Today is the Day . . .

There are no words to express the anxious excitement we are all feeling today. I haven't slept well in two nights; poor Jason has had to suffer through my tossing and turning. I had big plans yesterday. I was going to get the house all cleaned up and just hit Ingles today and relax. Um, didn't happen. I left home at 9am and got home nearly 12 hours later. I have a list a mile long of things that need to be accomplished before this evening. My tummy is rumbling with butterflies and I'm praying the kids are so tired they sleep until noon.

And then I take a deep breath and I sing -
                                       
                                       I cast all my cares upon you.

I lay all of my burdens down at your feet.

Anytime I don't know what to do,

I will cast all my cares upon you. 

I think I learned that song from Psalty the Singing Songbook over 20 years ago, but it pops into my head often these days. I don't know that this is a Psalm; I Peter 5:7 is most likely the closest literal translation. Anyone? But, it is certainly a sound way to approach the the day and the worries of my little world.

I am gently reminded that Denys (who is flying over Europe as I type this) does not care all my floors are mopped or that the kiddos drawers are all neat or even that the laundry is all done. God has not prepared our home for him as an example of perfect tidiness. Truthfully, he probably comes from a much neater home than I have to offer him.

I am to afford him a palace of love. Yes, by keeping the floors swept, and the laundry done, and the toilets wiped down I will show him a great deal of love - the same as I do for all the other wild hooligans that abide here. Stressing about these things will rob me of the energy and the joy needed to love him and his time here will become burdensome. And that does not seem like a very good trade.

Today, with much prayer and thanksgiving and intentional joy, I will do what I can and leave off what must wait. I will be ready when our Ukrainian arrives. I will smile and laugh and love and sleep like a log whenever bedtime finally arrives tonight. I will cast all my cares on Him.

Ingles 4 Under $40 - December 3, 2012

I know, I know. I really stink at getting this blog post done by Monday afternoon. I'm trying, really I am, but it's looking like Tuesdays are just going to be a better day for me. The good news - This stuff stays on sale all week. So I'm thinking of changing my format to Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and leaving Sunday and Monday to fend for themselves rather than the weekend. What do you think?

Tuesday - Chicken Salad

It sounds girly  but if you do it right, any man will get full on chicken salad. Add in the fact that croissants are on sale and you're in good shape for a "lighter" mid-week dinner. If you're crew is not a fan of mayo then try Greek yogurt. The LL cups are $1.10 ea.

Tyson Boneless Combo Pack - $2.28/lb - boil and chop it up!
Apples or Pears - $1.28 - $1.78/lb - chop
Add some S&P (that's salt & pepper) and a little mayo and mix well. Throw in any variation of dried fruits or  nuts (a favorite).
Iceberg Lettuce - 78c/head
Croissants - $3.98

There you go. Easy dinner Tuesday for about $6.

Wednesday - CHURCH

Thursday - Pork Roast

Boston Butt is on sale too and if you prefer, go with it. But, I prefer a pork loin. At $4.98/lb this may run you close to $10, but it's SO WORTH IT. Rub it with your favorite seasonings (I like McCormick Mesquite rub) and toss into the Crock Pot. Add some red potatoes (3lb/$1.50) and an onion (pennies). Yumm-O-Rama! And at 78c a head, a salad is an easy extra side. Leftover croissants? Even better - Bread too!

Pork loin - $9
Red Potatoes - $1.50
Onion - pennies
Seasoning packet - ~$1

I'm thinking $12 max for this one.

Friday - Nachos

I can't resist nachos, especially when LL Tortilla chips are 3/$5. Tostitos are on sale too, but at 2/$7 who can afford them?!? And the LL chips taste just fine. For these you can use leftover chicken from Tuesday (if you have it) or go for ground beef. (I may even still have some in my freezer from early November.) Grape tomatoes are 2/$3 and your second head of Iceberg lettuce is still only 78c. LL Salsa con Queso is $2.28.

