Saturday's Menu

Okay, so we've made it through a whole week. Tomorrow I'll be posting the shopping list for next week, but here's the menu for Saturday. You'll notice a meal off for good behavior. :-) Feel free to use it for lunch or dinner, just be careful of your budget when choosing where to go (I think we're on a Little Caesar's budget this week). If it's not in your budget to eat out, there should be chicken left to bake up. Or you can boil it and make a nice chicken broth for soup, meat for the soup and for a casserole or salad. But if you can work it in at all, take the time off. You'll need it for next week.


So, here you go. Stay tuned tomorrow for the shopping list. Have a wonderful weekend!

Saturday's Menu:

Breakfast: apple muffins (recipe below) with butter, juice or milk

Lunch: PIZZA or whatever the kids want. You’ve saved a little money, you’ve cooked all week, you deserve a meal off. Plus, you’re probably out shopping for next week and you're tired and hungry. Am I right? Or is it soccer day? Anyway, enjoy.

Dinner: pork chops with rice, peas and carrots

Apple muffins (makes 12 medium or 6-8 large)

2 cups self-rising flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup oil

1 cup chopped, peeled apple

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray cooking spray on 12 muffin cups, or line with cupcake papers. Stir together flour, sugar and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, stir together milk, egg and oil. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add apple, stirring gently. Spoon batter muffin cups (I use an ice cream scoop). Bake 20 minutes, until golden brown and top of the muffins spring back when pressed lightly.


Streusel topping: Try mixing the following with a fork until crumbly and adding a rounded tablespoon of topping to each muffin before baking.

1/2 c. finely chopped nuts

1/2 c. sugar

2 Tbsp flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. butter, softened

Friday's Menu

Okay, we've almost made it through a whole week of our frugal menus. Friday will be another easy one this time. I'll try to have more variety next week, more interesting recipes. For now, it is what it is.

If you don't want to use your leftover chicken from Thursday for chicken salad sandwiches, try making a chicken salad out of it. Shred the chicken, toss it with shredded lettuce, tomato, celery and carrots. A quick dressing recipe is below (or use the dressing we bought for the week), along with easy and quick recipes for macaroni salad and beef vegetable soup. The rolls or biscuit recipes from earlier in the week go well with the soup.

I apologize for not adding beef broth to the shopping list. It goes for about $1.75 a quart for the store brand at most markets. It's not really necessary, just adds a nice flavor. You can also use bullion if you have it, but the tomato broth is fine.

Friday's Menu

Breakfast: oatmeal with butter and sugar, juice, milk

Lunch: sliced chicken sandwich and macaroni salad

Dinner:  beef and veggie soup, biscuits or rolls

Salad dressing (if you're opting for a a chicken and mixed vegetable salad rather than sandwiches)

2 T vinegar (I like to use red wine vinegar)
1 T sugar
1 T soy sauce (optional)
1 drop sesame oil (optional)
3 T vegetable oil

Place ingredients into a sealable container, then shake the heck out of it until it emulsifies. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Simple Macaroni Salad

8 oz macaroni
1 can mixed vegetables
1/4 C finely diced onion
1/4 C finely diced pepper
1/4 C finely diced celery
1/2 C shredded cheese
1/2 to 3/4 C mayo, Miracle Whip, or other salad dressing
Salt and pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp of each)
Cook macaroni according to package directions, the shortest recommended cooking time. Cool in a colander under cold running water. Add the remaining ingredients in order and toss until well blended.

Beef and Veggie Soup

1/2 lb ground beef
1 can tomatoes (Italian style)
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
32 oz beef broth OR 2 beef bullion cubes dissolved in 1 quart warm water (optional)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef. Place in large saucepan or stock pot, add remaining ingredients except salt and black pepper (if not using broth or bullion, add 4 cups water). Bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are done. Salt and pepper to taste.

I also sometimes add diced potatoes, squash (only add in last 10 minutes of cook time), sometimes rice or noodles to stretch the meal. Occasionally, when I want a little bit heartier soup, I'll add diced beef instead of ground beef, and a can of tomato sauce.

Tips:

If you'd like to serve with the rolls or biscuits, prepare the dough before you start preparing the soup, then place the pan of prepared rolls on the stove next to your soup pot to rise. The heat from cooking the soup will aid in the rising of the dough. Even biscuit dough can benefit from this added rest time.

When using dried herbs and spices (like the Italian seasoning for the soup) rub them between your palms to release the oils and add flavor.

