Category Archives: Every Bit Counts

Sunday Garden Update

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I am declaring it Summer! Why? Because I have a sun burn from the swim meet yesterday and with two days of work left this is close enough! With that being said, it will also signal a change in my Sunday Garden updates. Basically less pictures and more description of what I am actually doing with the things that we are harvest!

But first check out this Sunflower!

almost 8 feet tall and red!

Here is a picture of the harvest we have been getting this week

And last, we decided to go ahead and pull out the flower bed of Cosmos which started out looking like this

The reason is that the squash bugs are winning.  We are at our wits end, even using seven dust to try and stop them. I am fairly certain that within 2 weeks they will have total destroyed our current squash plants. I have not been able to get as much of either squash or zucchini as I wanted so I decided to try and plant these and get some more.

I am using the paper as mulch to suppress the weeds and other cosmos from attempting to grow.  The chickens enjoyed the cosmos plants and if they don’t eat it all it will become a part of future compost for the garden.

This week I was able to get a start on stocking our freezers, I made salsa chicken for dinner which also became 3 pans of chicken enchiladas for future use. I also make a huge breakfast bowl this am and put 8 breakfast burritos in the freezer as well.   A decent start at least!

5 Things Friday

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  1. I have 2 days left before summer vacation! Unfortunately, we are still in limbo with the pool opening. Zach and Kendall have been able to pick up a couple of shifts at other pools but it is stressful trying to get everything arranged. I can’t wait for summer break to start!
  2. I am super excited about the garden this year! We are already getting a harvest and I am planning to continue to plant so that we can continue to get more of what we want. We have gotten peppers, green beans, a couple of cucumbers, dill and a bit of basil, squash and zucchini so far. We will definitely have tomatoes very soon as well!
  3. Matt and I are currently spending around 30 minutes a day in the garden. This is going to increase this weekend for sure.  I am planning to do some replanting and changing this week. First I am going to cut down all the cosmos from this bed.   It is large and pretty but I want to plant another round of squash plants as the squash bugs are winning in the back gardens. When they finally win or when this planting starts to produce, I am going to pull out the squash plants and plant a “row” of cucumbers in the middle of the bed. I really want to harvest and can an abundance of cucumbers this year. On July 1st, I am planning to pull up the spinach and plant pumpkins in the bed in front of the office.  I am also planning on adding a couple of green beans in the empty slots on the greenstalk planters and one additional zucchini in a bed in the back that has not successfully grown anything so far.
  4. I have already started to work on filling up the freezer. This week I was able to get 3 chicken enchilada meals in the freezer. I am also planning to start restocking our breakfast burritos as well. My goal will be to can one item and make ahead at least one item a week. Next week I am hopefully to get chicken, broccoli and rice casseroles made up and frozen for future use.

5. We leave for our “adult cruise in 3 weeks!

Five Things Friday

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  1. Today is Zach and Kendall’s official last day of school.  Neither one has been to school over half a day this week. Nor has either one gone every day this week.  I have 7 days left but really only 6 as I have appointments next Thursday so I am taking that day off.
  2. We have been getting a small harvest from the garden everyday.  I have been able to freeze a couple of bags of shredded zucchini and 4 more bags of squash casserole. Zach was able to pick blueberries but they did not make it inside the house.
  3. The weather continues to be strange and on top of that our pool (community) is currently not functioning and we have yet to have a swim team practice.
  4. We have been able to obtain some wooden platelets with goals to build a garden box to grow potatoes with easy opening/dumping door. Increase the height of the greenhouse by 2 feet to allow Matt to use comfortably and as the structure for a hydroponic growing system.
  5. Lily has decided that she wants to pursue a certification that will allow her to work with immigrants. This is an answer to prayer and exciting and scarey all  at once.

Saving on Saturday

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I actually spent an entire Saturday at home!  Can you tell I am excited and exhausted!

Matthew 24:6 “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

This is the verse that I woke up with in my head this morning. Sharing it to help explain part of this productive Saturday.  One of my goals for my Summer Break every year and especially the last two years has been to get my freezers and pantries stocked with lots of easy food to prepare. I also want to limit the amount of time I am having to go to the grocery store as well. As you probably are aware, we are really busy around here. This summer I was not able to accomplish this goal but did make a huge dent in it. I was able to get my grocery list down to items we are low on or out of.   Yesterday, after Mom’s appointment we headed to Costco as it was only a 15-minute drive from her appointment.  I was able to entirely clear my grocery list!   This is a huge accomplishment for me as well as part of my Saving on Saturday.   My hope and goal is for the rest of the school year or until at least May of 2025, I am purchasing only items we are completely out of.  This will allow me to limit my shopping to one or two times a month and also limit the amount of money I am spending. I will continue to use Amazon subscribe and save as this is part of the reason for being able to do this!

