Category Archives: Menu Planning

Monday Menu Post

Posted on by
Reply

We have not been out to eat in an entire week!  This is possible with the generosity of friends who share party leftovers on Sunday.  This weeks’ menu plan looks a little bit more balance than last week.  I did spend some time in our refrigerator and freezers this weekend to get a better idea of what we have for food.  I am anticipating the next couple of weeks being much easier now that I have a better idea of what we have and also the kids all get to enjoy our junk food Sunday.  The even better news is that I only need to purchase a couple of items for junk food Sunday so it will definitely not be a budget buster!

Breakfast– Saturday- Artisan bread eggs and cheddar bay sausage balls.  Sunday-MY mom treated with bagels which we have not had in several weeks! .  Monday-Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday -choice of breakfast muffins, eggs, , sausage, oatmeal, cereal or grits or breakfast burritos. I am trying to talk Matt into making a batch of waffles to freeze but so far no luck!
Lunch- – Saturday- Pizza and cheese bread- treat from oldest daughter. Sunday- Party leftovers with friends.    Monday- Friday Leftovers, and rice or pasta. The kids are actually starting to think ahead and take some hot meals for lunch.
Dinner- – Saturday- Anniversary party food.  Sunday-Mexican Street corn soup. Monday-Copycat PF Chang lettuce wraps, vegetable fried rice and egg rolls.  Tuesday-Baked Ziti and copycat bread sticks Wednesday- Crockpot cube steak, mashed potatoes, cole slaw and air fryer corn.  Thursday-Fish sticks and French fries with fruit..  Friday- pulled pork and baked beans. possible peach pie.

Here’s to meal planning being much easier!

Freezer and Pantry Food

Posted on by
Reply

Recently I have been spending/ wasting a considerable amount of time watching Youtube videos of grocery hauls, pantries and freezers along with the traditional January- Eat out of the  Pantry challenge.    It actually has brought several things to light for me and I decided that I would share a couple of those things with you.

First a couple of facts that I know I have said but wanted to make sure these are obvious when I am reading this 3-5 years from now.
1. Matt lost his job in November 2021. This was a sudden and unexpected change.
2.  We had budgeted $650 a month of groceries in 2021. We overspent this budget 3 months of the year but stayed under budget in November.  We were over budget in December due to some stocking up.
3. I set our grocery budget for January until June at $200 a month or $50 a year.
4. Once Matt returns to steady full-time employment, I plan to use the difference of $450 a month to save in order to purchase a cow this summer and re-stock our meat.
5. If Matt’s unemployment would end prior to him having a full-time job, I am planning to then switch my grocery shopping to only things that we are completely out of and NEED!

After reviewing that list, I can make the following statements:

1. We could likely exist on $25 a week if we needed to by only purchasing things we are completely out of.
2. I am keeping a rolling grocery list of items that we are currently low on. I am restocking to the level that I normally would. For example, we have 2 cans of corn left, I will be purchasing 8 cans on one of my next few trips. I really could get by with purchasing 2 more but instead, I want to keep a doable level for me. This will allow me to switch to number 5 above for several months in not longer if the need arises.
3.  I am continuing to purchase items I know we will use in the next couple of months when I see them on sale. For example, 2 Liter Diet Cokes are on sale this week. I will be purchasing my normal amount of 20 bottle plus an additional 10 bottles of regular Coke for the kids. I also plan to purchase 10 non-caffeinate soda to restock as well.
4. In order to use the items that we have in the freezer, I have to meal plan. And I am also trying to add one meatless meal a week and at least one meal a week to use items that we have in the freezer but normally would not choose like chicken legs or meatloaf muffins.
5. We are in a very blessed position that allows us to wait on God’s timing for Matt’s new job. Currently you would not be able to tell from our lifestyle that we are basically a one income family at this point.
6. I need to remember that we need to keep the budget at $200 a month including Amazon in order to enjoy things like our planned trips without it becoming a financial strain or hardship.
7. I am not the only person in the world who has enough food for 6 months to a year on hand!

Menu Planning

Posted on by
Reply

I wanted to get the monthly update out on time, so I pushed the menu planning until today (Tuesday).  We were able to stick to the plan and only eat out for lunch on Sunday.  Saturday, we cooked and tried out new dishes that you can read about here.  We did not purchase anything extra so that is always a plus. This week is the first time that I can see a difference in our food supply.  We are starting to use up some things that we like for convivence, but I am also starting to move around several items so that we have convivences for lunch.  Here is to another week of eating at home!

