Frugal eats - Roasted Veggie Carbonara

Time for another frugal dinner idea, this one is a delicious option when entertaining also.  We serve this meal with French bread, the recipe found here is quick and easy to make, or a garden salad to stretch our budget.  I frequently switch the vegetables in this recipe to whatever is in season, most reasonably priced or I have in the fridge, this recipe is so versatile.

Roasted red pepper, zucchini and mushroom carbonara
serves 24-30

12 cups mushrooms, quartered
12 cups diced zucchini
6 red peppers
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs dry spaghetti noodles
1 lb bacon, we prefer beef bacon
16 cloves garlic, crushed
8 large eggs
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon black pepper or to taste
5 tbsp dried parsley

Toss veggies in olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  Place on baking sheets in a single layer and roast until they start to caramelize.  Cook at 400F for about 20-30 minutes.

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so the heat of the pasta will cook the raw eggs in the sauce.  Beat eggs, parmasean, parsley and pepper together and set aside.

Saute' the bacon and garlic in a frying pan over a medium heat until crisp.

Cook the noodles according to package directions, reserving 1 cup water from noodles.  After draining water from noodles, toss in bacon and drippings coating noodles in bacon and fat.  Then stir egg mixture into hot noodles (you can add up to one cup reserved water to thin sauce if desired).  Mix in roasted vegetables and then serve.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as we do!

10 simple ways to reduce your grocery budget!

Around here the cost of groceries are sky rocketing, with a large family we are constantly trying to stretch our food budget from eating up the entire household budget.  For us it is a constant battle employing various tactics to manage the expenses while still eating well.  Most times we are on top of things but every now and then life takes over and we find the need to reel ourselves in or an unexpected expense pops up and we need to find ways to pare back in other areas.

               10 Simple ways to reduce your grocery budget!

Meal planning

By planning your meals you have more control over how much you are spending and eating.  By having a plan you know what to purchase, reducing impulse buying, overspending and wasted time wandering the store wondering what to purchase.


Double recipes, one for the freezer

This is one of my favourite tips! By doubling the recipe and putting one in the freezer, this provides relief, on those hectic days, when the last thing I want to do is cook.  I have found some recipes are easy to double and freeze so well.  I will also make premade crockpot recipes that freeze well and then you just dump them into the crockpot in the morning.


Shop discounted items

Many grocery stores reduce prices on items just before there best before date.  I like to purchase our meat this way and find it works well if I put it directly into the freezer after purchase.  I have also found baked items, produced, and damaged canned or packaged items reduced also.


Leftover day

Do you typically have leftovers piling up in your fridge?  Pick one meal and have a buffet of leftovers.  This uses up the leftovers and reduces the costs of yet another meal.


Plan meals around sales

Before you make your meal plan flip through this weeks sales flyers and see what's on special.  Try including some of the sale items in your meal plan.


Plan around what's in season

Fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season costs less so eat what is in season or choose items that have been frozen or canned.


Plan around what you have on hand

Take a look in your fridge and pantry before making your meal plan, then plan around what you have on hand.  If you are having a mental block and don't know what you could possibly make with those leftover items why not try typing into google "recipes for" and then the items you have, this might inspire you with a recipe for tonight's dinner.


Go meatless once a week (or more)

The cost of meat has drastically increased, by declaring one or more days a week "meatless" days this can provide some financial relief.  Your meatless meal could be a dish with beans or lentils, or as simple as breakfast for dinner.


Make food from scratch

Prepackaged food is expensive!  Take a look around your pantry and determine what prepackaged items you are buying then look for some simple recipes that you could make to replace the need to purchase some of these packaged items.  By making things from scratch we have been able to reduce costs, control what goes into what we eat and have found that the items we make fill us up more so than the store bought version, which results in us eating less.


Shop around

It's always good to shop around so you know whether or not you are getting the best value for your money.  We tend to buy most of our produce from a local farm market which as exceptional prices compared to the grocery store.  Another store frequently has meat reduced first thing each morning so it is worth my time to check it out when in the area.

Is a movie being filmed here

I was out picking up a few groceries and noticed 2 young moms, each with an infant in a carrier, having what looked like an enjoyable evening together getting their groceries while spending time with one another.  The infants were both content in the carriers while the moms shopped and chatted in a relaxed fashion.  This got me thinking how different my life is in comparison and what it would look like if I went shopping with a friend with a similar family dynamic to my own and we each brought our children that couldn't be left at home unattended.

