Weekly Menu 8/14/15

This week's menu is going to look a bit different because I'm trying to spend AS LITTLE MONEY at the grocery store as possible this week.  I've got a big project coming up soon and I'm trying to put aside as much extra money as possible in the next two weeks.  I do this whenever I have an unexpected large purchase (like new brakes on the car) or when I'm trying to put aside money for a project or save for vacation.  It's genius!  As a result, I'm going to be planning meals based on what I already have in my freezer stockpile and pantry.  We call this our "No Grocery Store Shopping Challenge" and it can be super fun to try and get creative and it's a great way to use up those less than desirable food items.

Alright, so....what am I going to be making?  What am I going to be buying?

My freezer is well stocked with yummy homemade meals and while I have enough meals in there to eat one every night, I do want to try to save them.  Plus, I have a few odds and ends that I need to use up!  A quick look in my pantry and fridge is all it takes to put together this week's menu.

Evening Meals

• Pasta with Mozzarella, Basil and Tomato and Green Salad.  I was going to make this last week but never got around to it so that means that I've already got all the ingredients on hand.  I'll probably do a double batch so I have lots leftover for lunches during the week.  You can add just about any veggie you have to this recipe as well.  Items to Buy: Salad Mix

Photo Courtesy MyRecipes.com

• Crock Pot Refried Beans.  I'll use this for lunches as well as a couple of dinners  One bag of dried beans makes a huge batch of refried beans.  Add in some yummy tortillas and a little cheese and you're in business!  *Here's a tip for you- I buy bell peppers whenever they go on sale, chop them up and stick them in the freezer.  Then, when I've got a recipe that calls for bell peppers or I want to throw in a little bell pepper to something, I'll simply take a handful out of the freezer.  This saves me time and money!  Items to Buy: Cheese

• Hot dogs and fresh corn on the cob.  Super easy and quick weeknight meal- who doesn't love that!  I already have the Applegate hot dogs sitting in my freezer as I try to always stock up when they are on sale.  Items to Buy:  Hot dog buns, corn.

• Crock Pot Tortellini Soup.  I've already got the tortellini in the freezer- PSST....did you know you can freeze packages of fresh tortellini/ravioli?  I buy these whenever they are on sale and simply pop in the freezer.  Genius!  I will also be making this recipe without the sausage because we simply don't eat that much meat and there's really no need to add it in.  In addition, this recipe calls for spinach but I'm all out.  However- I do have a ton of kale to use up, so I'll simply be substituting the spinach for the kale.  Easy peasy!  Items to Buy: Cream Cheese

Photo Courtesy
RedStarRecipe.com

• Freezer Meal.  I'll be working all weekend long (what else is new!) so for one of those nights, I'll simply grab something out of the freezer for my boys.  Having a fully stocked freezer with homemade and healthy foods is much easier than you think!  Just make a double batch of one recipe once per week and in no time, you'll have a fully stocked freezer!  Items to Buy:  None

• Lentils and Rice.  I always have a bag of lentils and rice in my pantry and the two go great together!  There's tons of recipes for cooked lentils so just find one that works with whatever ingredients you have on hand.  The key here is to buy as little as possible!  Items to Buy:  None

  

  Photo Courtesy of BrittanyCooks.com

Breakfast Meals

• Pumpkin Bread.  Once the summer weather starts to turn a bit, the husband starts begging for Pumpkin Bread.  It's his favorite and I make a batch just about every week during the Fall and Winter months.  He can't get enough!  Items to Buy:  Eggs
• Cinnamon Rolls.  One batch actually makes two pans of cinnamon rolls.  So I'll pop one in the freezer for another week.  Also- important to note, I do NOT add a powered sugar icing.  No need for the extra sugar.  Items to Buy:  Eggs

This week I will not be making any desserts.  Mainly because I'm making some "sweet" breads for breakfasts so we simply don't need more sugary items.  Even though we won't eat JUST the sweet stuff for breakfast, I do try to balance things out each week.  I will probably make up a batch of my Black Bean Hummus though as I've already got the black beans and limes and it makes a great snack!  Items to Buy:  None

In addition to this week's menu, I will also need to buy a few staples, fruit, milk and coffee.  But that's it!

Here's the weekly grocery shopping list so you can see how little I will be buying this week.

• Salad mix
• Cheese
• Hot dog buns
• Fresh corn on the cob
• Cream Cheese
• Eggs
• Fruit
• Milk
• Coffee

Been following along on My Weekly Menu?  Want to see previous weeks?

• My Weekly Menu
• Weekly Menu 7/10/15
• Weekly Menu 7/17/15

Grocery Budget Challenge- Week #4

While my intentions are usually very good, sometimes my follow through stinks!  What can I say- I'm a busy Homeschooling work at home Mom and it's been a super busy couple of weeks.  But here it is, we are down to the last week and I finally feel like I'm getting a handle on my budget. But I won't lie- it's been hard.  This week, I spent roughly $143- not too bad!

You may look at my meal plans and think "those are pretty cheap meals, why is she spending SO much?"  Well, the reason is that I like to stock up when items are on sale. I pack my husband a lunch each day for work- so that's where some of the budget is going.  I also include all toiletries and dog food in my budget.  And of course, occasionally I splurge and buy some organic ice cream or a big bottle of whiskey for my husband.

