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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Menu Plan Monday - Feb 15th, '10

Must. Do. Menu!!!

We've been plagued by the sickies in my house for the last couple of weeks, and I just haven't had the energy to make up menus - which, of course, I paid dearly for because we never knew what to cook and did a fair amount of last-minute scrambling. Every time I think menu planning is just something fun to do, I'm reminded how vital it is for my sanity AND my wallet!

So I'm back on the MPM train, this week we won't have any nights when everyone is home for dinner so I'm going to try putting the bulk of the cooking early in the week and rely on leftovers towards the end of the week. Today I made some butternut squash and apple puree for the baby, we still have sweet potatoes and pears in the freezer too! I'll be posting later this week on my baby food adventures :)

Here's our table for the week, and be sure to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie to check out tons more menus and recipes!!

monday - Japanese-style Beef Curry over rice ($4.43 for 6-8 servings)

tuesday - Country Turkey Cobbler using leftover chopped turkey ($2.27 for 4-6 servings)

wednesday - Rotini with veggie marinara, homemade breadsticks from the freezer (3.50 for 6-8 servings)

thursday - either leftover night, or Tomato and Chickpea Soup, grilled cheese sammies ($5.29 for 4 servings plus leftover soup!)

friday - Leftovers!

saturday - Leftovers!

Sunday - Dinner at my in-law's!




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Menu Plan Monday - Feb 1, '10

Holy cow, it's FEBRUARY???? Well I suppose I should be thankful, after all every day is one day closer to spring :)

Last week, menu posting was a total FAIL. Too busy, too scattered, and too everything! I still managed to eat from the pantry, so we did ok but I was definitely scrambling every morning to figure out what I'd make for dinner.

I know the Pantry challenge is over, but I realized that I usually do that anyway - use what I can from the pantry and spend my money on things for the stockpile. Since I ALWAYS have frozen meats, cheese, frozen veggies, baking supplies and seasonings on hand, I rarely just shop for the recipes I'm making each week - even when I look up new recipes, I try to choose dishes that use a lot of what I have on hand. It's what works for me!

This week is no different, except that we really don't have anything unusual planned so I'm cooking just about every night. I *do* plan on cooking Once a Month Mom's February menu at the end of the month, so using pantry items will be more crucial to keep the budget from blowing up! But not only did she put up a GREAT menu, but it's their 1 year Blogoversary, complete with contests - check it out!

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

monday - Stovetop Mac & Cheese with added broccoli ($4.48 for 4-6 servings)

tuesday - Leftovers (Free!)

wednesday - Chicken veggie stirfry with rice (using leftover chicken marinated in Asian Sesame dressing) ($1.60 for 4 servings)

thursday - Beef Stew, freezer rolls ($7.20 for 8-10 servings)

friday - Leftovers - Free!

saturday - Mexican Pizza Braid ($5.29 for 6-8 servings)

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




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Menu Plan Monday - Jan 18, '10

I hadn't planned on it, but it looks like I'm all in for the Eat from the Pantry Challenge! Last week we did GREAT with the menu plan, and my weekly grocery trip (including bulk diapers from BJ's) was under $40 - only $10 of that was spent on actual food! I'm trolling the depths of my pantry for this week's menu to see how far I can go.

I've got a HUNGRY 5 month old on my hands to boot - so a good chunk of last week's shopping was for fresh veggies for baby food! So far he's been doing GREAT with solid foods, eats his homemade baby oatmeal twice a day plus fruits and veggies! He's built big and solid, I'm starting to wonder if he'll be too heavy for the infant carrier before his 6 month checkup...it's a good thing he's so cute...






This week, aside from baby food making, I only have 5 meals to account for - hubby's rescheduled holiday party is Sunday, and Tuesday is MY BIRTHDAY! Woot! We got some gift cards for Christmas so we're going OUT. I have most of what I need for all the recipes, so I'm anticipating another super cheap shopping week!

