Frugal Friday Week #5
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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 #5
So I’ve started a new series called Frugal Fridays 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 yes, 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 This Week
This is rather embarrassing but I usually write down our meals so I remember them but this week I totally forgot! I know we had some stir fry, spaghetti, Hummingbird bread, and many other things but….my brain fog has taken over this week. Sorry about that! I’ll make up for it by sharing my baking day in a minute. 🙂
Shopping I Did
Not much shopping in the middle of the week but I’m hoping to get some thrifting done with a friend this weekend. I can’t wait for that! I’ll share my finds next week.
The only shopping I did was use a $5 off $5 coupon at Safeway. We bought some bananas and yogurt. I love finding good store coupons!
Outside Projects We Worked On
We worked on making a small pen for lambs this week…and then I went and picked up 7 of them! Now is the time to get “bum” animals if you have the space to put them. Bottle-feed them for a few weeks and they are good to go. I was telling my husband we need more outdoor infrastructure so I can bring home all the baby animals.
We also were extremely blessed this week to be given a greenhouse frame by our neighbor. I think it’s 10’x24′ but we will have to measure to find out. We weren’t going to be able to put one up this year (for annual veggies in the new garden plot…we have the orchard greenhouse) but this means I will actually be able to grow tomatoes and peppers now successfully! All I need to do is buy a new plastic cover for it.
Inside Projects We Worked On
I had a huge baking day this week! Let me share what all I made.
I made a large batch of Taco Meat for some meals next week. I also made a batch of Homemade Granola to have over yogurt for a couple breakfasts.
I needed it, so I made myself some brownies. 🙂
I also made a freezer hamburger soup that I will put in the crockpot on a busy day next week.
I cleaned out a bunch of old things in the freezer and made a double batch of banana muffins (with frozen bananas). Some stayed out and some went in the freezer for next week.
I cooked up some sausage for Sunday breakfast just so that’s done.
I also found a bunch of fish filets in the freezer so I made homemade fish sticks. I can share the recipe if anyone is interested!
I made several loaves of bread. Three are sold and the other one will be sliced and frozen until Sunday when we are having eggs and toast. The “cookies” are Breakfast cookies. I’ve made them before but this was a new recipe that I’m trying with cranberries, seeds, and flax. I can share the recipe in the future if they are good and if you are interested.
I made some snacks for the kids to eat this week as well. Their favorite Granola Bars and Oatmeal Bites. We used a lot of oatmeal on our baking day today but that was a good thing because we have quite a bit I need to clean out of the pantry.
My son was helping me and he wanted to make something all by himself. So he made these crackers dipped in some chocolate that we melted with mint extract for their own “thin mint” style cookies.
I didn’t finish all of the baking on my list, I ran out of day. But I hope to get the rest done this weekend. I’ll share more next week! Baking Days are exhausting, but so SO nice in the week to come.
I also planted celery seeds this week. Peppers and a few other things are getting started next week.
Books I’m Reading
I just checked out a few new books from the library this week so I haven’t had a chance to look over them yet. One is 100 Days of Real Food, Fast and Fabulous, and the other is Not Your Mother’s Make Ahead and Freeze Cookbook.
I’ll share my opinion on them next week. 🙂 I also wanted to mention that Thriftbooks is having a sale through March 7th. Use the coupon code READDAY at checkout for buy 2 get 1 free children’s books. I plan on using this code for the school books that I still need for the fall.
Blog Posts I Wrote
I will add this section so you can also catch up on the latest blog posts I put up in case I missed sharing them in my newsletters this week!
- The Cheapest Meals to Make. I updated this blog post this week. It’s filled with cheap meals, produce, and grocery staple ideas.
- Homemade Carpet Cleaner. Another update because it’s that time of year when carpets are starting to get dirty! This article has a spot-cleaning solution and a carpet shampoo for a machine.
- The Best Hummingbird Bread. This is a new quick-bread recipe that I shared this week. It’s so yummy!
- How to Store Bacon. After buying bacon in bulk for many years, I’m sharing my tips on how to store bacon!
