Weekly Menu: Week 6 (Sept 29 to Oct 5)

Well I hope y'all have a had a good week! We officially ran out of everything in the house, so had to do a major restocking trip to Costco on Friday for our date night. We managed to get 8 pounds of ground beef, which we divided into 6 - 1 pound chunks, 1 - 3/4 pound chunk, and 3 - 1/2 pound chunks. I've learned that when making spaghetti or tacos we only eat half a pound and granted I could probably find another hamburger based meal, but we eat more chicken than anything else. We also got probably close to 20 chicken breasts and who knows how many chicken tenders. So we packaged those yesterday. I also made some cookie dough balls. Freezing cookie dough is the best thing ever! And today I'll be making more meatballs and marinara sauce. I'd say our freezer is close to being restocked :-)

Our meal plan is going to look different today. It's our anniversary this week: 3 years can't believe it! We also have soul mate at our church on Friday, which we will be going out to eat that night. And it's my working weekend. So that means eating out probably will be done a lot this week. So this is not going to be a normal week!

Sunday: Pizza

Our normal Sunday meal, but today we are getting it from Mellow Mushroom. It was the 5th Sunday at church so our life group does breakfast.  But we don't meet till 11 so that's a late breakfast and that means a late lunch/ dinner. I was really wanting the pretzels from there and hubby remembered and suggested that instead.

Monday: Pepperoni Bread

I'll be honest about this meal: I love it, but I'm so nervous about making it. My mom has always made it.  It requires a loaf of frozen bread, you let it rise in the oven for 5 hours with it turned off.  You then roll it out, add Italian seasoning, pepperonis, and mozzarella cheese and then bake it till golden brown. It's the rising part that scares me.. Never been good at that. I use the minis because those are fun to play with. I'll give you more details if I can make it good. :-)

Tuesday: Chicken Crockpot Tacos

You throw a can of corn and black beans into the crockpot with a can of rotel and let it cook with chicken.  You also add 1 package dry ranch seasoning, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp chili powder.  This makes a lot, so be prepared for left overs.  I'm also thinking about making my own tortillas, so I'll let y'all know how this turns out.

Wednesday: Melting Pot

It's our anniversary, and I had picked up a groupon for the melting pot a few weeks ago.  I'm excited about going with my hubby.  We did this on our 1 year, did Texas de Brazil for our 2nd, now Melting Pot again. I'm sensing a pattern and I'm okay with it! :-)

Thursday: Grilled Chicken

I have very few pieces of Italian chicken leftover.  My original goal was to not go grocery shopping till this weekend, but with me working this weekend, it kinda threw a wrench into that plan.  So it will be grilled chicken and probably corn. We forgot to get rolls at Costco.

Friday: Moes

Every quarter (4 months) our church does a Soul Mate event.  We went to the first one a few weeks after we moved here and I was nervous about what it would be like.  It's a bunch of worship songs, funny skits, and real life advise on how to make your marriage work.  The first one talked about energy, the next one was building blocks, and this one is talking about who are you. I'm excited! But because of this we need to eat out.  Not a big deal because we are planning for it.

Saturday: Not a Clue :-)

I'm working 8 to 6. K will be golfing from noon to probably 6 or 7. I'm betting this will be an eating out meal, or I might heat up some meatballs and we do subs or something.

I told y'all this is a major off week for us.  Lots of eating out.  Not something we like to do, but with working 10 hour days, sometimes it's just easier that way.  October is probably one of our more busier months in general. We have our anniversary, hubby's birthday, and then Halloween, we like doing stuff for it, all in this month, so that makes things more chaotic.  We used to have fall break in this month too!  Can you say crazy off schedule!  I have basically meal planned for the next 2 weeks.  I was trying to avoid grocery shopping as much as possible, with our budget I knew it would hit it hard and I was trying to wait till the beginning of the month when it rolled over, no such luck, but because if that I was able to plan better what to purchase, and 1 month of seriously blowing it is better than blowing it eating out! 

Hope you enjoy.  Have you found a new recipe that is worth trying out?

