Why does cooking have to be so noisy?!?!

I blame it on coffee. I don't usually have much caffeine. Especially since moving from sea level to 6000 feet, caffeine seems to **really** effect me. But the coffee at church today was SO good. And the young woman who normally finishes off the pot gave up coffee for Lent. So even though I had my normal cup during Bible study... and filled up again (in my defense, our church building is pretty cold and I usually have two cups of decaf tea)... I finished the last cup while the kids and I were waiting for Daddy to finish teaching confirmation.

That's right, I haven't had caffeine in... weeks. And then I had THREE LARGE CUPS yesterday. At first I wrote today - because I still haven't slept (though I did snooze on the couch for about 20 minutes around 3).

But the things that I had hoped to do in preparation for today's big cooking day? I couldn't do them. Because they're loud. I can't pound the chicken with a mallet for the chicken fingers/nuggets. I can't be rolling out tortillas and pizza dough on our wood table because *that's* loud. Did I mention that our kitchen/living room is right over the master bedroom where my incredible husband is trying to sleep? Yeah.

So, I added to my list. I had found a couple rice mix recipes in a gluten-free cookbook I recently received, and I wanted to try them out. They're quiet to assemble, easy to walk away from when the 3 year old wakes up because she peed in her pull-up... only to find out she didn't really, but she did wake her brother who now also needs to go potty. And will you tuck me back in when I'm done, Mama?

I got 4 different rice side-dish mixes made up: Herb rice for chicken, Herb rice for beef, Beef rice, and (the one I'm really excited about) Curried rice! I just need to type up the instructions that go along with them and attach them to the little glass pint canning jars that house them for now.

Got 5 of 10 pounds of ground beef browned, the soup and stew are almost done, and the 8 cups of brown rice had the distinction of being the first things added to the freezer! Even took a picture of me and my first bag of freezer food - but Blogger hasn't returned my text to let me post it here. In time. It's a good feeling to be ticking things off the list.

Everything that needs to be done either requires making wake-up-someone-sleeping noise or needs and electric outlet (two of which are absorbed with crock pots right now). I don't want to blow a fuse (flip a switch?). So I think it's time for me to curl up on the couch and take a little more of a nap. And then when I get up? COFFEE =)

OAMC/Freezer Day Update

Just to try to keep it simple, and since I know I have some people following me from MoneySavingMom.com, I'll be updating THIS post below as the day goes along.

And, as promised, I'm cheating and have already started =)

I'll come back - probably not until it's over - and break down Saturday's shopping trip, too. I hit some AWESOME sales that allowed me to get all that I needed for March's freezer fill day, as well as a bunch of produce and extra chicken for about $120! Since my goal has been $40-50/week, under $30 rocks my socks!

Just1

If you're unfamiliar with Just1, click on this link for more information.

Free and inexpensive donation items found around the web for the week of 2/28-3/6
(Will update and add as deals are found)

Rite Aid
Satin Care Shave Gel – $1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 2/17 P&G insert
Submit for $1 Single Check Rebate
Free after coupon and Single Check Rebate

Carefree Ultra Pantiliners 16 count – $0.99
Buy 2 and use $1/2 coupon from the 1/31 RedPlum insert
$0.50 each after coupon

Suave Shampoo or Conditioner – $1.99
Use $.50/1 coupon from the 1/3 RedPlum insert
Submit for $1 Single Check Rebate
$0.50 after coupon and Single Check Rebate

Albolene Moisturizing Cleanser – $7.99
Submit for $7 Single Check Rebate
$0.99 after Single Check Rebate


Walgreens
Reach toothbrush or Floss – $0.99 after in-ad coupon
Use $1/1 printable
Free after coupons

Lindsay olives – $0.99 after in-ad coupon
Buy 2 and use $1/2 printable
$0.49 after coupon

Nivea Lip Care – $0.99 after in-ad coupon
Use Buy One Get One coupon from the 2/7 RedPlum insert
$0.50 after coupons

My first (real) attempt at a OAMC freezer-fill day

I read posts on Money Saving Mom all the time about her freezer cooking days. I'm always saying I'm going to give it a try. I even gave it a half-hearted try when we first moved here (as in, while standing among mountains of cardboard boxes).

It didn't work.

I'm good about making a double to quadruple batch of things when cooking and freezing the extras... tacos, chili, soups. But I've never really hunkered down to say I'm going to just spend all day in the kitchen.

So... I'm gonna give it a shot!

I'm in the planning stages right now, and I'll keep editing this post until I have my real menu down (and I'll do another with my prep list). If I'm being honest, I'll probably get a head start on some of this Sunday night, and there's a good chance that one or more of the "dough things" will get carried over to either Sunday night or Tuesday - since there will be a lot of breadiness going on and will have to separate wheaty from gluten-free (thank goodness for two bread machines!).

Current running ideas:
1-2 batches GF pizza dough
1-2 batches wheat pizza dough
1-2 batches brown rice tortillas (experiment with recipe below - 2 only if it works!)
1-2-3 batches wheat tortillas
1-2 Best Bread Machine Bread
1-2 baked brown rice first OAMC foods to be frozen!
Whole wheat lemon poppy seed muffins (if time allows)

Rice mixes for quick side dishes:
1 Herb Rice (chicken)
1 Herb Rice (beef)
1 Rice for Beef
1 Curried Rice all from Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids: 150 Family-Tested Recipes by Sheri L. Sanderson

