This is how I roll.....my grocery cart down the aisle.

I've been asked twice in the last week: "How do you plan your meals out for 2 weeks at a time?!?!" or "How do you get dinner ready while doing hair while taking care of the girls!?!".

Firstly, I LOVE to cook, so that really helps the situation. 

Secondly, I LOVE my crock pot, it cooks for you.

Thirdly, I LOVE my chest freezer! Stock pile that food girl!

Menu planning does take time, you may need to get a cup of coffee before you start, I usually do!

I sit down and map out my schedule, I write down the dates for the next 2 weeks, and make a notation of whats going on each day/night (busy nights are usually crockpot/easy meals.) 

Next, I'll browse pinterest for recipes, or my paprika app, or just write down some standbys. 

Here is the part where you have to really get into it!!

Try to get more than one meal out of each day!! Example: I bought 2 rotisserie chickens from Costco, and will use it in 4 meals. I have to put thought into it for sure!

Also, make double of a meal, one for dinner and one for the freezer. HUGE time saver! 

One of my favorite freezer-to-crockpot meals is this amazing bolognese sauce. It is sooooooo good! We put it on hoagies for meatball subs, its great for lasagna, I wanna lick my plate its so good. It's really big so I separate it into 4 portions. 

Okay, for real though, you really can't learn without doing. It took me a while to get a rhythm down, and sometimes (especially around the holidays) I just give up and we eat out 3 times in a week, I am human!

Here is my current menu, at the bottom there is notes on how to spread out your ingredients for multiple uses. I don't shop by coupons, rather, I plan the menu and then look for coupons. I saved $62 between the cartwheel app, target printed coupons, target online coupons, the coupons in the sunday paper, and my target red card. Two hours of work for 12 meals and a saved $62. Worth it? I'd say so.

1.Rotisserie Chicken, baked beans (big can), chips

2. Salad topped with cold rotisserie chicken, and veggies.

3. Hot Dogs, baked beans, store bought potato salad

4. Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad, veggies, chips 

5. Indian simmer sauce-Tikka Masala or Vindaloo (Costco/Target), naan, jasmine rice add half the 2nd rotisserie chicken.

6. Mac and Cheese with Hot dogs

7. Grilled Kielbasa and Pierogies -grill an extra kielbasa

8. Corn and kielbasa Chowder, and bread

9. Crockpot Bolognese Sauce (makes 3-4 batches), noodles, bread/salad-I use ground turkey

10. Sloppy Joes, tater tots, veggies/fruit (use extra ground turkey)

11. Order a pizza/Leftovers

12. "Meatball" Subs on hoagies with mozzarella, salad/chips/veggies+dip

I bought 2 rotisserie chicken at Costco, half of one for meal #1, the leftovers picked off and used for meal #2, 

baked beans from meal #1 are used in meal #3. 

The other chicken is used for meals #4 and #5. 

Leftover hot dogs from #3 are used in #6.

Grill 2 kielbasa on meal #7 and use it for meal #8

Cook an extra pound of turkey during #9 prep and save for meal #10

I bought a giant tub of mixed greens form Costco for all my salads, the chickens from there are huge too.

Ahhhh! It's been too long!

Hello,

Been a long time....
I really have no excuse other than running a house and raising children and being a wife (because these are not time consuming right?!?!?)

Lucy is one and as sweet as can be, she walks on her knees, dances to music, points to everything, says a couple words, shows off for company, CUDDLES!!!, sleeps well, eats well, loves well!

Ruby is closing in on 3 and WOW! She is a sassy pants, a creative thinker, as stubborn as a mule, smarter than she should be, a problem solver, a imaginative genius, a very little bit of a cuddler, a booty shaking dancer, and 75% horse (seriously, she neighs all day long!)

We had a busy summer full of swimming, zoo trips, cabin visits, library runs, beach bashes, plenty of picnics, park trips, backyard play dates, shopping trips, a little vacation and lots of air conditioned play due to the ridiculous heat!

My Love has been hard at work but has made plenty of time for us! He is a hard worker and the girls adore their daddy!

The house has a constant job for me: laundry, toys, crumbs, laundry, spills, papers, crayons, spilt milk, dirty sheets...
I realized I won't catch up for like 14 years or something! Oh well, such is life.

Reanna and I have have been having a lot of fun crafting. We started up "Blue bird boutique", we make headbands, hair clips, embellished onesies, lovies/taggies and bibs. It's been a great outlet for me.

Anyways, I had some coffee way to late tonight while grocery shopped and I am wide awake. I can only explore so far on the internet before I lose interest, so I landed here updating my poor neglected blog.....