Happy Monday everyone. In case you’re just joining in, this is week six of consistent menu planning.  At first this process was difficult, but it’s becoming easier now. It takes a lot of stress away from my evenings since I already know what we’re having to eat and I’m not searching through cabinets trying put together a meal.

Some of this week’s menu is from last week. I went grocery shopping at Harris Teeter last week. They had some great buy 1 get 1 free bargains so our menu got changed around a bit. This week we’re having:

Monday:  breakfast – biscuits with gravy, sausage, eggs, fresh pineapple
The pineapple is half price at Harris Teeter thru Tuesday.
Tuesday: hotdogs with chili, baked tater tots, fresh orange slices, green beans
The hotdogs are half price at Harris Teeter thru Tuesday.
Wednesday: leftovers or easy foods
Thursday: Mexican casserole (all in one dish with corn and black beans) served with salsa and sour cream
Friday: lasagna, salad, garlic bread
Saturday: oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, lima beans
Sunday: vegetable soup and grilled sandwiches

breakfasts: cereal, oatmeal, waffles, yogurt
lunches: sandwiches – tuna, ham, turkey, pb & j, leftovers; fruit – raisins, peaches, pineapple; pretzels, granola bars, cheese puffs
snacks: oranges, apples, bananas, graham crackers, yogurt, animal crackers, popcorn, granola bars

If you’re looking for more menu ideas, be sure to check out all of the menu planning posts.

What are you cooking this week?

For more menu planning ideas, visit Organizing Junkie. Image sxc.

If you’re a single parent you may be entitled to child support which can help out a lot. Sadly, it’s not always easy to get the support you need or deserve for your kids. With this in mind following are some resources that can help.

Establish paternity: If you’re a mama then establishing paternity is the first best step toward getting child support.
Know what you can get: Before making a deal of any sort with the father or mother of your kids make sure you know what’s reasonable. Many people make shoddy deals for child support such as, “Oh Bill agreed …read more

In semi-shocking news that broke yesterday, the unemployment rate fell to a five-month low of 9.7%. This may suggest that some labor market improvement starting to take root. However before everyone gets too excited consider that President Obama noted yesterday that, “These numbers, while positive, are a cause for hope, but not celebration… far too many of our neighbors and friends and family are still out of work.”
Obama also warned that the jobs statistics “Will fluctuate for months to come.” Of course others aren’t so thrilled with the numbers either or they’re showing extreme caution over getting too excited early …read more

This recipe is courtesy of BJ’s Wholesale. This recipe for slow cooker lasagna allows you to host game day at your house while mingling with the crowd.  There’s no need to spend all of your time in the kitchen with this main dish.

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb. Harvestland Fully Cooked Chicken Sausage, chopped (Fresh Prepared Aisle)
1 32-oz. jar of Rozzano® Marinara Sauce (Grocery Aisle)
2 tsp. McCormick® Italian Seasoning (Spice Aisle)
¼ cup McCormick® Chopped Onion (Spice Aisle)
15 oz. Sorrento® Whole Milk Ricotta (Dairy Case)
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded (International Cheese Display)
3 cups Sorrento® Whole Milk Mozzarella Shredded Cheese (Dairy Case)
12 Lasagna Noodles, uncooked

Instructions:

Combine …read more

To be honest I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. I’m not anti-Valentines but I’m not all hyper about it either.  Still if someone was going to get me something I’d want flowers – organic preferably, because I love getting flowers and rarely do. However, since organic flowers can cost a lot, I also have some other low-cost ideas…

My favorite frugal gift, for Valentine’s Day or otherwise is usually mixed CDs. I like to make and give them and I like to get CDs from others. This is totally low cost, but worth much more, one because mix CDs …read more

Here is a round-up of freebies for this week.  Feel free to leave a link in the comments with freebies that you have found.  Freebies are great for trying new products or for helping the budget go a little further.  Enjoy!

Get a sample of Kashi cereal. Choose from three samples. 
Diabetes is America’s silent killer.  All Walgreens 24-hour stores and Take Care Clinics will be offering free glucose testing Friday, February 5, 2010 from 11 am to 7 pm. No appointment is necessary.  If you can’t make it in today, extended times are available.  Go to Oprah.com for more information.
This month’s …read more

Right now one of the best ways to save money on new appliances is to go with eco-friendly models that qualify for rebates or tax credits. For example, the new and popular “Cash for Appliance” rebate program. The downside is that all the information on these rebates and credits can be confusing. efficient

The Sears Blue Appliance Crew is trying to cut through some of that confusion and help clarify for consumers the requirements for different state programs through their Energy Star site. The Sears Energy Star site explains how everyone can save money on various energy saving appliance programs including …read more

Green living in general is one great way to save lots of green cash – while you help the environment. Green baby raising is an offshoot of green living that can save you even more. It’s obviously nice to live green so that your baby can grow up on a healthy planet; it’s like the cherry on the organic cake that most green baby raising techniques also save you a heap. Such as…

Breastfeeding – which eliminates plastic bottles, formula cans, and transport emissions is also very healthy and extremely cost effective way to feed your baby. Good organic safe formula …read more

One of my privileges as a blogger is hosting cool giveaways from products that we fondly know. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter is giving us a gift set as part of their Reach Right campaign, which encourages people to make smarter food choices while also satisfying cravings.  Be sure to check out the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter website for recipes and information.

Included in this prize package is:

Tasty appetizer, entrée, and dessert recipes to help you plan your dinner menu
A serving dish for your Valentine’s Day dinner table
$25 gift card to purchase your ingredients

As always, there are a few …read more

You can now browse bids and set prices for health care and dental care treatments before you sign on for said treatment at PriceDoc.
PriceDoc’s goal is to reduce the cost of medical and dental procedures while making the practices of physicians and dentists more efficient and profitable. If you don’t have health or dental insurance right now and need a procedure, PriceDoc may be a decent site to check out.

According to PriceDoc, their service benefits both providers and consumers. Providers, because being paid in cash is simple, reduces paperwork and overhead, and this in turn can lower costs for patients …read more