Day Four

Gotta love Saturdays, unless you are so busy that you don't get to sit down all day!

Remember those boxes of apples I talked about? They are now in the form of applesauce and in 20 quarts on my shelf. Not the boxes, just the apples. But you knew that, huh?

I also worked with my neighbor to make her yard escape proof so that our chickens could get out of their enclosure and roam around the yard. The enclosure is just too small and now that the rain has started it is a muddy mess. Now that they can peck all around the yard and hide under the trees and bushes when it gets really rainy. Plus they have access to green grass which they love! But it took forever to sting up bird netting on certain areas to prevent them access to Mr. Grumpy's yard.

I spent some money today. I bought 9 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts which were on sale for $1.69 a lb. plus a gallon of milk and a box of small mouth jar lids for the applesauce I did. It cost $20.24. I'm not sure if I'm going to count the box of jar lids towards my $50. I guess if I'm really desperate this week, I'll use that $1.89 later, but I think I'm going to be fine. So this week I've spent $29.24, meaning I have $20.76 left for this week. Don't tell my family but I'm stretching the milk by adding reconstituted powdered milk to the "real" stuff. I can't add much, cause they can tell but I can stretch it a little. I need to make up some straight powdered milk to use for baking etc.

Today was hard because I canned all day and I really didn't want cook dinner. Add that to the fact that Hubby really wanted pizza and we almost caved and got a Papa Murphy's take-and-bake pizza. But I settled for baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese sauce. We also had our last can of baked beans. I think I'll make some home-made ones in the crockpot and put them in the freezer - they are so nice to add as a side to a meal. Lunches were leftovers or Ramen noodles for the kids. I'm not sure what the kids had for breakfast since I slept in (HEAVEN!). I had leftovers for breakfast (don't judge me, it just sounded good).

Now I'm baking a cake for a family birthday party tomorrow and I'm going to iron my clothes for next week. Right now I'm sitting on my bed watching my Hubby iron his clothes. He also did the laundry and cleaned the house while I was canning and stringing bird netting. He's a keeper!

I'm off to iron!

Jill

Day Three

Today was a fun day. I went to work (I walked even though it was raining, yeah me!) and it was Friday treat day, that meant yummy treats in the staff room. Fridays are good days because I can usually get a lot of work done. I work in the library of an elementary school. I'm the media assistant - that means I check out the books, check in the books, re-shelve the books, mend the books, keep the library clean, and do a lot of computer stuff. On Fridays we only have two classes so I have more time for cleaning, doing computer stuff, etc. So I felt like I got a bunch of stuff done that I've been wanting to get done for weeks.

It was really raining on the way home, the kids opted to take the bus rather than walk with me. Tali had a chiropractor appointment at 5 pm and Hubby and the little kids were leaving for the Blazer Fan Fest (the local NBA team's fan appreciation night) at 4:45 so we had to have dinner ready early. Then take Tali to the chiro and after that to an activity at church. I did spend money on her chiro appointment (she runs cross country and has an injury. Injury "repair" is necessary!) and we drove to the appointment and to church (and Hubby drove to the Fan Fest).

Meals for today:

Breakfasts were banana bread and cereal and juice.

Lunches were bits and pieces (yogurts, cheese sticks, cinnamon bread, fruit, applesauce, graham crackers, etc). Hubby has a company lunch on Fridays. I took left over lentil soup and had snacks at work.

Dinner was Spanish tortilla (kind of like a frittata with potatoes), salad. Some of us ate the Spanish tortilla in a flour tortilla with ketchup (a breakfast burrito) because we ate them on the go to our various destinations.

The most exciting thing of the day was that I went to collect eggs from my chickens (that are living with the neighbors) and I was greeted with this:

This is a normal size egg and a very small "first-time" egg. That means that my baby chickens are starting to lay!! That means I will have enough eggs! Because of various factors, I've been getting only one egg a day - and sometimes not any eggs at all! I was very worried that I was going to have to spend some of my $50 on eggs - now I think I'll be ok.

