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How to Stop Tantrums: Just Don’t Go to The Store Anymore

Posted on October 5, 2015 by morewithlessmomOctober 5, 2015

Before you get all upset about that practically inflammatory statement, just hear me out. I know, you’re like, WHAT?! How in the heck am I supposed to do that?? Well, there is a method to my madness. Probably.

Recently kid #3 was sick with a bad cold and I took her to the doctor. I was talking about her symptoms and explained that she was really tired and meltey-downey. The doctor said, “You know what happens when they start getting away with the meltdowns.” It occurred to me that my kids were the exception, and only have a tantrum under extenuating circumstances, like being sick. They’re not getting away with anything, their little brains are just toast. It’s not like I’m a fantabulous mom with awe-inspiring parenting skills, I just use some basic methods to keep my kids on an even keel.

If your precious little one is two or three, you are doomed. They are going to meltdown. They can’t express themselves well enough to tell you what is going on in their mad little heads and hearts. Read as much as you can, take what rings true, and do the best you can.

So how do you avoid the dreaded tantrum?

Analyze your week and note when your kids are grumpiest.
Develop mechanisms to avoid the things that make your kidlets crankiest.
Commit to follow-through in the event of a meltdown.
Apply wine and chocolate (for yourself, not the little).

Analyze your week and note when your kids are grumpiest.

*Please note: If your kids are getting themselves into a tizzy to get what they want, that’s a whole new level of struggle. Someone has taught them to do this by giving in. This is a pattern of behavior they will have to un-learn, and it has to start with changing your own behavior (that’s a blog post for another day). However, if you haven’t ruined your kids yet, you can be nearly tantrum-free if you think ahead.

I was contemplating why my kids don’t really tantrum, and it all comes down to avoidance and basic needs. With four children, we have had only one rip-roaring, puddle in the middle of the store, Scotty-please-beam-me-outta-here, meltdown. The mortification is bad enough, but I know that once I get flustered I get anxiety-ridden, and my parenting skills and patience rapidly evaporate and we just flee the scene of the crime. So I have to apply myself to avoiding those situations that trigger the dreaded dumpling freak-out. Use your strengths so you can set your kids up for success.

I have been fortunate in that I have been a stay at home mom, and Dad has been available to help a lot. He did a lot of the errands like grocery shopping. I had the privilege of having time to put the needs of my kids first. If the kids were tired or we already did some activity, odds were good I didn’t have to go to the store right now. I could wait until it’s a better time. I had the luxury of choosing when and how I took my kids out, and what situations put pressure on their little nerves. Now that we have four kids, there are more demands on my time and I find myself caught running around more. So guess which kid had the legit grocery store meltdown? Yup, kid #4. Trapped at the store after a full day of running around, tired and hungry, my poor kidlet just lost it. At the checkout line, so she almost made it. And was highly visible as she howled.

For most people, they just don’t have the time to choose when to go to the store. You have to go when you need groceries (if you meal plan you won’t need to go as often). If your partner works long hours it seems like cruel and unusual punishment to make them go to the store before they finally get home. If you don’t have a partner then you have my prayers and sympathy. So what can you do to avoid trigger situations like the last-minute grocery store trip?

Over the next week or so, pay attention to when your kid starts to become a grumpy-butt. You can note what was happening when your kid loses it, but that is just waiting to fail. Tune in to what your little is feeling.

You can tell when they start to get frustrated.

Is it first thing in the morning when you’re zooming around?

Is it right before nap time?

Is it during play with siblings or friends?

Is it when they get home from school or early afternoon?

Is it at big brother’s sports practice?

Is it while playing a game after school?

Is it while you are trying to get dinner on the table?

Is it at the store?

Is it at the end of the day?

Once you know what events are triggering upset in your little monsters you can consider why this is happening. Tantrums that aren’t happening to spoiled brats can be boiled down to one of the basic needs for children.

The things that most often spark a tantrum are:

Hungry
Thirsty
Hot/Cold/Uncomfortable
Over-stimulated
Excess Energy
Tired
Frustrated

Develop mechanisms to avoid the things that make your kidlets crankiest.

If you eliminate these triggers as much as possible you eliminate your chances for a tantrum. Some of these are easier than others. The best thing you can do is be prepared. Make sure your kidlet gets enough sleep to begin with. Every time you go out make sure you bring warm clothes, snacks, and waters. If your little has sensory processing issues then you are the first line of defense for them, so pay attention and develop the tools you need to help them.

Let’s take the perilous grocery store trip as an example. The ideal solution would be to take one child at a time with you, and turn it into a learning experience. If you are both well-fed and well-rested, with some fun activities planned, and allowing your child to help and participate in the shopping, you are teaching them a life skill. If you are chasing multiple small children around the store you are less likely to teach anybody anything.

Normally, I know my kids like to go to the store. They like to go out and talk to people, they like to help pick a cheese and smell melons. But sometimes, I know my littlest little isn’t at her best. Then I need to think outside the box to solve our food quest problem without pushing her into a conniption fit. The extreme example is to just not go to the store any more.

Or you could balance your tantrum avoidance with your need for groceries by applying your glorious brain to the problem, and thinking of different ways to change the situation. First, I meal plan so there is only one big shopping trip a month, with small runs for produce and dairy every week or so (monthly is not for everybody, start small). I have a list so I don’t dawdle in the store. I have soups I doubled in the freezer that we can have for dinner so if one day just isn’t working, I can go the next day. See how much good I did for my family with my meal planning? I’m practically a hero, meal planning for these people.

When we do go shopping we are fed and watered, and we bring supplies to keep the troops happy. A monthly trip can take pretty much a whole day, so we bring lots of distractions for both the car and the stores. We pack snacks and a lunch. We plan a break at a park or a walk. If we are feeling rich we have dinner somewhere as a treat, which sometimes means the dollar menu, and sometimes means my love, the buffet.

So say meal planning won’t work for you. What else can you do?

Maybe your wee one is sensitive to noisy places, and going at a quieter time early in the week would be better.

Maybe you can trade babysitting with another mom so you can shop alone.

Maybe hubby can do the little trips and then watch the kiddos while you do the big shopping.

Maybe you can shop online (hello, mother of infant twins).

Maybe your mischief-maker always asks for a treat and loses it when she can’t have one, so you could stop at the dollar store before and get a prize there (not my favorite solution). Better yet, stock up on prizes to deliver for good behavior on the ride home.

Maybe your tadpole is bored to tears and you need to play a grocery game, pack some busy bags, or bring the tablet.

Maybe your bundle of energy can’t take being still and needs to stop at the playground first to burn off some steam.

My secret weapon for avoiding tantrums is offering choices whenever possible.

Within the framework of our predictable schedule, I offer choices whenever possible. Often these are choices that aren’t a big deal from my perspective.

Sometimes it’s the red bowl or the green bowl.

Sometimes it is pick a snack from this basket of healthy choices (without ever uttering the dreaded phrase “healthy choices”).

Sometimes it is choosing which stuffed animal friend to bring along for the ride.

Sometimes it is choosing from two dresses to wear to the party.

Sometimes they get to choose if they want to go to the store first or the playground.

Sometimes they choose if they want a spoon or fork to eat dinner with.

Empower your little ones. Let them feel like they are in control. They are little people with opinions and preferences, and especially when they are newbies and just learning to express their personality, they find comfort in knowing that you are interested in what they like and how they feel about things.

Commit to follow-through in the event of a meltdown.

If this was a basic needs meltdown then this is an opportunity for you to practice your communication. If your offspring is emotionally fried then they may be unable to effectively communicate the issue regardless of their age. Your momdar will tell you what this is before you even get to tantrum time (yes, Dads can have momdar too). If you’re thinking she’s a little tired and might not like going to the store, you already knew she was likely to lose it, you just didn’t listen to your momdar. Use the force, mom.

