Cheesy Beef Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
2 Tbsp. onion, chopped
3 cups egg noodles, cooked
12 oz. VELVEETA, cut into cubes
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of celery soup
1/4 tsp. ground
black pepper
1 Tbsp. Parmesan & garlic seasoning (I used Pampered Chef seasoning)

Brown meat and onion in large skillet; then drain. In the saucepan, melt the Velveeta, celery soup, black pepper, parmesan & garlic. Stir until the cheese melts then slowly stir in the cooked egg noodles and ground beef.

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was a very productive and family oriented weekend. On Friday night, we went to get groceries as a family. The kids loved it because they could drive the car. R-man was extremely excited about his new adventure as we have never let him sit in a cart like this before.

Little-C excited about her pizza and R-man excited to be driving the car.

R-man a bit excited about shopping!

Little-C was all concerned about the food samples. She had two slices of pizza and a little chocolate chip cookie. When R-man saw her food he realized he was hungry too so we had to pick up some lil' crunchies so he could have a snack while shopping too.

Little-C feeding R-man some lil' crunchies! 

Happy National Sibling Day to the Greatest Siblings I Know

Today is National Sibling Day. The siblings bonds are life-long relationships usually lasting from cradle to grave. It is usually the longest relationship of a person’s life and typically much longer than a mother’s and father’s relationship. For those that don’t know me well, I have two sisters and three brothers. In school we were often called the "Brady Bunch" because there are three girls then the three boys. Still not quite sure how my parents did it.

Becky, Janet, Linda, Ray, Randy & Jason

My siblings were my pals growing up, well kind of. We did have our fair share of arguments but overall we tended to get along quite well. Although, our parents my think differently at times.

Living on $40 per week (grocery budget) - Week 5

Wow, it's week 5 of this $40 grocery budget already? It's gone kind of quick and I would say I have really enjoyed keeping myself in budget check. With us possibly building a new home, I probably need to do this more often!

R-man loving his lil' crunchies

This week, I was able to keep my budget around $30. Kids, you should thank mama because you each get $5 this week. We all know you'll need way more than the extra grocery budget once you start college but as my parents used to say when I was a kid, "Every little bit helps."

I purchased the necessities this week so that is how I was able to keep it under my budget. I purchased two gallons of milk (it's cheaper at Fareway), bread, celery soup, frozen peas, sprite and a few snacks for little-C and R-man. They might as well be spoiled every now and then because let's face it...kids don't stay little forever. This week I made Salisbury steaks for the family. They are quick, easy and delicious! I paired the Salisbury steaks with squash and cubed potatoes. When I'm making something, I always make something that's quick, easy and that little-C will eat!

R-man has some delicious lunches this week. This week he's eating:

• Carrots & squash
• Squash & peas
• Apples & blueberries
• Apples & peaches
• Crackers & puffs 

Salisbury Steaks

Salisbury Steaks

Hamburger Mixture:
1 lb. ground beef, thawed
2 Tbsp. celery, chopped
2 Tbsp. onion, chopped
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1 egg

Sauce:
1 can (10.75 oz.) celery soup
1/2 can water

Combine the ground beef, celery, onion, pepper, egg and bread crumbs. Mix together then form into patties. Each patty will be about 1/4 pound. Brown on both sides then pour over sauce and cook for about 20 minutes until thoroughly cooked.

These are a great recipe that's quick and easy!  Plus, little-C like them dipped in ketchup, yup she's just like her Mom!  

What is hand, foot & mouth disease?

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common viral illness that usually affects infants and children younger than 5 years old. However, it can sometimes occur in adults, I know because I've caught it once and let me tell you, it's extremely painful as an adult. Symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease include fever, blister-like sores in the mouth, and a skin rash.

Blisters on R-man's chin. 

There are no specific treatment for hand, foot and mouth disease. However, some things can be done to relieve symptoms, such as:

• Taking over the counter medications to reduce the pain and fever
• Take a bath in baking soda water to dry up the skin rash
• Use calamine lotion to dry up the blisters, make sure the skin is dry before applying
• Apply a thin layer of  lotrimin antifungal cream then Boudreaux's butt paste (to keep the moisture out) 

Living on $40 per week (grocery budget) - Week 4

I must admit, living on a $40 per week grocery budget is getting a lot more difficult as the weeks progress. Part of me will be glad when lent is over but the other part of me is glad I started this process to put myself back into a "budget" check! I was always one of those impulsive shoppers but this budget process has made me stop and think before putting something in my cart.  Now, I often ask myself, is this a need or a want?  More often than not the products used to be just a need.

This week, I did go a bit over my $40 budget! I tried not to but I couldn't help it. I went shopping on Friday evening after work and got a few snacks for the ISU basketball game. Our entire family was hoping that ISU could beat Connecticut. Even though we were all cheering the Cyclones came short of pulling out a win. 

Cousin B, Little-C and R-man cheering on the Cyclones!