Pumpkin Spice Instant Oatmeal

I admit it...I buy a big box of instant oatmeal at Costco every month. My kids love it, they can make it themselves..and I get to lay in bed a little bit longer on the mornings it's on the menu. (They even make it for the toddler!) I love my kids. The last couple times I have bought it, ALL of the maple and brown sugar are clumpy and we cannot break it apart. I took the first box back when I realized the problem and got another one. However the second box did the same thing. So this time they ate all the other flavors and I won't be buying more. I found a recipe online for instant oatmeal packets and did a little tweaking..and voila!! I made two big batches of two different flavors that will hopefully last us a couple weeks. (big family problems)

First things first..here is what you need! (You can put these into individual baggies- but that is not necessary and creates a lot of waste.)

10 Cups Quick cooking oats
1t salt
2 Cups brown sugar
1 Cup powdered milk
3t cinnamon
3t pumpkin pie spice

Take 6 cups of the oats and put it in a big bowl. Put the rest of the oats (2 cups at a time) in the blender and blend into a powder, i just pulse it. This is what will thicken your oatmeal and give it the instant texture we are used to. Then mix the two kinds of oats together. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together thoroughly. Put into a good air tight container.

To make: use 1/2 cup of oatmeal mixture and add hot or boiling water until you reach your desired consistency. My husband likes his oatmeal cooked in the microwave, so you can also add some water then pop it in the microwave for a minute or two until it is cooked that way.


I also made Apple Cinnamon flavor- Keep everything the same except go up to 4t cinnamon and add 3 cups crumbled dehydrated apples and omit the pumpkin pie spice.

I'm not sure of cost comparison with store bought, but I do know homemade is way better because there are less ingredients. Also, I buy everything in bulk- so the only thing I might have to go back to the store for to make more would be pumpkin pie spice.

I put my label maker to good use too ;-)

Meal Planning- Part 2- How to shop frugally! and a Giveaway!!!

In my first meal planning post I told you how I meal plan a month in advance and how that helps with our current budget. A reader asked how I shop, so I am going to try to tell you a little about that. We are members of Sam's Club; I like their prices and selection better then Costco. I usually go to Sam's to stock up on things we need there first, then go to a regular grocery store. Here is a run down of the things I buy at Sam's every few months:

Toilet Paper- every other
Dishwasher soap-every 3 months
Frozen orange juice- every other
Trash bags- every 4 or so months
Flour- every 3 months
Yeast- every 6 months
Oatmeal- every other
Canola Oil- every other
Kids gummy vitamins- every other
Vitamin C- every other
Zyrtec- every 3 months
Macaroni Noodles- every 3 months
Sliced cheese- every other
Hot dogs- every other
Random seasonings - as needed, they usually last 6 months or so.
Powdered sugar- every other

*I always buy my milk at Sams because it is usually $2 a gallon. I go there once a week and buy 4 gallons. I am super good about going in and getting what I need and getting out. I know some people cannot do that. I don't really have a choice, I know we don't have the money for extras. 

Each month I buy a lot of the same things because I know we use them, here they are:

5lbs shredded cheddar cheese
String Cheese
Turkey lunchmeat
Smoked Sausage
Butter
3 doz. eggs (hopefully not buying these anymore)
Hot dog buns (I buy 2 packs and divide them up and freeze them)
frozen whole fryer chickens (2 in a pack)
Fruit and cereal bars
Sugar
Graham Crackers (these are $2 a box when you buy 4 and these are a great snack for the kids)
Brown sugar

The rest of our groceries I get at our local Kroger store King Soopers or Albertsons if there is a good sale. I try to stock up on things like cereal, salad dressings, beans, veggies (canned or frozen), crackers, capri suns, ketchup, mayonaise, mustard and stuff like that. When I stock up that means I am usually buying around 10 of one item at once. I have a big pantry in my basement as well as a chest freezer. I try to buy store brand cereal for about $1.50 or less a box, salad dressing for under $1 and veggies for about $.75 or less...the others are just what I deem a good price. Prices fluctuate a lot but things seem to go on good sales about once every 6-8 weeks. I also get things for our dinner meals at KS- things like cr. of mushroom soup, sour cream, pizza sauce, bacon, sausage..stuff like that.


*I buy our sandwich bread at KS because I havent been able to figure out how to make good homemade sandwich bread so I buy the store brand stuff for about $1 a loaf. This is also something I buy once a week...about 3 loaves a week is good for us. Occasionally I get lucky and check the day old section and find loaves for about $.50.  


*I do go to the store once a week and buy milk, bread, produce and eggs if we need them. I try to check the ad's and go where I can get most of those things on sale. Thankfully I don't need much when I go once a week so taking the kids with me is no big deal. And again I stick to my list! 


*Both our girls are allergic to peanuts so I order my non-GMO Soy butter from Canada on amazon.com. These run $25 for 6 jars and last about 6 months. And I buy big jars of honey from the Farmers Market every 6-8 weeks. 


