Veronikas Not So Ordinary Life

2014-03-19T05:27:00.002-07:00

Today is the last day of the grocery sales, so I bought what I needed, and took advantage of the Maxwell House coffee sale.

Here is my menu plan for the following week:

Tuesday: Chicken/ Green Bean/ Potato Bake, salad
Wednesday: Calzones, salad
Thursday: Chicken Ramen salad
Friday: Take Out for Maggie's Birthday
Saturday: Philly Cheesesteaks, Sweet Potato Fries, salad
Sunday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches, fresh carrots
Monday: Red Beans and Rice, Cornbread, salad
Tuesday: Tacos, black beans
Wednesday: Brats, Sweet Potato Fries, salad
Thursday: Grilled Cheese, Minestrone Soup
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: leftovers

The new sales are out tomorrow, but I don't really need anything until next weekend. Hopefully there'll be some great items on sale so I can stock up.

"Red Beans and Ricely Yours" - Louis Armstrong

2014-03-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

We usually have Red Beans and Rice on Monday in order to carry on the tradition of the 19th century New Orleans housewives who started it all. Well, that and because I love Red Beans and Rice. From what I know, they put a big pot of beans over the fire to cook while they did laundry. In those days, they had to do laundry by hand and of course it took all day. Thank God for modern conveniences, huh? I don't think I would have survived long in the 19th century because I usually have one or two loads of laundry to do every day.

There are very many different versions of Red Beans and Rice out there. Here's mine:

I like to use andouille sausage because it's a little bit spicy, but the store here hardly ever carries it. Polska is second best.

Some like it sliced into medallions, some like it chopped small. I like it this way:

Would it be called medallion halves?

Cook the sausage in a little oil over med-high heat. It tastes best when it's almost charred.

Take out the cooked sausage and place on a paper towel to absorb the fat. Leave some fat in the pan to cook the vegetables- also known as The Trinity (bell peppers, celery and onion), plus carrots for color.

At this point, I like to grind in some black peppercorns for flavor

After that gets all tender-good, transfer to a dutch oven and add water (or broth), and about 1 lb of cooked red beans....

..and some cajun spice mix and season to your tastes. My cajun spice mix is homemade. It has garlic, onion, thyme, oregano, paprika, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. I like making all my own spice blends. I've wanted Blake to make labels for me forever because he's got the best penmanship. He hasn't been able to, so I just made them myself.

Let it simmer a half hour or so for the flavors to meld and the delicious aroma to fill up the whole house. Meanwhile, make some rice to serve with it. I have always used Uncle Ben's long grain white rice. It's just the best! I like to make twice as much so we can have rice pudding later in the week for breakfast.

This dish is so filling, there's no need for a side of vegetables or a salad although I've been known to be feeling a little extra starchy and making cornbread muffins to serve alongside.

Chicken Fajitas and Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan

2014-03-03T19:18:00.001-08:00

One or more of my ancestors must be of Spanish descent because I absolutely love chilies, jalapenos, cilantro, cumin...and all that good stuff. I can't get enough of it! Here's how I made chicken fajitas:

Yesterday, I started marinating the chicken. I mixed lime juice, olive oil, cumin, garlic, chili powder, chopped fresh cilantro, salt, pepper and a half of a jalapeno in a bowl and marinated the chicken breasts overnight.

About an hour before I was ready to cook, I took out the chicken to bring it to room temp and sliced it against the grain. I cooked in in a splash of oil in batches.

While the chicken was cooking, I sliced up an onion, the other half of the jalapeno and bell peppers.

It was just us three, so we only needed half of the chicken. I wanted to cook it all so I would have a second dinner ready on the fly. You know the saying, "Cook once - eat twice".

I love these Pyrex containers almost as much as I love Rubbermaid. I use Crayola Dry Erase crayons to write on the lid. It's much easier than guessing what's inside and having to serve 'Mystery Meat'.

It washes right off. I always like to put the date on as well.

Anyhoo, after the chicken is seared (it only takes about 5 minutes on med-high heat), it's time for the peppers and onions. Maggie doesn't really care for tomatoes, and I don't like them much either so I leave them out but you could quarter some up and put them in after the peppers cook down a bit.

I actually like my fajita veggies almost burnt, but this isn't all just for me so I had to make them 'normal'.

