Menu Plan Monday - Apr 19th, '10

Happy Patriots Day to my fellow Massachusetts residents! And good luck to those running the Marathon :)

Last week was a definite menu WIN! I *thought* I had made the quiche wrong (and I think next time I would make two regular pie-sized quiches, this time I poured all the batter into a casserole dish and made a big thick quiche) but it actually turned out really good! The mango chutney that went with it was divine...even though I julienned my finger while chopping the cilantro :) Our biggest success was the Crockpot Kielbasa Dirty Rice - super easy, and so good my toddler asked for seconds! Definitely going on the family favorites list.

This week's menu I am DETERMINED to get the Pork Roast cooked! Every time I try to put it on the menu I either forget to thaw it, or our plans change. We're both working this weekend too, so the menu will include stuff that makes for easy leftover dinners.

Here's our table this week, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more great menus and recipes!

monday - Black Bean Salsa Chicken over rice - OAMC ($5.32 for 6-8 servings)

tuesday - Pork Roast with Apples and Pears, peas, rice - OAMC ($5.37 for 4-6 servings)

wednesday - Homemade Pizza, salad ($2.95 for 6-8 servings)

thursday - Honey Balsamic Chicken on the grill, baked sweet potatoes, veggies ($6.95 for 4-5 servings)

friday - Dinner with friends (free!)

saturday - Both of us bringing leftovers to work (free!)

sunday - Dinner at the in-laws (free!)





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Menu Plan Monday - Apr 12, '10

I am SO ready for the good weather! We had a little rain last week but enough good days to rev me up - I love being able to spend the day outside, watching my toddler play. We're getting ready to put up our square foot garden, I'm pretty sure we're finally beyond the frosty nights and my hubby should have a day free this week to build the raised bed :) I found out that I can get FREE leaf compost from the town! Mixed with some of the manure from my mother-in-law's horses, and that should give us some good, rich, FREE planting soil!

The menu last week went really well! The Tandoori Chicken was SO GOOD and EASY!! My toddler was scarfing it down, and we even let the baby try some of the curried couscous. We never got to the Pork Roast, so that's making a return appearance this week. I'm also going to try a few new recipes, I've got kielbasa to use up and I scored some REALLY fresh tilapia for $2.99/lb - it pays to live in a fishing town!

Here's our table for the week, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more recipes and menu ideas!

monday - Quick Curry Quiche (using leftover Tandoori Chicken) with mango chutney(from The Once a Week Cooking Plan), canteloupe slices (cost tbd)

tuesday - Crockpot Kielbasa Dirty Rice ($4.40 for 6-8 servings)

wednesday - Dijon Crusted Tilapia, green beans, rice (cost tbd)

thursday - Pork Roast with Apples & Pears (from The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook), peas, rice - OAMC ($5.37 for 4-6 servings)

friday - Sloppy Joes on homemade rolls, green salad ($4.62 for 4 servings)

saturday - leftovers (Free!)

sunday - Dinner at the in-laws! (free!)




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Menu Plan Monday - Apr 5th, '10

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy Easter weekend! We did a lot of running around, but we managed to see both sides of our family and the kids were sufficiently exhausted by last night :) I'll share some photos later this week!

Menu planning went OK last week, things got a bit messy mid-week and we had to shuffle a few things around. We did FINALLY get to the Chicken Ranch Pizza and it was GOOOOD! My hubby was a little reluctant to try it because it uses ranch dressing in place of tomato sauce - he's a believer now! I never got to the Sloppy Joes or the kielbasa dish, we ended up eating out of the house unexpectedly one night, and just did leftovers another night. And I STILL have a bunch of leftovers to weed through!

This week I'll be trying a new dish, and working on emptying the rest of the leftovers. I think I have been counting on my husband bringing some to work, but he's been making PB sandwiches instead...will have to see if I can prep his lunches ahead of time to make it easier.

Here's our table, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more menus and recipes!

monday - Leftovers (free!)

tuesday - Sue Sue's Casserole - OAMC ($4.62 for 6-8 servings)

wednesday - Tandoori Chicken with Couscous (from The Once-a-Week Cooking Plan) ($6.60 for 4-6 servings)

thursday - Homemade pizza, green salad ($4.50 for 6-8 servings)

friday - Pork Roast with Apples and Pears (from The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook, peas, rice - OAMC ($5.37 for 4-6 servings)

saturday - leftovers (free!)

sunday - dinner at the in-law's (free!)