- 3 Ingredient Banana Waffles. If you are looking for a super easy and frugal breakfast, my friend Lacey shared this recipe this week.
- Cheeseburger Bake. I updated this old but frugal casserole recipe if you are in need of some supper inspiration!
- Orange Sauce Recipe. That’s what I forgot…we made chicken with Orange Sauce this week! I updated this recipe after we did.
Looking Ahead to Next Week
I think next week will likely be a slow one at home. I haven’t checked the weather yet but I’m hoping for something halfway decent so that the kids can be outside more. It’s getting harder and harder to be inside at this time of year when winter is dragging on.
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.
Just recovering from the horrible norovirus flu, kept me in bed for a week! Not able to eat, so food is tasting good now! Was able to spend a couple hours in my quilting room today. Had fish tacos with coleslaw, so delicious and easy!
Thanks for your ideas!
Hi Merissa,
This week was a busy one for us, too. We have our homeschool co-op on Mondays, Wednesday I had 2 meetings, yesterday I had to pay bills for my husbands business and then go to town, when I got home from town I started my tomato and pepper seeds!! I am so excited to start gardening again! While I was out, I got lettuce and spinach to plant, as well. It is supposed to rain hard here today, so I will wait to plant those seeds until next week . Thank you for sharing such great ideas! I love reading your blog posts!
Your new lambs are so cute! The pic of the goats checking them out is hilarious. They look like they have so much personality.
This week I made several of your DIY recipes for a “favorite things” gift swap party coming up next week – diaper rash cream (the best!), laundry detergent, hand sanitizer spray and I’ll also mix up a brownie mix to include. Thanks for sharing your recipes! They’ve become some of my favorite things 🙂
Yay, thrift shopping! Looking forward to your finds!
Please share your breakfast cookie recipe – I’m looking for a refresh for the one I have!
Wow, you were busy! I’d love your recipe for fish sticks!
Kathy H
We made your hummingbird bread yesterday – it was delicious! Kids also loved that it was called Hummingbird bread =) Thanks for look at your life. Ill be interested to see how your bum babies do, we are thinking of doing the same next year. Im jealous of your greenhouse – enjoy! Have a great week!
Thank you, Marissa! I always read your posts and look forward to the recipes. Your book “Little House Living” is still one of my favorites! I’m going to try the 3 ingredient orange sauce this week. You have inspired to go through my freezer and use up the frozen bananas :0)
Well it sounds like you had a pretty busy week🥰.
There’s been a lot going on over here (Fitchville, Ohio). We’re tapping maple trees to make our very own syrup and sugar. It has been an amazing adventure and one of many “firsts” for us this week.
We also hatched out baby chicks another first which let me tell you was super thrilling.
Goat kidding season started (another first😜) but it all went brilliantly. We have four more goat mommies-to-be still counting down the days. THAT is nerve-racking but so rewarding when you see them little ones standing up on their own.
Everything else kind of took a back seat to the new life here on our mini homestead so meal-wise we ate a LOT of sandwiches lol. (I was in the barn with the goats a lot of this week). I did try a new cheesecake recipe and it was fantastic! I think we all needed the sugar to keep us revved up for all the crazy activity going on here because it was finished off by the morning after I made it. We have grocery shopping to do today since our pantry stock from last year’s garden is almost depleted, but it gives me an excuse to go to roll it forward rummage sale. It is truly a blessing. I’m sure it’s a local thing so I’ll explain, a local business had an old strip mall and like by little was trying to rent the spaces. Unfortunately they weren’t renting like they thought they would so the owner agreed to let a wonderful woman host a rummage sale free of charge for a friend that had lost a parent. People from all over donated and after the sale there was so much left and people were still finding that she asked if she could use the space the following weekend. The other said she could use the space as long as she wanted free of charge until the space rented. Well it’s been six years and she is still running the sale, but now a different charity “hosts” each weekend and everything is priced “donation only”. Whatever is left simply rolls over to the next charity thus the name roll it forward. When we first moved out here we had nothing, literally the clothes on our backs. Through the years we’ve been blessed over and over by being able to “shop” at roll it forward. I wish communities all over the country would start sometimes like this.
