Menu Plan Monday - Nov 3rd

It's that time of year - Holiday crunch time! Once Halloween passes, it's an all-out sprint to the end of the year. I'm hoping to have a few moments here and there to enjoy everything going on, but it always seems to fly by too quickly for my taste. We're incredibly lucky to have both sets of parents living very nearby, and extended family just a little further away...but it means that we have to start planning the Holiday shuffle NOW. Part of me just wants to keep things small and stay home, but you never know what's around the bend...so I'll enjoy the family madness for as long as I have it :)

Last week we did pretty well with the menu, I had to shuffle a few things around due to unthawed chicken (hate when that happens!) but we did a leftover night instead which got my fridge a little cleaner! The Cabbage Roll Casserole was INCREDIBLE. It was a hearty stew with very rich flavors. Hubby and I both agreed it would be amazing in a bread bowl...so I may try my hand at making mini-loaves for next time :) I think I'm going to put off the Caraway Pork chops for a little bit - we never got to it last week and hubby is working just about every night this week. We have three nights home together, but none where I'll be home all day to make any grand preparations. So I've tried to plan out meals that either use boxed shortcuts (I hit a HUGE sale today!) or fast preparations. I have plenty of muffins and bread for breakfasts, but if I find something that really tickles my fancy I might do some baking.

Here's our menu for the week, don't forget to visit Laura and all the other MPM participants at Orgjunkie.com for more inspiration!

monday: Veggie Lo Mein ($3.24 for 6-8 servings)

tuesday: Italian Chicken Skillet ($4.35 for 4-6 servings)

wednesday: Breaded drumsticks, veggies, au gratin potatoes ($3.50 for 4 servings)

thursday: Pasta Primavera - just mix frozen veggies with your favorite sauce! ($3.00 for 8 servings)

friday: Leftover Bee Rocks and leftover broccoli cheese soup (free!!)

saturday: Sausage Oven Omelette using kielbasa, fruit and toast ($5.63 for 6 servings)

sunday: Either homemade pizza or dinner at the in-laws! ($1.98 for 4-6 servings)






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Menu Plan Monday - Oct 20th

Another week, another menu plan! I'm starting to measure the passage of time based on what's crossing the dinner table :) We're working on finishing our Halloween costumes, I actually scored a huge bit of burlap from the pumpkin patch farm for the Boy Wonder's costume..hooray! We had fun bouncing through the pumpkin field, but it was a very blustery day - and if you've ever dealt with a fall/winter wind in New England, you understand quickly why Yanks are called "hardy". Makes me miss the Colorado winters I grew up with!

Last week's menu went OK, but I ended up switching a bunch of nights around, and I never got around to making the squash and apple casserole. I am going to give it another try this week, and I think I'm going to do it in the crockpot instead of the oven - we'll see how that comes out! Everything else went over very well, though I'd definitely do more cheese in the Broccoli cheese soup next time. Hubby's coworkers have been very jealous of all the good leftovers he brings for lunch :)

This week we only have two nights where everyone will be home for dinner (can you tell which ones?), most other nights the hubby is working so he'll have to enjoy the previous night's dinner on his meal breaks! I had a couple of recipes that I really wanted to try, which made me overshoot my budget by about 10 bucks...next week I have to aim to spend as little as possible and work out of my stockpile. I made a batch of carrot-applesauce muffins that came out AWESOME, so a double batch of those will serve as breakfast and snack options.

Don't forget to visit Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie and check out the 300-plus other MPM participants!

monday - Crockpot Vegetable Curry with coconut rice ($7.06 for 8 servings)

tuesday - Leftover veggie soup with leftover chicken and rice added ($0.23 - it's mostly leftovers!)

wednesday - I'm working a 16 hour shift so the boys will be making good on all the leftovers in the fridge!

thursday - Homemade cheese pizza ($1.99 for 6-8 servings)

friday - Oven Baked Country Ribs, Baked squash and apple casserole, cornbread ($7.82 for 6 servings)

saturday - Chipotle Ranch Chicken Fingers, Green Giant broccoli cheese & rice Steamers that I got on sale for 88 cents! ($5.67 for 4-6 servings)

sunday - Leftover baked ziti from nephew's b'day party (froze a bunch of it!) - FREE!





