This weeks deals

This week, I went to one thrift store and four garage sales. At the thrift store, I only bought this kitchen towel for 50 cents. It is a nice, big muslin tea towel and I know I will use it until it is completely worn out.

At first I thought it was homemade, but then I saw this tiny company logo. It was made in 1991 and I guess it has just been completely unused and living in some one's drawer for 17 years until it ended up at the thrift store.

At the 4 garage sales, we did not buy anything except a brand new dog leash for Theo, $2.
There was a $5 coupon for Febreeze Noticeables in the Sept. Proctor and Gamble coupon section and another one in this Sunday's P&G coupons. Walmart sells this fall edition of the Febreeze for $5.97. It was has a slightly spicy, sort of orange scent. It also comes in a floral/fresh scented version but I don't like it as well as the fall one. But for 97 cents, it is a great deal
I went to Big Lots looking the red checked wallpaper that Manuela shows on her blog. No cute wallpaper at my Big Lots, but I did find our favorite salsa, Pace medium, in 64 ounce bottles for $4.

Menus for week starting Sept. 22

I only cooked a few of the meals I planned for last week. My in-laws did not come to our town and Jeff wanted to smoke some meat and we certainly had plenty to eat, just did not eat what I planned.
But my menus are not written in stone, just possible plans.

I've planned this weeks menus and I think I will stick them pretty close. Our weekend plans are a little up in the air so I picked some things I might cook but they are quite likely to change.

All of this week's menus that call for ground meat will use ground turkey. I have not found any good deals on ground beef recently but did stock up on ground white turkey with specials at 2 different stores. I think we ended up with 17 pounds of ground turkey.

Monday
Mexicalli Pie
this is a simple casserole made with 1 pound of ground meat browned with 1/2 an onion and bell pepper, then mixed with 1 cup salsa, 1 1/2 cups corn, salt and pepper to taste. Put in a greased pie pan and top with 1/2 cup shredded cheese and 1 cup crushed corn chips. bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Makes 8 servings, 204 calories each.

Tuesday
Healthy Sloppy Joes with oven fried onion rings

Wednesday
Tammy's Chicken Rice Bake

Thursday
Holy Smoked Bacon and Mushroom Penne

Friday
Susan's Deep Dish Pizza Casserole
servings | 6
estimated POINTS per serving | 6

Ingredients
1 pound ground round
1 15-oz can chunky Italian-style tomato sauce
cooking spray
1 10-oz can refrigerated pizza crust dough
6 1-oz slices part-skim mozzarella cheese - divided
You can also add any other topping that you might like on pizza

Instructions
Cook meat in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until
browned, stirring until it crumbles. Drain if necessary and return
to skillet. Add tomato sauce, and heat through. While meat cooks,
coat a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll pizza
crust dough, and press into bottom and halfway up sides of baking
dish. Line bottom of pizza crust with 3 slices mozzarella cheese.
Top with meat mixture. Bake, uncovered at 425 for 12 minutes. Top
with remaining 3 cheese slices, and bake 5 additional minutes or
until crust is browned and cheese melts. Cool 5 minutes before
serving.

Special Notes
Nutritional analysis per serving: 277 calories; 7.7g. fat; 1.6g.
fiber; 49mg. cholesterol; 667mg. sodium

This recipe makes for big servings. I add onions, mushrooms, and
spices. It is really good!

Weekend meals
Rice and black bean pilaf
Ribs from the freezer
Sandwiches
Chili

and in case you are wondering, we ate the last of that 20 pound bag of potatoes for lunch today. And there are NO potatoes on this week's menu

latest garage sale purchases

Jeff, Nina and I went to several garage sales early Saturday morning. Some the sales were really bad and I thought everything they were trying to sell should of just been put out for the trash trucks.
We did not buy much but we did find a few real treasures.
This Longaberger cracker basket with plastic liner was $1.50!
Jeff is a happy man because he now has a pair of recliners.
One garage sale had a lot of furniture. They had 2 black leather, like new, Lane recliners. The seller said she wanted $80 for each or $150 for the pair. Jeff showed her a $100 bill and asked if he could have them both for $100 and she agreed.
The timing is pretty good because I am in the process of re-doing the living room. Those are new curtains behind him that I sewed and put up earlier in the week.
I think we got the furniture rearranged yesterday and now I just need to decide what to put on the walls. I have been getting so many ideas from all the great blogs out there.

Show and Tell Friday

This is my china doll. It was made just for me by my grandmother and great-grandmother. My great grandmother made the dress and I wish you all could see the quality of her sewing.
Can you see the tiny lavender rick rack that edges the ruffle at her neck? There is more rick rack around the skirts ruffle and on her sun bonnet.
She has a sun-bonnet
a lace petticoat
and even lace bloomers.
I don't remember ever naming her, she is just the china doll.

16 breakfasts for $3.84

My husband says 2 of his co-workers stop at a convenience store every morning for a pack of cigarettes and an energy drink, then make a second stop for biscuits and gravy at a fast food place on their way to work. Yikes! That all seems like it would take so much time and money aside from being so unhealthy.
Jeff brown-bags his breakfast and lunch everyday he works. His lunch is usually a helping a leftovers from our previous night's supper. For breakfast, he really likes a homemade breakfast sandwich.
I use Grands biscuits, $1.67 a can - 50 cents/2 coupon and Farmland bacon, $2.50 - $2 coupon, bought at Wal-mart.

Each sandwich gets wrapped in a Baggie and frozen, then Jeff re-heats his 24 cent sandwich when he gets to work.