Fresh & Healthy
Fresh & Healthy: Lunch Box Meals
School lunch is ready!
Today the girls chalkboard note read “You’re the BEST!” A lot of their lunches consist of leftovers from the evening meals together as our family. They love it when they get a roast beef sandwich from the roast we had the night before or something similar.
Lunch Box Meal:
- Roast Beef & Mash Potato Sandwich
- Fresh Grapes
- Fresh Cherry Tomatoes
- Cashews
- Peach Yogurt
- Chocolate & Vanilla Oreos
- Teddy Grahams
- Reduced Sugar Orange or Fruit Punch Juice
Fresh grapes, cherry tomatoes, roast beef sandwich and more!
The girls really do eat most of the items in their lunch bags! I have found that the food I pack them hold them longer than when they eat lunches at school. Part of the reason may be because students that bring lunches get a few extra minutes to eat, plus they can eat any of the leftovers for a snack on the way to our after school activities.
Goodies are ready for the girls to packed up.
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
Groceries from Walmart & Ingles
It was a whirlwind of a week. Jake had to head to Charleston for some work meetings, but we are thankful to have him back home with us again. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Walmart Groceries:
- $8.96 at Walmart for 1 bag of Great Value Splenda Sugar Substitute, 1 bag Lindt Assorted Chocolate Truffles (FREE after coupon), and 1 jar Hellman’s Mayonnaise.
Ingles Groceries:
- $38.66 at Ingles for 6 boxes Jiffy Corn Bread Mix, 2 packs McCormick Enchilada Mix, 2 packs McCormick Chicken, 2 packs McCormick Burrito Mix, 2 packs McCormick Fajitas Marinade, 2 packs McCormick Taco Seasoning, 2 packs McCormick Chili Mix, 2 packs Chili-O Seasoning, 2 packs Chicken Marinade, 2 packs Meatball Seasoning, 1 bag Laura Lynn Potato Chips, 1 bag Laura Lynn Tortilla Chips, 2 bags Laura Lynn Sandwich Bread, 2 gallons Laura Lynn 2% Milk, 1 bag Sorrento String Cheese (sale plus coupon), 1 container Chocolate Cool Whip (marked down), 2 packs Laura Lynn English Muffins, 1 bag Rhodes Dinner Rolls, 1 box Tai Pei Orange Chicken (FREE product coupon), 1 bag Broccoli Coleslaw (marked down), 1 bag mixed Vegetables (marked down), 1 bag Yellow Delicious Apples (marked down), 1 tube All World Garlic (marked down), and 1 tube All World Sweet Basil (marked down). (Everything I purchased at Ingles was either on sale or marked down or I had a free product coupon. All the produce was marked down to 99 cents as you can see from the bright green stickers.)
This week I spent $47.62 on groceries. I went over on the budget this week. I was happy to get some produce deals and stock back up on a few items we were needing to replenish in our fridge and pantry. Hopefully next week we can come under budget and October will be a better month for us!
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!
As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Fresh & Healthy: Lunch Box Meals
Getting the school lunches ready
The biggest challenge for me when making and prepping the school lunches is finding a good variety of items for the girls to take to school. Thankfully they eat almost everything (they don’t like liver) so that makes it easier for me. Although I do have one that if she gets the same item in the lunch several days in a row she’ll stop eating it, guess she needs a little food variety to keep her excited!
Lunch Box Meal:
- Beef & Bean Burrito
- Fresh Banana
- Fresh Broccoli
- Batman Fruit Snacks
- Red & Blue Tortilla Chips
- Strawberry & Lemon Circle Crisps
- Chex Mix or Animal Crackers
- Jelly Beans
- Fruit Punch Juice
Fresh banana, broccoli, burrito and more!
The girls really do eat most of the items in their lunch bags! I have found that the food I pack them hold them longer than when they eat lunches at school. Part of the reason may be because students that bring lunches get a few extra minutes to eat, plus they can eat any of the leftovers for a snack on the way to our after school activities.
Fresh & Healthy: Lunch Box Meals
Karlie’s lunch is packed and ready to go
The girls and I try to clean out their lunches after school and homework so we can re-pack them for the next day. It is easier for our family make the lunches the night before and stick the whole lunch bag into the fridge. The mornings tend move quickly and I want them to go as smoothly as possible for everyone.
I am really excited about the girls new lunch bags from Thirty-One! They are spacious and easy to clean. The girls were SUPER EXCITED to get them! A big thanks to Jennifer Kauffman for helping me get these bags ordered and monogrammed! If you are looking for a monogrammed bag for yourself, a child, or to give as a gift Jennifer would be happy to help you.
What’s for lunch today?
Lunch Box Meal:
- Beef Stew & Jasmine Rice
- Fresh Banana Bread
- Apple Peel Confetti Crisps
- Pickles & Dip
- Batman Fruit Snacks
- Strawberry & Lemon Circle Crisps
- Spiderman Cheez Its or Grahams Bug Bites
- Peach Yogurt or Sugar Free Strawberry Jello
- Oyster Crackers
- Jelly Beans
- Fruit Punch Juice
Beef Stew, pickles & dip, homemade banana bread and more!
