Menu Week of June 14, 2010

Menu Week of 6/15/2010

Monday: Chicken Pot Pie

Tuesday: Chicken Taco lasagna

Recipe: Leftover shredded salsa chicken, flour tortillas, salsa, kernel corn, shredded cheese. Layer and bake. Top with: sour cream, lettuce, black olives, scallions, black beans

Shredded salsa chicken: take a bag of chicken breasts (can be done with regular bone in chicken- any type) and put in a large roasting pan with lid. Dump a jar or medium (or your favorite spicy-ness) salsa over the top and bake until chicken is done and tender- I cooked the breasts over an hour. Take out and, using 2 forks, shred in the pan (with the salsa), mixing the chicken with the salsa. This makes a LOT. We used it one night for topping nachos, then mixed it in the leftover nacho sauce for lunches the next day. What was leftover (that was too much for the nacho dip!) I froze to use for “something else”….. this sounds like a good use!

Wednesday:- Spaghetti- old faithful! ;) with beef, green beans

Thursday- Baked chicken legs, Broccoli, corn, potato salad

Friday- chicken tetrazzini Green beans with bacon and brown sugar

1 16-oz package whole wheat spaghetti (use ½ of package or 8 oz)1 1/4 cup finely chopped onion (1 cup sauteed)3 T butter1 cup chopped green bell pepper5 1/2 cups cooked, diced chicken4 cups grated Montery Jack Cheese2- 10 3/4 oz cans cream of mushoom soup (I used 2 servings of my cream of soup recipe)1 1/4 cup 2% milksalt and pepper to taste

Break spaghetti in half and cook as directed on package until al dente; drain. Saute onions in butter. Thouroughly mix in onions and remaining ingredients with spaghetti in a large bowl. Put spaghetti mixture in 2 containers, and freeze.To prepare for serving, thaw tetrazzini a nd put in a baking dish. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven until bubbly about 30-40 minutesNumber of Servings: 12

Menu week of April 26th 2010

Since I will be out of commission with my eye surgery, I really want to get things straightened out and ready better than I did last time..... so I have entered all my recipes in the spark recipe calculator, printed them out, and will be shopping today or tomorrow and cooking these 5 meals this weekend. I took them from the Once A Month Cooking book, a family favorite, and one from recipezaar.com . So, here's a list of the recipes I will be making, and you can all find them in my cookbook.... Jennywren93's cookbook.... in the sparkrecipes section. All of these are freezer meals, so this may be a good way to get your menus on track. You don't have to cook them all at once, but maybe cook an extra meal every night for a week - or every other day- and your freezer will be overflowing with less work for you soon! :) Linked the title to my sparkpeople cookbook. If it doesn't work, let me know and I will post all the recipes...

1. OMAC Spaghetti Pie- 373.6 cals/serving
Additional recipes used- Sweet Italian Sausage, Basic Spaghetti Sauce

2. Bird's Nest Pie- 429 cals (think this can be cut down by smaller servings, not sure how many servings it will make yet....)
Additional recipes used- Sweet Italian Sausage

3. chicken Tetrazzini- 317 cals/serving
Additional Recipes used- Cream of soup with Variations recipe

4. Jennywren93's Famous Chicken Casserole- 263 cals/serving
Additional recipes used- Cream of soup with variations

5.OMAC Oriental Chicken- 121.4 cals (this does not include brown rice-can add stir fry veggies or steamed veggies to go with this)


Yes, I do make a lot of things from scratch. I find it is cheaper and healthier that way. If you want convenience-I have no problem with using jarred spaghetti sauce, premade sausage and cream of soup.... this is just a choice I have made.


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So, my kids decided to be picky eaters....

