July 31st

I made carne asada tacos for dinner.... I know you might be thinking you have tacos ALOT!! We actually do! Chicken,steak,ground beef,fish and quesadilas, seriously we LOVE tacos in this house!!!

Tonight I did carne asada.. I bought it from Fresh and Easy! If you haven't been there...GO!!! They have a great clearence section. I got tonight dinner for 3.43.

Steak-3.43
tortillas-free from Martha
tomatoes-3/100 farmers market
avacado-2.00
lettuce-.50
onion- 50
Cheese-staple item

I also made a big pot of spanish rice. 1.00

8.43 divided by 6 we had Karie over for dinner tonight is 1.40 a person....

July 30th TACOS AGAIN!!!!

Today ground beef tacos!

Ground beef
tomatoes
lettuce
green onions
avacado
corn tortillas
grated cheese
sour cream
lime

July 29th Macaroni & Cheese and Spam

LAZY NIGHT! I have done laundry most of the day and I had drive clear across town with both of the younger boys and WAIT and WAIT to get pappy's glasses fixed! When I got home I was tired and HOT! I made 2 boxes of Velveeta Macaroni and cut up one can of spam . MIx together and wa-la Dinner!! Not very healthy ! But pappy and Isaiah both enjoyed dinner!

July 28th Chicken soup and Rice

I had a ziplock in my freezer full of homemade chicken soup. I got it out heated it up and made a pot of calrose rice. DELISH!!

The chicken soup was leftover from a big pot I made while I was pregnant and the rice is a serious staple in the samoan house!

Dinner=FREE

July 27th marinated pork tacos spanish rice and sauteed zucchini

When we arrived home Martha was here. So I came home to a clean house and dinner made.( YAY! I planned to have her clean today on purpose) There is nothing like coming home to a clean house after a long trip!!

She made dinner I have NO idea how and it was delish!

Pork roast 5.50
red dried chili 1.00
rice 1.00
tomato sauce .20
zucchini 2.00
salt and pepper and a little bit of love Dinner was GREAT!!!

9.70 divided by 4 = 2.42 a person

She slow cooked the pork and shredded it.
Then soaked the dried chilis in boiling water and put them in the blender with spices!
poured the mixture over the meat and is was GOOD!

She made spanish rice
sauteed the rice in evoo until brown then added onion and tomatos sauce and water let come to a boil then reduce heat and cover for 20 minutes! 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water 1 small can of tomato sauce and spices!

She sauteed the zucchini in butter and seasoned it with salt and pepper!

July 26th Peanut butter and Jelly

The boys had peanut butter and jelly (Yes, I always sing this song while making sandwiches LOL), watermelon and cheese its. We had Ribs, sausage, cottage cheese, and chips and salsa!

July 25th

I had a french dip and fries. Ray had the chicken fried steak. Joshua and Isaiah shared a kids Cheeseburger and fries. Mom had a veggie patty and side salad.

It was good food and Mom treated..YAY!!!!

July 24th BBQ Ribs and pineapple sausage

We enjoyed a fun filled day of fishing and camping. Ray came home and BBQ'd Ribs and sausage for dinner. Mom made Kraft Mac and Cheese and that was dinner. We had chips and home made salsa for a snack before dinner. Ray makes really good ribs. They just fall off the bone and are super tender. He uses pork back ribs from Costco and Santa Maria seasoning as a rub. When the ribs are almost done he slathers them in Sweet baby Rays BBQ sauce and they are off the hook GOOD!!!! We just eat them right off the grill with


The ribs were 23.89 for 3 racks
The sausage were 6.00
Sweet baby Ray's BBQ Sauce 10 for$10 Albertsons. I have at least 10 at all times in my pantry!!! 1.00
2 boxes of Mac and Cheese came out of Granny's pantry!! Free

30.89 divided by 5 is 6.19 high for dinner but oh so good and we are campin' gotta have ribs!!!

one penny more than Mcdonalds and We have 2 racks of ribs left and 8 sausage . We will get 2 meals out of this for sure!

July 23rd A Campin' we will go!!!!