While the veggies were cooking, I drizzled olive oil and freshly ground pepper over fresh asparagus spears and put them in the oven. After they roasted a bit, I sprinkled them with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. A very wise person once said, "You can never have enough cheese", and I live by that quote.

I like to do a buffet-style set up because my dining table is very small...too small to put all the food on it AND eat comfortably.

I served it all with my homemade cilantro-lime sour cream, shredded spinach and of course- lots of shredded sharp cheddar because, well, "You can never have enough cheese".

This is kind of difficult to photograph me making dinners every night. It's also time consuming. Maybe I'll resort to videotaping them instead. What do you think? Please let me know in the comments.

Bacon, Potato and Split Pea Soup with Grilled Cheese and Spinach Quesadillas and Salad

2014-02-27T05:55:00.000-08:00

For the soup:

1 pound Split Green Peas

1/2 pound bacon, chopped

1/2 - 1 onion, chopped

1-3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

8 cups water

Chicken bouillon

Chopped garlic

salt, pepper, rosemary

In a large dutch oven over medium heat, place a swirl of oil and the chopped bacon. Cook until almost done, then add the chopped onion and cook until the onion is soft.

Remove the bacon and onion from the pan and dump out the bacon grease. I drained the bacon and onion on a paper towel.

Put it back in the pot and add the split peas...

...water, bouillon, garlic, potatoes, pepper and rosemary.

Bring to a boil and cover and let simmer a half hour or so...

...until the split peas and potatoes are soft and the whole house smells awesome.

At this point, you can blend the soup to create a creamy consistency. That's what I started to do, but I realized I wanted it semi chunky.

Adjust the seasonings before serving.

Grilled Cheese and Spinach Quesadillas

It's pretty self explanatory, but I thought I'd post pictures anyway.

Btw, I picked up this cast iron skillet at a yard sale a couple of years ago for only $1.00!

Menu Plan through March 8

2014-02-26T09:41:00.003-08:00

The following is my tentative menu plan. I might switch days depending on what we feel like eating. We generally have last nights dinner for lunch the next day. I hope to post pictures and the recipe the following day.

Wednesday: Bacon, Potato and Split Pea Soup/ Grilled Cheese and Spinach Quesadillas/ Salad
Thursday: BBQ Chicken Sliders/ Sweet Potato Fries/ Salad
Friday: Bacon and Potato Soup/ Salad
Saturday: Veggie Pesto Pizza/Salad
Family Day Sunday: Broccoli and Leek Soup/Chicken and Pesto Salad Sammies/ Birthday cake
Monday: Red Beans and Rice/ Steamed Broccoli/ Salad
Tuesday: Chicken and Vegetable Calzones/Salad
Wednesday: Posole Verde/ Roasted Green Beans/Salad
Thursday: Chicken Fajitas/ Chipotle Black Beans and Rice
Friday: Blackened Salmon/ Roasted Asparagus/ Salad
Saturday: Chicken Pot Pie/Salad

What's on your menu?

My Feet Are Killing Me

2014-02-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

My feet feel as if someone took a hammer and hit the back of them. They've been causing me so much pain that sometimes I have to use a crutch. I don't know what the heck is wrong (other than I'm just getting old, and I weigh more than I should), but I can't recall ever hurting them. I went to the doctor when the pain became unbearable which was about two years ago, and he dismissed it and said that he doesn't prescribe narcotics. Do I look like a druggie? No, but I guess that was what he thought.
I went to another doctor before Christmas, and told her of my feet pain and also my 'runners knee' pain. She didn't really spend much time examining them, but she said that it's a form of arthritis and bursitis. She said I can continue to take Naproxen for the pain and swelling, and if it gets worse to see her again.
Well, it's worse. The only thing that helps is soaking my feet in very warm water, and stretching my muscles.
This morning I noticed some spur-looking swelling:

In my younger days, I was on my feet constantly waitressing and I think that's what caused my heel spurs. At home I am barefoot all the time. I don't wear shoes in the house because I don't like to get my carpet dirty, but that might not be good on my feet.
My sister had the same problem and a couple years ago we went to get a fitting for soles to put in our shoes. That helped so much! It was a difference between night and day. Maybe I should do that again before I make an appointment to see my doctor.
Do you have foot and heel pain? If so, what do you do?

My Walgreens Haul

2014-02-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

I really scored at Walgreens last night. I had 2 $6.00 Register Rewards from last week, making a total of $12.00. Mitchum (my favorite antiperspirant) was 2/$6.00 with a $4.00 RR. I bought that using my first $6.00 RR and only paid one cent for the antiperspirant, plus I got the $4.00 RR - Whoot whoot!

