Frugal Friday Week #12
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I always feel like I post many how-to’s and not many “real lifes”. Although I do try and incorporate that into my newer posts, I’ve often thought that it might be even more helpful for my readership to get a better glimpse inside of what our simple/homestead/from scratch/frugal life really looks like.
Frugal Friday Week 12
So I’ve started a new series called Frugal Friday and need your help. My idea for this series is to share some of the projects/recipes/things we worked on this week and, in general, just what life looks like.
I need your help because I’ve tried something similar before, and I gave up after a while. I got bored, felt like no one was reading it or cared, and I moved on to other projects. So what I need you to do each week is to share what your week looked like in the comments section. I think it could keep us ALL accountable and may serve as an encouragement to others!
So let’s dive right into this week!
Meals We Ate
Part of our meals this week were at home and part while we were at our hotel. We always take our food or get it from the grocery store while we are away because of our allergies and the high cost of going out to eat.
Breakfast –
- Eggs and Toast
- Orange Zucchini Muffins (new recipe and we loved them!)
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Coconut Blueberry Pancakes (new recipe and they were not good 🙁 )
- Omelets
- Eggs, Sausage, and Bacon (the birthday request)
- Breakfast from the hotel
Lunch –
- Mini Chili Pot Pies (I made a “Bisquick” and put it in a muffin tin on the bottom, added some drained homemade chili, beans, and corn, topped with a little more of the Bisquick mix and baked until done)
- Quesadillas
- Big Plate (our un-fancy charcuterie board)
- Leftovers (ate up as much as we could this week before leaving)
- Rotisserie Chicken (At the hotel)
- Salami and Snacks (in the car)
Supper –
- Tacos
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Leftovers
- Packed in the Car (sandwiches)
- Beef & Veggie Skillet (made at our hotel kitchenette)
- Mini Chili Pot Pies (from the freezer when we got home)
Shopping I Did
Several days this week we spent in the big city. We had tickets we bought for Christmas (for Rend Collective…our favorite band!), and we decided to make a mini-getaway of it and visit a few other places, like the Aquarium. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been able to get away, so we enjoyed it.
During our time in the city, I was able to shop and stock up at places I rarely get to, like Costco, Trader Joe’s, and a large discount grocery store. I didn’t find as many things as I had hoped, but I brought back quite a bit to stock some spaces in my pantry for the summer. I only get to places like that about twice a year.
Outside Projects We Worked On
Unfortunately, I did not get my broccoli, cabbage, and peas outside because we had such a short week at home. We have plans to finish the greenhouse this weekend, provided we don’t have so much wind. Things always take longer to accomplish than I expected!
We finished up our second campsite (putting in the rest of the full hookups), so that was a large project done. I also got another batch of eggs in the incubator, so we will see what comes of that in a few weeks.
Inside Projects We Worked On
Last Friday, I worked on some meal prep which really helped me out for the week. I made several batches of muffins for the freezer as well as some chili pot pie lunch muffin things. I even made a few batches of cookies which I haven’t done in a while as well as a batch of Amish Honey Puffed Corn for a snack since I had some puffed corn in the pantry.
I worked on finishing ordering school books for the kids for next year and got most of them in the mail. That’s a great feeling…we only have 2 weeks left of school, and I’ve already boxed up all the books we need for next year so we can enjoy the summer! I’ve wanted to do some school through the summers before, but it never works out. We have too much gardening/exploring/adventuring that happens!
Finally, I planted some more perennials (raspberries alpine strawberries, and fruit trees) inside after their 90 days of cold stratification in my fridge. I also started my okra seeds and some popcorn seeds. I’ve never started corn inside but I want to experiment with popcorn this year and we don’t have a long enough season to grow it outside.
Blog Posts I Wrote
I had some things interfere with my work schedule last week, so I didn’t get up as many blog posts as I hoped, but I have a plan for the coming week! Spring/summer is so hard to nail down a regular schedule.
- Amish Caramel Rolls – I updated this favorite recipe that I have had on the site for a long time. These are so tasty and soft!
