My Menu Plan 20th Sept - 19th Oct 2014

 One of my blog readers asked me to post my menu plan for the month.  I always keep last month's menu plan and rewrite it for the next month.  I generally change a few things around depending on what we are doing and according to the seasons.  If the weather is getting warmer then I add a few lighter meals or salads.  If the weather is heading into Winter then I include more stews,  soups and casseroles.

Here it is -

Sat 20th Sept - Chicken Curry in slow cooker with rice
Sun 21st -  Get your own but feed me

Mon 22nd - Honey mustard chicken and rice
Tues 23rd - Meat pie and greens
Wed 24th - I'm away so the family can cook or have freezer meals
Thurs 25th -  I'm away again        "            "              "
Fri 26th - Salmon portions  rice,  zuc slice and veg
Sat 27th - Chicken flan and greens
Sun 28th - Get your own but feed me

Mon 29th - Meatloaf,  mash and veg
Tues 30th - Sausages,  smashed potatoes and veg
Wed 1st Oct -  my birthday so I chose lasagne and veg
Thurs 2nd - Salmon patties, rice and veg
Fri 3rd - Hamburgers and wedges
Sat 4th -  BBQ
Sun 5th - Get your own but feed me

Mon 6th - Homemade KFC drumsticks,  mash and veg
Tues 7th - Chop suey and rice
Wed 8th - Tuna pasta bake
Thurs 9th -  Roast chicken and roast veg
Fri 10th - Homemade pizza
Sat 11th - Beef stew in slow cooker with mash
Sun 12th - Get your own but feed me

Mon 13th - Saucy chicken,  mash and veg
Tues 14th - Tacos
Wed 15th - Silverside in slow cooker with roast veg
Thurs 16th - Tuna casserole with greens
Fri 17th - Spag bol
Sat 18th - Chicken burgers and chips
Sun 19th - Get your own but feed me

Part of my monthly shop
 

Homemade chicken, tomato, cheese and pineapple pizza

What my birthday dinner will look like - Lasagne

Frezer meals for when I'm away

Hamburgers and chips

 Do you write a menu plan ?

Lemon Chicken

Having a lemon tree has been a real blessing to my family.  We make good use of the free lemons by making lots of yummy treats.  Lemon Chicken is a favourite dish in my family.  I didn't have a recipe for this dish.  I haven't even looked it up on the internet or my recipe books.  I just made it up the way I thought it should be.  I use drumsticks as they are budget friendly.  Darren bought ten kilos of drumsticks at $1.99 a kilo at a butchers a couple of months ago.  He portioned them out into meal sizes for the freezer. He was able to get fourteen meals from the ten kilos.  We allowed one drumstick for us girls and two for Darren

The chicken for this dish costs us $1.42.  The lemons are free and the seasonings and vegetables cost next to nothing.  Total cost for the meal would be under $2.00 for four people.

1 - 2 drumsticks per person
Plain flour to coat the drumsticks
2 lemons
Salt
Pepper
Garlic - powdet, granules or fresh
Onion - dried flakes or fresh
Mixed herbs
Olive oil

Heat the oven to 190 degrees celcius.

Coat the drumsticks in plain flour.   In a medium / large fry pan add the oil and cook the drumsticks until they are brown.

Transfer the drumsticks to an oven proof dish.

Cut one lemon and squeeze the juice over the drumsticks.

Season the drumsticks with all the seasonings.

Cut up the other lemon into thin slices and quarter each slice.  Scatter over the drumsticks.

Cook in the oven uncovered for 40 minutes until cooked through.

Once you have served the drumsticks,  add a little boiled water to the casserole dish and scrape up all the brown bits.  This makes a lovely gravy / sauce to spoon over the chicken.

The finished product. 
Lemons, silverbeet and broccoli are from our garden.

The chicken was browned in a fry pan.
Now to add the lemons and seasonings.

The dish is ready to be finished off in the oven.

 

Gravy Powder

I've tried making my own gravy powder a few different ways with varying degrees of success.  Some were too bland and some were too light in color that I felt compelled to add soy sauce to darken it.  The best one I've tried is to make my own and mix it with store bought no name gravy powder.  It's the best of both worlds.  It cheaper than no name and reduces the amount of artificial ingredients.

Here's the recipe -

150 grams of no name gravy powder
6 really heaped dessert spoons of plain white flour
2 tablespoons of dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon of sweet paprika ( normal variety )
2 reasonably heaped dessert spoons of beef stock powder
2 teaspoons of celery powder
1 1/2 tablespoons of dried parsley
2 teaspoons of salt
good shake of pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl and store in an airtight container.
To make it up add 2 - 3 tablespoons of gravy powder mix to 1 or 1 1/2 cups of cold water.  Stir or whisk until it's hot and thickens.