Ok will I’ve blabbed enough!
God bless you
Andrea
Loved your post and the “Roll it forward.” I think our community would do something like that. It’s a great idea.
Thank you for the inspiration, Merissa! My week hasn’t been as frugal as I would have liked, but I did make a huge pot of split pea soup last night that I will be sharing with my in-laws. I am also soaking two pots of dried beans I will be cooking today. I will also be baking a turkey I had frozen and making broth with the bones. Lots of soups for the coming week to have for my husband and me, but also to share with my in-laws. My sweet mother-in-law was just diagnosed with metastatic cancer and is too exhausted to cook. Thank God for stashes I can pull from to share! I will also be meal planning this week so eating out will be minimal.
Praying for your mother in law and her healing.
Congratulations on your new sheep. Baking looks amazing. I always love reading your posts.
Hi I made the bread you posted a few weeks back – love it. Thank you for sharing
It just amazes me how much you get done in a week!
I so understand the winter dragging on. Im so ready for spring and to get started on my garden. I beaded a couple of pen wraps this week and starting a new one. I work full time as a 3 year old teachers aide so wasn’t able to get much done outside at my house but the good thing is the snow is starting to melt we might start see ground soon if it stops snowing. Hope you have a great week and cant wait to read it.
We had an amazing frugal event happen this week – we were given an SUV! The previous owners didn’t want to pay a mechanic to fix a couple issues, but we are going to do the work ourselves and pay far less than they would have! We only need it as a backup vehicle, but our truck (which we need for the farm) is acting up and we may end up having to do more of our own mechanic work on that in the near future. Now it can be “out of commission” for as long as we need to and we’ll still have enough vehicles to live life. What a blessing!
We also got some expired food that the grocery store can’t sell anymore. Some of it went to feed the pigs, but some of it came in to feed our family!
I paid a visit to a large thrift store in the city yesterday. I was finally able to find a good lined curtain so that I can cover a rack to grow micro greens in my kitchen. It’s a side business I was only able to run in the summer before, now I’m going year-round!
Now I need to finally get to processing my pumpkins from last year. I have put it off too long and a few of them have started to spoil. I have to save the rest of them!
Spent time healing from an illness so that really messed up my week. Planning on dry canning carrots and maybe some taco meat this week end. Working on getting my exercise routine down better. And making some grocery bags. Of course want to keep crocheting afghans for a local nursing home. I think I am on number 10 this week. Have a great weekend!
I’m really loving your Frugal Friday posts. The are one thing I look forward to in my inbox each week! Happy Friday!
Your hummingbird bread recipe was delicious. Thank you so much! Now I’m going to make the homemade granola. The store bought granola comes in small packages with a large price so I’m happy to find your recipe.
Thank you for sharing your week! I always enjoy reading your Frugal Fridays. Our highlight this week was my 13 year old got her first feeder calf project for fair (in August). She has been working towards this for several months and he is finally here. She named him “Redneck” – and he is already 300 lbs! As for meals, we did better about eating meals together as a family this week. My husband even made a great spaghetti dinner one night. It’s hard to do family meals because he works 3rd shift – but we get them in when we can. The onion seeds we started are popping up – starting them from tiny seeds is an experiment. We usually just plant sets on garden day (Memorial weekend is traditionally garden day). May you have a blessed week!
I am inspired by your posts. Thank you for sharing. I finally got around to canning some dry navy beans yesterday, and today’s project is red kidney beans. I hope to cook some of the whole chickens I have in the freezer and can chicken broth in order to gain some freezer space. And I would like to make jelly out of some frozen apple juice. I need to get some of these jobs done before our gardening season starts again. God bless you in your work today.
Breakfast cookies sounds good, would love the recipe. I made chili from scratch in about five minutes, used frozen cooked ground beef I had in the freezer, some canned goods and frozen peppers,onions and jalapeños from last summer. Made some quick cornbread and topped it all off with sour cream. I just love my crockpot ❤️ From Sunny (not) Cali.
Thanks for the tips and yummy recipes!