Weekly Menu: Week 5 (Sept 22 to Sept 28)

Well another weekly menu! We did really good last week. Kinda fell short the weekend, but honestly when doesn't that happen? We ended up going over to friends house and bringing BBQ meatballs and she cooked perogies. Those are good!!  Also there was a draft for fantasy football, so we ate at chick fil a this week, and didn't do hocus pocus. So that's on the menu this week.  Once again we are at the end of the month and running low on grocery budget!  But eating out is actually over 50$ so I'm super impressed!  Most of these meals we have made before so I'm not going to include the how to make, you can just scroll down and find them.

Sunday: Pizza

Getting low on our gift card, so this may be ending soon.

Monday: BBQ Chicken, Mixed Veggies, and Rolls

One of our favorites which is great because all our shows come back and I get off at 7, so it's nice to know when I get home dinner will be ready and we can catch up our our 2 hours of shows for the night!

Tuesday: Hocus Pocus

Was on the menu for last week but didn't get made, so we still have everything. Yay!

Wednesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Easy meal and get to use up the rest of the frozen meatballs and the marina sauce that is chilling in the freezer.

Thursday: Chicken Salad

Told you this is on our menu most weeks! It's easy, healthy, and super delicious!

Friday: Date Night

We really haven't decided on this yet, but I do know there is a BOGO Pei Wei coupon that we might use tonight or Saturday.

Saturday: Really not sure, ideas?

This is what our meals look like towards the end of the month.  Our budget is dwindling down, and most of our stockpile food is used up.  So I start planning meals of things we have on hand.  This week we spent less than 15$ on groceries for the week, and most of that was lunch items, not items for dinner.  I guess when you run out, you run out of everything :-).

 I'll tell ya this, having a stockpile of most foods is a great thing.  I loved knowing I got the items at the lowest price, and got a lot of them.  Mixed veggies, hamburger meat, chicken, rolls, beans, and spaghetti are several items I've stocked up on that we will have to do again soon. 

Weekly Menu:Week 4 (Sept. 15 to Sept. 21)

We did good sticking to our menu last week. But we did decide to have leftovers on Saturday instead of BBQ meatballs.  We got looking at our budget and we are almost down to zero in both groceries (covers Aldi and Costco purchases) and also down to almost 0$ at Target too.  I separate those two instead of having one big fund like some people might do. It is what works for us.  I've done some major restocking on my supplies this month and my budget is feeling it.  So next weeks menu might look rather different.  The good news though is eating out hardly has any taken out of it! So let's get on to this menu!

Sunday: Lenny's

We spiced it up today.  We had our free sub and both hubby and I were wanting sandwiches.  We got one free.  Went and ordered just the two sandwiches and polished it off with an episode of Big Bang Theory and some BBQ sun chips, if you haven't tried them, you should! :-). I'll also tell you this: company's have awesome punch cards or some sort of reward based system. Get signed up for it!  Pizza Hut gives you a free personal pan after you purchase 5. Lenny's, Firehouse, and Which Wich give you a free one after purchasing 9. I mean that's only 5 trips in there with you and your hubby.  Something to take advantage of if you are going to be eating out a lot!

Monday: Broccoli-Ham Ring

This is a pampered chef recipe and probably another one of my faves, but hubby isn't a fan.  I like it because there isn't much measuring and requires 5 ingredients: cheese (Motz and cheddar), ham, broccoli, and crescents.  In a food processor chop broccoli and ham together.  I normally do about 2 broccoli crowns and a half pound ham.  In a bowl mix together the two cheeses till it looks like a good mix, then roll out crescents in the shape of a circle, connected the tips and kind of combining the ends a little as you go around.  Pile the mixture on top, and fold over the points under the crescents.  Bake at 350 for 15ish minutes till golden brown on top.  I really hope you understand how that's supposed to be done..