Oh! I also spent $9 on a box of apples - that will come out of my $50 for this week. My friend found boxes of apples and I needed one for applesauce. Tomorrow I will can two more boxes of apples into applesauce. Oh joy!

Jill

Menu Plan Monday - Rainy Day Edition

The last few weeks have been SO busy! I started a new job (which I love), gave two newspaper interviews - for The Oregonian and The Gresham Outlook, testified before our city council again, and wrote a response to one of the newspaper articles. In addition I have gotten lots of email, phone calls, etc of support for my chicken fight. I need EASY recipes this week!! Monday is my son's birthday and he wants Dutch Babies which is easy and yummy. And some family favorites which are easy.

Breakfasts:

• cereal (Albertsons had a sale and I bought 40 boxes of cereal for $1 each)
• Homemade bread toast with jam
• oatmeal with berries

Lunches:

• brown rice, black beans, cheese, salsa and sour cream. (One of my all-time favorite meals for lunch!)
• lunch meat sandwiches, fruit, pretzels
• whatever else people want to put in their lunches (I've got lots of good lunch stuff around, in addition to Cinnamon Bread Delight, lemon poppyseed muffins, granola bars)

Dinners:

• Wagon Wheel Chili (boil some wagon wheel pasta, drain, add a can of your favorite chili, a small can of tomato sauce and some garlic powder, stir and serve), biscuits, fruit
• Spaghetti Carbonara, tomatoes, - (the link is for a recipe which is similar to the one I make except we of course make much, much more! We also use bacon instead of pancetta - I'm sure the pancetta is much more authentic but it is also much more expensive! And I have bacon in my freezer!)
• Dutch Babies (German pancakes), for Kaden's birthday
• Soup and bread (in the crockpot hopefully. The soup not the bread)
• Bean burritos, rice, fruit

I'm going to be ordering a new crockpot (because mine is crud!) so hopefully it will get here before the end of the week.

Org Junkie is having a "Family Favorites" menu plan Monday, check it out for lots more menus and recipes.
Jill

Gresham Outlook Article (and a few corrections)

The article in the Gresham Outlook, titled "Something Fowl Afoot in Gresham Neighborhood," came out today. The pictures are great and in general the article is good.

I do have a few corrections I'd like to make.

1. My neighbor stated that "those chickens are 12 feet from my bedroom." In actuality, it is 18 feet from the coop to his property line and at least that again to his house. So "those chickens" are actually about 40 feet from his bedroom.

2. My neighbor stated that "they're running loose and out of control." My chickens have always stayed in my fully fenced backyard. If your neighbor's dog was in their backyard would you call that "running loose?" As for chickens being out of control . . . what does that mean? They are in my backyard, minding their own business, eating grass and producing eggs - is that out of control?

3. My neighbor states that if the city council reduces the buffer, then "you might have everyone out here raising chickens."

And wouldn't that be sad?

Everyone would be reducing the waste they throw away everyday.

Everyone would be reducing the waste in our landfills.

Everyone would be reducing the amount of harmful pesticides and fertilizers they use in their yards.

Everyone would be eating fresh, healthy eggs.

How horrible that would be for Gresham and for the environment as a whole.

Jill

Oh, the paparazzi!

Yesterday my chickens had a photo op. This photo op was arranged by their press secretary (that would be me) and attended by the paparazzi and other media people. It was crazy, and we weren't sure how we were going to get out of their safely without running over media with our get-away car. I don't know how the celebrities do it.

Ok, actually, it was one cool photographer, a really nice reporter from our local paper and her little girl (who is SO cute!). The location was my backyard and there were no cars involved. But I'm sticking by my title of "Chicken Press Secretary."

The reporter, Mara Stein, was from our local paper, The Gresham Outlook. She and her photographer, Jim, were here to interview me for a story they are doing about my chickens. We had a good time "talkin' chicken" and they took great pictures of the girls. It was a fun afternoon.

