Can you spot the Christmas candy?

80% of the treats in this bag came from clearance after Christmas.  By sticking this in our deep freeze I was able to keep my Easter spending to under $15 (for both kids).  The tootsie roll bank, 4 pack of kinder eggs and Cadbury mini eggs were a 75% off score after boxing day and the markers, paint smock and stickers were picked up at a local clearance centre for a buck each.  I am enjoying the fact I can fool the kids with the Christmas candy knowing I may only have a few more years before they start pointing it out….what am I saying my hubby didn’t even notice.  I guess if you are a true chocolate love it doesn’t matter where it comes from or what it’s covered in.

I am always trying to be a holiday ahead when stashing away stocking stuffers, loot bags, Easter baskets and Halloween goodies.  For a fraction of the price you can save yourself last minute stress, crowds and overpriced goodies.  I am heading out tomorrow to pick up some treats for Dane’s upcoming birthday and several large chocolate bunnies to chop up for my Christmas baking which normally includes lots of melting and dipping.

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With the big move nearly 4 weeks away, I have been desperately trying to clean out the freezer so I can thaw it out for easy transportation.

My big freezer cooking marathon happened nearly 6 weeks ago yet I am still able to open up the freezer and have a fully cooked meal on the table in no time.  Once a month shopping and cooking is definitely the system I am sticking with.  I recently did a guest post over at Virtually organized explaining my menu planning system and how this works for my family at this stage of our lives.

This is what I am feeding the family this week.

Monday – leftovers.  Since I have the day off from supper duty I decided to spend the day making several batches of sweets for the kids.  When I return from the gym I am going to immediately start baking and have high hopes of completing a batch of oatmeal and banana chocolate chip cookies as well banana bread.  I picked up three bags of darkened bananas on clearance that are ready for mashing

Tuesday – stir fry using the many frozen bags of veggies I found in the bottom of the freezer with small amounts remaining.

Wednesday - chicken casserole from the freezer with risotto

Thursday – freezer lasagna

Friday – hamburgers and onion roasted potatoes.  instead of unhealthy fries I simply chop up some large baking potatoes and coat with some olive oil and homemade onion soup mix.  I have even sprinkled some chili pepper on them for a little kick.

Saturday – sourdough pancakes

Sunday – cabbage sloppy joes.  I pick up shredded coleslaw packets when 50% off and simply fry them up with beef for a sweet and tangy sloppy joe dish.  This is also a great way to sneak in veggies to unsuspecting kids, grandfathers and hubbies that should know better.

That wraps up my week.  Normally Laura hosts this carnival but she is out of town this week and lucky for us Erin from $5 dinners is taking over.

What a mess and this is just the island area.  I should have turned around to give you the money shot of the large counter area directly behind me….scary!

I knew it was time to do some baking when I was resorting to handfuls of carob chips for my late night cravings.  yup, it was time to put some of those pantry items to good use and whip up some goodies.

After doing chores on Saturday morning, I quickly got to work making two kinds of cookies and a batch of muffins.  I still had a substantial stash of pumpkin puree from last fall so I thawed a large container to make these pumpkin carob chip muffins and pumpkin carob chip cookies.  I especially love the pumpkin carob cookies because there is no oil or butter, the pumpkin and apple butter is all that is needed to make them moist and soft.  I immediately stashed half in a double bagged Ziploc destined for the freezer for lunches and quick snacks.

Recipes:

Pumpkin muffins ( I used carob chips instead of butterscotch with half spelt and half white flour)

Pumpkin cookies ( I use my canned apple butter instead of oil and omit the cinnamon)

Oatmeal cookies

1 ¼ c flour

1 t baking powder

1 C margarine

¼ sugar

¾ c b. sugar

1 package vanilla pudding

2 eggs

3 ¼ c oats

Combine butter sugars and pudding. Beat until smooth and add eggs flour soda powder and oats. Bake 375 for 10-12 min.

Please visit 11th heaven Homemakers haven for more ideas

**post update** it is Sunday evening and there is less than half left, better schedule another bake day.

Today’s theme for Works for me Wednesdays is the best of.  We were asked to share a tip from the past that that works especially well and immediately thought of this one

Getting out of the door in the morning is tough, getting out of the door in the morning with a homemade lunch is near impossible. We have been told time and time again to assemble our lunches the night before. Sounds simple right? Then why is it that we find ourselves reaching for the peanut butter and jam or resorting to take out? There is no denying that making your lunch the night before is still the optimal solution but the inevitable will happen and you will forget.

I set up what we call the Emergency lunch basket. This inexpensive plastic basket is located in my freezer and is constantly being added to. In the event we are running late and for some unknown reason forgot to prepare the lunch I can simply grab a frozen sandwich, snack and a piece of fruit in no time flat.

Here are some great ideas for keeping a lunch basket stocked:

Homemade granola bars

Rice Krispie treats

Small portions of chili or soup

Frozen turkey portions for sandwiches

Various muffins

The last roll from the previous night’s meal

Frozen grapes from that recent mega sale

Tiny portions of leftovers too small for a supper meal

Individual twice baked potatoes

Now don’t hold this against me but I am one of those crazy ladies who pockets those small packets of condiments that come with take out. A tiny portion of Becel can be spread on that last lonely roll or the tiny container of sour cream for a creamy topping on a baked potato.

Lunch need not be greasy burgers and fries. By using a little imagination and some pre-planning you can be rewarded with a healthy homemade and frugal dinner.

For more inspiring ideas visit We are that family

I spent a relaxing Thursday evening reviewing my recipe binder, favourites saved online and my collection of to try recipes from magazine clippings to come up with our menu for the month of March.

Thanks to my efforts in February, a great portion of our meals are freezer dishes I prepared in duplicate last month.  Although it was a great deal of work at the time I am going to reap those rewards this month.  I came up with a list of approximately 26 meals, leaving room for leftovers and other unexpected events for the remaining days.  This list is posted on my fridge in plain sight and meals are crossed off as each one is consumed.  The upside to this system: plenty of variety at the first of the month.  Downside? By month end it’s slim pickings in the Steven’s household but so far it’s working wonders for me at this stage of my life.

In addition to our meals I plan a half a dozen sweets and desserts to make over the course of the month.  Here is my lineup for March.

• banana chocolate chip cookies
• applesauce bread
• granola bars
• oatmeal cookies
• coffee cake

For more meal ideas visit Laura over at I’m an Organizing Junkie