Instead of pulling up in a compact car together we would need either a full sized bus or we would need to each arrive in our indivdual smaller buses.  One or both of us would probably be late because some child emergency would probably delay us.  Once we both arrived it would take a while to get out of the buses between unloading the wheelchairs, finding the socks and shoes and putting them back on the children that felt it necessary to take them off and throw them as soon as they got into the vehicle and checking that all the children (4-6 for me and probably a similar number for her) who wear diapers were clean.  We finally get organized making sure we have someone assigned to push each wheelchair and the multiple shopping carts we each need for a weeks worth of groceries, when the children that struggle with transitions would start acting up as we headed to the store.  A couple with sensory issues would be upset because it is raining or windy or the sun is to bright and it is making them uncomfortable walking to the store.  We would finally herd everyone into the store when the fun would begin.  People would be staring, others would be counting, we would be asked if we are a school group or a daycare and someone would ask if they were all ours.  We would be filling our carts and, being we were 2 large families, we would be clearing the shelves like the "Extreme Couponers" just to get enough to last the week.  The first product sample clerk that sees us is swarmed by the 30+ of us and doesn't have enough samples which sets off a raging meltdown or 2 or 5 from some of the kids.  The other product sample clerks are trying not to make eye contact with us while others are being warned by their manager to shut down quickly.  We continue herding the children through the store, not having that enjoyable time that the 2 young moms seem to be having, barely being able to speak to each other except to ask have you seen Billy, where did Mary get to, Johnny put that back.  Then one child says "I need to go to the bathroom... NOW" so we need to park the carts while we all rush to the bathroom which takes up a good 45 minutes because we are here and everybody better try and go.  While in the bathroom we have more sensory challenges and a few tears.  On the way back to the carts some get distracted and want to look at the toys.  We finally get back to the carts, kids are complaining "I don't like that" others are saying "I want this".  People are still staring, some are shaking their heads while others give us parenting advice.  We finally have what we need for the week or at least enough to get by for a day or two because we are exhausted, so we head to the check out with our overflowing heavy carts.  The clerks all look in horror as they see us heading towards them on mass, we pick our line and all the kids are trying to empty the cart, throwing everything onto the belt.  There is pushing, shoving, crying because "I wanted to do that one", the eggs get dropped, we need a clean up on isle 1.  Our groceries are finally all rung through and it's time to pay, the bill is over a $1000 but that's just life in a big family.  We get back to the buses start loading up the kids, the groceries barely fit and give each other a brief hug while swearing we will never do this together again.

Shortest camping trip on record

The first camping trip of the season always seems to take the longest when it comes to packing.  All the bedding that's been sitting over the winter needs washing, the spring cleaning of the trailer and the endless packing for 17 plus people and a couple of dogs is never ending.  Once packed the bedding and clothing stays in the trailer for the season only coming out for washing and directly returned for the next trip, which makes it so much easier for subsequent trips.  For food we have the kitchen stocked with the basics and we cycle through the same menu each camping trip which makes for less planning and prep work as I know the trailer has everything needed to prepare the meals.

We often camp up the island about 3 hours away, near where our son and his family live and one of our daughters is working for the summer which makes it easier for them to join us.  Fortunately provincial camping is no charge for families with disabled individuals so an activity that can be expensive is accessible to us.  Also the campground that we frequent has accessible washrooms and showers which is a huge benefit.

Our first camping trip of the season also became the shortest camping trip on record for us.  We arrived around 7pm as one thing after another seemed to slow us down preparing for this trip.  Our son and his family, and daughter met us there and we got set up.  The younger children and our granddaughter had fun playing soccer, which really means all 8 each had a ball and they were kicking them everywhere which was like a game of dodgeball for all the adults, while setting up camp.  After the younger crowd went to bed we sat around our "propane" camp fire, no real fires due to extreme drought conditions causing a burning ban.  At about 11 the clouds decided to taunt us and suddenly let go, raining down on us for a couple minutes.  Enough time for us to decide its bedtime and get the chairs put away.  Over the night we didn't have any rain until just before we got up and then we had torrential downpours.  We decided that camping in the rain wasn't going to work and packed up before breakfast.  Years ago when we had a different crowd we would tough it out in the rain sitting under tarps playing cards but that wouldn't work with this crowd.

The fortune part of this extremely short camping trip is after everthing is dried out we will be ready for the next trip and with the rain maybe next time we will be allowed a real campfire.

Can't be put off any longer

I have been putting off  "fall closet/dresser cleaning" as the temperatures outside have been unusually warm.  Having a large family this is a daunting task but I have come up with a few methods that help.

I start with the largest child's dresser/closet - I work my way through all of one gender of children from largest to smallest so anything that can be passed down, is during the process.  Picking what looks good, coordinates, the child is able to manage and ensuring what we keep fits comfortably in their dresser.  Some of our children have difficulty dressing so they only have clothing that they can dress themselves independently with.  Others in the family have difficulty coordinating an outfit so we reduce the frustration and clown like combinations by having only matching options in their dressers.  For these children we pick a color theme and ensure all combinations coordinate and any special occasion clothing are stored elsewhere.

The seasonal clothing change is also a great time for a deep clean so when all the clothing has been removed I wash down the dresser/closet and vacuum under and around.

When removing the out going seasons clothing from the dresser/closet we store any that is in good condition, we think will fit next year, or can be handed down to a sibling.  I will store clothing for the next season in similar size groupings for children close in age/gender.  With the summer clothing we tend to keep a little more than we would for winter as we like to pack a separate set of clothing for camping (makes getting away easier for us by only having to pack once each season).  I also use the clothing season change as a time to change our emergency change of clothing stored in each vehicle.  We keep a change of clothing in the vehicle for younger kids in case of toileting issues etc.

