Organized Chaos: Hair Accessory Organizer
All Brina’s headbands, flowers, decorative hair ornaments organized and in one spot
A few months ago I showed you our Easy DIY Headband Holder. As you can see from the pictures on this post we are still using it. It works very well for our girls. Since they wear more than just headbands I wanted to find a solution that would help organize all the pretty, fluffy, and decorative hair ornaments they have as well.
My qualifications for getting these items organized:
- Must assist in making these items more organized
- Able to be hung in a visible location and still look nice
- Easy to see, reach, and get access to the items when the kids need them
- Reasonably priced organizer because I will need 2 (one in each of the kids room)
- Something that we could hang near to the headbands (which were already hanging on the back of their closet doors).
It took me a little longer to find the perfect organizer for these items. Part of the reason it took longer is I wasn’t really sure what I wanted for the decorative hair accessories. I wasn’t in a rush so I just kept an eye out for ideas while in various stores. One day when I was going through CVS the clearance section happened to catch my eye. I paused for a moment and these little blue and black organizers were in the clearance section marked down to $1.* After looking at them and thinking about them I decided to pick them up and see if I could make them work for the kids hair accessories.
It was exactly the type of item I was looking for and at a great price! The organizer fit all the current hair accessories items I wanted to put in it plus had room for some extra ones too. When I am on top of things (which doesn’t always happen) I will put the kids seasonal hair accessories in the extra pockets on the organizer too (ie. Christmas, July 4th, Halloween, etc… hair accessories during that specific season).
The organizer hangs on the back of the closet door where the kids can easily reach it. It goes right under the Easy DIY Headband Holder so everything is available in one spot. The items are visible and easy to reach. It meets all my qualifications for getting the kids hair accessories organized. These have worked very well for our family!
*I tried to find these on the CVS website, but either they do not carry them online or they are not available. You can look in your local store or I am sure there are other stores that carry a similar item. This one on Amazon or something similar might work well too if you are looking for one.
Looking down on the Easy DIY Headband Holder and Hair Accessory Organizer as it is hanging on the closet door
Organized and ready to go!
Organized Chaos: Jewelry Organizer
Necklace & Jewelry Organizer
Having girls in the house means you are bound to have some jewelry around. As the girls got older they continued to accumulate more necklaces. It slowly became harder to keep the necklaces organized without them getting tangled or putting them in a spot that was hard for them to easily access.
I wanted to find something simple, easy, and reasonably priced. It took awhile of looking around to find one that I liked and could hang on the back of their closet doors. I ended up finding this one at our local Michaels store and bought it using a coupon. At first I only got one because I wanted to make sure I really liked it before getting another one. After a couple weeks I still liked it so I used another coupon and got the second one. It has been nice to having all their necklaces organized and visible.
Our kids are using it mostly for necklaces since they do not have pierced ears yet, but you can use it for earrings, belts, watches, scarves, rings, bracelets, ties, or a multitude of other things. I like that it is simple design, not too big, and yet pretty. It hung on the back of the closet door so it is accessible for the kids to reach when they want to wear one of their special necklaces. All of these necklaces were given to them from family or friends and have special memories so I am happy that they are now displayed well and tangle free.
Brina’s necklaces are organized now!
Organized Chaos: Cleaning Out the Refrigerator
Time to be cleaned
Have you ever reached into the refrigerator for something specific and couldn’t find it because everything is a mess? I have. Every once in awhile our refrigerators need a good cleaning and scrub down. It is best if you do it on a regular basis. I try to do a quick clean and organizational update every week or two, but it still need a thorough cleaning about once a month.
We are usually pretty good about eating up leftovers and not letting them go to waste, but every once in awhile something gets tucked in behind another object or in the back until it starts growing extra crunchies on it. You pull it out thinking what’s this? When you open the lid and take a whiff you are instantly gagging. Yup, been there too many times. The good news is if you clean out your refrigerator regularly you will minimize these fun science experiments with growing mold, mush, and who knows what else. It really doesn’t take long to fully clean out the refrigerator if you take the time to maintain throughout the month.
When I do a thorough cleaning here are some steps I take to make sure it looks good and is organized:
- Start from the top of the refrigerator and work your way down that way any crumbs that fall down you can get on the next level.
- Do one shelf or drawer at a time.
