Pork Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker

Ingredients
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine (or chicken broth)
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet.
2. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat.
3. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible.
4. Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours.
5. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

Cheap. Fast. Good! (CarriesCooking with Books)

I love cookbooks! Does that surprise you? Well, I also love books in general. I used to be someone that had to own all the books I read. I wanted to have my own library. I think in my mind it was a visual reminder at how many books I read. In my mind books are knowledge and thus, maybe it was then a visual way of making me feel smart. My husband is a big fan of the library and doesn't understand my passion for owning books. His mind thought, why buy a book when you can borrow one?

Now, I am also a big fan of the library. I have gotten rid of many of the books I owned, except for classics or books I think I would like my kids to read someday. I have also rid my house of many of the cookbooks I had. I now use the internet and the library for most of my recipes.



Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills is one of the cookbooks that I found at my local library that I really enjoyed looking through. It offered many recipes to bring down your grocery bill. There are many super saving recipes that sound great. The only reason some of them won't work in my household is that my husband doesn't really go for meatless meals. The book also give suggestions on how to save money by shopping smart.


You should check to see if your library has this book.

I'm Saving an Additional 10% on my Groceries!

I know, I just got finished bragging about my low grocery bill for April. Well, I hope to take it down by an additional 10% this month. How? I shop at Kroger's and right now they are offering a 10% bonus on new gift cards purchased now through the end of July. Wow! (Many stores are offering similar deals, check out MoneySavingMethods for more information.)

OK, there are a few stipulations. You have to buy the gift cards new, no Kroger Neighborhood Reward cards, and they must be in either $300, $600, or $1200 increments. After I bought my $330 one for $300 I was informed I could get up to 4 $330 cards for $300 during this time frame. This means that in addition to the 40 to 50% I save on groceries right now, I will be saving an additional 10%. Yeah!

Oh, as an added benefit, I found a Kroger gas station on the way to a National Amusement Park that my family has season passes to, that we plan to visit weekly. This means I can use that 10% savings towards gas too. And all of those 10 cents off a gallon I have been wasting for years (no Kroger gas stations are close to my house) are going to be put to good use. Now, I know everyone would be excited to be saving money on gas.

So even though my family isn't going to use our stimulus check for anything but savings, we own both our cars and pay off credit cards every month so we only have a mortgage payment at a very low interest rate, we are reaping a great benefit.

Menu and Grocery List (May 5 - 11)

Menu
I would like to apologize for the lateness of this post. A flu bug has worked its way through the family. I am sure you can imagine it make life a little more difficult.

Monday
Maple-Glazed Chicken Breast
Peas
(Prep for Tuesday - Defrost steaks)
Tuesday
Black Pepper Steaks
Corn
Dinner Rolls
(Prep for Wednesday - Defrost ground beef)
Wednesday
Tortellini with Meat Sauce
Green Salad
(Prep for Thursday - Defrost ground beef)
Thursday
Tacos (Freezer Friendly)
Mexican Rice
(Prep for Friday - Defrost chicken)
Friday
Parmesan Chicken
Broccoli
Crescent Rolls
(Prep for Saturday - Defrost ground beef)
Saturday
Spinach and Oats Meat Loaf
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Sunday (Mother's Day)
Free Day

First, I want to explain what I have called the 'free day'. I have used other meal planning services and found that there was always one day that my family would eat out. The free day is the opportunity for you to either eat out, catch up to my meals, if you are behind, or make something that you or your family loves.

Second, a great suggestion was made to have one meal a week that is freezer friendly. (Thanks Andrea, from MommySnacks) You can either make the meal and eat it, make it and freeze it, or double the recipe and do both. If you have the space, it is great having a few premade meals in the freezer. Just put the meal together, don't cook it, and freeze it. Then when it is time to eat it, defrost and follow the cooking instructions.

Grocery List

Bakery Item
Crescent Rolls (Suggested Side)
Dinner Rolls (Suggested side)

Baking Supplies
3/4 tablespoons maple syrup (Maple-Glazed Chicken Breast)
1/2 cup walnuts chopped (Maple-Glazed Chicken Breast)
1/4 cup bread crumbs dry (Parmesan Chicken)

Basic Cooking Ingredients
1/2 cup Olive Oil (Black Pepper Steaks)

Beverage
1 1/2 cups water (Maple-Glazed Chicken Breast)
3/4 cup water (Spinach & Oats Meat Loaf)
1 3/4 cups water (Tortellini with Meat Sauce)
1/4 cup dry read wine or water (Tortellini with Meat Sauce)

Cereals
3/4 cup rolled oats uncooked (Spinach & Oats Meat Loaf)

Condiments and Salad Dressings
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard (Spinach & Oats Meat Loaf)

