Last week in history we talked about the “earliest people*,” the “nomads.” We discussed foods they ate (plants, roots, berries, meat, fish, wild honey, etc.). After reading about it Ryan and I had this “great” idea to make a dinner of foods the nomads ate. He got REALLY into it and couldn’t wait to show/tell Jared all about the things he’d learned.
First we decorated the dining room with some “cave art.”

Then we talked about what we could make, made lists and a menu, and went shopping.

Then we set the table.

On our menu:

Meat (hamburger patties)
Fish (tilapia filets)
Grain (long grain and …

It’s that time again…
Didn’t do much grocery shopping this weekend. No deals I was super excited about, and my pantry/freezer are pretty full and our neighbors continue to share garden-fresh produce. Oh, plus it’s the end of the month so I’m nearing the end of my $200/month budget. So, all I bought was some marked-down lean beef, milk, and a bit more produce. I spent $10.41.
Here is my dinner plan for this week:

Crockpot beef and gravy over noodles, biscuits, steamed veggies
Cranberry Meatballs over rice, 
Spaghetti, breadsticks, salad
Pita pizzas, salad
Hamburgers and hot dogs, …

One of the things I’m trying to do to get back into routine after a lazy summer is plan my meals better. Sure makes my days go easier when I already know what we are having for dinner before that awful hour-before-dinner hour.
My dinner plan this week:

Meatloaf, baked potatoes, peas, banana bread
Pasta salad with chicken, tomatoes (from the garden, yum), crescent rolls with homemade peach jam
Breakfast for dinner (french toast with peach syrup, scrambled eggs)
Chicken fajitas, spanish rice, (cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce)
Dinner out
Leftovers

Download my FREE meal planner. (See how …

I recently heard the question,  “what do homeschoolers eat for lunch?” While the answer to this question can probably apply to anyone with kids, I thought I’d share some of the things we do for lunch. (But it’s usually last night’s leftovers or a salad for my husband and me.)

Macaroni and cheese (often sneak in some carrot, squash, or sweet potato puree for added nutrition!)
Hot dogs
Pigs in a Blanket
Bean burritos
Quesadillas
Homemade “lunchables” (crackers, cheese, lunchmeat, juice box)
Almond butter and jelly (sandwich or tortilla wrap)
Pasta salad (cold cooked pasta, variety of chopped veggies, chopped meat, cheese chunks, Italian or ranch dressing)
Mini …

Welcome to Sneaky Snacks Tuesday where every Tuesday I share a healthier snack idea. Go here to read more about why I started Sneaky Snacks and go here to read about why I’m putting beans in these waffles!
We usually make waffles on the weekend for brunch or an easy Sunday evening dinner. A few weeks ago Jared said, “Hey you should come up with a waffle with BEANS in it!”
Well, you know I love a challenge so I played around one morning and came up with a recipe I was pretty happy with. Not …

When I started this rice and beans challenge I was fairly ignorant. I mean, I knew beans are full of fiber and brown rice is healthier than white, but I challenged myself mostly because I wanted to cut our grocery expenses. Dave Ramsey encourages to get out of debt and live within your means with his popular phrases: ”beans and rice, rice and beans,” “be weird” and “live like no one else so later you can live like no one else.” I needed a daily accountability reminder so I committed to preparing beans or rice every …

Wow, if this challenge was like having a baby we’d be half way done! Crazy. Anyway, go here to read more about my 365 Days of Beans and Rice Challenge.
Week 20
Monday (Day 138) : Steak Fajitas, black beans and corn

Tuesday (Day 139): Orange Chicken over rice
YUUUUM. I can’t wait to share this recipe with you. It was sooooo worth it!

Wednesday (Day 140): Leftovers
Thursday (Day 141): Black Beans over rice, Garlic Bread, Salad, Brownies

Friday (Day 142): BLT Rice Salad, Garlic bread, fruit

Total experiement and I didn’t really like it. The flavors were …

This post is part of my 365 Days of Beans and Rice Challenge.
It was the evil hour before dinner. You know the one. I had no idea what to make for dinner, the were kids starving, hanging on my legs, bickering, the baby was waking from her nap, and the phone kept ringing.
Every week I swear I will plan my meals ahead of time to eliminate this relentless time, but Monday came and went and it didn’t happen once again and I’ve been floundering every day this week. 
Anyway, so the hour before dinner I’m searching the fridge trying to figure out what to make. …

Easy, really. I used to only use canned beans because cooking the bags of dried beans seemed like too much work. Plus I liked the convience of canned beans and didn’t always plan dinner far enough ahead to cook the dried beans.
But then I started the beans and rice challenge, and discovered dried beans are much less expensive–a pound bag of dried beans ($1-ish) equals about four 15-oz. cans of beans ($3-ish). Then I found out I could FREEZE cooked beans!! So while I do keep canned beans on hand for a quick …

Welcome to Sneaky Snacks Tuesday where every Tuesday I share a healthier snack idea. Go here to read more about why I started Sneaky Snacks.
The last time I tried combining bananas and beans they turned out awful but I was determined to try again after buying several bunches of ripe (marked down) bananas last week. This time I used white beans–milder than lentils in taste. I was so happy when these muffins turned out super yummy. No bean taste. The chocolate was an added bonus but they would have been tasty without. …