LL Tortilla Chips - $1.67/bag
Chicken or Beef - ~$2.30/lb
Lettuce - 78c
Grape Tomatoes - $1.50
LL Salsa con Queso - $2.28
Taco Seasoning Packet - ~$1

Ha. Nachos for the fam for $9!! Awesome.

Saturday - Blackeyed Peas, Greens and Cornbread

Did I do this last time I posted? I don't remember and we never ate it, but if I did sub your favorite beans/peas or do a soup. Dried peas are on sale as is bacon. I'm sure Ingles has greens this time of year (and probably very well priced), but I like Glory. They taste like "Top of the River's." Cornmeal I have on hand.

This meal is $5 without the bacon $9 with it.

Conclusion

It's hard not to get into a rut when it seems the sale papers does. I can find plenty of junk and ideas for baking, but it's getting harder and harder to add variety to meal time. Oh well, I suppose that routine is not a terrible thing - especially when it has us eating at home rather than out!

~Megan

Our Plan for Christmas

Tomorrow we'll get to 4 Under $40. Today I felt it was time to let the world know (he he) our plans for Christmas.

Yes, we'll still be at home. Yes, we'll still go to the half-dozen Christmas parties we can't avoid. And yes, we are still getting our babies Christmas presents (we've not totally lost our minds).

But this year, Christmas won't just be about us. This year Christmas at our house will be about Denys, too.

Denys is our new friend who will be with our family over the Christmas Holidays. He will come all the way from Ukraine (that's Eastern Europe), arrive on December 18th and return home January 15th. Whether or not he's orphaned in the truest sense of the word, he lives in an institution and will be experiencing Christmas in America this year.

And no, we are not adopting Denys. We are hosting Denys. In January he will return home.

Last summer I randomly came across the name of the group New Horizons for Children (NHFC) on Facebook. I "liked" their page which meant I began to receive their feeds on my news page and discovered what this group was doing. I found out that twice a year they visit Eastern European institutions and interview kiddos and the institution workers to see which kids might benefit from a trip to the US and would fit well into a family environment during that time. As I followed these posts I thought, "Wow. That's a really cool idea. I'm glad someone thought of it". And, "Good for these families."

Fast forward six months and on my news feed pops up this photo of a super cute kiddo - Denys - who is in need of a host family for the Dec/Jan trip. I show the pic to The Preacher and read him the 4 sentence bio. He says, "Call and check on it." I do. And Denys has already been spoken for. The NHFC staff encourages us to look at the photo-listing for other kids and . . . well, we don't. We're not really interested in other kids. Fast forward another few weeks and his photo pops up again. His initial host family has fallen through and he's available. The Preacher says, "Call and check it out."

I call again and get a little more information and discover Denys is a bit older than we thought he was from his photo. I tell the gal we'll think about and I'll let her know. Two days later we receive a phone call from another NHFC worker who tells us that not only is Denys available, but he has a scholarship and his hosting fees are half-price!

Did I mention that part of hosting is footing the bill for getting him here, flights, documentation, room and board, and getting him home?

I look over at The Preacher and tell him. He says, "Let's do it."

Because God is big, he had seen fit to provide. The Sunday before Denys became available again our church family had blessed us and honored us in an amazing way. Thanks to their generosity and some side jobs The Preacher had recently completed, when the opportunity came to say "yes" to Denys, we were able to do so with much freedom and peace.

At the risk of boring you or adding more typos that you can bear to read I'll stop here for the night. I'll add more about Denys in the coming days; let you know how he does while he's here and what we're up to with him. I'll even fill you in how completely nuts our families think we are (of course, they were headed down that path anyway!). If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer them as best I can. Also, check out the NHFC website and the New Horizons Facebook page and see who they are and the ministry they do. It really is super-neat.