*I buy my ground beef at a butcher called Ranch Foods Direct. I buy 20lb bundles so this lasts us about 5 months. 


*I just bought my own wheat grinder, so hopefully I can buy wheat berries and save more doing it that way as well as eat healthier!

Things I make myself are:


Bread for dinners
Bagels
Biscuits
Jam
Applesauce
Pickles
Apple butter
Yogurt
Laundry soap
I am going to attempt to make re-usable paper towels - right now we just use rags instead of paper towels.



*I take my grocery money out of the bank right after payday and that's all I get for 30 days so I have to make it stretch. It's a little harder to impulse buy this way. And as I said before I stick to my list; sometimes if I see something I meant to put on my list and forgot then I will go ahead and get it. I don't really use coupons anymore- only if it's a really good deal on something I was already planning on getting.

I hope this has helped you or will help you to shop more purposefully and be able to save some money.  Now I have an excellent giveaway for you!!! As you know I reference Money Saving Mom a lot! I get a lot of good ideas from her. I have a brand spanking new copy of her book up for grabs!! Here it is: 

This would make an excellent starting point for some of you just starting to budget more and watch your spending! Crystal has awesome tips for cutting spending and saving money!!




a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Sausage in a Garden

In my meal planning post found here I mention one of our dinner meals the kids like is Sausage in a Garden. This is just a cute name we gave to a very simple meal, that you may be eating at your house already! It was much easier to say sausage in a garden to the kids when they asked, "What's for dinner??" instead of telling them, sausage mixed with veggies and rice. So first you need to go buy 3 simple ingredients:

The minute rice can be replaced with any kind of rice. I buy this because I can get a huge box at Sam's for $4 and because I always forget to make the regular rice ahead of time and then when I am ready to make everything else I dont have an hour to cook the rice. So Minute rice it is!!

Next I chop up the sausage into pieces and sautee it in a pan..i do not add oil to the pan- the sausage has plenty for it to cook in.

This is about the size I chop the sausage into.

After the sausage has browned a little on both sides I simply put the whole package of frozen veggies in the pan with it and stir it around. I turn the heat to med-low and let it warm through for about 10 minutes.

While doing all this you can be boiling the water for the rice and getting that all taken care of.

*side note* I buy my 16oz packages of sausage at Sam's as well- they come in a 3 pack for $7- I keep them in the freezer until the day I need to cook them and then defrost them that morning in the fridge.

After the veggies are heated through and everything is ready you can plate it up and enjoy!!! We added applesauce as another side dish to accompany this!

Meal Planning Made Easy...

I often have other mom's asking me how I meal plan since I do so a month at a time. I do this because my husband only gets paid once a month. I like having all our meals for the month planned out and most of the shopping done to ensure that during the last week before the next payday we are not eating beans and rice! My budget for our family of 5 per month on groceries (includes tp and stuff like that) is $360 a month. That is $70 per person for 28 or so days- 3 meals a day plus snacks. Its tricky- but can be done!!

First choose what meal you want to plan first- I will start with dinner because it is the trickiest.

Next you want to go through all of your families favorite recipes...pick out 8 for the month. I swear you will be eating more then 8 dinners!!

You will eat 4 one week, then 4 more the next week...the 3rd and 4th weeks you will simply repeat the first 2 weeks dinners over again. This way you just buy double when grocery shopping and you don't have to reinvent the wheel 16 times!! And if some of your dinners are casseroles or something that can be made 2 at once, you can make one and stick one in the freezer to eat in 2 weeks!

Our family has a Friday night "pizza night" every week- and a Saturday night "breakfast for dinner" night- so that is 8 more dinners. Sunday night is leftover/sandwich night- so there are 4 more...so there you have it 28 or so meals all planned out!

Here is my example for this months dinner menu:

June 18-24

Monday- Homemade Mac and Cheese, veggies & bread
Tuesday- Enchiladas, beans, rice
Wednesday- BBQ chicken in the crockpot, bread, veggies
Thursday- Sausage in a Garden w/rice
Friday- Pizza & fruit
Saturday- Cheese Omelets, sausage & toast
Sunday- leftovers

June 25-July 1

Monday- Cheesy Pasta, veggies, bread
Tuesday- Tacos, beans, rice
Wednesday- Chicken & rice in the crockpot plus veggies
Thursday- Meatloaf, veggies, bread
Friday- Pizza & fruit
Saturday- French Toast, bacon, fruit
Sunday- grilled cheese & fruit 

July 2-8 (this part wont be our true menu because we will be camping for some of it- but if we were home this is how we would do it!!)

