Homemade Spice Mix: Jamie's Spice Mix

 Making your own spice mixes is a great way to save money and skip a trip to the grocery store during a #PantryChallenge or any day. This one helps me make pizza sauce for our weekly pizza and movies night on the cheap.

#FeedingTeenagers

#ManCrewHouse @ Las Cruces, New Mexico

My Word For The Year: 2019

   Do YOU have a word for the year, or a motto, or a special verse? I have joined this movement in recent years and I like the idea of having an overall focus or goal for the year. However, choosing that word is sometimes difficult as I have too many ideas for what I want to work on in the coming year, or conversely, none at all. This year's pick took me a while to really settle on and I think it's a good one. In fact, I think the last several years worth of hard work have led me to it. From retiring my #PlateSpinner hashtag and replacing it with #NoLongerAPlateSpinner a few years back, learning to say ENOUGH (that one took a while) and last year's goal of Progress, it's been a circuitous route, but here I am, ready for something new.

    This year, I'm focusing on me: my attitude, boundaries, and personal growth...things under MY control. I've learned so well over the last few years that my attitude as a mother and a wife truly affects my people, my job, and my home. And since it is under my control, so I should make every effort to use that to bless people. I can choose to use my powers for good or evil. I want to choose good. And so I shall.

   
    My word for this year is CHOOSE. I will choose to work hard, love harder and bless everyone I come across, all year long. I will choose to smile when the days are long. I will choose to speak gently in love when I feel like screaming. I will choose to pray when I feel like worrying. I will choose to take time to spend with my family. I will choose to feed my people good, nutritious meals when fast food is an easy way out. I will choose to read my Bible and spend time with Jesus, so I know where He wants me to work on me, and how He wants me to share Him with others. I will choose to make time for Dan and I to be together just for us so as we face the coming years, it will be as a team, not as two individuals pulling in opposite directions. I will choose to say no to good things, so I can save my YES for the best things.

   My goals for the year are as follows:

*Personal Health*

• Fix my foot
• Eat veggies 2x a day
• Drop 3 sizes
• Hike "A" Mountain

*Spiritual/Intellectual*

• Read the New Testament
• Pray from a list
• Read 52 books
• Serve in our church
• Continue with our Community Group

*Marriage/Family*

• Help The BIGS move out as they are ready
• Go on 1 family weekend-camping, Grand Canyon, Cloudcroft
• Continue Pizza and Movies on Sundays
• Date Night with Dan monthly

*Home*

• Finish garage
• Repair Breakfast Nook roof
• Reduce our Possessions by 30%

*Finances*

• Save $1000
• Stay Current on bills

*Hospitality*

• Host/Attend a gathering once a month
• Call a friend 1x a week
• Send a handwritten note 1x a month

*Homeschool*

• Finish the 2018-2019 school year well, complete our curriculum AND our 180 days with good attitudes and good grades (focus on comprehension, not completion simply for the sake of completion)
• Enjoy our summer break filled with outdoor fun, lots of reading, and family time
• Start the 2019-2020 school year on time, and work hard to make progress all year long

*Travel*

• Visit IL to see #BabyThea soon after her birth and celebrate #BabyCaden's 2nd birthday (His hashtag will become #ToddlerCaden)
• Send Dan to IL for Mambo's 80th birthday
• Visit Laura Hepker in Austin
• Visit Cindy in Phoenix
• Start saving for a family trip to IL in 2020

 I'll try to post in once a month and update my goals. I'll try to have good news in at least one category every month. ;)
 

Pantry Challenge 2019: Starting Soon

It's that time again, my friends! It's time to slash our grocery budgets for the month and get back on track financially after the excess of Christmas. Time to dig through what we already have on the shelves of the pantry, fridge and freezer. I'm joining Jessica of Good Cheap Eats for Pantry Challenge 2019. I'm starting a few days late since we have guests for a few days. But it's time to get prepared, take some inventories, and start mentally meal planning for our start in a few days.
What's on your kitchen goal list for this year, starting with the Pantry Challenge? I've got several ideas for our yearly goals, and a few for th is month of Pantry Challenge meals. I'll be posting here and also on Instagram, @kristy_mamak, using the Hashtags #PantryChallenge2019 and #FeedingTeenagers. Come join the fun and savings!

Here are our goals for the Pantry Challenge month, followed by a few for the year as well.
~Pantry Challenge month goals:

1. Reduce our grocery bill by half of our usual $800-$850 by only purchasing produce and meat.
2. Eat at home every night once our guests leave. 
3. Pack lunches every day for work (DT and I)
4. Bake our bread 

~Year-Long Goals:

1. Get back to having 4 well thought out, well prepared dinners at home each week, 1 night of leftovers, and 2 nights that are "Fend for yourself" nights. With 4 teenagers/young adults under our roof currently, this gives Mama K some time out of the kitchen instead of cooking 24/7. 
2. Serve Veggies at EVERY lunch and dinner
3. Use tech to streamline some of the hassle of getting dinner on the table, such as using Wal-Mart's free grocery pick up, utilize Amazon Pantry occasionally, and of course, showering my IP/Crock Pot/Kitchen Aid with daily use and affection. ;) 
4. Have one freezer cooking day per month, rotating between breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts. 
5. Try 2 new recipes a month
6. Ditch aluminum foil, ziploc baggies, and plastic wrap and replace by slowly purchasing some glass baking dishes, reusable silicone ziptop bags, and replacing foil with Bees Wrap. 
7. Reduce our monthly grocery bill by 10% by year's end. We are currently averaging $800-$850 on non-holiday months, and $900 during big holiday months. This also includes all our pet food and TP which accounts for about $80 a month.

If you decide to join the Pantry Challenge, or if you want to share your kitchen goals for the year, please share in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you!