Today we packed up the car and headed to Silver Lake, Ca. We left Bakersfield around 3:00 pm. We arrived in Bishop around 7:00pm. We decided to stop at Mickey D's and let the boys play in the play area and I nursed Jr. So no cookin' for Mama tonight! Our dinner total was 24.75 divided by 4 was 6.18 kinda high but the play area was fabulous. Ray and I both had a big mac combo. I had a sweet tea and Ray had diet coke. Joshua had a nugget happy meal and a mcdouble(yes he ate it all) with a milk and Isaiah had a nugget happy meal with apple dippers and apple juice!

July 22nd Fish Tacos

We had Linda, Brett, Jaime, Wayne, Nicole, Caleb, Ray, Pappy, Joshua, Isaiah, Martha and myself over for Martha's famous fish tacos and my fish taco sauce that is so good you can drink it. I know I know I am a crazy lady when stuff goes on sale..I always stock up and tilapia for 1.98 a pound? It is time to stock up I bought 20 pounds gave them 2 twenties and headed home to bag it up!!I put like 10 filets to a quart size ziplock . When we wanna grill fish or have fish tacos I always have it in my freezer..

Fish Tacos

corn tortillas 2.00
1 head shredded cabbage 1.00
salsa- homemade free make friends with some one who makes good salsa LOL
fish taco sauce- follow recipe below
tilapia 1.99 a pound 8 pounds for 16.00
flour 2 cups - staple item
milk 2 cups - staple item
eggs 2 eggs - staple item


mix flour, eggs and milk together to make batter. season fish really well with favorite seasoning we used old bay. Then dip in batter and fry fish until crispy!

2 cups of mayonnaise staple item
1 cup sour cream 1.00
6 avocados 6.00
1 bunch of cilantro .33
1 purple onion .50
1 the juice of 2 limes .20
1/2 serrano pepper IDK like .5
salt to taste staple item

throw it ALL in the blender and YUM-Oh!!!!! This sauce is GOOD!


dinner total 27.08 divided by 12 still a pretty cheap dinner 2.25 a person! and we had plenty left for Ray to take to work and pappy to have leftovers when we are camping!

July 21st Chili Dogs

We had Linda, Brett Jaime, Wayne, Nicole, Caleb, Pappy, Ray, Sarah, Joshua and Isaiah


CHili from my freezer
2 packs of turkey franks-2.00
1 bag of Costco cheese-5.85
24 pack of buns from Costco-2.45
2 onion-free from the side of the road LOL Nicole found a huge bag!
mustard-staple item

dinner total 10.30 divided by 11 = .93 a person WOW!!!!

July 20th Nachos

I made nachos tonight...

I used one bag of already boiled ground beef out of my freezer(Taste just like you fried it. I added taco seasoning to it and warmed it up in a pan)2.00
homemade salsa free from Martha
sour cream 1.25
cheese 2.00
1 can of fat free refried beans 1.25
1 can of olives 1.00
1 bunch green onion .25
1 bag of organic corn chips from Costco 5.00


dinner total 12.75 divided by 6 Jaime had dinner with us tonight! = 2.10 a person

July 19th Ham and Spinach quiche.

Tonight was a very easy dinner.... I pulled 2 home made quiches out of my freezer and put them in the oven for 1hr. I made 6 quiches last month and put them in my freezer. I know that it is busy in the summer and HOT! The last thing I wanna do is cook. I prepare a lot of meals in my freezer for days like this.

I bought 6 pre-made deep dish pie shells at Winco for 1.50 each. 2 bags of pre-washed spinach for 2.00 each. 2 packages of kirkland ham @ Coscto for 6.00. 1 bag of pre-shredded cheese at Costco for 6.00 5 dozen eggs for 5.00 1 bunch of green onions .33
total for 6 quiches=28.33 that 4.72 per pie.

We eat 2 quiches for dinner. There is about 1/2 of one quiche left and we will have it for breakfast in the morning!

total for dinner tonight was 9.44 divided by 5 is 1.88 per person.

This is super simple layer the chopped ham, spinach, green onion and cheese in to the pie dish and then fill with scrambles eggs. Bake @ 350 for about and hour. Take out of oven and either eat or freeze. If you freeze it then you can taket out and basically just defrost and heat back up in the oven .... SO SIMPLE!!!

July 18th Chicken burgers

Tonight Ray made dinner. We had Chicken burgers, pretzels and sliced pineapple.


