Menu-Planning and Meatless Mondays and The Compact

A twitter friend of mine Abbie over at Farmer's Daughter posted her goals for 2011 and one of those goals was to participate in the "I'm Not Buying It" challenge.  Basically the I'm Not Buying It challenge is based on "The Compact" a group started in 2006 with the intention of not buying new items for 1 year.  The I'm Not Buying It challenge is for 6 months or what ever you want to try.
Since LO has been in my life I have noticed that my spending has gone through the roof..I mean..the Daily Tea Collection is to die for, and I didn't have an infant girl that I got to dress up in cute little outfits, and I've lost 20 pounds so I get new clothes too..right..oh and I have to have books to read on my iPad!  So basically I have been a spending fool and I have to get control of myself....
I'm not sure I can do 6 months..that is a REALLLLLLYYYYYYYY long time..(okay not really, but it seems like it) so I have decided that I'm going to shoot for 2 months with the option of extension if I'm doing well..

Here are my ground rules:

1. Not to buy anything new for 2 months either in store or online..
Exceptions:     Food-but I am going to try and stick to menu's and not over buy, which I have the habit of doing.
                        Diapers (I have to have disposables for visitations)

Bottles, nipples and pacifiers

Underwear and Socks

                       Running shoes (If I ever get back to running again)

Services-because my job requires me to “be the face” of my company I have to have haircuts and color, I stretch this as long as I can usually once every three months, but I have to have it.

                        Medications, vitamins and glasses

Washing Machine-I know I can get a used one, but I'd rather get a new washer and a used dryer.

Work Trips-If I'm away on a trip and I need something new as long as its small I can purchase it..means I can't just go shopping at Kohl's because I'm away.

                       Expendables-tires for the car, light bulbs, etc
2. To borrow, barter or buy used.
                       For items I buy used-one in/one out. So if I buy a used pair of jeans I have to donate or recycle a pair of pants or shorts.


3. To have a gift and exceptions budget of $300.00 (except for a washer of course)

We'll see how it goes. This is a tougher challenge then blogging everyday for a month.


So in keeping with my new Compact...my Menu for the week:  

Monday-Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk with Gruyere Grill Cheese Sandwiches
Tuesday-Tacos
Wednesday-Pasta Carbonara
Thursday-work trip
Friday-Work trip
Saturday-Ricotta Pancakes with Strawberries

Sunday-Salt-Roasted Porkloin with Fingerling Potatoes

So what do you think?  Do you think you could stop buying anything new for 2 months, 6 months or even 1 week?  Let me know in the comments below!

Menu-Planning and Meatless Mondays

I was hoping to have this post set up yesterday, but LO's visit was canceled so we spent the day chilling..it was COOOLLLLDDDDD and I'm like a reptile..the colder it gets the slower I go!  If I could get away with hibernating, I'd be there!

Monday-Vegetarian Minestrone

Tuesday-Chicken/Rice/Broccoli (extra rice and chicken for Friday)

Wednesday-Vegetarian Pad Thai Noodles

Thursday-Crock-Pot Chili

Friday-Chicken Fried Rice

Saturday-Pizza

Sunday-Salt-Roasted Porkloin with Fingerling potatoes/Cheesy Cauliflower

Menu-Planning and Meatless Mondays

My menu plan this week was pretty easy as we share Thanksgiving dinner at two different houses on two different days so I only needed to come up with five meals this week.  We end up with left overs from both houses so I probably will get some turkey for lunches.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only times I will go off my meatless diet to eat Turkey..I take a lot of Benedryl to make me feel the symptoms of my allergy less.  If worse comes to worse I end up really sick and down a day..but hey..I love me the turkey!

Meatless Monday-Vegetarian Minestrone

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1 cup carrots, diced

1 small zucchini, diced
1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup barley
4 cups vegetable broth
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped

1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped kale
1 can (16 ounces) canned white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked small shell pasta

Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute then add the barley.

Stir in broth, tomatoes, kale, and beans. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes then add pasta. Add zucchini. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more.

Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Ladle into individual bowls and serve immediately.

Tuesday-Chicken/Rice/Green Beans

Wednesday-Spaghetti

Thursday-Family dinner

Friday-Eat out (I promised Jake BW3's for good grades)

Saturday-Family Dinner

Sunday-Potato Pierogi

Menu-Planning

So yesterday I talked about how I was a resentful bitch and what I was going to do to help myself..

One of the thing I talked about was making a meal plan for the week..Its a little difficult for me to meal plan because I can't eat meat yet the rest of my family feels very deprived if I completely take meat off the table.  I get around this by trying to make every other meal meatless or a meal that I can extract the meat from..like Tacos or Stir Fry.

Here's my meal's for the week:

Saturday: Smashed Potato Soup (ala @NotSuperJustMom) with skillet corn bread and a garden salad.  (I had to do some recipe modifications, I used veggie broth and veggie cream of mushroom soup and took out the bacon bits.  I also added garlic just because no recipe is complete without it!

Sunday: Chicken & Pressure Cooker Rice with Steamed Broccoli and Sweet Potato Pie (Double rice and chicken for Thursday's meal)

Meatless Monday: Angel Hair Pasta with Citrus Cream Sauce/steamed green beans

Tuesday:  Taco Tuesday with Refried beans

Wednesday:  Three Cheese Skillet Lasagne/garden salad/garlic bread

Thursday:  Stir Fry

Friday:   Potato Pierogi with mushrooms and onions/garden salad.

Potato Pierogi Recipe:

1lb Potato and Cheese Pierogi (I like Mrs. T's...when I visited Canada this summer I made them with the generic SuperValu brand and they were good too!)
Olive Oil
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms sliced (you can mix it up and use a variety like Shitake, Portebellas, and Button)
1 onion chopped
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 TBS Sherry  4 oz shredded Cobly-Jack (or anything you have on hand)
Sour Cream-Optional

Preheat oven to broil.

Put some olive oil in a large saute pan* and heat up to medium-high, saute onion for 2 minutes then add mushrooms and garlic.  Cook until mushroom soften then add sherry and pierogi.  Cook pierogi for about 5 minutes on oneside, then flip over and cook for 5 minutes more.

Take off heat and place in a broil proof dish and cover with cheese.  Broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*My saute pan can be placed in the oven so I just top the pierogi with the cheese and just pop it into the oven. 


Good eating everyone..if you want recipes for anything else I'm making this week, leave a comment and I'll post it for you!