Dairy, Eggs, and Milk
3/4 cup heavy cream (Black Pepper Steaks)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese grated (Parmesan Chicken)
1/4 cup butter melted (Parmesan Chicken)
1 Egg (Spinach & Oats Meat Loaf)
cheese (Suggested Topping)
Sour Cream (Suggested Topping)
2 cups Cheddar Cheese Shredded (Tacos)
1 cup Sour Cream Suggested Topping (Tacos)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded (Tortellini with Meat Sauce)

Ethnic Foods
Mexican Rice (Suggested Side)
Salsa (Suggested Topping)
Salsa (Tacos)
12 Taco Shells (Tacos)
1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (Tortellini with Meat Sauce)

Frozen Foods
10 ounces spinach frozen, chopped, thawed and squeezed dry (Spinach & Oats Meat Loaf)
Broccoli (Suggested Side)
Corn (Suggested Side)
Green Beans (Suggested Side)
Peas (Suggested Side)

Herbs and Spices
4 tablespoons Black Pepper (Black Pepper Steaks)
1 tablespoon dry mustard (Black Pepper Steaks)
2 teaspoons parsley (Black Pepper Steaks)
2 tablespoons thyme (Black Pepper Steaks)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Maple-Glazed Chicken Breast)
1 teaspoon oregano dry (Parmesan Chicken)
1 teaspoon parsley flakes dried (Parmesan Chicken)
1/4 teaspoon paprika (Parmesan Chicken)
1/4 teaspoon salt (Parmesan Chicken)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (Parmesan Chicken)
1/2 teaspoon Pepper (Spinach & Oats Meat Loaf)
1 teaspoon Salt (Spinach & Oats Meat Loaf)
1 teaspoon Thyme Dried, crumbled (Spinach & Oats Meat Loaf)
1 teaspoon Black Pepper (Taco Seasoning)
1 tablespoon Chili Powder (Taco Seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (Taco Seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano (Taco Seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder (Taco Seasoning)
1 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin (Taco Seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder (Taco Seasoning)
1/2 teaspoon Paprika (Taco Seasoning)
1 teaspoon Salt (Taco Seasoning)

Meats, Fish, and Seafood
4 small to medium T-Bone Steaks No more than 1 1/2 inches thick (Black Pepper Steaks)
4 chicken Breast boneless, skinless, halves (Maple-Glazed Chicken Breast)
4 - 6 chicken breast boneless, skinless, halves (Parmesan Chicken)
1 1/2 pounds ground beef extra lean (Spinach & Oats Meat Loaf)
1 pound Ground Beef (Tacos)
1/2 pounds ground beef (Tortellini with Meat Sauce)

Pasta, Rice, and Beans
1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice (Maple-Glazed Chicken Breast)
1 9 ounce package tortellini refrigerated cheese filled (Tortellini with Meat Sauce)

Produce
3 Cloves (Black Pepper Steaks)
1 large onion (Black Pepper Steaks)
1/2 cup onion chopped (Spinach & Oats Meat Loaf)
Green Salad (Suggested Side)
Potatoes (Suggested Side)
lettuce shredded (Suggested Topping)
onion (Suggested Topping)
1 tomato diced (Suggested Topping)
Lettuce Suggested Topping (Tacos)
1 large Onion (Tacos)
1 Tomato Suggested Topping (Tacos)

Soup
1 cup chicken broth (Black Pepper Steaks)
1 10 3/4 ounce can Tomato Soup Condensed (Tacos)

Be sure to check your refrigerator and pantry for any of these items that you already have. Also, don't forget to add items for breakfast, lunch and every day items. Going grocery shopping is much easier if you have a list of everything you need. Check out the Master Grocery List to make sure you aren't missing anything.

Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 - 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine cheese, crumbs, oregano, parsley flakes, paprika, salt and pepper.
2. Dip chicken into butter and then into crumb mixture.
3. Place in a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan.
4. Bake uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices run clear.

Tortellini with Meat Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef
1 14 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup dry red wine or water
1 9 ounce package refrigerated cheese filled tortellini
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. In a large sauce pan cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink.
2. Drain off fat.
3. Add spaghetti sauce, the 1 3/4 cups water and 1/4 cup wine to the meat.
4. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
5. Stir in tortellini return to boiling.
6. Simmer uncovered, for 15 to 18 minutes or until tortellini are tender and sauce is of desired consistency.
7. Add mozzarella as topping after serving.

Maple-Glazed Chicken Breast

Ingredients
1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice mix
1 1/2 cups water
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Mix rice, seasoning packet and water in ungreased square baking dish, 8x8x2.
3. Place chicken breast on rice mixture.
4. Drizzel with maple syrup.
5. Sprinkle with walnuts and cinnamon.
6. Cover and bake about 45 minutes or until juices run clear.