But there's another reason that it's been difficult to keep my budget under $150.  When shopping weekly, I am also adding to my stockpile.  Your what?!?

Ok, so if you read my blog, you know that I like to be prepared.  I keep emergency supplies on hand for my family and I try to buy just a little bit each week.  A couple cases of water, some toilet paper, extra jars of peanut butter- organic of course!  All these things really add up and make it difficult to stay under budget!  Hmm...do I hear another blog post in the future....

But let's get back to the Grocery Budget Challenge shall we....Week #4 Meal Plan, here we go!

Week #4

Monday

Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup w/Rolls

Biscuits and Gravy for Breakfast w/Fresh Fruit

Tuesday

Garlic Pasta w/Green Salad

Leftover Biscuits and Gravy w/Fresh Fruit

Wednesday

Taco Salad

Blueberry Muffins & Fresh Fruit for Breakfast

Thursday

Crockpot Cheesy Vegetable Chowder w/Rolls

Fruit & Yogurt Smoothies & Oatmeal for Breakfast

Friday

Leftovers

Saturday

My 10th Wedding Anniversary!!!

Sunday

Freezer Meal- Red Beans & Rice

I've intentionally kept this week's meals fairly simple and cheap to make because my husband has requested pizza for lunch this week.  I buy him the Newman's Own pizza's which are about $5-7 per pizza, yikes!!!!  I usually buy 3 of these and make them last all week but that's about $20 of my grocery budget just on 3 pizzas.  Not good....I have tried making my own pizzas and I just haven't found a crust I like yet- so for now, I will buy the best pizza's I can find and I highly recommend these Newman's Own ones!

I will be baking a Pumpkin Bundt Cake for us to eat this week and also my Mini Pumpkin Pies to put in my freezer for Thanksgiving.  When hosting a large holiday meal- do as much ahead of time as possible!   I have also ordered my $60 organic, humanly raised Turkey for Thanksgiving from a local farm- so there goes $60 of my budget this week.  Oh yeah- did I mention holiday meals are coming out of my weekly budget!!!!!  Want to read more about my tips and tricks for hosting the holidays?  Click here!

Last and most important is my 10th Wedding Anniversary this weekend.  SO excited!  My husband and I will be spending the night in a fancy hotel downtown, eating out, visiting the Chihuly Glass Museum and not caring about our budget at all!  It will be fabulous!  Since we will be home right around dinner time on Sunday, I've planned ahead and simply grabbed one of my many freezer meals from my freezer stockpile.  There's that word again....stockpile.  I highly recommend you do this!  Now I can enjoy a great mini weekend away with my husband and come home to a healthy, organic home cooked meal- now that's awesome!

Curious to see how the previous weeks turned out?

Week #1

Week #2

Week #3

Do You Have a Freezer Stockpile?

I've said it before and I'll say it again- I believe in being prepared.

That's why I like to keep my freezer well stocked with easy meals made from healthy foods.  If you've read my blog before, you know that I like to cook whole foods, mainly vegetarian and organic foods from scratch.  I keep the processed foods to a minimum.

The easiest way that I've found to build up my freezer stockpile is to simply make a double batch of a meal as you're cooking it.  I do this with just about everything- provided I have enough ingredients on hand.  This assumes you are keeping a well stocked fridge and pantry.  Sometimes you make a meal last minute and simply don't have enough ingredients on hand to make a double batch- don't worry about it!  There will be plenty of chances to double up later!

Handy Chart for Freezing Meat

Here's a list of some of my favorite meals to stockpile-

• Meat & Bean Chili
• Lentil Chili
• Black Bean Chili
• Black Bean & Cilantro Quinoa
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Cheese Enchiladas
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Black Bean Soup
• Baked Potato Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup & other veggie based soups
• Vegetarian Burgers
• Beef Burgers *not cooked
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Lasagna
• Twice Baked Potato Casserole
• Meatloaf *not cooked
• Meatballs *not cooked
• Muffins
• No Yeast Breads like Zucchini & Pumpkin
• Cookie Dough *not baked
• Pie Crusts *not baked

I will also cook up a roast or whole chicken (very rarely) and then make broth with the bones and save the meat to add into other meals.  The cooked meat is then easy to thaw & throw into soups, chilis etc.  One five pound whole chicken will provide a full chicken dinner for my family, up to 3 additional meals where chicken is added (soups, stews, enchiladas etc) and not the main course, a gallon of chicken broth and scraps to feed my dogs for two meals.  I use every single part of that chicken!

I also freeze yogurt, cheese, berries, chocolate chips, fresh fruit, nuts, deli meat, packaged hot dogs and more!  Just about anything can be frozen.  So stock up when your favorite items are on sale and pop it in the freezer!

I use foil pans like this one for freezing casseroles, enchiladas, lasagnas etc.  For soups, I cool in the fridge and then put it in a large ziploc bag the next day.  Don't forget to label it with a sharpie with the name of the recipe and the date you made it!  For meats that I don't cook- I will make a double batch and bake one that day then put the other half in a labeled ziploc bag.  For burgers, meatballs and cookie dough, I flash freeze then stick in a ziploc bag.  Super easy!

This is a simple way for you to save money- you won't eat out as much and for you to feed your family healthy meals!  For a busy wife and mother- it's guaranteed to make your life much easier!