The End of the Floor Project

Thank Goodness!!  I have every reason to believe that we will be all done with the kitchen floor and have everything clean and ready to go this weekend!!  Yay!!  I would like to add that we have made it this far with no arguments or me saying a single time, "Well, if you would just do it like this then...".  I am very proud of me - and of my hard working husband of course.

Floor Update

Well Tracy is about half done with the actual tiling - and doing a fine job I must say.  After the tiling comes the grouting.  And the sealing.  And the curing.  And then the powder room...

In Lieu of Menu

So, with my kitchen off limits I'm breaking away from our usual routine and have a list of budget friendly quick dining options for families to share.  I can take no credit whatsoever for discovering these options - my friend Leane did the digging and gave the list to me.  I may have added one or two but it is her list.  My contribution?  Sharing it with you and encouraging you to call around and look online to make a list of your own.  You never know when your kitchen is going to be wiped out by an improvement project...

Monday - Chick-fil-A on Cherry, one free kids meal for every adult meal purchased
              - Red Bowl, kids eat for 99 cents with purchase of adult meal
Tuesday - McCallister's Deli - Kids eat free, even if you are my friend Dani and have 4
Wednesday - Captain Steve's Seafood - Kids eat free
Thursday - Earth Fare - up to 5 free kids meals for every adult purchase of at least $5.00
Friday - Chick-fil-A on Dave Lyle, same as Monday
Saturday and Sunday - Steak and Shake, kids eat free all weekend with adult purchase of $8.00
August - IHOP, kids eat free all month

Back Home

We're back home.  This past weekend we were out of town making an unscheduled trip to see Tracy's parents.  It's times like this that we really wish that we were closer.  Like five hours closer.  Oh well.  God was faithful to provide all we needed to get there and back and kept us safe from accidents so I'll just be grateful.  Oh course, we ate all kinds of junk food on the road so now I'm making plans to get us on track again.  My obstacle?  I still don't have a kitchen floor.  Don't blame Tracy, the circumstances that took us to Alabama also kept us too busy last week for him to work on it.  So, now I need to plan a menu that we can eat without gathering around the kitchen table to do it.  Hmmm...

More Lunch Boxes

We did wraps so now lets talk about sandwiches.  Well, not sandwiches so much as bagelwiches.  We all love bagels at my house.  Here are five ways to make a breakfast favorite into lunch:

1.  smear of tomato paste, deli sliced pepperoni and slice fresh mozzarella on white
2.  Italian dressing, hard salami, provolone and romaine on onion
3.  light mayo, roast beef, cheddar and romaine on sesame
4.  ham, Swiss and apple slices on raisin
5.  Dijon mustard, turkey, smoked cheddar and romaine on wheat

You can start your bagelwich toasted or just right out of the bag.  Caleb likes for me to slice his in half so that it's easier to pick up.  We also sometimes use mini versions for a little extra fun.  Here's hoping your kids lunch is "untradeable"!!

Lunch Box - Again

Ahh, the lunch box.  I haven't used Caleb's yet.  He is charmed by the novelty of having the option to eat in the school cafeteria.  I know it will pass and he'll ask me to pack food from home any minute now.  I want to be ready.  I've been putting together some ideas for his lunch that won't leave me in a PBJ rut.  Not that there is anything wrong with PBJ - I could eat one right now...

Wrap it Up

1.  jellied cranberry sauce, thick sliced turkey and apple matchsticks
2.  apple butter, ham and raisins
3.  BBQ sauce, chicken and carrot matchsticks
4.  Caesar dressing, chicken and romaine lettuce
5.  spicy mustard, roast beef, romaine lettuce and radish matchsticks

I make all of my wraps with fajita size flour tortillas because they are cheap and work with everything.  If you are making lunch for multiple kids you can probably keep more choices on hand and use wheat, spinach, etc.  I also store my tortillas in the fridge.  They stay fresh longer, but because they are cold I need to warm them for 15 seconds in the microwave to make them flexible enough to roll.  All wraps need a spread, a protein and something crispy or crunchy.  The options are endless...

Enjoy!!

Menu 8/21 - 8/27

Well, it's official.  It's back.  All of it.  Choir, Bible study, school, preschool, ballet...it's all back.  I'm thrilled!!  I love the fall and all of the new beginnings.  I love football season.  I love a break from the hot weather.  And I love getting everything and everyone back on a schedule.  Here is our menu:

Sunday - cinnamon rolls, turkey bacon and orange slices
                baked ziti and cloverleaf rolls
                leftovers

Monday - crunchy peanut butter toast, bananas and milk
                 Monday roast, new potatoes, carrots and bread and butter

Tuesday - blueberry muffins, eggs and milk
                 roast beef sandwiches on white bread, apple slices

Wednesday - cereal and milk, apple juice
                      Crock Pot chicken and artichokes, rigatoni, green salad

Thursday - cinnamon rolls, yogurt
                   chili with cornbread, sour cream, cheddar cheese

Friday - beef hash and toast, milk
              chili dogs, mixed veggie salad and chips

Saturday - blueberry muffins, fruit smoothies
                  pizza
                  leftovers
                 

To make this menu work for me I need to do a Saturday baking.  I store fresh baked items in the freezer if I'm not eating them the same or very next day.  This supplies my desserts, snacks, dinner breads and breakfast items.  I  thaw in the microwave right before meal time.  I also try to make my Sunday baked ziti on the Friday or Saturday before so that I can pull it out after church and warm it up. Because Saturday is so full of cooking and baking for the rest of the week and because I don't want to miss any Alabama football games, I like to order pizza or have snacks at meal time.  For lunches during the week Addie and I eat a lot of sandwiches and left overs.  Give it try and marvel at how much extra time you have on weekday evenings and how much money you save.  Good luck!!