Week One, Day One

Today's Tasks:

Bake a batch of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and put enough in baggies in the freezer for the kid's lunches for the week. My kids like 2 cookies each day. Let the rest be snacks throughout the week.

1 c brown sugar
3/4c shortening
1/2c sugar
1 egg
1/4c water
1t vanilla (if you have it. I forgot to put it on the grocery list)
3c oatmeal
1c flour
1t salt
1/2t baking soda

1c raisins


Beat sugars and shortening together until creamy. Add eggs, water, and vanilla and beat well. Add combined oats, flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix well. Stir in raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes. Makes 5 dozen small or 2 1/2 dozen large.

$1.84 for the whole batch

Today's Meals:

Breakfast: 1 cup raisin bran for each person. (All milk is calculated separately from meals. I just buy as much milk as my family ought to drink in a week and let them have as much as they want. We don't run out with 6 gallons a week.)

This breakfast costs about $0.61 to feed all four people.

Lunches for kids: 2 PB and J's, 2 oatmeal cookies each, 2 reusable containers with peaches (save extra peaches for peach syrup later in the week)
These lunches cost about $1.29 for both kids

Parent Lunches: fend for yourself this first day. If you have leftovers, eat them. If not, have a peanut butter sandwich, too. The rest of the week, you will have yummy leftovers.

Dinner: Chili and Cornbread

1/2lb hamburger
1 T dried onions
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
3 cans kidney beans (drained)
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin

1 pkg. cornbread mix
1 egg
milk

Defrost 1/2lb of hamburger. Brown in a large saucepan or spaghetti pot with the dried onions.

Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and drained kidney beans. Add spices to taste--we might like it spicier than you do. Simmer for a few minutes and serve with the cornbread, made according to directions on package. Use up to 1/4 stick of margarine with your cornbread.

This meal costs about $4.06 and should feed everyone well, also providing for 2 hearty lunches the next day.

Total cost for the day: $7.80