Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Meal Planning Monday (on a Tuesday)

Let me just say that we are no longer participating in the All You Grocery Challenge. I've been pretty bummed about not doing it, but have been learning some timely lessons, which makes it worthwhile. (at least that's where I keep redirecting my attitude)



I am still trying to keep up with my meal planning though, because that is the true key to my food budgets. So, for this week we are eating:



Monday: Grilled Chicken, Homemade Flatbread (with red onions, green olives and aged white Australian cheese), Roasted Red Potatoes, Green Beans, Cucumber/Sour Cream sidedish, and Salad -- I was REALLY in the mood for a summer feast, but went WAY overboard, so we invited friends over :)

Tuesday: Leftovers from my compulsive Monday cooking

Wednesday: Oven-Fried Eggplant & Salad (hopefully Dave will look past the vegetarianism of this meal)

Thursday: Grab-n-Go Food -- Probably a mish mash of leftovers, cereal, and/or wontons -- We are planning to clean the church that day, so we just have to eat something quick and go

Friday: Burgers? Maybe these burgers :)

Saturday: Shepherds Pie


What are you eating?

Friday, July 17, 2009

I'm going to die

This morning I woke up and felt like I was going to die. There are days when I am convinced that something has beaten the tar out of me while I slept. (Dave denies it every time I ask him.) As my morning progressed, so did a severe stomach ache. All morning long, I have been moaning (inside my head) about how convinced I am that today will be the day I die. Oh, also, my mother called me and I wimpered on and on about how miserable I feel.

At some point during this afternoon, I recalled how Dave and I decided a few weeks ago to sponsor a Compassion Child. So I went to Compassion's website and started looking at kids from Africa. And then I really felt like I would die....how do you choose which one to sponsor? Which child deserves a chance at something different -- but at the expense of another? The button to 'Select this Child' was haunting me. I was also feeling completely shameful of my whining and bemoaning this morning. I'm such a jerk too often.

So, this is our newest family member: Esther

You can sponsor your own child, from anywhere in the world, for $38/month and provide that child with food, clean water, medical care, educational opportunities, important life skill training, and teachings about Jesus Christ by clicking here to go to Compassion.com.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Time Out

I started the Love Dare yesterday. I can say anything I want about my husband on here and he'll never find out. The man calls the internet, 'The Google.' Or, 'the devil.' It depends on the day. Anyway, Monday night, we were praying before bed, and I prayed that God would help me to love better and be slow to anger. So then yesterday, Tuesday, my Love Dare was to not say anything negative to my husband. At first, it was not so bad. I definitely found myself holding my tongue and actually thinking through what I was about to say. (and then I would think to myself, who says stuff like this or why do I think it's okay to say this???)

Then a little situation creeped up. One of those 'old, familiar' situations, where I was [mentally/emotionally] taken right back to those old, familiar feelings of bubbling anger, a tightened chest, and angst. Oh, and rage. This situation was nothing that Dave did, but one of those things that I react to by taking it out on Dave. Very unfair, I realize. As I felt the anger bubbling, I was reminded of my prayer to be slow to anger and quick to love. I was also reminded of one of the verses from my Love Dare: "See that no one repays evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and all people." 1 Thessalonians 5:15

I really want to call TIME OUT to God, throw a temper tantrum, and tell Him to leave me alone. Can't you just imagine the [stupid/waste of time] conversation:
me: God, seriously, LEAVE ME ALONE
God: but you asked me to help you be slow to anger
me: well I didn't mean it this way!
God: too bad

Yeah, that would be a great use of my time and energy. As much as it hurts to grow -- and my chest still does hurt, it's tight and feels funny to breathe........it is good to know that God cares. God cares enough to throw a stone in my path and see how I responds. It's good to know that He does not waste my time with something different, but uses the same old thing, and takes me right back to the last time we dealt with this. He always picks up where He left off, doesn't He? He doesn't ever forget....because He cares.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

I won!!!!!!!

So I started blogging again yesterday, and then I won a contest! That's great confirmation, huh?

You can read about my winning here

Thanks to Jamie -- I love her blog and use her as a scapegoat when it comes to my pantry, because mine is not as full as hers.....yet :)

By the way, dinner last night? Not spinach gnocchi -- we had tuna melts instead. And tonight? Not grilled chicken quesadillas -- we're having spinach gnocchi. But we are planning to have spaghetti tommorrow!!!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Beginning of Refining

So I'm really going to start blogging more. I am constantly asked about my couponing or budget saving tips, plus I entered the All You Challenge -- read about it here. So, for the next month, I am hoping to blog more about my deals and maybe refine my spending even more. For starters, here is my meal plan for the week:



Monday: Spinach & Bacon Gnocchi - minus the chicken and 1lb of gnocchi
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Quesadillas
Wednesday: Spaghetti (homemade)
Thursday: Wienies Creole -- don't judge me, I have 16 packs of hot dogs to use up!
Friday: Pizza (homemade)
Saturday: leftovers *subject to change
Sunday: leftovers *subject to change

Let me know if you have any tips or good recipes to try while I'm on this grocery challenge!



**Obviously subject to change in case anything happens to come up :)