Showing posts sorted by relevance for query banana bread. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query banana bread. Sort by date Show all posts

4/15/15

After School Snack: Banana Bread

My kids have been coming home from school ravenous. And I have not had a plan! The other day when Stephen was eating chocolate chips and Laurie was finishing off a bag of marshmallows I thought to myself - okay, it's time to get organized.

So today, in anticipation of hungry tummies, I made an old faithful - banana bread. Is there anything more homey than banana bread?! I love this recipe. I've experimented with different ones, but always come back to this one.

2 sticks butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
 
Mix all ingredients and pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake on 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown on top.




We ate an entire loaf! Me + the kids.

What are your kids favorite after school/ afternoon snacks? I need some inspiration.

2/12/14

Grocery Shopping Week Two

$500 Grocery Budget
Grocery Shopping Week One

We've had a crazy week! A school interview, an overnight trip, and two sets of out of town family company have made this an anything but ordinary week.

Over the weekend, as I was looking ahead I knew that my shopping and meal planning needed to be done ahead of time and that I needed a lot of flexibility.

This is how it's shaping up so far....

Monday - vegetable soup (link is similar to the recipe I used, but I omitted beef and used all frozen vegetables, pimento cheese and crackers
Tuesday - out of town and on the road, drove through Wendy's (just adults, kids were with my mother in law)
Wednesday - shepherd's pie
I will be taking some major shortcuts with this recipe, no pureed carrots. I plan to just do a layer of cooked frozen ones. Ain't nobody got time for that.
Thursday-my parents in town for the weekend
Friday- eat with family
Saturday-eat with family
Sunday- eggs, grits, toast or leftovers

Over this past weekend, I made blueberry muffins and chocolate chip banana bread for quick, easy breakfasts and snacks. Per usual, I made all of our sandwiches for the week on Sunday night. I also browned the ground beef ahead time for the shepherd's pie so that I would have one step less to worry about as I prepare for dinner tonight! Whoop whoop.

I bought some chicken salad at Costco thinking it would be nice to have one more already-made food on hand. But I don't like it and I'm taking it back. Costco has a no questions asked return policy. So that will be $10 back in my pocket.

As far as grocery shopping and budgeting is going, I'm still on track!

The first week of February I spent 

Costco 32.55
Publix 34.40
Publix 14.62* (2 half gallons ice cream, sugar cones, paper plates, bananas)
___________
total 81.57

This second (crazy week) I've spent

Costco 46.50. This total includes 2 gallons milk, one large bag sweet onions, pre-made chicken salad, bananas, large bag frozen vegetables, bread, egss, shredded cheese

Publix 25.56 This total includes 2 cans diced tomatoes, tomato juice, 3 bags frozen vegetables, jar of pimentos, crackers, sour cream, starch for ironing, and 1 bag Starbucks coffee on sale. I originally planned to only buy coffee online and not include it in our food budget, but it still has not arrived and we were out, so of course, I had to buy some.

Gas station 2.00 bottled waters

Wendy's 12.14 This total includes two separate stops at Wendy's - ha. The first stop I ordered a cup of chili and a coke for a hearty snack. The second stop Stephen and I both had dinner. We got burgers and one small Frosty, waters, and no fries.

This week's total is 86.20 (so far)

My goal has been to only spend $100/week so that I will have a remaining $100 at the end of the month to stock pile, buy meat, and take advantage of sales. One trick I'm using is to only get $100 in cash at the ATM for groceries each week, and I'm only taking that amount in the store. Because I don't physically have the extra money on me, I can't overspend without going back to the car or house to get my debit card.

I have not had to buy any meat yet because I have so much in my freezer. As I'm using it up, I'm rationing it carefully and portioning a little less that I normally would. Also, I discovered a bag of slightly freezer burned blue berries and strawberries so I'm using those up in smoothies and muffins.

And sure, I'm catching a break because my parents are coming to town this weekend and they usually treat us to several meals while they are here.

Only two weeks in, and I'm already amazed at this experiment. I haven't done so well with my grocery budget in years. It is forcing me to plan better and flex my frugality muscles. The skills I'm learning are taking effort now, but I anticipate they will become second nature in the future. I'm learning so much about the way I typically shop/plan. The things that are making it work are public accountability (this blog), planning well, and a willingness to eat what we have. My tendency is to overspend, and this exercise is really reining in my shopping/meal planning skills. But the challenge is not over. I have two weeks to go.

Hang with me.



Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred. Proverbs 15:17 (NIV)


10/22/18

Somehow We Manage BEST OF FALL - link round up

Finally, the temps have dropped, we have hit our stride with school routines, and our Halloween costumes are all planned out. We feel ya, fall! And we love you.

