Thank Goodness this Week is Over!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where, when it was over, all you could do was say, "Thank the Lord the week is over and I survived!"?




That's how my week was.
Don't get me wrong, nothing bad happened this week, that's not why I am thankful that it's over.
It was just.....so.....so.....FULL!
And tiring.

It was one thing after another, ALL Week!

First the 2 oldest kids came home from their summer jobs and the youngest finished Band Camp, so all 3 were hanging around the house all week.
3 Teenagers with little to NO motivation to lift a finger around the house.
3 more mess makers but no mess cleaner-uppers.

And the older two were so kind to bring me back weeks upon weeks of dirty LAUNDRY.
A lot of it being WET Dirty Laundry!!
Smelly, Earthy, Dirty and Twigs and Blades of Grass and Leaves and Tree Bark in the bag with the wet clothing Laundry.
Ugh.

And Hubby had off all week from work. And working around his agenda for the week.
And 3 Dogs in the house because it was too hot for them to be outside for very long.

Everyone under foot!
So it was non-stop action and bedlam around here.

And I am still trying to organizing the stockpile out in the garage.

And the weather was kicked up a notch this week to H-O-T!
I don't tolerate or move very fast when it's Hot.....
So I could be found in the swimming pool out back a lot of the time this past week and nothing much got accomplished around here that involved physical labor.....except laundry.

And I wanted to have a date with hubby during the week.

And getting #1 son ready to go off to college this week.

And then, the heat kicked the Garden into Overdrive!
I have cooked yellow squash every which way known to man and am STILL DROWNING in a Sea of Yellow Produce!!
I swear when it's quiet at 2 am. I can hear the vegetables growing while I lay awake in bed trying to think of a new way to use squash and cukes.

And to top it all off, there were just so many good deals this past week!
I had Price Chopper OYNO Cats to use.
The Acme OYNO Cats to use.
There were expiring Register Rewards from WAGS.
Then the Extra Care Bucks from CVS.
Add to all this, another Round of Double Coupons at KMart= Loads of Free or very Inexpensive Things we need or can use or can donate!

Seriously, just too many to get to everything in time....especially since it was H-O-T and I couldn't move fast enough in the heat to cram it all into my schedule.

How much can one gal be expected to do in a mere week....in this heat!?!?

And then there were blog posts to write. I just can't go neglecting my readers due to my hectic life, right? I'd get on the computer at night and couldn't do anything beyond reading mail and just surfing around.
To-Do Lists swirled around in my head and wouldn't let any original thoughts to blog about enter.

At some point this week, I actually looked at the interior of my car.
Here is what I saw.

That backseat.....
The Cargo net area between the front seats.....

A mound of coupons sitting on the passenger seat and school supplies starting to take over the floor in the front of the car.....



This is the car of someone who hasn't said no to a deal this week, even though she has no time or energy left.

This is when I realized I needed to give myself permission to NOT Get to some of the deals & chores. It hurt at first, like quickly ripping a band-aid off a cut, to let go of the idea that I had to do all the deals this week. But after awhile, I felt ok with it.

There will always be more Deals next week or next month.
Just like there will always be more laundry to do next week or next month.

Since I am so well stocked on most everything, I may take a grocery shopping Sabbatical in Sept.
No stocking up.
At ALL!
On ANYTHING!!
No matter how good the deal.

I am just so tired, like my beagle girl Cherry....

And I need the time this Sept. for my canning/freezing/preserving the garden/farm produce.
Harvest time is labor intensive and I can't be running around hounding for the grocery/HBA deals while the veggies are coming in.
Canning Season is here and it's time to shift the focus onto the local produce and preserving it for the coming year.

As so many Southern ladies before me have done, I may "take to my bed for a month" once Harvest Season is over. It may take me that long to recover from my exhaustion.

What's been happening in your little piece of the world lately?

Sluggy

Acme Shopping This Week....Grand Total for all my Trips

You may remember that 2 weeks ago, Acme had a killer Catalina Promo Deal on Unilever & General Mills products. I posted about my trips during that deal Here.
$15 of my OYNO Catalinas hadn't printed(due to an item I bought not being correctly entered into the store's computer system) so I had contacted the marketing company about getting those missing Catalina coupons. I received the $15 in Cats on Monday in the mail. Thanks Catalina Marketing! ;-))

Add those $15 worth and I had $79 worth of Cat Coupons in hand. All those $ off OYNO Catalina Coupons needed to be used by Aug. 18th(except for the $15 that had just arrived), which was Tuesday!
Add in that SuperValu owned grocery stores(of which, Acme is one) are in the midst of another nice little Catalina Promo this week. When you buy $25 worth of certain Kraft products, you get a $5 OYNO Cat Coupon AND a Mail-In-Rebate form for $20 back prints out at the register as well. So spend $25, get $20 back via MIR and a $5 OYNO Coupon. So in essence, free food!