~Megan

Ingles 4 Under $40 - Thanksgiving2012

Yay for a week (mostly) back to normal. Of course, normal for us means still in the throes of a den renovation (I’ll post pics later) and laundry piles up to my ears, but we are home and we are blessed. I look forward to Thanksgiving more and more every year. It’s such a peaceful time for us to reflect and celebrate Christ, and all he has graciously chosen to bless us with. But, I still have a family to feed. (Unfortunately they’re going to want to eat more often this week than only Thursday.) So here’s an easy 4 Under $40 to get you through the chaos!

Monday

Make a big pot of chili tonight. Use the ground beef that may or may not still be in your freezer and the beans that you may or may not have picked up on previous store excursions. If there’s no beef on ice, go with extra beans or add in some rice (brown even) to make it plenty filling with less fat and more fiber. Thanks to the sales last month this meal for me is $0 out of my pocket this week. Keep what you buy under $10 and you’re good to go.

Tuesday

I found this Sausage Cheddar Quiche recipe and thought it look amazing. Since nearly every single ingredient is on sale I figured we should give it a shot.

9in Pastry Crust (Sure, make your own if you want. I will buy the pre-packaged suckers for $2 – Pillsbury)

1 lb pork sausage (Jimmy Dean $2.50/lb – I like it “Hot”)

4oz can of sliced mushrooms (entirely optional)

½ c chopped onion

¼ c chopped green pepper (if you buy a small bunch you’ll use them tonight and tomorrow)

½ t dried basil (Ok, the small “t” is teaspoon; the capital “T” is Tablespoon)

1 ½ c sharp cheddar cheese – shredded

2 eggs beaten

1 c milk

Paprika

1.    Prick the pie crust with a fork and bake at 400° for 3 min. Remove, re-prick, and bake another 5 min.

2.    Brown and drain sausage then mix with mushrooms, onion, pepper, and basil and spoon into pie crust. Sprinkle cheese on top.

3.    Combine eggs and milk and pour into pie crust and sprinkle with paprika.

4.    Bake at 350° for 50 min or until set. Let stand 10 min before slicing.

Voila! You may end up with this meal for $5 or less if you have what you need on hand. If not it should still be under $10.

Wednesday

I’m thinking “light” tonight since tomorrow will be a throw-down (at least it is at the THREE family events we will have). Boneless/skinless chicken is $1.98/lb so if you don’t have some in the freezer grab a small package (<$4) and cook it however you prefer. Throw it in a bowl with some sliced green grapes ($2.98/lb), spinach (+/- $3), celery ($.88 ea), one box spiral pasta ($.88 ea DaVinci - cooked per package directions), one jar ¼ marinated artichoke hearts ($3 +/-), 3 green onions chopped, and a large can of mandarin oranges ($.98 ea – Laura Lynn). For the dressing mix ½ c EVOO, ¼ c sugar, 2 T white vinegar, 1 t salt, ½ dried onion, 1t lemon juice, and 2 T parsley.  If you don’t have most of this on hand you’ll pay more than $10, but it might be worth it. Of course have fun substituting what you do have for some of these recommended ingredients. What what’s in my stash I’ll probably pay about $5 for this one.

Thursday

Enjoy Thanksgiving with your family. Post in “Comments” the things for which you are thankful. I’d love to see what you have to say! This year I am thankful for this blog, poor though it is, for helping me develop discipline and to feed my family well without spending lots of money.

Friday

Easy-peasy is the plan for Friday. (That and lots of fiber!) It’s about time for black-eyed peas ($1 lb) and greens ($2.50 bunch) around here. (Of course, for the same $5 I may grab a can of Glory Seasoned greens and save myself the trouble of making my own!) We’ll have a bit of corn bread too, but this meal will pack a punch at under $5. Depending on what leftovers you may have, soup is a great option too. Of course, you may not need to make a meal at all depending on the leftovers at hand. $6

Conclusion

There’s this week’s 4 Under $40. Make sure you don’t miss out on the free turkey from Ingles if you have 6 or more “Turkey Points” (I’ll be grabbing mine tomorrow). This is also a great time of year to stock up on pantry staples as LOTS of great stuff is on sale (sugar, flour, spices, etc.). Check the sale paper for more awesome ideas. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

~Megan

Ingles 4 Under $40 - 12Nov2012

Alrighty guys and gals, it is looking like you will have fun this week with a quiche, salmon, pork loin and chicken. Also, think about your best sweet potato recipes because those suckers are going cheap! (I think I will throw mine into the Crockpot with the pork loin.)

