• What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan

    Now that I have been planning our weekly menu in advance for a month I have noticed that some weeks when we have dinner ready at 5:30 pm every night and the weekend is packed full of activities with family and friends we do not eat up all the leftovers from the meals.  I do not enjoy “wasting” leftovers.  Last Monday when I opened the fridge and realized the amount of items already in the fridge I decided we should hold off on the menu plan for that night and eat up some of the leftovers before they go bad.  Since we ate leftovers on Monday night that menu item has been forwarded to this week.  Also, you may notice that this week’s menu is not as appealing as some weeks and that is because it is a busy week on top of some business traveling so we are keeping it simple and easy both for time and to help use up any extra food we already have in the refrigerator.

    Our Weekly Menu Plan

    • Monday (Beef Entree):  Homemade Pizza (Hamburger & Pepperoni), Ranch Salad (using lettuce from the Garden & Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Kit we got from the box sale and only used half of the kit from a previous week)
    • Tuesday (Seafood or Pork Entree):  Tuna Salad, Fresh Fruit
    • Wednesday (Chicken Entree):  Cheesy Chicken Nuggets, Fresh Vegetables
    • Thursday (Pasta or Vegetarian Entree): Macaroni and Cheese, Apple Crunches
    • Friday, Saturday, & Sunday:  Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting

    I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef entree, Tuesday a seafood or pork entree and so forth).  It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned.  I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.

    Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family.  On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home.  As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes.  If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).

    As a family of four our life can get busy.  What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget.  Our family typically eats 6 to 7  dinner meals at home a week.  We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat.  Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family.  Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day.  Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends.  The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety.  We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.

    Photo by Liz

  • Book: “If You Take a Mouse to School” by Laura Numeroff

    In celebration of the girls being in school for a few weeks now I decided to highlight a book that is about school.  The girls really enjoy Laura Numeroff’s book and one of their favorites is If You Take a Mouse to School.  It is a fun and engaging book about a mouse going to school.  The girls think it would be so neat to take a mouse (or any pet for that matter) to school with them.  We have read this book and several other ones by Laura Numeroff many times.  It is a great book for beginning readers.

    Here are a few of Laura Numeroff’s popular  “If You Give…”  books that are a hit in our family:

  • Free Audio Book: “Think” by John Piper

    FREE Audio Book Download

    For the month of October Christian Audio is offering a free download of their audio book .  This month the audio book is “Think“  by John Piper.

    John Piper’s newest book will help Christians think about thinking. Focusing on the life of the mind helps us to know God better, love him more, and care for the world. Along with an emphasis on emotions and the experience of God, we also need to practice careful thinking about God. Piper contends that “thinking is indispensable on the path to passion for God.” So how are we to maintain a healthy balance of mind and heart, thinking and feeling?

    Piper urges us to think for the glory of God. He demonstrates from Scripture that glorifying God with our minds and hearts is not either-or, but both-and. Thinking carefully about God fuels passion and affections for God. Likewise, Christ-exalting emotion leads to disciplined thinking.

    Readers will be reminded that “the mind serves to know the truth that fuels the fires of the heart.” insert from Christian Audio

    If you have been wanting to listen to a book from John Piper throughout the day or while driving then this is a great opportunity to listen to the book for free when you download it from Christian Audio in October.   Make sure to submit your order by October 31, 2011  to get your free audio book.  Thanks Christian Audio!

  • Giveaway: $10 Lowe’s Gift Card

    I am doing another giveaway on Blessings Multiplied!   The winner of this giveaway will receive a $10 Lowe’s Gift Card!  As a Mom, wife and homeowner I am always looking for ways to save a little extra when buying items for around the house and the yard.  It is a great time of year to pick up some fall flowers, pumpkins, mulch, or many other home or garden items from Lowe’s.  Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

    1. Sign up to follow my blog (if you haven’t done so already) and leave a comment below telling us how you follow Blessings Multiplied.  You can sign up to receive Blessings Multiplied via email.
    2. You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing one of your favorite supplies you like to get at Lowe’s!

    All comments must be made by October 31st at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.  On October 31, 2011,  I will randomly draw a winner from those who have entered the giveaway.