- Take everything off the shelf or out of the drawer. Wipe down the shelf. Check all the items for expiration dates. If they have expired throw them away, if they have not expired wipe them off and put them back on the shelf only if it belongs on that specific shelf. If it doesn’t belong on that shelf wait until you come to the shelf where it belongs to put it away.
- Continue making your way through the refrigerator shelf by shelf until you are at the bottom and have cleaned and organized each shelf and drawer in the refrigerator.
- Do not forget to wipe down the top, sides, and bottom inside the refrigerator as well. These areas can get splattered with food, drinks, or contain finger prints.
- Your refrigerator should now look shining and organized. I LOVE looking into a sparkling clean refrigerator! 🙂 If only I could figure out a way to keep it that way for a longer period of time!
- If your refrigerator is clean, but seems to still have a smell to it (especially if there are no items that are causing it to smell) it may be time to change your air filter in the refrigerator. Also, putting an open box of baking soda inside the fridge will help absorb some of the extra odors.
Condiments need checked for expiration dates
Items facing every which way with some shelves or drawers over loaded while others are empty
Needs some cleaning and organization
All done and so much better! Everything facing the correct way and on the right shelves or drawers so we can easily find items. You need to organize your refrigerator in a way that best suites your family and your needs. Make sure the items you want most accessible are in front or easy to reach. Also, every refrigerator will be slightly different so do your best to make it look good, smell fresh, and organized. Enjoy your sparkly clean fridge!
Nice, shiny, and organized! Now I am ready to start cooking!
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of April 27 – May 3, 2011
The Save A Lot deals are similar to the ones from last week so if you haven’t had a chance to stock up on these deals you can do it this week. The weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Bone-In Shank Potion Ham – $0.99 per lb
Sugardale Sliced Bacon (12 oz) – $1.99
Fresh Chicken Wings – $0.99 per lb
Gwaltney Pork Sausage (12 oz) – $0.99
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Coburn Farms Cream Cheese – $0.79
Creamy Whipped Whip Topping – $0.79
Buyers Best Crinkle Cut French Fried Potatoes – $0.99
Imperial Spread Quarters (16 oz) – $0.50
Fairgrounds Jumbo Hotdogs – $1.00
Oscar Mayer Bologna – $1.00
Banquet Family Size Entrees (26 to 28 oz) – $2.00
Port Side Battered or Breaded Fish Fillets or Fish Sticks – $2.99
Wylwood Frozen Vegetables – $0.99
Banquet Brown & Serve Sausage Links – $0.99
Oscar Mayer Microwave Bacon – $2.99
Oscar Mayer Lunchables – $2.49
Home Churned Spread – $1.89
Morning Delight Crescent Rolls – $1.55
Mr. P’s Pepperoni Pizza – $0.99
Household
Ginger Evans Baking Cups – $1.19
Star Ware Food Storage – $1.49
Produce
Large Fresh Pineapple – $1.50
Fresh Romaine Hearts – $0.99
Baby Carrots (1 lb) – $0.79
Grocery
Grissom’s Brown & Serve Dinner Rolls – $0.79
Potatoes on the Side Au Gratin or Scalloped – $0.79
Ritz Crackers – $1.79
Shelby’s Grove Sliced Peaches (29 oz) – $1.00
Libby’s Pineapple – $0.99
Portmann’s Tartar Sauce – $1.29
Mantia Mostaccioli Penne Pasta – $0.99
Morning Delight Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix – $1.49
Morning Delight Syrup – $1.49
Hargis House Regular or Chicken Vienna Sausage – $0.39
J. Higgs Potato Chips – $0.99
Palmer Peanut or Caramel Candy – $0.99
Portmann’s Salad Dressing – $1.89
Portmann’s Real Mayonnaise – $1.99
Ginger Evans Cake Mix – $0.99
Ginger Evans Frosting – $1.99
Ginger Evans Muffin Mix – $0.79
Ginger Evans Graham Cracker Crust – $1.29
Ginger Evans Instant Pudding – $0.50
Shelby’s Grove Mandarin Oranges – $0.49
Toast Em PopUps Poptarts – $0.99
Malt O Meal Cereal – $0.99
Vista Sandwich Creme Cookies – $0.99
