Frugal Friday!

This is my first Frugal Friday post in a L-O-N-G time.
But there are always lots of good tips and tons of inspiration!

Before I share, let me give a little explanation.

We have 3 boys. Yes, three. Boys.

However, two of those boys are out of the house and in the military. In fact, the oldest is scheduled to deploy in about 2 weeks.

Last summer, my youngest son & I were home alone all day for the first time. Because as anyone who has children knows, when they get to a certain age, you get yours, plus all their buddies. And when they start to drive, they can all drive to your house. And hang out, and play Halo, and eat you out of house and home.

And then they grow up.

So Little Man & I had to adjust to a much quieter house, and much boredom ensued.

This year, I was more prepared, and had explored many, many free (or inexpensive) activities to pursue, and yesterday was our first foray into one of those...

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY!!!

Now I realize that many of you have sung the praises of the Public Library for a long time, but I had not formerly realized the treasure trove it could be. My son LOVES to read, and Barnes & Noble gets expensive. So we went to our nearest branch. We both got Library Cards, and off we went. They actually had a children's activity too yesterday, but ds#3 decided it was wayyyy too loud and there were too many 4 & 5 year olds to suit his tastes (he is, after all, EIGHT...) so we stuck with checking out books and movies. And he is thrilled that we can go back now and check out FIFTEEN items if we so choose. I mean, FIFTEEN! How lucky can a kid get????

So that's my Frugal Friday tip - go to your local library! Check it out! If they don't have what you want at your branch, talk to them about getting it from another library. And let your kids read, and wonder that there can be so many books about so many interesting things all in one spot. It'll make you proud to be a mom. ;)

Works For Me Wednesday

FREE MOVIES definitely work for me. I have read in several spots about movie theatres that offer free movies during the summer, but it's always a chain that we don't have in my area. Well, I did some research. Guess what??? I found one!!!! Rave Motion Pictures shows free movies every Tuesday & Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Air conditioning (which is always a plus when the temps are 90+ and humidity is 90 - 100%), comfy seats, minimal $ spent on concessions. Wonderful if you don't mind the occasional toddler walking by to see what you're up to! We saw "Space Chimps" yesterday - a movie that ds#3 & I saw advertised last summer, but never got to go. It was cute - well suited toward a summertime kid audience. He was delighted and I had one more thing to entertain him - good for every mom. :)

What works for you??

Blueberries... ahh.... Summer!

At the end of last week, we went blueberry picking. Our local Publix had bluerries on sale 3 pints/$5, but we could pick them for $1/lb. I'll let you do that math. :)
So we brought the berries home, and I sorted them and picked off the leaves and stems, etc., laid them out on a cookie sheet, and froze some. After they were hardened, I put them in freezer bags. This way, I can get out as much as I want and they won't clump together.

And I am making this recipe:
(the blackberries came from my yard)
Blueberry and Blackberry Galette with Cornmeal Crust (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• Pastry:
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 7 3/4 ounces)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk
• 
  Filling:
• 4 cups blueberries
• 2 cups blackberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 1 large egg white
• 1 1/2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Preparation

1. To prepare pastry, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a food processor; pulse two times. Add butter to flour mixture; pulse 4 to 5 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly add buttermilk through food chute; process just until dough forms a ball. Gently press dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover. Chill 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350°.

3. Unwrap and place dough on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll dough into a 15-inch circle. Place dough and parchment on a baking sheet.

4. To prepare filling, combine berries and next 3 ingredients (through juice) in a medium bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange berry mixture in center of dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover berry mixture).

5. Combine fat-free milk and egg white in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Brush dough with milk mixture; sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over dough. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until pastry is golden brown. Let stand 30 minutes; cut into wedges.

Share your temptations here!

It's Monday, and you know what that means...

... it's time for the MENU!!!!
But first, let's review last week.
We followed the menu relatively well. Lime chicken - think I'll make this one again. Use a tad less mustard - hubby said that was the flavor he tasted the most. But ahhhhh... that lime... it smelled divine. (And it was SUPER easy because I made it in the crock pot.)
Instead of having breakfast for dinner, we actually had a 'veggie plate' with produce that had either been given to us, or came from our garden. I made some rice and some cornbread, and we had cucumbers & tomatoes, corn on the cob, fried okra (okra was given to us). And it was yummy. My carnivorous husband said he did not even miss the meat. :)

This week, said hubby will be at an in-town workshop that will have him away from home at lunch and most dinnertimes. So I'm planning for ds #3 and me, with the chance that Dad may be home for dinner - or want something when he comes home late.