The article will be in The Gresham Outlook on this Saturday - September 20. I'll post a link if I can.

***********
My friend Kari called me yesterday and asked me if I was still going to can applesauce and pears this year. My answer was very honest and so telling of my life right now: "I want to do applesauce and pears this year, but I'm feeling very overwhelmed right now and I'm not sure how I'm going to come up with the time!!"

Someone asked me how I do it all and I laughed - until I wasn't laughing anymore. I don't do it all! There are so many things that I don't have time for right now. Like a clean house. *sigh* I do what I have to do, and the "optionals" slide. Unfortunately, right now, laundry, a clean house, and calling my good friends, are all optional.

But there are seasons in life, right? Right now is a busy season: new job, chicken fight, kids back to school, kids sports, family drama, and all the other stuff. Before too long, I'll be in a different season and scrubbing toilets, laundry and lunch with friends will be the have-to's, and media requests will be optional.

I just have to remember that time with the kids and the husband are NEVER optional!

I just wish sleep was optional - think how much more time I'd have!

Jill

Speaking to The City Council…again!

The last few two days have been fun days on the chicken front! I got a call from our local paper, The Gresham Outlook, requesting to do an article on our "chicken fight." I said, "Of course!" So I brought my three baby chickens back down to our house so that the reporter and photographer can come and see our chickens in their "natural" habitat and take pictures of our chickens and coop. Then my little babies will go back to their home away from home. It is easiest to move chickens at night, once it is dark, they become very inactive and quiet and docile and very easy to pick up and move. So they are spending the night here and the reporter will come on Wednesday.

The other update I have to give is that I talked to one of the City Council members. The Council is very busy right now planning the budget and "Council Work Plan" for 2009. It isn't realistic to pull staff off of those projects to address chickens. But it is on the list and when things quiet down (in a month or two) they will start the process. Unfortunately, government moves about as fast as . . . well, I can't think of anything that moves that slow! Turtles in a coma? My hope and prayer is to have my chickens back home before next spring. Sooner would be a dream come true but I'm trying to be realistic.

I spoke at the City Council meeting today. Mostly it was to let them know how much support I have received and how many people want to see this code changed. It was also to keep the chickens "on the radar." I will probably speak occasionally to the City Council for the next several months, just to let them know that I'm still here and my chickens aren't!

The Councilor that I spoke to said that they have already received many letters in support (and a few in opposition), so thank you to all of you who called, email, or wrote letters. I really appreciate it! I especially appreciate that the "pro" letters outnumber the "con" letters.

I'll post updates as I get them. And one day soon, I'm going to actually post a recipe or two on this food blog!

Jill

How You Can Help

Having yourself and your children (and your chickens!) in the paper sure is fun! I have had fun showing the article to co-workers, friends and family. I knew they would all be excited to see someone they know in the paper. What I wasn't prepared for was the response I've been getting from the content of the article.

I have been amazed by the support that has been given me in the last few days! Everyone I've talked to has told me they support the idea of chickens (hens only!) in the city. But those people I speak to face-to-face are my friends - they're supposed to support me! What has been amazing has been the support I've gotten from people I don't even know. People have visited my blog and posted comments in support of my fight to get the chicken code changed here in Gresham.

One comment on the last post "My Pets With a Purpose" got me thinking:

Lauren and Jeremy smith+(Cybil, Bazil and Manuel) said...
"We saw your article in the Oregonian and we were very upset by your situation. Chickens are NOT noisy animals and if cared for, as yours clearly are, they do not smell. Is there a petition that we can sign or some way we can help?"

Actually, there is a way everyone can help! If the City Council knows that there is support among the population and a desire to change the code, they will be more likely to act.

So, if you think the code should be changed to allow chickens, and my chickens should be allowed to come home, contact the Gresham City Council. You can do that one of three ways. You can mail a letter of support to:

Gresham City Council
1333 NW Eastman Parkway
Gresham, OR 97030

Or you can phone or email:

• Phone: 503-618-2360
• Email: connie.otto@cci.gresham.or.us

Connie Otto is the City Council Coordinator, tell her you want the City Council to know that there is support for this change. She will make sure they know about it.