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of April 19 – 26, 2011
The Save A Lot deals are similar to the ones from last week so if you haven’t had a chance to stock up on these deals you can do it this week. The weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Bone-In Shank Potion Ham – $0.99 per lb
Sugardale Sliced Bacon (12 oz) – $1.99
Fresh Chicken Wings – $0.99 per lb
Gwaltney Pork Sausage (12 oz) – $0.99
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Coburn Farms Cream Cheese – $0.79
Creamy Whipped Whip Topping – $0.79
Buyers Best Crinkle Cut French Fried Potatoes – $0.99
Imperial Spread Quarters (16 oz) – $0.50
Fairgrounds Jumbo Hotdogs – $1.00
Oscar Mayer Bologna – $1.00
Banquet Family Size Entrees (26 to 28 oz) – $2.00
Port Side Battered or Breaded Fish Fillets or Fish Sticks – $2.99
Wylwood Frozen Vegetables – $0.99
Banquet Brown & Serve Sausage Links – $0.99
Oscar Mayer Microwave Bacon – $2.99
Oscar Mayer Lunchables – $2.49
Home Churned Spread – $1.89
Morning Delight Crescent Rolls – $1.55
Mr. P’s Pepperoni Pizza – $0.99
Household
Ginger Evans Baking Cups – $1.19
Star Ware Food Storage – $1.49
Produce
Large Fresh Pineapple – $1.50
Fresh Romaine Hearts – $0.99
Baby Carrots (1 lb) – $0.79
Grocery
Grissom’s Brown & Serve Dinner Rolls – $0.79
Potatoes on the Side Au Gratin or Scalloped – $0.79
Ritz Crackers – $1.79
Shelby’s Grove Sliced Peaches (29 oz) – $1.00
Libby’s Pineapple – $0.99
Portmann’s Tartar Sauce – $1.29
Mantia Mostaccioli Penne Pasta – $0.99
Morning Delight Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix – $1.49
Morning Delight Syrup – $1.49
Hargis House Regular or Chicken Vienna Sausage – $0.39
J. Higgs Potato Chips – $0.99
Palmer Peanut or Caramel Candy – $0.99
Portmann’s Salad Dressing – $1.89
Portmann’s Real Mayonnaise – $1.99
Ginger Evans Cake Mix – $0.99
Ginger Evans Frosting – $1.99
Ginger Evans Muffin Mix – $0.79
Ginger Evans Graham Cracker Crust – $1.29
Ginger Evans Instant Pudding – $0.50
Shelby’s Grove Mandarin Oranges – $0.49
Toast Em PopUps Poptarts – $0.99
Malt O Meal Cereal – $0.99
Vista Sandwich Creme Cookies – $0.99
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
It was my fifth full week of doing my new cash budget system – Groceries $40 for 4. This week I was super busy so for the most part we ate from what we had in the fridge, freezer and the pantry. I think it is important to have these weeks where we utilize our food stockpile. Although, it is nice to stock up during the weeks it is equally rewarding having the opportunity to be more creative with the food we have on hand. I even made and delivered a meal for someone in our church this week with the food on hand without making a run to the grocery store for extra ingredients. It felt great saving some of the grocery shopping cash this week too especially since I had a couple higher weeks in the past. Below are my grocery shopping adventures for the week!
Bi-Lo Groceries Grcoeries from Bi-Lo:
- $7.02 at Bi-Lo for 1 gallon of Skim Milk, 1 gallon of 2% Milk, and 1 loaf of bread.
In our fifth week of the challenge – Groceries $40 for 4 we spent $7.02 so it was a pretty good week regarding saving extra grocery cash. We did better this week because I didn’t have the extra time to go grocery shopping and we ate from our pantry. Although I wasn’t able to stock up on a few extra items this week it was wonderful being able to eat some of the items we already had in our fridge and pantry! Last week we stocked up on milk and I froze it, however, I didn’t pull it out in time for it to thaw enough to drink otherwise we wouldn’t have even purchased the milk this week. Oh well….you win some and lose some! I was thrilled to see Bi-Lo still had their milk under $3 so everything went well. I am still trying to work out all the details of how to make the budget most effective for our family and I think we need some weeks have been easier than others. We’ll see how I do next week and yes it’s another busy 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.