- Springtime Asparagus Recipes – My asparagus isn’t up yet, but I’m guessing it will be starting to emerge soon. Because of that, I updated this yummy list of super-easy asparagus recipes that I have on the site.
- Ways to Use Up Stale Bread – In this brand new blog post I explored many ways to use stale bread including how to soften it back up, how to make yummy recipes with it, and how to make things like flavored breadcrumbs.
Looking Ahead to Next Week
I’m bound and determined to finish the first tunnel greenhouse over the next few days. My poor cabbage so needs to go in the ground! We are praying for good work days and NO wind which has been awful this past week.
This coming week is time for me to start my cucumbers, melons, and squash, so I’ll also be working on that.
So tell me….what did life look like for you this week? What did you do, make, or plan to do?
Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple life since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to the 100-acre farm and ministry on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.
That cake looks delicious!
I get freebies to test and got a gallon of black exterior paint. My husband used it to paint some old back porch lawn chairs, a wooden bench on my front porch and our mailbox post that was in desperate need of repair. They all look fantastic and was done without using any money.
I am trying to cook with more beans. (Not my favorite ) I made a bean soup. It was OK but tasted pretty bland. My husband loves soup and just added some of his homemade salsa to it and he was happy.
My 2 older granddaughters have made an Amazon wishlist. This helps me buy birthday gifts for the teens. I hate wasting money so this helps me get what they really want.
Your son’s birthday cake looks delicious and I love the chocolate Legos on top.
This week I made, for the first time, cultured cashew cream cheese. I have an allergy to dairy and I have missed cheese. It turned out so good. Tonight we’re having stuffed chicken breasts with the cream cheese, peppers, spinach and mushrooms with a chicken gravy.
The other day I made 36 sourdough tortillas so yay, we are stocked up for a bit. Love warming up a tortilla and spreading the cream cheese on there with a bunch of roasted veggies for a burrito.
Love the mini taco biscuits idea. Planted in the garden between cold snap and high winds. Started more seeds indoors for summer planting. I’ve been working on my bread making skills and getting better. This week was buns and they were fluffiest I have made but I think I am getting fluffier too from eating so many😁. Using up canned goods to free up cabinet space and use up food. Held our 6th week of a new Bible study God has called us to lead. God’s Blessings to you this week .
You truly amaze me. I work a traditional full-time job and feel like I barely have time or energy to cook dinner for my family, let alone all the cleaning and laundry.
Do you have a chore chart for your kids? I’m curious what their schedules look like day-to-day during the school year.
I enjoy your frugal Friday posts. Keep them coming!
Hi Sarah, I don’t have a chore chart for my kids right now. I have in the past but they haven’t worked as well as just working things into our routine. At 4pm (before supper) every night we do something we call the 10 Minute Tidy. During that time they help me clean as much up as we can. In just 10 minutes we can tidy the entire downstairs and still have a little time for extra cleaning like wiping down the bathroom, dusting etc. It’s amazing what they can do when they are motivated! After the 10 Minute Tidy they are expected to clean up their rooms as well.
I have not done much this week, I had so much planned, however, I am 1.5weeks from giving birth and had zero energy for many days last week, I did work 2 days out of the week, I had planned to prep some easy freezer meals, however, this did not happen. Over the weekend I started feeling better thank goodness. I did make some delis pinto beans, my husband and his brother requested I make some, as they fried some fish freshly caught as they went on a guided fishing trip with our nephews and caught 50lbs between the 6 men/boys that went, the fish was delis and the beans turned out perfect in the instant pot, they wanted them a bit spicy so I added less brown sugar (as I typically make sweet beans) and added jalopenos and the men went crazy over them!