Thursday's Menu

Today's menu is very simple, so no real recipes. Instead, I'm including some links to my favorite recipe websites, cookbooks and kitchen gadget places.

My very favorite thing to cook with is an enameled, cast iron dutch oven. I could have gotten Le Creuset, at two hundred fifty bucks a pop, but that's just not me. I love my Calphalon, don't get me wrong, but spending that much on a single piece of kitchen equipment just is not something I'm wired to do. So, instead, I asked for the Lodge version at $50 for Christmas...and got 2 of them. Label me happy.

Anyway, this pot is one of the best pieces I've ever owned, and I use it all the time. It's so easy to clean it's ridiculous, and it' looks pretty on the stove (mine's island spice red). We're going to use it. We're going to use it a lot. I understand if you don't have one or can't afford one, just wanted to mention it in case you're making your wish list. You can just as easily use a stock pot or chili pot (or casserole dish, should something need to go in the oven.

So, with that thought, here's Thursday:

Thursday's Menu

Breakfast: banana pancakes, syrup, juice or milk

Lunch: egg salad in lettuce cups, sliced tomato

Dinner: baked chicken, carrots, rice

To bake the chicken, I preheat the oven to 375 F, place 3-4 of our wonderful chicken thigh and leg quarters on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, or whatever you like. Bake for about an hour, or until the skin is dark brown and crunchy.

If your family is smaller, like mine, you should have a quarter or so left over, and this can be used in casseroles, chicken salad, soup, whatever. As MS would say, it's a good thing.

I also like to add a tablespoon or two of chicken bullion crystals (or a couple cubes) to the rice while it's cooking for added flavor.

Links for my favorite places and things:

That wonderful dutch oven can be found here:

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-Cast-Iron-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1317233802&sr=8-4

My other favorite gadget shop:

http://www.surlatable.com/

My current favorite cookbooks:

http://www.amazon.com/Paula-Deens-My-First-Cookbook/dp/1416950338/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1317234738&sr=8-19

http://www.thegoodcook.com/celebrity-&-restaurants-books/tv-personalities-books/barefoot-contessa-back-to-basics-by-ina-garten-1031253115.html

My current favorite recipe place:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/main.aspx

Wednesday's Menu and Some Tips

The weather is starting to cool down a bit, so time to drag out that chili with beans recipe. We eat a lot of soups and stews at our house, along with the quick rolls or a pan of jalapeno cornbread (recipe coming next week). Chili is one of the favorites, it's easy, and it's inexpensive to make. We like to add toppings like grated cheese, chopped onions and tomatoes, and sour cream. I also sometimes add veggies like corn or hominy, and I've seen it (although I've never tried it) with green beans added. This really can stretch your food budget, allowing leftovers for lunch or for freezing. Chili freezes well in serving sizes for about 6 months.

The recipe I use is below. Very simple and quick. Hope you enjoy it. Please keep in mind that the recipes I post are for a family of four, with a little left over. If your family is larger, you may need to double the recipes, or you can serve over rice to feed a few more tummies. Now, for Wednesday's menu.

Wednesday

Breakfast: oatmeal with chopped apple and cinnamon sugar

Lunch: chicken salad sandwiches (or leftovers)

Dinner: chili, toppings, biscuits (recipe below) or quick rolls (recipe on Sunday's menu)

Kim's Quick and Easy Chili

1 lb ground beef

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 C diced green pepper (or can of diced green chilis, if you have them)

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (regular or chili ready)

1 can dark red kidney beans, undrained (or black beans if you like)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 ROUNDED Tbsp chili powder (Or more, to taste)

Brown the ground beef with the onion and pepper. Drain. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add additional chili powder if desired.

Serve with grated cheese, chopped tomato and chopped onion, if desired. Makes 4-6 servings.

Weight Watcher's points:  7 points per serving (if broken down into 6 servings), before cheese topping or rice (if used)


Biscuits

I'm linking you to a recipe for biscuits. I can't give my grandmother's secret recipe away. At least not just yet. But I think this one is good, too. You can use slightly softened butter in place of the shortening if you like, since we didn't purchase shortening this week.