That was enough to get me up & off bright and early to my favorite Acme on Tuesday to use all those Cats and get some FREE Kraft items.
But it was going to hit 90 DEGREES here on Tuesday.
I don't.
Do.
Heat!
But I pulled up the online weekly ad, pulled out the Coupons I needed from my binder & my Cat stash, pulled the cooler down from the shed shelf, put in the freezer ice packs and just went and "got 'er done"!
The heat index be danged.....

I made two trips through the register, then went down the road to WAGS, had lunch as well, then back to Acme for one more transaction before heading home.

No photos today. It was bad enough to get it all home(the frozen stuff into the freezer before the big thaw down)& unloaded into the garage stockpile before I collapsed into a sticky, sweaty, Wicked Witch of the West "I'm melting....meeeelting" puddle.
Just use your imaginations to picture the cheesy, soda, iced tea, EVOO & shrimpy goodness.lol

Transaction #1(The Kraft deal items are in green.)

4 x Easy Mac Cups on sale $1=$4.00
4 x Philly Cream Cheese on sale 3/$5.00=$6.67
1 x Ritz Crackers on sale $2.50
1 x Wheat Thins on sale $2.50
2 x Kraft Cheese Chunk on sale 3/$5=$3.34
5 x Kraft Shredded Cheese bags on sale 3/$5=$8.34
1 x Acme Applesauce $1.79
2 x Acme Roast Beef Hash @ $1.79=$3.58
2 x Fritos on sale @$1.69=$3.38
1 x Starbucks 4 pack on sale $5.00(this might have also been a participating Kraft deal item)
4 x Swiss Tea 1/2 gallon @3/$5=$6.67
3 x Celentano Ravioli on sale @$1.99=$5.97
1 x CPK Pizza for One on sale $2.50
SubTotal....$56.24


Coupons Used
2 x Easy Mac Cups .55/2 doubled=$2.20
2 x Philly Cream Cheese $1/2=$2.00
1 x Buy Ritz/Get Wheat Thins free=$2.50
1 x Kraft Cheese Chunk $1/2=$1.00
5 x Kraft 2% Shredded Cheese $.50/1 doubled=$5.00
2 x Swiss Tea $.75/2 didn't double=$1.50
SubTotal....$14.20

Acme $5 Cats Used
5 x $5=$25.00

Total Coupons....$39.20

$56.24-$39.20=$17.04
Minus tax adjustment of $1.50=$15.54OOP
Received a MIR form for $20 rebate and $5 OYNO Catalina Coupon.

Went back in and bought some more Kraft....

Transaction #2

2 x Ritz Crackers on sale @$2.50=$5.00
2 x Wheat Thins on sale @$2.50=$5.00
2 x Easy Mac Cups on sale @$1.00=$2.00
4 x Kraft 2% Cheese Shreds on sale 3/$5=$6.67
2 x Kraft Cheese Chunks on sale 3/$5=$3.34
1 x Kraft Parmesan Cheese on sale $4.99
1 x Bush Baked Beans on sale $2.00
1 x Mushrooms on sale $1.69
1 x Snapple 12 pack on sale $4.99
1 x Swiss Tea Gallon $2.99
SubTotal.....$38.67

Coupons Used
2 x Buy Ritz Crackers/Get Wheat Thins FREE=$5.00
1 x Easy Mac Cups .55/2 doubled=$1.10
4 x Kraft Cheese .50/1 doubled=$4.00
1 x Kraft Cheese $1/2=$1.00
1 x Snapple $1.00
1 x Swiss Tea .75/1 this one doubled=$1.50
SubTotal....$13.60

Acme Cats Used
4 x $5=$20

Total Coupons....$33.60

$38.67-$33.60=$5.07
Minus $1.20 tax adjustment=3.87OOP
Received a MIR form for $20 rebate and $5 OYNO Catalina Coupon.

At this point, I had $34 in Cats left PLUS $10 MORE I just got from these 2 transactions, for a total of $44 Cats to use up.
After a walk around a nearby WAGS and a cheap lunch, I returned to Acme and spent those Cats on items that didn't generate Cats.