I started out my week losing my favorite dog who was dealing with not being able to walk for 3 weeks. We took care of him night and day, but he developed other health problems and passed away at home. Since he didn’t like being left alone, my garden was starting to go down hill, so this week I have been able to get outside and work on it. I had found some green peppers for only $1.97 (I think that’s the price) at WalMart so bought a couple of them since the ones I started from seed died when we got an unexpected freeze. I planted some marigolds and orange nasturtiums for companion plants in the raised beds and got my soaking hoses placed back in the garden, as well. Yesterday I started another project of cleaning out our little pond. When we bought the place there was a lot of muck in the bottom, but I didn’t want to try cleaning it with a goldfish in it. This winter a raccoon got my goldfish so now it was time to clean the pond out. I got a lot of the muck out yesterday, but today I will move the rocks that are in the bottom and get the rest of the pond cleaned. Will also have to clean the sides of the pond. Then I will be able to fill it back up and get the waterfall running again. So looking forward to have a clean pond with lilies growing in it. I don’t think I will put fish back into it as I don’t need to be feeding the raccoons around here. Since I have been busy outside I don’t spend a lot of time cooking dinner. I have several meals in the freezer that I can pull out and still have a good home cooked meal.
Rose,
I’m so sorry for the loss of your beloved pup. <3
Rose – I am very sorry for your loss. Prayers.
I took 2 days off work just for a break and was able to get a bunch of inside organzing projects done. As well as help my fiancee do some outside work at his house and make plans for my hopes for next year when I am living there. As well as contuine to read through your book Little House Living, and think and plan about better ways to live for my future role as a wife.
Love Frugal Friday.
Asparagus just coming to the farmers market. I usually roast but am going to try the cheesy asparagus tonight.
Celiac for many, many years so I love your recipes.i keep both muffin mix and pancake mix in the pantry.
Thank you and God Bless
Hi there! Last weekend my husband
and I went in a mini bus trip to the
Ark Encounter and Creation museum
in Kentucky. It was fantastic. So much
information, skilled craftsmanship,
beautiful gardens, zoos and delicious
food. So much to do. There were
playgrounds and zip lines too. They have homeschooling resources too. We hope to go with our grown children and grandchildren someday. This week we had burgers on the grill, ham leftover from freezer, made meatloaf for dinner together. My husband prepped our small hobby garden with manure to be ready to plant in May. Besides going to our local farm I have been buying groceries from our supermarket app. They have discounts and sales that keep me on track on what I need and I pick up after overnight work which saves valuable time. There is no cost to do this either. Hope you have a great week.
I love your recap – thank you for sharing it with us. We planted four more fruit trees: 3 heirloom apple and 1 nectarine (last year we planted 4 heirloom apple). We also took leftover homemade chicken noodle soup to our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. It’s like the loaves and fishes. I took two and a half pints and five of us ate large portions but when I put the leftovers in the fridge there was still two and a quarter pints! Now they’ll have leftovers for this weekend. I have been researching when to put plant starts out in the garden and where to plant the gladiolus.
I have bible study every Monday night over the phone. I work mon- Thursday til 5. I finally starting to drink my protein shakes everyday for breakfast and lunch. I try to eat a healthy food when I get home. It’s been hot and then cold in Illinois . I haven’t been walking like I should but will try and get that in today. I’m going to repaint my dining room from a clay red to a light gray. Super excited about that. Will brighten up that room. As always I enjoy your blog. Have a great weekend .
It was a good week. We are over our bout with Covid, but are still feeling the residual fatigue and sinus issues. We are retired senior senior citizens, and so we can nap and take it easy if needed.
I look forward to reading Frugal Friday every week. You inspire me to keep going!
Rachel
Your cake looks great! This past week I did a lot of cooking. I try to get ahead by making a ton of food but it never seems to work with 6 kids(3 are teenagers) 😂 We made another batch of freezer waffles. Then I made 14 pizzas for the freezer. I cooked up extra taco meat one night and made a whole bunch of freezer burritos.
My peas and asparagus are up out in my raised beds. I’ve been working on putting grass clippings all around my onions I planted in the garden. I spend way too much time weeding. We have a really big garden. If anyone has any tips on keeping the weeds down, I would appreciate it. I’m thinking of using wood chips. Some people say it acidifies your soil???? I’m willing to try.