Just like with a baby, keep approaching different issues until you find the one that solves it. This will give you valuable insight into what is troubling your progeny, which will allow you to be more prepared next time. A hungry kid is a cranky kid. A hangry kid is a tantrumy kid. You know how scary you get when you’re hangry.

If this was a spoiled brat tantrum you can start un-spoiling your brat. Your favorite brat learned to get what they wanted by producing certain behaviors that result in the action they desire. You are the boss of your kids. Suck it up and be the boss they need. This can be really sucky, especially if someone else ruined the kid and you’re doing damage control, but it is an investment in that little person and your relationship with them. If you’re really good I might write a post about fixing them.

Always, always reassure your little one. Your child is not being difficult, they are having a difficult time. Even when they are red-faced and sobbing, and you feel like you are going to lose your ever-loving mind, you still love your little fiend. Crying is ok, sometimes we just need to cry. Being mad is ok, sometimes parents get mad. What we do with those emotions is where we can get into not-ok-land. Even if your little lamb has strayed into not-ok-land and had to have some tough love, you can talk about what happened once everyone is calm and let them know that you are there to help them.

Apply wine and chocolate (for yourself, not the little).

Kidding. Except not really. If you are fried, or losing your poo every time you step on a lego, or finding yourself yelling all the freaking time, then you are contributing to the problem. Both by being a negative example, and your frustration will shorten the tempers of everyone around you.

Find some time for yourself, get a break, savor some self-care, take some online parenting classes. Do what you need to do to get yourself in a good place, so you can be the best parent you can be. Then you can expect your child to be the best little person they can be, and be confident that you can back them up and support them in their journey.

More Tantrum Resources:

Shared with Learning From Each Other

`Parenting Positive or Otherwise`

Photo credits:
Vintage Kate Greenaway illustration from The Graphics Fairy

We hope you enjoyed our How to Stop Tantrums post

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Pancake Mix Rescue: Food Pantry Fix

Posted on September 21, 2015 by morewithlessmomSeptember 21, 2015

I am trying to do all I can to stretch our resources: reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose. I’m going to add another R word: rescue. This applies mostly to food, like ugly produce that even the farmers market can’t sell, expired groceries, and emergency food packets. Food rescue is by no means a new concept and can take many forms.

I present to you the (new) 5 R’s of the waste hierarchy:
Reduce – Reuse – (food) Rescue – Repurpose – Recycle

*Skip down to the pancake mix fix recipe thingie

If you are down to feeding your kids the “emergency” prepared foods then you are probably doing more tummy filling than you are giving their little bodies what they need. Use these tips to healthify those white foods, carbs and starches. Hidden veggies never hurt anybody. Don’t get discouraged!

If you’ve been to the food pantry or received aid you may have gotten some questionable food products. There are some “grade D” and disaster preparedness foods that you can try to eat, if you have no tastebuds. So you tried them straight out of the package, and nobody liked them. And if there was a disaster and it was all the food you had, it would be awesome. But if you’re trying to get kids to eat something on Monday morning it needs to taste good. I swear sometimes (when they aren’t growing) my kids would rather live on air and light.

With a little resourcefulness you can make these food tasty, as well as add some nutrition. If your cupboards are bare you will have to pick and choose what you have the ingredients to attempt. Take a look at the fridge and pantry with an open mind and a creative heart.

We have some smallish bags of instant pancake mix. One bag makes 26 pancakes and you add 2 1/3 cup water. To feed our family of six I made two bags. To have leftovers to freeze I should have made three. The boxes of mix at the store are bigger than this. I always keep some of the just-add-water mix in my pantry for emergencies, because sometimes (all the time), I’m a space cadet and just run out of eggs.

Just-Add-Water Pancake Mix Rescue:

I substitute half of the water with apple sauce. In many baking recipes you can safely substitute half of the oil or one egg for apple sauce. You can just taste a little sweetness from it and it alters the texture a tiny bit
You can sub a little milk or greek yogurt for some of the liquid if you have some to spare

Additions:

Cinnamon
Brown sugar
If you have the grade D blueberries, which are frozen and don’t have much flavor, they do ok in pancakes. I assume because you serve them warm that helps, because in cold muffins they are not good at all. Blech
Leftover sweet potato or pumpkin
Grated apple and cinnamon, or zucchini
Sliced banana
Diced canned peaches or fruit salad (it’s not as weird as it sounds)
Add a little grated carrot, raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon for some veggies in your breakfast
Chocolate chips
AND shredded coconut oooooh
If you have wheat germ you can sprinkle a little in there for protein and fiber, this goes for muffins too
You can grind up some oats (uncooked, rolled or steel cut) for your heart and fibereyness, just increase the liquid to get the batter right
You can likewise add some wheat flour

Toppings, or roll the pancakes up with Fillings:

You can use butter, margarine, or coconut oil to “butter” your pancakes. If you have none of those you can use a really thin spread of peanut butter (you can diy it but it isn’t cheaper) or applesauce (diy it)
Greek yogurt (diy it) and honey mixed
Yogurt (diy it) and berries mixed
Toss those sub-par frozen blueberries (or other berries) in a little saucepan with some sugar and cook it down to a sauce/syrup (diy it, it’s wicked easy)
Do the same thing with apples (diy it) and hit it with a little maple syrup at the end
Do the same thing with canned peaches (diy it)
Do the same thing with bananas (diy it)
Top with peanut butter AND sliced bananas mmmm
Any jam or jelly
Cinnamon and sugar (I have a baby food jar of this mixed up, it only takes a little cinnamon); over applesauce, even
Powdered sugar

Leftovers:

I always try to cook enough for two meals, if I’m doing all that work anyways I might as well only do the cleanup once.
You can refrigerate leftovers and the kids can pop them in the toaster.
I freeze pancakes and french toast wrapped well in plastic wrap in batches of four, with all of the batches in a ziploc bag. I don’t lose any to frostbite this way.

Learn more about food rescue, help prevent food waste, and provide food security:

Feeding America
FoodPantries.org Find your local food pantry – volunteer, donate, get help
Food to Donate connects restaurants and aid groups
Society of St Andrew call them if you have food to share, especially produce to be gleaned, not all states covered

`Budget Meal Plans`

`Frugal/Thrift`

`Recipes - Homemade Stuff That Is Food`

Also take a look-see:

Frugal, Flexible Monthly Menu Planning

Thrifty Thanksgiving for Tough Times

More With Less 7 Day Meal Plan

Photo credits:
Vintage mason jar and grocery store basket graphics from The Graphics Fairy

Shared with Family Fun Friday, Motivation Monday, Share the Wealth Sunday, What’s Cookin Wednesday.

We hope you enjoyed our Instant Pancake Mix Fix post

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More With Less 7 Day Meal Plan #4 – Summer/August 2015

Posted on August 18, 2015 by morewithlessmomAugust 18, 2015

This is not your everyday, average meal plan. Learn how to cook like your great-grandma did, with little waste, and stretching what you have (including your dollars).
The point of this meal plan is to help you be smart with your money.

More With Less 7 Day Meal Plan #4- seasonal, flexible, frugal, low waste, real food week-long meal plan with printable shopping list from The More With Less Mom

Feed your family of four a week of dinners with a shopping cart maximum of $81.21.
Eat more – spend less!

Use frugal ingredients to make dinners, without eating beans and rice or pasta every night.
These are dinners for regular families living on a budget.

In this post: Shopping Cart ~ Recipes ~ Printable List ~ Pinterest Boards

Just gimme the PDF

I made the assumption that your cupboards were completely bare, so you can only improve on the numbers here based on your circumstances. If you are really broke alternate your beans and rice with meals like this to keep variety in your diet while improving your nutrition.

I went with the theory that you had a limited amount of dollars to feed your family for a week, after that you will still have groceries from this trip to work with the schtuff in your pantry. It is cheaper in the long run to buy a five pound bag of flour, but if you have not-enough-freakin-dollars you may have to buy the two pound bag so you can get tomatoes as well. If you want to be really frugal you have to shop for a longer time frame, or be really good about buying ingredients you need when there are sales so you don’t have to pay the on-demand price when you run out.