Tuesday: French Dip Sliders & Honey Glazed Carrots

So good, but not good for a tight budget, but it does make a lot so be warned!  Acquire a sirloin roast from the grocery store (these are kinda expensive, like 10 or 12$ for the 3 pound roast!)  Also grab some au jus gravy package mix, Kings Hawaiian rolls, and slices of provolone cheese. In a crockpot add the roast.  In a Pyrex container mix together 1 cup water and the package of au jus mix, and pour over the roast.  Then the best part: leave cooking on low for 6 to 8 hours, the longer it cooks, the more tender and flaky the roast will be.  Put those on Hawaiian rolls, with a quarter of the provolone cheese and enjoy! The carrots are from green giant. :)

Wednesday: Hocus Pocus or Beefy Crescent Bake

I'm thinking our theme is crescents this week! :-). This one requires spices, ground beef, Campbell's fiesta cheese soup and some cheese. First, brown up hamburger meat, drain the fat and add these spices: 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 pepper, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, and 1 tsp onion powder. Mix together with hamb meat. Now divide the crescents into pockets and spoon a healthy dish onto the pockets and fold over.  In a dish spray with Pam and add a little bit of the soup with milk mixture. Add the pockets to them and cook, add the rest of the soup to the top of the pockets.  When there is 5 minutes left add the cheese. When I'm cooking just for us I use one package of crescents and half the can of soup. You don't want it too soupy or it won't cook fully.

Thursday: Leftovers

We normally don't plan a meal with leftovers during the week, but we know that these meals are going to make leftovers.  We also have bread that needs to get used up before it goes bad (oh French toast sounds like a good idea for Saturday breakfast :-)) so lunches this week will probably be PB&J :-/.

Friday: Chicken Spaghetti

I think everyone has there own way if making it. I'm making mine by flaking chicken, adding them to the spaghetti, that's been cooked.  I'll also add a can of cream of mushroom and chicken, along with a  can of rotel.  I'll then sprinkle on some cheese on top and bake.  The good news, this meal is all pantry staples I have :-) so no cost for this meal this week!

Saturday: Hasn't been planned

Might be BBQ meatballs or maybe leftover chicken spaghetti.  What do you normally do for Saturday nights? We used to eat out all weekend, when we were in the boro, but here, we rarely do.  Grilling out gets boring, so what do you do?

What's on your menu this week? 

Have you tried any of the recipes?  

What is your own favorite recipe? 

Do you keep a budget for groceries, if so, what's the hardest part about sticking to it?

Weekly Menu: Week 3 (Sept. 8 to Sept 14)

Just a little recap on last week. We didn't really stick with our meal plan, but we hardly ate out!  Monday we hit up Firehouse because they were doing to BOGO offer for Labor Day, and how often do those come into play?!? Tuesday we had pecan chicken strips, after K's softball game where he caught an awesome fly ball and our team won 20 to 4! Yay life group! Wednesday I made enchilada bake, we'll technically Tuesday, because on Tuesday I agreed to work the next 5 days straight! :-) oops!  Thursday we had breakfast. Friday we had a potluck with our life group at a friends house and I made chocolate chip cookies and strawberry angel food truffle.  Finally Saturday got here, I had worked 4 days straight, for a total of 43 hours that week, would have been 48, but they let me go home early a few days, so we went to Olive Garden. So we didn't stick to the menu on the days, but we did eat in!  Some weeks just happen like that!  So now onto this week!

Sunday: Pizza

Today this was a welcome routine. We ate, then went to visit our friends who just had a baby, and that was the perfect end to a super long week!

Monday: Pizza Casserole

This is probably one of my favorite fast easy make meals, 2 pot dirty type meals.  It's basically hamburger meat, a jar of ragu pizza sauce, a package of egg noodles, mini pepperonis, a jar of Cambells cheddar cheese soup. Start by browning hamburger meat. Boil noodles.  When noodles get done, drain them, add pizza sauce, soup, pepperoni, and meat to the pot. Layer in casserole dish and top with Motz cheese. Bake at 350 for around 30ish min till cheese is bubbling. And enjoy!

Tuesday: Chicken Salad

I told y'all it was on our menu a lot! K has a double header with softball, and it starts at 6 and we probably won't get home till 830 or so, so I want something quick and isn't so heavy since we are eating so late. Still trying to decide if we are marinating it in teriyaki (for Wednesday meal, just easier to make ahead) or Lawrys.