Sunday~
lunch: tacos (hubby's request)
dinner: FFYS for ds & me
Monday~
lunch: chicken tenders, broccoli, twice baked potatoes
dinner: chicken with pesto (make extra pasta for Tuesday's lunch), tossed salad
Tuesday~
lunch: bowtie pasta (add veggies for Mom)
dinner: Taco salad (use leftovers from Sunday)
Wednesday~
lunch: frozen pizza
dinner: BLTs & chips (that we never had last week)
Thursday~
lunch: quesadillas
dinner: sticky chicken (I use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts), mashed potatoes, cucumber salad (my grandfather's recipe, which is a lot like the link here)
Friday~
lunch: sandwiches & chips
dinner: hubby will be home, so probably his fave - roast in the crock pot with mashed potatoes!
Saturday~
TBA - we may visit a local farm as I have been hunting for a source of local beef.

What's cookin' at your house?
Share at Menu Plan Monday.

Works for me Wednesday - Summer Tips

It's been a while since I've joined Works For Me Wednesday, but they're always full of great ideas!
My summer tip has to do with the 4th of July. I know it's over, but it worked so beautifully that I feel the need to share.
Our tradition is to attend our city's annual fireworks display downtown. It is always very crowded, so it is necessary to arrive early to get a decent spot. Translation: KIDS GET BORED BEFORE THE SHOW STARTS. So this year, I came up with an ingenious solution: bubbles. Yes! We've done sparklers (they last about 5 minutes) and snacks (5 more minutes) so you've got at least an hour to go. You can chase bubbles everywhere, and have contests to see who can blow the biggest, and even bat them with light sabers that Mimi (grandmother) bought for the boys. I don't know why I never thought of this before, but let me tell you - it was a thing of beauty to see it work.
(Picture of said lightsabers, my son on left, and nephew on right)

What works for you??

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Triple Chocolate Cookies!

This is my first week participating in Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.
I'm baking Triple Chocolate Cookies this week - a recipe from Ellie Krieger. I use a small scoop to measure out the batter, so they're all uniform, and so I know how many calories I'm eating when I have one! I like most of Ellie's recipes because she incorporates healthier ingredients into dishes that my family will still eat. And these cookies?? Look out - they may become your new favorite.

**I have used egg substitute in place of the egg and it has worked fine. I have also used Splenda in place of granulated sugar with success. But I don't recommend changing both at the same time. It's a texture thing. **

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate (2 ounces) coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup milk chocolate (2 ounces) coarsely chopped
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mash together the butter and sugars with a fork until well combined. Add the oil and egg and beat until creamy. Mix in the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and the pecans and mix well. Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool.

July Menu Plan Monday!

Last week's menu went surprisingly well. There were a couple of trips out to eat at lunchtime, which I expected and planned for, so no big shockers there. Dinners also went pretty much as planned. Amazing!

This week, Marine Son returns to base, so I am thinking we'll need a pick-me-up on the day he leaves. Might plan a special activity that day to keep us busy. Got any suggestions??

Sunday~BBQ pork sandwiches (meat in the freezer), potato salad, corn on the cob, seven layer salad, and baked beans (all leftovers from the 4th), strawberry shortcake for dessert. Yum!
Monday~Lime chicken (a new recipe - can't wait to see how it comes out!), rice, cucumber salad, honey wheat popovers
Tuesday~ Local baseball game at Marine Son's request. Will eat at the ball park.
Wednesday~ BLTs & chips or breakfast for dinner
Thursday~ Marinated flank steak (I leave out the oil), twice baked potatoes, sliced tomatoes from the garden, and green salad
Friday~ A pasta recipe loosely based on this one from Cooking Light (I use tomatoes and herbs from our garden), tossed salad, and garlic bread
Saturday~ Something from the grill!

I'll also be baking these YUMMY triple chocolate cookies from Ellie Krieger.

Share the menu madness at Laura's!