I had a calm kinda of week. Something’s coming up because it all settles before something is around the corner but I’m tired all the time these days so I wasn’t as productive as could be or desired to be. Not much imagination for cooking, not much into it either. But I did most spring cleaning, washed as much I could to get it all dried in the sun. But my garden is a mess and I can’t do anything about it because I’m waiting for the painters to come and repair and paint my house… Ive read your article about your week and I felt like I’m failing… Falling behind some sort of race I didn’t know I was in… Maybe I was more productive than I think but at this point I can only see what’s still there to do. I’m starting a new part time job next week – I was just waiting for the reply and got it last night – so, I’ll be busy and grounded to the computer desk for the next two months so I feel like I’ve missed my own timeline… I’m a mess, right now. I hope next week will be better.
Wow — awesome job on the lego birthday cake! Looks like you’ve got yet another talent to explore :-). And I’m glad you all enjoyed your get-away trip. Time well spent. Getting ready to finally start getting windows trimmed out (exterior) this morning as well as getting outdoors to get some work done. We’ve had another lengthy chilly and wet NW spring but the weather is at long last warming. Much to do in the gardens! Glad you’re all home safe and sound ❤️
Worked half of week, while moved my daughter back home to help her get healthy
Repotted my seedlings plants into bigger pots, living in NY, not ready to be outside! But my Tulips and crocuses are beautifully blooming. Opened the windows while it was sunny and warm.
Attempting to get rid of more material items, to free myself of “Stuff”.
Need to buckle down on my spending. Have not done well. Ugh
Have a great weekend!
You were very busy! Spring tends to be that way! We did a lot of yard work as the weather was nice for a change. We got both the front and back lawns raked and most of the branches from the trees we had taken down this winter picked up and ready for mulching. Hubby started mulching while I put landscape paper down in the garden pathways ready for mulch to be put down. Today we went to town to get fencing and posts to enclose the part of the garden that isn’t fenced in. We have spotted a raccoon lurking about. He bent the cover on our birdseed container and helped himself and he ate an entire block of suet from one of the feeders. We’re hoping the fence will deter him from feasting on our garden. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
That cake looks yummy – happy birthday to your son!
Sounds like an amazing week and trip!
Happy end of the week! I started some sourdough starter and if I could add a picture you could see that I have no clue whatsoever! It did nothing… I am sad. I am going to try starting over this week. We had a roller coaster week otherwise. Started out warm and ended cold and snowy. Today we have a birthday party planned for the older child at a trampoline park, our first time for that kind of party. So far I am not very impressed with their communication systems. The corporate office told me one thing and the local office does another thing, so it will be a cupcake and drink only party. That is not really a bad thing though. who wants to jump on a super full stomach? Okay better yet who wants to work where kids are jumping on a super full tummy?! I plan to post reviews on my blog. We did not get a ton of stuff done outside of the house with Tax Day being this week. We have started a new routine of taking one feed bag a day and filling it with rubbish and putting it in the dumpster, so far 4 out of 7 days were successful! We had the dogs escape their pen and maul a chicken. She is recovering in our basement. I am surprised that she made it the first day as they took skin with the feathers they stole! Egg production has been very good also! Going to try to get that starter going again this next week and bake more honey wheat bread in the meantime. Also, we ended up eating out 4 times this week! Shame on me! We are not only paying financially but tummies have not been feeling well either. Thanks for keeping at your blog, I really enjoy reading it weekly!
Wow you had a busy week!
Happy you and your family got to get away to have some fun!
We will be homeschooling through June, and then break for July & August 16th we will start back up.
I came across Campfire curriculum, and we are doing a unit study now, and we love it! So I will be getting more unit studies from Campfire curriculum.
We got our grass fed beef cow all butchered and is now in the freezer! Feels good to know I don’t have to buy from the grocery store for a year!
Nothing special for our meals, this week, mostly black bean bowls, lots of fresh produce, tacos is a Tuesday thing …. Always!
Oh I almost forgot! My 17 yr.old daughter will be graduating this June!
So I’m planning a graduation and party. So having a daughter graduating is our most exciting news!
I really enjoy your Frugal Fridays.
Take care!
🙃😊🎉♥️
Sounds awesome as always!
I planted my veggi garden, cucumbers. Zucchini, carrots. Beets, peppers, tomatoes and herbs
I picked some of the editable flower weeds in my yard and used my dryer to dry them and store in glass jars for home medicine and teas
I also pressed the mini violets and buttercups made book markers for
Mday gifts ,
Then just working full time , dates and projects wirh my husband Paul we did a mini wood square box out of pallets to keep firewood for our fire pit.