Now back to the verse…. we are in an election year that is quite contentious.  I don’t discuss politics so that is all you will hear from me. I have discussed with several people the current war in Israel and the rumors of war to follow the election that we are hearing.  The above verse says to me that I can’t change either the war or the rumors, but I should be prepared and not alarmed.  To me a stocked pantry is prepared.

On Friday morning, I was able to pull out several bags of frozen tomatoes from the freezers and started making pizza sauce in the crockpot.  I also pulled out a bag of frozen pizza dough. Dinner plans were for pizza but we decided to throw some chicken on top of the pizza as well.  The sauce came out really well and I was able to can 5 half pint jars and 1 pint jar of sauce for later use. I honestly think this will be enough for an entire year!    I will definitely use this recipe again!  Next time I need to double for a year’s supply!

Today, I have spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen. I even grabbed some extra help from Kendall.  Kendall used a box of cake mix that has been on my shelf for several years to make mini muffins. Both Kendall and Zach have been grabbing up the muffin bites that I purchased on sale. I am hoping that this will work the same and be alot cheaper and a tad bit healthier.   I removed all the chicken from the bones. I was surprised to end up with almost six cups of chicken. I used 4 cups to make a new to us Mexican casserole that we will have on Tuesday.  I had found a recipe for Cracked Chicken stuffed shells.  I ended up cooking an entire box of jumbo shells as that was just easier. I divided the recipe into two pans one for this week and one in the freezer.  Next I wanted to use up the remaining shells so I opened a quart of grounded beef and added a jar of spaghetti sauce to it along with some cheddar cheese.   This ended up making two pans as well.  I topped these shells with provolone cheese which was in the fridge.  So really for less than $10 I ended up with 5 dinner meals and likely 3-4 breakfast meals.

I am very proud of myself today!

Menu Planning Monday

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This is a hard time of year for me. I am attempting to balance the usage and benefit of prepared meal with continuing to bring things in from the garden and not wasting stuff.  So far, this first week of school is extremely busy but so is this season of life. 

Breakfast- Saturday- Biscuit King Sunday- Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday– find it (breakfast burritos, muffins, oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs). 

Lunch- Saturday-Salsa and chips   Sunday- Gregg’s (local restaurant) Monday- eat out Tuesday,- salad Wednesday eat out or leftovers Thursday- salad. Friday- eat out. 

Dinner- Saturday- Mi Cancun (yes 3 meals out this weekend).  Sunday-Pizza crescent rolls, Monday-Salsa chicken and Mexican rice. Tuesday- Hamburgers, chips and cantaloupe Wednesday- Spaghetti, Thursday- Arby’s on the way to the ballgame   Friday- pepper steak and rice. 

Every little bit Challenge
Tuesday- Wax Peppers (1 cup for next year)
Wednesday- Enchilada Sauce- this puts me over a year and close to 2 years supply.
Thursday- nothing -no time
Friday- Baked oatmeal prep
Saturday- canned pears
Sunday- I made lunches and planned dinners for the week.
Monday- 2 bags of squash casserole. 

Menu Planning Monday

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All good things must come to an end. I would classify this summer as extremely busy but good. I needed and enjoyed the 10 day break to Florida but now I must return to work this week.  I am hoping that all my busyness and hard work pays off with an easy start to the school year.

Breakfast- Saturday- Breakfast in the camper Sunday- Bucees on the way home. Monday, ,Thursday Friday– find it (breakfast burritos, muffins, oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs). Tuesday- Bagels. Wednesday my plan is to make Baked oatmeal with hopefully preparation of at least 12 dry mixes on Tuesday night.

Lunch- Saturday-left-over from Yak and Yeti.   Sunday- Cracker Barrel Monday- Squash Lasagna Tuesday, -Wednesday, Thursday- salads and pasta salads

Dinner- Saturday- Ford’s Garage.  Sunday-snacks in the Tahoe Monday-Squash lasagna. Tuesday- Pasta Salad Wednesday-Pork chops with green beans and squash, cucumber salad.    Thursday- Eat on the way to the ballgame    Friday- KFC bowls

 

Of course, I did not complete the challenge while in Florida, but I have been strong so far this week.  Sunday- bread crumbs, Monday- Squash lasagna for freezer. Plan for making Enchilada sauce and canning this week as well.