Thanks for sharing! Your Little House Living book is my ‘lifestyle bible’! The frugal thing I did was to take an old hymnbook that was being thrown away and I made a beautiful paper wreath with it (last week.) I was excited to go to Church and see it in the chapel where my husband and I hung it up, but the bishop said no decorations are allowed so it must come down. 🙁 It was a fun frugal project though!
I bought the supplies for making your home made lip gloss and plan to make some today. Between having a condition that dries out my mouth and the use of mouth strips at night to stop mouth snoring, my lips are very dry. Every lip balm I’ve tried actually dries them out more. I’m hoping your recipe will help.
I also want to start making more of my beauty products. I purchased your book and love that there are so many products that can be made at home.
Hi Merissa,
We also had a busy week.
I did extra bread baking this week. I made a new breadstick recipe, and it turned out well. This recipe made several breadsticks. I froze most them. I am hoping that they are as good when I bake them in the future.
I had to order a new clothes iron this week. It’s been several years since I had to purchase an iron. I had no idea how many different styles and features there are now. My favorite second-hand store was having a one day sale. I was happy to find some summer shirts for me.
Our weather has been warmer than usual and very windy. I was able dry some clothes on the line this week. The high winds have caused several tree limbs to fall. We had a day of gathering up limbs. A family member gave me a garden cart that they don’t have a use for anymore. I am very grateful. I mostly plan on using it to pull my clothes baskets to the clothes line outside and save my back some work.
I watched your video on garden planning and was inspired to map out my expanded garden for the coming year. In my spare time, I am working on a quilt.
I have been reading a new canning book to get more ideas for this summer.
Hope everyone has a good week.
Hello there!
I’ve been around the block a few times (and you know how big country “blocks” are) but I have never heard of “bum” babies. Please enlighten me?
Also, yes, I’d love your recipe for fish sticks please.
Wow – you got a lot done. You’ve inspired me to have my own baking day this weekend. Thanks so much Merissa! Who knows what amazing creations can be made with our gotta-use-up pantry and freezer finds still left from your panty challenge!
BTW – I may have mentioned this before……my daughter calls my use-it-up soup “soup of suspicion” and muffins are “mystery muffins”. Thought you’d like that 🙂
Best wishes always!
Bum lambs are usually lambs that the mothers have rejected or they’ve been taking off the milk of the mother for some reason or another and they need to be bottle fed.
Hi Merissa, Love all the pics of your sweet little farm animals! That’s my dream but with my dinky lot in town, no such thing is possible. With our heavy clay soil, gardening is tough too. We tried a bunch of container gardening last year….we got a little produce but not enough to equal all the time, effort and money we spent on it! I would love to be more self sufficient but I think I’ll just apply myself to getting to the farmer’s markets more this year. One crop I might try is acorn squash….as I read they don’t spread much. I did have some success with our blueberries and raspberries in pots last year and we planted a few elderberry bushes so maybe this year we’ll get something off those as well. I’d love to get asparagus going somewhere but like I said….small yard….and I just don’t know where we could. This week I made low carb enchiladas, ate some left overs out of the freezer of Chili and Chicken/Rice/Broccoli hotdish, ordered a pizza one night and Arby’s one night. We went astray on our low carb attempts for the most part. Try, try, try again. We’re up to 100″ of snow this season….March came in like a lion at my house with 5 or 6 inches and blowing and drifting. It felt good to be warm inside and not having to be somewhere. Spring will feel even better…..have a good week!
You had a very busy week!! Your lambs and sheep are just beautiful and love the goats looking at the new lambs. So sweet. Thank you for sharing your week in photos and recipes.
I think cooking ahead and having a bake day is an excellent idea. I might do that on Sunday.
We made layered split pea soup in the crock pot last night and it was wonderful. It’s been unusually cold here this time of year, and it was nice to have a hot bowl of soup.
Tonight, we are going to try a new vegan recipe with stir fry vegetables and tofu. I have a lot of boxed tofu to use up. Fortunately, it does store in the freezer. I love boxed tofu. It’s affordable and you can use it in so many ways. I like to mix a box with relish and a bit of mayo to make “egg” salad if I don’t have eggs. I have read that you can use it to make mayo, but haven’t tried that yet.
