Category Archives: Menu Planning

Monday Menu Planning

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In the department of food/groceries, I am currently in survival mode. I need to survive the insane next two weeks followed by four additional weeks until Summer break starts.  I know that grocery spending will be high this summer as my goal is to restock the freezers so that I can stay in survival mood for the entire school year!  This week we have only two ball games!  I am also continuing to try and use food in the freezers in order to organize and make additional space as needed.

 

Breakfast- Saturday- eggs,grits, sausage, bacon and toast.
Sunday-Left-overs   Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal,
omelets cereal and milk,waffles, French toast sticks, bagels, and I also have breakfast burritos, breakfast hot pockets, sausage mcmuffins and sausage egg and cheese mcmuffins in the freezer. I may attempt homemade bagels to use up greek yogurt but we shall see.

Lunch- Saturday-left-overs Sunday East Coast Wings , Monday-
turkey roll ups  Tuesday- taco soup Wednesday- salad  Thursday-  left-overs of some form.  Friday- out to eat.

Dinner- Saturday-Left-overs   Sunday-more left-overs  Monday-tomato soup and grilled cheese Sandwiches Tuesday- Tortellini Alfredo and garlic bread.
Wednesday- Corn dogs and French Fries  Thursday- salisbury steak with mashed potatoes. Friday-Cheese quesadillas and mexican rice

Saving on Saturday

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The chicken coop needed to clean out and new bedding added. I am allergic to both hay and straw so I have been purchasing shaving to use. Although it is not extremely expensive, every little bit counts so we are cleaning out at work and have an abundance of paper.  I bought home some of the paper and shredded it using my shredder. Today, we clean the chicken coop of the shaving and filled the coop with shredded paper bits.  We re-used the bedding and chicken poop by adding it to our tomato beds to help with growing.  Total spent for new chicken bedding was $0.

Last week, I had meal planned but that plan went out the window. This meant that I had 2 cups of chicken left in the fridge. I had also planned to do a fried rice with brown rice and a cup of black beans.  These items needed to be used.  I ended up making chicken enchiladas with enough leftovers for 2 lunches.  and Lily used the brown rice, black beans and added a can of chicken to make herself a rice bowl for lunch. This actually made enough for 4 meals for her!

So far this month we have spent $215 on groceries. This includes $144 Amazon subscribe and save. This has become a huge money saver for me as it allows me to stay stocked up without buying everything at once. This month I have also used rewards from a couple of credit cards as well. I am hoping to keep the grocery spending under $350 for the month.  The kids have been bagging up snacks for school at night was we have used most of the individual bags but have plenty of larger bags. They also have been “digging” in the freezer for treats such as popsicles and “Hot Pockets” I know the Hot Pockets were purchased in August of last year and forgotten about.  Money spent on food this weekend $0!

We have started 34 tomato plants and 24 pepper plants from seed this year. Today we moved all these plants to the greenhouse. I was so excited to find that my “mosquito” plants have all survived the winter in the greenhouse. The goal is to keep as many plants as possible alive so we can transplant the first of May!

We did use a bit of sweat equity today but we also saved alot of money!

Monday Menu Planning

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This week we are starting to see holes in our pantry and freezers. This is actually a good thing and allows me to really see what food we need.  I also have added a couple of new recipes to help brighten up the food!  The count down to Disney is on so at least I see a light at the end of the food tunnel!

Breakfast- Saturday- Pancakes and  bacon, . Sunday- German pancakes   Monday- bagels  Tuesday Wednesday and Friday-find it :  oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, Thursday- zucchini bread (I was able to find several more packs of zucchini in the freezer and would like to completely clear it out before May.
Lunch- Saturday-left-overs Sunday Gregg’s  This week I have 2 days of salad, a day of soup, and a sandwich for Thursday.  Matt has made 2 hamburger patties and two days of buffalo chicken nuggets.

Dinner- Saturday-Philly Cheesesteak casserole Sunday-Cheeseburger soup (used up all the Velveeta cheese) Monday- Left-overs and or ballgame food.  Tuesday-  Breakfast bowls Wednesday- Chicken Enchilada Thursday- we will like eat out as we have hair cuts and baseball Friday-Pork Fried Rice.