Love the spring weather and flowers not allergies
Happy week
J
We live in zone 4B which isn’t long enough to grow corn either. We have had some luck with growing some hybrid corn. It has a shorter growing season. I have thought about starting corn indoors as well. You will have to do a video on it if it works. We haven’t even started doing anything in our garden yet because of the long, cold winter that we have had. Hopefully we can get started in the next week or so. I love your blogs and videos! Please keep them coming.
I’m in 4B as well. I’ve grown corn successfully but it didn’t have enough time to ripen once it was on the stalk. This year along with the popcorn (which is from north dakota), I ordered a sweet corn variety called Sugar Buns. It’s supposed to be ready in 70 days which should be doable here. I will make sure I share if it actually works!
Had the first aspargus from out garden this week! So yummy! Peas are up and need weeded already. I planted some red potatoes in the fall in one of our raised beds to see if they grow …. couple inches high now and looking really nice so looking forward to some fresh early potatoes. For food it’s that time of the year again-grilling season! Grilled chicken a couple times with Mac and cheese or rice. Also had roast beef and mashed potatoes. Wanted to start eggs in the incubator but it’s not working right so will have to figure it out or borrow another one.
Hi my name Sharon and we live in SE Kansas. We have a 40 acre farm we share with our daughter and her family. This week we planted 10 elderberry, 30 raspberries plants 25 blackberries and 10 gooseberry bushes. We also got a lot of garden seed planted that can stand the still cool night’s. I’m trying planting is cow mineral tubs that have been covered in opaque plastic making each a miniature greenhouse. After this cold snap this weekend it looks like a warm up us coming so I can take a peak to see how things are going. It’s been two to three weeks now. I’ll keep you posted!
Thanks Melissa, I’ve been following you for 3 years and do read all your posts! I am going to try the Amish cinnamon rolls this week!
That cake looks so yummy!!!
We aren’t quite finished with winter yet where I am, so I’m hopeful soon I’ll be able to start doing some outdoor projects!
I have been trying to take every chance I can get to work outside this past week! It’s still too early to plant seedlings, but I needed to tend to my grape vines, apple trees, blueberry bushes and elderberry bushes for sure. I’m still hopeful that two of the grape vines didn’t pass away over the winter when it got extremely cold.
Inside I started tomatoes and nadapenos (from Baker Creek). I’m excited because every one of the nadapenos seeds sprouted!
This last week I’ve had sick girls so I haven’t done much. My husband is tilling our garden area and getting seeds started.
Your Amish Caramel Rolls sound like a yummy treat!
I’d be interested in what books you are using for homeschool.
We use a mixture of curriculums because I’ve not found a one size fits all that works for us. 🙂 For next year we are using:
Essentials in Writing (Language Arts)
Apologia Botany (Science)
Sonlight (History/Geography)
Teaching Textbooks (Math)
This week I planted a second run of carrots and lettuces so that I will have some staggered “ready” dates as they mature. I also got two blueberry plants in the ground, weeded my flower garden (the tulips look so pretty…the grass sprouting up in it somewhat less!), and did a little bit of spring cleaning in the barn. I took our riding mower to a local man who repairs them. It is refusing to start after winter even with a new battery, so it will need someone who knows more than I do to get it up and running!
This last week I planted bok choy and peas into the ground, and also transplanted some cabbage and brussels sprouts in the garden. We’re getting a heatwave (well for us – 70 degrees!) here in the PNW this next week, so I think I’ll get most everything in the ground, except for my sweet corn. Another week or so they’ll go in. I’m so careful about getting my Supersweet Golden Jubilee planted – – it’s a long growing season corn, but so delicious, it’s worth the extra effort to ensure it isn’t too cold or wet when I first put it in the ground. Today I put out my flowerpots around the deck – – no more freezing temps expected – – we’re ready for the growing season to take off! That means the non-stop grass cutting has started!! BUT IT’S SO GREEN out! Love this time of year!
Getting our camper ready for a fishing trip, and prepping some meals for the trip.