Not picky per se, but I think I am in a rut with my cooking, and I needed a bit of input. So, I asked my oldest to sit down with me and think of all the things she loved that I cooked. It was a hard thing, but finally pulled a lot of ideas out of her:
pizza
spaghetti (with meatballs too!)
lasagna
chicken casserole
clam chowder
corn chowder
chili
biscuit wrapped hot dogs (she called them "pig in a blanket")
cheeseburgers homemade
pub fries
pizza pockets (a new addition)
waffles
pancakes
sausage links
green beans
salad
broccoli/carrots (raw)
fruit
whipped yogurt
chicken breasts (no bones chicken as well)
baked chicken (but no bones! LOL)
meatballs
fried chicken
chicken fingers
hard boiled eggs
Fried Egg sandwiches
egg salad sandwiches
deviled eggs
mashed potatoes (with brown gravy)
biscuits (with white gravy)

You get the idea. LOL

So, I took the list and went out to shop tonight. I got a lot of things on the list (some with things in mind for the superbowl "party" we are having with ourselves and hubby's cousin) and the kids are too excited! So, tonight we ended up with meatball sandwiches (bought buns for the cheeseburgers, but used some for tonight, and a bit of frozen spaghetti sauce I had!) and some veggies. They was soooo excited! They wanted that, cheeseburgers and pigs in a blanket all tonight! LOL

So..... Here's the menu for a while...

Chicken casserole
green beans with bacon and brown sugar
red potatoes with butter and rosemary

tacos/quesadillas
veggies/dip

pigs in a blanket
potato salad
deviled eggs

ham spread sandwiches (with swiss for those who are adventurous)
rice with butter salt and garlic
cooked broccoli

breaded and baked chicken breasts (possibly as fingers)
mashed potatoes
green beans/peas

Teriaki chicken
rice
Broccoli

spaghetti and meatballs
spaghetti squash for me and hubby
salad (possibly homemade caesar)
homemade bread

Cheeseburgers
Pub fries
veggies



Superbowl food
potato salad (red potatoes, hidden valley ranch, chives)
deviled eggs
ham spread on crackers
nacho dip
wings from walmart (for hubby!)
smokies in sauce
veggies/dip
fruit
pizza pockets
Homemade bread

Menu Week of November 16, 2009

Well, another week is getting ready to start, are you ready for it? Here's my menu for the week, took the recipes from other menus posted here.... so you should be able to find the recipes!

*Thursday is PTO Meeting (Middle Daughter is Signing as part of the Chorale group) so we will eat dinner at school that night

*Friday oldest daughter has a birthday party/sleepover, so we will have individual pasghetti pizzas with personal toppings as a treat!

Other than those 2 nights, the rest of the menu can be used on any days!

1 Tacos *I use 3-4 lbs of ground turkey to have leftovers* and all the fixings/salad or veggies/dip
2 chicken noodle soup (trying to put a soup night in there again. It's good, filling, my family LOVES soup, and it's cheap! :)
3. Crock Pot Chicken Divan ( http://www.crock-pot.com/Recipe.aspx?rid=283 ) with buttered noodles and a salad
4. Baked chicken with garlic powder/salt/onion powder, rice and broccoli with butter, salt and parmesan cheese

* with the leftover taco meat I will make Taco Cups- take cheap canned biscuits and put them in muffin tins, add some taco meat into the center, top with cheese and any other toppings you may want. My family really loves these and they make a quick on-the-go breakfast! Make them up as you are cleaning up after taco dinner, and you are good to go for the rest of the week! :)

* I make my own taco seasoning because 1. It's cheaper, and 2. It's healthier! I will post the recipe in a bit......

Recipes Week of November 8

1 Crockpot Corn Chowder
Just warning you, I am a "throw it in until it tastes good" cook, so these are just estimates!

1 pkg bacon
4-5 potatoes, peeled, cubed small
1/2-1 small onion (to your preference)chopped small
2 cans creamed corn
1 - 1 lb bag frozen corn
2T sugar
1/2-1 t salt
pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1-2 cups water (to your desired consistancy)

cut bacon into 1/2" strips, cook until done. Remove from grease to crockpot. In grease cook potatoes and onions until potatoes are almost cooked and onions are translucent. Put all in crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir tombine. Cook on low 6-8 hrs, high 4-6. Enjoy with chicken wings or fresh veggies/dip. Fresh bread is always a winner too! :)

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Again, estimates....

1/2-1 medium onion chopped finely
2T olive oil
1 tsp salt
1T pre-chopped garlic (or freshly chopped)

Saute until onion is translucent.