We fry Tofu for breakfast as a tofu/rice/vegetable mix.
Recipe:
Fry tofu for about 5 minutes, breaking it up, mix in 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, turmeric to taste, salt and pepper. Once that is mixed in well and the tofu is broken up, we add about 1-1/2 cups of rice (your choice), but we usually use jasmine, (sometimes spanish and serve with salsa or avocado), then we add a small can of peas and carrots and cook up.
Sometimes, my husband adds a bit of vegan cheese or sausage. Often too, we add whatever we had leftover from our dinner the night before. It always seems to turn out well, and we don’t end up with leftovers.
For frugal tips today:
I have to use printer ink for my business. I buy at Staples when they offer a 30% to 40% rebate on ink and then use the rebates the next month.
If you need prescriptions, I always check GoodRX. It’s free and it has saved our family a lot of
money over the years. You can print a coupon and take it to the pharmacy, or even load the
savings on your phone, or you can call your pharmacy and give them the coupon information.
It’s funny how I learned of this. My parents needed expensive medication for their dog, and the vet told them about GoodRX for their dog’s medication.
We shopped at our surplus/dent store here in town on Senior Day and got 10% off. Didn’t buy much, but found some really good Pacific canned vegan chili for .69 cents a can. Cooked 2 of those and served over rice the other night, when we didn’t feel like cooking. My husband was tickled because he found some chocolate treats he hasn’t had for years. We used to pay $6.99 a package and he paid $2.00.
To save on fuel and spending in general we run all of our errands together and on the same day
on Senior Day and call it our “Date”. Will stay home today. Supposed to have 6 inches of snow tonight, but we are well stocked. Tonight, we’ll stream a show on Paramount. It’s our 28th
year anniversary of our first date tonight. Time does go fast!! He’s going to put up insulation
in his shop. Saved $9.00 a bag by shopping around for lowest price, and he has put some up
already. Really has helped keep the shop warmer.
Tracked our finances for the month on a spreadsheet. I think spreadsheets are so helpful.
You can easily add/subtract deposits, expenses, etc. and really see where you stand on finances.
Some banks are offering up to 5% on CDs right now for those looking to invest in a CD.
A lot of banks are offering up to 3.75% on high yield savings accounts too and interest
can add up quickly. If I had one thing to share with a younger person, I would say, “Try to
save whatever you can now…It will add up over the years, especially with compound interest.”
Even if you can only save a little.
Checked my Amazon subscribe and save and cut out a few items we don’t really need.
I have to watch myself with Amazon subscribe and save. Before I know it, I have a lot
added to this each month. I do like this feature though and have learned how to use it
to save up to 15% on items we use. I save over $3.00 on an item I used (4) of each month,
and that is just (1) item. It really pays for the cost of an Amazon membership for the year.
Tried to reduce the annual cost of my computer back up, but the company said no.
Looking at changing to someone that has a lower cost. I have been fortunate though.
Usually, when I call a company and talk to them, they reduce our monthly or annual renewal
rate. Frankly, I was shocked when the customer service representative said no. I might call
back today and talk to someone else.
Found HGTV crafting website that had some fun, affordable ideas and plan to try something from the site. They had ideas to use old t-shirts that looked interesting, like making a braided rug.
Might be something fun to do when we have snow on the ground.
Have been reading magazines more than books, Love Women’s World, because it has a lot of tips and easy reads. It was the (1) Christmas present I asked for this year.
Have added DHEA to my daily routine. Seems to be helping my focus and energy level.
We have too much cold weather to do much with gardening, but I am anxious to get out.
Would love to have a greenhouse or dedicated garden space, but neither myself or my husband are very handy at building. I might try a simple metal fence post with fencing around it to keep the deer out this year, or just stick with the bucket garden. When we lived in Montana, I took
(2) large file cabinets, turned them on their backs, filled them with potting soil and fenced them in with metal stakes. They worked just fine, so I have been looking for some inexpensive or
free file cabinets. These work similar to a stock tub that you see on Pinterest.
Hope you all have a great weekend and week.