I will do what I can today to get this posted quickly, but please have much grace this week. My sweet granddaddy is not doing well at all and apart from an awesome intervention of God he will likely not last the week. He has suffered long with the disease that is dementia and it has robbed him of his vitality and now of his very life. I am thanful, though, that he will soon be in a place where there is no more hardship and no more dispair. He will be free from the body that is bogged down in sin and receive the new body and new name waiting on him in glory.

Thanks for your prayers this week and if I don't get to the new recipes or meals then respond to this post and show everyone else what you came up with!

~Megan

4 Under $40 - 5Nov2012

So Tuesday is still not Monday, but it's a sight better than Thursday! Grab your boots and here we go . . .

Day 1 - Veggie Soup
With the Green Giant canned goods at $0.60/ea this week go for 5 or 6 and make some yummy veggie soup. A bonus: for every 5 you purchase Ingles will donate 1 to Manna Food Bank.  If you like it a little spicier, add a can Rotel (those have been only $1ea.) I like to pour in V8 juice (2/$4) and delve into the fridge for the frozen ground beef you should have in there if you want a "meatier" soup. Total: $8.

Day 2 - Baby Back Ribs
Baby back ribs (which I like better than country ribs) are on sale again for $3.48/lb. You'll probably get at least 2.5 lbs in a package so this will be close to $8. Put 'em in the crock pot with your bbq sauce of choice (we make our own) and slow cook 'em all afternoon. A bag of slaw and some bakery bread would be enough to round out this meal for us. Total: +/- $10.

Day 3 - Roasted Chicken Legs
Roasted chicken legs are a favorite around here.  Grab a family size package of leg quarters ($0.78/lb) add salt & pepper and put them into a dutch oven. Bake uncovered at 375 for 45 minutes. In a small bowl melt 1/4c butter. Add to it 2 cloves of garlic (crushed) and 1t dried thyme. Mix well. Removed chicken from oven and turn. Throw in potatoes, onions and carrots  and pour the butter mix over it all. Bake another hour until its all done. You may need to add a little more s&p to taste. This is a Hatchett Family Favorite for under $5! Deli bread is good, but if Pilsbury is more your suite you can grab a can of biscuits for a dollar.

Day 4 - Taco/Pasta Night
I know you may get really tired of the same old change from tacos to pasta. But, we don't. My family could eat Mexican or Italian foods nearly every night of the week. This makes my week easier and hey, the cost is so fabulous you can't go wrong. If you have a better idea for a mid-week meal cheapie then please let me know. Otherwise we'll be doing the taco or pasta thing for about $5. 

Conclusion
Ribs are always a budget buster, but they are a yummy change from the ordinary. We're a lot closer to $40 than we normally are, but it'll be worth it. To eat cheaper make some more chicken noodle soup with the leg quarters or just toss an extra package or two in the freezer so we can eat on those another week. Have a wonderful week and don't forget to be an active participant in this lovely republic we call America - that means VOTE! ;o)

~Megan

A Rather Late 4 Under $40

Yep, I'm in need of grace this week. Our lives are crazy right now and so 4 under $40 just had to take a back-seat this week. I could have done it Monday, but we finished up gymnastics and baseball. On Tuesday The Preacher took me to a super-happening Association meeting (and yes, do skip this if you ever have the opportunity to go). On Halloween our church folks tied enough balloon animals to fill a naval destroyer for all the trick-or-treaters that descend on our little town. And yesterday, well yesterday was my birthday! (34, because I know you wanted to know.)

