well on my resolutions...I froze some of the soup for Aid for Friends, I have cut down on the amount we're throwing away as opposed to recycling, and I had one of my best ever coupon/sale shops...I gave my coupons and cards at the end and watched a $185 bill go to $99. That felt good! I also used lots of what I had in the house to make a riff on Bossy's shake...usually not following a recipe exactly gives me hives but the green food (which I know, is the whole point) was mucho dinero, and I only had chocolate almond milk, but I had most of the rest of the items in my freezer and cabinets. And it was pretty good in the end. It probably wasn't the nutrition bomb it could have been but still, I was happy with it.

Finally, I'm also doing the 52 Weeks of Organizing with OrgJunkie too...week 1 for me was the computer desks, which went pretty well...one is totally clear, the other is mostly clear...it also pointed up some other spaces that need clearing so I can completely clear the desktop. The next two weeks are to take down Christmas and get it organized. We made a good start already; all the bedrooms are cleared, the outdoor tree is down (but not the front lights; the ground is still frozen so it may be a while...) and most important, I'm trying to put it away in a way that makes it easier to get out next year. Check back in November to see how it went.

So. What are you making this week? Inspire me, please! And check out OrgJunkie for the best lists around.

3 comments:

Mom24 said...

So what are your coupon tips? That's amazing!

Sorry your plans fell through. That's no fun!

Try the city chicken, my kids loved it. Good, old-fashioned comfort food.

Oonie said...

I wish I had great coupon tips but I really don't...I just got serious about paying attention to the cheapest store in the area that also doubles coupons (ShopRite). They are having their big sale now (pasta for .40/box...canned anything for .40)and I just watched like a hawk and clipped what I could. So my best score was Progresso soups at 10/$10, with a $2 off coupon. The key was really the store sale, which was a little over $40 of the savings.

brandy101 said...

I'm making a pot of rich meat sauce for pasta today b/c I thawed some long-frozen ground turkey. I'm guessing I will freeze half of it for use later in the month.

This weekend, if all goes as planned, all Xmas decor (incl lights outside) will be put away, as we have been setting MLK day as our cut-off date for the past few years.