Looking forward to reading other’s frugal tips and recipes. It’s been fun to read everyone’s posts so far.
Hi Merissa:
Reading about your baking days reminds me of when my 4 boys were young. I would set aside a day usually every 3-4 weeks and go at it for the full day and yes, there was many a time I too, simply ran out of day and didn’t get everything baked that was on my list. Our fare was similar to yours – muffins, granola bars, cookies and some quick bread loaves (usually banana). My boys often told me that their class mates were envious of their homemade lunch goodies. I don’t do as much baking now as it is only the 3 of us here at the house but it is still nice to be able to bake home made treats once in a while.
I too, often made up freezer meals and soups to save time for busier days. Favs for us were meat loaf, chili, pasta dishes, meat balls. This method proved useful back in 2005 when I had to be away from my family for a month helping my parents. All my hubby had to do was take something out of the freezer, thaw and heat it up.
I plan to try out your hummingbird loaf. It looks yummy. My hubby is partial to banana and pineapple combinations as am I. Thanks for the recipe. Keep up the Frugal Fridays. They are good reads.
Congrats on the sheep! Baked olive bread and black bean brownies, made ginger garlic venison broccoli stir fry, had a simple tuna melt one day, ate lots of oatmeal with canned rhubarb sauce. Enjoyed snow early in the week – lots of woodstove related chores – moving wood from place to place 🙂
We had a good week. Vegetable risotto, fish, broccoli, B-road beans and potatoes, steak from freezer stash with potatoes and vegetables, egg and tuna salad, Veggie burgers salad and wedges. We had leftovers from the weekend one night having chickpea, spinach and potato curry tomorrow with samosas from our local Indian spice shop (their nana makes them on Saturdays for sale in the shop and they’re the best I’ve ever eaten. We didn’t spend too much just brócoli and a bag of salad, two bags of carrots mostly for the dogs, I made a loaf of bread which is a feat in the RV. Here in Spain they buy their bread fresh almost for every meal so we get a baguette most days. The weather has been very cool for Feb/March at 3c at night but really warms up during the day to about 19/20c. A good week used lots of pantry things and cleared the fridge of all bits of vegetable and cheese for the veg risotto. Hope everyone else has had a good week too. Longing for home and the grandson and the garden will be a late start this year but will grow accordingly. Have a good week 😊
Merissa, I just love your site. I found you in 2016 when my husband and I started full timing in our travel trailer. You were such a help then and now as we are both on a homestead journey. I knew we were kindred from the name of your blog. I adored Laura Ingalls Wilder growing up-still do! Last Saturday I placed an order for my first chickens! Also started onion seeds.
I love frugal fridays. Please keep them coming. I wish I had 10% of your energy. You are an inspiration
💜
Really enjoying this weeks post. Great recipes and I’m always on the look for coupons. And, we’re also starting getting ready for gardening season.
WOW Im tired (re) reading your LONG post…BUT enjoyed it….some days I have to re send, to myself…emails…as I learned to do to keep for “later” but mostly I read as I get them or that day..love your tips and ideas recipes and ALL….This week..seemed to go SO FAST….we p/up strawberries that we ordered from local elem school…it was a fundraiser for them, they do every year…we bought one, & called and asked if they had more…so got another…froze ..will start to think of and make strawberry jelly? jam? my first strawberry pie too…I am trying to get back into making crafts…I sew..make cards…scrapbooking…quilt…paint…I have been having issues with anxiety and some panic attacks since last summer…been a hard time so trying to get myself BACK in the swing of things…DO…my cardio dr gave some good ideas..ONE was WALK and DONT think…(aka leave the “mess” at the house enjoy the scenery) but its been cold here in the No Ga mts and alot of rainy days…so walking is on hold…joined a new church in Oct and trying to go to all meetings there that I can…meet ladies…enjoy new friendships…Dont know if this is all what you mean…to report…but soon too…we will be getting gardens ready…just me and hubby but we also share….Love having chickens too…Happy Weekend to you Merissa and everyone else…we’re going to have WINDY bad weather soon so off for now Hugs!
