Book giveaway!

What mom, whether working or a stay-at-home mom, couldn't use a great book full of advice to help save money? Lifeasmom.com is offering a giveaway right now for the book "Family Feasts for $75 a week". This book is not only full of recipes but offers a lot of information on grocery shopping and how to easily save your family more money. It sounds like a great book. The giveaway ends December 20th...go and check out her site for your chance to enter:
http://www.lifeasmom.com/2009/12/review-and-giveaway-family-feasts-for.html

Menu plan Monday

Again this week I am late posting my menu plan. I always have it done early...we have been doing our grocery shopping on Friday evenings so my meal plans actually run Saturday to Thursday. Somehow I generally manage to forget to post my menu though. :) So one day late, here it is:

Monday- Italian cream cheese chicken over pasta

Tuesday- Cheesy beef and rice with carrots as a side

Wednesday- Chicken tetrazini

Thursday- Roast and mashed potatoes and peas

Friday- visiting family

Saturday- visiting family

For other menu planning ideas and links to hundreds of other menus please check out orgjunkie.com.

Free ink cartridges anyone?

With all of the amazing coupons available online (that lots of times are only available online!) it is easy to go through ink cartridges. Even if you are being selective and only printing the "good stuff". Head on over to Southern Savers where Jenny is hosting a $50 giveaway to either Staples or Office Depot: http://www.southernsavers.com/2009/12/8-days-of-giveaways-print-away-gift-card/

Diaper giveaway.

I have blogged about several great giveaways lately. But it doesn't get much better than free diapers. I have a two year old and a six month old, both in diapers so we go through a lot of diapers in our house. Check out the following blog for a diaper giveaway of 2 free boxes of huggies:
http://www.stretchingabuckblog.com/2009/12/huggies-twitter-baby-shower-tonight.html

Book giveaway.

There is no one that couldn't use more encouragement. So it is always nice to find an uplifting book. Christinan Frugal Mama is doing a giveaway for the book "Treasured". Check out her giveaway: http://christianfrugalmama.blogspot.com/2009/12/book-review-and-giveaway-treasured.html

Cookie Cutter Giveaway

If you are like me, then you are doing plenty of baking for the holidays and what more perfect cookie to make than a cut out cookie. I love making sugar cookies and my two year old son is finally able to help decorate them. :) Check out this giveaway to win a set of 4 cookie cutters:
http://www.jamieisamoneymagnet.com/2009/12/review-giveaway-cheap-cookie-cutters.html
Good luck! They are so cute, hopefully one of my readers will be lucky.

Menu plan Monday

Monday- Cajun food (sausage gumbo)

Tuesday- hot dogs with homemade chili

Wednesday- italian chicken with garlic smashed potatoes and salad

Thursday- shredded beef tacos with homemade salsa and spanish rice

Friday- italian cream cheese and chicken

Saturday- spicy chicken chili

Finally finished with my freezer cooking days, I ended up leaving a couple of things off of my list (like the cookies and homemade hot dog buns). Still, I have lots of yummy things in the freezer and it wasn't bad for a first attempt. :)

Another Freezer Cooking update...

I have chicken breasts baking in the oven, a beef chuck roast in the crockpot (that will become shredded beef and smells amazing), and red beans soaking. The progress is happening. :)

Freezer Cooking Day update.

Sorry about the delayed posting, but between the cooking and a teething baby that was hindering some of my cooking plans, things have been busy. :) So far, I have made homemade salsa, southwest rollups (freezing only a lunch size portion of those.), creamy chicken noodle soup (which we had for dinner), one bag of shredded chicken, a dozen cranberry wheat muffins, homemade granola and granola bars.
Still to go:
3 batches of pumpkin pancakes
4 dozen double chocolate cookies (not sure if I will make them all and freeze them or just freeze the dough)
homemade strawberry poptarts
homemade hot dog buns
homemade personal pizza pockets
shredded beef from a roast
hot chocolate mix
2 pounds of dried pinto beans
1 pound of dried red kidney beans

This was my very first freezer cooking day so I purposefully decided not to attempt a whole lot of entrees this month to see how it went. And we actually needed a lot of the breakfast foods so that is why there are so many of them. With a two year old and a six month old, I am actually having to space my cooking out across several days. I can keep my toddler entertained but the baby is teething and she wasn't having any part of my cooking and not tending to her. :) We have enjoyed eating some of the things that I have already made and I love that my freezer is holding several options for other things. I have taken several pictures and will probably post them at the end once everthing is finished.