  • CONGRATULATIONS to Our Walmart Gift Card Winner!!!

    The name has been drawn for the giveaway!

    CONGRATULATIONS to Carmen Q.

    for winning a

    $10 Walmart Gift Card!

    Thanks for making a comment in honor of our Giveaway!

    An email has been sent to you with more information*

    Enjoy Your Next Trip to Walmart!

    Don’t forget to enter our next Giveaway (the next giveaway will be announced tomorrow morning)!!!

    *Giveaway must be claimed within 5 business days of the prize being announced.  Failure to claim the prize within the allotted time frame means you forfeit the prize.

  • Living on a Budget: Creative Cash (September Update)

    September is my eighth month tracking my Creative Cash.  What is Creative Cash?  Creative Cash is finding ways to come up with extra cash to share with others as well as work on our current goal.  I am working part time, a stay at home Mom, and wear many other hats from day to day, however, I feel that it is important to save money for our family by using coupons and buying items on sale but to earn a little money to help with the extra expenses and to share with others.  The extra amount I bring in on top of the work is what I call “Creative Cash” which means finding ways to make money creatively or with items and talents I have already.  I plan to continue this goal for the remaining months of the year.  Despite the many financial obstacles that we have faced as a family we have been blessed with so much.  My husband and I believe it is important to be accountable with our finances and give to others.

    Explanation: The creative cash will be made throughout the entire month through various endeavors.  As it comes in the money is placed into our savings account and withdrawn at the end of the month so it can be split.  It is my goal to make at least $100 extra a month to help with our goals as well as share with others.  At the end of the month the money will be split 50 / 50 with half going towards our current goal we are working on (which at the moment is paying down debt) and the other half going to charity.

    To be honest September was not a great month, however, it was better then August.  In August I wasn’t able to do any extra activities to generate creative cash; our family had several out of town trips, guests, events, and a lot of other activities in August that took up the extra time I had available.   I am thankful that we have had the opportunity to travel together as a family and create many great new memories, however, the creative cash has been effected by it.  Although life is still busy we are at least home more now giving me the flexibility to focus on this goal as well as other ones.  I anticipate October being another busy month but now that the girls are back in school life will once again return our new “normal” and I hope to come closer to meeting this goal.  Thankfully I was able to save some extra cash even though I did not reach my my goal of $100.  I want to share with you the ways we did it so if you are looking for ways to make a little extra creative cash for your family hopefully we can be an inspiration in getting your creative juices flowing:

    • $7.97 – Items sold on Ebay (after fees):   The all the items sold were coupons.  I encourage you to look around at some of the coupons you get the mail, newspapers, magazines, in your stockpile, or other places and if you will not have the opportunity to use them then consider selling them for a little extra creative cash.
    • $39.00 – Other miscellaneous amounts earned  (rebates, returns, cash back,  extra money, etc…) that was added to my stash for the month.  Most of the cash this month was from a rebate check I received.

    It was a harder month to set the extra aside because it was very busy and I was not able to participate in as many extra creative cash activities.  The good news is despite the crazy schedule I was able to get a few dollars of creative cash.  September’s “Creative Cash” total was $46.97 which means $23.48 extra that goes towards our current goal (saving for 3 to 6 month Emergency Fund) and $23.49 goes towards charity.  I didn’t hit my $100 goal this month.  It has been really busy with school being out part of the month and traveling with the family.  I am happy that I was able to contribute something this month and every little bit helps us get a little closer to our goals as well as helps others along the way.  I have a plan of action on ways to earn creative cash in October so stayed tuned, hopefully, it will be another month where we can get closer to our goal and share with others.  Each month I do a variety activities to accomplish this goal, the items above are just the ones I did specifically in September.  I look forward to sharing more of the things that work well for our family as I do them in the upcoming months.

    I will share with you the challenges, successes, and updates as I go through this journey so you can keep me accountable or even go through it with me by participating  and sharing your story. Taking the extra time to find ways to help our family as well as invest in the lives of others is important to us.  I hope that we have been able to encourage you to find ways to come up with some creative cash for your household as well.  Obviously, each situation and family is unique so decide what works for you and go for it!  Do you know of another way to earn creative cash?   I would love to hear your idea!

    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.