In this post I have many tips for pinching your pennies and stretching your food budget. I focus a lot on avoiding waste, since wasted food is wasted money (you bought the ingredients for that science experiment you’re tossing from the depths of the fridge). The goal is to get more food with less money.

Shopping List (as pulled from the recipes)

*Please see the PDF for a shopping list with prices

If you are trying to make a shopping list you can use sites like Pepperplate or Food.com to pull ingredients from your recipes.

If you want to be able to make decisions on the fly you should print out the whole post (or at least the list section) and bring it with, since I had to simplify the list a lot for the printable. This list includes all of the ingredients as written in the recipes. The PDF just includes the item to buy with prices.

Baking & Staples

1 tsp Italian herbs
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pinch sugar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (if you can buy olive oil at your dollar store don’t do it, I would use butter over that processed olive oil-type product blech)
2 1/4 tsp coarse salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
coconut oil, for greasing dish
1/4 cup crispy sunflower seeds (how to make crispy nuts)
1/4 cup crispy walnuts, crushed with fingers
1 Tbl olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt to taste

Condiments

1 1/4 cup sliced olives
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Specialty Foods

1 cup coconut milk (8 oz)

Dairy

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2-3 oz feta cheese

Produce

handful pea pods, cut in half or 1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup red and green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 small red onion, sliced into rings (save scraps for stock, but I don’t like skins in stock)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (lasts 3 days, save stems for stock, freeze excess in oil or water in ice cube trays)
8 ripe medium beefsteak tomatoes
2 ripe peaches, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
3 Kirby cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 1/3 cups)
2 ears corn, kernels from (1 1/2 cups)
2 2/3 Tbl fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded, plus sprigs for garnish
12 oz small red potatoes, boiled, halved or quartered
2 cup fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears)
1 scallion/green onion, thinly sliced (1/4 cup) (save your roots to regrow)
1/2 jalapeno chile, stem, ribs, and seeds removed, minced (1 Tbl)
1 cup yellow or red cherry tomatoes (4 oz), halved
1 Tbl fresh marjoram (roughly chopped if large)
1 lemongrass stalk
2 tsp ginger, finely grated (store in the freezer)
3 Tbl green onions, green parts only, chopped
3 Tbl cilantro leaves, chopped (skip if you think cilantro is blech, you can sub parsley, lasts 3 days)
3 carrots, sliced (save scraps for stock, save tops to regrow greens for stock)
1 medium red onion, diced (save scraps for stock, but I don’t like skins in stock)
1 colored pepper, diced
1 onion, diced (save scraps for stock, but I don’t like skins in stock)
3 carrots, diced (save scraps for stock, save tops to regrow greens for stock)
4 stalks celery, diced (save scraps for stock)

Dry Goods

1 lb rotini pasta
3-4 cups sprouted lentils, measured after sprouting
1 cup red lentils, uncooked

Deli & Prepared Foods

4 oz hard salami, cut into strips

Beverages

29 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice

Meat & Seafood

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half (8 oz), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 chicken thighs

Canned Foods

15 oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
6 cup vegetable stock

Total shopping cart: $81.21

If you don’t have that in cash you can remove the walnuts, marjoram, and lemongrass. The walnuts are costing you $11.38 a pound, which will take a lot away from the recipe, but possibly you have a store with bulk bins where you can get your 1/4 cup instead of a whole bag. The marjoram is just for flavor. The lemongrass is pretty much the point of that recipe, but it’s awfully expensive for just flavor one time. This will save you $11.47, making your shopping cart total $69.74, before your pantry items, sales, coupons, or diy efforts. Also I had a really good price for chicken, you may not be able to match that. I always keep track in my head of what I might want to take out if I come up short. If I shop my pantry right now, without couponing or DIYing, my cart would cost me $70.69.

Keep in mind this total is for the whole shopping cart for EVERYTHING but the spices, even the olive oil. This is not the price per unit, but the total cost if you have no food in the house.

You could go buy all of this and deliver it to someone in need, and know they had everything they needed for 7 days of dinners for 4 people, and leftover ingredients.

Spices

I did include oil but did not include any spices on my list/in my total. Hopefully you have some spices and can wing it.
ground turmeric
bay leaves
dried thyme

Spices you can get at the dollar store:
Italian seasoning
paprika
chili powder
crushed red pepper flakes
salt
ground black pepper
$5 if you have to buy them all; dollar store spices are not high quality, you need to use more to get enough flavor

Recipes

As always, I sort my recipes by how perishable the ingredients are. I have found I can’t stick to a rigid day-by-day meal plan. I like to stay flexible, and don’t like to waste food.

Tier 1/Most Perishable

*Do ahead vegetable stock with extra carrots and celery

Antipasto Pasta Salad from Good Cheap Eats basil

Sprouted Lentil Salad from Kitchen Stewardship pepper, pea pods

Stuffed Tomatoes with Peaches, Corn, Cucumbers and Basil from Martha Stewart peaches, corn

Summer Vegetable and Chicken Hash from Martha Stewart corn

Tier 2/Less Perishable

Lemongrass Chicken Zoodles from Food Renegade use veg peeler to make zoodles, zucchini, scallion

Oven Roasted Ratatouille from Budget Bytes tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini

Tier 3/Pantry or Make It Whenever

Hearty Tomato Lentil Soup from Running on Real Food carrot, onion

Printable List

Save this meal plan PDF to your desktop to refer to your recipes, then print it for the shopping list, then stick it on the fridge so your lovely family can keep on track.

Shopping List PDF Download

I had to make many assumptions with food math to write this. How many tomatoes are in a pound? If a tree falls in the woods does it make a sound? I made the best choice I could and used several sites to help me, including asking Google lots of questions.

Convert measurements of produce at How Much Is In
Convert measurements of all kinds of foods at Traditional Oven
Convert measurents of ingredients at Good Cooking
Look up how long something will stay fresh at Eat by Date or StillTasty

Servings

These meals are for approximately four servings. You might have leftovers, or you might need to double the recipe, depending on your family. Sometimes I triple the recipe, my family of six eats double (hello starving teen boy) and I freeze the third portion. Then I can pull that from the freezer and add a salad another time without cooking.

Prices

I searched for what it would cost me to go get these groceries right this minute at the mid-range store in my area (Hannaford which has online prices, or Wegmans also has aisles which is helpful for your shopping list). I already have a lot of these ingredients in the house, and I shop at the “value” store (Market Basket). If I find coupons for what I am already buying online I save even more.

How do I get my shopping cart total lower?

Besides selecting foods to leave out, there are several things you can do:

Shop your pantry. Why spend more money on food when you already have some? The best way to save money is to not spend it. Work with the food you already have in your garden, fridge, freezer, and pantry and you can minimize what you have to buy.
Use sales and shop seasonally. The produce that is plentiful tends to be less expensive, so to eat seasonally just means to buy tomatoes when they’re in everybody’s garden everywhere, and often loss leaders in the sales flyers. Avoid recipes with tomatoes in December when they’re just not the same, and you don’t have to pay somebody to store that tomato from summer to December.
Use coupons and be smart about it. I found that couponing from the paper was taking me more time than the money I saved was worth, since it was all for food I didn’t want to buy and cleaning products I didn’t need. However, you can do a quick search online, since your real food shopping list is short, and find a few coupons that will save you a few dollars with minimal time invested.
It pays to DIY it. If you buy a processed food you are paying everyone who was involved in making that product, and they include their expenses in the markup. It is cheaper to invest your own time, learn a new skill, and know what is in your food. Whether it is worth it to diy for you will depend on your lifestyle. If you have very little time maybe it’s better for you to buy the packaged tortillas, but it won’t hurt you to try making them once and see how it goes, then you can make an informed decision.

