Cheap Eats: 3 Ingredient Beef Stroganoff

 I don't know about you but having growing boys is like having a pair of garbage disposals. They are ALWAYS hungry and now that they are both preteens they eat as much as a small army. This easy 3 ingredient take on beef stroganoff is a hearty meal for the 4 of us that is easy on the wallet. I try to stock up on these items when they are on sale so that they are on hand when I am having an "I don't know what to make for dinner moment." While meal planning is a fantastic way to save money I haven't quite mastered sitting down to make a two week plan at a time but I do find having my basic staples on hand for recipes I make frequently takes alot of the guess work out of meal time.

Keep in mind that my version of this dish is meant to feed myself, my hard working other half, and two boys that eat like men. You could easily make this with one pound of ground beef, one can of soup and half a package of noodles if your family are small eaters. 

To get started brown 2 pounds of ground beef in a large pan. It doesn't matter if you use lean or medium ground beef, whichever happens to be on sale when you buy it.  Once your beef is browned drain and set aside until your noodles are ready, you can season with pepper or garlic should you desire. As ground beef is browning get your water boiling for your noodles. Cook entire package to specifications, drain and rinse. My family likes the extra broad egg noodles but you can also use the regular, both of them have a great consistency for soaking up the sauce! Combine your noodles with your ground beef and 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup. Need a bit more sauce? You can also add in a bit of milk or top this dish with cheese (which would technically make this a 4 ingredient dish but its optitional). 

Cost breakdown for this cheap eats meal:

• 2 lbs ground beef $6.80
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup $1.78
• package of broad egg noodles $1.00

Total cost of the dish: $ 9.58. That works out to $2.40 per person. Add in a salad, green beans or veggie medley on the side or a nice bread to stretch this meal even further. In our case we had green beans that night. 

On a cold winter's evening this is a stick to your bones kind of meal and one that everyone enjoys, although my youngest could do without the veggies if you asked him! Be sure to visit some of my othr cheap and easy eats here. 

Valentine's Day Door

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and I know many mamas like me are running out of fresh celebration ideas after this crazy year! Here's another fun and frugal idea to make the day (or month) special for your little one or significant other. Last year I decorated my boys doors with a ton of hearts and 14 reasons why I love them. While I did all the decorating for that day you could do a heart a day leading up to Valentine's Day. My boys actually still have their hearts on their doors (minus the treats). I incorporated some candy treats on some of their hearts where I could come up with a phrase and candy that matched. Here are just a few examples:

• You're a Smartie (with a box of Smarties)
• You can be a bit of a NERD (box of Nerds)
• You're such a Sweet Heart (Sweet Tarts) 

This is a fun take on the idea of candy birthday boards and can be adapted to any holiday with a bit of creativity and a couple of sweet treats. Sure to bring smiles to your Valentine's faces! Be sure to visit my previous post about my Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt!

Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt for the Kiddos

Every holiday seems to be a little bit different these days and I'm sure Valentine's Day is going to be no exception. I thought this would be a great time to share a post from a couple of years ago that I did on my Kawartha Beads blog  about a scavenger hunt that I created for my kiddos. This would still be a completely doable option even if you are currently in a lockdown. It helps to break up the day, is extremely economical and gives the kids a treat at the end! 

 I got the idea from this post then adjusted it for my own hunt. I found these foam hearts at the dollar store then just used a sharpie to write my clues right on the hearts. Inexpensive and festive! I've listed the clues below (answers in brackets). For your own hunt you can mix them up however you like. I made sure to hide one downstairs then the next clue would lead them upstairs so they can hopefully burn off a bit of energy! I gave them the first clue in the van when they got home from school. Of course there was a delicious prize at the end too💗💗💗

• To find your Valentine's gift you'll have to follow the clues. Your first one can be found
  
  
   where we keep the shoes! (in one of the boots on the boot mat)
• It's loaded with paper and filled with ink. It isn't a book so you'll have to think! (on the printer tray)
• For this next clue, you'll have to rush. Search in the place you keep your toothbrush! (the basket where the toothbrushes are kept)
• In here is where we keep the food cold. Open it up before you get old! (the fridge)
• Don't be slow, be quick as a wink. Go look under the kitchen sink! (under the sink)
• Don't give up, you're almost there! Go look under a kitchen chair! (taped under one of the kitchen chairs)
• This one's easy, just take a look....you'll find your next clue with all the books! (on my oldest's bookshelf)
• You haven't finished, don't get uptight. Look where mommy sleeps at night. (under my pillow)
• The hunt is almost over but before you can relax...check the place where you can find delicious snacks (the pantry cupboard)
• We come in different styles. You'll find us in a drawer. You use us as a tool...Just another BITE more! (the silverware drawer)
• You found the prize and solved the clues-but the treasure I LOVE MOST is you! Happy Valentine's Day! 
  
  
  

Back in 2021 with plenty to share

 Hello readers! Needless to say that I have been absent from this page for some time while I worked on my Kawartha Beads business, the kids grew like weeds before my eyes, and the entire world changed! Although I may not have been writing it was certainly a year for introspection, finding creative ways to stay entertained at home and SAVE MONEY! Like many people out there I went to work for my lunch shift on a Monday in March 2020 and by the time I came back for my dinner shift was told that I would be "temporarily" laid off. While I wish that writing and crafting paid the bills they are not my actual day (evening) job. Crafter by day, waitress at night, the food service industry was one that was hard hit and as I write this post servers are once again "temporarily" laid off. I will go into more details in subsequent posts about getting through these times.   As you know I am a saver, live frugally and have often expressed the importance of saving for a rainy day but I definitely did not feel prepared for the potential for no paycheque for an undetermined amount of time with mouths at home to feed. I recently decided that now was the time to revisit this blog, I could feel the itch to write, and maybe its my therapy for this troubling time in history. So welcome back and I hope you will find a tip or two for your own family along the way!