Weight Watchers Points: A whopping 6 points for these babies, so stay away from them if you're dieting, or make sure it's a day when you have lots of points left in your plan.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/easy-biscuits/detail.aspx

Now for some tips for shopping:

1. Never buy pre-grated cheese. Not only is it more expensive (unless there's a sale), but it also often has additional ingrediets (like corn starch or even flour) to prevent the bits from sticking together (store brands are especially bad about this). You can buy the store brand block of cheese, stick it in the freezer for about 10 minutes, and it will grate easily. I buy a pound at a time and grate the whole thing when I get home from the market. Stored in a zipper bad in the fridge, it can be used for everything from casseroles to grilled sandwiches.

2. Be careful about buying that pound of cheese. Make sure the 8oz packages aren't on sale. When they are, you can often buy 2 8oz packages for less than the 16 oz.

3. Watch out for the packaging. I noticed recently that one store was selling a 2 lb bag of rice for $1.29, while their 5 lb bag (which should be less, right?) was a whopping $5.99. I could buy 3 of the 2 lb  packages for $3.87, for a total of 6 lbs of rice. Sheesh! Don't these people do math?

Tuesday's Menu and Recipe

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We certainly did. Daughter's teams won both volleyball matches and their soccer game, so there was great joy in our small household. Well, before the yardwork, anyway.

I just know everyone got their chicken cooked and veggies chopped over the weekend. Now we're ready for  Tuesday's menu. I've included recipes for the banana pancakes as well as the chicken spaghetti (which can be made with any pasta).

Chicken spaghetti is one of those old casserole recipes that most folks, kids especially, seem to love. I'm all for casseroles. They're a great timesaver, since you're basically dumping stuff into a pan and baking it, but they also have a tendency to be large recipes, so leftovers for lunches later in the week. Leftovers are always a good thing, especially when you're trying to stretch your budget. You can put pretty much anything in. If you like veggies, or you have some leftover veggies like peas and carrots, throw them in. The old fashioned casseroles can take almost anything.

And the pancakes... I make them in large batches and freeze whatever we don't eat in serving size batches in zipper sandwich bags. That way, if someone's hungry they can just pull a bag out of the freezer, nuke for 15 seconds or so, and eat something homemade instead of grabbing a bag of cookies.

Also, I grated that whole pound of cheese I bought, since I knew we were making a casserole, and that's what I'm using for the grilled cheese sandwiches. Just a 1/4 cup or so per sandwich.

Tuesday's Menu

Breakfast:  Banana pancakes, syrup, juice, milk

Lunch:   Grilled cheese sandwiches, celery/carrot sticks or sliced tomato

Dinner:   Chicken spaghetti (recipe below), cooked carrots or salad

Banana Pancakes

1 C self-rising flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 C milk

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 ripe bananas, mashed (peel, put in a zipper bag and squish, fun for kids to do)

Combine flour and sugar in one bowl. In a separate bowl, blend the "wet" ingredients: egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and mashed banana. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture. The batter will be a bit lumpy.

Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or oil lightly. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake (I use an ice cream or cookie scoop). Brown on one side. It'll be ready to flip when there are bubbles covering the surface and the top seems to being drying out slightly. Flip and brown on the other side, about a minute or so. Serve with warmed syrup.

Chicken Spaghetti

2 C cooked chicken
3 C dry spaghetti, broken into pieces (about 1-2 inches in length)
1 can Cream Of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 C finely diced green pepper(I often use a can of diced green chilis instead, if I have them)
1/2 C finely diced onion
1 C milk, pasta water, OR chicken broth (if available)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup additional grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook the pasta according to package directions, but cook until al dente rather than cooking it completely. It'll cook more in the oven. We like our onions and peppers a little crunchy, but if you don't, now's the time to saute them for a few minutes in a tiny bit of oil or butter. Mix the pasta with the remaining ingredients (except the additional cheese) until thoroughly combined. Spoon into a casserole or baking pan that has been coated with cooking spray or a little oil (this'll make cleaning it a lot easier). Bake for 40 minutes, sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Weight Watcher's points: 7 pointos per serving, 8 servings per recipe.

ADDED BONUS! This casserole can be made a frozen, uncooked, for a couple of months. So if you want to make an extra one for later, or if you want to cook ahead, go for it. Just pop it in the oven, still frozen, and add about 15 minutes to the cook time. It can also be kept refrigerated, uncooked, for several days.