Noticed some pesky weeds around my flowerbeds – – spent time taking care of them today!
Our apple trees are about ready to bloom – – I’ve got to get my apple maggot traps ready! I take red solo cups and put tanglefoot sticky coating on them, and hang them on the branches – – but this will happen after the blooms are done, so I don’t catch any bees on my traps. We want to be really careful about that!
OHHH – – and we saw our first swallow today! We love watching them nest and fledge each year. A lone goose has been landing in our neighbor’s field for days. Today he brought a friend!! 🙂 Spring is great!
I really admire what u do with & for this group. U describe everything u do, I admire that about u. U are a hard working gal and share a lot of recipes with us, u care for us enough to talk about all u do.
In my younger years I canned TONS of beets, pickles, peaches, apricots. I froze carrots, corn, peas, beet leaves (for soups) plums, peaches, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, rhubarb & apples (for platz). And on & on for my family of 5. Three boys, my husband & I. I did a lot of cooking and now we’re old and time goes on. We trust God for things to come. Our 8 Grandkids is our life for now. 6 boys & 2 girls.
We’ve had a good life with lots of ups & downs. Trusting God for the rest of our lives.
Merissa – keep up the good work, I’m sure God is so proud of u too. U’ve taken on 3 children that God has blessed u with too. Please don’t give up and continue to be a Blessing for them.
Oh, in my pass time I knit, crochet, make beautiful quilts, make cards and now into Journalling full time. If I only knew what I was doing. I have never journaled (except writing to God) and what hurts me – through the years. But, everyone seems to LOVE them. If only I knew what I was doing. I just make like I know. I’ll send u some pictures sometime. I do the odd crafts with neighbour girls, too. Like making book marks, recipe thingies to share for Mothers, Grandmas or aunts.
Have a Blessed week Merissa, hubby, kiddos & puppies.
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Your friend & follower, Darlene from 🇨🇦
I have had a relatively blah kind of week. I did get a huge stack of paper sorted and most of it filed or put away — that has been staring at me for weeks! Other then that I don’t feel like I really accomplished anything! We had yet another “Colorado Low” hit us (second one this month) so we are once again dealing with snow and ice. I am soooooooo tired of snow and ice! Some people have talked about their poor tulips that have tried to come up through the snow, they will survive but won’t be as prolific this year as usual. It has been extremely windy and cold all week and I have mostly stayed inside — too much time spent in bed with the covers over my head! Next week has to be better!
Wow, your school year is so different from ours. I can’t believe you stop schooling your kids from early May until September in America. Our children’s schools in the UK only have a one week break in early June, then a five to six week break from late July to early September, and they need that time in the classroom to learn. How do working parents cope when their kids are out of education for so long as well? How do you amuse them and keep them motivated?
I do enjoy your posts though, very much. So please keep them coming.
I know some parents choose to do school year around but for us that would be impractical with the summer schedules. Gardening, exploring, building, and adventuring takes up most of our summer and we believe the kids learn new skills throughout that as well, just not with textbooks. I believe that many parents that work out of their homes find alternative care for their children during the summer on work days, however since we work from home this isn’t an issue for us.
It sounds like you had a really busy week! Because I have Fibromyalgia and arthritis, my son helps a lot with my garden. He’s got the rhubarb in and I’ve done the vegetable starts. Haven’t been able to put in any veg yet as we’re meant to be getting sharp frosts in my part of the UK and possibly snow. As the saying goes (meant for clothing but I apply it to the garden as well), ne’r cast a clout before May’s out!
Hugs and condolences from the bottom of my heart!
It was a good week. My son came to visit. He lives a little bit from home, and we all love his visits. I spent the few days before his visit making all of his favorite foods. Lots of bread making.
My garden plants are doing good. We had a very late cold snap last night. I covered what plants I needed to and all looks good. I planted marjoram again this year. So far, the plants are looking good. I have planted marjoram in the past, and I was not successful. I am hopeful this year.
I am sewing some cushioned arm chair covers. I don’t have a pattern, so I’m hoping for a good result.