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Menu Plan Monday - Oct 6th

I can't believe it's Monday already. Heck, I can't believe it's OCTOBER! Seems like every week is busier than the next, and I'm reminded that I have to get going on the Boy Wonder's Halloween costume....with all of my free time :)

We stuck pretty close to the menu last week, with a couple of adjustments - Monday I ended up not having to cook because a friend came over for a frugal shopping tutorial and brought some homemade potato and bean soup - it was quite yummy and the leftovers will be used for lunch this week! So the Chickpea Stew found its way back onto this week's menu. My brother and his family were up visiting from NY and they came over on Tuesday with my nephew so the kids could play (his son is 6 months older than BW) so I doubled the batch of pizza dough and made it sicilian-style instead...that's one great thing about homemade pizza, it's easy to feed a crowd without spending a lot more $$. The zucchini muffins were AWESOME and I still have 2 cups of frozen shredded zuke in the freezer to make more if I run out....mmmmm....

I hit a great deal on eggs this week ($1 a dozen!) so we are definitely doing a breakfast-for-dinner night, otherwise it's a pretty straightforward menu - go check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for her Canadian Thanksgiving menu, and TONS of other awesome menu ideas!

monday - Chickpea Stew with rice ($3.44)

tuesday - Sausage Oven Omelette with homemade corn muffins ($5.08)

wednesday - Homemade Pizza with peppers and onions ($2.84)

thursday - Bee Rocks and canteloupe/strawberry salad ($2.39)

friday - Chinese Beef and Broccoli with rice ($5.20)

saturday - We're both working that night and BW is having a sleepover at Grammie's!

sunday - If we're not dining at my in-law's, then Homemade Veggie Soup with added rotini pasta, and grilled cheese sandwiches ($3.15)







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Menu Plan Monday - Sept 29th

What a rough week for connecting to the internet! Our signal hasn't been reliable and I am SO far behind in postings! The good news is that we survived last week, hubby survived his first week of work at the new job, and we all ate well :) The Autumn Chicken was a HUGE hit, and unbelievably easy to make. I actually came home on a break from work to put everything in the crockpot and made it back with time to spare.

This week is a big cooking week, everyone will be home for dinner every night but Sunday - the in-laws got us tickets to dinner and a show with the Clancy Legacy for our anniversary (These are the kids of the irish musicians the Clancy Brothers and the Makems). We saw them when the boy wonder was 9 months old and he loved the music then, so Sunday should be a lot of fun! I'm working almost completely out of the pantry again - haven't done the shopping just yet but I don't expect that supplies will run me more than $20 again, the biggest expense will be diapers and wipes, which should set us back about $40 for a 6 week supply. And we inherited a HUGE pan of baked ziti, some hot dogs, and salad from my nephew's birthday party yesterday - I love free food!

The baking list this week: zucchini muffins, a batch of cornbread, and buns/rolls (half a batch of rolls, half a batch of breadsticks) to use as breakfast, side dishes and snacks.

Here's what we're eating, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more ideas!

monday - Chickpea Stew with rice ($3.44)

tuesday - Homemade cheese pizza with this crust, leftover (free) salad from the party ($2.14)

wednesday - Breaded drumsticks, green beans, cornbread ($3.00)

thursday - Baked Ziti and salad leftover from the party, breadsticks ($0.30)

friday - Herb Crusted Pork chops, dinner rolls, mixed veggies ($2.87)

saturday - Chicken Quesadillas using this mexican chicken, avocado slices ($6.00)

sunday - Early anniversary present - dinner and a show from my in-laws!