Search My Grocery Deals for coupons and the best local deals

Check Money Saving Mom for your local flyers

Some of my favorites for DIYing processed foods are Simple Bites and Good Life Eats

If you are curious you can check the cost of living rating for your area at Sperling’s Best Places. My grocery costs are rated at 103.5, which is really close to the average for the US.

August Meal Plan Pinterest Boards:

`Meal Plan August (just look at all that tastiness!)`

`Recipes to Try Summer`

In this post: Shopping Cart ~ Recipes ~ Printable List ~ Pinterest Boards

Share with me: What do you do to stretch your grocery budget?

Get the 7 day meal plan with shopping list, as well as the monthly meal plan with printable calendar, in your email when you subscribe.

*Also see our
Frugal Flexible Monthly Meal Planning OR

Free Retro Mid-Century Weekly Meal Plan Printable Template

We hope you enjoyed our More With Less 7 Day Meal Plan for August post

Photo credits: Vintage floral wallpaper background from Karen Arnold
Each recipe photo is the property of the original site as linked

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Customizable Old Timey Bedtime Routine

Posted on August 13, 2015 by morewithlessmomAugust 13, 2015

Here is another pretty and practical printable, to help you organize your day during the school year. Having a consistent bedtime routine is very important, it helps children to feel they know what is coming next. These steps become part of their self-soothing as they prepare for bed, and help them to fall asleep faster.

Each family and each child is different, so I have included a customizable Word doc you can edit to match your lifestyle. For example, some kids find a bath relaxing, while others are totally energized. The energetic kidlets need to be bathed earlier, so they can wind down a little. Also I find we are using ereaders like our Nook for stories, but I encourage those stories in the afternoon so we’re not looking at a stimulating screen right before sleep, and we rely on old school books at bedtime.

You could add steps like Bedtime Snack, Check Homework, Clean Up, Tub Toys Away, Put Pajamas On, or Pull Out Tomorrow’s Clothes. You can adjust this bedtime schedule printable to suit your needs.

Here I am sharing another version of our bedtime routine, it is a perty printable with a vintage illustration of a child ready for bed. 8 tasks are included in rainbow colors and an oldfangled font. This is the version we hang in the bathroom as a visual reminder for the whole family. It makes it easier when the big kids help with the little kids, to keep the bedtime routine dependable.

The vintage graphic is a child sitting up in bed. It looks much like an Arthur Rackham illustration.

There is a very light watermark on the bottom.

Download PDF
Download Word doc

If you download the Word document you will also need the retro font Connie, one of the best fonts ever. If your task doesn’t fit you can reduce the font size. If you are editing don’t delete a whole line until you enter your text, so you don’t lose your rainbow. Or you have to re-download. Tsk.

Our bedtime routine:

Bedtime

Put away toys
Potty time
Bath
Brush hair
Brush teeth
Clothes away
Storytime
Tucked in

*affiliate link to gorgeous Arthur Rackham art on Amazon

`Art`

`Parenting (Positive or otherwise)`

`Early Preschool Morning Board and Circle Time`

Love this look and want another freebie? I’ve got you covered!

Free Printable Vintagesque Bedtime Routine

Want to tinker with this thing? Go straight to the good stuff on Etsy: have someone else do the work Custom Printable Vintagesque Bedtime Routine, or print these graphics and craft it yourself Craft Your Own Vintagesque Bedtime Routine

Photo credits:
Bedtime illustration from a 1914 children’s book at The Graphics Fairy

We hope you enjoyed our Free Printable Old Timey Bedtime Routine post

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Seasonal Produce for August with Frugal Tips

Posted on July 30, 2015 by morewithlessmomJuly 30, 2015

It is important to know what veggies are in season. These are often the cheapest ingredients for your meal plan. Save money on groceries by buying according to the seasons. If you cook with real food you know that all you need is the basics in your pantry and a vegetable or two to whip up all kinds of tasty things.

Glorious seasonal fruits and vegetables for August:

*I have noted how long things stay fresh so you can meal plan to maximize your budget and eliminate waste

Apricots 4-5 days fridge
Avocados 3-5 days fridge, choose it
Basil 5-9 days fridge
Bell Peppers 1-2 weeks fridge, green peppers even longer
Beets 3-5 days fridge
Blackberries 2-3 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp
Blueberries 2-3 days room temp, 5-10 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp
Boysenberries 2-3 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp, use it
Cantaloupe 2-4 days room temp, 7-10 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp, choose it
Carrots 3-4 weeks fridge
Chard 2-3 days fridge, use it
Cherries 2-3 days room temp, 4-7 days fridge
Chiles nobody says but it has to be close to bell peppers
Cilantro don’t eat cilantro it’s terribly horribly no good
Corn conflicting reports 1-2 or 5-7 days fridge, my guess is farm stand corn is fresher so lasts longer
Cucumbers 1 week fridge
Eggplant 5-7 days fridge
Fennel 7-10 days fridge, it tastes like licorice and anise and you need it, use it
Figs 1-2 days fridge, use it
Garlic 3-5 months room temp
Grapes 5-7 days fridge
Green beans 3-5 days fridge
Green onions/Scallions 7-10 days fridge
Kiwi 5-7 days fridge
Lemongrass 5-7 days room temp, 10-14 days fridge, use it
Limes 3-4 weeks fridge
Mangoes 5-7 days fridge
Melons 5-7 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp
Nectarines 3-5 days fridge
Okra 2-3 days fridge, use it
Onions 4-6 weeks room temp
Peaches 3-5 days fridge, best flavor at room temp
Peas 3-5 days fridge
Plums 3-5 days fridge
Potatoes 1-2 weeks keep room temp
Radishes 10-14 days fridge, use it
Raspberries 2-3 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp
Rosemary 10-14 days fridge
Shallots 1 month room temp
Strawberries 1-2 days room temp, 3-5 days fridge
Summer squash 4-5 days
Tomatillos 2-3 weeks fridge, use it
Tomatoes 1-5 day keep room temp, mealy once refrigerated blech
Watermelons 7-10 days uncut, 1 day cut, best flavor kept room temp, choose it
Zucchini 4-5 days fridge

Download the seasonal fruits and vegetables guide image from The Vintage Mixer to your phone and have a handy reference with you

Download this cute printable from Oh She Glows to keep track of what is the perishable-est.

Not sure how long your veggies will stay good? Try StillTasty.

Epicurious Seasonal produce maps by state
CUESA Seasonal vegetables by month

Use my custom Google search to scan over 150 sites for seasonal, real food recipes for your meal plan.

If you want more tips on how to stretch your produce and food budget check out my More With Less 7 Day Meal Plans.

As always, I sort my recipes by how perishable the ingredients are. I have found I can’t stick to a rigid day-by-day meal plan. I like to stay flexible, and don’t like to waste food.

We do a monthly meal plan since our income is monthly, and do weekly or bi-weekly shopping runs for produce and dairy. For my meal plan I organize my recipes in a 3-tier order, from the most perishable ingredients to the least perishable. So when I do a big shopping trip I get most of the produce we need (not that we’ve ever run out of money for veggies by the end of the month or anything). The first tier is really perishable stuff, like spinach and mushrooms. The second tier will hold a little while, like broccoli. The third tier just uses veggies like carrots and potatoes that will keep a month. Learn more about my Frugal, Flexible Monthly Menu Planning.

August Meal Plan Pinterest Boards:

`Meal Plan August (just look at all that tastiness!)`

`Recipes to Try Summer`

Share with me: What do you do to reduce food waste?

Get the 7 day meal plan with shopping list, as well as the monthly meal plan with printable calendar, automatically in your email when you subscribe.

