April Goals Update

Crafts:

• Do a Ukraine Travel Shadow Box from my trip in 2004 (it's about time!) and a Twins fan shadow box, both with little items I've been saving. I pulled out the stuff for these, and then didn't do anything with it.
• Start working on the big background for my Advent calendar. This didn't happen either.  I spent more time cleaning and organizing this month (can you say nesting?) than crafting, which is okay.

Food:

• Make tortillas from scratch. For some reason I'm still really intimidated with this, so I haven't done it yet.
• Come up with a few meals to get prepped and in the freezer for when Hannah comes. I baked extra muffins for breakfasts, and I found a good coupon deal on frozen pizzas.  Does that count?
• Try at least 3 recipes from my new cookbook (More Peas, Thank You). We had Portabella Fajitas, Thin Mint Cookies, and Peach Cornmeal Muffins.

Other:

• Go through the newborn to 3 month clothes we have and pull out all the ones that aren't blatantly "boy clothes" for Hannah. And then find a shelf or dresser to store them in. I pulled out all of the girl clothes and separated out the smaller ones.  I also stored the bigger ones in the right tubs for the future.  But I didn't find a dresser yet - they're still piled on the sewing table upstairs.
• Consistently read from my Bible or devotion book each day. We've started a chronological reading of the Bible (in the order it was written rather than the order it's put together), and it's really cool.
• Print out the numbers for the years in my cards/pictures album (where I keep photos, announcements, and other fun mail that we get each year). Didn't do this either.

Overall, I didn't do a lot of my listed goals this month.  I'm getting more uncomfortable (and very impatient) the closer I get to my due date.  I don't have a lot planned for May, intentionally, because I know things will be crazy enough as it is.  Hopefully I will still be able to do a few things though!

Menu Plan Monday

Here's the plan for the rest of April (plus a few extras that will carry over into the first few days of May).  I'll be taking the month of May off from menu plan posts (but not from menu planning!), and expect fewer posts overall once Hannah comes, at least for a little while.  Here's what we're having for dinner...

Monday: Chicken Burritos
Tuesday: Veggie Soup, Cheesy Biscuits
Wednesday: Chicken, Veggies and Rice
Thursday: Grilled Cheese, Tomato Soup

Don't forget to enter my Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil giveaway!

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Review (And Giveaway!)

If you've been following my food adventures for awhile now, you know I've been experimenting with coconut oil in my cooking, so I was really excited to have the opportunity to review Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.  First I used it in granola bars, and then replaced part of the butter in my favorite banana bread recipe (see below).  In both, the coconut oil added a bit of sweetness that was really good.  So good, in fact, that our family ate an entire loaf of banana bread in less than 12 hours!  It also seemed like the texture of the banana bread was a little bit smoother and fluffier.  All perfect qualities for baked goods. 

Banana Bread Recipe
(makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients:

• 4-5 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, smash peeled bananas. In microwave safe bowl, melt butter and coconut oil together.  Add to smashed bananas and stir to combine.  Mix in sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs.  Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined.  Pour into two greased loaf pans.  Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown on top and knife inserted into bread comes out clean.

Since I'm kind of a coconut oil newbie, I've only tried one other brand.  However, the Tropical Traditions coconut oil seems smoother and more consistent than that other brand so far.  My next step is to try frying (and maybe even branch out into non-food uses, like homemade cosmetics), but I haven't gotten there yet.  There are so many uses for coconut oil besides baking - I've only just scratched the surface.

I also like how easy it is to order online from Tropical Traditions.  The coconut oil is offered in several sizes, so you can start small if you're just trying it out, and order bigger once you know you like it (and I really think you will).  They have an awesome referral program too - you get a $25 credit for each new customer who orders through your link!

Some of the links in this post are my referral links. If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

And now it's your turn!  Tropical Traditions is generously giving away a jar of coconut oil to one of my readers!

 

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is a website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

To enter to win, sign up for the Tropical Traditions email newsletter, and leave me a comment telling me you've done so.  This is the mandatory entry, as dictated by the giveaway sponsor.

For an additional entry, like Tropical Traditions on Facebook, and leave me a separate comment telling me you do.