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

monday - Autumn Chowder, homemade breadsticks from the freezer ($4.26 for 6 servings)

tuesday - It's my birthday! It's my birthday! Date night :)

wednesday - Chinese Beef and Broccoli over rice ($5.20 for 4-6 servings)

thursday - Black Bean Quesadillas, sliced avocado ($3.50 for 4 servings)

friday - Homemade pizza, veggies ($3.45 for 6-8 servings)

saturday - Cabbage Roll Casserole leftovers from the freezer, leftover breadsticks - FREE!

Sunday - Hubby's work holiday party! Free!




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Menu Plan Monday - Jan 4, '10

Happy 2010! I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year's!

I am still working through my goals for the coming year, but one thing at the TOP of my list is more pro-active meal planning! We do pretty well each week, though I know many times when Menu Plan Monday became Menu Plan Wednesday, Thursday...you get the picture. My household goals for this year include incorporating both MONTHLY meal planning (even if it's just a rough framework that I can switch around), and more active Once a Month cooking into our routine! We did pretty well sticking with the plan last week but our schedule was busy enough that I was really missing having meals ready to go in the freezer. And speaking of the freezer, I NEED to do a full freezer inventory - we'll see how that goes :)

My husband's still working every night that I'm off, so next week there are no nights we're all home for dinner. It looks like that's how our schedules will be for a while, especially once hubby starts school in a few weeks. I've got to find a rhythm that works for this new schedule, so I'm going to try meals this week where the ingredients can be prepped the night before to save time when I'm juggling both kids in the evenings.

Here's what I came up with, don't forget to visit Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons more recipe and menu ideas!

monday - Italian Sausage Hawaiian over rice - never got to it last week! ($4.90 for 4 servings)

tuesday - Shredded BBQ chicken, cornbread, veggies ($3.75 for 4 servings, plus leftover cornbread!)

wednesday - Stuffed Zucchini, leftover cornbread, veggies ($6.30 for 4 servings)

thursday - English Muffin Pizzas, veggies ($2.50 for 4 servings)

friday - Leftovers (FREE)

saturday - Crockpot Asian Pork Stew over rice (cost TBA)

sunday - Dinner at the In-laws (FREE)




Stumble It!

Menu Plan Monday - Dec 14, '09

Hallelujah! The leftovers have left the building! :)

We actually made it through the entire week AND the massive amounts of leftovers that were piling up. I feel good because I know that nothing went to waste! It actually prompted me to take a hard look at the recipes I post, and set up links between recipes that make good use of leftovers. It'll take a while, but it's now on my 2010 projects list!

We are in for another busy workweek, that's what happens when your husband works in retail - so that means only 1 night this week we'll both be home for dinner. We did a lot of baking at my mother-in-law's this weekend, so I don't know how much I'll do on my own outside of what's on the menu...that depends on how often the Boy Wonder begs me to break out the mixer :)

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

monday - Fish sticks, tater tots, green beans ($5.50 for 5 servings)

tuesday - Crockpot Sloppy joes on burger rolls, mixed veg ($9.86 for 4 servings PLUS about 8 servings worth of leftovers!)

wednesday - Homemade pizza ($2.95 for 6-8 servings)

thursday - Veggie Lo Mein ($2.90 for 4-6 servings)

friday - Chicken Fajita Soup, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (cost to follow)

saturday - Stovetop Mac & Cheese with salsa ($4.39 for 6 servings)

sunday - Holiday party at hubby's work! (Free)




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Menu Plan Monday - Nov 16th, '09

I am SO not ready for the holiday season...I know retailers are trying to get a jump on holiday spending, but sheesh folks, can you at least let the turkey get cold first??? :)

We did *moderately* well sticking to the menu plan last week - I haven't been fantastic with night-before prep so we had to switch a few meals around, and one night I had to pull out a freezer meal instead of cooking because we ran really late getting home. But that's the nice thing about menu plans, it's a PLAN, not a law :)

This week my husband is home more nights than usual but we've got a lot of running around to do so I'm working off a lot of crockpot and freezer meals. I was going to try jumping back on the OAMC bandwagon this month, but I think it'll just have to wait till after the holiday madness has passed.