Transaction #3

2 x Ocean Spray Drink Mix on sale @$2.50=$5.00
2 x Cento EVOO on sale BOGO $14.49=$14.49 for 2 BIG bottles
4 x Sunkist Soda on sale @$2.50=$10.00
1 x Snapple Tea 12 Pack on sale $4.99
1 x Crab Rangoons $7.99 I love these but never buy them cuz they are expen$ive!
2 x 2lb. Shrimp on sale @$17.98=$35.96(an oxymoron of HUGE shrimp)
SubTotal.....$78.43

Coupons Used
1 x Ocean Spray $1/2=$1.00
4 x $1/1 Sunkist=$4.00
1 x Acme Buy 4 Sunkist/Get Free Snapple 12 pack=$4.99
SubTotal....$9.99

Acme Cats Used
7 x $5=$35
9 x $1=$9
Total=$44

Total Coupons....$53.99

$78.43-$53.99=$24.44
Minus Tax adujstment of $2.04=$22.40OOP

Total spent for all 3 transactions OOP=$41.81
And after I send for 2 $20 Kraft Rebates(one to my addy and one to BIL), I'll be OOP for these 3 Transactions.....2x$20=$40 $41.81-$40=$1.81
$1.81 Out of Pocket.
Yay!!!

After Rebates....
Total OOP=$1.81
Total Savings=$277.33
Total Value of Items=$279.14
Total Percentage Saved 99.50%

AND the GRAND TOTAL for ALL the ACME Shopping for the past 2 Weeks is....
$73.86 OOP(after Rebates)
$1220.19 Saved in Coupons/Sales/Cats
$1294.05 Value of Everything I Purchased
Total Percentage Saved 94.30%

And I also received a card for .05¢ off of a gas fill-up for each of 2 of my transactions. No clue why or what stations these are good at but I have some time to check into it. These are good until Feb. of 2010.

I think I got my money's worth of Acme goodies the past 2 weeks. 8-))

I don't plan on hiking down to AcmeLand again unless a Shopportunity like this one comes up again. I won't say never again, because, well....you just never know, do you?lol

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday.....August 17th Edition...Garden Explosion

I've been asked a couple of times, how do I meal plan?
When it's the height of the summer growing season and you have a garden with an abundant harvest, meal planning is pretty easy. You plan your menus around what is ripe in your garden. Once you have your vegetables set for the meal, then you go to your freezer/fridge and see what you have on hand for your protein(meat/beans/cheeses).

Here's my thought process.....
This week I have 2 kinds of Summer Squash, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Salad Greens, Green Bell Peppers & a handfull of Purple String Beans.
I have Ground Beef in the freezer and leftover London Broil in the fridge.
I see that Shrimp & Chicken Breast is on sale at my local market.

Using these items and stockpile/pantry items here's what I'll plan on....

MONDAY-Tonight I'll be picking up some mushrooms(store) and I'll make Beef Stroganoff from the leftover London Broil(fridge) in the crockpot. Add rice instead of noodles(in pantry) and grill squash(garden) outside and Monday's meal is complete.
TUESDAY-Marinate Chicken Breast(store-on sale this week)in Italian Dressing(from stockpile)& grill outside, Salad with greens & cukes(garden), baked biscuits from tube(fridge)on grill too
WEDNESDAY-Squash & Bell Peppers(garden) stuffed with Seasoned Ground Beef(freezer)using onions & crushed tomatoes(stockpile), Kraft Mac&Cheese(stockpile)
THURSDAY-Shrimp(store-on sale)& Grits(stockpile)using bacon & butter(freezer), Stir-fried green beans(garden)with a bag of mixed veggies(freezer)
FRIDAY-Tacos(beef from freezer or leftover chicken as well as cheese from freezer, shells from stockpile & lettuce from garden) I may purchase REAL tomatoes from farm for this dish.
SATURDAY-Chicken Parmesan(using breaded chicken cutlets & mozzarella cheese from freezer, sauce from stockpile), whatever veggies we have fresh from the garden(probably more squash-sauteed or in fritters)
SUNDAY-Dinner out or Cook-Out with the family...To be determined


My shopping list for this week's meals consists of....chicken, mushrooms, shrimp and some fruit. I also need onions and those green beans I want to freeze so I need to get to the farm too. Since it's on sale, I'll buy double the shrimp & chicken I need and put half in the freezer for later meals. I'll buy the in season cheaper fruit and the type of mushrooms that are the least expensive. The only items I might stock up on at the local grocery store are Fruit Chillers($1 after sale & $1/1 coupon) & BC Fruit Snacks, since with coupons & $2.50 Catalina OYNO Coupon the store will be paying me $1.70 for every 4 boxes I take home.lol

Food Waste Report.....I had to dump a container of leftover cabbage & potatoes this past week. It had "turned" and had corned beef bits so I couldn't compost it....oh well.