Monday's Menu

Okay, so today you're cooking chicken, chopping, prepping the meals for the day, right? The menu for tomorrow is pretty easy. Standard stuff that I don't really need to post recipes for, since you've most likely made them before. You may also have leftovers from today that you can opt for as lunch items instead of preparing the chicken salad I suggested. That's up to you. Since no real recipes are required, I'm giving you a Pineapple Spice Cake recipe that you can use for dessert for the week (or at least part of it, if it lasts that long). It's low in fat, using pineapple in place of the oil in the recipe, and easy, since it uses a spice cake mix. Remember, if you don't know how to make something, let me know in the comments section and I'll add a recipe for it.

Monday's Menu

Breakfast: Oatmeal with sliced banana and/or sugar, juice, milk

Lunch: chicken salad sandwiches, carrot sticks

Dinner: pork chops, rice, cooked peas and carrots

Pineapple Spice Cake

1 spice cake mix

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple (I bought sliced by mistake and pulsed it in the blender to break it up)

3 large eggs

¼ tsp maple extract (or 1 tsp vanilla, rum, coconut or whatever you like)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all ingredients together until just blended. Pour into 13 x 9 inch pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, or glaze with maple glaze (below).

Maple Glaze:

1 C powdered sugar

1 tiny drop maple flavoring (no more, or it will be too strong) OR 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 T milk (or reserved pineapple juice)

Mix ingredients together until well blended and smooth. If additional milk is needed, add only a drop or two at a time to avoid glaze becoming too thin. Spread over slightly warm cake.

Hint: I sprinkle a couple tablespoons cinnamon sugar over the top of the batter before baking. It adds a nice crunch beneath the glaze.

For all you Weight Watchers followers, slice this into 24 small servings and it's 3 points per serving. Sliced into 18 medium servings and it's 4 points. Don't know about you, but I'll use the extra point and have a bigger slice. :-)

Menu for Sunday, September 25, 2011

Sunday's menu is pretty simple, so I suggest using this day to chop veggies for the week, as well as cooking chicken that will be needed for other recipes during the week. God rested on the seventh day, but we never do, right?

1.  Finely dice two of the onions, the bell pepper, and 5 stalks of celery.
2.  Slice one pound of the carrots, julienne the other pound for carrot sticks (as well as 4 more stalks of celery) and whatever else you may need for the week.
3.  Boil 2 eggs for the chicken salad you're going to make for Monday, and scramble 2 eggs for the fried rice you're having for lunch on Sunday.
4. Bake 4 of the chicken quarters: Preheat the oven to 375 F, place the quarters on a cookie sheet covered in foil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, bake for 1 hour or until skin is dark brown. Cool and remove the meat from the bones and place in a container in the fridge.
5. Cook 1.5 cups of rice in 3 cups water (I love my rice steamer for this. That's OM). Cool in the fridge for later.

You don't have to do this pre-prep, but it helps save time during the week.

Now, for Sunday's menu:

Breakfast: French toast (8 slices bread dipped in egg/milk mixture), syrup, juice, milk
Lunch: Chicken fried rice (recipe below)

Dinner: spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, quick rolls (recipes below for rolls and sauce)

Chicken Fried Rice: 

1 C cooked, deboned chicken from above (if you have leftover pork, beef, ham, whatever meat you   want to get rid of, you can use this instead of the chicken)

3 C cooled rice

1 C frozen peas, thawed

1/2 C diced onion

1/4 C diced celery

2 scrambled eggs, chopped into 1 inch pieces

Oil

Butter

Soy sauce

Oyster sauce (optional)

Heat 2 T oil in a nonstick skillet or wok. Stir fry the veggies (except peas) until crisp/tender (you can add other veggies if you have them on hand), about 4-5 minutes. Add chicken, egg, rice and peas. Stir until well mixed. Add 2 T butter, spinkle with 3 T soy sauce and 3 T oyster sauce (if you like the flavor, which I love). Stir until the butter is melted and the soy sauce and rice are well blended.

Remove from heat and serve while hot.

Spaghetti Sauce:

1/2 lb ground beef, browned with 1/2 C chopped onion

2 cans Italian style tomatoes

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 can tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, rubbed between your palms as you add it

1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes or more (depending on how saucy or chunky you like it). Serve over cooked spaghetti. I often put this in the crockpot and cook it all day for a really smooth, thick sauce.