So, if it's not too late and you are in need of some extra meals for this weekend or just want to get a head start on next week here you go -

Day 1 - Frozen Lasagne
Stouffer's Lasagne (the gigantic size) is on sale for $12.98. That's a bit above the $10/meal I shoot for, but this should feed your crew at least twice. Or if you're having company tonight it's perfect - just make sure you give yourself enough time to get it baked. Add a crusty French bread from the bakery for $1.50 and a head of lettuce and carrots and you have the prefect Italian dinner for $16.

Day 2 - French Bread Pizzas

Ok, two "Italian" meals in two days - just change it up and don't serve them in a row. ;o) Thomas's English muffins are BOGO and that makes them $2.10/pack. (I went ahead and bought two.) A super exciting find for these guys was the fancy mozzarella in the cheese fridge (just opposite the bakery) is only $2.99! Go for the good stuff in the balls and slice it thin and one piece will do for each muffin - PERFECTION! Now, my favorite pizza sauce is LE Roselli's Pizza Sauce. Unfortunately, I did not see this kind in the pizza sauce section, but I did find the marinara with the pasta sauces. Any other pizza sauce you can get for under $3. I did splurge on the mini pepperonis ($3.88), but I couldn't resist the fact they will look so cute on those little pizzas. So, if this is all you want on your pizza you've got it for $8. Check your pantry for mushrooms, use some of your frozen ground beef or grab a red bell pepper ($1.50) and chop it up nicely for some extra umph to your dish. NOTE: You may want to toast your muffins a bit before you pizza-fy them just so they don't get soggy once the sauce is added. Pop 'em in the oven at 350 until your cheese is melted and you're good to go.

Day 3 - Croissant Chicken  

Here, Lynn, is your long awaited recipe! I apologize this one wasn't done sooner. I hope you froze your chicken from last week and bought the crescent rolls because this is a good one. This will put you over your $40 for the week if you don't have these in your fridge, but it's a great recipe to keep around and serve when guests visit.

 If you can't read this email me and I'll type it out for you. After you boil your chicken retain your broth rather than opening a new can for only 1/2 a cup. Usually I serve this with rice and something nice and green. But since I'm STILL working through that 10 lbs of potatoes from a month ago I'll serve my chicken with those tonight. (FYI - they have 10lb bags on sale again and it's a great deal, but I think I'll skip it this time because I'm tired of potatoes!) If you have this stuff in your fridge/freezer this may be FREE for you this week - yeah, you already paid for it, but I'm talking about this week! If you need frozen broccoli go for the Laura Lynn big bags. They're about $6, but you can use them in several sittings. Asparagus looked good too, but it's not on sale at about $3.50 a bundle.

Day 4 - Black Beans and Rice

This is one of my favorites! And I have found I love it even more with brown rice (Mahatma $0.96/bag). To make brown rice not so sticky fry it first in a little butter and have your boiling water ready in a kettle to pour into the rice when it's golden brown. If you use the brown rice rather than the long grain white then cook it according to package directions and add it to the beans when they're done. Otherwise follow the recipe. I bought black beans the other week, but even if you didn't they're not going to run you more than $2.00. (Also check the ethnic foods isle if you prefer the Goya brand of beans.)  All-in-all a meal for under $10 and likely under $5.

Recipe - Dice a med onion (pennies), 1 garlic clove, a green and a red bell pepper ($3). Heat 2T olive oil in a large saucepan (I like my Lodge Dutch oven) and cook veggies until tender. Add 1.5 cups of tomatoes ($2) and cook 8-10 min until thick. Season with salt and pepper and stir in beans (prepped per bag instructions), 1 cup uncooked long grain rice , and water. Cover and reduce heat and cook 25 min until rice is tender.

I want to add that a sweet friend was trying to tell me this week that his wife won't let him to go the grocery store any more until she checks 4 for $40! There was a lot going on when he was talking  and it wasn't until we got home and The Preacher was telling me what he had said I realized I missed the compliment! 

Enjoy this weeks meals, late though they may be! The next few weeks should see some super fun deals in the Ingles circular just in time for the holidays. If I'm going to be this late again I'll let you know in advance!

~Megan