This giveaway will close on Monday, May 6 at 12:00pm CDT.  The winner will then have 48 hours to respond to my email with contact information to get their prize.  If I do not hear from the winner within that time frame, I will choose an alternate winner.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.  All opinions expressed are my own.

What I'm Reading...

How To Talk To Kids About Real Food. (100 Days of Real Food)

When Does Couponing Cross The Line Into Diminishing Returns? (The Simple Dollar)

How My Cooking & Grocery Shopping Habits Have Changed. (Denver Bargains)

Dating For Moms. (Unexpected)

5 Choices When You're Short On Space. (Andrea Dekker)

Real Food Tips: 10 Ways To Be Less Wasteful. (100 Days of Real Food)

How My Definition Of "Home" Has Evolved Over The Years. (Offbeat Home)

Weekly Coupon Shopping

CVS

So I'm out of grocery money, but I had $7.00 in my wallet from online garage sales from this week.  And I really couldn't turn down free diapers.

• 3 Huggies Jumbo Packs: $9.99 each, get $10ECBs when you buy $30 (and $29.97 is close enough).  Used $3/1 Pull-ups (House Party booklet) and two $2/1 printables.
• I also used $11ECBs that I had, and a $5/$30 that came in my email = paid $6.97, got $11ECBs ($10 for the deal and $1 for my green bag tag).  So that already works out to free and then some.
• I'm going to submit for the $5 Kimberly Clark rebate here as well, which means getting paid for taking diapers.  Yay!

Other Coupon Savings

• Caribou Coffee: Saved $1 from a survey receipt, $0.44 for using my own mug, and $0.10 for trivia.  

Project Simplify: Piles

This week's Project Simplify challenge was piles.  Who doesn't have a bunch of those?  I picked a few that were especially bothersome...

First was the dining room table.  This is just a "stuff" magnet, especially since there's still room for us to eat even with stuff piled all along the wall.

Miscellaneous mail and papers cleared off, fruit put nicely in the bowl, and the pile of music and organ shoes that needs to be dropped off went into a bag in the car.  We don't really have another place to put my husband's soda, but that will be gone soon enough anyway.  Much better!

Next was this pile of Hannah clothes.  I already organized all of the newborn/0-3 month clothes, but these are the bigger ones that we've picked up or been given that haven't been put away yet, mostly because I didn't want to pull out the bins.

And I also had a full basket of clothes that Matthew has outgrown that hadn't been put away yet either. 

This task took me all of two minutes.  Why do I put these things off?  All that's left in the basket are some summer shoes that are too big for Jonah, and some small winter hats.  The shoes stay in there for now, because otherwise Jonah likes to try them on and gets mad that he can't wear them out in the snow, and the hats will go in our hat bin when it gets stored away, but it's easier to not have the extras in there during the winter season.

I had a few other piles that I thought about working on, but I ran out of time.  Still, the couple spaces that I did are much better!

Menu Plan Monday

I'm actually pretty excited about our menu this week, most of which came from things already in the pantry or freezer. I'm planning on doing some more baking and making at least one soup to freeze (probably chili or veggie), but overall, it's going to be a pretty easy week.

Dinners:

Monday: Homemade Pizza - sausage, mushroom, olive, peppers
Tuesday: Sausage Mushroom Alfredo
Wednesday: Baked Potatoes - topped with bacon, broccoli, cheese, and sour cream
Thursday: Breakfast Skillets - fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, peppers, mushrooms, and cheese
Friday: Grilled Cheese, Tomato Soup
Saturday/Sunday: Chicken Burritos with Refried Beans (from the freezer)

What I'm Reading...

When To Splurge And When To Save. (Penny Pinchin' Mom)

The Best Way To Squash Sibling Squabbles. (Family Your Way)

Libraries: The Gold Mine Down The Street. (Offbeat Home)

Three Big Tips For Inexpensive Spring Allergy Relief. (The Simple Dollar)

Interview With Melanie Warner, Author Of Pandora's Lunchbox. (100 Days Of Real Food)

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Target

I asked Jesse if he wanted anything, and his requests were a little Lego guy and some soda. This is probably why I don't usually ask him if he wants anything...