Of course, if you would like to go even further and speak before the City Council, I'd love to have you. You can email me for information (or post a response to this post and it will show up in my email) or you can go to the City of Gresham website for the date and time of the next council meeting. You need to show up about five minutes early to fill out a quick form, give that form to the recording secretary, then just wait your turn. You have three minutes to speak - although it feels longer!

One thing I have to say about this whole experience is that it has given me new respect for our city government. I'm sure they are not perfect, but everyone I've spoken with has been so supportive, polite, responsive, and helpful. I am gaining a new knowledge about city government and a desire to become more involved. This experience has been very beneficial in that regard.

Thank you all for your support. I will keep posting updates here. Join me as we fight city hall!!

Jill

My Pets with a Purpose

I have always wanted to have chickens. I think it stems from having read a lot of Laura Ingalls Wilder books as a kid. And watching Little House on the Prairie TV shows. I never wanted to slaughter and eat them, I just wanted to toss them grain from my apron, watch them cluck and peck around my yard, and collect their brown eggs in that same apron. Ok, I don't ever throw grain from my apron and I'm pretty sure I've never collected them in one either, but I do love to watch them peck around my yard. They are fabulous pets and I've loved having them. I thought I would show everyone just what my "chicken set-up" looks like and introduce you to my babies.

Sadly, these pictures were all taken when my babies still lived here. Thanks to recent developments, they are now living elsewhere. I'm working hard on trying to change the code in our city and bring my chickens home. You can read about our local paper's take on my fight here. But come with me for a tour down memory lane and I show you what life used to be like . . .

When some people think about chicken coops they think about a bunch of old weathered boards nailed together in some haphazard fashion emitting a foul stench. I'm sure there are some chicken coops like this, but it doesn't have to be that way, and ours certainly isn't.

Here is our coop - designed and built by my Hubby.

Isn't my little red barn cute? The "corral" is for when we want to keep them chickens locked up, like if we are on vacation, or in the morning before we let them out. We learned, rather painfully, that the chickens need to be kept locked up at night or the raccoons will get them. As for the smell, it isn't bad if you take care of it and change the bedding frequently - especially in the summer.

The other building in the background is our shed, it has since been painted red to match the coop. Doesn't it just look like I live on a little farm? I don't. Just over that fence in the background is my friend Kari's house.

I loved to go out and collect their eggs, usually without my apron but whatever. Sometimes, when I open up the "egg door" this is what I see:
Oops! Sorry Jellybean, you're not done yet, I'll come back later.

They are supposed to lay their eggs in the nest boxes up above but they always choose to lay in the corner on the floor. Whatever floats their little chicken boats! As long as they keep laying I'm happy. Sometimes, however, they take liberties with my leniency and I find eggs like this:

This is the box where we keep the extra hay. (Actually it is a little wading pool that has a lid) I sometimes find eggs here. This has got to stop! I'll put your little chicken bottoms in time-out if you don't stop that!

My kids love to collect eggs, too. Well, not the teenagers, but my teenagers don't love anything these days. Aren't those eggs pretty? The girl holding them is pretty, too, trust me on this one.

When my chickens aren't busy laying eggs they just wander the yard eating bugs and looking cute.
Hey wait! That isn't my yard, that's my deck! Shoo! Get off my deck chickens - my deck doesn't need any fertilizer! What were they thinking? I wonder how they got the idea that coming on the deck was ok? I'm sure that it isn't because I feed them oats on the deck - I would never do that!

By the way, that is Lacey in the front, Jellybean is the all black one and the gold colored one is Goldilocks.
This is Carina and Kaden feeding my babies - Cocoa, Gumdrop, and Chocolate. They love to come and eat out of our hands - they get the best food this way. These babies are new this year, they are now about 17 weeks old. Chickens usually start laying at about 20 weeks so we should start getting eggs from the babies soon. I can't wait!

