Homemade Easter Treats

It's been a few days since my last post, but oh my, it's amazing how busy the past week has been!  The week before Easter is always a busy time for us, but it's also always very special and meaningful...lots of wonderful church services and family time. 

It was so fun to put together Liam's first Easter basket.  I found many reasons not to do it this year (he won't know if I don't, he doesn't really need anything, I shouldn't spend any money, blah blah blah) but I couldn't resist.  It really was fun, and I was able to do it very inexpensively.  I found a couple of great online tutorials, which I used to make a couple cute little toys which cost (together) less than $5 to make.  Then Rob picked out Liam's first Hot Wheels car (a Dolorean, of course!), I added a cute pair of baby sunglasses, a sippy cup to try out in a couple months, an illustrated Bible, and a little duckie to a basket I got half-price at JoAnn Fabrics.  Here's the links to the homemade toys:
Crinkle-bots

Amish Puzzle Ball

And of course, here's our handsome man with his basket and goodies, and also with mommy and daddy:

Hope you all had a blessed Easter! 

This weekend....

If this weekend goes as planned, I'll have part of our garden planted by Sunday night.  Gardening is something I've really grown to love in the past couple of years (even last summer when I was huge and pregnant and couldn't bend over to pick out weeds!) and this year I've decided to expand and grow some things I haven't tried before.  We have to be a little creative, though, as we rent our home and the only place we can use as a garden is an old flower bed we ripped out when we moved in...and we can't dig up any more of the yard.  So, I'm resorting to lots and lots of pots and planters, as well as some other possible ideas....pictures to come!  Here's what I'm planning on so far:

-Tomatoes (a couple of varieties)
-Zucchini
-Peppers
-Carrots
-Green onions
-Spinach
-Lettuce
-Wax and green beans
-peas
-herbs: mint, basil, rosemary, parsley

...and I'm still not ruling out others!  My goal for this weekend was to get some of the early stuff (lettuce, spinach, carrots, etc) planted in pots.  We'll see if that happens...the weather is not so great today.  But I'm hopeful!  And very excited to have a break from frozen vegetables.  I also received canning supplies for Christmas this year, so I'm excited to dive head-over-heels into that. 

I've been wanting to share a great post I found this week on one of my favorite blogs--we've been trying to reduce/eliminate lots of disposable products in our home (more on what we use/don't use to come), and though I already use a couple from this list, it still gives some great ideas on things you wouldn't expect:

SQC: 7 Unexpected Ways to Replace Disposable Products

Brainless Meals: Chile-Chicken Enchiladas

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photo from Betty Crocker

There are nights when I willingly put forth a lot of effort for a meal, following a recipe with lots of steps and creating a mountain of dirty dishes along the way.  But there are just some days when that's not going to happen, and thus I introduce a new theme: Brainless Meals.

I've tried a lot of recipes for enchiladas...many involving lots of steps, making homemade sauce, etc.  They're all really good, but this one is quickly becoming my favorite not only because it's easy, but because it really IS good.  And it's so much easier to make because it involves opening cans of things and dumping them together...not much work required.  At 6 ingredients and a little over 5 bucks to make, it's a winner.

Chile-Chicken Enchiladas (adapted from bettycrocker.com)

1 can or bottle enchilada sauce ($0.89)

2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken (I use a big can from Sam's Club--$2)

1 to 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese, Monterey Jack or cheddar ($0.89)

1 cup sour cream ($0.59)

1 can chopped green chiles ($0.50)

8 flour tortillas ($0.99 for 10)

total cost: $5.86*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish.  In a medium bowl, combine chicken, about 2/3 of the cheese, sour cream, and chilies.  Spoon about 1/3 cup of the mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll up the tortilla and place seam-side down in baking dish.  Top with remaining enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes, remove foil and bake 5-10 minutes longer.  Serve with chopped avocado, green onion, lettuce, and/or tomato if desired. 