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Menu Plan Monday - Mar 29th, '10

Happy Easter! We're looking forward to a GORGEOUS weekend here, which should make for some fun egg hunts on Sunday :)

Last week's meal plan was going really well until Thursday - I had a lot of leftovers so we had some for dinner instead of making pizza, and then Friday I forgot to take the steaks out to thaw. That worked out ok though, since the rain would have made for some soggy grilling :) We have a fun grill pan from Ikea, but it just isn't the same!! Going to try AGAIN to have that steak dinner this week, barring any unforeseen issues.

The Curried Turkey was REALLY good - even my toddler gobbled it up! The Taco Bake was another big hit, the Bisquick batter on the top baked up great in spite of being frozen! And just for the record, Fluffy French Toast made with Texas Toast is my new favorite snack...when it's re-toasted and then loved on by some butter and strawberry jam...yummmmm...

Here's what we're eating this week (including a few repeats that we missed last week!) Don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more menu ideas and recipes!

monday - Chicken Ranch Pizza, salad - OAMC ($5.90 for 6-8 servings)

tuesday - Asian Pork Roast ($5 Dinners cookbook), rice, veggies - OAMC ($4.96 for 4 servings)

wednesday - Grilled steaks, baked sweet potatoes, green beans ($6.70 for 4 servings)

thursday - Sloppy Joes on homemade rolls, salad - OAMC ($4.62 for 4 servings, plus lots of leftover buns!)

friday - Something with kielbasa in the crockpot - I'm experimenting! (TBD)

saturday - Leftovers (Free!)

sunday - Easter! Meals with famiy (free)




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Menu Plan Monday - Mar 22, '10

After a gorgeous weekend, we're waking up to....rain. Well, you know what they say about New England...if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes :)

Last week we did GREAT sticking to plan. The Sue Sue's Casserole was a hit, especially with my toddler! It was a little heavy on the onions, and I *think* if I play around with it I can make it more like a creamy beef stroganoff casserole. We also managed to use up just about ALL of the leftovers - I love me a clean fridge!

This week we actually have TWO days when the whole family is home for dinner! I also had to plan for plenty of leftovers, this weekend hubby and I both work so we need enough to cover our meals on those days.

Here's what's on our table, don't forget to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more menus and recipes!

monday - Curried Turkey Tidbits, rice, mixed veggies - OAMC ($2.62 for 4 servings)

tuesday - Easy Taco Bake - OAMC ($3.21 for 4-6 servings)

wednesday - Fluffy French Toast, fruit, eggs ($5.04 for 6 servings)

thursday - Chicken Ranch Pizza, salad - OAMC ($5.90 for 4-6 servings)

friday - Grilled steaks, sweet potatos, mixed veg ($6.70 for 4 servings)

saturday - Leftovers (Free!)

sunday - Leftovers, hubby will be eating at his mom's (Free!)




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Menu Plan Monday - Mar 15th, '10

So last week was going strong, following the plan, loving on my freezer meals....until Thursday. I forgot to take the Sloppy Joe out to thaw, plus I had a bunch of veggies in the crisper that were getting ready to turn, so I made Vegetable Soup instead. Then on Friday we ended up visiting my dad and an aunt from out of state, so dinner was on them :) At least it means my freezer stash will stretch a little further!

The one OAMC dish we got to, the Black Bean Salsa Chicken - WOW! Not only was it DEEEELISH, but we had a TON of leftovers. I'm reworking it into enchilada filling this week, but that is after making a couple of burritos over the weekend. Mix it with rice and it stretches FAR - that's the best kind of dish!

Here's our table for the week, drop in on Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more menus and recipes!

monday - Leftover veggie soup, grilled cheese ($2.00 for 4 servings)

tuesday - BBQ Pork Tortillas, Mexican rice ($4.45 for 4 servings)

wednesday - Sue Sue's Casserole - OAMC ($4.62 for 6-8 servings)

thursday - Homemade Pizza, sliced peppers ($3.50 for 6-8 servings)

friday - Leftovers (Free!)

saturday - Enchiladas using leftover Black Bean Salsa Chicken ($3.68 for 4-5 servings)

sunday - Dinner at the in-law's (Free!)