Add:
3 cans tomato paste
4 cups water
3-4 bay leaves (whole, fresh or dried- if fresh, thinly slice)
1tsp oregano (if fresh, thinly slice)
1-2 tsp dried rosemary (if using fresh, use less and chop well)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated (yep in the sauce!)
Marjoram if you have it
thyme if you want (sparingly, it's a strong spice)

Stir with a whisk the tomato paste and water, add the rest of the ingredients. let simmer until hot, add meatballs or cooked ground beef, or bulk italian sausage (sweet, not hot)

BBQ sauce

1 big bottle ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp onion powder or 1/2 of a small onion sauteed
1/2 tsp or less salt (to taste)
pepper to taste
1 tsp worstechestershire (however you spell it!) sauce
1/2 -1/4 tsp liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat until sugar is melted all is good and "sticky". Flavor to desired taste.

Hot Cocoa Mix

This makes A LOT! I am storing it in a HUGE icecream container (you know, the big plastic tubs of it!)

1 box of dried milk (8 cups)
2 cups coffee creamer (no flavor)
2 cups cocoa powder
2 cups sugar

My kids LOVE hot cocoa, so this will hopefully last us a month! ;) But we had all ingredients on hand, but the dried milk (5.99 at aldi), so overall it was QUITE cheap for us! I read one recipe where you add cinnamon. I did, they didn't like it! So, NO cinnamon for kids! But this also makes a great add in for your coffee too! :)

We have a "cocomotion" which makes about 4 cups of hot cocoa at once (or a bit more). I used 1 cup of this mix in the cocomotion to make 4 cups. so, 1/4 cup per cup.....you can cut it down if you think......

Menu for the Week of November 8!

Ok, time to get back to doing this, and not just in my head!

Breakfasts:
Cereal (raisin bran, shredded wheat, honey combs)
4 boxes sausage links (the kids love these!)
eggs
Homemade Hot Cocoa (will post an article later)

Lunches:
Sandwiches (Ham, baloney, peanut butter and grape or strawberry jelly)
cheeto puffs, popcorn, doritos, tortilla chips (all off brand from aldi)
carrots, apples (my kids go through bags and bags of apples weekly!)
iced oatmeal cookies (from Big Lots on their markdown shelf- 75 cents each container- holds 20? cookies)

Dinners:
1. Crockpot Corn Chowder (one day I am working away from home)
2. baked chicken legs/thighs with garlic powder/salt/onion powder
white cheddar noodles (aldi- 79 cents/box)
Broccoli (frozen- always cheaper and as healthy as the fresh!)
3. Baked Ravioli ($2.79/box of ravioli, .39 cents/can tomato paste, 1 lb ground turkey, 1.19)
green beans (frozen of course!)
Texas Toast Garlic Bread (a splurge, $1.79/box)
4. Ribs ($1.79/lb one time! in freezer!)
Green beans or broccoli
mashed potatoes or fried
5. BBQ chicken done in the crockpot
rice with butter and salt
green beans or broccoli (see a pattern here? LOL We love green veggies and when we can't afford romaine, we go for frozen!)
6. Ramen noodles and hot dogs (one night is gonna be too busy, you just KNOW it!)

For those of you, like me, who SHOULD be eating low carb due to weight, physical needs (fibro), etc here are your options

1. Make carbs for family, skip putting them on your plate- yeah, tough to do, but you can do it!
2. on Ravioli night have a boneless chicken breast thawed out for you, bake it, put the spaghetti sauce and even some mozzarella over it! have the veggie or a salad!
3. on Ramen noodle night, have a fabulous omelette! I have cream cheese (low fat) and shredded cheddar in the fridge for breakfast ones, but don't forget sauteed onions, peppers, crumbled bacon, etc. Maybe some others will get jealous and want yours too!
4. Carbs are good, as long as they are GOOD carbs.... instead of white potatoes make them Sweet Potatoes, use brown rice instead of white. Remember portion control is important, so when you do have those, go for 1/2 cup servings only. Limit it to one meal a day, and maybe 3 times a week at most. The rest of the time get your carbs from your fruits and veggies. DON"T forget your fruits! :) They are important too!
5. Drink your water, drink your water! :)