Monday- Homemade Mac and Cheese, veggies & bread
Tuesday- Enchiladas, beans, rice
Wednesday- BBQ chicken in the crockpot
Thursday- Sausage in a Garden w/rice
Friday- Pizza & fruit
Saturday- Cheese Omelets, sausage & toast
Sunday- leftovers

July 9-15 

Monday- Cheesy Pasta, veggies, bread
Tuesday- Tacos, beans, rice
Wednesday- Chicken & rice in the crockpot plus veggies
Thursday- Meatloaf, veggies, bread
Friday- Pizza & fruit
Saturday- French Toast, bacon, fruit
Sunday - grilled cheese & fruit 

And this brings us back to the next payday-where we will do it all over again!  Very easy peasy way to do a dinner menu for the month.

Next you will write down the ingredients from your recipes so you will know what you need for those meals. Then you will want to go through your fridge and cupboards and take inventory of what you have and what you will need.

Now for lunches I do 7 different lunches and repeat each week...same for breakfast which I explained a little better here.

An example of a week of lunches:

Monday: Soy butter & jelly sandwiches, chips, fruit
Tuesday: Leftover mac and cheese (from last nights dinner) & fruit
Wednesday: Hot dogs with fruit
Thursday: Cup of Noodles with fruit
Friday: Turkey & Cheese sandwiches, chips, fruit
Saturday: Whatever you can find
Sunday: Hot dogs and pickles

Here are some of our favorite snack ideas:

Granola Bars, yogurt, fruit bars, rice krispie treats, homemade cookies,or these homemade cookies,  fruit, string cheese

I also created this menu to keep on the wall so the kids always know what we are having for each meal- it has been  SOOO helpful because I was dealing with 3 children constantly saying whats for dinner?? whats for lunch? whats for dinner in 3 days?? (yes they asked me that!) I have a laminator so I laminated the menu and just erase and re-write each week to keep it updated!

Freezer/Bulk Cooking

I have been following along with Money Saving Mom's 4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer Challenge I haven't done it every day, but am trying to do a few a week. Last week I made homemade bagels- not for the freezer cause they didn't last long- (blog post coming soon)!! I made a triple batch of waffles and put those in the freezer, made a double batch of Amish Oatmeal, and one batch of my Cinnamon Rolls for the freezer as well! The oatmeal and cinnamon rolls I make to the point of being baked, then cover them good and put them in the freezer- they will still need to be cooked. Yesterday I made Granola Bars for the first time! YUMMY! Both my girls have an allergy to peanuts so ALL store bought granola bars are a no-no. The kids loved the homemade ones and we plan on making these a staple in our house!!

Here is the recipe:

• 4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup raisins

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well.(I ended up using my hands.) Stir in chips & raisins. Press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan- I would use 2 next time because they were pretty thick in one. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes; cut into bars. Cool completely in the pan before removing. I then put them in baggies in groups of 3 for the kids. If I had Saran Wrap I would have wrapped then individually. 

Meal planning to keep your food budget LOW! Part 1

I wanted to take few minutes to share some of my meal planning tips to help you see how I keep my food budget as low as possible. We spend on average $360/month on food, pet stuff, and things like toilet paper and soap. For a family of 5 I think this is pretty good. We recently became Sams club members- so a few things I can get there for a good price if no one else has it for a ROCK BOTTOM price. (toilet paper, milk, eggs, orange juice...) Here is a typical breakfast menu and some notes about it:

Monday: Eggs in a Basket   
When I make eggs in a basket i just take the middle out of the bread with my fingers and butter both sides of the bread and cook in my cast iron skillet. Then i either put the egg straight in or scramble it up a little first depending on how the person likes their eggs cooked.

Tuesday: Cereal (we buy 4 boxes per month- they are allowed 1 box a week- I never pay more than $2 per box)
Wednesday: Bagels 
Thursday:Amish Baked Oatmeal (I make this the night before & stick it in the oven when I wake up- I get up 45 minutes before the kids for my quiet time)- don't forget to put the milk in it when it's time to eat it- it's too dry to eat like normal oatmeal!
Friday: Waffles 
Saturday: Cinnamon rolls
Sunday: Cinnamon rolls- makes 12 so we always have enough for both days.

I get my milk at Sam's since it's $2/gal...if another store happens to have it lower than that a particular week I will buy it there. I try really hard to get my eggs for $1/dozen (hopefully the chickens will start laying soon so we wont have to buy these anymore) Cereal I usually buy generic unless I have a good coupon matched with a good sale and try to pay $1-$1.50/box. I buy my oats when on sale usually from the bulk bin by the pound or at Sams. I buy orange juice when on sale at the grocery store- otherwise I buy frozen concentrate at Sam's - it comes with 6 in a package and we use 1 a week.  My bread I was getting at our Orowheat Bread outlet- but lately have found better bargains by going to King Soopers and shopping the day old rack- last weekend I scored 4 loaves of whole wheat bread for $.59/each. I left 2 out for this weeks lunches and threw 2 in the freezer. Oh and the sausage well I usually just buy the little banquet links when on sale for $1/box (I usually stock up about 10 at a time) I know they are not the healthiest but my kids LOVE them and they are easy!
So those are our breakfasts, if you have any questions leave it in the comments section- I would love to hear from you!

Sara