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Menu Plan Monday - Sept 22nd

There are so many things I have grown to love about Menu Plans Mondays! I have been introduced to some wonderful blogs (and the wonderful ladies behind them!), found a storehouse of great recipe and menu ideas, and linked in with a means to motivate me every weekend! If you have been afraid to try it for yourself, don't be....I never planned a week before I started this, and now I wonder how I did without it. THIS WEEK is Family Favorites week - everyone will be posting their own personal "Standby" dishes, so I will definitely be filling the recipe binder :)

This week is definitely a pantry-raiding week. Hubby got a new job (hooray!) but he starts on Monday with a pretty rigorous schedule, and I had already picked up a few shifts at work so we're going to be baby-swapping and running around like headless chickens for the week. The upside is that there are 3 nights when we will be either dining at a relatives house or working (which means leftovers in the lunchbox!), the downside that we won't see much of each other until Sunday. Our car insurance had to be renewed too, and since DH has been out of work for a few weeks we didn't really have the cushion to make that deposit any less painful.

The good news - weekly shopping this week came to a grand total of $22, I got 4 pounds of bananas, 4 pounds of zukes, 3 pounds of apples, bread, milk ,eggs, flour, diet soda, cheese and frozen veggies. I plan on shredding and freezing half of the zucchini for future use in bread and muffins and I made a huge pot of veggie soup for the freezer. We should be pretty well set for at least 2 weeks if I play things right!

Here's what I came up with for this week, and don't forget to check out I'm an Organizing Junkie and see what everyone else is having for dinner!

monday: Hubby and I are both working the night shift, so we'll be having leftovers and the boy wonder will be dining at his Grammie's.

tuesday: Lloyds BBQ pork on homemade buns, corn, Cheesy zucchini strips ($3.85)

wednesday: Bee Rocks from the freezer, Vegetable soup ($3.03 for three servings) **Family favorite!

thursday: Baked Macaroni and Cheese **Another Family Favorite!

friday: dinner at the in-law's, they're keeping the boy overnight and hubby's comedy group is having a grand opening of their performance space! Woo!

saturday: Autumn Chicken, leftover rolls from Tuesday, and mixed veggies ($4.11)

sunday: Heading to the Cape for my nephew's birthday party (more free dinner, more cake!)

What's on YOUR menu?






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Menu Plan Monday - Sept 15th

Wow - another Monday already? Time seems to fly by faster all the time. We actually did pretty well last week - I had to shuffle some things around because the chicken didn't find it's way to the refrigerator to thaw in time for Wednesday's dinner, so that got pushed to Friday. I ended up doing a homemade pizza instead, and we never quite got around to the Chicken Stew...so that has made a repeat appearance on this week's menu.

The Mimi's Sticky chicken was a HUGE hit! We ended up having a couple of surprise guests on Friday so I whipped up some instant mashed potatoes and there was plenty to go around. I also made some chicken stock from what *little* was left of the carcass, and the seasonings from the chicken made it quite yummy. Though I have decided that carrots hate me. It doesn't matter what I do - steam, bake, roast...in the pan with the chicken...for FIVE HOURS...they always stay too raw and never soft and yummy like my mom used to do. Someday I will solve the carrot mystery..for now I will keep subjecting them to my culinary experiments.

So here's this week's menu - mostly easy with a few leftovers, I plan on making some Banana muffins to add to breakfast, and I will be making another batch of Bee Rocks for the freezer as well!

Check out the ever-growing list of MPM participants at I'm an Organizing Junkie for inspiration and motivation! It worked for me :)

monday: Grandma's Chicken Stew using leftover roast chicken, leftover veggies, and homemade chicken broth ($0.50)

tuesday Apple, cheddar and Turkey meatballs, veggies and rice ($5.00 with leftovers)

wednesday Veggie Lo Mein ($3.24)

thursday Pulled pork sandwiches, using leftover pork from last week, BBQ sauce and homemade buns, broccoli ($1.39)

friday Spinach Lasagna ($8.85, or $1.10 per serving)

saturday I'm working the evening shift, so the boys get leftovers. Free meal!

sunday Dinner at the in-law's, celebrating hubby's birthday! Nothing's better than a free meal AND cake :)









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Menu Plan Monday - September 1st

Wow - is it really September already? I can barely remember all the things we meant to do this summer, and here we are with summer almost behind us. Our schedule doesn't change all that much since DS is far too young to be off to school just yet, but at work things will be crazy for the next week and a half, and then the extra time will dry up until Thanksgiving/Christmas. So I'm working yet ANOTHER overtime-laden week, though at least this time I managed to cram everything into 4 days so that I have plenty of time off mixed in.

