Menu Plan Monday – Feb 17

Last week I made Split Pea and Cauliflower soup from the Forks Over Knives blog. That was a wonderful and easy soup. The garam masala really made it exceptional.  I also recommend the Tuna, White Bean and Arugula salad from last week.

Monday – Kitchari, requested by DD who loved this dish at Annapurna in Santa Fe.  This restaurant is reason enough to move to Santa Fe!  Kitchari is basmati rice, dal, veggies and greens.

Kitchari, turmeric makes is that beautiful yellow color

Tuesday – Fajitas with black beans

Wednesday – Dinner out!  The temperature may go over 30 degrees F so we will leave our den.

Thursday – Tarascan Pinto Bean Soup from last week.  I didn’t end up cooking that night because of our water main break.

Friday – Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

For more menu inspirations, see orgjunkie.com!

Happy Valentine’s Day

Hope you are enjoying a nice Valentine’s Day.  The sun came out, our water is back on, and I have Split Pea Cauliflower soup on the stove from this week’s meal plan.

Have you perused any of the great Dave Ramsey Valentine’s Pick Up lines?  My favorite came from the comments section: “How would you like to be a line item in my budget?”  If I weren’t already happily married….

We got our federal tax refund back and used it to bump up our emergency fund, as well as topping up some other categories like car repair and summer kid activities.  This last batch of crazy winter weather has me more motivated than ever to keep saving for retirement somewhere warmer!

Do you have any special Valentine plans?

 

Waiting on that Boring Day . . .

Today began with a doorbell ring at 6:50 AM.

Starting the Morning with our friends at the DPW

New water main break – two or three of them actually.  One right next door.  The frost line is down so far this year it is reaching pipes that normally would not be affected.  Note to self: don’t plan to put any seedlings in the ground in May.

Our neighbors have a big hole, and no water yet for any of us.

 

Murphy

One thing that makes ‘Murphy’ come around is extreme weather.  I speak from experience this week, and it is only Tuesday!

Yesterday we had a flat tire that was so beat up that it required a completely new tire.  The roads around here are crumbling with huge craters from the extreme cold.  We have no idea what caused such a big puncture.  Cost:  $200.00.  Paid for out of our ‘Auto Repair’ fund.  Now, you might recall we are saving for new tires and brakes for one car.  Murphy’s Law … the car with the puncture is NOT the same car that needs new tires this Spring!  Grrr.

Today our neighborhood water main broke, again from the prolonged extreme cold.  We haven’t seen 30 degrees F in months.  The water main is the pipe that brings fresh water to your home.  The water gets shut off while they dig up the street.  There are so many water main breaks in our village that they are working 24 hours a day to keep up.   We were preparing to foot the bill for a hotel stay tonight, but they were able to get it repaired in time.  Got lucky on that one.

Emergency fund = Murphy repellant.  As Dave Ramsey says ‘An emergency fund turns a crisis into an inconvenience.’

I am hoping for a boring day tomorrow!

 

 

 

Menu Plan Monday – Feb 10

It has been a while since I have posted.  Lately it has been easy to save money because the winter has been so fierce we eat in every night and barely ever get to a store for fun!  I’ve been passing the time watching Forks Over Knives on Netflix and pinning recipes on Pinterest.  Forks Over Knives is a movie that looks at the health benefits of a plant-based diet.

I was a vegetarian for many years, and I am always interested in plant-based meals.  My daughter seems to naturally prefer them anyway.  I have some new recipes to try this week!

Sunday – White Bean Tuna Salad with arugula.  New recipe; for my daughter I will leave out tuna.

Monday – Fried rice

Tuesday – Split Pea and Cauliflower Soup – I can tell by the ingredients this will be a hit for us.

Wednesday – I am making a recipe for a Meal Train delivery… Pioneer Woman’s meatball subs.

Thursday – Tarascan Bean Soup – This is a pinto bean soup I used to make years ago.

Friday – Pizza!  Happy Valentine’s Day.

For more meal planning inspiration, visit orgjunkie.com.