I am always menu planning and reaping the rewards of saving money, but I never seem to get my post up in time to benefit from the traffic generated by Org Junkie's wonderful MPM linkies! Yes, I'm number 254 on the list.
And since I'm currently avoiding my homeschooling offspring, I'll have just enough time to post my menu for this week. I'm not including lunches here since I don't bother much planning on that. The kids never much like what I make anyway.
So, here's what is for dinner this week!
Pot Roast - I found a roast hiding in deep freeze and decided that it's time has come. I will plop that thing in the crock pot and throw in a bunch of wilted old veggies and some key spices and VOILA! a pot roast fit for the picky
Tilapia - I thought I was buying tilapia fillets, but I was looking at price, not specifics, so I got a package of three whole, cleaned tilapia. So we're having fish with heads I have to cut off first. I just hope there's no guts involved. I'll add rice (maybe curried?) and a salad and maybe some veggies.
Spaghetti - This is my fall back when I have nothing better to make. I make a homemade sauce with diced tomatoes and sometimes mushrooms and other veggies. Have you tried that store sauce with green and black olives? It was pretty good and maybe I'll make that this week. I will sometimes buy meatballs to go into this, but the last few I've had have been mushy and icky. Meatless meal for this week. I'll also make some homemade french bread to go with it, courtesy of The Family Homestead breads cookbook.
Burritos - The kids love this meal. A can of refried beans, a can of black beans, a splash of tomato sauce, a can of petite diced tomatoes, and some Southwest Seasoning from The Pampered Chef, heat and enjoy. Add any and all cold veggies to a tortilla and maybe some cheese and sour cream and it's a hit around here.
Leftovers - Some call them planned overs, I call it easy. Lots of what I make ends up in Hubbers' lunch the next day, but we will have enough for a leftover meal of lots of different goodies most weeks.
Appetizer Night - We take the kids rollerblading on Saturdays most of the day and by the time we get home it's dark, cold, and they are starving. One night we found ourselves at the grocery store looking for something quick to eat and Hubbers came up with the idea of appetizers for dinner! We got cans of sardines, clams, assorted other small nasty fishes and meats in cans, crackers, cheeses, and enjoyed a great night. It's been more than a year since we've done this and since Oldest suggested it, I decided it was great. I am stealing Org Junkie's Broccoli Cheese soup idea for this night, too.
Did I say that Oldest has been helping me plan menus lately? It's great to have another brain to help randomize what we're eating. She has her favorites (burritos, tuna noodles) and will often suggest them to me in lieu of something "new". Since both of those meals are fairly inexpensive and healthy, I often add them to our list.
BBQ Chicken - I had to buy some chicken wings for a science dissection project for Oldest. Did you know that you can't buy just ONE wing? It has to be a whole pack. I bought the smallest amount available, but I still have six chicken wings to do SOMETHING with. I will feed them to the kids in this form, since anything smothered in BBQ sauce is appetizing to them. I'm thinking of adding homemade oven fried potatoes and a big salad alongside.
I'm still in the maintenance phase of my diet. I'm proud to say I'm down 19 lbs and holding but I'm also being careful about what I'm eating. No sugar or starches, so some of the things the rest of the family is eating won't be on my plate in the same version.
Next weekend we will be going to St Louis for our Winter TEAM convention so I'm trying to be very frugal with my menus. We're riding a tour bus out there, but I have to take along Baby Boy, who at 19 months isn't yet weaned, and Oldest girl to watch him during the meetings in which babies are strictly verboten. We're dropping the other kids with Grampa Jim and Gramma Jo and they will enjoy that.
I guess I've hid down in the basement for long enough. Time to get back to the homeschool grind. Wish me luck and patience! And happy Monday.
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