*Also see our

Free Retro Mid-Century Weekly Meal Plan Printable Template

We hope you enjoyed our Seasonal Produce for August

Featured on
Featured on Waste Not Want Not
Waste Not Want Not Wednesday

Featured on

Shared with Create Link Inspire, Menu Plan Monday, Share the Wealth Sunday, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, What’s Cookin’ Wednesday, Whimsy Wednesdays

Photo credits: Seed store catalog cover from Swallowtail Garden Seeds

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Celebrate Christmas in July

Posted on July 27, 2015 by morewithlessmomJuly 27, 2015

Who doesn’t want Christmas every day? I don’t care what the movie says, I’m game. Everyone seems a little kinder, a little more giving, and a little more thoughtful. I am always ready to celebrate and Christmas in July seems like a good excuse to me.

You don’t have to keep your tree up all year to keep that festive feeling going. It is easy to add a few sparklies around the house, make some snow dough, and whip up some no-bake treats. Top it off with an act of kindness and your day is complete!

Christmas in July: Quote Printable ~ Decorations ~ Activities ~ Recipes ~ Finds

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall and the genial flame of charity in the heart, click for PDF
Download free printable PDF of “Christmas is the Season” quote

"Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall and the genial flame of charity in the heart." #christmasinjuly

— More With Less Mom (@MoreWithLessMom) July 26, 2015

Timeless Festive Schtuff

These are decorations you could leave up all year, with less Santa and trees, and more dazzle. There are some for the kids, and some for mom. Because mom needs crafts, too. Make your house resplendent with these crafts. Remember, you don’t have to have a Christmas tree to decorate. You can hang ornaments from curtain rods, lampshades, chandeliers, shelves…

Amazingly Awesome Beaded Bauble DIY from Twinklyspangle
Baked Apple Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments from My Mundane and Miraculous Life
Bead and Pipecleaner Icicle Ornaments from Happy Hooligans
Christmas Ceiling Pendants from Everyday Mom Ideas
Crystal Pendant Family Photo Ornaments from Glitter Shaker by Rook No. 17
Felted Garland from Small Bird Blog
Hot Glue Glittered Snowflake Ornaments from Pitter & Glink
Paper Star Decoration from Ladylike Len
Sparkly Shell Ornaments from Paint Cut Paste
Tin Foil “Stained Glass” Ornaments from Life As I See It

Christmas Sensory Activities

Everybody needs a little snow in their summer. I know there are a lot of doughs here but they all use different stuff, so just pick one that uses materials you have on hand.

Fake Sensory Snow from Momma’s Fun World
Frozen Snow from Growing a Jeweled Rose
Magic Foaming Snowman from Fun at Home with Kids
Make it Snow With Bubbles from Hand Made Kids Art
Reindeer Play Dough from Kids Craft Room
Snow Dough for Sensory Play from The Imagination Tree
Snow Window Activity from No Time for Flash Cards
Sparkly Snow Sensory Writing Tray from The Imagination Tree

Oven-Free, Holiday Treats

Practice some of these tasties to add to your holiday stand-bys. It astounds me how easy some of these classic candies are to make at home. You do have to use the stovetop for a few of these. Some of these are real food, but mostly they’re just nummy.

Coconut Ice Sweets from LadyFlashman on HubPages
Homemade Butter Mints from Barefeet in the Kitchen
Homemade Caramel Turtles Recipe from Cheap Recipe Blog
Homemade Gumdrops from Mother Earth News
No Bake Peppermint White Chocolate Cheesecakes from Cooking Classy
No-Bake Coconut Crack Bars from Chocolate-Covered Katie
No-Bake Snowball Cookies Recipe from Jellibean Journals
Real Food Caramel Chews from Coco’s Well

Seasonal Yard Sale Finds

Summer is the time for yard sales. There are several lines of glorious Christmas decorations that you might be able to snatch up for heart-stopping prices. These are all high-quality, well made items, with a touch of whimsy.

Department 56
Jim Shore
Mark Roberts
Patience Brewster

You can feel that same overflow of happiness from acts of kindness any time of the year. Pennies of Time is a wonderful site for finding things you can do.

Christmas in July: Quote Printable ~ Decorations ~ Activities ~ Recipes ~ Finds

What was the last craft you did for the holiday season?

Pinterest Boards:

`Christmas`

`Christmas Party for Preschoolers`

`Dollar Store Christmas Decorations`

*Also see:

We hope you enjoyed our Celebrate Xmas in the Summer extravaganza

Shared with Busy Monday, Frugal Family Linky, Idea Box Thursday, Merry Monday, Motivation Monday.

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More With Less 7 Day Meal Plan #3 – Seasonal dinners for July/summer

Posted on July 20, 2015 by morewithlessmomJuly 20, 2015

This is not your everyday, average meal plan. Learn how to cook like your great-grandma did, with little waste, and stretching what you have (including your dollars).
The point of this meal plan is to help you be smart with your money.

More With Less 7 Day Meal Plan #3- seasonal, flexible, frugal, low waste, real food week-long meal plan with printable shopping list from The More With Less Mom

Feed your family of four a week of dinners with a shopping cart maximum of $113.97.
Eat more – spend less!

Use frugal ingredients to make dinners, without eating beans and rice or pasta every night.
These are dinners for regular families living on a budget.

In this post: Shopping Cart ~ Recipes ~ Printable List ~ Notes ~ Pinterest Boards

I have many tips for pinching your pennies and stretching your food budget. I focus a lot on avoiding waste, since wasted food is wasted money (you bought the ingredients for that science experiment you’re tossing from the depths of the fridge). The goal is to get more food with less money.

I have pulled these recipes from my fabulous July monthly meal plan to show you how I manage to squeeze the last tasty bits from my grocery budget.

Shopping List

If you are trying to make a shopping list you can use sites like Pepperplate or Food.com (under Recipe Box) to pull ingredients from your recipes.

If you want to be able to make decisions on the fly you should print out the whole post (or at least the list section) and bring it with, since I had to simplify the list a lot for the printable. This list includes both what you need so you can shop your pantry, and the cheapest item you can buy for the fewest number of dollars. The PDF just includes the item to buy.

Download the seasonal fruits and vegetables guide image from The Vintage Mixer to your phone and have a handy reference with you

Baked Goods:

24 oz sourdough bread (diy a sourdough starter) $2.99, need 1 round loaf
20 oz whole wheat bread (diy soaked) $2.79, need 8 slices
2 baguettes (diy) $2.58
11 oz 4 pk pita bread (diy soaked) $2.69, need 4

Baking & Staples:

17 oz extra-virgin olive oil $5.29, need 1/2 cup
2 (5 oz) cans tuna in oil $2.38
6 oz chopped salted roasted almonds $3.49, need 1/4 cup
24 oz bulgur (bulgar) wheat $2.29, need 1 cup

Condiments:

32 oz red wine vinegar (sub for sherry vinegar, can use rice vinegar or any wine vinegar) $1.99, need 2 Tbl
12 oz dijon mustard $0.99, need 2 1/4 tsp
17 oz balsamic vinegar $3.19
12 oz honey $4.29, need 1/4 tsp
15 oz mayonnaise (diy) $2.99, need 3/4 cup

Dairy:

4 oz feta cheese $1.59, need 1/2 cup crumbled
15 oz ricotta cheese $1.89 (diy ricotta in 5 min)
4 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese $6.49, need 2 oz
8 oz goat cheese $7.99, need 1 1/2 cup crumbled

Produce:

3 5 oz pkg arugula $8.37
2 oz fresh basil $2.99, need 1/4 cup chopped
5 lb carrot $2.69 (save scraps for stock, save tops to regrow greens for stock), need 1 large, 1 medium chopped
1 head celery $1.69 (save extra bits for stock, save bottom to regrow), need 1 stalk
1 bunch fresh cilantro (blech or sub parsley, lasts 3 days) $0.99, 1/4 cup chopped
2 cucumbers $1.18, need 1 sliced, 1/2 cup diced
1.3 oz fresh dill $1.99, need 1/4 cup chopped
1 head garlic $0.69, 1 clove minced, 1 clove chopped
15 oz lemon juice $1.79 (or 5 lemons)
1 lemon $0.99 (for rind)
1 head romaine lettuce $1.79
1 lb red onions $0.79 (save scraps for stock but not skins), need 2, plus 1 cup sliced
1 red bell pepper $0.90 (save scraps for stock)
1 yellow pepper $0.90 (save scraps for stock)
1 bunch scallions/green onions $0.69 (save your roots to regrow)
2 shallots $1.60 (save scraps for stock but not skins), need 2
4 oz grape tomatoes (to halve put them between two tupperware lids and then slide your serrated knife between the lids) $0.99, need 1 cup halved
4 tomatoes $3.98
3 yellow/summer squash $2.54 (save scraps for stock)
5 zucchini $4.23 (save scraps for stock)

