Easy Sunday Lunch

I wanted to serve an easy and healthy lunch today. So, I chose one of our favorites

Make your own taco and salad bar. 

Fresh salsa

Just dice about 2 cups of tomatoes-I used little ones but usually dice 1-2 big ones

Also fine dice 1/2 a fresh jalapeño and some onion.

Add some diced cilantro- a little cilantro goes a long way. 

Season with a little garlic and salt and lemon or lime juice.

Chopped romaine and diced purple onion if anyone wants to do taco salad.

Beef and pork taco filling from the freezer- it looked much better once it was heated in the microwave.

I also put out ranch style beans, grated cheddar, sour cream, tortillas and tortilla chips. 

Some of us had soft tacos. One had nachos and some had taco salad. 

Dessert was fresh pineapple and cantaloupe slices. 

I don't want to work too hard on Sunday and I don't like eating out on Sunday either.  Today's meal was delicious and a good solution, 

What meals do you have that are easy to serve a group after being gone for church?

Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real

Pretty

I've been working a rainbow string quilt.  All 64  10 inch blogs are pieced and trimmed.

the leftover trimmings from squaring up the blocks-
I think a bird could have fun building a colorful nest with them.

we ate a lot of those good Arkansas peaches.  Then I sliced and prepared the rest for the freezer- just for eating or maybe for a yummy pie.

Funny and Happy and a little Sad too

My frequent companions for the last 3 and 4 years both started full time school this week.  A Happy and Sad time both for this grandma.
I will miss them but I won't be bored as their younger siblings will be spending some of their days with me while their parents work.

This grandson  is so active and fast and always smiling.

The other grandson  is still a sweet cuddly baby.


Real

update on the backyard garden- it has pretty much been a bust.  The flower seeds in the pots were slow to start but are looking really pretty right now.
We have lots of rain- which explains the grass needing a mowing

The grass is also tall because our underground utility lines have been marked off so the workmen coming soon don't cut any of them.  There is a different color flag and spray paint marking the electric, cable, phone, etc. underground lines.  

We've signed a contract and will be having a concrete safe room built in the backyard soon.  Come tornado season, we should be safer.  

Linking up with 

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Oven roasted broccoli -2 thumbs up!

Have you seen the Pinterest reviews for oven roasted broccoli?  Comments about are things like "it is so good, it should be illegal" and "I could eat the whole pan myself"  

Well,  I like broccoli but I was not sure about this recipe.  The cooking time is long and I thought the broccoli would get mushy and overdone.  But nope, the recipe is just about as good as the comments say.  My husband is not a broccoli fan at all and he ate a huge helping.

You just cut on the fresh broccoli and I cut mine pretty small.  Put it in a big bag or bowl and mix/shake with 2 T olive oil.  Then spread it on a baking sheet and sprinkle with chopped fresh garlic and salt and pepper.  

(I used just a bit of garlic salt and pepper)

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.  When done,  the broccoli be be browning and crunchy.  Or you can search on Pinterest if you want even more directions.  

It is really is delicious and easy too.  

This weeks shopping

a coupon trip to Walmart- the shaving cream was free as I used the $6 off 3 coupon that was in our Sunday's newspaper. The Bic pens were free with $1 coupons and the cupcake papers were also free with a $1 coupon.  I used $2 internet coupons on the Right Guard and it was about $1.50 after the coupons.
I also went to Walmart to get cough suppressant from husband.  His summer cold is over but he still has coughing spells in the night,  any one have any advice for him?

Then to Food Pyramid for a few double coupons.  After coupons,  this detergent and Spam was about $3.
The Spam is not my favorite but my husband will enjoy it.  On the rare occasions that he might need to fix his own meal,  he will be happy frying up a Spam sandwich.


Then,  I went to the brand new Aldi in our town.  It is so nice and big and very close to our home.  I really think it will make grocery shopping much easier and cheaper for us.
I am so happy about it- I think lottery winners might kind of feel like this!

I got all this for about $22-  because it is grand opening,  they are passing out $5 off $25 coupons for Aldi. I've already got 2 of those coupons in the mail, 1 in the newpaper, and 3 at the store.  They don't expire for almost 2 weeks so I may be making several $25 or so visits to Aldi to stock up.

fruit squeeze pouches my grands love

saltine, milk, 3 orange juice, window cleaner, bleach, pork rinds, jarred fruit, flatbread wraps for sandwiches

ranch style beans

red grapes, jicama, pineapple, cantaloupe, 2 lemons and fancy artisan lettuce

Another trip to Aldis- this was just a bit over $25 before the grand opening coupon was subtracted.

Dollar Tree -50 cent coupons from the Sunday papers on the Palmolive

$1/2 Internet printable on the Dial soap

$4 plus tax for all

Then at CVS, I had a $20 ECB. I looked ahead at the sales on slickdeals.net and did not see anything in future sales that we needed. In my email yesterday, they sent me a coupon for 25% off my total purchase of none sale items. 

I prefer to roll ECBs into sales where more ECBs are offered but without any sales I like coming up, I decided to burn it on a giant box of Pampers, 2 eye shadows and 2 cough drops for husband. I used coupons on the Pampers and Cover Girl and spent about $5.

Yes, that was a lot of shopping this week. I don't expect I will be doing this kind of multi store shopping for awhile. But I had fun doing it and am happy with our little stockpiles.  

Especially for the near future, I will be doing any needed shopping at the new Aldi. 

Gifts from afar (well, 300 miles afar)

My professor brother came for a short visit this week. He was here for a few hours but I did not actually visit with him much as 4 of my grandchildren were here and those busy little ones kept us entertained and busy.

After he left, I looked at the good things he brought....

Squash, eggplant, cukes, peppers and a giant zucchini all home grown by our electrician brother

A peck of Arkansas peaches- so delicious!  They are really big peaches too. We are eating some and some will get sliced and frozen. I was happy to find a container of Fruit Fresh in my pantry to use on them, peaches will turn an unappetizing brown in the freezer without it.

And a stack of coupons from my mom. 

Thank you Mom and brothers.