• 4 Pampers Baby Wipes: Buy 1 at $2.00, get 1 for $1.00.  Used four $0.50/1 printables = paid $4/4!
• Mini Lego figurine (not pictured): $2.99
• Mountain Dew 6-pack (not pictured): $2.50
• Got $0.05 off for using my own bag = paid $10.28 after tax.

Walmart

 

Along with my regular grocery shopping at Walmart, I used a few of the free coupons I've gotten lately to pick up some extras.

• 2 Pebbles Cereals: Price matched HyVee for $1.77 each.  Used two $1/1 printables (no longer available) = paid $0.77 each.
• Old Orchard Juice: $1.88. Used free coupon from Old Orchard Rewards points = free.
• Skinny Cow Candy: $3.48. Used free coupon from Facebook promo = free.
• Flipz Pretzels: $1.66. Used free coupon (I forget where this one was) = free.
• Oscar Mayer Carving Board Pulled Pork: $3.98.  Used free coupon from Facebook promo = free.

Target (again)

Jesse wanted to order a pizza for $10 plus delivery charges and tip.  I decided that money would be better spent on 3 frozen pizzas (plus free ice cream cones!), plus I had a few more things to pick up from Target.

• 3 Jack's Pizzas: $2.99 each, get free Nestle Drumsticks Cones when you buy 3 ($5.99 value) = paid $8.97 for all 4 products.
• 2 Huggies Wipes: Buy one for $1.97, get the second for $1.  Used two $1/1 printables = paid $0.97/2.
• 2 Up & Up Facial Tissues: $0.99 each.  Used two $0.50/1 Target printables = paid $0.49 each.
• 2 Coffeemate Creamers: $1.50 each.  Used two $0.75/1 printables and $1/2 Target printable = paid $0.50/2.
• Total spent: $11.64.

Other Coupon Savings:

• Holiday Gas Station: Saved $0.15/gallon using my Cub Rewards card = saved $2.25.
• Caribou Coffee: Saved $0.44 for using my own mug. 
• Arby's: Used free value sized curly fries for Tax Day coupon = saved $1.08.

Project Simplify: That Pesky Closet

You all know I love a good challenge, right?  In January it was the Organizing Revolution (my posts on the office, the kitchen, the closets, and the kids' room).  In March it was the 31 Day Organizational Challenge, which you could pick a room and really focus on it for the whole month (my final post on our updated loft area).  And this month, it's Project Simplify.  Each Tuesday gets an area to simplify.  Last week's was drawers and shelves, and I actually didn't have any that immediately came to mind to work on, so I didn't do that one. 

Instead, I started on week 2, that pesky closet, because it's been bothering me for awhile.  And it is by no means perfect, but it's better.  One day the kids decided not to nap (which sadly for mommy is becoming a more frequent occurrence), so I decided to do some purging in their room, and some reorganizing in the closet.

The closet has been a dumping ground for a lot of things.  I keep extra diapers and wipes in there, as well as a basket for clothes that are too small.  The hanging clothes are the "fancy outfits" and snowsuits in various sizes.  These are things I want to keep in the closet.  It also held an extra kid-sized table and chairs, board games, puzzles, extra markers, and toys that I don't like the kids to have access to all the time because they have lots of pieces that just get dumped all over.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any before pictures, because the mood struck to work on the room, and I just went with it, but here's a picture from a few months ago that was pretty similar to how it looked beforehand:

I also went around the room and grabbed a bunch of old, missing pieces, broken or unloved toys and things to get rid of as well.  Between the closet and the rest of the room, I filled an entire tub!

I decided to bring the puzzles out to the living room for a trial run.  The last time we had multiple puzzles out, the kids kept dumping every single one out and then whining about having to put them all back at the end of the day.  We've established rules this time about only having one out at a time, and if that works well, I'll probably invest in a puzzle rack.  For now they are stacked under our living room table.

As for the closet, here's how it turned out. 

The diapers, wipes, and small clothes are still down below, but there is extra space in case any other toys need to go into time out.

The games stayed on the top shelf.  The box of Little People (the green box) and the tool set (the blue container on the right) moved from the floor to the top shelf as well.

And the "fancy" clothes and snowsuits stayed put.