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of April 6 – 12, 2011
The Save A Lot deals are similar to the ones from last week so if you haven’t had a chance to stock up on these deals you can do it this week. The weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Frozen Chicken Leg Quarters (10 lb Bag) – $0.39 per lb
Bone In Shank Portion Ham – $0.99 per lb
Beef Eye of Round Roast – $2.99 per lb
Bone In Pork Sirloin Roast – $1.29 per lb
Schooner Tilapia Fillets (12 oz) $2.99
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Imperial Spread Margarine (16 oz) – $0.50
Fairgrounds Jumbo Hotdogs (16 oz) – $1.00
Oscar Mayer Bologna (12 oz) – $1.00
Banquet Family Size Entrees (26 to 28 oz) – $2.00
Portside Battered or Breaded Fish Fillets – $2.99
Hillshire Farm Sausage – $1.99
Use $1/1 printable coupon from Hillshire Farms
$0.99 each after couponGoldleaf Deep Dish Pie Shells – $1.99
Creamy Whip Whipped Topping – $0.89
World’s Fair Ice Cream – $2.49
Crisp Not from Concentrate Premium Orange Juice – $2.69
Mrs Smith’s Fruit Pies – $2.49
Household
Colortex Big Mopper Paper Towels (6 pack) – $3.99
Solutions Window Cleaner – $0.99
First Force Pine Cleaner – $1.00
Axis Liquid Bleach – $0.99
Clorex Disinfecting Wipes – $2.49
Sparkle Paper Towels – $0.99
Solo Laundry Detergent – $1.79
Produce
Seedless Red or Green Grapes – $0.99 per lb
Yellow Onions (3 lbs) – $1.49
Fresh Iceburg Lettuce – $0.99 each
Grocery
Ralston Cereal – $1.50
Shelby Grove Sliced Peaches (29 oz can) – $1.00
Maxwell House Wake Up Roast Coffee (34.5 oz can) – $4.99
Portside Chunk Light Tuna – $0.53
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix – $0.45
Wylwood Vegetables – $0.49
Wylwood Crispy Onions – $1.99
Kaskey’s Cream of Mushroom Soup – $0.69
Kaskey’s Onion Soup Mix – $0.79
Kaskey’s Chicken Broth – $0.59
Potatoes on the Side Instant Mash – $1.39
Libby’s Pineapple – $0.99
Ginger Evans Cake Mix – $0.99
Ginger Evans Graham Cracker Ready Crust – $1.29
Ginger Evans Brown or Powdered Sugar – $1.49
Ginger Evans Cherry Pie Filling – $1.99
Nabisco Snak-Sak Cookies – $1.29
Kool-Aid Jammers – $1.79
Taco Bell Taco Dinner Kits – $1.59
Use $1/2 coupon from February ALL YOU Magazine
$1.09 each after couponBubba Soda (2 liter) – $0.69
Diet Mountain Holler (2 liter) – $0.69
Diet Crisp Zero, Diet Mountain Holler, Bubba Zero, and Bubba Caffeine Free (12 packs) $2.29
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
It was my fourth full week of doing my new cash budget system – Groceries $40 for 4. This week I was able to get quite a few items with my $40 budget thanks to clearance items and coupons! Although it has been a learning process the last few weeks this one went pretty well. It is always a learning and growing progress for our family. We are continuing to utilize the food we already have in our pantry and freezer. Below are my grocery shopping adventures for the week!
RiteAid Groceries Grcoeries from RiteAid:
- $2.16 at RiteAid for Cake Mix (25 cents), Hamburger Dinner (25 cents), Onion Spices, Ground Cinnamon, 2 Tomato Juices (25 cents each), Individual peanut packs, Combos, and two free Easter Candies. Plus I used an UP Reward towards the purchase.
FREE Mushrooms at Walgreens! Groceries from Walgreens:
- $0.00 (FREE) at Walgreens for 4 cans of Geisha Mushrooms (used the Walgreens Coupon Insert and Register Reward to pay for the mushrooms! Can’t beat free!
Groceries from Bi-Lo Groceries from Bi-Lo:
- $36.52 at Bi-Lo for 4 gallons of milk (froze 2 gallons), 1 pack of Cheese Crackers, 2 Slow Cooker Packs, 2 Applesauce Packs, 1 Loaf of Bread, 1 box of Uncle Bens Rice (on closeout), 4 bags of Individually Wrapped Chocolate Covered Raisins (on clearance for 75 cents each), 1 bag of Chickpeas, 2 packs of Pasta, 2 packs of Cheese Sauce Mix, 1 jar Raspberry BBQ Sauce (on closeout), 4 bags shredded cheese, 2 bags sliced cheese, 1 package of fresh Chicken (99 cents / pound). I used several store and manufacturer’s coupons plus I had a coupon from Bi-Lo for $5 off the entire purchase which helped bring the amount down below $40.
