Leftover Taco Casserole

What better to do with leftover taco stuff than put it in a pie?

Just layer your meat, rice & beans on the bottom after you spray your glass pie dish with Pam. Then sprinkle your pico or chopped tomatoes on top. Add a can of chilies if you like it spicy. Layer on the broken tortilla chips and coat it all with cheddar or Mexican cheese.



I think I used tortilla strips on the bottom of this particular leftover taco pie. I usually serve mine with a little side salad and sour cream for dipping... and extra corn tortilla chips.

Leftovers with style.

Hot taco pie.

FIN

Free Kids Meals and Meal Deals

I don't know about you, but I love Luby's. Yeah, I've heard people say it's denture-food because lots of old people like to eat at cafeterias. Poo-poo on that, though. And lots of old people just can't be wrong. They are smarter than us by quite a few years!

What I love about Luby's is that it allows my whole family to get whatever they are in the mood for - no fighting or fussing! And the sweet tea. Good heavens, the sweet tea is divine!

Another great thing about Luby's is their motto: "Tastes like Texas. Feels like home." Anything that Tastes like TEXAS just can't be bad.

I can remember eating at Luby's when I was knee-high to a grasshopper and ordering a tiny plate with red jello. My kids have all had that plate (at least most of them - we have a grasshopper that hasn't started out on table food yet - but I'm sure he'll love Luby's, too).

What do I order when I go? It depends. I love the fried fish, the chopped steak, the turkey and dressing, the enchiladas, the blackened fish, and the chicken picata. As for sides, I change those up almost every time I go.

If you haven't been to Luby's in a while, take advantage of their Luann rewind and catch a full meal for 5.99 until July 10th. For July 4th they are offering free kids meals, too. It would be a great time to have a just-like-home cooked meal that you don't have to cook yourself.


That's the other great thing about Luby's... they do the dishes!


* I was not paid or rewarded in any way to write this post!!! I just lurve, em!

The Kitchen Challenge Refrigerator Chart... and My Frugal Failures

You probably are wondering what happened to the kitchen challenge. You know, the one that I was supposed to put up last Monday. Just like I'm wondering what happened to the linky that disappeared from the original post. Hmmmm. I can't speak for Mr. Linky, but I can tell you what my part in this dismal plot was: falling off the thrifty bandwagon.

It wasn't a little skid, folks. It was a leap. All that talk about saving money and not eating fast food? I plugged my ears and sang nanny-nanny-boo-boo. I had Jack in the Box, Red Robin, and Chick-Fil-A. I even had Mediterranean food, pizza and burgers from a place near my house that my mom brought over. I spent 150$ at Costco on the finest fruit you've ever tasted (granted that a large sum went to pay for the Reverse Osmosis water filter for the kitchen that now graces our sink). But, oh, those greasy burgers and cokes! Oh, that Mango! It was heavenly - nearly 8$ gone in less than 24 hours.

Then, last night, I actually refused to cook and pulled a frozen casserole out of the freezer. Used it right up! How thrifty was that? Wasting my stockpiles that I've been so carefully trying to store up. Well... at least I didn't go out to eat again. Heaven knows we can't afford it.

The only things I can really give myself credit for on the Kitchen Challenge last week:

1. Eating stale Christmas popcorn instead of chips with our sandwiches
2. Cereal for dinner one night the week before last
3. Making a chart for the refrigerator to track our meals at home/money spent on groceries

The first two aren't something I would recommend. Unless you really like cereal, of course. However, the third item on the list - the Kitchen Challenge Refrigerator Chart - has been a real eye-opener. Even if it socked me in the eye this week because of all the money we lost not being thrifty. It's great for all of us (even the kids) to SEE where our food-money is going and watch ourselves stretch the budget when we place each star on the chart for a meal eaten at home.

It's simple, really. All you need is a blank calendar and a pen. We mark a star for every meal we eat at home and we put a dollar sign and amount for every food-related purchase we spend. The object is to have three stars a day. Snacks don't count. We put an 'S' on the days that we do school, too - just for fun. I'm still thinking of what kind of rewards I'll give to us if we actually get a week with almost all stars - all the way across.

Like maybe a cruise to the Bahamas. Or a flat screen TV. Or not. Maybe something more in line with the budget would be: Ice Cream after church... or dinner at a favorite restaurant.

I don't think my failure to be thrifty this week deserves a linky, but if you have some encouragement or tips from your week as a frugal homemaker, please do drop them in to my comment box to cheer me up.

