Menu Plan by Melody of This Beautiful Frugal Life We are a family of four, including two toddler boys who eat their body weight in food every day.  We eat a Paleo-ish diet, with the majority of our meals and snacks made with whole foods.  We don't eat pasta, beans or grains of any kind and very little dairy.  We are super busy during the week, with trips to the gym most afternoons, so are constantly on the lookout for meals that can be prepared ahead of time or thrown in the crock pot. Meal planning is very important for our family, as the last minute options we used to rely on (grilled cheese, PB&J, frozen pizza) aren't in the cards Keep Reading

My goal for last month was to eat from our pantry and freezer as much as possible, supplementing with a few trips to the grocery store for fresh produce and dairy products. If my stuffed freezer is any indication, I didn't do so hot. So this month I am going to cut my grocery budget in half ($200) to force myself to get creative with what I already have on hand. I am determined to find those strawberries at the bottom of my chest freezer by the end of February. Here's what's for dinner at my house this week: Monday -- Taco Soup, grilled cheese sandwiches Tuesday -- Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna, No-Knead Bread, Raw Tuscan Kale Salad Wednesday Keep Reading

Menu Plan by Brittany I had a baby in December and have recently been fighting a losing battle against thrush. A sugar-free, wheat-free diet is supposed to help, so my diet has been restrictive, to say the least. Luckily, there are a few edible items out there that I can still eat. Here's what's for dinner at my house this week: Monday -- Acorn Squash Soup Tuesday -- Crock Pot Whole Chicken, brown rice, some sort of vegetable. (I tried to find a simple recipe to link to but they all call for so many spices. All I do is plunk that thing into the crock pot on high for about 3 hours and use a meat thermometer to be sure it is done) Wednesday -- Keep Reading

During the month of January, I've been trying to create meals based on ingredients from my pantry and freezer as much as possible. I, along with my wallet and bathroom scale, am still recovering from December's crazy rush of shopping-cooking-eating. I normally hate the blahs of January, but I am loving this month so far. I think it just feels good to slow down and simplify our routine a bit. My husband helped me create this menu plan as we watched Downton Abbey last night. He asked for scallops to be added. You know, just in case I happened to pick some up when I was at the fish market this week. Needless to say, they didn't make the final Keep Reading