Any clothing that doesn't make the cut is then divided between the re homing box and the beyond repair might make it as rags box.  Where possible we pass clothing on to family, friends or a thrift store.  These boxes are taken immediately to the vehicle so they can be dropped off on the next outing so nobody gets into them feeling they need to save a certain item.

Last but not least any clothing that is hiding in the dirty laundry is retrieved when the laundry is done and stored as required.

Myth Busting Large Family Style

While in line at the grocery store yesterday my husband hears "there's that moron with 19 kids", not recognizing the voice and feeling extremely defensive he turns around slowly and realized that this stranger was holding a tabloid magazine, and referring to Jim Bob Duggar, not him.  This lady kept on spewing all kinds of negative comments to her adult daughter who was definetly trying to get her mother to stop.  My husband shockingly did not join the conversation as he was in a hurry.

We regularly get compared to the "Duggar" family and years ago when the "Cheaper by the Dozen" movies were popular we would be compared to them.  If you have watched either you would realize that these shows are polar opposites.  It seems when people don't have first hand experience with large families they quite often make a lot of assumptions about what it must be like based on whatever is current on television.

It is time for some myth busting

Our children are individuals - it is a common misconception that our children are all clones of one another and they don't have their own likes, opinions and interests.  Yes some of our children are involved in the same activities as their siblings but they each bring their own strengths to the activity.

No the older children aren't responsible for raising the younger children.  Everyone in our home is expected to contribute to the running of the home, each child has to maintain their personal space and has one 20 minute chore daily.  The children are also expected to be part of each other's lives as we are a family not a boarding house.  We laugh, cry, play and work together....striving for more laughing and playing.

Yes we know about birth control and don't need strangers to tell us the merits of it.  Technically we adopted most of our children so us using or not using birth control isn't the issue.

Our children regularly get lots of one on one attention from us.  As parents we make a point of ensuring everyone gets plenty of attention.  We do have never ending love for each of our children.  In fact our children also benefit from the love of their siblings and there are a lot of them.

Our home is not chaotic and yes Christmas is fun but it was fun when we only had one child also.

No we do not want our own television show and we aren't competing with the Duggar's.  I think it is wonderful that the Duggar's are putting there lives out there for people to see but it's not something we would be interested in doing.

My children aren't missing out on life experiences because they have so many siblings.  I actually think the opposite is true for this statement as there are many activities that the kids wouldn't have tried if it wasn't for a siblings interest or support.  Our eldest daughter recently commented that when she has been speaking with various people in her life they are shocked at the numerous and varied activities she has participated in.

Our children's special needs are NOT because we have so many children and we are NOT child hoarders.  We specifically adopted children with special needs because the child welfare agencies have a harder time finding them a forever home.  We have only adopted when we have felt confident that we had the ability to parent the new child and the existing children well.

We are educated and education is important to us.  With all the special needs that are present in our family we would not survive if we weren't educated when dealing with the sheer number of medical professionals alone.  Currently 3 of our children are in university, one in college and another has graduated from college.

We are not wealthy and we are not poor.  We work very hard for everything we have, sometimes it has been more of a struggle than other times.  Sometimes both my husband and I have had to work outside the home and other times just one of us.  Sometimes my husband has taken on multiple jobs.  As circumstances/family needs have changed we have had to change with it.

What comments do you get most often about your family?

Already lying about her age

The latest birthday brought us bowling which was a fun activity enjoyed by all.  We are fortunate to have a very small bowling alley near us which you are able to rent at an affordable rate.

We went with only the members living at home as the birthday girl isn't generally very social.  Having just her siblings at the party she was able to focus on having fun bowling rather than the challenging social stuff.  She did venture over and tell the bowling alley employee that "it was her birthday and she was 10".  We were so impressed that she spoke that it didn't matter that she was wrong about her age, she just turned 6.

For our bowling party we had access to the bowling alley plus the attached gymnasium however the children were so excited about bowling that they never ventured into the gymnasium.  Not being regular bowlers our abilities definetly proved that fact but we made up for it in enthusiasm.  If you heard the cheering from the children you would have thought we were all pros - at the beginning of the game they were so excited if the ball made it to the other end of the lane and as they progressed and someone knocked down a pin the sheer excitement was over the top.  The older kids were extremely helpful teaching the younger ones how to "roll the ball" instead of lobbing it down the lane.  As the skills progressed the ones capable of throwing the ball with one hand added to the challenge by using the opposite hand, facing backwards or closing their eyes.  None of these tactics seemed to improve their abilities but did add to the entertainment.

After the bowling we had hotdogs, chips and juice followed by birthday cake at the bowling alley - 2 bonuses to this, dinner was taken care of for the evening and they cleaned up after us.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed this dinner as it isn't something they would normally have so everyone was happy.

Another successful birthday celebration and a very nice comment from the employee at the bowling alley  "your children are so well behaved and polite, I always dreamed of having a large family like yours but it just wasn't in the cards for me".