Since my blogging has been nonexistent for weeks, I thought it might be fun to do a little round up of the best of SWM with a nod to fall.

Here we go....

Back to School 2016 - Two Things Making Me Not Crazy

Forever and always the best after school snack - banana bread

My go to fall meals

Use What Ya Got (how I stored our backpacks, lunchboxes, and shoes before our lockers were built)
 
Tip for Wearing Button-Down Shirts

New Coat + I'm so over buying expensive clothes

Dressing For Fall When It's 80 Degrees

Spending and Saving + Girls Clothes tips for taking summer dresses to fall and winter

Halloween 2015 feels like yesterday

20 bags in 20 days I know de-cluttering is typically a spring thing, but it's not a bad time of year to do a big clean out in anticipation for Christmas, speaking of....Five Great Toys and A Toy Worth Investing In: Magna-Tiles

I snapped this picture on a school holiday, for sure a day we had to push past the boredom.


So what's new with you?

3/24/16

Cook a Little Something Everyday

This post is the third in a series about about food, grocery shopping, cooking, and good home cook kitchen habits. I'm learning as I go. Please weigh in with your secrets, tips, and tricks. There is always something new to learn in the kitchen!

.......

Cook a little something everyday. This is a little mantra of mine.

To keep up with the high food demand in my house, I try to cook a little something every single day. Sometimes, it's as simple as hard boiling some eggs or baking banana bread. Whatever, cooking a little something everyday keeps my momentum going, saves money, and ensures that there is always something homemade in the house.

I always do this cooking in the morning or early afternoon and never during the dinner prep hour. Sometimes, the cooking is in preparation for our dinner meal, but more often than not it's for breakfasts or snacks.

I add it on to one of those things I have to do like laundry or unloading the dishwasher. It's part of running the household and not subject to my feelings. Cook a little something everyday - sometimes I feel it, and a lot of times not. Regardless, I'm always glad I did it!




A couple of weeks ago, I made a quiche adapted from this recipe, doubled it, and took one to a friend.

8 eggs
3/4 cup milk or half and half
4-5 slices cooked bacon
handfuls of spinach
half a cup diced carrot
half a cup diced onion
1 cup good cheddar cheese
tablespoon of butter
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon, dice into bite size pieces, set aside.

Heat carrots and onions in a little butter in a pan on the stove until tender, add spinach and slightly wilt.

Beat eggs, add half and half, then combine the rest of the ingredients.

Pour into a greased pie dish and cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until done.






3/21/18

Loving that Frugal Life

I am totally into frugal living these days. Obviously, there are financial benefits to a frugal lifestyle. But beyond those, I enjoy the thrill being resourceful. Limitations breed creativity. It can be really fun to come up with a way to do something without going and buying all the things.

I'll admit, frugality can be tedious. For example, making everything from scratch in your kitchen.

But more often I find that frugal choices lead to simplicity. For me, frugality often means less errands, better planning, and less angst over purchasing decisions. As the mom and family buyer, it leaves me with more space to be with the people instead of being at Target and Starbucks. 


Another bonus of a frugal mindset is less time going down the rabbit hole of online shopping. When I make up my mind that I'm not going to buy anything...guess who gets about the business of making banana bread?!

What I'm saying is...I start doing instead of scrolling and "consuming"  for minutes upon hours upon days. And that is freeing!

For fun...
Here's a handful of frugal things I've done lately.

1. Re-used a birthday balloon for my husband's birthday dinner. It's silly, and small but I'm really proud of this balloon's second life. It has lived on our kitchen ceiling since my daughter's birthday in JANUARY. I thought about going a buying a balloon and remembered...I already had one!

 

2. I gave my boys haircuts at home the other day. That's $28 I did not spend.

My kids refuse to give me a normal smile. Best he could do.

3. When the weather warmed up a few weeks ago, I evaluated the girls clothes and discovered that Caroline needs almost no new clothes or shoes for spring and summer. I have tons of hand-me-downs, so I can go on and resist the temptation to buy size 3 little girls' clothes.


4. When we recently returned home from a family trip, I made sure we had a meal planned ahead for the evening. I took out chili from the freezer and it was so easy to throw it on the stove. The last time we went out of town, I had no re-entry meal plan and we spent $45 going out to a Mexican restaurant.



5. I've been freezing herbs. Before they go bad, I dice them up and put them in the freezer. Yes to not wasting food!


I make myself rich by making my wants few. -Henry David Thoreau 

What frugal things have you been doing lately?


Our Getting Out of Debt Story
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