*Note on total cost: Actual price I paid for the ingredients.  Most were purchased at Aldi.

DIY Swiffer WetJet Refill

Without a doubt, my Swiffer WetJet is my favorite cleaning tool.  Our entire house has hardwood floor (laminate floor in the kitchen and bathroom), so mopping at least once a week is a must.  I'm not complaining though, because I love hardwood floors and you can get them way cleaner than carpet.  Mopping can be a drag, though; if it weren't for the WetJet.  No buckets to fill, no wringing out the mop, just spray and mop, and toss the pad when you're done.  Or use your own reusable pads (more on that another time). 

The mopping solution can be expensive though--two bottles is over $8 at Wal-Mart, which is highway robbery to me.  And of course they make the bottles so you can't screw off the top and refill them....or so they think.  Mwahaha.

This video shows you how to refill the bottle.  It's ingenious. 

Homemade Marinara Sauce

One way to easily cut grocery costs is to make more things homemade.  I realize many people are much busier than I am, but I promise that any recipe I share on this blog is: a) easy, b) cost-effective, and c) worth whatever time it takes.  This is now one of my favorite things to make homemade which I used to buy in the grocery store.  It's cheap (less than 5 bucks to make), tastes better than the jarred kind, and is very versatile.  Also, it makes a lot (around 10 cups, give or take)...which makes it even more cost-effective.  I set aside some to use right away and freeze the rest in 1 or 2 cup portions.

Homemade Marinara Sauce  (adapted from an old Cooking Light magazine)

3 Tablespoons olive oil
2-3 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 Tablespoons minced garlic (I usually use 5-6 cloves, or 1 1/2 Tablespoons garlic powder)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups chicken broth or equivalent amount of hot water/bouillon
3 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onion, cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add sugar and herbs, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Stir in vinegar and cook 30 seconds.  Add broth and tomatoes, bring to a simmer.  Cook over low heat for 55 minutes (you should only see a couple bubbles rising to the top every couple seconds) or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.  If freezing, let cool completely before ladling into plastic bags or freezer containers.


And that's it!  About 10 minutes of hands-on time, and from what I've seen a 28-oz jar of pasta sauce is at least $1.50, usually more.  The most expensive ingredient here is the tomatoes (a dollar a can where I shop) and so for a little over 3 bucks you can make over 2 times as much sauce as you'd buy in a jar.  I use this for everything-pasta sauce, pizza sauce (can be thickened with a little tomato paste), meat sauce (just add browned meat), dipping sauce for breadsticks, etc.  You can adjust the seasonings to fit your taste, of course, and you could add more veggies or meat.  The original recipe also included fennel seed, which is not really my thing. 

Enjoy!

Welcome!

Since May of 2009, I have had many huge life-changing events take place: I got engaged (May '09), moved into my own apartment (July '09), got married (Nov. '09), found out I was pregnant with our first child (Jan. '10), moved AGAIN (June '10), and gave birth to our precious Liam (Sept. '10).  All the while, I went through many confusing job interview/let-down scenarios, and finally realized that God was calling me to give up the fervent search for a full-time job and stay home with little man instead, working 15 hours part-time on the side.  Whew!  It's been a whirlwind, and it hasn't even been 2 years yet since this all began.  Yet, I wouldn't give up any of it for a second...everything happened exactly as it should have.

Along the way, I have learned many lessons from the simultaneous increase in expenses/gradual cut in our family's income--and these lessons have changed our whole outlook for the better.  As I have learned a great deal about maintaining a frugal home from reading other blogs, researching endlessly, and thinking outside the box; it is my hope that I can bless someone else with some great money-savers, tips, and creative outlets for the home.  I firmly believe that, with an open mind, ANYONE can drastically lower their expenses and still enjoy great food, small luxuries, and a fabulous home. 

I also want this to be a sounding board for others out there who may be in a similar situation and have other great ideas to share--so if you have a great tip or idea, please let me know!!