I wish this closet had a lower shelf, because it would make storage easier, but I guess this is just my motivation to not have as much stuff in there!

Menu Plan Monday

I've done a bit more deal shopping/stocking up lately, in preparation for Hannah's arrival (because who wants to run out of toilet paper when there's a new baby?) but as a result, my grocery money for the month is already dwindling.  So the next few weeks might be a little bit leaner as we use more from the pantry and less of the expensive ingredients.  We'll survive.  And for the sake of my freezer/pantry, I hope Hannah waits until after May starts to make her grand entrance, because then I can get a few more meals in the freezer first.  But if she wants to come this month, I'm fine with that too...

Breakfasts:

• Morning Glory Muffins (from the freezer)
• Chocolate Pancakes (from the freezer)
• Oatmeal with Dried Fruit and Nuts
• Cereal
• Eggs & Toast

Dinners:
Monday: Tax Day! We're ordering pizza from Papa John's (large 5-topping pizza for $10, using money I've made on the local garage sale group this week)
Tuesday: Leftover Chicken Fried Rice
Wednesday/Thursday: Multi-Bean Soup, French Bread
Friday: Homemade Macaroni & Cheese
Saturday: Black Bean Burgers, Fries
Sunday: Vegetable Soup, Easy Cheesy Biscuits

Snacks:

• Homemade Granola
• Yogurt
• Peanut Butter Cookies
• Gingerbread Cookies (from a jar mix we got as a Christmas gift)
• Apples, Bananas
• Pretzels
• Ants on a Log (celery, peanut butter, raisins)

What I'm Reading...

Wedding Dress: To Keep Or Not To Keep.  (I'm An Organizing Junkie)

How To Beat Spring Cleaning Overwhelm. (Northern Cheapskate)

American Kitchens Are A Wasteland Of Food. (ABC via Northern Cheapskate)

4 Steps To Prioritize The Mending Pile. (Simple Homemade)

The Life Cycle Of A (Packed) School Lunch. (100 Days Of Read Food)

Parenting A Boy, Not A Herd. (Simple Mom)

Weekly Coupon Shopping

CVS

This week CVS has a Kimberly Clark deal running, to buy $30 and get $10ECBs, including Kleenex, toilet paper, and laundry detergent, all of which we needed.  So I took advantage...

• 6 Kleenex: $0.99 each.  Used two $2/3 CVS printables (no longer available) = paid $1.94/6.
• Cottenelle Toilet Paper (18 rolls): $8.99. Used $1/1 printable (no longer available) = paid $7.99.
• 4 All Free & Clear Detergent: $3.99 each. Used two $2/2 (insert) = paid $2.99 each.
• 2 Stride ID Gum: 2/$3, get $1ECB when you buy 2.  Used $1/2 (SS 4/7/13) = paid $2, got $1ECBs.
• Used $11.50ECBs that I had = paid $12.71, got $11ECBs!
• I also got $5 in my SavingStar account (which I then got in my Paypal account) for buying $15 worth of All detergent (this offer was available awhile back, and was still valid)

Other Coupon Savings:

• Caribou Coffee: Saved $0.44 for using my own mug and $1 from a survey receipt.
• Cub Foods: Bought two Odwalla juices, on sale 2/$4, and used two $1/1 printable coupons = paid $2/2 drinks.  Bought one Fresh Express bagged salad, and used $0.77 coupon booklet coupon to bring the price down, and $0.55/1 (SS 3/10/13) = paid $0.27.  Got a bag of Starburst jelly beans on clearance for $1.25, and kicked myself for not saving my expired candy coupons like I had thought about, because I could have gotten two for $1.50.

Menu Plan Monday

Dinners:

Monday: Seminary Dinner at Applebee's
Tuesday: Toscana Soup
Wednesday: Bean & Cheese Enchiladas
Thursday: Fancy Grilled Cheese (with bacon and apples), Tomato Soup
Friday: Mini BBQ Chicken Pizzas
Saturday/Sunday: Chicken Fried Rice

Looking at this meal plan, I might have to change a few things, since I just realized I didn't get enchilada sauce, and we are used up the soy sauce on last week's sweet and sour stir fry (which was awesome!).  A trip to the store might be in order...