Next week I am hoping to find the remaining herb plants that I need. I would also like to get to some consignments stores. Hopefully time will allow.
Enjoyed hearing about your week! Loved to hear you were able to see Rend Collective…it must have been so refreshing!! Music lightens our soul.
I also made pumpkin muffins, Chai spice muffins and a lemon blueberry bread for having this week.
We enjoyed having our pastor’s family come for dinner. We rejoiced in fellowship.
Thanks for your blog…
I love reading this frugal Friday blog. I love seeing how things actually are going in somebody’s week. tell me more about the breakfasts though, I struggle with breakfast! when you say you serve muffins is that? it is it just muffins? I have two kids ages six and 10 and I’m pretty sure they would need 4 to 5 muffins in the morning for breakfast until they felt truly full. unless I also served eggs or sausage. how do you keep your kids full on just muffins without baking multiple batches per meal?
It depends on the morning, sometimes it just muffins and sometimes I add sausage or fruit. Mine do eat 3-4 muffins per breakfast so I usually make a double batch when I make them. I like to make muffins ahead of time and put them in the freezer for later on in the week as well.
My week was spent mostly decluttering and doing laundry after a long trip to visit family. I took a car load of items to our church garage sale and it felt great. Thanks for the recipes and motivation you provide.
I’ll have to add Frugal Fridays to my list as well! We are generally pretty frugal but having a comment section to wander through and add to sounds like fun each week.
We have been dealing with roofers for much of the last week as we had significant damage to shingles and underlying wood back during Easter wind storms. Luckily it is being covered by insurance.
My main projects this week are prepping seedlings for our gardens, rotating seasonal wardrobes, and focusing on spring cleaning as summer will be here before we know it!!
Good rainy afternoon (or at least here is SW Washington – ugh!),
I’m replying a little early this week as I have a moment between baking batches – just pulled out blueberry oatmeal breakfast bars and put in some granola. My household goes on full tilt if there is no granola in the big plastic cereal bin – Lol! The breakfast bars are something I haven’t made in a few weeks…so it will be tomorrow’s breakfast and is expected that the leftover bars will be gobbled up over the weekend. Our tomato & pepper plants are struggling with the wind and the cold. We had to quickly move the ones we were hardening off back into the greenhouse as they were showing signs of wind damage. Grrr. It’s going to rain all weekend long. We are hoping to get them back outside as soon as possible. We do have a few that couldnt fit in the greenhouse. So far, they are toughing it out. We shall see. Our herbs and sugar snap peas are doing well outside. Our potatoes, I’m not quite sure because I’ve never grown them before. All the potatoes in the potato bags have big green leaves and we keep mounding the dirt. Just hoping this relentless weather will ease up and allow them some sun shiny days. Meals this week: Breakfast: oatmeal with optional nuts and dried cranberries, scrambled eggs and toast, fruit & yogurt, breakfast burritos. Dinners: roasted chicken, mashed potatoes & asparagus, chicken noodle soup, homemade pizzas, popcorn (kids requested it for a early weeknight movie night treat since they did their homework without us asking), tomorrow aka Cinco De Mayo – Dinner will be homemade salsa with tortilla chips, and since its raining the vote was for Chicken tortilla soup – who can say no to that?! …. as for the weekend homestead chores: checking on all baby vege plants, finish constructing a “pollinator” raised bed in the outside garden area (probably in the rain…) and will have to figure out some indoor activities to keep young minds and bodies active and engaged… stay tuned… I hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend ahead. Go Kraken!
I very much enjoy reading your posts and I love your book. I’ve made many things from it over the past several years. I’m a single mom, three kids (one is graduating with her MFA today!). Only one is at home these days, he’s nearly 10, and the middle one is finishing her junior year at college. I work full time as a nursery school teacher, and while we have no allergies here, I am vegan and have been for many years. I adapt your recipes! I appreciate your tips, even though I live in an apt in nyc. My week was busy, so packed lunches were desserts I made, a tofu and rice dish, and some fruit. Dinners and breakfasts were the same🤣
Love your scratch recipes! Have you created a homemade from scratch bisquick mastermix?
Yes, I have one on this recipe: Cheeseburger Bake Recipe