It has been better for our family to send our girls lunches to school. Before sending lunches a lot of afternoons the girls would come home from school starving. When I asked them what they ate for lunch they could never remember. I like knowing what they are eating and I make sure to pack enough so they can have a snack after school too since we go to after school activities every day. If they finish everything in their lunches then they can get something else to eat once we are home.
Brina’s lunch is packed and ready!
Fresh & Healthy: Lunch Box Meals
Brina & Karlie’s Lunch Bags are ready to go!
Today I have a picture of the girls packed lunch bags. These are the ones they used last year so they will look familiar to some of you. Our friends gave the girls these lunch bags for their birthday a couple years ago and we have gotten a lot of great use out of them. The girls love having their names on their individual bags and I like that when they lose the bag at school, bus, or some other random place we always get them back. There are not a lot of “Brina” and “Karlie’s” at their school so it makes it easy to identify whose bag it is.
What’s for lunch today?
The bags are showing some wear after much use but still have plenty of life left in them so we are using them some again this year. This year I am trying to rotate through the different lunch bags to keep them from getting too moist or smelly. Giving them a break helps them dry out, air out, and will help them last a little longer (hopefully) too.
Lunch Box Meal:
- Tuna Fish Sandwich
- Fresh Watermelon
- Fresh Yellow Pear Tomatoes (from our garden)
- Mott’s Plus Mixed Berry Applesauce
- Strawberry Yogurt
- Quaker Blueberry Stila or Animal Crackers
- Cinnamon Teddy Grahams
- Strawberry Fruit Stick
- Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookie or Chocolate & Vanilla Oreos
- Cubed Beef Jerky Stick (in the container)
- Berry Blast Fruit Drink
Watermelon, yogurt, tuna sandwich and more good stuff to eat!
The girls are excited about rotating through their lunch bags because it adds a little extra variety. They get excited to see what’s in their lunch that day. With the lunch bags sometimes I pack a note too or write on their sandwich container or something else as a special surprise for them that day. Whatever they don’t have time to eat at lunch they can eat it as a snack during class or as an after school snack.
Fresh & Healthy: Lunch Box Meals
Chalkboard notes in the girls lunch boxes!
Today the girls chalkboard notes say “Have a super fun day! Love You!’ (Karlie’s) and “Have a wonderful day! Love You!” (Brina’s). Every day that they take these lunch boxes to school I make a point to write a note or draw a picture. The notes and pictures are sometimes exactly the same and other days they are similar. These little notes and drawings are seriously one of the biggest highlights during their school day and a great way to remind them that we love them!
Pistachios, fruit and other good treats
Lunch Box Meal:
- Almond Butter Sandwich or Pepperoni Pizza
- Fresh White Peaches
- Fresh Carrots
- Fit & Active All Natural Blueberry Fruit Strip
- Animal Crackers or Chocolate Chip Teddy Grahams
- Blueberry Yogurt Stick or Pistachios
- Capri Sun Sunrise Tropical Juice
Ready to be packed into the lunch box!
The girls lunches last year were exactly the same for the most part except the occasionally different flavor of yogurt or juice. This year I have one that is restricted with eggs, peanuts, and diary so I have had to change it up a little bit. The girls still get a variety of items just not necessarily the exact ones due to the diet restrictions.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week we packed in a lot of regular as well as fun activities. As I look over my goals for last week there were a lot of items that didn’t get done or weren’t done on time. We had a family member get sick the first half of last week and that set me back a couple of days on top of all the other little things that pop up from day to day. Hopefully next week I will be able to tackle more items on my list!
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
- Read to the girls and have them read to me daily – the girls read to me every day last week but after school, activities, homework, dinner, baths, etc…..there wasn’t enough time left for me to read to them every night last week.
Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforeDaily School Activities & Homework CompletedAttend After School ActivitiesPlan one special Activity with the Family– we did a bonfire at the house and went to the fairGo on a Date Night with my Handsome Man –YAY! We were able to go out and celebrate our 12th anniversary together (a little delayed since it was in July, ha). We had a blast together and the girls had fun too! 🙂
Personal Goals
- Exercise at least 5 days this week – had a few extra items put on my plate so didn’t get it done this week
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day – almost did it
- Finish reading Our Boys by Joe Drape – I started this one a couple years ago and never finished so starting over. It’s about the Smith Center, Kansas football team (it has been interesting reading the book so far because I know some of the people in it since my parents live near Smith Center) – only a couple chapters remaining
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – I washed & folded in one day but put it away the following day
Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week- Start tackling my Fall Organizational Schedule – getting closer
Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention- Get caught up on blog items – not sure if I will ever get completely caught up
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchWrite and Send Out Community Group Email
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – went over this week
- Payoff the Van – working on it, sold our 200 bushels of wheat so that will help pay down the van
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.) – working on it
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
- Attend After School Activities
- Plan one special Activity with the Family
- Attend Back to School Night Event
- Schedule a Meet & Greet with 1 of the girls teachers
Personal Goals
- Exercise at least 5 days this week
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Finish reading Our Boys by Joe Drape – I started this one a couple years ago and never finished so starting over. It’s about the Smith Center, Kansas football team (it has been interesting reading the book so far because I know some of the people in it since my parents live near Smith Center)
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Start tackling my Fall Organizational Schedule
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Get caught up on 5 blog items
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Write and Send Out Community Group Email
- Work out the details of our Community Group Camping Adventure
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Payoff the Van
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.)