Outside the all-starch-festival...
Double batch of Slow Cooker Beef Stew cooling in crock to bag and freeze
Slow cooker split pea soup ditto
2 lasagna (1 wheat, 1 GF) (meat filling was made a few weeks ago and frozen. It is thawed in the fridge, I'm using spaghetti sauce, and I've got everything else ready... just need to do it!)
1-2-3 GF Oven fried Chicken nuggets/fingers I replace crumbs with crushed rice or corn chex! (chicken breasts have been pounded and chopped and are soaking in buttermilk in the fridge - and we keep a bucket each of crushed corn and rice chex)
1-2 Sloppy Joes*
Bacon, Egg and cheese biscuit cups I'm going to make these later in the week
1-2-3 Chef Mis-Er-Ly's beefy macaroni* I made a double batch, but was enough for 3 freezer bags - so it counts as 3
1-2-3-4-5-6 pounds beef taco filling Cooling to be put away =)

*As much as I would love to put away completely finished sloppy Joes and Chef Miserly's dish, I can't claim that I'll still have the energy. I will, however, start out by browning a bunch of ground beef and refreezing it after that. At least it will be ready to grab and throw into whatever recipe needs it. Never mind =)

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 pounds ground beef, browned Done

Now to see if I have any sanity left over with which to complete this undertaking!

Looking for some photos?

This isn't necessarily a budget issue, but a friend of mine has an etsy shop where she's selling some of her photography. She's an awesome person, raising a family of 10, and a portion of all sales are going to Haiti relief efforts.

Please check out her shop!

Just1

My friend, Jenn, is starting a new blog with a humanitarian angle. The idea being, if I surmised correctly, that if you can't feel all the hungry, you can feed just one. When you're shopping for your family, you can pick up just one extra thing to donate to a food pantry or shelter.

I told her that I'd be more than happy to help collect ways in which those of us on a limited or fraying-shoe-string budget can do the same. I've left her a few comments already, but I figured I'd just compile a big list here and then link over rather than be obnoxious =) And once her site goes live, I'll happily link it, too!

(Edit - it's live!)

These are all the deals I've found this week where you can get much needed supplies (not covered by food stamps) for $1 or less - with the exception of cheap diapers that run under $3.

At Kroger affiliate stores this week
Colgate Total Whitening Toothpaste (4.2-4.6 oz) – $1.67
$.50/1 in the 1/31 SmartSource insert (exp 2/20/10) or $1/1 in the January All You
$0.67 each after coupon (Kroger stores double coupons up to $1)

At Target this week
Satin Care Shave Gel (travel size) – $0.97/ea
Use $0.55/1 or $1/1 in 2/7 P&G insert
Final Price = FREE or $0.42/ea

Johnson & Johnson First Aid Kit to Go – $0.97-0.99/ea
Use $1/1 in 1/3 Red Plum insert (exp 3/31)
Final Price = FREE

Band-aids (8-10 ct travel size, Hello Kitty & others) – $0.97/ea
Use $1/1 in 1/3 Red Plum insert (exp 3/31)
Final Price = FREE

Johnson’s Buddies Soap – $0.97-0.99/ea
Use $1/1 Johnson’s Baby in 1/3 Red plum insert (exp 3/31)
Final Price = FREE

Right Guard deodorants (trial size) – $0.99
Buy 2 and use $2/2 coupon here and here
Free after coupon

At Wal-Mart this week
Many Walmart stores have Malt-O-Meal cereals priced at $1. Use the $0.75/1 Malt-O-Meal printable coupons here, here, and here to get these for $0.25 after the coupon.

At Walgreens through 2/27
Buy 1 Crest Cavity Protection toothpaste (6.4 oz.) regularly priced at $2.29
Use the $0.75/1 coupon from the 2/7 P&G insert (expires 2/28)
Stack with $1.50/1 Walgreens coupon from the February coupon booklet available in stores (expires 2/27)
$0.04 after coupons

At CVS this week:
Buy 1 Crest Pro-Health Enamel Shield Toothpaste or Rinse at $3.50, Get $3.50 ECBs (Limit 2)
Use $2/1 Rice coupon or $0.75/1 toothpaste coupon from the 2/7 P&G insert
Free plus up to $2 overage after coupons and ECBs

Buy 1 Aussie Conditioner, Shampoo, or Styler at $2.99, Get $2 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $1/1 from the 2/14 RedPlum insert
Free after coupons and ECBs

Buy 1 Colgate Advanced Toothpaste at $2.99, Get $2 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $1/1 from the January All You Magazine
Free after coupons and ECBs

At Rite Aid this week:
Motrin–$2.99
Use $1/1 coupon in the 1/3 RedPlum insert
Submit for $2 Single Check Rebate
Free after coupon and Single Check Rebate

Halls Cough Drops–$0.99
Use $0.50/1 printable coupon
$0.49 after coupon

Dove Deodorant–$1.50
Use $1/1 Dove Deodorant coupon from the 1/31 RedPlum insert
$0.50 after coupon

Extra Soft White Lightbulbs –2 for $4.00
Buy 2 and use $3/2 in-ad coupon
$0.50 each after coupon

Huggies Jumbo Pack Diapers or Training Pants–$8.99
Use $2/1 printable Huggies Coupon or use $2/1 printable Pull Ups Coupon
Stack with $1/1 Pull Ups or Huggies Video Values Coupon from January
Submit for $3 Single Check Rebate
As low as $2.99 after coupons and Single Check Rebate


(Thanks Stretching A Buck, The Krazy Coupon Lady, Money Saving Mom, Mommy Snacks, The Thrifty Mama, For The Mommas)

Great deal on Turkey Sausage at Target

I was at Target tonight to try and fill a raincheck on some Jennie-O Turkey Store Original Turkey Breakfast Sausage Links. They were on sale about a week ago for $1.65 (regular price $3.29). They were on sale for $.82!!!! It was marked February 9 and 10 only, so there's only one more day to get in on it. But I thought I'd pass it along. I was at the Super Target in Parker - and they are giving rainchecks at this price, too (I bought the 5 they had left and got a raincheck for 5 more).