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Menu Plan Monday - Mar 8th, '10

Yeah yeah, I know it's Tuesday. We had one of those weekends where it seemed like there was more work than hours in the day, and we got buried - but the air has cleared a bit, the birthday party for my toddler went off with just a few minor hitches, and the weather is getting nicer :) Good things ahead!

Last week was a menu plan FAIL. I had so much to do all week, that most days I either forgot to thaw the meat or just didn't leave myself enough time to prepare the meals. Fortunately, we have plenty of *alternate* supplies on hand - between frozen food items, grilled cheese and soup fixins, and leftovers, we muddled through.

On the bright side, thanks to the phenomenal ladies over at Once A Month Mom, I have a freezer brimming with prepared meals! This will be the first week of diving into the stash, and I plan to try using 2-3 freezer meals per week (marked as OAMC in my menu plan). This week we actually have a WHOLE DAY when both hubby and I are off from work, so we're going to try and do a fancy-schmancy dinner...I might even let HIM cook for a change ;)

Here's our table for the week, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more menus and recipe ideas!

monday - Party Pizza leftovers! (free)

tuesday - Shepherd's Pie (made with leftover mashed potatoes), green beans ($2.70 for 4 servings)

wednesday - Black Bean Salsa Chicken - OAMC ($5.32 for 6 servings)

thursday - Sloppy Joes on homemade buns (will make buns and dinner rolls for Friday), veggies - OAMC ($3.70 for 4 servings)

friday - Petit sirloins (got on sale for $2.50/lb), green beans almondine, homemade rolls ($5.90 for 4 servings)

saturday - Leftovers since we're both working (free!)

sunday - Dinner at the in-laws (free!)





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Once-A-Month Cook-Off - my results!

Thanks to the ladies over at Once a Month Mom for sponsoring this cook-off - I love freezer cooking anyway but making it a challenge certainly egged on my competitive spirit. (And if you have any inklings of trying out once-a-month cooking, you MUST visit their site. Now. I'll wait.) For me, this was more of a "Several-times a Month Cook-off" - Our schedules are such that it's almost impossible to schedule one entire day for cooking. And no offense ladies, but if hubby and I have a day off together, I'm kind of inclined to hang out with him eating Cheez Doodles and catching up on LOST :)

I planned things out kinda loosely, and arranged my days so that I was prepping stuff for two or three dishes the night before, and then assembling the next day. For example, I browned all the ground beef, and then put together the Sue Sue's Casserole, Taco Bake and the Sloppy Joes over the next two days. Another night I tossed the chicken in the crockpot overnight, and the next day put together the Chicken Ranch Pizza and the Black Bean Salsa Chicken (I pre cooked the chicken for that dish, it's a personal preference). That night I tossed the Lazy Granola together so that it cured in the oven while I was cleaning up. It worked out well because the littles keep me VERY busy during the day, but once they were in bed I usually had time to make a few dishes. I also got some help from the Boy Wonder when making the Stuffed Pancake Cupcakes :) I made a few adjustments to some of the recipes, based on what I had on hand and what would make the overall recipe a little cheaper for me.

The nice thing about doing a freezer cooking month gradually is that I never did more than an hour or so of work in a night. Some things, like the Pork Roast dishes, took all of about 20 minutes to throw together! All told I probably did about 6-7 hours over the course of the month, but when you break it down into small groupings, it's not even noticeable.

We hit a bit of a snafu with the Pancake Cupcakes - the first round I made leaked out the bottom, and the gel around the fruit melted down so much it just left caverns inside the ones that did stay together. With the second batch, I used paper liners (which solved the leakage beautifully!) but I still had the big holes in the middle. I ended up scrapping them - but made more Lazy Granola to make up for the missing breakfasts. I also only ended up with three Taco Bakes instead of four, but that's because I bought 8X11 lasagna pans instead of 8X8...it worked out fine, I'll just have more leftovers when they appear on the menu!

Since I always price out cost-per-meal on what I cook, I did the same for the OAMC dishes that are now happily tucked away in the freezer (these are based on the actual cost of what I bought...I'm a total nerd and did the math out for individual ingredients. It's my OCD.) I actually used a lot out of my existing pantry, and included what I paid for those items in the cost-per-meal. But I also tracked what I bought new just for OAMC, or what would replace pantry items that got used up this challenge. The grand total for my OAMC spending was: $97.96!! As I've done my Grocery Tracking I made notes on anything that was bought for this cook-off. Since this whole blog is about my monthly spending and grocery budgeting, I'm really looking forward to seeing how spending that money ahead of time saves on my overall budget!