Recipes for week of Aug 17, 2009

Ok, here's the recipes to go with the meals (I will post mock mashed potatoes and homemade taco seasoning tomorrow):

Cheese Nachos- aka Nacho cheese dip

1 large block Velveeta style cheese
2 pkgs light cream cheese
1-2 cups milk (at least) to desired consistancy (the more milk you add, the thinner it is, and less likely to harden up when cool, and it goes farther!)
1 lb ground turkey/beef
1 pkg taco seasoning (or homemade)
1-2 cups salsa (your choice)

take velveeta, cut up into small squares and put into crockpot, cut up cream cheese and put in crockpot, add milk and salsa to crockpot, turn on low (or high if in a hurry)

Brown ground turkey/beef in pan, drain, add pkg taco seasoning to beef- DO NOT ADD THE WATER TO THE MEAT- and stir until all meat is combined with seasoning consistantly. Add meat mixture to crockpot. stir to combine. Stir occasionally until all cheeses are melted.

Serve over tortilla chips (or Dorito style chips) and top with your favorite taco seasonings -lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, chilies, sour cream, black beans, etc....

This can also be used as a dip for get togethers, when I do, I double it, because it WILL all be eaten- bring 2 bags of tortilla chips... they will be gone. Always a crowd pleaser!

Garlic/dill bread-
An old recipe from my grandma ;)

1 loaf french bread, sliced lengthwise, on the side to make 2 flat pieces
1/2 cup mayo (optional, but ooooohhhh so yummy!)
2 sticks butter, or margarine, softened
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
garlic powder to taste (2T or so)
Salt (1/2 tsp or to taste)
dill

cut bread and put on baking sheet. Combine mayo, softened butter, garlic powder and salt until mixed completely. Spread equally on both bread halves, take it to the edge. Top with a generous sprinkle of dill. Bake at 425 for 15-20 min or until golden brown and bubbly. Let cool before cutting into 2" rectangles. YUMMMMMMM

Cheese/bacon openface sandwiches
This my parents used to do when I was a kid....now I know why... it's soooo cheap!

hamburger buns
slices of cheese (american or swiss squares)
bacon

Bake bacon in the oven at 425 for 20 min or until cooked to desired doneness. This will make the bacon flat and easier to make all at once.

open hamburger buns on baking sheet so cut sides are up. place one slice of cheese on each 1/2, and an X of bacon on top of that. Bake at 375 until cheese is melted and bubbly. If desired, before the cheese is put on, butter each 1/2 of bun.

Menu plan week of Aug 17, 2009

Well, I MUST do this tonight, because I have all the groceries bought for the week and I need to put down somewhere what I was thinking for meals this week. Not to mention that Paige's bday is monday (9 yrs old!) so, I have "special food" decided for that day.

Monday- Paige's bday! 9 yo
Breakfast: biscuits and gravy/ sausage/milk
Dinner: Corn chowder, open face cheese/bacon sandwiches on hamburg buns

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Sausage/eggs
Dinner: Baked chicken leg/thigh quarters (with taco spice on them), mac and cheese, green beans

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Toast or cereal/sausage
Dinner: cheese nachos * recipe to follow* with lettuce, sourcream, black olives, black beans, etc

Thursday:
Breakfast: Pancakes/sausage
Dinner: Spaghetti, garlic/dill bread *recipe to follow*

Friday:
Breakfast: Sausage/eggs/toast
Dinner: BBQ chicken baked in oven, rice, "mock mashed potatoes" (made with cauliflower)

Saturday:
Breakfast: cereal
Lunch: at Opry Mills Mall- build a bear workshop bday party/burger king after
Dinner: Pizza from Aldi or walmart

Menu for week of 4/26/09

Ok, still working on keeping things lean around here so we can pay off bills.....who isn't.....so here's how to do it! Make sure every morsel that comes into the house has a REASON! Just like every dollar you make has a PURPOSE, if you don't have a reason for what you are buying, it will "poof" and be gone before you realize what you REALLY wanted to use it for!