Dry Goods:

16 oz orzo $0.89, need 3/4 cup

Meat & Seafood:

1 pkg split chicken breast (approx 2 lb, sub for skinless, boneless chicken breast) $5.58, need 1 cup shredded

Canned Foods:

1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans $0.69
7 16 oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans $8.33
1 15.5 oz can kidney beans $0.79

Total shopping cart: $113.97

I always keep track in my head of what I might want to take out if I come up short. If I shop my pantry right now, without couponing or DIYing, my cart would cost me $87.68. I could reduce this even more by making the breads with the stuff I already have on hand.

Keep in mind this total is for the whole shopping cart for EVERYTHING but the spices, even the olive oil. This is not the price per unit, but the total cost if you have no food in the house.

You could go buy all of this and deliver it to someone in need, and know they had everything they needed for 7 days of dinners for 4 people, and leftover ingredients.

Spices

I did include oil but did not include any spices on my list/in my total. Hopefully you have some spices and can wing it.

Spices you can get at the dollar store:
chopped/onion flakes
garlic powder
salt
black pepper

$3 if you have to buy them all; dollar store spices are not high quality, you need to use more to get enough flavor

Printable List

Save this meal plan PDF to your desktop to refer to your recipes, then print it for the shopping list, then stick it on the fridge so your lovely family can keep on track.

Shopping List PDF Download

Recipes

As always, I sort my recipes by how perishable the ingredients are. I have found I can’t stick to a rigid day-by-day meal plan. I like to stay flexible, and don’t like to waste food.

Download this cute printable from Oh She Glows to keep track of what is the perishable-est

Tier 1/Most Perishable

(ie cukes, squash, zucchini)

Confetti Chickpea Salad from Budget Bytes carrot, scallion, yellow squash, zucchini 10 min serve room temp

Gazpacho Sandwich from Giada tomato, basil, shallot, cucumber, bell pepper, arugula 25 min no cook

Lemony Orzo-Veggie Salad with Chicken from Cooking Light pre-cooked chicken, cucumber, bell pepper, scallion 20 min precooked chicken stovetop

Zucchini and Bean Salad With Bulgur from Real Simple zucchini, shallot 20 min no cook serve room temp

Tier 2/Less Perishable

(ie beets, cabbage, corn, green beans, peppers, scallion, shrooms, yellow/summer squash)

Arugula, Italian Tuna, and White Bean Salad from Cooking Light 30 min grape tomatoes, red onion, arugula no cook serve room temp

Chickpea Salad Sammiches from Post Punk Kitchen carrot, celery, tomato, lettuce 10 min no cook

Pan-grilled Veggie Sandwiches with Ricotta, Arugula and Balsamic from Dave Lieberman zucchini, arugula 40 min

Tier 3/Pantry or Make It Whenever

(ie lettuce, tomatoes)

None this week, too many beautiful things at the farmers market!

Notes

See the full July Meal Plan: July Real Food Meal Plan from More With Less Mom

I had to make many assumptions with food math to write this. How many tomatoes are in a pound? If a tree falls in the woods does it make a noise? I made the best choice I could and used several sites to help me, including asking Google lots of questions.

Servings

These meals are for approximately four servings. You might have leftovers, or you might need to double the recipe, depending on your family. Sometimes I triple the recipe, my family of six eats double (hello starving teen boy) and I freeze the third. Then I can pull that from the freezer and add a salad another time without cooking.

Prices

How do I get my shopping cart total lower?

Besides selecting foods to leave out, there are several things you can do:

Shop your pantry. Why spend more money on food when you already have some? The best way to save money is to not spend it. Work with the food you already have in your garden, fridge, freezer, and pantry and you can minimize what you have to buy.
Use sales and shop seasonally. The produce that is plentiful tends to be less expensive, so to eat seasonally just means to buy tomatoes when they’re in everybody’s garden everywhere, and often loss leaders in the sales flyers. Avoid recipes with tomatoes in December when they’re just not the same, and you don’t have to pay somebody to store that tomato from summer to December.
Use coupons and be smart about it. I found that couponing from the paper was taking me more time than the money I saved was worth, since it was all for food I didn’t want to buy and cleaning products I didn’t need. However, you can do a quick search online, since your real food shopping list is short, and find a few coupons that will save you a few dollars with minimal time invested.
It pays to DIY it. If you buy a processed food you are paying everyone who was involved in making that product, and they include their expenses in the markup. It is cheaper to invest your own time, learn a new skill, and know what is in your food. Whether it is worth it to diy for you will depend on your lifestyle. If you have very little time maybe it’s better for you to buy the packaged tortillas, but it won’t hurt you to try making them once and see how it goes, then you can make an informed decision.

Search My Grocery Deals for coupons and the best local deals

Check Money Saving Mom for your local flyers

Some of my favorites for DIYing processed foods are Simple Bites and Good Life Eats

If you are curious you can check the cost of living rating for your area at Sperling’s Best Places. My grocery costs are rated at 103.5, which is really close to the average for the US.

July Meal Plan Pinterest Boards:

`Meal Plan July (just look at all that tastiness!)`

`Recipes to Try Summer`

In this post: Shopping Cart ~ Recipes ~ Printable List ~ Notes ~ Pinterest Boards

Share with me: What do you do to stretch your grocery budget?

Get the 7 day meal plan with shopping list, as well as the monthly meal plan with printable calendar, in your email when you subscribe.

Shared with Busy Monday, Farmgirl Friday, Fat Tuesday, Foodie Friday, Healthy Happy Green & Natural, Hearth and Soul Hop, Menu Plan Monday, Motivation Monday, Thank Goodness It’s Monday, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Treasure Box Tuesday

July Real Food Meal Plan from The More With Less Mom

*Also see our
Frugal Flexible Monthly Meal Planning OR

Free Retro Mid-Century Weekly Meal Plan Printable Template

We hope you enjoyed our More With Less 7 Day Meal Plan for July post

Photo credits: 60s wallpaper from Wikipedia
Each recipe photo is the property of the original site as linked

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Fun Events for Your Outdoor Living Space – Guest Post

Posted on July 15, 2015 by morewithlessmomJuly 15, 2015

The great thing about living in a house versus an apartment is having outdoor living space. There are many types of outdoor living spaces you can have, each of which can be used for a variety of events and activities. Whether you have a pristine garden, a patio, a fire pit, or an outdoor lounge area, any outdoor space has tons of potential to be an area for fun and making memories with loved ones and friends. With warm weather and greenery around the corner, here are some great events and activities you can have in your outdoor living space in the coming months.

Garden Parties

Especially during the spring and early summer when flowers are in full bloom, garden parties are a great outdoor event and a way to highlight your pristine gardens, giving them the attention that they deserve.

You can have a garden party using several different types of outdoor living space as long as the space features lots of colorful, well-manicured flowers and seating for your guests. Although a garden party can happen anywhere, yards or large patios with tables and chairs are ideal areas for garden parties and similar types of gatherings. Such settings make serving food and refreshments easier and more accessible to your guests.

Barbecues and Cookouts

Perhaps because the kitchen tends to be the heart of the home, barbecues and cookout-type outdoor activities tend to be popular seasonal events for those who have outdoor living space. From burgers to beer, these types of events feature casual, comfortable foods and drinks and are typically designed to be a fun gathering for friends and family, usually for no particular occasion or some holidays like Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day.