Total cost to make 470 grams is about $2.  This makes more than the standard box of no name gravy which is 425 grams.

Dry ingredients

The finished products

This Week's Frugal Tasks

Another week has come and gone and I sometimes wonder what I did with my time. Thankfully I keep a list on the front of the fridge where I can record my frugal tasks as I do them.  Sometimes I suprise myself with how much I achieve.   I try to keep myself reasonably busy around the house.  I enjoy my days at home ( when I'm not at work cleaning other's houses ) and feel at peace here.  Darren and I have created a warm,  happy home where delightful aromas from the kitchen fill our souls with pure joy.

Here's my frugal list for the week -

*  Jessica bought a couple of ( as new ) dresses from our local super sized op shop.  I took up the hem on one as she wanted it a little above the knee.

*  Accepted some glass jars from a friend.  Some will be used to make jam for presents.  The larger ones will be used to layer ingredients to make a baking item and also given as presents.

*  Made lunchbox chocolate chip muffins.  We ate a few fresh and froze the rest for school and work lunchboxes.

*  Made brown sugar with the food proccessor.

*  Baked three loaves of  wholemeal bread.

*  Used up the last of a tube of lipstick.  I've been using cotton tips to get the last of it out which gave me another three week's worth.  I've also ordered two more lipsticks from Avon at half price.

*  Made yoghurt from scratch.

*  Picked more broccoli florets and used some in a stew.  I also picked some silverbeet and added it to a tuna pasta bake.  I chopped it up finely so the girls couldn't pick it out.

*  Made dried seasoned bread crumbs from scratch.  I use these to coat salmon patties and chicken drumsticks ( cheats KFC ).

*  Made gravy powder in bulk.

*  Cut broccoli stalks with my Nicer Dicer and froze them into meal portions for stews,  soups and casseroles.

*  Saved the shower water as usual and poured it into the washing machine..

*  Cooked all meals and snacks from scratch.

*  Had the heater off for a few days as the weather is warming.

*  Cut up some old socks to use as garden ties.

*  Scraped out the peanut butter and Vegemite jars.

*  Froze five single serves of leftovers from meals.When I get a good stash I add freezer meals to the menu.  Everyone picks their own and I count it as a free meal.  No cooking and no cost.

*  We had a lovely dinner at home on Father's Day.  I cooked a leg of lamb with roast vegetables.  Megan made a lemon meringue pie.  Total cost of the dinner was $10.  A fraction of the cost of a restaurant meal.  The leg of lamb was $15 but we made it do for two meals.

Mixed lettuce from our garden.

Hemming Jessica's dress.

Princess our cat watching over the chickens

Lots of wind to dry the washing for free.

Free garden ties made from old socks

Scraping out the peanut butter jar

Megan's lemon meringue pie

My piece of pie

Leftovers ready for the freezer

 How frugal was your week ?  Have you managed to squirrel away any leftovers for the freezer ?
Are you picking anything from your gardens ?  Did you pick up any bargains at the shops ?

Welcome to the new readers.  Would you like to share your frugal list ?

Lunchbox Chocolate Choc Chip Muffins

Making muffins was the very first baked item I learnt to make as a newlywed nineteen years ago.  Back then I started my baking passion by using a packet mix.  The flavour was vanilla and I made it exactly as the packet said to.  The next time I made them I added choc chips.  The next time I added choc chips and cocoa.  The fourth time I added a little oil to the other added ingredients.

These days I make my own from scratch.  I found a recipe on the internet back in 2002 and as usual,  I changed the recipe around to suit my family's tastes.  They are delicious and because they are chocolate you can hide black chia seeds,  linseed meal,  oat bran and lots of other goodies to make them healthier.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do

3 cups of self raising flour
1 cup of sugar
4 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups of milk
2 eggs
150 grams of melted butter
3/4 cup of chocolate chips / bits

Turn the oven on to 180 degrees.
In a large bowl mix the flour,  sugar and sifted cocoa powder.
Add the milk,  melted butter and eggs.  Mix until just combined.
Add the chocolate bits and mix until combined.
Place spoonfuls into greased muffins tins or use patty cases. 
Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until the tops spring back when touched.
Remove from the muffin tins when slightly cool.

Makes about 20 medium muffins or about 30 small muffins.

Notes -

*  These muffins freeze well.  Add them frozen to your kid's lunchboxes and they'll be thawed by morning break time.

*  To add extra goodness,  mix two tablespoons each of black chia seeds,  linseed meal and oat bran to the dry ingredients.  Kids will love them as the muffins are slightly crunchy.  You might need to add a little extra milk if the mixture is too stiff.

*  For vanilla muffins omit the choc chips and cocoa powder.  Add two teaspoons of vanilla extract.