Then I got all this for $7.46 plus tax, AND I got $3.00 RR back, and I'm submitting this for my money back on the Scope. Can I get another whoot whoot?

Here's the breakdown:
(2) Cottonelle 12 roll @ $4.99 ea - $1.00 ea from Walgreens Coupon Book =$7.98
Scott paper towels (6 rolls) @ $4.99 - $1.00 from Walgreens Coupon Book = $3.99
Scope mouthwash 1 liter @ $3.49
Wet N Wild Lip @ 2/ $3.00 = $1.50
Wet N Wild Nail @ 2/$3.00 = $1.50
Rockstar Energy Drink @ $1.00
total $19.46
minus RR $6.00 and $4.00 from Mitchum, 2 $1.00 off peelies on the Wet N Wild products = $12.00 off
total $7.46 plus tax
I really love shopping at Walgreens when they have good sales with RRs. If I had saved the Sunday papers coupons like I used to do, I would have saved $2.00 more on the Mitchum and $1.00 more on the Scope.

I saved so much money that I treated Hank to a new squeaky.

Do you like to shop at Walgreens?

2014-02-06T06:45:00.000-08:00

I had to go out last night in the snow to get a few grocery items, and I really wanted to try out theibotta and Checkout 51 apps. There was a .50 coupon for a gallon of milk.
Before I go shopping, I always check the grocery sale ads in my area. Since I live in a very remote area, there are only a few stores around. After I plan my list, I take it to Walmart so I can price match. I found milk on sale here:

...and I couldn't believe it! This is the lowest price I've seen in a long while. We usually buy 1% or 2%, but whole milk is a treat every once in a while, right?
I also bought Halls cough drops and price matched them at .99 and submitted it for a .50 through Checkout 51. Although I have to get up to $20.00 before I'll get a check and it might take several weeks, I think it's a great thing. Have you tried the apps yet?

Checkout 51 and ibotta

2014-02-04T21:21:00.003-08:00

I just learned about Checkout 51, and I think it's awesome for saving money. If you have a smartphone, you can download the app. Every Thursday they list the offers for that week.

It couldn't be easier to use!

1) Browse your offers
2) Purchase
3) Take a snapshot of your receipt
4) Get cash back in the form of a check!
The only downsides I see is you have to wait to accumulate $20.00 before they'll send you a check BUT you get $2.00 with your first receipt of $20.00 or more. Also, I don't really like the idea of sending a pic of my receipt because it lists the last four of my credit/debit card numbers. I guess I can always pay cash for those items.

I've had ibotta on my phone for several months now, but never used it. They've got some pretty good offers that aren't only limited to grocery items so I really should be taking advantage of it. With ibotta, you can get your payout in the form of a gift card, redbox, or cash through PayPal.

Sodastream / Superbowl / House Party

2014-02-03T06:09:00.000-08:00

I was given the opportunity from House Party to try out Sodastream and I held a Superbowl party yesterday. I've got to tell you how excited I am about Sodastream!
If you're like me and love soda, but don't like lugging the 2 liter bottles and cans nor making so much waste....

...then you'll love the Sodastream! All you have to lug home is the flavored syrups. Each bottle is about 16.9 ounces and makes 12 liters! That's about 33 cans of soda. It's so much more convenient - not to mention it gives me a good feeling that I'm not creating more trash.
I bought some flavored syrups from Walmart (they're sold just about everywhere - not just Walmart), and we had fun creating different flavors by combining the flavors. I made a rootbeer float that didn't have any calories! I mixed Diet Root Beer with a splash of vanilla extract, and it tasted like I was indulging!
I think Maggie's favorite was the Kool-Aid Tropical Punch, and the teens liked the Regular Cola. Of course all Blake wanted was the Diet Fountain Mist - he said it was identical to Mountain Dew.
You can adjust the amount of carbonation too. I like lots of carbonation, but some people don't. With the Sodastream, you can pump only once for a little fizzy, or up to three times for full fizzy. Some of my guests had plain carbonated water.
After the party was over (and there was only ONE bag of trash to go out), I thought of other flavor combinations like chocolate cola using a splash of Torani chocolate with cola. The possibilities are endless! I'm so glad I have the Sodastream. I can see my family using it a lot. If you want more information on Sodastream or House Party, I encourage you to check them out. Sodastream has several items at 50%.