I hope you have enjoyed your tour of Jill's Crazy Chicken Farm. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to need to go put those chickens in time out - they are back on the deck!!


Jill

Can't Wait For Tomorrow

I'm so excited! Tomorrow is the day that the newspaper article about me and my fight to save my chickens appears in the paper. Or at least it is supposed to - the reporter said that feature stories sometimes get bumped for actual news. NEWS?! You mean they might think something was more important than my chickens??! Whatever. (Did you notice that perfect imitation of a teenager there? Do I have my teenager impressions down, or what?)

Later today (after I get back from work) I'm going to post a whole pictorial about my chickens. I had taken a bunch of pictures before this whole mess started (and my chickens had to move) and I intended to do a whole blog post on my chickens, but never got around to it. I'm doing it tonight because the reporter said she would include a link to my blog.

On chicken news, I have calls in to several people about the status of the "fight" but haven't received calls back yet. The reporter (her name was Robyn) was going to call all the same people so maybe the information will be in the article.

I will be sure to link to the article when it comes out.

Think I'll be able to sleep tonight?

Jill

Speaking to The City Council

As part of my fight for my chickens, on Tuesday night I spoke in front of our city council. I had already spoken to several of the councilors but I needed to speak to the whole council (including the mayor) to publicly introduce my idea to change the code regarding chickens.

Let me just say that I love to speak in front of people. Really. I do not have that "fear of public speaking" phobia that something like 90% of the population has. I was a theater major for awhile in college. I teach a class to 60 adults every Sunday.

I really like speaking in public.

And I was scared! Really scared!!

This was a very formal setting: microphones, audience, TV cameras, flashing timer lights, all six councilors and the mayor looking at me. I was shaking and couldn't sit still in my chair. I read my statement (I much prefer to speak without notes but people had encouraged me to read it because they are very strict about time limits - I had 3 minutes), I got lost a couple of times but managed to recover quickly.

My points were simple: chickens are ecologically sound, they (and their eggs) are good for our health, having chickens and their cheap eggs is financially beneficial, and other cities in our area allow them so we would simply be bringing our city in line with everyone else.

Turns out I am the talk of Town Hall. Even before I spoke, I was approached by several people (some who I recognized, some not) who joked about how I should have brought a chicken for "show and tell." The lady at the recording secretary's desk who knew I was the "chicken lady." I guess this is good, because the more people who hear about it, the more likely it will happen. On that note, I was interviewed by a very nice reporter from The Oregonian today. She is doing a very thorough job - she's even going to interview my neighbor who called on my chickens because he was mad about my cat! He isn't aware I'm trying to change the code, that should be an interesting interview!!

While I was very nervous as I spoke and the whole experience was stressful, I'd do it again if it would bring my chickens home.

Jill

Exhaustion!

How can working four hours a day make you so tired?? I think I'm trying to get used to a new routine, but for right now I can hardly see (and you should see all the typos that I'm correcting!). I spoke in front of the City Council last night and a lot of prep work went into it - maybe that is it? Maybe I'm just old. Nah, that can't be it.

I'm going to bed. I'm going to sleep 9 hours at least!

Tomorrow I will be able to function better. I hope.

Tomorrow I will post the Cottage Cheese Casserole recipe that I made for dinner tonight and everyone liked.

Tomorrow I will give an interview to The Oregonian (the major newspaper in our area) about my chicken fight.

Tomorrow I will blog. I promise.

Jill

Wish Me Luck

In my ongoing quest to bring my chickens home, I am speaking to half of our city council members Thursday. I will be speaking to the full city council on September 2.

I will be explaining how ecologically smart owning chickens can be.

I will tell them how much it helps financially to have this versatile, cheap, healthy protein source available.

I will show them pictures of my children enjoying their pet chickens.