Before I go, here is a great recipe for Summer Yellow Squash HERE. I promised to post this on my last week's Meal Plan Monday. I've linked it to there as well as on this post. I hope someone can try it and enjoy it.

Check out Organizing Junkie's Website Here to see what other Home Cooks are serving this week!


Sluggy

My Family's Favorite Summer Squash Recipe

So what do you cook for dinner when you have 10 pounds of Squash sitting on your kitchen table?

You get creative and come up with Squash Recipes of course!
We've had Squash deep fried slices, fritters, grilled & sauteed with onions so far. Next on the list is Summer Squash Casserole. This is a family favorite. If you have an abundance of squash and a family member who doesn't like squash, but they love cheese, this is the recipe to make to get them to eat their squash.

First you will need squash(about a lb., sliced into rounds-about 3cups worth) & 1 onion(any type-I just happened to have a red onion)

Then you need to gather these items....
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 cup Mayo
1 cup grated Cheese(I use various Cheddars)
Salt
Pepper
Bread Crumbs or Cracker Crumbs(optional)*not pictured*
Butter/Margarine(optional)*not pictured*

Put your squash slices and chopped onion in a sauce pan with a small amount of water. Boil until soft.(about 20-30 min.)
**You can do this step in a crockpot if you work and won't be home until right before dinner time. Just fill and turn on your crockpot in the morning on low. It should be ready to finish preparing when you are ready to start dinner.**

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Get out a casserole baking dish. A 2 quart dish or a brownie pan would work. I've also used a glass pie pan in a pinch. Glass or Corningware is best.


Crack your egg into the baking dish. Beat it a bit.

Add your Mayo.


Then the Sugar.
Then Pepper & Salt. I use about 1/4 teaspoon of each.
Stir.
Be Careful with the salt, as the Cheese has salt in it too. You can always add salt to taste when it's on your plate and not add any salt into the dish before baking.


Then grate your cheese and add 1/2 cup of it to the mixture and stir.


Add the squash/onion to the mixture.


Stir it up and it should look like this. Doesn't look very yummy yet.....just wait!


Take the rest of your grated cheese and spread it on top of the mixture.


If you like a cracker/breading crust crumble up some Ritz type crackers or spread some bread crumbs on top.
Dot with butter/margarine.
**Sometimes I put the cracker crumbs on top if I am feeling the need for more carbs. I never dot with butter/margarine however. The Ritz type crackers are buttery enough for me.


Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and browning on top. (Approximately 30 mins.)
And it should look like this.....
Without the big chunk taken out of course! I never get finished dishes pictures before the family attacks the food.lol

You can also double or triple this recipe, just use a bigger baking dish. I'll double it often and we have it as the main dish for a No Meat Meal. It is hardy and filling.
One of these days I'll get around to trying Zucchini in this Casserole too.

If you try this, let me know what you think and how it comes out.

Sluggy

How does Your Garden Grow?

HELP!
We are overrun with Veggies!!!


Ok, so this really isn't a BAD problem, is it?lol
This is what hubby & I picked on Sunday. If this heat keeps up, we'll have to pick again in two days.

We planted 2 types of Summer Squash this year-the Straightneck and the Crooked Neck. I figured, since some years we can't grow ONE SINGLE summer squash, I'd cover all the bases and plant both types and hope one of them thrives.
Well, boy!....they both survived and flourished....and then some!!lolol

We only put in 2 zuke plants this year because, usually we plant 6 plants and are overrun with zucchinis, picking 10-15 zukes every week for 6 weeks or so. I figured 2 plants would cut down the zuke harvest by 2/3rds.
So of course, we plant 2 plants and we just last week harvested our first zuke. Sunday we picked 2 more and I think there is one single zuke left on a plant and no more flowers forming. 4 zukes total this season=2 zukes per plant. Did I buy the underachiever zucchini plants this year or what?LOL

The salad greens are still going strong, though I suspect the heat predicted for this week will do them in finally before the week is out. Then I can plow them under and reseed there with greens and spinach for a fall crop.

I need to get out to the garden soon and cut some more greens and take some of this bounty up to the people I have promised the overflow to.

What have you picked from your garden this past weekend or today?

Sluggy