It was our fourth week of the challenge – Groceries $40 for 4 and we spent $38.68 thankfully we did better this week . I was able to stock up on some great dairy items this week – Milk (even froze 2 gallons), Cheese (which freezes well too), Chicken (enough for 2 to 3 meals for our family) and snacks for after school! I am still trying to work out all the details of how to make the budget most effective for our family and I think some weeks have been easier than others. I used some coupons, bought clearance items, and utilized weekly ad discounts to help save us a little extra on our grocery budget. I hope to do better next week! We’ll see how I do!
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.
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of February 16 – 22, 2011
Here are this weeks deals at Save A Lot. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Hillshire Farms (Beef, Polska, Smoked Sausage) – $1.99
Use $1/2 coupon from 1/23 Red Plum (Expires 2/28/11)
$1.49 each after couponFast Fixin’ Chicken – $4.00
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Mr P’s Pizza (Supreme or Pepproni) – $0.59
Fisher Boy Fish Sticks – $0.99
Use $0.75/1 printable coupon from Fisher Boy
$0.24 each after couponOcean Market Fish Fillets – $0.99
Morning Delight Buttermilk Biscuits – $0.39
Home Churned Spread – $0.99
Fairgrounds Sliced Meat – $0.50
Armour Lunchmakers – $0.99
McClary’s Singles – $0.99
Deli Pride Sandwich – $0.99
Household
Luster Facial Tissues – $0.99
Ajax Liquid Dish Soap – $0.99
Pert Bath Tissue – $0.89
Produce
Red and Green Grapes – $0.99 per lb
Cantaloupe – $1.49 each
Vine Ripe Tomatoes – $0.99 per lb
Grocery
Frito Lay (Doritos, Cheetos, & Scoops) – $0.89
Maruchan Ramen Cups – $0.79
Red Gold Tomato Sauce – $0.50
Hungry Jack Specialty Potatoes – $1.00
Betty Crocker Hamburger or Tuna Helper – $1.00
Del Pino’s Canned Pasta – $0.69
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix – $0.39
Portside Chunk Light Tuna – $0.53
Hargis House Vienna Sausage – $0.37
Hargis House Chili with Beans – $0.99
Hargis House Chili without Beans – $1.29
Sundia Fruit Cups – $0.89
Caskey’s Cream of Mushroom Soup – $0.59
J. Higg’s Classic Saltine Crackers – $0.89
J. Higg’s Cheese Bit Crackers – $1.49
Coburn Farms Hot Chocolate – $1.19
Portmann’s Tartar Sauce – $1.39
Kool-Aid Bursts – $0.99
Vista Sandwich Creme Cookies – $0.99
Chef Karlin Potato Pouches – $0.79
Ravella Swift Mac – $0.69
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping (Recipes)
I am now wrapping up week number 5 in my No Grocery Shopping challenge! It has been a fun adventure for our family as we continue to find ways to make the food in our fridge and pantry stretch! Some of the recipes over the last few weeks have been a huge hit in our family for years while others were different. We are always looking for ways to create healthy meals that everyone enjoys without wasting the food we have in our home.For those who have been emailing me about what we’ve been eating here are a few of our low budget main dish recipes:
Macaroni & Cheese Casserole
I came up with this recipe a couple years ago when I was trying to use up some leftovers in the fridge. It has since become a favorite at our house. The neat part about this recipe is that it can be easily altered based on the ingredients you have in your refrigerator. We usually have a stock pile of Wacky Mac because we use double coupons at Ingles, Bi-Lo, or Publix plus we get extra money back from Upromise eCoupons which makes most of our purchases of Wacky Mac free plus some overage. Dairy products are regular staples in our house so it makes this recipe fairly easy to make anytime.
Macaroni & Cheese Casserole
The neat part about this recipe is that it can be easily altered based on the ingredients you have in your refrigerator. It is a simple recipe that is almost impossible to mess up.Servings: 8Equipment
- 9x7 Pyrex Casserole dish
Ingredients
- 12 oz Wacky Mac Veggie Noodles (Any shape pasta can be used, but the girls love the mixed shapes and colors of Wacky Mac)
- 1-2 cups Milk (depending on how rich you want it, powder milk works too or add a touch of sour cream to increase the richness)
- 1 cup Velveeta Cheese (cubed)
- 1 tbsp Butter or Margarine
- 1 cup Shredded Cheese (I use up the partial bags in our fridge so it is usually Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Colby, etc..)