Also on the agenda for this week:

• Another batch of Morning Glory Muffins (with a switch from canola oil to a butter/coconut oil mix)
• A half batch of vegetable broth
• Some sort of cookies or bars
• Peach Cornmeal Muffins that I didn't get to last week

In other food-related news, I got a big jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil in the mail this week, which means more coconut oil experiments (and a giveaway!) will be coming soon.  I'm super excited about that!

What I'm Reading...

The Sacred Messiness. Read as I sat on the couch with boogers on my shoulder. (Simple Mom)

It's About Who We Are, Not What We Do. I didn't do much decorating or crafting for Easter either, but I still think the kids had lots of fun. (The Happiest Mom)

GMOs And The Monsanto Protection Act.  (100 Days of Real Food)

The Challenge Of Letting Go Of Books.  I found it easier to get rid of books once I realized that a lot of them I wasn't going to read (at all or again).  (Unclutterer)

How Pure Is Your Olive Oil? A Two-Step Test. (Don't Waste The Crumbs)

Why I Like Pinterest Better Than Any Other Method Of Inspiration Organization, And How I Make It Work For Me.  I still occasionally scroll through the pins for fun, but this is generally what I do. (Simple Homemade)

Weekly Coupon Shopping

HyVee

HyVee is running one of my favorite cereal deals this week.  Even without coupons, you can get 4 boxes of cereal for $8 (and get $4 back)!  If you have coupons like I did, it only gets better!
Transaction 1:

• 2 Cocoa Puffs: $2.98 each.  Used two $0.60/1 printables.
• 2 Cheerios: $3.00 each.  Used two $0.60/1 printables.
• Used $4/4 ad coupon.  Got $0.05 for using my own bag = paid $5.51, got $4.00 back.

Transaction 2:

• 2 Cocoa Puffs: $2.98 each.  Used two $0.50/1 printables.
• 1 Cheerios: $3.00. Used $0.50/1 printable.
• 1 Lucky Charms: $3.00.  Used $0.50/1 printable (no longer available).
• Popcorn: $3.59.
• Used $4/4 ad coupon. Used $4 catalina from first transaction. Got $0.05 for using my own bag = paid $5.50, got $4.00 back.

Target

I was super excited to see the dryer sheets actually in stock today! My coupons expire in 2 days, and I didn't think I was going to be able to use them, which was a bummer, because we're actually almost out.  Score!

• 6 Bounce Dryer Sheets (34 count): $1.97 each.  Used two $3/3 Target coupons (insert from last month) and two $3/3 (P&G 3/31/13) = all free!
• Suave Keratin Conditioner: $1.99.  Used free coupon from Facebook promo (no longer available) = free!
• All I paid was $0.70 in tax.  I think if I would have been buying something else, I would have gotten overage applied to that, because the conditioner coupon automatically took off the full value of $3.50, and then the last $3 dryer sheet coupon automatically adjusted down.  Still, free stuff is free stuff!

Other Coupon Savings:

• Cub Foods: Used $2.50/1 Alexia Foods printable (no longer available) to get sweet potato fries for $0.50 and free International Delight creamer coupon up to $3.79 (emailed the company) to get creamer for $0.30.
• Snapfish: Used promo code BIRTHDAY2 (expired April 2) to get half off an 8x11 custom photo book.  Saved $15.00.
• Walmart: Used free Red Gold Tomato product (email survey) to get tomatoes for free instead of $1.59.  Used free 20oz. Coke coupon (My Coke Rewards) to get a drink for free instead of $1.58.  Used $0.45/1 Angel Soft toilet paper (RP 3/24/13).

Matthew's Fire Engine Birthday Cake

In the past I've done two cakes that I attempted to turn red and ended up with pink.  I've been using Wilton Gel Dye, and after advice from some of my friends, I tried Wilton's Icing Color (which I think might actually be the same thing? it looked the same).  I still got pink.  Turns out that vegetable oil based frostings (i.e. storebought) don't take red dye very well.  Now I know.