So, try to make menus for all 3 meals... Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I usually make a 2 week menu for breakfast and lunch and just use that as a guide as to what to buy for a week or two depending on our budget, what I want to do. Here's our Menu for this week (all meals). This way, we also know we have enough food in the house to feed everyone every day! Thats always a bonus! lol

Breakfast- last week was TCAPs (standardized acheivement testing) and the kids really enjoyed the breakfast sausages we got and did on the "george foreman" every morning. They are .89/box- we did one box a day, and then if they wanted to supplement with something else, they could choose from other stuff on the menu. Here's their options this week:

Cereal : we have 3 kinds
banana muffins
fried egg sandwiches
fried eggs
scrambled eggs
toad in the holes
cinnamon toast
1/2 pb sandwich
pb toast
biscuits
oatmeal (different flavors)

Lunch: Since school is still in session, it is still cheaper to send lunches than buy. because we homeschooled for so long, my kids are spoiled and prefer hot lunches..... soooo hard! LOL

Baloney sandwiches
grilled cheese sandwiches
pb sandwiches
hotdogs (with or w/o buns)
leftovers
tomato soup
3 kinds of chips
carrots/celery
apples
ham sandwiches
cream cheese and saltines crackers

Dinners- gonna just number the dinners, they can be used in any needed order, just so I have enough for this week- and if I can for next week as well. I am just brainstorming meal ideas here now.

1. corn chowder with chicken and veggies/dip
2. overnight tuna casserole and cooked asparagus from aldi
3. tacos/taco salad
4. tuna bumsteads, chips and veggies/dip
5. baked chicken, mashed potatoes, cooked broccoli with parmesan and butter
6. macaroni and cheese (boxed then add some extra cheese) with cut up hot dogs, and green beans
7. Pulled pork bbq on buns, veggies/dip Coleslaw
8. fries with pulled pork/bbq sauce or ranch dressing, salad
9. tuna salad on lettuce and potato salad
10. egg salad on lettuce
11. egg salad sandwiches on bread with veggies/dip
12. chicken veggie soup with rice
13. Spaghetti with ground turkey meat and a salad or cooked green beans
14. "cheeseburger macaroni" with ground turkey and mac and cheese and cooked asparagus from aldi (frozen)


will post recipes to any items I don't currently have on here, or any that you all ask for explanation to! :) Enjoy!

Happy Sunday Everyone!!!! Time for Menus!!!

How's everyone doing today? well, this week my focus was on FINDING A JOB!!!! We decided on monday that I MUST find a job- at least full time, but if I can find a full and part time that would be great too- even hubby is looking for a pt job.....we are really trying to do the Dave Ramsey thing and get some bills paid OFF! we are tired of this money crunch...I don't mind saving money and getting bargins don't get me wrong.... but doing it because I MUST not because I WANT to is a different thing all together! LOL So, we are working hard this month to pay off some bills, and we are REALLY tightening the belt! Including the grocery budget!

We sat down this morning (me and hubby) and brainstormed our food choices that we remember from when we were kids and our parents were in our situation! what follows is what we came up with, I will categorize by meat :

Chicken:

leg/thigh quarters are cheap, so buy those in bulk if possible
chicken salad- sandwiches or over lettuce
baked chicken or grilled chicken
Chicken veggie soup
broccoli cheese soup with chicken added
pulled chicken over a regular salad
chicken sandwiches (not chicken salad)

Ground Turkey:
Beans and turkey (dried beans)
Bean soup and turkey (dried soup mix)
Spaghetti sauce with ground turkey (our family prefers not aldi spaghetti sauce)
tacos
chili
"beef" stew
"beef" stroganoff
ground turkey patties done on the "george foreman" or in a fry pan

Hot dogs/baloney (not my fav choice due to all the additives, but for a small span of time, it is cheap):
hot dogs and mac and cheese
ramen noodles and hot dogs
baloney sandwiches (fried or not)(grilled like cheese sandwiches or not)

tuna:
Tuna bumsteads (will post recipe later0
tuna casserole (not a fav in our house, but maybe someone elses?)
tuna salad sandwiches with a dash of curry
tuna salad on lettuce

