2012: Garden Journal – October Edition

October 11, 2012 by Tracy

Turning from summer into fall, our garden continues to bring forth fruit. 🙂

At the beginning of the season, I only expected growth through August, but this garden has exceeded my expectations. Since our last update, our active garden yielded these results by the end of September:

Strawberries

When I came outside after a thunderstorm to check on the garden, I found a visitor caught in the net.

Brave Paul freeing the bird caught in the net.

Scared to death, I gave him a lecture on staying out of my garden, and then asked Paul to free him. I then reset the net, but the little nibbles on the strawberries continue.

Even with the “sharing” with the birds, our plants produced 16 strawberries.

Tomatoes

Our four cherry tomato plants produced 66 tomatoes even after losing so many when I pruned the plants in August.

Cucumbers

The cucumber plants did not recover. Though done for the season, I really enjoyed the cucumbers and will watch them more closely next year.

When my son brought home a couple of Lima beans from a project at school, we planted them in the empty part of the garden where the cucumbers had grown. Though no sprouts yet, we continue to water.

Lettuce

Also gone are our romaine and our butter crunch bibb lettuce. Learning that lettuce does not like heat, we might need to find a better place to grow lettuce next year.

Peppers

Harvested 1 beautiful green pepper which I rinsed, dried, and placed in the freezer.

Carrots

The green leaves are growing taller which usually means the carrots have grown as deep as they can. I will harvest these this month and report back in November of the results.

Onions

Like the carrots, the green stems are growing more. Looks like I have some digging to do to rescue the onions from the earth.

Herbs

With the herbs growing so well, I again cut, dried, and stored more parsley, basil, and oregano. Since they continue to grow, I will continue to prune and dry these herbs.

September 3, 2012 September 23, 2012

Continuing to grow and produce, our garden provided our family with strawberries, tomatoes, a green pepper, and herbs during September. Though I am not as faithful with the watering, the cooler temperatures seem to retain the water enough for growth.

In using time wisely, I have come to adore our garden and check on it often. Besides the fruit, I enjoy the conversations and development shared throughout the process. Love the opportunity to teach in action. Learning along the way!

Question: How do outdoor activities spur conversations at your home?

2012 Third Quick Tip Week: Wendy’s Coupon Booklet

October 18, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Wendy’s

Quick Tip Week continues! Hope this week of shorter posts highlighting one tip in each category helps you in using time wisely.

For series already in progress, I will continue with the next segment following our Quick Tip Week. Embrace this week, add your tips in the comments, and continue using time wisely!

Quick Tip #5: Wendy’s Coupon Booklet

For a limited time, you can purchase a Wendy’s coupon booklet for $1. The booklet contains 10 coupons. Each coupon is good for one Jr. Frosty. Yum! My favorite is the chocolate, but my daughter prefers the vanilla option.

In addition to offering a great trick-or-treat prize, 90 cents of every dollar spent purchasing these booklets benefits the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

As you prepare for your Halloween celebration, enjoy a chilly treat benefiting a cool charity. Enjoy!

Question: What do you plan to gift on Halloween night to those who trick-or-treat?

Freezer Cooking to the Rescue

October 25, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Fotolia

On field trip day, the morning progressed along beautifully. By the afternoon, I was getting tired and my allegories flared. With a stuffy head and lack of energy, I made it through the activities and was ready to go home.

Upon arrival, I needed to rest. Getting the toddler tucked into bed and my older children settled to play quietly, I retired to bed for some rest. When I awoke, I felt a little better, but cooking or even standing in my kitchen required too much exertion.

Though the menu plan suggested baked chicken with sides, I needed something simple. So, I went to the freezer. Tucked inside were a number of options. Choosing Mexican Dip, corn, and a salad, our dinner came together without spending lots of time or energy.

In using time wisely, I often bake or cook double batches to save money, time, and energy on days that just don’t go as planned. As you plan for the best but prepare for the worst, freezer cooking can save the day. Happy saving!

Question: At your house, how has freezer cooking saved the day?