I made lots of Buffalo Chicken Sliders and my Super Soft Hamburger Buns in a mini size for all the kids. They were gone in seconds. One of the teen boys said he didn't want any because he didn't like Mystery Meat. I assured him it was made of ground chicken. I found the recipe here, and it's going into my permanent recipe file. They were THAT good and so easy to put together.

A sampler of just some of the many flavors

Pre sodastream party

Blake (making a C for Conaway) and Chris were the soda makers. They had fun making the bubbly combinations

A few of the kids

This girl can play the guitar! She plays a mean Deep Purple

Smoke on the water....fire in the sky.

I think Hank really wanted the Broncos to win. When the final score was announced, he resorted to his bed to sulk with his team colored toy. I'm sorry Hank.

2014-02-01T09:45:00.001-08:00

I don't know if it's nationwide or regional, but Walgreens has Progresso soup on sale 4 for $5.00 with your Walgreens card. Pair that with a .50 off 2 coupon and get 4 cans of soup for $4.00!
I like to have these on hand for an after school snack on these icy-cold days, or for busy weeknights when I'm too busy to cook.
Progresso soups are very flavorful. They've got every flavor imaginable! Maggie likes Chicken Noodle the best, and my favorite is their High Fiber Three-Bean Chili with Beef. What's your favorite?

Super Soft Hamburger Buns

2014-01-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

I made these buns earlier this month, and they were a hit! They went super fast because they were so dang good.

I found the recipe here:

I halved the recipe because I didn't want to make THAT many:

4 c All purpose flour (I used bread flour)

1 T salt

1 T sugar

1 1/2 t active dry yeast

1 1/2 c warm water

1/6 c vegetable oil

1 egg

I have made these twice now, once by hand using my Kitchen Aid mixer, and once in my bread machine. I guess they keep in the freezer well - I've frozen them but for only a total of 5 days because we keep dipping into them.

Let me know if you try it, and what you think.

2014-01-30T07:10:00.000-08:00

Well, my menu plan definitely changed up a bit from what I planned. Life happened, and my son moved out permanently. I had intentions of posting a picture of each dinner I made but I wasn't able to.
For the first time ever in my life, I cooked a whole turkey! I am so proud of myself that I finally conquered my fear of it and did it. Will I do it again? Definitely NOT. It's something about tucking the wings back, and tying the legs together that really creeps me out!

Excuse my oven - it could use a cleaning but the cleaning lady never comes anymore...ahem.
I coated the turkey with melted butter mixed with Rosemary and Thyme. I also threw in some poultry seasoning and a little salt and pepper. It roasted with quartered potatoes, onions and cut celery and carrots. I was surprised that it came out very tender and juicy.

January Menu Plan

2014-01-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

I found a blog written by a wonderful woman named Bobbie Jo who wrote up an Aldi menu plan. She actually has two meal plans and I thought I would incorporate it into my menu planning. I am so glad I found Aldi because their prices are awesome. Some of the products aren't tasty at all, and that's no prob because they have a great money-back guarantee. If you don't like it, they'll refund your money. I purchased almost everything from Aldi for my dinners, with the exception of meats.

Most of the recipes here are from Bobbie Jo's blog, and some are my own. All my dinners are served with steamed vegetables and a freshly chopped salad (with the exception of brinners). These dinners serve me, my 18 yo son and my 11 1/2 yo daughter, as well as leftovers for mine and Maggie's lunch the next day.

With that being said, here is my menu plan for the month of January:

Cheesy Chicken and Rice- crockpot

Meatball sliders/ sweet potato fries

Roasted Turkey/ stuffing/ mashed potatoes

Red Beans and Rice/ cornbread

Chicken and Potato Bake

Breakfast Burritos/ fruit
Brown Rice, Chicken, Black Bean Bake
MYO Pizza x2

Minestrone Soup/ breadsticks

Chicken Parmesan

Balked Ziti/ cheese biscuits

Turkey Enchilada casserole- using leftover turkey

Chicken salad sammies

Shrimp Alfredo/ breadsticks

Turkey soft tacos/ beans and rice

Chicken Stir Fry/ Garlic bread

Turkey, broccoli and cheddar roll-ups- using leftover turkey

I would like to share a picture of each dinner when I make them, but I can't promise I'll do it. I've provided the links to Bobbie Jo's dinners.