Eggs:
Fried egg sandwiches
toad in the holes
egg salad sandwiches
egg salad on lettuce

Pork, cheese
pulled pork sandwiches
pulled pork over fries with bbq sauce and cheese or over nachos
grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
cream cheese and saltines - for lunch
quesadillas (with pulled pork, chicken, etc as well!)

extras:
1.Put rice in soup to make it go farther, add more substance
2.don't forget soup is a good main course, just add a salad or veggies/dip on side
3.get creative with soups- hubby said why did no one ever think of broccoli cheese soup with chicken added?
4.look for reduced meats- aged meat usually has a better flavor, just make sure to use it w/in 2 days or put it in the freezer.
5.If you get beef, then use it for chili, beef stew or beef stroganoff because those cuts will probably be tougher and that use will make the meat tender (especially if you use it in the crockpot)
6.Getting the large (10 lb) bags of chicken leg/thigh quarters can be daunting, but when you get home, either cut up right away the thighs from the legs, or just sort them out into freezer bags, that way they are in manageable sizes and family portions.

Menu for week of 4/19/09

here's our menu for the week......TCAPSs are this week, so "make sure your kids have a good breakfast" as the teachers say....so you will see we have breakfast planned too. Luckily we had a lot of this food at home, so our total grocery bill this week was $37.61!

Sunday-
Dinner- chicken Casserole -see last week's recipes
green beans
mashed potatoe

Monday-
Breakfast-pancakes/sausage
Dinner- cooked for us (someone is coming to try to sell us pans and dishes, so might as well let them! They cook, bring all the food, and clean up after! sounds like a good free dinner to me!)

Tuesday
Breakfast- Blueberry and banana muffins/Sausage and eggs
dinner- Pork Roast in Crockpot (recipe to come later when I find it! LOL) http://www.recipezaar.com/Company-Pork-Roast-23939
carrots
mashed or fried potatoes

Wednesday
Breakfast-toad in the holes or french toast
Dinner- Broccoli/groundbeef casserole (If not already on my blog, I will post it) http://frugalmadre.blogspot.com/2009/03/quick-easy-dinner-for-tonight.html#links
rice maybe! LOL (do you HAVE to have a carb every night????!!!)

Thursday
Breakfast-Cinnamon Rolls/Sausage/fruit
Dinner-baked pork chops
rice
Green beans

Friday-
Breakfast- pancakes or french toast/ sausage
Dinner- pizza (homemade/bought/ or maybe pizza buffet)

Lunches:

baloney, grilled cheese or peanut butter/jelly sandwiches
Tomato soup with dill and oyster crackers
leftovers
thin potato chips
pretzel sticks
cheese crackers
carrot sticks
apples

After school snacks:

mac and cheese
flavored rice
ramen noodles
corn bread
homemade bread
deviled eggs
egg salad sandwiches

Menu Week of April 13 2009

Ok, so I guess it has been a 'fly by the seat of your pants' kind of menu for the last couple weeks, because last night my middle daughter says to me "mom, I miss your really good cooking, I really love your cooking" So, I asked her what she really likes, and it turned out, that everyone had an opinion -even my husband- and I made up the menu for the week on the spot! LOL Most of it is pretty cheap, or easy, only one is kind of expensive, but I can do it cheaper this time, and will include the recipe after this post in a new one, actually I will be giving 2 recipes! So, here's our menu for the week:

1. Chicken Casserole
Green beans with Bacon and brown sugar (it always goes with the casserole! lol)
brown rice

2. Spaghetti
Caesar Salad

3. Chili with toppings (cheese, sour cream, onions, tomatoes, maybe fritos!)
veggies and dip
chili will be bean-less because I am allergic, and we will use the steak we got from our AFM boxes because this is the best use for it because it will be tough otherwise

4. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
Veggies and dip

5. Breakfast for dinner

6. Tacos or taco salad (however they want to fix it)

7. Individual Pasghetti Pizzas (whatever toppings they want) for Friday night (as requested by the kids! LOL)
Salad or Veggies and dip or cooked broccoli

Menu Week of March 15- 21, 2009

wow! I was SICK! let me tell you! If you THINK you are sick, and MIGHT need some meds- GO TO THE DR!!!!! If not, you will get worse and worse until you have to be put on the strongest antibiotics, and a bunch of other crap and it takes you 3 weeks to get over what should have taken 1! Ok, enough of that lecture for today! I am just glad I am feeling better in time to get ready for my oldest daughter's birthday party on Saturday! she will be 13 on sunday! OMG! time flies!!!!!