Schwans Chicken patties- 12 for 10.49- A little expensive but yummy and convenient. 15 minutes in oven!
Hamburgers buns-1.00 for 8
fresh tomatoes from the farmers market-3-1.00
Lettuce- 99cents
mayo and mustard= staple items
pretzels- 1.00 for a big bag @ Albertsons on sale and I had a coupon.
Pineapple- 1.25 can


We made 8 burgers so we could have leftovers for Ray's lunch tomorrow. Plus there are 8 hamburger patties in a bag ...LOL


Dinner total 12.53 divided by 5= 2.50 a person plus we have 2 burgers left for Ray's lunch tomorrow night.

July 17th

IT IS HOT!!!

Pappy loves the Chinese Buffett. Pappy is my 93 year old grandfather. He lives with my husband and I. He loves to go to eat Chinese food and when we go to the buffett he treats! YAY!!!

Today dinner is on pappy....We are headed to the Panda Palace!!!

July 16th Chili rellenos, spanish rice and sauted zucchini with corn and onions

MARTHA IS HERE!!!
Chilis- free from some guy at rays work
queso fresco- 3.24
flour- staple item
eggs- staple item
spices- staple item
tomato salsa-homemade from Martha any good jar salsa or homemade will work-free

roast the chilis in the oven on 350 for 30 minutes
put them in a plastic bag to let them sweat
take off skin and remove the seeds. slice the chili put quesco fresco inside the chili then dip in flour. then dip in egg (after the egg whites have been whipped to a peak then add yolks) fry in hot oil and brown on both sides.

white spanish rice
1 cup rice-1.00
1/8 cup chopped carrots-.33
1/2 chopped white onion .50
2 tbls chopped pasilla chili-free
1 cup milk-staple item
2 cups water-free
3 tbl granulated chicken bullion- staple item

brown rice in 2 tbls evoo. add chopped carrots,onion,chili,chicken bullion and 1 cup of water. Let boil until carrots are tender and water is almost all gone. then add 1 more cup of water and 1 cup od milk. put a lid on and let simmer for 20 minutes.


Zucchini 1.00 farmers market
onion-free from nicole
tomatoes- 3 for 1.00 farmers market
can of corn. 25cents 4 for 1.00 Manny's
garlic- staple item

Chop 1 large zucchini, 1 purple onion, 2 tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic and one can of corn. Saute in evoo until tender!

Dinner total 7.32 divided by 6=1.22 a person!!! Rockin cheap DINNER and SUPER yummy!

July 15th Chili dogs

We are going to have chili dogs, tater tots. Strawberry shortcake for dessert.


Tonight is BUNCO. I will make dinner before I leave. Dinner made in under 15 minutes


Chili-leftover
Boil the hot dogs 99 cents
grate the cheese 1.50 8oz
chop the onion .50
put the tater tots in the oven 2.50
put the buns on the table 1.00
mustard- Staple item

Total for dinner 7.50 divided by 5=1.50 a person... seriously where can you go and get a dinner for 1.50?? this was including Martha. (I will be eating dinner @ BUNCO Chef salads and fruit!!)

July 14th Cheater CHILI

When I make Chili I make a bunch!!! I made chili in May when my mom was here and we had SO much leftover I put it in a gallon freezer bag in into my deep freezer. I am going to put it in my crock pot this morning and we are going to have YUMMY chili for dinner ...and guess what NO WORK!!! Just turn on the old crock pot!


I am going to post my moms chili recipe because it really is good. I always double or sometimes triple it because it freezes SO well and it is so easy to put it in the crock pot and have dinner ready!!

1 block of XLNT chili (found in the deli section of MOST grocery store) When it goes on sale 2 for 5 I STOCK up. It freezes well
2 pounds of seasoned ground beef(I season with a chili packet)
1 chopped onion
2 large cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans of green ortega chilis
1 can of kidney beans
2 large cans of pinto beans


2.50 for XLNT
4.00 for ground beef
.50 for chili packet
.50 for onion
1.98 for 2 cans of tomatoes
3.00 for chilis
.33 for kidney beans
2.00 for pinto beans


14.81 for a Large crock pot FULL of Chili. We will eat dinner for 3 nights. The first night we will just have chili, the 2nd night we will have chili dogs and the 3rd night I will make chili mac!!


14.81 divided by 5= 2.90 Even if we just had it for one night that is a pretty cheap dinner!!