I am trying a bunch of new recipes this week - my printer has been working overtime as I've read through all of the great Menu plans from last week! We didn't have too many experiments last week, the BBQ Quesadillas were good but not as crispy as I had envisioned...that should be an easy fix and I'll adjust the recipe once I figure out how :) The Sausage and Summer Squash was a hit, and the Naan toasted up really nice in the broiler - this one will definitely get into regular rotation!

Here's my week, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie to see what's for dinner elsewhere!

monday: Zucchini cakes with mushroom ragout - made with Homesteader Cornbread instead of muffin mix (see bottom of recipe page) ($6.29 - $1.57/serving)

tuesday: Bee Rocks - I had never heard of this recipe before but it sounds like a Shepherd's pie hot pocket - yummy! ($4.99 for12 servings! - $0.41/serving)

wednesday: BBQ pork ribs in the slow cooker, leftover corn muffins from Monday, mixed veggies ($11.53 for 8 servings - $1.44/serving)

thursday: Leftover day! Boys will fend for themselves while I'm working the night.

friday: Comfort food day - Grilled cheese sandwiches, Tomato soup ($1.95 - $0.97/serving)

saturday: 7-Layer Casserole ($5.88 - $1.17/serving)

sunday: Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken, egg noodles, mixed veggies ($5.73 - $1.43/serving)

Zuper Zucchini

I love zucchini. It's tasty, healthy, versatile....and cheap! If you know someone who grows it, you're not far from that time of the year when crops are over-abundant, and they're practically showering yummy greenness on you. But even when zucchini aren't free, they are still very inexpensive - I can usually get them for between $0.99 and $1.30 per pound without a sale. They're also a low-calorie, high-nutrient powerhouse...according to Caloriecount.com one full cup of chopped zucchini has only 20 calories, 1.4 grams of dietary fiber, and 35% of your daily vitamin C needs.

These lean greens are on sale this week, so I did a little searching and found a couple of very appealing recipes on MSN.com...I estimated cost based on this week's sale and stuff I already have on hand from past shopping trips. Can't wait to try them out!

Zucchini Cakes with Mushroom Ragout
I am not a big fan of roasted red peppers so I am going to try substituting tomato sauce thickened with tomato paste....

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 of a medium zucchini, shredded (1 cup)
1 8-1/2 oz. pkg. corn muffin mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
12 oz. assorted mushrooms, quartered (4-1/2 cups)
1 cup drained bottled roasted red sweet peppers (1/2 cup pasta sauce plus 1 sm can tomato paste)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In mixing bowl combine zucchini, muffin mix, cheese, milk, egg, and cayenne pepper; spoon evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes or until golden.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Place roasted peppers in blender. Cover; blend until nearly smooth. (Instead of blending roasted peppers, cook mushrooms in sauce and tomato paste)
4. Arrange 3 cakes on each plate with some of the mushrooms and pepper sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Appx cost:
Zucchini: $0.50
Muffin Mix: $0.99
Cheese: $0.87
Milk: $0.05
Egg: $0.13
Mushrooms $3.00
Pasta sauce $0.25
Tomato paste $0.50

Grand Total: $6.29 or $1.57 per serving

Sausage and Summer Squash
I only buy kielbasa when it's BOGO so this ends up being a really cheap dinner. I would probably use the Naan flatbread and just brush it with olive oil and italian herbs to give it flavor, I know they carry that at Price Rite and it's cheaper than Boboli.