Here's what I ended up making, along with the cost-per-meal for each dish. We have 21 dinners(most will leave us leftovers) and a lot of granola to carry us through March and probably the beginning of April!

2 Pork Roast with Apples and Pears - $4.47/entree
2 Asian Pork Roast - $3.56/entree
2 bags Curried Turkey Tidbits - $1.32/entree!
I used a bunch of leftover turkey that I had in the freezer, so technically that's FREE!)
2 Chicken Ranch Pizza Toppings - $4.65/meal including dough
used 1 can of diced tomato drained instead of fresh tomato
4 bags Black Bean Salsa Chicken - $5.32/meal
I used a 1-lb bag of dried black beans (cooked) and 2 cups frozen corn per bag instead of the canned
4 bag Lazy Granola - $4.44 for all!
3 pans Taco Bake - $3.21/meal
again, used frozen corn kernels in place of canned, also used canned crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce
4 pans Sue Sue's Casserole - $4.62/meal
2 bags Sloppy Joes - $2.62/entree





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Menu Plan Monday - Oct 26th '09

What a strange week we had last week (nevermind the fact that I thought Monday was the 24th). I ended up with an overload of leftovers in the fridge, and Saturday we got home too late to do anything really involved for dinner so I ended up making scrambled eggs instead :) I still got through the entire week without having to buy anything but bread and milk though! I love it when my total weekly shopping bill is less than $6. The Butternut Squash mac & cheese was a HUGE hit with the kiddo, and made a ton of leftovers, and I have 10 cups of chicken broth plus lots of meat from the roast chicken too.

This week we have two meals out of the house, since we'll be trick-or-treating in my hubby's grandmother's neighborhood and eating pizza there, then Sunday is a family party. I tried to do this week with as little shopping as possible again - if I'm ever going to get the freezer defrosted, I need to thin out the reserves a LOT!

Here's what's on our table, don't forget to visit Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie to find hundreds more menus and recipe ideas!

monday - Black Beans and Rice ($2.16 for 4 servings)

tuesday - Mexican Braid ($5.29 for 6-8 servings)

wednesday - Honey Ginger Pork Chops, veggie, mashed sweet potatoes - OAMC ($6.15 for 4 servings)

thursday - Shepherd's Pie with leftover beef roast ($2.00 for 4 servings)

friday - Leftovers (Free!)

saturday - Trick or Treats at Nana's house

sunday - Family party






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Menu Plan Monday - Sept 14, '09

I know I missed last week's MPM, we've been dealing with some colic from the new little one so sleep and free time are in short supply :-)

I have still been working off my freezer meals and quick dinners, but the time is coming fast when I need to get back to my old cooking routines. I can probably stretch my OAMC meals one more week, but I need to start planning for cooking days and figure out how that will work with the baby's schedule.

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

monday - leftover Cheesy Kielbasa Bake - OAMC - FREE

tuesday - Homemade Vegetable Soup, breadsticks - OAMC - ($4.27 for 6 servings)

wednesday - Spaghetti and freezer meatballs, leftover breadsticks - OAMC ($4.11 for 6-8 servings)

thursday - Hamburgers, tater tots, veggies ($3.50 for 4 servings)

friday - Pizza Rolls (with pepperoni), veggies and ranch dip - OAMC - ($5.90 for 8 servings)

saturday - leftovers - FREE

sunday - dinner at the in-laws - FREE




Stumble It!

Menu Plan Monday - Aug 24th, '09

We're into week 2 of the new baby and I actually managed to get both kids down for an afternoon nap at the same time! The quiet in the house is heavenly ;)

Last week I did *ok* with sticking to the menu, though one night when I was home alone with the kids I resorted to mac & cheese for my toddler instead of thawing something...we'd had a rough morning and I totally forgot to thaw dinner! This week I'm hoping to do a little better, hubby is back at work so I'm on my own for dinner most nights. It's tough to be motivated when the only other mouth I need to please would vote for grilled cheese sandwiches every night should I give him the choice!

