Fun Friday- Saving Money in the Kitchen Finale and Giveaway!

Well friends, welcome back to the last installment of Saving Money in the Kitchen.  Here we go...

Dinner time!  What's on your menu?  Fast food, you say?  Honestly, we do not usually eat out just for the fun of it.  Usually the service isn't that great, the food is just OK, and for a family of six it is just plain expensive.  Nope, we usually are only tempted to eat out when mom does not know what is for dinner.  It is irritating, it is unhealthy and it is costly. 

But I struggle with menu planning.  Can anyone relate?  The planning part is not so bad really but the coming up with things to actually put on the plan, well, that is another story.  I waffle between feeling like I am boring my family to death to trying out long, fancy recipes that take a lot of time and they all turn their nose up in the end anyway.  So. Done. With. That!

I have a new solution!  You are going to love it!
I have just finished up my second round of cooking what someone else tells me to cook for a 13 week stretch.  I love it.  I just open the book and follow someone else's plans and recipes.  Easy!

My worn, well loved copy!

I have mentioned Rachel Master's cookbook, Supper's on the Table, Come Home before.  In this 253 page, spiral bound gem, Rachel gives you 13 weeks of 5 meals each with sides along with their recipes. To sweeten the deal she also adds a complete shopping list for each week- staples included!  AND to make it even better, a special dessert and one snack idea are included for each week with all the recipes AND ingredients list.  What else could you need?

It was written by a mom with kids for a mom with kids.  'Ya know what I mean?  None of that creame de 'la something, or fancy-smanshy, I cannot pronounce nor will my family ever eat recipes.  Just real life stuff, with real life ingredients.

These are good solid meal plans- a main dish, a veggie recommendation and often a bread of some sort or a fruit.  Did I already mention kid friendly?  I admit to having 3 out of 4 picky eaters.  I do not know how it happened, but yes, my kids are somewhat picky and opinionated about food.  Out of the 80 meals listed I only replaced about 5.  And they were pretty easy fixes.  Where split pea soup was listed, for example, I just changed it to pork loin. (sorry Rachel)  I simply marked out the ingredients for that meal on the shopping list and added my own.  Now when I shop, I copy the week's ingredients list, mark out all the things I already have on hand and go get the rest of what Rachel tells me I will need.

A no brainer.
And a life saver.

Could it get any better?
Well, actually it can!  Because at the end of the book are bonus recipes for everything from homemade mixes (we use the biscuit mix recipe all of the time) to holiday meal ideas and a even section on food allergies.

Why reinvent the wheel?
Actually, I did reinvent the wheel a little.  I admit the organizational side of me loves this concept, so I got out a notebook and the recipes I have that my family loves and made my own 13 week schedule, complete with shopping lists.  It is not nearly as well done as Rachel's, but it will do.  Now I do not have to menu plan for 26 weeks.  Yea me!

This cookbook makes a great gift for young people just starting out with cooking.  Because most recipes are not too labor intensive, it is an opportunity to learn how to ease into cooking.  Rachel gives start times for each portion of the meal, helping to get it all on the table at the same time.

Want one?  You can order a copy of Rachel's book, Supper's on the Table, Come Home from her website ~ for $15.00.

Or...

Rachel is going to bless one of my readers with their own copy for free!   Enter the rafflecopter below to win.  I know you will love it.  Thank you Rachel!

Looking for ways to save money?  Menu planning can be a great tool to keep you out of the grocery store too often, and keep you from those impulse items that end up costing us way too much.  Give it a try and see if it doesn't help!

Blessings,

This post is being linked up with Amy, At Raising Arrows!

This post in being link to Caroline at The Modest Mom!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer- Opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way by the publisher.  I did not receive compensation in any form for this review.  The cookbook offered is from the generous offer of Rachel!

What's to Eat?

5:00...time to feed the troops.  (ok, not quite yet, but stay with me here)

If you are like me you often open the fridge and stare.  And stare some more.  Give up, close the fridge and call for take out.
If you are like me, you want to feed your family healthier food.  It just takes time...and planning...and creativity.  I am a little low on those things right now.  So I am all about simplifying these days and getting a little help.  You see, I can and HAVE made myself a little crazy collecting fancy recipes and shopping for insanely hard to find ingredients.  And you know what...my family is...not...impressed.  As in does...not...care.  In fact, I have found out that the more simple I go, the happier they are.  Who would have figured? So I am vowing to no longer try to impress the troops. (at least not with cooking)

Here are a few things that have worked for me lately...

1- Supper's On The Table, Come Home by Rachel Masters.  (You can find it here: www.schallertel.net/~rmasters)  I LOVE THIS COOKBOOK!  So much so, that I have given copies to a few young ladies in my life already.  It gives 13 weeks of simple meals with not only the shopping list for each week, but also a time chart of when to start each step.  My kind of simple.  Plus, a great way to teach our future homemakers in training time management in the kitchen.  Again, some of the recipes are very simple, but those are the ones my family liked best.  I promise!  The kids loved it because it also includes one special snack eack week as well as one dessert...which often became a homeschool cooking project and our Friday Family Night dessert.

2-  My own version of Supper's On The Table.  Not nearly as nice as Rachel's, but yep, I did my own version using all of my favorite recipes.  Now on my to do list: laminate copies for each of my children.

3- Phone a friend!  Seriously.  I have been known to call someone, you know who you are, and ask what you are fixing...and then follow suit.  Hey, I am not picky!

4- EMeals.  This one is new for me, currently doing it now, but I love how it combines recipes plus low cost items/sales with a store of your choice.  I promise to post soon on how I cut our grocery budget in half soon, but for now, this is one simple way to get started.

So, how about you...what's cooking at your house today?  Do share on the blog please, it just might be tomorrow's meal!