Menu Monday - Week of August 29th

Here's is my menu ideas for the upcoming week.  I'm pretty terrible at following menu plans but I do like to start off the week with an idea of what is available, needs to be cooked and would please my family.  I have everything I need already purchased and in food storage.

Breakfast:
Steel cut oats cooked in my wonderoven (upcoming post on that).
Yogurt - Homemade in the crockpot
Eggs and toast

Lunch and dinner:
Sloppy Lentils
Chicken Fried Tofu dipped in BBQ sauce
Beans

Snacks and desserts:
Fruit Crisp
Banana Bread with chocolate chips made in my bread machine

I did follow last weeks plan completely with the addition of a pizza I made but that was still made out of food storage.  Not sure if we are eating out of food storage again next month.  It all depends on a eBay case that we may have to refund.  

Menu Monday - Eating Out of Food Storage

Here's is my menu ideas for the upcoming week.  I'm pretty terrible at following menu plans but i do like to start off the week with a loose idea of what is available, needs to be cooked and would please my fam.

I should start out by saying we do not eat like a traditional family.  I place that blame on the mechanic.  The man completely refuses to eat at set times of the day.   Typically he has a smoothie in the morning before work and will eat his next meal after he is finished for the day.  Sometimes that is at 5:00 p.m. or it may be 11:00 p.m.  

Stormy is a challenge as well.  She just hates to eat and would rather not be bothered by it.  Many a plate has been set before her just to remain untouched.  No amount of bribes, treats or threat of punishment will change her mind.  Therefore I simply feed her when she asks for it.  That being said, she really only likes  to eat about 4 different items at a time and they can change without notice.  I keep her favorites stocked up and ready to go.  Right now she is eating noodles with butter and cheese, white rice with butter, peanut butter and honey on toast, cheese, smoothies and this morning she shocked me by eating my french toast so there is a chance that may go in the rotation. 

What works for my family is to just to have food ready.  At all times I like to have in my fridge beans, noodles or rice, a side veggie and a main dish.  I also make sure we always have bread and a baked good made and smoothie ingredients.

Here is what I plan to have ready  this week for whoever is hungry at any given time. 

Breakfasts:  eggs, oatmeal, yogurt and smoothies

Main Dish for Lunch or dinner:  egg salad sandwiches, Sloppy Lentils, stir fried rice, beans and lasagna.

Side veggies:  frozen Normandy mix, pickled beets, and spicy carrots are ready to go

Baked good or snacks:  My "Kind" Bar (knock off recipe) with walnuts and dried cherries and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  We also enjoy popcorn, hot buttered bread and peanut butter and jelly on bread

Part of my canning pantry

More of my pantry

I already have all the ingredients needed for the week.  I'm planning having two kitchen days where I cook and restock the fridge and the rest of the week will just be a manner of eating the leftovers.

Frugal Friday - Easy Crockpot Beans From Scratch

We love eating beans!  They are nutritious, delicious and cheap.  But that is only true if you cook your own beans.  The store bought canned  beans are expensive and not nearly as nutritious or delicious.  I'm pretty baffled about why more people do not cook their own beans because it's easy but it intimidates the best of cooks.

If you have a crockpot you are golden!  It's possible to cook beans easily without a crockpot but with one is the easiest way I have found.  I make at least two pots a week and we always have beans available to eat in the fridge.  So easy to make burritos, beans on toast, beans and rice or a quick pot of chili if they are ready to go.  My all time favorite way to eat them is folded in a corn tortilla with some rice and cheese and fried until the tortilla is crispy.  

Here's my easy, fast and cheap way to make a great pot of beans.

1.  The night before measure out the amount of beans (any type)  you want to cook.  I cook three cups at a time.  Sort the beans by picking out any stones or deformed beans.  Most bags of beans today are very clean without stones but if you are picking up commodity beans it may be a different story.

Sorting Beans

2.  Rinse the beans in a colander and put in a large bowl.  Cover beans with water, making sure you have twice the amount of water to beans because they will swell up.  I like to add a splash of apple cider vinegar in there.  Soaking your beans overnight helps them to become easier to digest (less gas for you), more nutritious and faster to cook.  If you forget this step you can still cook them.

Soaking beans with a splash of ACV

3.  The next morning, I drain off the water and place the beans in the crockpot.  I cover with fresh water and add my spices.  I typically use 1 1/2 tbsp of salt, 1 tbsp pepper, 1 tbsp chili powder or cumin, onion and garlic (fresh or powder).  .  We do like it spicy so make sure you season according to your taste.  I set my crockpot on high and let it rip along all day.

In the crockpot with onions, garlic, salt, pepper and chili powder.

By dinner time I know I will have beans ready.  This pot will last us 3-4 days but if not eaten I will freeze the leftovers or feed to the chickens.  Tonight we will have these beans on toast with some fried eggs, cheddar cheese and hot sauce.  

Beans are ready to eat or use in recipes.

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A lovely pot of pintos and black beans ready for the week.  Whole foods cooked straight from my food storage.