Here's what's on our table, and pay a visit to Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hundreds more menus and recipes!

monday - Homemade pizza, sliced veggies ($3.97 for 6-8 servings)

tuesday - Obama's Chili, homemade cornbread ($8.40 for 8-10 servings)

wednesday - Corndog Muffins, mixed veggie ($2.00 for 4 servings plus extra for the freezer!)

thursday - Italian Chicken Skillet ($4.35 for 6 servings)

friday - Pineapple Pork Roast, mashed sweet potatoes, veggie ($6.75 for 6 servings)

saturday - Breakfast for dinner! Pancakes and scrambled eggs with fruit ($3.39 for 4 servings)

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




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Menu Plan Monday - Nov 9, '09

It's the middle of November, meaning it's time to start pre-planning the Holiday Shuffle! I love that both our families live closeby, but coordinating to make sure BOTH sets of grandparents see the kids can be rough. Anyone got a spare cloning machine?

Last week we did great with the menu plan until Friday, we got home late so I just made spaghetti. Then we ended up out of the house for the whole weekend so I didn't have to cook! The end of week meals will carry over into this week so I can use the ingredients while they're good. I'm still working out the juggling of mealtime cooking with a toddler AND an infant in the house, but we're making progress :)

This week we only have ONE day when the whole family is home for dinner, otherwise one of us working-types is...well, working. I definitely need to squeeze in a baking day somewhere too - my toddler wants to know why the bananas look funny :)

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

monday - Black Bean Quesadillas, sliced avocado ($4.50 for 4 servings)

tuesday - Honey Balsamic drumsticks, veggie, Honey wheat breadsticks ($5.00 for 4-6 servings)

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

thursday - Country Chicken Cobbler in the crockpot ($2.27 for 6 servings)

friday - Leftover Bee Rocks from the freezer, veggie ($0.50 for 4 servings)

saturday - Leftover Shepherd's pie, veggie, rolls ($1.00 for 4 servings)

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




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Menu Plan Monday - Nov 2 '09

Is it really November already? Then again, I should have guessed since the stores were putting out Christmas stuff before the dust had settled on Halloween...

We stuck with the menu plan last week, mostly because any extra shopping was out of the question. It's weeks like these when you see the real value of stockpiling - my total spending on groceries was about $23 for TWO WEEKS, because we had nearly everything we needed.

This week we have a little more breathing room, but I'm still trying to thin out the freezer stash so I can defrost the darn thing! Our fridge also decided to announce its slow and impending death, so our landlord will be replacing it this month but in the meantime I have to try keeping as little as possible in there. That means smaller meals and stuff that can go in the basement freezer in single-serve portions.

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

monday - Corndogs (Freebie from Schwann's!), veggies ($0.80 for 4 servings)

tuesday - Hamburgers, tater tots, veggies ($2.95 for 4 servings)

wednesday - Bee Rocks, mixed veggie ($5.80 for 4 servings plus 8 for the freezer)

thursday - Pizza Roll Ups, fresh veggies and ranch dip ($6.20 for 4 servings plus 4 portions in the freezer)

friday - Honey Balsamic drumsticks, veggie, Honey Wheat breadsticks ($5.00 for 4-6 servings)

saturday - Black Bean Quesadillas, sliced avocado ($4.70 for 4 servings)

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




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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 - Oct 12th, '09

I love the fall! I especially love apple season - and since I came across several great recipes for apple butter among the bloggers, you can bet my crockpot will be working overtime :)

And a Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to the far northerners, too!

The Sausage Potato soup from last week was awesome! (Thanks, Laura for sharing!) I actually made a double batch and froze half of it, I don't know when I'll be able to do a true OAMC cooking session so I'm trying to just double recipes where it's possible for now. I did squeeze in a baking day and made breadsticks and muffins, and I'm on a quest for the perfect sandwich bread recipe...

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

monday - Sausage and Penne Bake, salad ($7.00 for 6 servings)

tuesday - Enchiladas using leftover Mexican chicken and rice, mixed veggies ($3.70 for 6 servings)

wednesday - Leftovers - Clean out the fridge! (free!)

thursday - Beef and Biscuit bake, in the crockpot ($5.50 for 6 servings)

friday - Homemade pepperoni pizza ($3.84 for 8 servings)

saturday - Grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit ($3.60 for 4 servings)

sunday - Going to a friend's wedding!




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