Quick Dinner Rolls:

3 C self-rising flour

1 pkg rapid rise (or regular) yeast

1 1/2 C warm water

3 T sugar

3 T oil

1/2 stick butter, melted

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Set aside and allow 10 minutes to bloom. Add the flour, sugar and oil. Mix until soft dough forms, then need (using a little more flour on the counter or a board) about 5 times. Pat down to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut rolls with a biscuit cutter and dip in butter. Place, sides touching, in an ungreased pan. Cover and let rise 1 hour. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

These rolls are yummy. You can double the batch and store leftovers in an airtight container for later use, but you'll need to nuke them for about 15 seconds to freshen them up. They're best when fresh.

Note: If you have any questions about any of the recipes, or if you aren't sure how to go about making something, like the French toast, please comment and I'll get back to you as soon as possible with tips. If you have your own favorite recipes for these items, please feel free to post them in the comments section. Sharing is wonderful.

Tomorrow: Monday's menu and new recipes

Week 1 - The Shopping List

Here we go. I did go over budget slightly due to some staples, please don't skewer me. This is a learning process for me, too, so in the future I hope to keep the budget in line with the $60 limit. Bear with me, please. :-) Note that there are no beverages other than milk and juice. If you want your Diet Coke or your Bud Light, you're on your own for that. I also assumed most of you have some staples such as sugar and a few spices. If you don't, you can get those at your local Dollar Tree or 99 cent store and still keep the budget low on a per use basis.

I will post the menu one day ahead, with a recipe or two included. The menu and recipes for tomorrow will be posted as soon as I get back from volleyball and soccer games this afternoon. Saturday is always a busy day at our house.

The Shopping List - Week 1

Chicken thighs/legs $5.90 10 lb bag, (10 leg and thigh quarters)

Pork chops  6.89, 2 meals, 4 chops each meal

2.25 lb ground beef (80/20) $3.97

4 cans tomatoes, 3 cans Italian, 1 can Mexican blend (not Rotel) 2.72

3 cans tomato sauce   0.58 for a 15 oz can + 0.34 for an 8 oz can

1 can tomato paste 0.44

1 can kidney beans 0.66

1 can mixed vegetables 0.68

3 onions 1.68

Celery 1.28

Lettuce 1.14

3 tomatoes 2.74

2 lb carrots 1.47

3 lb Bag apples, gala 3.97

3 lb bananas 1.17

1 bag flour, self rising – 2.32

1 lb spaghetti  - 1.08 x 2

1 lb elbow macaroni - 1.08

1 lb cheddar cheese  - 4.66

1 loaf sandwich bread -  1.00

Milk 2.28

Orange juice 1.53

Frozen peas 0.98

Rice, 2lb,  1.28

Oatmeal 1.48

Dozen Eggs 1.56

Oil 1.18

Salad dressing, any type (I got WishboneThousand Island, Hubby's favorite 1.88)

Spice cake mix (Betty Crocker) 1.25

Butter - 2.88

1 can cream of mushroom 1.00

1 can cream of chicken 1.00

1 green pepper 0.74

Yeast, Rapid Rise 3 pkg 0.86

Syrup – 1.88

Total: $68.65

Note, our state does not charge sales tax on food, which is a benefit. If you can find a bargain, say they have apples for less if you buy it per pound instead of the bag, go for it. If you don't need the larger bag of flour (this was 5 lbs, which will last for quite a while), then go for that, too. In the long run, you're better off buying larger quantities, but do what will fit into your food allowance.

Happy shopping!

Let's Get Started!

Hi there. I've started this blog as a result of a challenge I received to feed a single person for $30 a week. I'm going to pump it up, though, and increase the budget to $60 (or less) to feed a family of three or four for a week; breakfast, lunch and dinner. I will include shopping lists, recipes and helpful hints for stretching the meal dollar until it squeals. Where possible, I'll include links to manufacturers' and store coupons to stretch your food dollar even more. I'm going to be using this budget for my family, so I'm not just blowing smoke. This will work, and I'm going to prove it.

Join me this Saturday, September 24th when I'll post a shopping list for the week. Each day, I will post a menu and recipes for the following day. Anything that can be done ahead, such as chopping, cleaning, cooking, etc. will be listed so you can do those things on Sunday to shorten time in the kitchen for the rest of the week. Then the next Saturday, I'll post the next week's shopping list, and we'll go from there.

It's going to be tough, it's going to have to be creative, and I'd love your input, recipes, or any advice you can give to readers that will help everyone trying to stay within a tight budget live a little better. We're all in this together, and we can help each other save money and spend more time with our families.  Let's throw out the McMeals and get down to business.

Thank you for reading. I hope you come back often.

Kim