The grill is perhaps the most essential piece to the barbecue and cookout puzzle. As such, this event is popular for backyard decks, perhaps around or near a pool, and oftentimes also utilizes actual yard space. If one is available, cookouts that outlive the sunlight often transition into a bonfire-type setting with the attendees congregating around the fire and maybe roast marshmallows.

Wine Tasting Parties

The experts have indicated that people — particularly “millennials,” or those who become adults in the 2000s — are drinking lots and lots of wine nowadays, at much higher rates than ever before. Due to wine’s ever-increasing popularity, wine-centric parties have become very popular. Accordingly, pairing outdoor living space with a wine tasting party is the social equivalent to hitting a home run.

Like other events, you can host a wine tasting party in many types of outdoor living space. However, the best outdoor spaces for a wine tasting party would be something like a patio, veranda, gazebo, or a deck. This type of gathering lends itself to intimacy, having the attendees in close quarters so that the wines can be sampled and discussed by everyone at the same time. There should also be plenty of seating at a wine tasting party, particularly if there’s to be hors d’oeuvres and food, so that guests can sit down, relax, and enjoy their wine as they socialize. If you don’t particularly know a lot about wine, you can usually hire a sommelier locally to conduct your private tasting.

For more ideas and inspiration, head to Modernize.com.

Please welcome our very first guest post, from Dane O’Leary of Modernize.com. You can also visit them on Facebook.

Photo credits: Memorial Day cookout from Mindful Living Network
Garden Party Landscaping from Patio Design Ideas
Wild Earth Outdoor Kitchen & Cellar Door is courtesy of TripAdvisor

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July Real Food Meal Plan – flexible, frugal monthly meal plan with printable PDF

Posted on July 13, 2015 by morewithlessmomJuly 13, 2015

July brings the dog days of the kitchen, when I want nothing to do with it. About half of my recipes for July are no-cook, and almost all of the rest are quick stovetop dinners, because it’s like a torture chamber in there. I will chose what I cook based on how much time I have and how hot the house is (too freakin hot). We’ll be getting home from splish-splashy summer fun late so it’s also important to get dinner on the table right quick. You’ll see that almost all of these meals are in the most perishable tier, since we have hit the time of beautiful bounty in the garden. I knew that this was coming, and will continue, so I budgeted a tad more in these months for food. I also know that I am going to have to be really careful (read miserly) with my budget to make it to that last shopping trip with any money left. If you want more tips on how to stretch your produce and food budget check out my More With Less 7 Day Meal Plans.

Ideas and resources for menu planning in July, many seasonal summer and real food recipes. Very simple ingredients, from scratch. As always, these are all frugal recipes intended for a tight budget. Real food/from scratch/traditional diet/nutrient dense/whole food/blah blah blah. My monthly meal plans use an alternative meal planning method, recipes organized into tiers based on how perishable the ingredients are, not sorted into particular days.

Don’t forget to read about how I meal plan at
Frugal, Flexible Monthly Menu Planning!

2,000 Pins and counting!

In this post: Seasonal Produce ~ Recipes ~ Download PDF ~ Other Plans ~ Pinterest Boards

Seasonal fruits and vegetables for July and how long they last:

Apricots 6-7 days
Blueberries 6-7 days
Cantaloupes 3-5 days
Cherries 1-2 days
Corn 1-2 days
Cucumbers 3-5 days
Green beans 1-2 days
Figs 3-5 days
Lettuce 7-10 days
Nectarines 3-5 days
Peaches 3-5 days
Plums 6-7 days
Strawberries 1-2 days
Tomatoes 6-7 days
Watermelons 6-7 days
Yellow squash 3-5 days
Zucchini 3-5 days

Download the seasonal fruits and vegetables guide image from The Vintage Mixer to your phone and have a handy reference with you

Epicurious Seasonal produce maps by state
CUESA Seasonal vegetables by month

*New feature! Use my custom Google search to scan over 150 sites
for real food recipes for your meal plan.

Recipes from the July Meal Plan

Download this cute printable from Oh She Glows to keep track of what is the perishable-est

*Attention real food purists/whole foodies – the recipes I link/pin are all from scratch, but some of them you may have to make substitutions or modifications. For example, I link recipes that have sugar, but you can substitute whatever your favorite sweetener is.

Tier 1/Most Perishable (ie corn, cukes, green beans, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, yellow/summer squash, zucchini)

Tier 2/Less Perishable (ie beets, bell peppers, cabbage, peppers, scallion, tomatoes)

Tuna Melts from The Pioneer Woman red onion, bell pepper, jalapeno 20 min oven serve hot

Tier 3/Pantry or Make It Whenever (ie carrot, celery, onion)

None this month, off to the farmer’s market we go!

What is this REAL FOOD I keep babbling about? Real food is how your great-grandma cooked. It’s just home-cooked meals, from scratch. Nothing weird or super hard, just making food yourself from “real” schtuff, not paying someone else to prepare something for you and add weird stuff and franken-food ingredients. You have control over exactly what goes into your family’s dinner, and your body. Good stuff, like tomatoes. And mozzarella. And dark chocolate. Lots of chocolate. But no glitter. That would be bad.

Download the Printable PDF

Download PDF. This has the links in the order listed above. Keep in mind I don’t limit myself to particular days, so this is not in order by date. Save it to your desktop and you will always have a quick reference when you’re hunting dinner.

Other July Real Food Meal Plans

Bi-Weekly Whole Food Meal Plan from The Nourishing Home on The Better Mom
Real Food Meal Plan from Don’t Waste the Crumbs
Real Food Meal Plan from Real Food Real Deals

July Meal Plan Pinterest Boards:

`Meal Plan July (just look at all that tastiness!)`

`Recipes to Try Summer`

In this post: Seasonal Produce ~ Recipes ~ Download PDF ~ Other Plans ~ Pinterest Boards

Share with me: How have you changed the way you run your kitchen to save money?

Get the monthly meal plan with printable calendar, as well as a 7 day meal plan with shopping list, automatically in your email when you subscribe.

*Also see our

Shared with Busy Monday, Fat Tuesday Forager Festival, Frugal Family Linky, Hearth and Soul Hop, Homemade Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Thanks Goodness It’s Monday

We hope you enjoyed our July Real Food Monthly Menu Plan post for seasonal eating

Photo credits: 60s wallpaper from Wikipedia

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Multi-Purpose Marshmallows – Paint, Build, Eat

Posted on July 1, 2015 by morewithlessmomJuly 1, 2015

Do you know what fantastic thing you haven’t done with your marshmallows lately? Maybe you’ve painted with them. Maybe you’ve built your own squishy tower toys with them. But the fun is increased exponentially when you do BOTH.

Here is an edible, quick-prep, low-cost activity you can whip up on a rainy day, that will make your frugal heart go pitter patter, and keep your grand artists entertained for a while.

The Things You Need

milk
food coloring
straws
paintbrushes
big marshmallows

The Things You Do

You can cover your work space if you want, but my fabulous “distressed” table doesn’t mind a little milk. Don’t use newspaper, it will get gooey and yucky, try tin foil or parchment paper.
You need something to put your colors in, like bowls or little cups, or in our case a plastic container from fancy pants eggs.
Cut some straws in half, and some of those in half again. We cut eight straws.
Put some milk in your container, we used about a tablespoon.
Add a drop or two of food coloring to your milk. red + yellow = orange. red + blue = purple. blue + yellow = green. Give or take.
We stirred our colors with our straws.
Give each child some jumbo marshmallows. Save the bag. They can use the little ones but they’re harder for tiny hands to manipulate. Each kid was good and only ate one marshmallow. Mom may have tried more than one, just to check the quality of our ingredients.
Use a paper towel to wipe off the excess color from your brush, not water, so you don’t dilute your color anymore. You can see it’s already very liquid and gives you a tie-dye effect.
Let the kidlets paint happily with a paintbrush. They can do this on foam trays, on cookie sheets, or just on the table.
Once they’ve done this for a little bit show them how to use the sticks to create shapes. It’s easiest to twist the straws in. They will get sticky.
If they’re little enough you can make this into a lesson about shapes, how many sides does it have, how do you make it, etc.
If you want to extend this you can bring out more foods like toast and popcorn to paint more. My kids worked on this for over an hour with no additional prompting.
We left ours to dry on cookie sheets. They took over an hour and they were stuck, so I had to turn them.
Once they were dry we put them in the bag we saved to play with tomorrow (they will be sticky).
The next day you can play more by making a thicker base with condensed milk and corn starch, for stamping with them or fingerpainting.
If you really want the kids to vibrate you can melt chocolate and dip them in there.