I just got my Wondermill grain mill this past Monday so have been trying it out with great success. Nothing like whole grain freshly milled flour for baking and the aroma of bread baking in the AGA cooker oven. I’d love to find more recipes using freshly milled flour as I find I have to experiment and tweak my recipes a bit using the fresh milled flour compared to using store bought flour. The increased nutrition and fiber in baked goods using fresh milled flour as well as the improved taste in the finished product makes it worth the investment for the equipment. On top of that, you save money buying grains in bulk as they keep for decades if stored properly.
I’d love the breakfast cookies recipe and the fish sticks recipe! I haven’t had fish sticks in forever because of eliminating the junk in our foods. It would be great to have a clean from scratch recipe for fish sticks!
Definitely interested in the breakfast cookie recipe, and I’m also in need of a good granola recipe. Many thanks and with great appreciation!
I made tahini and then hummus this week. It used to be something I did frequently, but it’s been quite awhile. So nice to have the hummus on hand to encourage us to eat more raw veggies.
Your baby lambs are adorable!
Loved reading about your week. I would be interested in both your fish stick recipe and the breakfast cookie recipe.
This week there was more sewing than cooking at our house I’ve been invited to a pillowcase making day on Saturday, the pillowcases will be sent to a mission in Honduras. I cut pieces for 24 pillowcases, finished four and have the cuff and contrast strip on the other 20. I’ll take two of the finished ones and 10 of the ones needing to be finished with me tomorrow. The other 12 will go to a different ministry that provides Christmas gift bags for children in the foster care system. I make pillowcases and occasionally knit washcloths for that group throughout the year.
Look forward to seeing your lambs grow and hearing about how the new greenhouse works out for your family.
We had a freezer go down this week, (we have a second freezer, but it is chock full! So blessed!!) so I cooked up hamburger, chicken breasts, a turkey, and some venison. I made several taco meals, a meatloaf for Sunday dinner, and some chicken fajitas for the freezer. I fried hamburgers for the following night and fried chicken breasts for supper – our boys thought they were eating like kings in the middle of the week!!
Hi Merissa
I made some ratatouille this week and froze it in portions for the freezer. I also made some soup with carrots onion leek parsnip and greens. We had some for tea today and it was delicious! So cheap to make and so wholesome.
My husband has started planting in the garden. We have carrots, peas, broad beans, beetroot and potatoes so far. We have a very small garden but it is filled to capacity. We also have strawberries and hope to have courgettes and peppers and Jalapeno peppers.
Thank you for all your blog posts. Absolutely love them. Great ideas.
This week we made Penne pasta, hot dogs, ham and I can’t remember the rest also. I did make a batch of white chocolate cranberry cookies. I also started my pepper seeds. Next week will be the tomatoes. I did make a list of things I want to get done before the middle of April. I also want to get our big freezer cleaned out this weekend. I want to also see what needs to be used up before it goes bad.
I started snap and snow peas as well as my favorite dragons tongue beans to put out in my little greenhouse. I used up the last of my frozen beans a couple weeks ago, so I am excited for my starts to be ready to transplant!
Would love to save some of your recipes. Can you put a Pinterest icon up?
Thanks!!
There is a Pin button on the left side of the page as well as on the bottom of each article. I hope that helps!
This was my favorite post!!! I love the fact you forgot what meals you made…. lol. Sounds silly, but so often I get inspired by what you accomplish, at the same time I feel I just don’t accomplish as much. I love when you share your strengths and weaknesses…. it both encourages and comforts me.
The hummingbird bread sounds yummy, I may try making that next weekend!
This month I’m trying a no-spend month which so far has not been going well, but I remain hopeful and keep trying again each day.
Hi Merissa!
I love the “Frugal Fridays” posts. It creates a nice sense of community!
Our meat is stored in a chest freezer, and early this week I found everything defrosted and spoiled! 36 hours before it was fine. Out it all went, and it was a significant amount of meat.
Planning for my daughter’s upcoming 30th birthday took a few moments; quite different from when I was younger and eager to appear perfect to others! Many little jobs were done this week but above all garden work took up a lot of time.
