Denanna

I take inventory of my freezer and cupboards. I number a lined paper for the month ( or however long you want). I make a meals list on that paper. I have a list of different meals in categories like casseroles, pizzas, soups, with ideas for each, adding others when I find them. This makes it easier for menu planning so I don't have to remember what I have made before. I designate a category for each day of the week (which we don't always stick to). Friday's are pizza nights so I fill all Fridays in first. Soup is once a week, sometimes 2 but I have several varieties I make. I also try to make homemade bread for those nights. Casseroles are another night. This has worked pretty well when I have stuck to it. Sometimes I get lazy and don't make a menu but then I find myself not sure of what to make for dinner, which can make dinner pretty late, which too often leads to eating out. (insert here an icon for snowball rolling downhill lol) A while back I found a website, which I cannot remember, that had a lot of simple ideas on it. I will share a few. Homemade pizza dough : 4 C. flour, 1 ts salt, 1 ts yeast, 1 ts Italian seasoning, 1 Tb. oil, 1 1/2 warm water. Mix well, knead 10 minutes. Divide into 2, and let rest 10 minutes. On pizza pan (or cookie sheet, etc, ) press out from middle to edge. Top with whatever toppings you wish. Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes. We have divided this into individual pizzas and some of us like to fold those over to make calzones. Our favorite is pepperoni, pineapple and olive. We also like chicken pesto, and taco. Basic casserole : 1 C. protein (diced, cooked meat, tuna, egg) , 1 C. veggie, diced , 2 C. cooked starch ( rice, potato, cooked pasta) , 1 1/2 C. sauce ( tomato, cream, cheese ) , 1/2 C. topping (cheese, sauteed onion ) Mix all except topping in a large bowl. put in a greased baking dish and add topping. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until heated through and brown. Of course I at least double these amounts, but there are so many combinations you can make. Basic oil and garlic sauce for pasta : 1 Tb. oil 1 Tb. butter 1 Lg. onion 2 C. thing sliced veggies like carrot ,celery ,mushrooms, etc. 2 garlic cloves, minced. pepper salt 1 Tb. herbs . Heat oil & butter. Saute onions and garlic until lightly brown. Add veggies and cook until tender. Add seasoning and toss quickly with pasta. My family loves this one. We usually use carrots and chicken and again I have to double it, but it is really yummy!

Bump! Cause I need to use what I have on hand, $ is tight, and I love these ideas!

Wait, OFF of Beneful? I thought that was supposed to be a good dog food? We are "fostering" an 11 yo dog and he seems to have skin problems. He scratches often and chews himself. We don't believe he has fleas. He came with a partial bag of food, and I'm guessing he has been on it for a while, because he also came with some skin spray from the vet. I was thinking of giving him cooked chicken, rice and carrots or something. Does that sound ok? I figured on giving him some dog food along with it. Should I start off with more dog food and decrease it over time? That would mean getting a different kind though, since this bag is almost empty. Any ideas on what kind? The generic bulk at the store would be bad, right? He is a pretty active dog for his age, because he is Jack Russel/ Red Healer.

Yay! Good for you!

Happy Birthday! Have a blessed day!

Here is another site for making a drop spindle. http://danielson.laurentian.ca/qualityoflife/Fulltext/Textiles/Making_a_cd_drop_spindle.htm It's pretty cheap to make , works great, and I can spin a lot of yarn onto it if I choose. The part the site calls a "blind well nut" was not called that at the hardware store. I cannot remember the name of it tho.

My oldest daughter recently bought this book and was telling me about it. I think we are both going to try it, if I can get the right amount of soil and such. I have 2 5x5' raised beds already and am thinking of other things to use as well. Hubby wants some grass in the back yard, which really isn't that big, but I want to stuff as much vegetables back there as I can! We can have grass in the walk-ways right? I had a horrible time with the green worms last fall, I got so tired dealing with them that I kind of gave up. I really don't want to do that this time, but I don't like pesticides. I have heard of something like BTH that can still be considered organic so I will look into that.

Awesome! One more thing I can make myself, thank you. Yay!

Ok, so I want to start doing this. I think I am going to get some plastic 5 gallon buckets with lids. I shop at a store that has an awesome bulk department so I buy sugar, flour, pasta, etc. there. Those things can be stored in the buckets but can everything be stored that way or what will work best?