*  These muffins are great for kids birthday parties.  Ice with different colored icing and top with smarties,  sprinkles,  coconut or crushed nuts.

A plate full of lunchbox muffins

Making the muffins

This Week's Frugal Tasks

This week Spring has arrived in Australia.  It's so exciting.  The weather is a little warmer and just right for spending more time in the garden.  Spring also means we don't have to use the heater so much.  Frugal gas bills will be on the way soon - YAY  !!!

Here's my frugal list for the week -

*  Saved as much shower water as possible and poured it into the washing machine.

* Dried the washing on clothes horses and the clothes line.

*  Darren planted out the vegetable seeds last weekend.into little green houses.  He bought these on clearance when Sam's Warehouse closed down.  The seeds were left over from last Spring so we didn't need to spend any money this year.  He planted corn,  tomatoes ( three varieties ),  zucchini,  mixed lettuce and  beans ( climbing and dwarf ).

*  Juiced more lemons and froze the juice into ice block trays.  These will be stored in containers in the freezer to make lemon butter,  lemon chicken,  lemon slice and for pouring over fish.

*  Picked another basket of lemons.  These will be juiced in a week's time when they are slightly softer.  I find if I leave them for a  week the insides relax,  the skin thins out and I get more juice from them.

*  Cleaned the dishwasher with bi carb and vinegar.  I gave the inside of the door and seals a wipe over with Miracle Spray to get rid of finger marks and any gunk.   The filters were given a good scrub and rinse too.  I try to do this at the start of each month to keep it in good working order.

*  Made more laundry powder.

*  Darren and I had our wedding anniversary on Tuesday. To celebrate we went out for dinner to Hog's Breath.  We used our 20% discount cards to make it more affordable.  We went to the movies and used a gift card that was given to us last Christmas.

*  We've had the heater off a few times during the day.

*  Made a chunky chicken and sweet corn soup that was eaten over two meals for the four of us. I used homemade chicken stock from the freezer.   It cost about.$2 per meal to make.

*  Picked more broccoli florets.  I thought the broccoli had finished growing but these florets just keep coming.  I'll keep picking as long as they keep growing.

Chunky chicken and sweet corn soup.

Vegetable seeds in the green house tray

Bean seeds popping out of the soil

Our dwarf peach tree has just started to bloom.  We only planted it a couple of months ago.  We are not expecting any fruit for a few years but the blooms are so pretty.

The broccoli florets just keep coming.

Lemon ice cubes.

Laundry powder.

Do you have a frugal tasks list to share with the other readers ?

Making Laundry Powder

Making my own laundry powder was one of the first things I learnt to do in my quest to reduce our costs.  Upon further enquiries with family members,  I found out that my grandparents made a similar version using soap,  borax,  lectric soda and a bluing agent ( not quite sure what that is ).  How great is that ?  They knew what they were doing and it's lovely to know that  some things never really go out of fashion.

 It only takes about five minutes to make a batch that will last a month.  It's cheap, easy and can be adapted to suit your skin type.  I use no name pure laundry soap but if you have skin allergies then use a soap that suits your skin.

Here is the recipe -

1 bar of pure laundry soap ( or soap of choice )
1 cup of bi carb of soda
1 cup of Lectric soda

Grate the bar of soap with a grater using the fine zesting side.  It should look like a fine powder when it's grated. Alternatively cut the soap into slivers with a sharp knife and wizz it in the food proccessor.

Into a medium bowl place the grated soap.  Measure out the Lectric soda and bi carb. and add it to the bowl  Mix all ingredients together with a whisk until well combined.  Store in an air tight container.

Use 1 tablespoon for a full load in a top loading washing machine.
Use two teaspoons in a front loader washing machine.

NOTES -

*Bi carb can be bought in bulk at cleaning supply places and pool shops.  It 's also called ph Buffer which is used in pools.  It is not suitable for cooking and baking.

*  I cut 4 - 8 bars of soap at a time into slivers and wizz in the food proccessor..  I only make one or two batches at a time and the leftover grated soap is stored in a container ready to make up in the future.

*  This laundry powder is great for soaking soiled items.  Together with the Miracle Spray,  it keeps my washing clean.

*  Treat soiled items as soon as possible.

*  This laundry powder will not give you lots of suds in the washing machine.  Do not be tempted to add more to get the suds.

*  If you need a fragrance,  add a few drops of essential oil to the powder and mix well.

*  If you still have shop bought laundry powder to use,  add it to the one you made and mix well.

*  This laundry powder costs about 3 cents per load.

The finished products

The ingredients needed

Grated soap I keep in a bucket

Whisking the ingredients together


 

Have you made your own laundry powder ? If not,  do you think you could give this one a go ?