On another relevant note, frugality also requires you to do a lot more dishes. Another area that I seem to be needing help this week!

So how is your Thrifty Kitchen Challenge coming along?

The Thrifty Kitchen Challenge

I'm giving myself a challenge. You see... in times like these, when money is tight, eating at home is a real way to stretch the family dollar. Gone are the days when we can eat out on a whim (usually because mom hasn't gotten her grocery list and menu together for the week). I'm learning to be a bit more domestic and the discipline is doing me good. I'm going to turn my kitchen in to a budget-saver, an educational tool, and a family blessing!

How is cooking at home good for you? Let me count the ways:

* The wallet. You save money eating at home.

* The pantry. You'll always have snacks if you plan to stay home and eat!

* The kids. Not only are they eating healthier, but they are learning home economics!

* The husband. The way to a man's heart is his stomach, I hear.

* Your local grocer and farmer. Buy local and you're helping your local economy as well.

* Your waist. Fast food is full of grease, and assuming you are cooking healthy, you'll be excited to see that eating MORE at home will end up LESS on the scale.

* Your skills. Keeping organized with your menu and pantry stocking, learning new and exciting recipes, and involving the children is not only fun - it's an educational experience for all.

So what is the "Thrifty Kitchen Challenge"? It's just a personal goal that I'm trying to meet ... one that I'm sharing with you all since I know that so many are tightening their belts financially with the state of our economy these days. Here are ways I'm trying to make changes for the better:

I'm just trying to use up what we have at home before hitting the store. Yeah, those dry beans and strange marinades are going to finally see the light of day. No more hiding in the recesses of the freezer or the back of the pantry shelves. Make an inventory of what you have and see if you can marry the ingredients you have with a recipe.

I'm trying to make home-made things more often. Store bought cookies are great in a pinch (like when you promised to bring something to your church meeting and don't have time to bake it after that long Sunday nap); however, baking cookies at home is cheaper and WAY better on the taste buds. You can even find copy-cat recipes for favorite dishes at restaurants. We learned to make fried rice and enchiladas because we ate them out so often. Now we prefer home-made to the stuff we get at restaurants.

I'm trying to lay off the cokes and sugar. It's much easier to diet when you control what comes in and out of your pantry and fridge. Eating at fast food or restaurants, the temptation to splurge on carbs, sugars, and carbonated beverages is overwhelming. I always find that eating healthier is easier at home. I'm saving my hips and my wallet some unwanted overages.

I'm teaching my kids to cook. I don't make them help with every meal, but for a good number of our dishes, my kids are in the kitchen helping. I don't want to turn out young adults who are dependent on others to cook for them - no matter their gender. Nor do I want my kids to feel as if they have to frequent fast food to survive because mom never taught them how to fend for themselves at home. I could hardly boil water when I got married and it has been a long road learning on my own how to cook well. Sixteen plus years after I said "I do", my husband finally admits that my cooking is as good as granny's and mom's. That's my A+ in Homeschool Home-Ec. Now it's my turn to pass the grade on to the progeny.

I'm learning to be organized and saving time. Just recently I started cooking and freezing meals. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to pop something out that is home-made and QUICK for us to eat. Time is as precious to me as money - so this is a GREAT way to kill 2 birds with one stone.

I'm saving money. Less gas spent on multiple trips in to town to eat out after dad gets home from work. Less trips to the grocery store for stuff we need since a menu wasn't planned out and no-one is keeping track of what we have in the fridge. Less chance of getting sick eating fast food that someone else is cooking - with less than par ingredients. Less of our hard earned green paying for foods that make us fat, make us feel bad, and make us BROKE.

So... are you with me? Want to join the "Thrifty Kitchen Challenge"?

All you have to do is post about what you did to save money, cook at home, teach the kids to cook, eat healthy, prep/cook & freeze meals, or make something from scratch. It doesn't matter what day you do it. Just stop in here after you make your menu on Mondays and maybe I'll have a linky up where you can share your kitchen-related posts and tips. I'm going to try and add them to all my menus for Monday each week. That aught to help me be more accountable for staying on top of my goal.

You can use my image as long as you link back to this blog. Right click on my graphic above and you can use it in your post if you save it to your own images and upload it to your own blog. Please don't hotlink. If you don't know what that means, shoot me an email and I'll explain.

Sign up here on the "Thrifty Kitchen Challenge" linky if you plan to participate:


Love in Him,
Heather