So, to keep me on track, here's my menu for the week:

Sunday March 15, 2009
Crock pot chicken divan http://www.crock-pot.com/Recipe.aspx?rid=283
Over buttered noodles
With veggies/dip on the side


Monday March 16, 2009

Garlic Pork chops in Crock pot http://www.crock-pot.com/Recipe.aspx?rid=629
Potatoes
Cooked veggies

Tuesday march 17,2009

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

Family Friendly Shepherd’s Pie http://www.recipezaar.com/Family-Friendly-Shepherds-Pie-262339
Salad
Rosemary bread from store

Wednesday March 18, 2009

Chicken noodle soup
Bread/rolls
Veggies/dip

Thursday March 19, 2009

Breakfast for dinner- Pancakes
Bacon
Eggs

Friday March 20, 2009

Salisbury steak and gravy
Over toast or rice or noodles
Cooked veggies

Saturday March 21, 2009

Birthday Party! 13 yrs old!
AFM Pick up

6’ sub sandwich with fixins: cheese, onions, tomatoes, pickles, mustard, mayo, honey mustard-meat- ham/turkey/chicken (some from AFM Pickup)
Meatballs in mustard/jelly sauce (Meatballs from AFM pickup- 3-5 lbs)
Nacho meat dip (meat from AFM- 2lbs) w/velveeta, taco seasoning, rotel, chips
3 types of chips
some sodas/frozen virgin drink mixes
icecream sundae bar- 2 types of icecream, make: fudge sauce, caramel sauce, raspberry sauce and strawberry sauce, add, mini choc chips, whip cream, cherries


Sunday March 22nd- Go out to dinner at restaurant of daughter's choice, or make her a dinner of her choice!

Menu Week of 2/22/09- 2/28/09

well, here it is! simple, but yummy! At least for our family! LOL

Sunday 2/22/2009

Leftovers from lunch

Monday 2/23/2009

Spaghetti with meat sauce
green beans

Tuesday 2/24/2009
Cream of broccoli Soup
http://www.savingdinner.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=123:cream-of-broccoli-soup&catid=909:recipes&Itemid=78

homemade bread

Wednesday 2/25/2009

Amigo Chicken Tortilla Soup http://www.savingdinner.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:amigochickentortillasoup&catid=909:recipes&Itemid=78
With fun fixins

Thursday 2/26/2009

Hotdogs wrapped with biscuits
French fries
Veggies/dip

Friday 2/27/2009

IHOP at home (got changed last week due to rework of menu)
Bacon
Eggs
Pancakes
Biscuits
Etc

Saturday 2/28/2009

Kids choice/kids cook! I will let them choose that day

Part III menu Planning- dinner for the week

Here's our menu for dinners for the week:

Menu 2/15- 2/20/2009

Sunday 2/15/09

Ribs in the crockpot
Rice
Broccoli

Monday 2/16/09

http://www.recipezaar.com/rz.205538
Homemade mac and cheese
Asparagus

Tuesday 2/17/09

Beef veggie soup (how hard can this be to make? if worse comes to worse, I will look on http://www.recipezaar/ for one)
Homemade bread http://www.recipezaar.com/Easy-Homemade-Stuffing-104867 will use this basic recipe - love it!

Wednesday 2/18/09

Tacos
All the fixins- tomatoes, lettuce, black olives, cheese

Thursday 2/19/09

Taco cups (canned biscuits in muffin pans, spoon leftover taco meat into middle, top with 1 T shredded cheddar and bake until muffins are golden brown about 15 min)
French fries
Veggies/dip

Friday 2/20/09

Eat out-(I HOP)
Pancakes
Eggs
Bacon
Biscuits
Sometimes “eat out” means make the house the restaurant!