July 13th Chicken casserole with garlic bread.

When Chicken goes on sell at Ranch market for 39 cents a pound. I usually STOCK up! but don't go buy a bunch of chicken then put it all in your freezer raw??? Come home and COOK IT ALL! that's right all 40 pounds of it. I do! Boil it with some garlic and onion and salt and pepper! It might sound like a lot of work but you will be SUPER happy when it is 102 degrees out side and you need a quick dinner... I usually put it in ziploc freezer bags. 4 cups to a bag. so tonight I opened up my freezer and grabbed a bag of my cooked chicken!

4 cups of cooked chicken.39 cents a pound, 1 bag of frozen mixed veggies 1.39, 2 jars of chicken gravy 99 cent each on sale, and 2 boxes of stove top stuffing also 99 cent each at Manny's. I prepared the stuffing according to box directions. chicken in baking dish 9x13, then veggies, then gravy, then the stuffing on top! I put it in the oven 350 for about 1/2 hour just to heat it all up and get it yummy!!

Total for casserole 6.91 and the garlic bread was 1.66(3 for 5 at Costco). Dinner total 8.57. That is 1.71 a person!! and we have more than half of the casserole left so we will be eating this for dinner tomorrow night as well!!! Thats even cheaper!! LOL

It was really good.... I had to boil water to make stuffing and then throw it all in the pan and bake it . Super simple! We went to the farmers market this evening and when we came home I made dinner and we ate as a family. Casserole, garlic bread(premade from costco), and fresh strawberries from farmers market! YUM_OH

July 12th Quick spanish rice with asada, peaches and warm tortillas

So tonight I had about 3 cups of leftover taco meat from last night ... What to make???

I sauteed 2 cups of long grain rice in 3 tbl spoons of EVOO until it was lightly brown then I added the leftover tomatoes,leftover chopped cilantro, 2 tbl spoons of cumin,salt,pepper and some chopped garlic to the rice. I let it all cook for about about a minute then I added the leftover carne asada and 4 cups of water. I let it boil for 6 or 7 minutes then I put a lid on the pan, turned down the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes!

OH WOW..... It was super yummy!!

I opened a can of peaches and warmed up some tortillas and dinner was on the table!!! We really enjoyed this dish and it is a great way to use any leftover meat and veggies from our taco night!


Dinner total was 1.00 for the rice. I always calculate 1.00 for the rice. LOL I always get it on sale at Ranch market or Manny's and it Rice is so cheap 1.00 is probably too high for 2 cups!!

ok so 1.00 for the rice 1.25 can of peaches...The rest were ALL leftovers and staple spices!!! That is a 45 cent dinner per person YO!!!! and I have leftovers of this for ray's lunch!!

July 11th Carne Asada Tacos and rice and beans

We had family in from OC and I wanted to make dinner for 7 adults and 5 children. 12 of us total. Ray, myself, Jack, Sa, Glory, Moe, Pappy and Joshua, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jacob, and Miss Olivia!

I ran to Ranch market and bought 4 pounds of chopped carne asada 2.49 a pound. 1 bunch of cilantro 20 cents, 5 tomatoes=1.48, 3 avocados =3.00 and 1 quart of premade rice=3.00 and one quart of premade beans=3.00, 1 pack of 50 tortillas fresh made that day 1.99. that was 21.67 I had cheese and sour cream at home.

It literally took me 20 minutes to make dinner for 12 people and it was under 2.00 a person for dinner! I seasoned the asada with taco seasoning and cooked it in a big skillet with EVOO and then I chopped all the veggies, the rice and beans were already done and the tortillas were still hot when I brought the home. It was a delicious dinner and we ALL sat at the dinner table and enjoyed the LOUD dining room and good company. 5 kids under 5 all eating at the same time was FUN!!

my favs!

Fruit: Peaches
Flower: Daisy
Ice Cream: Vanilla soft serve
Sport: softball
Number: 55
Soda: Diet Coke
Song: Live like you were dying
Color: Red
Saying: That's just the way I roll!
Actor: Gene Hackman
Alcoholic Drink: New Castle on tap
Breakfast food: Bacon
Favorite possession: Scrapbooks
Mall store: Lane Bryant
Fast food restaurant: Cozy's
Holiday: Thanksgiving
Cartoon Character: Mickey