We can do this

Monday Menu Planning

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To be quite honest, I am done.  I am tired of cooking food, tired of planning to cook food and maybe a little bit bored with the food we have.  But I know in my brain we can do this. I can keep the grocery budget low for the rest of the month and then enjoy Disney with all it’s wonderful food that I am not responsible for planning, preparing or cleaning up from.   So for the time being I have to figure out how to make this work.  This week, I wanted to use up food that is already in the fridge. I did have enough time on Saturday to do some preparing ahead. I hope this makes lunch this week much easier.  I am also very hopeful that I can stick to the plan!

Breakfast- Saturday- Big Breakfast including sausage, bacon, eggs and a hashbrown casserole. Sunday-Biscuit and Gravy casserole Monday- Left-over biscuit and gravy casserole. Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it:  oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, Thursday- zucchini bread (I was able to find several more packs of zucchini in the freezer and would like to completely clear it out before May.
Lunch- Saturday-left-overs Sunday Mexican at Don Juan’s. This week I fried up 3 days’ worth of beef liver and onions, I will add some left-over veggies to make this a complete meal.  Matt has made 3 hamburger patties to use up the 3 hamburger buns that are on the table.  The kids can either take leftovers or sandwiches or grab and go.

Dinner- Saturday-leftovers um yum chicken (not a repeat) and squash casserole. Sunday-My Dad’s chicken stew (this leaves only 1 additional soup in the main freezer).  Monday- Left-overs (I will encourage either left-over breakfast or soups, but we will see how this goes). Tuesday- Baked Ziti (one more in the freezer) Wednesday- More Left-overs (We have most of a tater tot casserole to eat) Thursday-Cheesy Chicken Pasta (This was a hit a couple of weeks ago). Friday-Hamburger Helper Stroganoff (These are the last two boxes on the shelf).

My overall thought is that if I can make it through this week, it will get easier and we will be ready for some easy repeating food.

Menu Planning

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The menu plan last week was just that: a meal plan. It really did not happen at all. We were given a meal on Tuesday, made Breakfast for dinner on Wednesday and squeezed in some leftovers. But we have two very big positive take-aways. One is that we did not eat out at all and two we manage to use up most of the leftovers from Junk Food Sunday.  This week we are making a plan once again which uses some of the same items.   We did have a large Costco grocery purchase in February, but we are also continuing to try to eat what we have with some supplements of diary and vegetables.  Next week we will start repeating meals that have been successful. The idea is to get us through the end of March on a limited budget.

Breakfast- Saturday-Gravy Biscuits (3 containers of gravy where frozen to use with breakfast bowls and burritos.) Sunday-Cinnamon roll waffles Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, I am also encouraging hot sandwiches for breakfast to use up bread and protein.  and. Thursday- zucchini bread. Or homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-Hawaiian slider burgers Sunday Applebee’s , Monday- leftovers Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday- salad Thursday- soup of some kind Friday- out to eat.

Dinner- Saturday-leftovers Sunday-Hot Sandwiches Monday-Pork Fried Rice and Chicken fried rice (the purpose and goal of this meal was to use up a lot of left-over veggies and make enough for lunch for several people several days.  Tuesday- Broiled Fish, green beans and salad. Wednesday- New chicken pasta recipe Thursday-Hamburger Help Beef Stroganoff, Friday-Spaghetti and garlic bread.

 

5 Things Friday

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  1. This has been a very long stressful week!  Matt’s surgery was on Tuesday and with me having a half a day workday on Thursday, I have remained confused and exhausted all week. Wednesday we attended a student’s vs staff basketball game at Zach’s school. Thursday, I delivered a meal to a friend. I am looking forward to a slower weekend.
  2. The meal plan was totally derailed however I am happy to report that we have not gone out to eat during this stressful week. Today, I stopped at a bakery and purchased several pieces of cake instead.  We have been using up left-overs and eating at home!
  3. It is time to start thinking and planning for our garden this summer. In fact, we already have some lettuce growing and have planted green peppers. No green peppers have sprouted but I am hoping this was not a waste of time. We plan to start tomatoes from seed on Monday.  I have decided not to plant sweet potatoes this year. We have been cooking up and packaging the remaining ones from the garden. Currently we have 11 pounds packaged up with another 4 or 5 pounds that need to be cooked and packaged.  This is more than enough to last us another year.  Now to decide what to plant instead!
  4. I do have plans for outside tomorrow. Matt’s building for his beetle needs two more pieces of tin placed on top. I need to trim the rose bushes, plant the strawberry plants and raspberry canes that arrived in the mail today. These are both replacements for items I purchased last spring that did not survive.
  5. The chickens are laying! We are currently receiving 4 eggs on a daily basis. On Wednesday, I made a huge breakfast bowl. After dinner I was able to package up 10 additional burritos that we can enjoy in the weeks to come!

