ON THE MENU...

Hello, friends! As we get settled in to the new year, we've made a few changes here at the Chase house. We passionately believe that 2013 is the year we'll reach our goals both personally and professionally. Vince and I have been working hard to transform our physiques and our bank accounts! We're happy to report that in addition to working out everyday (thanks to the AWESOME Can you 24 DVD from AdvoCare), we've manage to only eat out once this month! This is a huge victory for us! I am definitely not known for expertise in the kitchen and our crazy schedules don't give us a lot of time to spend cooking, but we've managed to stick to it and make it work.

With that being said, we're testing out a new system this week. After a trip to Kroger and Sam's Club this weekend I managed to bring home {hopefully} three weeks worth of food. A little menu planning and some preparation/freezing has led to a successful start that we hope to continue! It's more than obvious that the more we go to the store, the more we spend...have you ever left with just what you went in for? If you have, you have way more self control than me...ha! Here's our menu plan for the week...please don't judge, I am not a cook, but am hoping to change that!

 

Sunday : Crockpot Potato Soup

Monday : Leftovers :)

Tuesday : Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Turkey Meat Sauce & Salad

Wednesday : Salmon Patties, Pinto Beans & Salad

Thursday : Pork Chops, Baked Beans & Salad

Friday : Taco Salad

Saturday : Left Overs

 

 

So, there it is! We're 3 days in and so far so good! What are your budgeting/meal planning tips? I'd love to hear some new ideas! XOXO, Bri

This Week's Meal Plan

Last week's meal plan was a success. We only strayed from the plan one night after a late AdvoCare meeting, so I was pretty pleased with how we did! I'm a little late putting together our meal plan for this week since I didn't make it to the grocery store till tonight, but here we go...

{Monday} Southwest Chicken Burritos with Black Beans & Rice
{Tuesday} Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes & Salad
{Wednesday} Taco Night
{Thursday} Leftovers
{Friday-Sunday} Vince will be in Shreveport with his buddies, so Tasha girl and I are happy to spend the weekend with my parents

Should be a fairly easy week for cooking since we'll be gone almost half the week. Happy Monday, everyone!

XOXO,

A Fiscal Fast

We're taking a fiscal fast! After contemplating what to give up for Lent this year and a few recent budget setbacks {Vincent's car}, we're ready to get back on track! We're taking on a minimalist attitude during Lent and cutting all unnecessary spending. In addition, we're committing to reading our Bibles every day together.  We're hoping this starts another daily habit for us, since it's easy to forget as hectic as our schedules have been lately. Lent starts this Wednesday, but I figured we'd go ahead and get a head start!

I started by putting together this week's meal plan and getting any groceries we needed. I came in about $15 under budget {woo hoo!} and I'm pretty sure this week should be fairly easy to stick to as long as Brock takes it easy on me!

{Sunday} Grilled chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, & salad
{Monday} Sunday leftovers
{Tuesday} Roast beef, carrots, boiled potatoes, & salad
{Wednesday} Turkey meatballs and wheat spaghetti, salad, garlic Ezekiel bread
{Thursday} Taco night
{Friday} Leftovers from the week or black beans & brown rice
{Saturday} Dinner with Uncle Kurt's family

On a side note, our AdvoCare team is on fire! Joining this company has been a HUGE benefit for our family and finances. We would love to share this opportunity with anyone who wants to look better, feel better, and/or earn an extra income. For more information contact us or visit our website!

Hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday night!

XOXO,