I didn't do a weekly shop but picked up a few odds when my daughter and I looked at mum's. Holding off a week, I'll have a decent budget target if over $75 for the last week of September, and meet or exceed my $300 challenge. I am even counting the Papa Murphy's DH picked up Friday and his rogue shops. Here was my plan for the past week, and what was changed.
Sunday- Homemade macaroni and cheese, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes on the side.
Monday: Chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes, leftover ciabatta bread
Tuesday: Dollar Tree $5.00 Meal Challenge -beef jambalaya, broccoli and cheese, spring rolls
Wednesday: Meat loaf, sweet potato wedges ham from freezer, au gratin potatoes
Thursday: Crock pot mock lasagna leftovers
Friday: Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Papa Murphy's pizza
Saturday: Burrito Bake from Taste of Home Pizza hotdish
So many changes, but leaves me with a lot of ideas for the week. Sunday is set to be a hot one, plus game day and Veg Fest, so I may just figure out dinner later in the day based on how DH ate at home and what we indulged in at the festival. I have some bits that I could make little personal pizzas for a truly lazy day. Here's my possible list.
- Burrito Bake I didn't try last week
- Spaghetti
- Tuna noodle hotdish with veg and cheese
- Chicken stir fry and rice
- Sausage meatballs with sweet potato wedges
- Chicken, broccoli, rice and cheese hotdish
- Chili dogs and tator tots
- Up cycled grilled cheese (multiple cheeses and tomato) and tomato red pepper soup
- Rice crust vegetable quiche and salad
- Chili Mac and cheese bake
I came up with me ten meals without any further shopping. Whether any are cooked is a guess. I've plenty for lunches and breakfasts as well, though leftovers has been my norm. Boring. Same old. Nothing new unless I do the burrito dish. Does anything speak to you? What might you suggest using my likely ingredients instead?
Hamburger soup? Chicken pot pie (topped with biscuits or stove top stuffing)? Crust-less quiche? I think that makes it a fritatta. Taco bowls? Grilled or oven roasted vegetables? I subscribe to a couple lifestyle magazines, i.e Canadian Living, Good Housekeeping and often pick a recipe from the latest issue to try. I think I've gotten to the age where recipe ingredients are so novel but the combination or presentation is changed up. Maybe that contributes to our boredom around menu planning?
ReplyDeleteBoth/all sound really good. We had a late season heat wave, and temps still seem summer like so soup might be off the menu for a few more weeks. I like hearing form others that had good luck with recipes.
Delete*Homemade soup is off the table, but opening some tomato with grill cheese may be on the list.
DeleteI don't know exactly what you have on hand, but with the sausage, could you do a sausage & pepper sheet pan bake? Put on rolls, if you prefer a sandwich. I've made something like this before. https://www.wellplated.com/sausage-and-peppers/
ReplyDeleteWe're also planning on an upcycle grilled cheese & tomato soup, which sounds perfect for the season. Nick is making homemade bread, to up ours. :-)
Good ideas. The sausage are already made into meat balls, cooked, and frozen, but the veggies with would be nice.
DeleteOh dinners again??? Ughhhhh. I don’t even know what happened last week. I made the meatballs that I planned and nothing else from my fake menu. I did make tuna noodles as well. Hubby made a nice dinner of some free impossible burgers that were lurking in the freezer. They were delicious! Gotta pick up something for today and stuff for breakfast and lunches then do a real shop at some point. Food just isn’t very appetizing to me these days for some reason and that makes it so hard to pick things for dinner. JoAnn
ReplyDeleteI'd be happy just having grazing meals all the time and forget real mela planning unless I really feel like cooking.
DeleteIt sounds as though you all might be eating well, or lots, during the day. I don't think I would go all out for a meal unless you are going to use the leftovers one night later in the week. I think I would choose a meal from the list that was the least trouble/work. Tommy is just now eating lunch at 3 pm, and I still have not had breakfast! I want a good hearty meal soon.
ReplyDeleteWe ate less than intended due to heat, but yes, ate well. I didn't cook but used up stuff for mini pizzas.
DeleteI really should skip grocery shopping for one week and use up some of the stuff I have here. I reckon it's just habit anyway, as I really only need fresh fruit and veg. Just think how much we would save!
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed at the things I've been able to make with little shopping. This will be a savings month
DeleteSounds like some good options for meals!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the burrito bake recipe! It sounds good to me, and I'm going to pick up the crescent rolls so I can make it later in the week.
I think I'll try that Tuesday and report on Wednesday
DeleteSpaghetti always speaks to me. I might have that tonight with frozen meatballs. We have salad, too.
ReplyDeleteWe eat less spaghetti compared to other pasta, but sounds good.
DeleteChicken enchilada soup? [Dice your chicken, sautee in with some onions olive oil, (I sometimes don't bother with this step), put in a slow cooker with chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes, a small can of diced jalapenos, and a tablespoon of enchilada or or taco seasoning. Sometimes I add salsa, or even enchilada sauce.] We also do a lot of baked fish with roasted potatoes and salad--fish has lemon or lime juice, butter, garlic powder, oregano, basil and pepper (sometimes I add honey) put in a foil tent, and baked at 350 for about 1/2 hour. You can even cook it frozen, but you have to add 10 minutes. Potatoes are simply diced, put in a baking dish with olive oil and my own onion soup mix...both are ready at the same time. Lately, my kids have been requesting risotto over and over and over again, though. I indulge them, because it's fairly easy to make, (though it DOES require me to stand at the stove for about 30 minutes) I almost always have the ingredients on hand, and the leftovers never stick around long. Tonight, we are having a slow cooker meal of corned beef and cabbage. I am now at the point where I see us moving by summer, so I am actively trying to use thing which have been in the freezer for a while. I find that a challenge like that makes my meals a bit more creative.
ReplyDeleteWhen I itch to make soup, I'll keep this in my list. Crockpot meals are always a win.
DeleteThere is a lot of positives to do the same dishes on a regular basis. People know what to expect and it makes shopping/preparing so much easier.
ReplyDeleteThat is true. I worry about boredom and the too much eating out.
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