Monday Menu Plan

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We are entering week 7 of the pantry challenge. It is also the week of Junk Food Sunday. I hope to keep spending at a minimum as we continue to make progress toward the overall goal!

Breakfast- Saturday- eggs, grits, sausage, bacon and biscuits Sunday-Grits and eggs Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, and. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-left-overs Sunday Gregg’s, Monday- leftovers Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday- leftover Thursday- soup of some kind Friday- out to eat.

Dinner- Saturday-Pizza from Dominos   Sunday-Junk Food Sunday Monday-Left-overs Tuesday- Gift of dinner   Wednesday- Egg Rolls and pot stickers Thursday- Breakfast burritos  Friday-Steak and salad?

Menu Planning Monday

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This week’s plan is fairly simple and straightforward. The focus is on “Junk Food Sunday” We were able to get most of the dinner meals prepared ahead of time or at least started for the week. I know that we also need to get some deserts prepared ahead on Thursday and Friday. I may also go ahead and get components ready as I can!  I am planning a long post on the pantry challenge and the plan for February sometime this week. So, for now I am still using items from the freezer and pantries and will definitely be working from my meals list next time!

Breakfast- Saturday- eggs, grits, sausage, bacon and biscuits Sunday-muffins Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, and. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-left-overs Sunday Time Square Pizza, Monday- leftovers Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday- out to eat Thursday- soup of some kind Friday- out to eat.

Dinner- Saturday-Costco chicken and sweet potatoes    Sunday-Stuffed green pepper soup. Monday-Sloppy joes and french fries. Tuesday- new to us Taco Pasta Wednesday- chicken pot pie Thursday-Mini Quiches Friday-leftovers likely.

Successful Sunday

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Sunday are usually a less stressful day around here. Today was less stressful but I am so happy with all we were able to get accomplished that I wanted to share.

We did the usual of course, church and lunch out! Then we came home and I got an hour nap which was much needed!
This afternoon, Matt worked on getting some plants started in our living room. I live in zone 7b, which means we have long summers but still not long enough to grow a ton of peppers. So this year, we are trying something different. We have sown approximately 35 pepper seeds in our living room. I am not currently planning to purchase any seeds this year so I am hoping that we get at least 15 pepper plants to grow!   I did purchase a grow mat to keep under the seeds until they germinate.  Matt also planted a batch of lettuce seeds.  If we get to eat some leaves I will be happy if not we have only wasted time.
We ended up purchasing a Costco chicken yesterday an ate for dinner. Last night I pulled off all the meat and threw the skin and bones in the crockpot. They finished 18 plus hours this morning before we left for church.  This afternoon I was able to can up 9 pints of chicken booth and used the remaining bit for dinner and for a chicken pot pie later this week. I used the remaining meat from the chicken along with several bowls of vegetable soup I found in the freezer to make a chicken pot pie. I will add a topping for dinner on Wednesday this week.
Matt was able to fry up 6 pounds of ground beef on the Blackstone. I used a pound for green pepper soup, a pound for a taco casserole I am going to try this week and the remaining 4 turned into my chili.  I ended up canning 5 pints of chill with one left out to use for Junk Food Sunday.
This week gets slightly more busy with baseball workouts starting but we no longer have swim in the morning.

Monday Menu Planning- Week 5 of Pantry Challenge

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Week 5 of the Pantry Challenge!  I still swear that someone adds an extra month into January every year!  I am excited that next week, I can begin re-using meals from my list.

Breakfast- Saturday- gravy and biscuits, Sunday-omelets Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, breakfast burritos and pancakes. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-beef nachos Sunday-Lorn horn Steakhouse, Monday- leftovers Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday- out to meet, Thursday- soup of some kind Friday- workshop.

Dinner- Saturday-Cookout   Sunday-chicken and – Spaghetti Tuesday- Salisbury steak, green beans and rice. Wednesday- Cheeseburger Pizza Thursday-Chicken Angel Pasta (new recipe).   Friday-tacos