5 Things Friday

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  1. One of the areas that I have been struggling with getting and keeping the house clean. For the past many years, I have been paying different kids to complete cleaning around the house. But currently, both the girls are working pretty much every day, so no time for cleaning.  One purchase we have made is robot vacuums’. One for the upstairs, main area of the house and a second for the living room which is down a set of steps.  Matt is in charge of emptying these. It is getting easier to remember to turn them on and I think we have been able to remove all the things that they get caught on.
  2. Our house projects are getting completed. The bathroom and deck should be completed before the end of August. We have decided that we need to have a couple of additional electrical outlets installed including one dedicated for the camper. We still need to order and install a new front door.  One last project will be once the bathroom is done, we are planning to build shelves in the closet area.
  3. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed today. We are heading to me returning to work full time and I still have several things on my personal list that I want to tackle this summer.  I am waking up without an alarm and trying just to do the next right thing. I am actually looking forward to the trip to take Lily as this will force me to just stop and enjoy the ride.
  4. My garden has been so crazy this year.  I have been able to harvest and preserve many items but June was extremely dry and July has been the wettest on record.  I am planning to post pictures because I think my garden looks more like beginning of July instead of the beginning of August. That is not a bad think but may mean lots of preserving even after I return to work.
  5. I had not planned to participate in August in the “Every Bit Challenge”  I return to work in the middle of the month and with our trip at the first of the month I did not think I would be able to preserve much at all. However, that has not been the case so far. Yesterday, I made 3 bags of grilled chicken, 5 bags of cubed chicken and 6 bags of shredded chicken. Today, I canned 5 quarts of broth and made 6 bags of tomato sauce.

Bonus List of Every Bit Counts Challenge list:
3 chicken and broccoli casseroles
20 pints of salsa
45 quarts and 12 pints of spaghetti sauce
4 quarts of baked beans
4 cheeseburger pizza bags and dough
3 cheeseburger Pies
30 omelet bags
chicken spinach lasagna
2 million Dollar Spaghetti Pies
6 bags of squash casserole mix
Frozen blueberries
Frozen bananas
4 pints of strawberry syrup
15 quarts and 3 pints of beef broth
21# of canned shelf stable ground beef. These are in pint jars so approximately 1# per jar.
4 meals of Sloppy Joes canned in addition to our lunch for Saturday as well.
30 Salisbury steaks cooked and vacuum sealed in the freezer.
30 Cheddar Bacon Hamburger patties
38 Regular plain Hamburger patties!

Every Bit Counts Challenge

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This week has definitely been focused on filling the freezer and pantry for next school year.

On Monday, I went to my favorite farm stand and purchased 4 20# boxes of “canning tomatoes”. In addition to the tomatoes, I also purchased a couple of jalapenos, yellow squash and cucumbers.  Total spent was $65. I also had a trip to Costco where I grabbed 3 roasteries chickens and 3 large bunches of bananas.

Monday evening with the help of everyone, I started the first batch of spaghetti sauce, made a double batch of salsa and got 3 chicken and broccoli casseroles in the freezer. The salsa ended with 10 pints of salsa on the shelf.

Tuesday/ Wednesday the focus was on making and canning the spaghetti sauce.  In total I canned 45 quarts and 12 pints of spaghetti sauce. I am so excited to get this in the pantry!

Today, I was in need of a slower pace day.  I did manage to get a tray of bananas in the freezer.

The goal for Friday, is another batch of salsa, at least one batch of baked beans on the shelf and I have 10 pounds of ground beef in the refrigerator that needs to be cooked and turned into future meals.

The countdown is officially on until the end of my summer!

Saving on Saturday

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Finally an entire day at home to focus on not only cleaning and finding my house again but on preserving and preparing food.

The first way I saved today is that I have managed to plan and cook three meals for today and breakfast for tomorrow.  We also did some refrigerator clean out and that saves us food for the chickens.

Next I focused on chopping a bunch of veggies. These will be used for salads for lunches next week as well as in preparation for my preservation project of the week.

I was able to fry up 4 # of sausage, one pound is for breakfast in the morning and the other was used in the 20 omelet bags that I prepared. I also made 10 bags using bacon crumbles.  I decided to use up the Nutrional yeast I purchased several years ago by placing a tablespoon in each of the omelet bags. This should add cheese flavor without the diary in addition to just clearing out my pantry.

We were able to wash and hang out our bed sheets between Friday and today which saved money on the electricity bill. It also eliminates the need for fabric softener or scent beads as well.

I made a menu plan for next week that I will share on Monday as well as just generally straighten and clean parts of the kitchen.

I caught up on the laundry which is a major accomplishment.

Matt with help from Zach did some auto repair which did not save me money but did save both Kendall and Zach money.

The kids were able to use our shredded paper in the chicken coop which will become compost as well as reduces the smell.

Not bad for a Saturday spent in my nightgown!