    Photo by StopNLook

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    School is continuing at full throttle and we are finding ways to stay busy, ha!   I was able to get some great items on clearance and stock up on some lunch box items.  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Groceries from Aldi's and Walgreens
    Aldi Groceries:
    • $48.39 at Aldi’s for 4 boxes Macaroni & Cheese, 1 bag Cinnamon Bagels, 2 boxes Moo Tube Yogurts, 1 box refrigerator Pie Crusts, 4 bags Cheese Sticks, 2 boxes Seasoned Potatoes, 1 three pound bag Chicken, 1 bag White Tortilla Chips, 1 bag Sugar Wafers, 1 bag Cheddar Nuggets, 1 box Oatmeal, 2 packs Taco Seasoning, 1 box Butter, 2 blocks Cheddar Cheese, 4 boxes Vanilla Pudding, 1 container Light Sour Cream, 1 bag Granulated Sugar, 2 Blueberry Pancake Mixes, 5 boxes Tropical Fruit Rolls, 1 bag Carrots, and 2 containers fresh Mushrooms (I was able to get several of these items marked down at Ali’s, which is rare for me, yay!)

    Walgreen Groceries:

    • $1.21 at Walmart for 4 boxes Baking Soda, 3 bags Disney Car Marshmallows, 1 two liter Lemon Lime and 2 gallons Milk (the Baking Soda & Milk was on sale and the Marshmallows & Lemon Lime was on clearance.  I used a couple Register Rewards towards the purchase.)

    This week I spent $49.60 on groceries.  Even though I was only a little over on my budgeted amount for the week I was able to stock up on several items.     Thankfully I had extra in the grocery wallet to cover the expense.  I hope that next week is an even better week and we can come under budget for the week.

    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.

  • Swagbucks: Mega Swagbucks Day PLUS 100 FREE Swagbucks for New Members

    Today (Friday, September 30th) is Mega Swagbucks Day for current and new members!  You can earn some large swagbucks today.

    If you have not sign up yet this is great time!  NEW Swagbucks members can get 100 Free Swagbucks just for signing up!

    When you Signup enter the Code:  BIGTIMEBUCKS

    Bonus 100 Swagbucks Code Expires on Monday, October 3, 2011.

    It’s a great time to sign up to Swagbucks and get started.  I have been a Swagbucks member for awhile now and have earned a variety of  FREE Gift Cards and a variety of other gifts through Swagbucks.  My favorite way to redeem my Swagbucks is with their Gift Cards including Amazon, Restaurant, and Store Gift Cards.  You can use the gift cards to buy something for your family or use as a gift.

    If you want to learn a little more about Swagbucks and how to get started or examples on what the Swagsbucks can be used for check out the posts below:

  • Family Recipe: Cheesy Brussel Sprouts

    If you would have told me as a kid that I would grow up to enjoy Brussel sprouts I would have thought you were crazy.  Brussel Sprouts were one the dreaded vegetable my Mom would occasionally cook for our family.  I grew brussel sprouts in our garden this summer because I thought it would be good to “try” this dreaded vegetable one more time since it is healthy for me.  I was able to harvest quite a few brussel sprouts from our two plants, enough for several dinners.   I picked the sprouts when they were still small so they wouldn’t be as bitter.  My husband came up with this amazing Cheesy Brussel Sprouts recipe that our entire family LOVED (including the kids).  Three cheers for eating more healthy veggies!

    Cheesy Brussel Sprouts:

    • 2 cups small Brussel Sprouts
    • 1/2 cup sliced Onions
    • 1 clove of Garlic
    • 1  tablespoon Olive Oil
    • 1/2 cup shredded Cheese (Parmesan, Cheddar, Mozzarella or any family favorite)

    1.  Wash the Brussel Sprouts, pull off any wilted or brown outer leaves, and cut each one in half.

    2.  Slice an onion up into thin strips.

    3.  Peel the outer shell off the Garlic Cloves and slice each section in half.

    4.  Put the olive in a sauce pan on medium heat.  Add onions and garlic, saute for 1 minute.

    5.  Add  Brussel Sprouts and saute until tender.

    6.  Sprinkle Shredded Cheese over top of the cooked Brussel Sprouts and serve.