Mothers of multiple small children know why I have this many food coloring bottles. We had both regular and neon colors.

Here are the colors the 5 year old made, she could squeeze the color herself.

The set up for painting. Far be it from me to point out that the pan could be closer.

They were using the long straws as handles.

3 year old painting with 70s colors.

No, this child has never worn clothes in here entire life, and yes, she did get it on her tummy.

Making a square. Then back to painting.

Preschooler’s masterpieces in 70s colors.

Kindergartener’s masterpieces

I tried to make Olaf with my food decorator pens but they were too dry.

I can’t really give original credit for this, we’ve been doing this for a while. I bet Pinterest made me do it.
I would guess I got these from these sites, which I frequent (lurk on):
Food Painting Activity for Kids from Fabulessly Frugal
How to Build a Jumbo Marshmallow Tower from Kids Activities Blog

If you want to be really brave you can make your own marshmallows first. However, candy making is not something little ones can help with for the whole process, you have to be careful with the molten-sugar hot stuff.
Fluffy Vanilla Marshmallows from The Kitchn with lots of tips and photos (I actually have done this one and they came out awesome)
Healthy/Real Food Marshmallows from The Wellness Mama

What was the last craft you did with food?

Pinterest Boards:

`Crafts & Activities - Family`

`Recipes to Try - Family Fun`

*Also see our

Valentine’s Day Dyed Eggs OR

The Early Bird Gets the Worm Game

Shared with Busy Monday, Frugal Family Linky

We hope you enjoyed our Crafty Edible Marshmallows you Paint and Build With

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So how do you avoid the dreaded tantrum?

Analyze your week and note when your kids are grumpiest.

You can tell when they start to get frustrated.

The things that most often spark a tantrum are:

Develop mechanisms to avoid the things that make your kidlets crankiest.

So say meal planning won’t work for you. What else can you do?

My secret weapon for avoiding tantrums is offering choices whenever possible.

Commit to follow-through in the event of a meltdown.

Apply wine and chocolate (for yourself, not the little).

More Tantrum Resources:

We hope you enjoyed our How to Stop Tantrums post

I present to you the (new) 5 R’s of the waste hierarchy: Reduce – Reuse – (food) Rescue – Repurpose – Recycle

Just-Add-Water Pancake Mix Rescue:

Additions:

Toppings, or roll the pancakes up with Fillings:

Leftovers:

Learn more about food rescue, help prevent food waste, and provide food security:

Also take a look-see:

We hope you enjoyed our Instant Pancake Mix Fix post

This is not your everyday, average meal plan. Learn how to cook like your great-grandma did, with little waste, and stretching what you have (including your dollars). The point of this meal plan is to help you be smart with your money.

Feed your family of four a week of dinners with a shopping cart maximum of $81.21. Eat more – spend less!

Use frugal ingredients to make dinners, without eating beans and rice or pasta every night. These are dinners for regular families living on a budget.

In this post: Shopping Cart ~ Recipes ~ Printable List ~ Pinterest Boards

Shopping List (as pulled from the recipes)

Baking & Staples

Condiments

Specialty Foods

Dairy

Produce

Dry Goods

Deli & Prepared Foods

Beverages

Meat & Seafood

Canned Foods

Total shopping cart: $81.21

Spices

Recipes

Tier 1/Most Perishable

Tier 2/Less Perishable

Tier 3/Pantry or Make It Whenever

Printable List

Servings

Prices

How do I get my shopping cart total lower?

August Meal Plan Pinterest Boards:

In this post: Shopping Cart ~ Recipes ~ Printable List ~ Pinterest Boards

Get the 7 day meal plan with shopping list, as well as the monthly meal plan with printable calendar, in your email when you subscribe.

*Also see our Frugal Flexible Monthly Meal Planning OR Free Retro Mid-Century Weekly Meal Plan Printable Template

We hope you enjoyed our More With Less 7 Day Meal Plan for August post

Our bedtime routine:

Bedtime

Love this look and want another freebie? I’ve got you covered!

Want to tinker with this thing? Go straight to the good stuff on Etsy: have someone else do the work Custom Printable Vintagesque Bedtime Routine, or print these graphics and craft it yourself Craft Your Own Vintagesque Bedtime Routine

We hope you enjoyed our Free Printable Old Timey Bedtime Routine post

Glorious seasonal fruits and vegetables for August:

August Meal Plan Pinterest Boards:

Get the 7 day meal plan with shopping list, as well as the monthly meal plan with printable calendar, automatically in your email when you subscribe.

*Also see our Free Retro Mid-Century Weekly Meal Plan Printable Template

We hope you enjoyed our Seasonal Produce for August

Christmas in July: Quote Printable ~ Decorations ~ Activities ~ Recipes ~ Finds

Timeless Festive Schtuff

Christmas Sensory Activities

Oven-Free, Holiday Treats

Seasonal Yard Sale Finds

Christmas in July: Quote Printable ~ Decorations ~ Activities ~ Recipes ~ Finds

Pinterest Boards:

*Also see:

We hope you enjoyed our Celebrate Xmas in the Summer extravaganza

This is not your everyday, average meal plan. Learn how to cook like your great-grandma did, with little waste, and stretching what you have (including your dollars). The point of this meal plan is to help you be smart with your money.

Feed your family of four a week of dinners with a shopping cart maximum of $113.97. Eat more – spend less!

Use frugal ingredients to make dinners, without eating beans and rice or pasta every night. These are dinners for regular families living on a budget.

In this post: Shopping Cart ~ Recipes ~ Printable List ~ Notes ~ Pinterest Boards

Shopping List

Baked Goods:

Baking & Staples:

Condiments:

Dairy:

Produce:

Dry Goods:

Meat & Seafood:

I present to you the (new) 5 R’s of the waste hierarchy:
Reduce – Reuse – (food) Rescue – Repurpose – Recycle

This is not your everyday, average meal plan. Learn how to cook like your great-grandma did, with little waste, and stretching what you have (including your dollars).
The point of this meal plan is to help you be smart with your money.

Feed your family of four a week of dinners with a shopping cart maximum of $81.21.
Eat more – spend less!

Use frugal ingredients to make dinners, without eating beans and rice or pasta every night.
These are dinners for regular families living on a budget.

*Also see our
Frugal Flexible Monthly Meal Planning OR

Free Retro Mid-Century Weekly Meal Plan Printable Template

*Also see our

Free Retro Mid-Century Weekly Meal Plan Printable Template

This is not your everyday, average meal plan. Learn how to cook like your great-grandma did, with little waste, and stretching what you have (including your dollars).
The point of this meal plan is to help you be smart with your money.

Feed your family of four a week of dinners with a shopping cart maximum of $113.97.
Eat more – spend less!

Use frugal ingredients to make dinners, without eating beans and rice or pasta every night.
These are dinners for regular families living on a budget.

*Also see our
Frugal Flexible Monthly Meal Planning OR

Free Retro Mid-Century Weekly Meal Plan Printable Template

Don’t forget to read about how I meal plan at
Frugal, Flexible Monthly Menu Planning!

*New feature! Use my custom Google search to scan over 150 sites
for real food recipes for your meal plan.