Breakfast– Saturday- bacon eggs and toast.    Sunday- I had some yogurt and granola with fruit, everyone else had this plus or minus things they did not like! .  Monday-Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday -choice of breakfast muffins, eggs, pop-tarts, sausage, oatmeal, cereal or grits, breakfast burritos, or omelets.  We will be finishing up the omelet bags and the remainder of the pancakes this week.  I hope to find some new combinations that we can all enjoy!
Lunch- – Saturday- burrito bowls or left-overs Sunday- Gregg’s with friends   Monday- Thursday Leftovers, and soup should work for most of the week. The kids really liked the soup for dinner on Saturday and with we also have burrito bowls for the boys to enjoy.
Dinner- – Saturday- Cheesy sausage potato soup (half frozen for another meal) Sunday- Left-overs Monday-Hot dogs with chill and slaw and potato chips Tuesday-Taco pasta   Wednesday- Spaghetti and homemade bread (meatless meal for the week) Thursday- meatloaf muffins, squash casserole and mashed potatoes.  Friday- Chicken nuggets and French fries.

Lots of snacks and good things to come!

5 Things Friday

Posted on by
Reply

  1.  We are expecting our third snow in three weeks tonight. I have no plans to go outside the house before church on Sunday!
  2. The greenhouse continues to work really well. I am already beginning to think about what we could possibly grow next year…a lemon tree is high on the list.
  3. I have officially been able to complete my grocery challenge of $50 a week or $200 for the month of January. I even included my Amazon order which in the past I would have not!
  4. Our lives are on the uptick with events and practices, so it is really nice to have another weekend at home with most practices and events being cancelled due to weather.
  5. We can finally start to see a reduction in our freezers which is nice. I am currently making plans to start slowing adding more convivence meals back to the freezers using only the ingredients that we have!

Five Things Friday- Food Edition

Posted on by
Reply

  1. Food Waste- I am actually excited and pleased with the way we have been able to reduce our food waste this week. For dinner on Monday, we used the remaining hot dogs from our camping trip and I used the single remaining bun for a bacon and egg sub on Thursday morning.  We all ate leftover PF Changs for Tuesday lunch with Matt finishing the leftovers on Wednesday at lunch. Thursday night I used the finally 2 remaining apples from December along with 2 applesauce cups to make Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal for breakfast on Friday!
  2. Eating Out- We have managed to eat at home exclusively since we returned on Monday. I will be eating out lunch today since I am at work but with the weather so cold our only restaurant meal will be Sunday at lunch!  This is a huge accomplishment for us especially since we are eating out of freezer and pantry.
  3. Grocery Budget-We currently have spent $90.72 including the additional camping treats that we purchased.   I do have an Amazon subscribe and save order that will arrive next week which will increase the spending to $184.75. I also have $121 left in our grocery budget envelope. We are on track to spend less than $200 for groceries for January.  Currently, my plan is to keep as much of the grocery budget as possible even at $50 a week so that we will have the cash this summer to purchase meat, chicken and pork in bulk!
  4. New Recipes- Since we have been spending an extended amount of time at home, we have been exploring what we can make with the items we have on-hand. I made a copycat version of Olive Garden Breadsticks  which will be a definite repeat. Matt made a cheeseburger pie for dinner on Thursday from a new recipe, unfortunately it will not be a repeat as it was just eatable.
  5. The greenhouse is working great!  We actually were able to eat a salad from the lettuce we have been currently growing!  The kids were so excited and we hope to enjoy more of the garden soon.  We have been pleased to learn that first the heater is working well even on extremely cold day! And to Matt’s surprise the plastic roof is holding strong and providing the protection and heat that is needed!

Monday Menu Post

Posted on by
Reply

The word of the week is food waste. The goal is to eliminate as much food waste as possible, with the ultimate goal of $100 groceries this month while eating out of the freezers and panty. Spending for groceries so far this month is $18.33!

Breakfast– Saturday-Biscuit King   Sunday- Sausage links and toast Monday-Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, -choice of breakfast muffins, eggs, pop-tarts, sausage, oatmeal, cereal or grits, breakfast burritos, or omelets.  Friday- Gregg’s
Lunch- – Saturday-left-overs Sunday- Cracker Barrell   Monday- Thursday Leftovers, pizza and soup should work for most of the week.
Dinner- – Saturday- Left-overs Sunday-Cowboy Beans (from the freezer) and cornbread.  Monday- Ham Tetrazzini- we used left over pork lion instead of ham. Tuesday-Hamburger Steak, air fryer corn and scalloped potatoes   Wednesday- Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings.  Thursday-Left-overs

I think we will succeed!

Monday Menu Planning

Posted on by
Reply

First official snow day of the school year. Technically it is a bad weather no power day but I am seeing snow flurries so decided to stay home and call it a snow day!

I started our limited grocery budget ($50 a week) last week and we nailed it!  We spent $4.00 from the change jar in total. We spent alot of time last week, eating left-overs so we are all caught up for the time being. We are starting to slow pull items out of the freezers and pantry so we are definitely back to meal planning this week!