Saturday 2/21/09

AFM Pickup
Girls have party here that night

Part II Menu Planning- My dinner basic schedule

Ok, here it is! Here's what I use to plan our meals, the "basics" LOL Feel free to use it if you want to!

Menu Planning

Basic Schedule

Sunday
Baked meat
Rice or potatoes
Steamed veggie

Monday
Italian and salad

Tuesday
Soup and bread

Wednesday
Mexican and salad

Thursday
Fun food

Friday
Eat out

Saturday
Kids choice/kids cook

Sunday Feb 16, 2009 Part I of How I menu plan and why

Ok, you say "menu planning" and everyone lets out a collective groan....come on...let's hear it! BUT if you are going to save money it is a MUST. I mean MUST. And not just something as simple as dinner. I mean ALL meals! That way when you go to the grocery store you have a COMPLETE list of what you need, not just a list of dinners and "I'll fill in the rest". That's where the groceries get expensive.

From the get-go you have to say you will stick to that list. NO MATTER WHAT! If you think you will want something.....like icecream or a magazine.... go ahead and put it on the list, if you don't get it, more the better, but if you DO get it, at least you can say it was on the list! LOL

It may sound like a pain, but after a while you will figure out which stores have the cheaper items, so you will arrange your lists according to where to go. I know Aldi has cheap cereal we like, along with milk, eggs, bread, some veggies and fruits. I know Kroger will have discount breads (whole grain, flavors, etc) we like at good prices, and I like their meats, so I will shop their discount meats. I also like their cat food/litter prices, and I go there with my coupons because they double which also helps us with our gas because for every $100, we get a 10 cent discount per gallon. Etc, etc. you see how it goes. It is really about preference and where you can get the most bang for your buck, and how far you have to drive. Do I do all these stores in one day? Not always. I used to.

Saturday and Sunday is when I menu plan. The weekends are slower for me, and it gives me a bit more time to think. No homework usually for the kids, so I have more "me" time to think. Depending on what is going on (like yesterday was Valentines day) I will usually be able to get it done in one day, but sometimes I have to come back and do it the next and grocery shop that same day.

So, here's what I do: I go through the freezer and pantries (yes, I have 2! lol) and see/write down all that I have main food-wise. Meaning all the meat (even if the freezer is full), and anything else like pancake batter, hamburger helper, etc. I also check the fridge for cheese and eggs.

Then I look at my "Menu planning basic schedule for dinners" and make up my dinner meals out of what I have, and what comes on what days. Keeps things fresh- I usually find a new recipe or two to try, use some old favs and just have fun. I print out any recipes I need and put them in my control journal behind my Menu planning tab so I have them on hand for the week.

Then I look at the breakfast list. This is something I made up years ago and it really helps. It is just 14 breakfasts that are simple, cheap and that MY family likes. Your family may be different. It has evolved since we started public school to include faster things like cold cereal and blueberry muffins, but it also has things on it like pancakes, french toast, oatmeal, etc. Don't forget the fruit. Make it simple! I did 14 meals because we get paid every 2 weeks so I would go shopping for 14 days! I wanted to make sure my babies had food!

Lunches are done the same way- a list of 14. Now that we are in public school it has kind of evolved too, though! DD12 likes chicken breast deli sliced sandwiches, dd10 likes a warm lunch, so she usually takes leftovers, and dd8 likes a good thick peanutbutter sandwich! So, my lunch list is now trying to make healthier choices than just chips....I go with microwave popcorn, cheddar and carmel rice cakes from Aldi, they all love carrots and fresh fruit. They all take water, we reuse propel bottles!

Now that we are in public school (gosh how many times do I have to say that??!!! lol) I also have to add "snacks for school" to my grocery list because the 2 youngest have to have snacks everyday to take. They have late lunches, so the teachers let them have snacks mid-morning. So, that has to be added to my grocery list/menu list as well. It's not rocket science, a cheese stick and pretzels will do it for the most part, but they do want a variety too, so.....

But this is how I menu plan, Part II will be a copy of my basic dinner schedule, and part III will be my menu plan for this week.