Recent Menus and Blessings

Even when you are going through a difficult challenge (as we are now in trying to cut our budget) there are great lessons to be learned, and great satisfaction in using your head and your resources, using coupons, and just trying new recipes. Case in point:

My menus:
Tuesday 5/19 - Made Chilaquiles that I saw on Rick Bayless' show while I was exercising: used tomatillo salsa that I had made from food bank purchase, beef leftover from pot roast, and chips I had. Sour cream and cheese had been purchased on sale awhile back.

Wednesday - Cinnamon Chicken - used cut up skinned whole chicken (we bought 3 on sale two months ago, used one, and put two in freezer, cinnamon, canned tomatoes and asparagus(side dish) from food bank purchase, and pasta I had gotten on sale and put in my supply.

Thursday - we had garlic mashed red potatoes, cabbage salad, rolls, and fruit I had from food bank purchase.

Friday-I made homemade egg rolls - wrappers from prior purchase at Asian market, sausage filling from prior sale, cabbage, green onions, and hoisin sauce from food bank purchase.Pineapple chunks were from a fresh pineapple on sale at Sprouts.

Saturday-salad with romaine from food bank purchase and tomatoes from the garden, leftovers from earlier in the week.

Sunday - chorizo from grocery store purchase and eggs from our chickens. Also made homemade salsa from food bank tomatoes, cilantro that Nate had grown in his garden,limes and lemons from our citrus trees, and store purchased jalapenos on sale.

It takes just a bit more time, but I have really learned soooo much! I made French toast this morning...some for Nathan today, and the rest frozen in individual bags for quite a few days...all from food bank bread purchases (bonillo and sub rolls that I sliced on the diagonal) and eggs from our wonderful chickadees! I am going to make sweet potato ravioli this week, and pork and candied sweet potatoes too...from food bank purchases. What stores cannot sell becomes so much help...a challenge at first, because I just don't want to waste anything...but a blessing as I search the internet. Even the old veggie tops don't go to waste...treats for the chickens! It does prove that every cloud has a silver lining!