Start Saving from Scratch – Part 1 of 6

November 1, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Without constant attention, my kitchen, meal planning, coupons, and grocery shopping trips began spiraling downward. Yikes!

Now that life is getting back to my normal, which is still very busy but manageable, I am pressing the reset button.

If you have wanted to start saving on your grocery bill – using coupons or not, then tag along with me in this 6-part series on Start Saving from Scratch.

Part 1: Organizing the Food Supply

The best way to save money, energy, and time when feeding my family is to make meals with the food we have in the house. However, with numerous individuals helping in the kitchen recently, I’m not really sure what items I have. To start saving from scratch, I take an inventory while organizing my food supply areas.

Pantry

The time it will take to organize your pantry depends on the size of your stockpile. If you purchase multiple items at discounted prices, then you probably have lots of items in your pantry.

When I organize my pantry, it takes about 30 minutes to an hour. I have designated specific shelves for different items. This arrangement saves time and energy when retrieving a desired product.

While I organize my pantry, I jot down items that need replenishing on my grocery list and make notes of any meal ideas on my menu plan.

Freezer

My side-by-side refrigerator/freezer houses frequently used items. Organizing my inside freezer takes less than 15 minutes. This short time frame is nice because my outside freezer needs another deep clean complete with defrosting.

Organizing my well-stocked freezer takes somewhere between 1 and 2 hours. However, knowing what freezer cooking options I have available saves our family money, energy, and time.

Refrigerator

The easiest of the three spaces for me is organizing the refrigerator. Routinely having a leftover night keeps our refrigerator cleaned out. Spending less than 15 minutes, I can take a quick inventory while organizing my refrigerator.

To start saving from scratch organize your food supply. With the food supply areas organized and an inventory of what is on-hand, you are ready for part 2 – coming next week. To be continued . . . Happy organizing!

Question: Which food supply area takes you longer to organize: pantry, freezer, or refrigerator?

Start Saving from Scratch – Part 2 of 6

November 8, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Going back to the drawing board provides a fresh start saving from scratch. Beginning with the basics and then working up allows the process to stay manageable. When the foundation crumbles, then one needs to start over.

In starting over, I took last week’s challenge and organized my food supply. This time around, the pantry took longer although I did not defrost my freezer. I stayed inside as much as possible this week with the drop in temperature.

In continuing this series with an organized pantry, freezer, and refrigerator, I move onto creating a menu.

Part 2: Creating a Menu

In discovering a menu plan, I have used a weekly and monthly plan. Though I no longer plan the full month in advance, I prefer to schedule our meals a week in advance on a monthly menu planner. I like the calendar in the kitchen and a place to add meals as I get inspiration.

1. Choose Meals

With my pantry, freezer, and refrigerator organized, I can “shop” from my food supply to create meals that I have in stock.

2. Assign Meals

Once I have a meal decided, I assign that meal to a day on my menu planner.

Sample Menu Plan

Sunday:

B – Egg sandwiches with fruit cups

L – Roast beef in crock pot, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and bread

D – Pancakes and bacon

Monday:

B – Cereal and fruit

L – Pizza at school

D – Baked chicken, rice, and vegetables

3. Partial Meals

After assigning the meals I can make with the ingredients at home, I might have a few days left on my planner for the week. I continue to see what parts of meals I have in my food supply. For example, to make open-faced pork chop sandwiches I might have the pork chops, cream of chicken, and milk, but I lack the hamburger buns.

For these partial meals, I add the meal to my menu planner on a day after I plan to grocery shop. I then add the remaining items needed, in this case the hamburger buns, to my weekly grocery list. I then plan hamburgers or chicken patties for another meal to use the leftover hamburger buns before they spoil.

In using time wisely to prepare for the week and to save money on food items, I use what we have at home and then write down the missing items on my grocery list for pickup during the week.

Shopping your food supply may only generate a meal or two, at first. But as you build your stockpile, you will find more and more meals in your food supply. Start where you are and work from there, and the savings will come. Happy menu planning!

Question: What type of menu planner do you prefer?

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