Breakfast– Saturday-sausage links and eggs   Sunday-left over muffins from Costco  Monday-Gravy and biscuit (made because of my school delay/closure) Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday-choice of breakfast muffins, eggs, pop-tarts, sausage, oatmeal, cereal or grits, breakfast burritos, or omelets.
Lunch- – Saturday-sliders with turkey and ham   Sunday- Panda Panda   Monday- left-overs  Tuesday- Friday Leftovers, pizza and soup should work for most of the week.
Dinner- – Saturday-Homemade pizza    Sunday- Dad’s Chicken stew (with a whole meal frozen for the future).  Monday- Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich. (Matt spent fifty cent to purchase bread for this.)      Tuesday-Hamburger Helper   Wednesday- Mackerl and corn and fruit.  Thursday-Spaghetti and meatballs    Friday-Leftovers or Breakfast casserole depending on how the week goes.

Enjoying a slow start to a fairly busy normal week!

Let’s Talk Food!

Posted on by
Reply

Food is always a huge part of any celebration for us!  This year did not disappoint!  We started on Wednesday morning with a trip to Cracker Barrel for breakfast!  Lunch/ Dinner was a really cool burger bar in Asheville called Juicy Lucy!

We enjoyed microwave breakfast meals in our camper both Thursday and Friday mornings!  These are a huge treat for us and at $27 for both mornings way cheaper than eating out! On Thursday, we enjoyed lunch at the Stable Cafe at Biltmore.

Christmas Eve, Friday, was our usual Pork BBQ with the addition of baked beans and mac and cheese!  This is definitely a repeat.

For Christmas morning/ lunch I made cheddar bay sausage balls, cream cheese cresant rolls and a hashbrown casserole.   For dinner we simply ate from the fridge with the healthy addition of deviled eggs, fruit and a veggie tray.

Sunday or the day after Christmas continued our food celebration, my Sunday school class had a pot luck breakfast, lunch was at La Caretta (Mexican) and dinner is appetizers at a gathering of friends.

After all this, I am sure a food coma is going to occur soon!

I have also had a chance to view out grocery spending for the year. I am very excited to announce that we spent $6,312.75 on groceries this year which is an average of $526.06 a month!!! This is actually a decrease in the overall average from last year.  I have been doing some thinking and planning.  I want to challenge myself to keep grocery spending to $50 a week for the months of January, February, March and May. We are travelling to Disney in April so I am not sure if that is realistic to even attempt to keep this same budget in April.  This will allow us to hopefully use up the majority of the food that is in our freezers so I can spend some time next summer, restocking with items that we currently are enjoying and make a bunch of prepared meals.  It will also allow me to get a realistic idea of what we need to spend on a weekly basis for fresh food and diary items.

Menu Planning Monday

Posted on by
Reply

The last full week before Christmas break. I feel like my life is stuck in a holding pattern. I can’t make any plans or decisions regarding our new budget or finances until at least the end of the week. The good news is that Matt has a second interview on Friday, this may lead to his new job or this may be another dead end.  We also should have a better idea of what to expect financially after a meeting on Wednesday.  For now, I am just trying not to worry and spend!  We ended up eating out alot this weekend but hopefully we can get back on track quickly and easily now!

Breakfast– Saturday-Wendy’s breakfast biscuits. Sunday-Breakfast bowls- leftovers were made into burritos and froze for future use.   Monday- In an effort to use up items I made fried bologna for everyone this morning! Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday-choice of breakfast muffins, eggs, pop-tarts, sausage, oatmeal, cereal or grits, breakfast burritos, or omelets.
Lunch- – Saturday-Pork Nachos with Velvetta cheese   Sunday- Gregg’s   Monday thur Friday Leftovers, pizza and soup should work for most of the week.
Dinner- – Saturday- McDonalds prior to Tanglewood lights.    Sunday- Pasta Fagali Soup (with a whole meal frozen for the future.  Monday- Chicken taco casserole    Tuesday-Stuffed shells    Wednesday-Pork Fried rice (any remaining pork will be made into future pork fried rice meals.)  Thursday-Steak and pasta salad     Friday-Pork chops and Mac and cheese.

Menu Planning Monday

Posted on by
Reply

I did go to the grocery store with my mother on Saturday but managed to spend less than $5. This week we will be focusing on using the food we have on hand!

Breakfast– Saturday-Find your own.  Sunday-yogurt for me   Monday, Tuesday, figure it out!  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday-choice of breakfast muffins, eggs, pop-tarts, sausage, oatmeal, cereal or grits, breakfast burritos, or omelets.
Lunch- – Saturday-Pulled pork for Lily Birthday   Sunday- Olive Garden  Left-overs, pizza and soup should work for most of the week.
Dinner- – Saturday-Left-overs   Sunday- Left-overs. Monday-  Left-overs   Tuesday-Turkey Casserole   Wednesday-Baked Potato Soup  Thursday-Hamburger Helper     Friday-Pork Quesadas or you guess it Left-overs!