Double kitchen duty

I upgraded my phone recently and it could mean you see more posts here. I am trying to fit everything into very long and full days. I am solo parenting and working on ways to make every minute count. Having a nifty phone to text friends or my sweet hard working husband quickly is nice. Skypeing with a portable device is close to the real thing.

Tonight I made a pot of veggie pasta which I added kale to. The second pot was for the meaty eaters. I had some leftover kale and ripe bananas. So, I tossed them in plastic bags with frozen blueberries to make smoothie packs.

And, this post is being typed on my iPhone while I nurse my very distracted 15 month old.

Bulk Tea

Bulk Tea
Originally uploaded by OakBlossoms

When we moved here, I couldn't find bulk tea anymore. In Seattle, I just walked up to the store and bought what I needed for the week. I liked getting different ones each week. But, my husband purchased me a tea set this Christmas. It has a tea container for bulk tea. See the cute little wooden scoop!

I'm trying to trim our food budget down this year, as well as build up a pantry for lean times. I'm not sure how long one pound of tea will last me. The container holds about half a pound.

Meal Planning in 2010

Monday-Soup and Sandwiches 

Tuesday-Burritos or Mexican Food 

Wednesday-Leftovers or Church Meal 

Thursday-Tofu/Chicken, rice, frozen veg or salad 

Friday-Pizza 

Saturday-Finger Foods and leftovers 

Sunday-Crockpot or Breakfast

Along with some changes in our budget, I am making a plan for meals. I don't want to have to be a slave to it. But, I've found it helps to make outlines for myself. I'm going to keep myself out of stores. I've already set us up for our first Terra Organics order. I'm working on finding a local drop point for Azure Standard. Then I can shop at Costco once a month and Trader Joes every other month. That should keep our budget low while still building up a stockpile. I don't want to go through another hard time without a pantry. That was really hard this last time. I can go without a lot of things. But, not being able to feed my family well is so difficult.