- 2-3 cups Water (You want 4 cups liquid, if you add more milk, reduce the water)
- dash Salt, Pepper, and Garlic to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add all the ingredients above except the water to a casserole dish.
- The water will be different based on what you add to your casserole. Add enough water to cover the noodles and stir everything together.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees. After 15 minutes of baking stir the casserole than continue baking for an additional 45 minutes. The top of the casserole will be crunchy (everyone’s favorite part) but should not burn.
Notes
I have also been known to cut of cheese slices or put in a couple spoons of cottage cheese. It really is a “use up the leftovers” type of Marconi & Cheese Casserole! If you want you can add a cup of fresh or canned tomatoes that tastes great too.Chicken Pot Pie
After several days of cooking we will often use the meat and vegetable leftovers in the fridge to make a Pot Pie. Our favorite is the Chicken Pot Pie, but we have made several variations of Beef and Ham Pot Pies as well. You can often get Store Brand Pie Crusts on sale or clearance for a great price if you them on hand use those otherwise the recipe below includes how to make your own pie crust with a few basic ingredients.
Chicken Pot Pie
A family favorite, chicken pot pie is a simple way to use up the remaining chicken that doesn't taste like a "leftovers" meal.Servings: 8Equipment
- 9 inch pie pan
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 3/4 cups Crisco Shortening
- 1 tssp Salt
- 5 tbsp Water (cold)
Filling
- 1 to 2 cups Cooked Chicken (use leftover or canned Chicken)
- 1 to 2 cups Cooked Vegetables (use leftover or canned Veggies)
- 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together the ingredients for the crust until the dough is formed, split the dough in half.
- Roll out half of the pie crust (add more flour if necessary). Place half of the pie crust in the bottom of a 8 or 9 inch pie pan.
- Stir together the Chicken Pot Pie filling ingredients. Add the filling to the pie pan.
- Top with remaining pie crust. Roll the edges of the bottom and top crust together. Cut a few slices in the top of the pot pie, (I usually will do a smile face or Christmas Tree or heart just for fun. The girls are always looking to see the design on the the top prior to eating it.)
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Check halfway through and if the crust is getting too dark put a piece of foil over the top to keep it from burning.
Pasta Night
We will often have a “Pasta” night which is a quick and easy meal that our family enjoys. It is one of our “meatless” meals. Many times Pasta nights consists of cooking:
Poor Man's Pasta
Don't let the name fool you. This is a simple staple that is quick and easy to make, yet still a comforting favorite.Servings: 4Cost: $3Ingredients
- 4 cups Elbow Noodles
- 1/2 tbsp Butter or Margarine
- Grated Parmesan Cheese (aka. "Shaky Cheese")
Instructions
- Cook the noodles, drain and add the butter. Sprinkle Shaky Cheese over your noodles and enjoy.
Notes
I add veggies and fruit to round out the meal. It is quick, simple, and inexpensive.Spinach Chicken Casserole
This is another one of those quick recipes I threw together to use up some extra chicken we had in the fridge that was a hit with the family.
Spinach Chicken Casserole
This is a quick "throw together" meal that tastes great and feels like it should have taken more time.Servings: 6Ingredients
- 2 to 3 cups Cubed Chicken (or you can use 2 to 3 frozen whole Chicken Breasts)
- 1 can Spinach
- 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 4 oz Sliced Mushrooms (Optional: Canned works best)
- 2 slices Provolone or Mozzarella Cheese
- 2 cups Rice (uncooked)
- 2 to 4 tbsp Water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour the 2 cups of uncooked rice and water if necessary into a casserole dish. Add the Chicken on top of the rice.
- Mix together the Spinach and Cream of Mushroom then add it on top of the Chicken.
- Spread the sliced mushrooms over the spinach mixture.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
- Add the cheese on top 10 to 15 minutes before the casserole is done.
Veggie Beef Soup is another one we put together with items we have on hand.
Along with the main meals we have a fruit and vegetable. We still have chicken and beef weekly as well as fish every couple of weeks to make sure everyone is getting the nutritional meals they need.
I will continue to share with you the challenges and successes so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating and sharing your story. As I extend this goal into at least the first part of February I hope to have the opportunity to share more about what we are doing to make it stretch! Let’s see if we can finish yet another week of the No Grocery Shopping challenge!
Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others. Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff” and if you are like us we just have too much. I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives. When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.