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
Groceries from Save A Lot | RiteAid
How is it possible we are already halfway through September, this month is FLYING!? I was super excited to score some 93% lean ground beef marked down to $2 a pound when it was originally almost $5 a pound. The downside is I went over my grocery budget for this week, thankfully last week I was under so I have some flexiblity for this week. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:
- $31.61 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 3 packs of 93% lean ground beef (marked down to $2 a pound), 1 pack Eye of Round Steaks (marked down), 1 pack fresh Ground Hamburger Patties (marked down), 1 gallon Milk, 1 container Whipped Topping, 2 Breakfast Doubles Cottage Cheese with Strawberries (marked down to 50 cents), 2 Breakfast Doubles Cottage Cheese with Peaches (marked down to 50 cents), 1 container low fat Cottage Cheese (marked down to $1.25), 1 bag Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, 1 package Grissom Hamburger Buns (sale), 8 Lunchable Variety Packs (marked down to 50 cents), 2 loafs Grissom Sandwich Bread, and 2 packs Oscar Mayer Rotisserie Chicken Breast (marked down to 50 cents). I spent a little more than I planned in the store but all the beef products that I picked up on this trip were marked down to $1 to $2 per pound. Hopefully the meat from this trip will last us at least 2 to 3 weeks.
Groceries from Big Lots
Big Lots Groceries:
- $10.40 at Big Lots for 6 large cans Whole Kernel Corn (clearance), 1 large bag Disney’s Cars Pretzel Snack Bag (35 count), 1 container Blue Diamond Breeze Almond Coconut Milk, and 1 container Blue Diamond Breeze Vanilla Almond Coconut Milk. I am still trying to figure out what foods are diary free, peanut free, and egg free, yet fun and healthy since we have a little one in our household who is not eating those items. Thankfully she LOVES the soy, almond, and coconut milk substitutes!
Groceries from Walmart
Walmart Groceries:
- $13.16 at Walmart for 1 large bag Chicken Breasts (5 pounds), 1 bunch fresh Bananas, 1 loaf Everything French Bread (clearance). Stocked up on 5 pounds of chicken breasts (the thighs and dark meat doesn’t agree with one family member so chicken breast are the only pieces we buy), bananas (one of the girls woke up in the middle of the night with a charlie horse cramp so we decided to pick up a bundle of bananas) and the clearance french bread is a great add on to a meal or can be frozen for later.
This week I spent $55.17 on groceries. I went over on the budget this week. It was going pretty good until I went by the store for milk and encountered some amazing meat deals. Thankfully I went under budget last week so I was able to cover the overage for this week. Some of the items that I picked up this week will last us for a few weeks which will help with next weeks grocery trips. Hopefully next week we can come under budget and September will be a better month for us!
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! 🙂 As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Recipe: Easy Baked Salmon
Delicious meal made by my sweet Husband!
Jake made an amazing meal last weekend! It was delicious! So thankful that he is a huge help in the kitchen. He put together salmon, seasoned rice, and steamed asparagus. I didn’t eat fish a lot before meeting Jake so I don’t cook it as often as he does but I have come to love it. Usually he has more time to cook on the weekends so he will make it for our evening meal or Sunday lunch. Our girls love seafood too.
Easy Baked Salmon:
- 16 oz Salmon (fresh or frozen)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons melted Butter
- Seafood Seasoning (we used Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a broiler pan and place the salmon on it. Melt the butter and spread it evenly over the top of each salmon. Sprinkle a little seafood seasoning on top and put in the oven to bake. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) or until flaky. We used thawed salmon but you can do it from frozen you’ll just need to cook it a little longer.
Fresh & Healthy: Lunch Box Meals
1 Cool Kid + 1 Yummy Lunch = 2 Much Fun
The chalk board on the inside of the lunch boxes has been a huge hit with the girls. Most days when they take these lunch boxes to school they cannot wait until lunch time to check out their chalk drawing or message. Every once in awhile the girls will get a special treat in their lunch boxes. Today they got a Lunchable and a variety of vegetables with ranch dip.
Something “special” in the lunch today!
Lunch Box Meal:
- Chicken Nugget Lunchable
- Fresh Banana
- Fresh Carrots
- Fresh Cherry Tomatoes
- Fresh Celery
- Ranch Veggie Dip
- Mozzarella Cheesestick
- Fresh Popcorn
- Chocolate Mint Swirl Marshmallows
- Sunrise Juice Bag
Lunch is packed and ready to go!
The girls love taking their lunches to school. I like that the girls get a few extra minutes at lunch to eat since they take their lunches to school. It is nice having not only their lunch but a snack already packed so they can eat on the way to the after school activities.