Here's what we're (attempting) eating this week, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more menus and ideas!

monday - Black Bean Quesadillas, sliced green peppers ($5.80 for 6 servings)

tuesday - Chicken Cordon Bleu over egg noodles - OAMC ($6.75 for 6 servings)

wednesday - BBQ shredded chicken sandwiches, mixed veggies ($4.30 for 4 servings)

thursday - Leftovers - free!

friday - Homemade veggie soup, Whole Wheat Biscuits - OAMC ($6.81 for 8-10 servings)

saturday - leftover Cabbage Roll Casserole from the freezer, leftover biscuits - free!

sunday - Clean Out Fridge Night - free!








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Menu Plan Monday - July 27th, '09

We're at T-minus a week and a half before my due date! I'm definitely feeling like a gigantic Macy's balloon right now, and the heat of summer has finally arrived to New England. Hooray for air conditioning!

I'm working off a minimalist menu plan this week, partially because of the heat and partially because I'm just beat right now. Plus hubby is working a lot so that means more nights than usual when it's just the Boy Wonder and I for dinner. I realized that I have NINE POUNDS of kielbasa in the chest freezer...so I found a couple of OAMC recipes that will help whittle that down, and add to my stockpile for post-birth. I'll post the recipes once I try them out!

Here's what we're eating this week, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons of great menu links!

monday - Leftovers! (Free)

tuesday - Grilled Cheese sandwiches, fruit ($2.70 for 4 servings)

wednesday - English Muffin pizzas, veggies and dip ($3.50 for 4 servings)

thursday - Chicken pot pie made with leftover Mimi's Sticky Chicken - OAMC ($3.75 for 4-6 servings)

friday - Homemade Hawaiian Pizza ($4.50 for 6-8 servings)

saturday - Homemade Vegetable Soup, leftover breadsticks ($5.95 for 8-10 servings)

sunday - Dinner at the in laws!








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OAMC update for June

Just wanted to post a quick update on the progress I've made in stocking OAMC meals this month - I still have to make the meatballs since they are on this week's menu but by week's end this will all be tucked away! I am still shooting for using 2 freezer meals per week so this should last me for quite a while, even if I lean more heavily on the freezer meals once the baby arrives.

Chicken Bombay - 2 meals worth
Spaghetti Pie - 4 pans
Turkey veggie Lasagna - one pan (2 dinners)
Cheesy Kielbasa Bake - one large pan (2-3 dinners)
Meatballs - 2 pounds (2-3 meals)

I am finding that it's definitely easier for me to assemble meals a bit at a time, instead of setting one full day aside for cooking. Doubling recipes that are already on the menu make the process go even faster, since I'm not adding much prep time and usually just spending 10-15 extra minutes assembling the pans for the freezer. This week, the lasagna and the Kielbasa bake each took only about half an hour to put together and I took care of the freezer portion while the fresh meal was baking. I know many OAMC cooks prefer to use regular pans, but I am finding that I prefer disposable foil pans and just stack them carefully in my freezer...I get them cheap enough at the Big Lots nearby and it's worth it to not have another pan to wash!

There are some awesome sales coming up on blueberries so I am going to try and add muffins and pancakes to the stash, which will come in handy for snacks and bleary-eyed breakfasts with an infant in the house :) I've got one more month to really build the stockpile before things get crazy, if anyone has favorite freezer dishes please feel free to share!!!









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Menu Plan Monday - June 15, '09

Hard to believe it's already the middle of June! We're so focused on the baby's arrival in August that the summer already seems to be slipping by, and it's barely begun. It probably would be as bad if we didn't have SO much to do before my due date! I'm definitely in my nesting phase, I look around my house and all I see are projects for the Honey-do list :)

Last week was a good week overall, we stuck to the menu and even survived game night! I've got a lot of OAMC cooking on the docket for this week - most meals will be cooked double and half sent straight to cold storage! I don't always have time to set aside just for freezer cooking but I can always make doubles.

Here's our table for the week, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for TONS of other menus and ideas!

monday - Turkey Veggie Lasagna - OAMC Meal ($5.78 for 6 servings)

tuesday - Cheesy Kielbasa Bake - OAMC Meal ($6.87 for 6-8 servings)

wednesday - Grilled Cheese sandwiches, fruit salad ($4.50 for 4 servings)

thursday - Meatball subs, watermelon - OAMC meal ($6.50 for 4 servings)

friday - Orange Apricot Pork Chops, veggie, couscous - OAMC meal ($7.40 for 6 servings)

saturday - Homemade Pizza ($2.60 for 6-8 servings)

sunday - Dinner at the in-laws - Free!








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