Ingredients
1/3 to 1/2 cup bottled Italian salad dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. cooked Polish sausage links, halved lengthwise, sliced diagonally
3 small yellow summer squash and/or zucchini, quartered lengthwise
4 wedges Italian flat bread, split (Naan or homemade flatbread)
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Fresh oregano leaves (dried oregano is what I have on hand)
1/4 cup coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional) (regular grated Parmesan from the can)

Directions
1. Preheat broiler. In small bowl combine dressing and garlic. In extra-large skillet cook sausage and squash in 2 tablespoons of the dressing mixture for 8 to 10 minutes or until sausage is heated through and squash is almost tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, place bread on broiler pan; brush with 1 tablespoon of the dressing mixture. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until lightly toasted.
3. Serve sausage and squash with toasted bread. Drizzle remaining dressing; sprinkle green onions and oregano. Pass Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

Appx cost:
Dressing: $0.75
Kielbasa: $1.50
Zucchini: $1.50
Naan $1.50
Green onions: $0.15

Grand total: $5.40 or $1.35 per serving




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Menu Planning Monday - August 18th

Well I did manage to get some shopping done after vacation, and I hit upon a couple of really good deals! The tubs of Lloyds BBQ chicken, pork and beef were BOGO and I had FIVE $1 off coupons...so I got all of them for 2 bucks a piece (normally 6 bucks). And I had a couple of dollar off coupons for the sandwich size Thomas' muffins, so I got 2 packages for $2 each. Found Minute Maid lemonade on sale for $1 and I had a $1 off 2 coupon, so I picked up two for a buck. Overall it was a big stockup week, but I have plenty of ammunition for the next few weeks :)

Here's how the week's menu is shaping up...cost is total for the meal including any leftovers:

Monday: English muffin pizzas (with the large muffins) and mango & peach fruit salad ($4.00)

Tuesday: Chickpea Stew with rice ($3.44)

Wednesday: Baked Chicken drumsticks, mixed veggies, baked potato ($4.50)

Thursday: Lloyds BBQ pork on bulkie rolls, corn on the cob, steamed broccoli ($4.00)

Friday: Italian Chicken Skillet over rotini pasta ($4.35)

Saturday: Steak seasoned with hot sauce (Black and blue sauce from http://www.bandanabillsblazing.com/ - it's blackberry and blueberry...very cool!), veggies and easy cheese biscuits (see recipe below) ($7.75...splurge night!)

Sunday: Baked Ziti and leftover cheese biscuits with homemade garlic butter ($5.50)


Don't forget to head on over to OrgJunkie.com to check out hers and other monday menus!

Easy Cheese Biscuits
This recipe is one listed in The Best of Cooking with 3 Ingredients by Ruthie Wornall. I add more milk until the consistency is a little stickier because that's how I like them :)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups baking mix
2/3 cup milk (I use closer to 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients until soft dough forms. Beat for 30 seconds. If dough is too sticky, add more baking mix. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.






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Chickpea Stew

This is one of my favorite recipes, it's good for nights when you don't want to do ANOTHER chicken dish or just want something with a lot of veggies for a change. I have served this alone as a main or side dish, or had it over rice to make it more filling and stretch it further. It also reheats VERY well! Plus this is a SUPER cheap recipe - just over $3 for the whole thing - so if you want to add extra of any of the ingredients it won't break the bank!

CHICKPEA STEW
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic (or more, if you're a garlic fan like me!)
1/2 tsp basil -or- italian seasoning mix (depending on your taste)
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 med zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then cut into bite size pieces
1 med onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced (you can also use canned stewed or diced tomato)
2-3 cups chopped fresh spinach
2-3 cups cooked rice
Parmesan cheese

1. In a large saute pan, heat oil - add garlic and herbs/seasoning, let it sizzle for just under a minute or until the garlic is slightly browned.
2. Add chickpeas and zucchini, stir to coat with oil and garlic. reduce heat slightly, cover and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add onions, stir to mix, re-cover and let cook for about 3 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
4. Add tomato, stir to mix, re-cover and let cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Add spinach, stir to mix, re-cover and let cook for about 4 minutes. Remove cover and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until the spinach is cooked.
6. If desired, serve over 3/4 cup of rice, add parmesan cheese to taste.

Makes 4-6 servings

Total cost:
Chickpeas - 0.59
Zucchini - appx 0.75
Tomato - appx 0.60
Onion - appx 0.20
Spinach - appx 0.80
Rice - appx 0.50

Total cost for a meal plus leftovers: $3.44!!!!!


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