I am overhauling much of my garden. It’s past time to replace, move and increase the raised beds. Grateful for this work, as 2022 was a year of loss and pain (as it was for many of us). When my hands are getting dirty and my body is pushed, I can refocus on God and the bigger picture, and roll with the punches with far more grace.
It’s cool hearing about everyone’s week!
What exactly are “bum” lambs?
Lambs that had to be taken away from their mothers for some reason or they’ve been rejected by their mothers and have to be bottle fed.
I am working on a costume for my granddaughter’s drama club production of Annie. I am also working on a waterproof blanket for the beach and picnics. I am making this from old jeans, chinos and a fabric shower curtain as the backing. My other granddaughter needs bedding for her doll crib. I will make this from the scraps from the jeans blanket. Finally, I am salvaging a patchwork pillow that was my 39-year-old daughters first sewing project. I am fluffing up the original filling and adding all of the teeny-tiny scraps left over from the jeans and doll crib blankets.
This week I made tooth paste and laundry soap. We bought 25 new chicks. 13 Black Sexlink and 12 Road island reds. 24 have survived so far. My girls are 5 to 7 years old and we need to switch them out.
So sorry I missed last week.
I planted seeds in our greenhouse and transplanted some strawberries.
Hi, Merissa. I enjoy your Frugal Friday posts very much! I enjoy the meal & recipe ideas that you share. Last week for us seemed so busy & went by quickly. We work from home & away from home, & we farm & homeschool & go to church; so it alway feels like everyday is very scheduled. Last week we had extra work to keep the meat birds we raise warm, because of cold nights. We also got a call that our last flock was ready at the chicken processor, but we had to wait until Saturday to have time to go get that poultry. I spent time on confirming pre-orders for that poultry & looking at pre-orders placed on our next 2 flocks. We posted 3 videos at our YouTube channel called Twin Oaks Farm Poultry, & we are slowly learning new ways we can improve at that. We had a video on there get over 300 views, & we noticed YouTube placed an ad in front of it, so that gave us some motivation to keep at it. We enjoyed all week long strawberries sold by the local FFA chapter. In this week, I am looking forward to getting our poultry distributed to our customers. I am also making sure to remember daily prayers my household is offering for a local young military man we’re lifting up in prayer devotions, & I’m trying to be more diligent in cleaning house as I go about my day & giving up soda during the weekdays. Our Daffodils are blooming, & tomorrow I want to cut some to bring indoors to have some fresh blooms in the house. To me, they are cheerful!
Love reading your posts and accomplishments. As always your writeups inspire me to do more. This week at our house I was focused on a gathering we had on Saturday. My friend made a delicious pile of cabbage rolls, so yummy. ( leftovers are in the freezer) I made potatoe and cheese perogies. Had a lot of left over stuffing so mixed in some spices, eggs, flour and cornstarch and deep fryed heaping spoonfuls into fritters. They were a hit. Along with that I made some veggie samosas and served them with my hot sauce. We have a diverse group so we like to do vegetarian, vegan and meat meals in our gatherings. Out came the guitars and voila – instant happiness. Not a lot of other things done; just simple meals and cashed in on a case lot sale for some of our canned staples. And also I bought a couple of liters of sour cream to dehydrate, some more bread to do up as crumbs, etc.
I can’t wait to try your hummingbird bread. One of my sons has an egg allergy, so I’m going to try and make it without eggs.
One of our dogs passed away last Wednesday after a short battle with cancer, so the last week has been a bit of a blur. I’m looking forward to getting back into the kitchen this week.
Hi Merissa, Hosted a simple birthday party Sunday, for my daughter in law. Went to a far away dentist, but looped in buying grass-fed beef from a local rancher. I also found 50 % off plant based beef jerky on my way home. Some charity work on Tuesday. I want to follow through on some things I mentioned last week. However, I need to catch up on getting better rest. Bye, for now. Have fun seed planting.
My tomato and broccoli seedlings were ready to be up potted so I got that done and then started some luffa seeds.
I had 4 goats present me with 6 unexpected kids between 2-14 & 2-26 so I have been kept hoppng there, setting up temporary housing for a couple.