Hello to August - 8.13.19: Suggestions From the Loft - and Other Tidbits

August is my birthday month.

I try to celebrate it, 

somehow,

some way,

all month long.

Why?

Because I can!!!

I meant to post before this, 

really, I did.

I thought about it -

But, as you know, 

thinking and doing are two different things!

So, to make up for lost time, here I am!!

I think I will start with my weekly $5 Pantry Challenges,

where I go looking for items that 

total less than $5 to add to my pantry/fridge/freezer.

This $5 is not part of my regular food budget, 

but is spent on things to add to the pantry.

Seeing as how I'm about three weeks behind on sharing these,

let's get started.

$5 Pantry Challenge

Last  full week of July:

3 Banquet Meat Lovers Deep Dish Pot Pies

On clearance for half off: $1.50 each

I admit to being a bit of a risk taker when it comes to the clearance stuff.

Sometimes, you discover things you like.

And other times, they are nothing but mistakes.

I haven't tried these yet, 

but seeing as how I've always enjoyed Banquet's pot pies, 

these should be good!

Last few days of July-beginning of August

(crossover week):

Boneless Bottom Round Roast

Originally $11.53

Got it for $5.79

Was able to make three different meals from this!!

Last week - the first full week of August:

3 containers of Giant Eagle Beef Broth

On special at $1.49 each

I do use a lot of beef and chicken broth, 

so I was happy to add these to the pantry!!

Suggestions From the LOFT

I have to share with you what I did with that lovely roast you see posted above.

As I said, I got three different meals from it:

Meal #1:

Crockpot Roast Beef with Potatoes, Carrots, and Onions

Meal #2:

Veggie Beef Soup

using the leftovers from the Crockpot meal

(Sorry, no pics!)

Meal #3:

Roast Beef and Gravy Sandwiches

with 

Herb Buttered Potatoes

I still have leftover potatoes, carrots, and onions that I will be using in another meal.

Other little culinary delights from my pantry included:

Brown Jug Soup with Chicken

Found the recipe for this one in a Fix-It-and-Forget-It cookbook

Turned out awesome!!!

Here's the recipe (and my notes):

I also had this for a meal one day:

Simply Asia Sesame Ginger Noodles

I was in the mood for something different and this was in the pantry,

so I was adventuresome and tried them.

They were spicier than I expected,

but not in a bad way!!

I have a couple more of these in the pantry,

so I know I will have them again!

What's a girl to do when she has apples that are starting to show their age?

She makes 

Crockpot Applesauce!!

I had some Gala and Honeycrisp Apples that needed to be used up before they reached the "wrinkled" stage.

So I pared, sliced, diced up the five apples I had,

threw them in the crockpot along with a splash or two of lemon juice

and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Let it cook down for several hours,

mashed it down and whisked it into the consistency I wanted,

and made less than a quart of fresh applesauce.

I did enjoy some of it warm over a slice or two of 

Vanilla Sliced Loaf Cake 

that I'd gotten on clearance the day before.

Tasty!!

One of my favorite things to do is to shop the clearance sections,

just to see what I can find.

I also like scratch and dent stores.

In other words,

I like to see what bang I can get for my buck.

Well, the same day I found the Vanilla Sliced Loaf Cake,

I found a loaf of Cinnamon Raisin Crunch Bread marked down as well.

And I knew exactly what I was going to do with it!!

Cinnamon Raisin Pecan Bread Pudding

And because I was in the mood to bake,

I also made these from just three ingredients:

Apple Cinnamon Pecan Muffins

(I see I forgot to take a picture of the third ingredient, the milk!)

Baked Apple Cinnamon Pecan Muffins

These little guys have been great as a quick "go-to" for breakfast!

Last, but not least, I cooked up a pound of ground beef that I also got on clearance the end of last week:

Here's what I seasoned the meat with as it cooked:

And I haven't decided yet, 

but here are my ideas of what to add the ground beef to:

Who knows?

Maybe I will split the meat three ways!

Or....I may do something completely different!! 

Never know until I get into the kitchen!!

I did do some sewing this past weekend and made a runner for my desk.

My poor desk needed to be cleaned,

straightened up,

filing done,

and everything put back.

That's when I got the idea of making a runner for the desk,

to help keep it cleaner (I hope).

I love the colors and how it turned out.

LOL - also got to love that it was all a straight stitch!

I had already been to my storage unit and brought back some drawers for holding my sewing materials and projects.

And I came across this gem:

A picture frame of me and my siblings

and our senior pictures

I cleaned it up and it's now sitting on the living room bookcase with other family pictures.

I turn 63 this weekend...

some days I feel that old...

sometimes older....

and sometimes, I'm still as young as my picture.

But, no matter what stage... or age... 

of life I'm at,

I'm

Blessed Beyond Measure!

Love and prayers,

Sue