I will explain how allowing chickens will bring them into line with all the other cities in our area.

I will try not to blabber.

I will try not to appear like the "crazy chicken lady."

Mostly I will try not to faint.

Wish me luck.

I'm So Proud of Me!

Ok, today I did two things I didn't think I would be able to do. The first was to stay within my budget. I talked about how hard it has been for me to resist the bargains and the splurges when I have been grocery shopping. I planned my menu using things from my Crazyville Food Shoppe so that I would only need to buy milk and fresh fruit (we have tons of veggies in the garden right now). I also had a few "we're outta's" - deodorant for instance! I set a budget and kept to it! Yeah me!

The other thing I did was add a RSS feed to my blog. I am not ashamed to admit I am technically challenged (and fairly new to blogging) and I had absolutely no idea how to add a feed. But I walked myself through the steps at Feedburner and magically I have a feed! So please make my hard work worth it and subscribe to my blog.

I also met with the head of the Planning and Development department for our city. I dropped off a packet with chicken information and talked to him about changing the law. The first step in my quest to bring my chickens home.

Don't you love it when you have one of those days that makes you proud to be you?

Jill

Bringing My Chickens Home

I have been posting less than usual and my posts have been lackluster at best.

Where have I been? I've been fighting city hall!

As many of you know, I have pet chickens in my backyard. Before I ever purchased a single chicken, I called the city of Gresham (where I live) and asked what the rules were regarding chickens in the city. I was told, “The technical code states you must keep your coop 100 ft from any neighbor’s house. But the reality is that the city isn’t going to come looking for your chickens. As long as your neighbors don’t complain it is fine. So, keep your coop clean and don’t have a rooster.” With the size of my yard I can't keep it 100 ft from every neighbor but I took their word that they wouldn't come looking for my chickens. For the last three years I have followed their advice. I have kept my coop clean, kept my chickens quiet, made sure there were no pests (mice, flies, etc) and gave fresh eggs to my neighbors. For three years I have never heard one single complaint from any neighbor. Then my neighbor, who I will call Mr Grouch, called in to Code Enforcement because he was mad about our cat crossing his property line and called on our chickens to get revenge. This neighbor has "issues" with every single neighbor in the neighborhood. He complains about people's dogs, about how loud our kids play, about how fast people drive, I swear sometimes he's mad 'cause we breathe too loud!

I got a notice from the city - I was given two weeks to remove the chickens from my property.

Now these chickens aren't just a source of fresh, free-range, amazing eggs. They are also my children's pets! (Well, my pets, too, I love my little feathered girls!) They also eat all my kitchen scraps and turn them into fertilizer and eggs. They also eat the bugs out of my yard. They are pretty useful - a lot more useful than all the dogs in the neighborhood and a lot quieter! (Please note that I have nothing against dogs. I'd have a dog if I wasn't married to a man who was bit by a dog and isn't a big fan of canines!)

So, did I roll over and say "Yes, please take my chickens away. I really am interested in keeping the neighborhood grouch happy by taking away my children's pets."? No, I did not.

First, I found a place for my chickens if they need to move for a short time. Actually, they will be moving to the neighbor on the other side of Mr Grouch. Their lot is the last one next to a green space and they are able to keep the coop 100 ft from every neighbor. In a strange twist which we can only credit to Divine Order, she had decided to get her own chickens about two weeks before this whole thing happened and had started to build an enclosure for a coop. So, my husband is helping them with their coop (actually building for them), which will look just like ours.

Second, I got a two week extension. So now I have some time to work with.

Third, I set out to change the code. Portland, right next door, allows hens as long as coops are 25 ft from neighbors. I'm trying to get the law changed in Gresham to reflect that. I've gotten statements of support from Seattle Tilth, statements from Portland State University sustainability professors, statistics regarding the "nuisance"-ness of chickens versus dogs (only because dogs are an example of an animal allowed under the code), and statistics on the healthiness of free-range eggs. I know who I need to talk to and who I need to convince.