Even though it was bright bubblegum pink, I still really like how it turned out!  Here's the view from the front:

For the cake shape itself, I used two loaf pans (and one storebought cake mix).  One cake was the back end of the truck, and the other I cut into thirds and stacked for the front.  I used Dots candies for the lights.  I had saved some frosting as white, so I piped an outline and filled that in for the windows.  It wasn't perfectly straight, but it wasn't too shabby.  I have limited frosting skills, I've discovered...

Here's a side view:

I used some fun striped cookies for wheels, and also piped a ladder onto the back.  I thought about doing a white chocolate 3D ladder (like I did a design for Jesse's Superman cake), but since we were traveling, I didn't want to make things too complicated.

And then this happened...

Even with toothpicks holding the layers together, the fire truck still crashed.  I was able to fix it for candles, but it was a bit of a bummer.

Still, I don't think the birthday boy minded. 

 

Happy Birthday Matthew!

Menu Plan Monday (A Day Late)

Breakfasts:

• Morning Glory Muffins from the freezer
• Whole Wheat Chocolate Pancakes from the freezer
• Cereal
• Oatmeal with Dried Fruit and Nuts

Lunches:

• Egg Salad Sandwiches (we got some of the extra eggs from Easter)
• PB&J or PB&Honey Sandwiches
• Bean and Cheese Tortillas
• Muffin Tin Lunches
• Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese (for me)

I'm also planning on making Veggie Minestrone Soup and Venison Chili to put in the freezer for the next few weeks.

Dinners:
Tuesday: Portabella Fajitas (from More Peas, Thank You), Homemade Refried Beans from the freezer
Wednesday/Thursday: Black Bean Taco Salads
Friday: Burger Basket night (local once a month Marine benefit that we sometimes go to)
Saturday: Homemade Pizza - Sausage, Peppers, Black Olives
Sunday: Cashew Pineapple Stir Fry (from Peas & Thank You)

Snacks:

• Pretzels
• Crackers & Hummus
• Popcorn
• Yogurt
• Granola and/or Granola Bars
• Fresh Fruit - Bananas, Apples, Oranges, and Pears

April Goals

Crafts:

• Do a Ukraine Travel Shadow Box from my trip in 2004 (it's about time!) and a Twins fan shadow box, both with little items I've been saving.
• Start working on the big background for my Advent calendar. 

Food:

• Make tortillas from scratch.
• Come up with a few meals to get prepped and in the freezer for when Hannah comes.
• Try at least 3 recipes from my new cookbook (More Peas, Thank You)

Other:

• Go through the newborn to 3 month clothes we have and pull out all the ones that aren't blatantly "boy clothes" for Hannah. And then find a shelf or dresser to store them in.
• Consistently read from my Bible or devotion book each day.
• Print out the numbers for the years in my cards/pictures album (where I keep photos, announcements, and other fun mail that we get each year).

Getting The Kitchen Ready For Vacation

We have been gone visiting family for the past 5 days.  I should have a Menu Plan post up some time tomorrow, but for now, here are some tips for getting your kitchen ready for a vacation.

One of the things I always try to do before leaving for several days is use up or store the perishable food items we have.  In this case, it was a 32oz. container of yogurt, 4 carrots and 4 apples, 2 tortillas, a bit of feta, and a few other random things.

First I made yogurt cubes (the white things in the bag in the picture above).  I spooned yogurt into ice cube trays and stuck them in the freezer for a few hours.  Then I put them in a bag, and now I can add them to smoothies.  I've done this before with muffin tins, but the ice cube size is a lot easier for the blender to handle.

I also made juice the morning we left with the leftover apples and carrots, and then made a big batch of Morning Glory Muffins from the juice pulp.  These will make a great easy breakfast/snack for the first day or so we're back.  We have some noodles and a jar of alfredo sauce on the shelf, and broccoli and mushrooms in the freezer, so we'll have an easy dinner tonight that is already nearly ready to go.

Lunch the day we left included cheese tortillas, the last of a can of pineapple, and some baby carrots with hummus that were in the fridge.  It was kind of a random assortment of stuff, but it was what needed to be eaten. 

And, after all that fun, I got to do the dishes and take out the garbage.  Here's what my fridge looked like when we left:

Very empty!  But at least I get to come home to a clean kitchen, with enough ready to eat until we can get to shopping again!  How do you plan for a vacation?