Wenesday: Chicken Fried Rice and Egg Rolls

I've been searching Pinterest a lot and came across a fried rice recipe. I made it one time at the beginning of August and fell in love with it. People that know me, know I don't really like Chinese foobut I can eat me some chicken fried rice!  Here is this recipe. And it's 'low' in WW points! :-) I didn't use the sesame oil, that stuff is like 8 dollars a bottle, no thanks!

http://skinnymom.com/2013/03/01/skinny-chicken-fried-rice/

Thursday: Salsa Chicken, Mixed Veggies, and Rolls

Everyone knows how to make salsa chicken, I think. 3 things of chicken breasts (remember I'm only feeding 2, add more if you have more members) pour a jar of salsa over top, and throw it in the oven for 35 min. When that timer goes off add cheese, and put in till cheese is nice and bubbly.

Friday: Tacos, Mexican Rice, and Queso

I did find my own recipe for taco seasoning and this will be my first time trying it! Yay! Love that I can use the spices that I have in my spice rack and make my own seasonings.  We shall see if there is a difference and if there isn't ill post that also.

Saturday: BBQ Meatballs

I'm telling you, we are still eating on those meatballs I made about a month ago! I'm loving it! Here is the recipe finally! It's from Pioneer Woman (I'm really getting addicted to all her recipes and think I want her cookbooks! :-) I didn't like browning them on the stove top, I think next time ill just put them in the oven for like 10 or 15 minutes, maybe. So go, try them, freeze some, and enjoy the goodness!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/03/bbq-meatballs-comfort-food-to-the-max/ 

That's our menu for this week. Sorry it's so late.  Enjoy your week!

Weekly Menu: Week 2 (Sept. 1 to Sept 7)

Welcome to week 2! We are trying to use up some ground beef, because we have several pounds in the fridge and I'm not wanting to go buy either chicken or ground beef yet :-)

Sunday: Like I said on the first post, we also do pizza on Sunday nights. It's a lot of routine, but I haven't got tired of the wonderful breadsticks yet! :-)

Monday: Pecan Chicken Strips

We normally make this with chicken salad. But today we are just doing strips.  Here is what you need.

1 cup pecan pieces

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1-2 teaspoons poultry seasonings

1 egg

Chicken strips

1. In a food processor, combine pecan pieces, bread crumbs, and seasonings.  Mix until blended.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg.  Dip the chicken into the egg mixture.  Allow it to drip slightly and coat with blended pecan mixture.

3. After the chicken is coated, place it on a baking sheet, covered with Pam and aluminum foil.

4. Bake at 350 for 20 or 30 minutes.

Tuesday: Enchilada Bake

This is probably one of my favorite meals. It can be made ahead of time and then placed in the fridge for future cooking! Plus it makes for great leftovers and is always good!  Here is what you will need:

1 lb of ground beef

1 large onion

1 jar picante sauce

1 can black beans

1/2 cup zesty Italian dressing ( yes, it sounds weird, but its not noticeable)

1 package taco seasoning

6 flour tortillas

1 cup sour cream

1 package Mexican cheese

 

1. Brown hamburger meat with onion.  Drain.  Add salsa, beans, dressing, and seasoning and mix well.  Stir in sour cream.

2. Cover the bottom of the pan with tortillas, that have been sprayed with Pam.  Cover the layer with half the meat mixture on top and sprinkle with cheese.  Add more tortillas, add meat mixture, and then add the rest of the cheese.

3. Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and cook for 10 more.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Wednesday: Pancakes, Sausage, Eggs, and Bacon

Some days you just want breakfast for dinner.  This is one of those weeks.  Combine with the fact of working and church, it's gonna be around 8 or so before we get to eat.  Thankful for living so close to church!

Thursday: K's parents

The plan is to eat at K's parents.  If not we have a free Lenny's sub that will get used.

Friday: Date Night

We have another gift card from our credit cards, so we are going to take advantage of that one. Just not sure which restaurant yet!

Saturday: Hamburger Sliders

I told you we are basing most of the meals off hamburger meat because that's what we have a lot of.  Not sure if we will grill these on the grill or on the grill inside either way this is a way I will eat hamburgers.

The spaghetti and meatballs turned out great! I will end up posting that recipe soon. Crockpot marinara and meatballs, be on the look out!  Enjoy coking! Anything look good, or what are you trying on your menu this week?