I'm going to change the laws. I'm going to legally bring my chickens home.

Jill

One-eyed Egyptians

I know you've heard this before but . . . we have chickens in our backyard, so we have a lot of eggs. Since we have lots of eggs, we have lots of ways we use them. One of my kid's favorite ways is to use them to make One-Eyed Egyptians. These go by lots of names: Bird-in-a-Nest, Toad in a Hole, Hobo Eggs, Egg in a Nest. We call them One-Eyed Egyptians for reasons unknown to me. Whatever you call them, they are frugal, healthy and ridiculously easy - can't get much better than that!

Here's what you do:

Take one egg and one piece of bread for each person (these are great made with homemade bread, and obviously the better the bread, the better the finished product. However, it will work with whatever you have on hand, it just needs to be big enough to fit your cutter and still have intact edges.).

Butter one side of each piece of bread, then salt and pepper it. Take a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter (or a knife if you are desperate!) and cut a circle out of the middle of the buttered bread.

Place the bread, butter-side down, in a frying pan/skillet that you have sprayed with cooking spray (trust me when I tell you this step is important! I have had to soak far too many pans when I have forgotten this step. Eggs stick!) Let the bread sit in the pan for a minute or so. You want the butter to start to melt, this forms a "barrier" so that when you crack the egg in, it doesn't leak out from underneath. Don't forget to put the "hole" on the pan, also. It gets nice and toasty. My kids call this part the "cookie" and it is their favorite part!

When the butter has started to melt, crack one egg in each hole. Salt and pepper each egg.


Cook until the whites on the bottom have set and it is solid enough to flip it over without egg flying all over the kitchen. You can cover the pan for awhile to speed things along.

After you flip them, just cook until the egg is the way you like it. My kids are squeamish and want the yolks cooked hard. No runny eggs for them. We have about as fresh eggs as you can get, but they don't want to eat uncooked eggs. Oh well.

When it is done, plate it and add the cookie. Serve with some fruit and call it a day.

Enjoy!

Jill

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday is being hosted at Heavenly Homemakers this week. Check it out for tons of menu ideas,

This week I am attempting to, once again, limit my food budget (with the exception of Friday because we are going to get together with my sister and her family for 4th of July and party!!). I'm limiting my food budget because I want to be able to splurge next week when we go on vacation. So this week, I'm eating a lot out of the pantry/food storage and mostly getting fruits and veggies from the store. So this is what we are eating this week:

Breakfasts:

• French toast (I will make extras to freeze so these will last at least two days, maybe three)
• bagels
• granola
• homemade bread toast with homemade jam

Lunches:

• mac and cheese (probably from a box but I might get energetic and make my own)
• leftovers
• pbj's
  
• mini-pizza (english muffins with toppings)
  

Dinners:

• Spanish Tortilla ( basically a potato frittata with caramelized onions, potatoes and eggs), veggies with ranch dip, home-canned pears with cheese
  
• Hawaiian Haystacks
  
• Broccoli Cheese soup (freezer meal), bread or maybe biscuits
• Taco-stuffed shells, mexican rice, tortilla chips, fruit
• Restaurant-Style Chinese Chicken from Saving Dinner, rice, steamed veggies
• 4th of July - hoagie sandwiches, fruit salad, chips, cookies,
  

Snacks:

no-bake cookies (it has been hot here!)
coffee cake/snack cake
veggies with ranch
apple-oatmeal bars (recipe with pictures tomorrow!)

Notes:

• You will notice that I don't have days assigned to meals (except for the 4th), that is because I decide the night before or the morning of, what I feel like based on how busy my day is, what the weather is like, or what needs to be used up. I like the flexibility of not being tied to a specific meal.
• There are a lot of egg-heavy dishes/snacks (french toast, spanish tortilla, cake, etc). Because we have chickens in our backyard and therefore a continuous supply of eggs, I consider eggs a "pantry" item and also very cheap for us!
  

What are you eating this week?

Jill